A distributed system for learning programming on-line

Several Web-based on-line judges or on-line programming trainers have been developed in order to allow students to train their programming skills. However, their pedagogical functionalities in the learning of programming have not been clearly defined. EduJudge is a project which aims to integrate the “UVA On-line Judge”, an existing on-line programming trainer with an important number of problems and users, into an effective educational environment consisting of the e-learning platform Moodle and the competitive learning tool QUESTOURnament. The result is the EduJudge system which allows teachers to apply different pedagogical approaches using a proven e-learning platform, makes problems easy to search through an effective search engine, and provides an automated evaluation of the solutions submitted to these problems. The final objective is to provide new learning strategies to motivate students and present programming as an easy and attractive challenge. EduJudge has been tried and tested in three algorithms and programming courses in three different Engineering degrees. The students’ motivation and satisfaction levels were analysed alongside the effects of the EduJudge system on students’ academic outcomes. Results indicate that both students and teachers found that among other multiple benefits the EduJudge system facilitates the learning process. Furthermore, the experi- ment also showed an improvement in students’ academic outcomes. It must be noted that the students’ level of satisfaction did not depend on their computer skills or their gender.

Scheduling a cutting and treatment stainless steel sheet line with self-management capabilities

With advancement in computer science and information technology, computing systems are becoming increasingly more complex with an increasing number of heterogeneous components. They are thus becoming more difficult to monitor, manage, and maintain. This process has been well known as labor intensive and error prone. In addition, traditional approaches for system management are difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing environments. There is a need for automatic and efficient approaches to monitor and manage complex computing systems. In this paper, we propose an innovative framework for scheduling system management by combining Autonomic Computing (AC) paradigm, Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and Nature Inspired Optimization Techniques (NIT). Additionally, we consider the resolution of realistic problems. The scheduling of a Cutting and Treatment Stainless Steel Sheet Line will be evaluated. Results show that proposed approach has advantages when compared with other scheduling systems

Invariant integrals applied to nematic liquid crystals with small Ericksen number and topological defects

Invariant integrals are derived for nematic liquid crystals and applied to materials with small Ericksen number and topological defects. The nematic material is confined between two infinite plates located at y = -h and y = h (h is an element of R+) with a semi-infinite plate at y = 0 and x < 0. Planar and homeotropic strong anchoring boundary conditions to the director field are assumed at these two infinite and semi-infinite plates, respectively. Thus, a line disclination appears in the system which coincides with the z-axis. Analytical solutions to the director field in the neighbourhood of the singularity are obtained. However, these solutions depend on an arbitrary parameter. The nematic elastic force is thus evaluated from an invariant integral of the energy-momentum tensor around a closed surface which does not contain the singularity. This allows one to determine this parameter which is a function of the nematic cell thickness and the strength of the disclination. Analytical solutions are also deduced for the director field in the whole region using the conformal mapping method. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single line for assembly just-in-sequence multiple models

Programa Doutoral em Líderes para as Indústrias Tecnológicas

Outcome of long-axis percutaneous sacroplasty as first-line treatment of sacral insufficiency fractures : P219

Purpose: To assess the clinical outcome of patients who were subjected to long-axis sacroplasty as first line treatment for sacral insufficiency fractures. Methods and materials: Nineteen patients with unilateral (n = 3) or bilateral (n = 16) sacral fractures were involved. Under local anaesthesia, each patient was subjected to CT guided sacroplasty using the long-axis approach through a single entry point. An average of 6 ml of PMMA was delivered along the path of each sacral fracture. For each individual patient, the VAS pain score before sacroplasty and at 1, 4, 24, and 48 weeks after the procedure was obtained. Furthermore, the use of analgesics (narcotic/non-narcotic) along with the evolution of post interventional patient mobility before and after sacroplasty was also recorded. Results: The mean pre-procedure VAS score was 8 ± 1.9. This has rapidly declined in the first week after the procedure (mean 4 ± 1.5) followed by gradual decrease along the rest of follow-up period at 4 weeks (mean 3 ± 1.2), 24 weeks (mean 2 ± 1.3), and 48 weeks (mean 1.3 ± 1.4), respectively. Eleven (58%) patients were under narcotic analgesia before sacroplasty, whereas, 8 (42%) patients were using non-narcotics. Corresponding values after the procedure were 2/19 (10%) (narcotic) and 10/19 53% (non-narcotic). Seven (37%) patients did not address post-procedure analgesic use. The evolution of post interventional mobility was favourable in the study group since they revealed a significant improvement in their mobility point scale. Conclusion: Long-axis percutaneous sacroplasty is a suitable minimally invasive treatment option for patients who present with sacral insufficiency fractures. Future studies with larger patient number are warranted to grasp any potential limitations of this therapeutic approach.

