A service-oriented architecture for text analytics enabled business applications

Experiences showed that developing business applications that base on text analysis normally requires a lot of time and expertise in the field of computer linguistics. Several approaches of integrating text analysis systems with business applications have been proposed, but so far there has been no coordinated approach which would enable building scalable and flexible applications of text analysis in enterprise scenarios. In this paper, a service-oriented architecture for text processing applications in the business domain is introduced. It comprises various groups of processing components and knowledge resources. The architecture, created as a result of our experiences with building natural language processing applications in business scenarios, allows for the reuse of text analysis and other components, and facilitates the development of business applications. We verify our approach by showing how the proposed architecture can be applied to create a text analytics enabled business application that addresses a concrete business scenario. © 2010 IEEE.

A novel serogenetic approach determines the community prevalence of celiac disease and informs improved diagnostic pathways

Background: Changing perspectives on the natural history of celiac disease (CD), new serology and genetic tests, and amended histological criteria for diagnosis cast doubt on past prevalence estimates for CD. We set out to establish a more accurate prevalence estimate for CD using a novel serogenetic approach.Methods: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ genotype was determined in 356 patients with 'biopsy-confirmed' CD, and in two age-stratified, randomly selected community cohorts of 1,390 women and 1,158 men. Sera were screened for CD-specific serology.Results: Only five 'biopsy-confirmed' patients with CD did not possess the susceptibility alleles HLA-DQ2.5, DQ8, or DQ2.2, and four of these were misdiagnoses. HLA-DQ2.5, DQ8, or DQ2.2 was present in 56% of all women and men in the community cohorts. Transglutaminase (TG)-2 IgA and composite TG2/deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) IgA/IgG were abnormal in 4.6% and 5.6%, respectively, of the community women and 6.9% and 6.9%, respectively, of the community men, but in the screen-positive group, only 71% and 75%, respectively, of women and 65% and 63%, respectively, of men possessed HLA-DQ2.5, DQ8, or DQ2.2. Medical review was possible for 41% of seropositive women and 50% of seropositive men, and led to biopsy-confirmed CD in 10 women (0.7%) and 6 men (0.5%), but based on relative risk for HLA-DQ2.5, DQ8, or DQ2.2 in all TG2 IgA or TG2/DGP IgA/IgG screen-positive subjects, CD affected 1.3% or 1.9%, respectively, of females and 1.3% or 1.2%, respectively, of men. Serogenetic data from these community cohorts indicated that testing screen positives for HLA-DQ, or carrying out HLA-DQ and further serology, could have reduced unnecessary gastroscopies due to false-positive serology by at least 40% and by over 70%, respectively.Conclusions: Screening with TG2 IgA serology and requiring biopsy confirmation caused the community prevalence of CD to be substantially underestimated. Testing for HLA-DQ genes and confirmatory serology could reduce the numbers of unnecessary gastroscopies. © 2013 Anderson et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

A novel LEMD3 mutation common to patients with osteopoikilosis with and without melorheostosis

Recent studies have reported loss of function mutations in the LEMD3 gene, encoding an inner nuclear membrane protein that influences Smad signaling, as a cause of osteopoikilosis, Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome, and melorheostosis. We investigated LEMD3 in a three-generation family with osteopoikilosis from the Azores, an affected father and daughter from Ireland with osteopoikilosis (the daughter also had melorheostosis), and two other individuals from the UK with isolated melorheostosis. We found a novel C to T substitution at position 2032 bp (cDNA) in exon 8 of LEMD3, resulting in a premature stop codon at amino acid position 678. This mutation co-segregates with the osteopoikilosis phenotype in both the Azorean family and the Irish family. It was not detected in any of the six unaffected family members or in 342 healthy Caucasian individuals. No LEMD3 mutations were detected in the two patients with sporadic melorheostosis. The LEMD3 mutation reported was clearly the cause of osteopoikilosis in the two families but its relationship to melorheostosis in one of the family members is still unclear. Perhaps unsurprisingly in what is a segmental disease, we did not find LEMD3 mutations in peripheral-blood-derived DNA from the two other individuals with sporadic melorheostosis. The nature of the additional genetic and/or environmental influences required for the development of melorheostosis in those with osteopoikilosis requires further investigation.

Errors in the knee joint forces and moments during gait depending on the foot and knee prosthetic components

