Urinary iodine levels in three ecological zones of Bangladesh

Urinary iodine levels in children (5–11 years) and in adult males and females (15–44 years) of three ecological zones (hilly, flood-prone and plains) of Bangladesh were analyzed to determine the status of biochemical iodine deficiency in the country. Data indicated that a large majority of the population all over Bangladesh have biochemical iodine deficiency urinary iodine excretion (UIE) less than the accepted cut-off level of 10 μg/dl. Adults were deficient to comparable degrees, 31.3% severely iodine deficient. The flood-prone zone was less affected: 71.7% children had iodine deficiency and 25% were severely deficient. Adults of this zone were less affected than the children. Iodine deficiency was least severe in the plain zone: 59.8% children were biochemically iodine deficient and of them 23.4% had UIE less than 2.0 μg/dl. In the case of the adults of this zone, 60.8% were biochemically iodine deficient and 20.6% had severe iodine deficiency. The results indicate that Bangladesh as a whole is an iodine deficient region, with the hilly zone being the most severely affected. Children were slightly more affected than the adults, and females were more affected than the males.     

Prostate specific antigen in patients of benign prostate hypertrophy and carcinoma prostate

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) has emerged as the most applicable and important tumor marker for carcinoma prostate. In the present study PSA was determined in serum of healthy subjects, patients of benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) and Carcinoma Prostate (Ca−P) to evaluate its diagnostic efficiency in day to day management of prostate cancer patients and in differentiating patients of early prostate cancer from those with BPH. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) revealed 2 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml cut off serum PSA level for BPH and untreated carcinoma prostate patients (Ca−P). An extremely significant increase (P<0.0001) was observed in mean PSA concentration in BPH patients and adenocarcinoma prostate patients when compared to healthy males. Clinical relevance of PSA was highlighted by a case study of cancer patient prior to any therapy till death.     

Analyzing imbalance among homogeneous index servers in a web search system

The performance of parallel query processing in a cluster of index servers is crucial for modern web search systems. In such a scenario, the response time basically depends on the execution time of the slowest server to generate a partial ranked answer. Previous approaches investigate performance issues in this context using simulation, analytical modeling, experimentation, or a combination of them. Nevertheless, these approaches simply assume balanced execution times among homogeneous servers (by uniformly distributing the document collection among them, for instance)—a scenario that we did not observe in our experimentation. On the contrary, we found that even with a balanced distribution of the document collection among index servers, correlations between the frequency of a term in the query log and the size of its corresponding inverted list lead to imbalances in query execution times at these same servers, because these correlations affect disk caching behavior. Further, the relative sizes of the main memory at each server (with regard to disk space usage) and the number of servers participating in the parallel query processing also affect imbalance of local query execution times. These are relevant findings that have not been reported before and that, we understand, are of interest to the research community.     

Copyright or copyleft?: An analysis of property regimes for software development

Two property regimes for software development may be distinguished. Within corporations, on the one hand, a Private Regime obtains which excludes all outsiders from access to a firm's software assets. It is shown how the protective instruments of secrecy and both copyright and patent have been strengthened considerably during the last two decades. On the other, a Public Regime among hackers may be distinguished, initiated by individuals, organizations or firms, in which source code is freely exchanged. It is argued that copyright is put to novel use here: claiming their rights, authors write ‘open source licenses’ that allow public usage of the code, while at the same time regulating the inclusion of users. A ‘regulated commons’ is created. The analysis focuses successively on the most important open source licenses to emerge, the problem of possible incompatibility between them (especially as far as the dominant General Public License is concerned), and the fragmentation into several user communities that may result.     

Opportunity knocks

Research on technological opportunity has typically focused on the impact of broad industry characteristics on R&D intensity of firms. This study complements such approaches by examining the impact of a multidimensional vector that measures technological opportunity on independent inventors’ decisions to patent and commercialize inventions. Using data from 559 inventions and controlling for demand, appropriability, and competitive conditions, we found two of four tested dimensions of technological opportunity - technical performance and technical uncertainty - to be significant and important determinants of the likelihood of commercialization. Technical feasibility appears important in affecting patenting but unimportant in affecting commercialization. Technical significance carries a negative, although insignificant, sign conditioning commercialization.     

Analytic Frameworks for Assessing Dialogic Argumentation in Online Learning Environments

Over the last decade, researchers have developed sophisticated online learning environments to support students engaging in dialogic argumentation. This review examines five categories of analytic frameworks for measuring participant interactions within these environments focusing on (1) formal argumentation structure, (2) conceptual quality, (3) nature and function of contributions within the dialogue, (4) epistemic nature of reasoning, and (5) argumentation sequences and interaction patterns. Ultimately, the review underscores the diversity of theoretical perspectives represented within this research, the nature of dialogic interaction within these environments, the importance of clearly specifying theoretical and environmental commitments throughout the process of developing or adopting an analytic framework, and the role of analytic frameworks in the future development of online learning environments for argumentation.

A summer program designed to educate college students for careers in bioinformatics

A summer program was created for undergraduates and graduate students that teaches bioinformatics concepts, offers skills in professional development, and provides research opportunities in academic and industrial institutions. We estimate that 34 of 38 graduates (89%) are in a career trajectory that will use bioinformatics. Evidence from open-ended research mentor and student survey responses, student exit interview responses, and research mentor exit interview/survey responses identified skills and knowledge from the fields of computer science, biology, and mathematics that are critical for students considering bioinformatics research. Programming knowledge and general computer skills were essential to success on bioinformatics research projects. General mathematics skills obtained through current undergraduate natural sciences programs were adequate for the research projects, although knowledge of probability and statistics should be strengthened. Biology knowledge obtained through the didactic phase of the program and prior undergraduate education was adequate, but advanced or specific knowledge could help students progress on research projects. The curriculum and assessment instruments developed for this program are available for adoption by other bioinformatics programs at http://www.calstatela.edu/SoCalBSI.     

Infant joint attention, temperament, and social competence in preschool children

Infant joint attention has been observed to be related to social-emotional outcomes in at-risk children. To address whether this relation is also evident in typically developing children, 52 children were tested at 12, 15, 24, and 30 months to examine associations between infant joint attention and social outcomes. Twelve-month initiating and responding to joint attention were related to 30-month social competence and externalizing behavior, even when accounting for 15-month temperament ratings, 24-month cognition and language, and demographic variables. These results suggest that, in addition to associations with language and cognition, infant joint attention reflects robust aspects of development that are related to individual differences in the emergence of social and behavioral competence in childhood.     

Multigenerational perceptions of mental health services among deaf adults in Florida

The objective of the study was to better understand the perceptions and needs of multigenerational Deaf adults related to mental health services. A survey sampled participants who were between 20 and 85 years old and Deaf. Questions were developed to identify the perspectives of Deaf adults related to the availability of mental health services, preferences for these services, and current utilization of services. Participants were grouped into age (years) categories: young adult (18-34), middle adult (35-54), older adult (55-65), and oldest (66-). Category response trends were examined using chi-square analysis. The analysis showed significant differences in the preferences and utilization of mental health care. These data also suggested preferences for service delivery. These data indicate areas of importance related to the development of programs and services for Deaf adults and to indicate where funding for services would be best utilized.