Statistical evaluation of the influence of writing postures on on-line signatures. Study of the impact of time.

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of unusual writing positions on a person's signature, in comparison to a standard writing position. Ten writers were asked to sign their signature six times, in each of four different writing positions, including the standard one. In order to take into consideration the effect of the day-to-day variation, this same process was repeated over 12 sessions, giving a total of 288 signatures per subject. The signatures were collected simultaneously in an off-line and on-line acquisition mode, using an interactive tablet and a ballpoint pen. Unidimensional variables (height to width ratio; time with or without in air displacement) and time-dependent variables (pressure; X and Y coordinates; altitude and azimuth angles) were extracted from each signature. For the unidimensional variables, the position effect was assessed through ANOVA and Dunnett contrast tests. Concerning the time-dependent variables, the signatures were compared by using dynamic time warping, and the position effect was evaluated through classification by linear discriminant analysis. Both of these variables provided similar results: no general tendency regarding the position factor could be highlighted. The influence of the position factor varies according to the subject as well as the variable studied. The impact of the session factor was shown to cover the impact that could be ascribed to the writing position factor. Indeed, the day-to-day variation has a greater effect than the position factor on the studied signature variables. The results of this study suggest guidelines for best practice in the area of signature comparisons and demonstrate the importance of a signature collection procedure covering an adequate number of sampling sessions, with a sufficient number of samples per session.

Experimental infection of Leishmania (L.) chagasi in a cell line derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera:Psychodidae)

The present work describes the in vitro infection of a cell line Lulo, derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis embryonic tissue, by Leishmania chagasi promastigotes. This infection process is compared with a parallel one developed using the J774 cell line. The L. chagasi MH/CO/84/CI-044B strain was used for experimental infection in two cell lines. The cells were seeded on glass coverslips in 24-well plates to reach a final number of 2 x 10(5) cells/well. Parasites were added to the adhered Lulo and J774 cells in a 10:1 ratio and were incubated at 28 and 37ºC respectively. After 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days post-infection, the cells were extensively washed with PBS, fixed with methanol, and stained with Giemsa. The number of internalized parasites was determined by counting at least 400 cultured cells on each coverslip. The results showed continuous interaction between L. chagasi promastigotes with the cell lines. Some ultrastructural characteristics of the amastigote forms were observed using transmission electron microscopy. The highest percentage of infection in Lulo cells was registered on day 6 post-infection (29.6%) and on day 4 in the J774 cells (51%). This work shows similarities and differences in the L. chagasi experimental infection process in the two cell lines. However, Lulo cells emerge as a new model to study the life-cycle of this parasite.

Local delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor improves facial nerve regeneration after late repair.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Facial nerve regeneration is limited in some clinical situations: in long grafts, by aged patients, and when the delay between nerve lesion and repair is prolonged. This deficient regeneration is due to the limited number of regenerating nerve fibers, their immaturity and the unresponsiveness of Schwann cells after a long period of denervation. This study proposes to apply glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on facial nerve grafts via nerve guidance channels to improve the regeneration. METHODS: Two situations were evaluated: immediate and delayed grafts (repair 7 months after the lesion). Each group contained three subgroups: a) graft without channel, b) graft with a channel without neurotrophic factor; and c) graft with a GDNF-releasing channel. A functional analysis was performed with clinical observation of facial nerve function, and nerve conduction study at 6 weeks. Histological analysis was performed with the count of number of myelinated fibers within the graft, and distally to the graft. Central evaluation was assessed with Fluoro-Ruby retrograde labeling and Nissl staining. RESULTS: This study showed that GDNF allowed an increase in the number and the maturation of nerve fibers, as well as the number of retrogradely labeled neurons in delayed anastomoses. On the contrary, after immediate repair, the regenerated nerves in the presence of GDNF showed inferior results compared to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: GDNF is a potent neurotrophic factor to improve facial nerve regeneration in grafts performed several months after the nerve lesion. However, GDNF should not be used for immediate repair, as it possibly inhibits the nerve regeneration.