Background Previously studies showed that inverse dynamics based on motion analysis and force-plate is inaccurate compared to direct measurements for individuals with transfemoral amputation (TFA). Indeed, direct measurements can appropriately take into account the absorption at the prosthetic foot and the resistance at the prosthetic knee. [1-3] However, these studies involved only a passive prosthetic knee. Aim The objective of the present study was to investigate if different types of prosthetic feet and knees can exhibit different levels of error in the knee joint forces and moments. Method Three trials of walking at self-selected speed were analysed for 9 TFAs (7 males and 2 females, 47±9 years old, 1.76±0.1 m 79±17 kg) with a motion analysis system (Qualisys, Goteborg, Sweden), force plates (Kitsler, Winterthur, Switzerland) and a multi-axial transducer (JR3, Woodland, USA) mounted above the prosthetic knee [1-17]. TFAs were all fitted with an osseointegrated implant system. The prostheses included different type of foot (N=5) and knee (N=3) components. The root mean square errors (RMSE) between direct measurements and the knee joint forces and moments estimated by inverse dynamics were computed for stance and swing phases of gait and expressed as a percentage of the measured amplitudes. A one-way Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was performed (Statgraphics, Levallois-Perret, France) to analyse the effects of the prosthetic components on the RMSEs. Cross-effects and post-hoc tests were not analysed in this study. Results A significant effect (*) was found for the type of prosthetic foot on anterior-posterior force during swing (p=0.016), lateral-medial force during stance (p=0.009), adduction-abduction moment during stance (p=0.038), internal-external rotation moment during stance (p=0.014) and during swing (p=0.006), and flexion-extension moment during stance (p = 0.035). A significant effect (#) was found for the type of prosthetic knee on anterior-posterior force during swing (p=0.018) and adduction-abduction moment during stance (p=0.035). Discussion & Conclusion The RMSEs were larger during swing than during stance. It is because the errors on accelerations (as derived from motion analysis) become substantial with respect to the external loads. Thus, inverse dynamics during swing should be analysed with caution because the mean RMSEs are close to 50%. Conversely, there were fewer effects of the prosthetic components on RMSE during swing than during stance and, accordingly, fewer effects due to knees than feet. Thus, inverse dynamics during stance should be used with caution for comparison of different prosthetic components.

Effect of shoes' heel height on the energy cost during jogging

The purpose of this study is to examine the changes of energy cost during a high-heeled continuous jogging.Thirteen healthy female volunteers jointed in this study with heel height of the shoes varied from 1, 4.5 and 7 cm, respectively. Each subjects jogged on the treadmill with K4b2 portable gas analysis system. The results of this study showed that ventilnation, relative oxygen consumption and energy expenditure increased with the increase of heel height and these values shows significantly larger when the heel height reached to 7 cm. Present study suggest that wearing high heel shoes jogging could directly increase energy consumption, causing neuromuscular fatigue.

A pilot study in different unstable designs on the biomechanical effect of gait characteristics

The purpose of this study was to compare kinematics and kinetics during walking for healthy subjects using unstable shoes with different designs. Ten subjects participated in this study, and foot biomechanical data during walking were quantified using motion analysis system and a force plate. Data were collected for unstable shoes condition after accommodation period of one week. With soft material added in the heel region, the peak impact force was effectively reduced when compared among similar shapes. In addition, the soft material added in the rocker bottom showed more to be in dorsiflexed position during the initial stance. The shoe with three rocker curves design reduced the contact area in the heel strike, which may result in increasing human body forward speed. Further studies shall be carried out after adapting to long periods of wearing unstable shoes.

The current status of heart failure diagnostic biomarkers

Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 23 million individuals worldwide and this number is increasing, due to an aging and growing population. Early detection of HF is crucial in the management of this debilitating disease. Current diagnostic methods for HF rely heavily on clinical imaging techniques and blood analysis, which makes them less than ideal for population-based screening purposes. Studies focusing on developing novel biomarkers for HF have utilized various techniques and biological fluids, including urine and saliva. Promising results from these studies imply that these body fluids can be used in evaluating the clinical manifestation of HF and will one day be integrated into a clinical workflow and facilitate HF management.

Identification methods of key contributing factors in crashes with high numbers of fatalities and injuries in China

Objectives In China, “serious road traffic crashes” (SRTCs) are those in which there are 10-30 fatalities, 50-100 serious injuries or a total cost of 50-100 million RMB ($US8-16m), and “particularly serious road traffic crashes” (PSRTCs) are those which are more severe or costly. Due to the large number of fatalities and injuries as well as the negative public reaction they elicit, SRTCs and PSRTCs have become great concerns to China during recent years. The aim of this study is to identify the main factors contributing to these road traffic crashes and to propose preventive measures to reduce their number. Methods 49 contributing factors of the SRTCs and PSRTCs that occurred from 2007 to 2013 were collected from the database “In-depth Investigation and Analysis System for Major Road traffic crashes” (IIASMRTC) and were analyzed through the integrated use of principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering to determine the primary and secondary groups of contributing factors. Results Speeding and overloading of passengers were the primary contributing factors, featuring in up to 66.3% and 32.6% of accidents respectively. Two secondary contributing factors were road-related: lack of or nonstandard roadside safety infrastructure, and slippery roads due to rain, snow or ice. Conclusions The current approach to SRTCs and PSRTCs is focused on the attribution of responsibility and the enforcement of regulations considered relevant to particular SRTCs and PSRTCs. It would be more effective to investigate contributing factors and characteristics of SRTCs and PSRTCs as a whole, to provide adequate information for safety interventions in regions where SRTCs and PSRTCs are more common. In addition to mandating of a driver training program and publicisation of the hazards associated with traffic violations, implementation of speed cameras, speed signs, markings and vehicle-mounted GPS are suggested to reduce speeding of passenger vehicles, while increasing regular checks by traffic police and passenger station staff, and improving transportation management to increase income of contractors and drivers are feasible measures to prevent overloading of people. Other promising measures include regular inspection of roadside safety infrastructure, and improving skid resistance on dangerous road sections in mountainous areas.