Assessment of recent HIV-1 infection by a line immunoassay for HIV-1/2 confirmation.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the number of recent HIV infections is important for epidemiologic surveillance. Over the past decade approaches have been developed to estimate this number by testing HIV-seropositive specimens with assays that discriminate the lower concentration and avidity of HIV antibodies in early infection. We have investigated whether this "recency" information can also be gained from an HIV confirmatory assay. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The ability of a line immunoassay (INNO-LIA HIV I/II Score, Innogenetics) to distinguish recent from older HIV-1 infection was evaluated in comparison with the Calypte HIV-1 BED Incidence enzyme immunoassay (BED-EIA). Both tests were conducted prospectively in all HIV infections newly diagnosed in Switzerland from July 2005 to June 2006. Clinical and laboratory information indicative of recent or older infection was obtained from physicians at the time of HIV diagnosis and used as the reference standard. BED-EIA and various recency algorithms utilizing the antibody reaction to INNO-LIA's five HIV-1 antigen bands were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. A total of 765 HIV-1 infections, 748 (97.8%) with complete test results, were newly diagnosed during the study. A negative or indeterminate HIV antibody assay at diagnosis, symptoms of primary HIV infection, or a negative HIV test during the past 12 mo classified 195 infections (26.1%) as recent (< or = 12 mo). Symptoms of CDC stages B or C classified 161 infections as older (21.5%), and 392 patients with no symptoms remained unclassified. BED-EIA ruled 65% of the 195 recent infections as recent and 80% of the 161 older infections as older. Two INNO-LIA algorithms showed 50% and 40% sensitivity combined with 95% and 99% specificity, respectively. Estimation of recent infection in the entire study population, based on actual results of the three tests and adjusted for a test's sensitivity and specificity, yielded 37% for BED-EIA compared to 35% and 33% for the two INNO-LIA algorithms. Window-based estimation with BED-EIA yielded 41% (95% confidence interval 36%-46%). CONCLUSIONS: Recency information can be extracted from INNO-LIA-based confirmatory testing at no additional costs. This method should improve epidemiologic surveillance in countries that routinely use INNO-LIA for HIV confirmation.

Establishment and characterisation of a new cell line derived from Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Insect cell cultures are an important biotechnological tool for basic and applied studies. The objective of this work was to establish and characterise a new cell line from Culex quinquefasciatus embryonic tissues. Embryonated eggs were taken as a source of tissue to make explants that were seeded in L-15, Grace's, Grace's/L-15, MM/VP12, Schneider's and DMEM culture media with a pH range from 6.7-6.9 and incubated at 28ºC. The morphological, cytogenetic, biochemical and molecular characteristics of the cell cultures were examined by observing the cell shapes, obtaining the karyotypes, using a cellulose-acetate electrophoretic system and performing random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction analysis, respectively. The Grace's/L-15 medium provided the optimal nutritional conditions for cell adhesion and proliferation. Approximately 40-60 days following the explant procedure, a confluent monolayer was formed. Cellular morphology in the primary cultures and the subcultures was heterogeneous, but in the monolayer the epithelioid morphology type predominated. A karyotype with a diploid number of six chromosomes (2n = 6) was observed. Isoenzymatic and molecular patterns of the mosquito cell cultures matched those obtained from the immature and adult forms of the same species. Eighteen subcultures were generated. These cell cultures potentially constitute a useful tool for use in biomedical applications.

Prominent use of distal 5’ transcription start sites and discovery of a large number of additional exons in ENCODE regions

This report presents systematic empirical annotation of transcript products from 399 annotated protein-coding loci across the 1% of the human genome targeted by the Encyclopedia of DNA elements (ENCODE) pilot project using a combination of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and high-density resolution tiling arrays. We identified previously unannotated and often tissue- or cell-line-specific transcribed fragments (RACEfrags), both 5' distal to the annotated 5' terminus and internal to the annotated gene bounds for the vast majority (81.5%) of the tested genes. Half of the distal RACEfrags span large segments of genomic sequences away from the main portion of the coding transcript and often overlap with the upstream-annotated gene(s). Notably, at least 20% of the resultant novel transcripts have changes in their open reading frames (ORFs), most of them fusing ORFs of adjacent transcripts. A significant fraction of distal RACEfrags show expression levels comparable to those of known exons of the same locus, suggesting that they are not part of very minority splice forms. These results have significant implications concerning (1) our current understanding of the architecture of protein-coding genes; (2) our views on locations of regulatory regions in the genome; and (3) the interpretation of sequence polymorphisms mapping to regions hitherto considered to be "noncoding," ultimately relating to the identification of disease-related sequence alterations.

Evaluation of the chicken transcriptome by SAGE of B cells and the DT40 cell line

Background: The understanding of whole genome sequences in higher eukaryotes depends to a large degree on the reliable definition of transcription units including exon/intron structures, translated open reading frames (ORFs) and flanking untranslated regions. The best currently available chicken transcript catalog is the Ensembl build based on the mappings of a relatively small number of full length cDNAs and ESTs to the genome as well as genome sequence derived in silico gene predictions.Results: We use Long Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (LongSAGE) in bursal lymphocytes and the DT40 cell line to verify the quality and completeness of the annotated transcripts. 53.6% of the more than 38,000 unique SAGE tags (unitags) match to full length bursal cDNAs, the Ensembl transcript build or the genome sequence. The majority of all matching unitags show single matches to the genome, but no matches to the genome derived Ensembl transcript build. Nevertheless, most of these tags map close to the 3' boundaries of annotated Ensembl transcripts.Conclusions: These results suggests that rather few genes are missing in the current Ensembl chicken transcript build, but that the 3' ends of many transcripts may not have been accurately predicted. The tags with no match in the transcript sequences can now be used to improve gene predictions, pinpoint the genomic location of entirely missed transcripts and optimize the accuracy of gene finder software.

Executive Order Number One, January 27, 2007

Orders that the United States Flag be flown at half-staff to honor any member of Iowa National Guard, Iowa Air National Guard or an Iowa resident serving as a member of the United States Armed Forces who is killed in the line of duty.

An anti-CD19 antibody coupled to a tetanus toxin peptide induces efficient Fas ligand (FasL)-mediated cytotoxicity of a transformed human B cell line by specific CD4+ T cells.

Treatment of B cell lymphoma patients with MoAbs specific for the common B cell marker (CD20) has shown a good overall response rate, but the number of complete remissions is still very low. The use of MoAbs coupled to radioisotopes can improve the results, but induces undesirable myelodepression. As an alternative, we proposed to combine the specificity of MoAbs with the immunogenicity of T cell epitopes. We have previously shown that an anti-Ig lambda MoAb coupled to an MHC class II-restricted universal T cell epitope peptide P2 derived from tetanus toxin induces efficient lysis of a human B cell lymphoma by a specific CD4+ T cell line. Here we demonstrate that the antigen presentation properties of the MoAb peptide conjugate are maintained using a MoAb directed against a common B cell marker, CD19, which is known to be co-internalized with the B cell immunoglobulin receptor. In addition, we provide evidence that B cell lysis is mediated by the Fas apoptosis pathway, since Fas (CD95), but not tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFr) or TNF-related receptors, is expressed by the target B cells, and FasL, but not perforin, is expressed by the effector T cells. These results show that B cell lymphomas can be 'foreignized' by MoAb-peptide P2 conjugates directed against the common B cell marker CD19 and eliminated by peptide P2-specific CD4+ T cells, via the ubiquitous Fas receptor. This approach, which bridges the specificity of passive antibody therapy with an active T cell immune response, may be complementary to and more efficient than the present therapy results with unconjugated chimeric anti-CD20 MoAbs.

Prominent use of distal 5' transcription start sites and discovery of a large number of additional exons in ENCODE regions.

This report presents systematic empirical annotation of transcript products from 399 annotated protein-coding loci across the 1% of the human genome targeted by the Encyclopedia of DNA elements (ENCODE) pilot project using a combination of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and high-density resolution tiling arrays. We identified previously unannotated and often tissue- or cell-line-specific transcribed fragments (RACEfrags), both 5' distal to the annotated 5' terminus and internal to the annotated gene bounds for the vast majority (81.5%) of the tested genes. Half of the distal RACEfrags span large segments of genomic sequences away from the main portion of the coding transcript and often overlap with the upstream-annotated gene(s). Notably, at least 20% of the resultant novel transcripts have changes in their open reading frames (ORFs), most of them fusing ORFs of adjacent transcripts. A significant fraction of distal RACEfrags show expression levels comparable to those of known exons of the same locus, suggesting that they are not part of very minority splice forms. These results have significant implications concerning (1) our current understanding of the architecture of protein-coding genes; (2) our views on locations of regulatory regions in the genome; and (3) the interpretation of sequence polymorphisms mapping to regions hitherto considered to be "noncoding," ultimately relating to the identification of disease-related sequence alterations.