Empirical validation of knowledge-based systems for conceptual database design

Conceptual database design is a complex and difficult task for non-expert designers. However, many of the commonly committed errors can be prevented with a knowledge-based (KB) design support system. The interface to such a system can be programmed using one of two strategies: (1) restrictive strategy in which the user is forced to follow a specific problem solving path or (2) the guidance strategy in which the user is advised on possible next steps in the problem solving process. This study involves the development of two versions of a KB system – one with a restrictive interface and other with a guidance interface – and a control system that offers no KB help. In a lab experiment non-expert designers solved a difficult data modeling task using one of the three systems. Analysis of their performance indicates that the KB systems improve the users’ model accuracy. However, there was no significant difference in performance between the two KB system implementations. Subjects in the restrictive interface group rated their system as easier to use than the guidance interface group users

Beauty and Body dissatisfaction experienced by young Indian women exposed to foreign print advertisements found in International fashion Magazines targeted at women.

This dissertation has been greatly concerned with the impact of the advertising images in international mass media, mainly women�s fashion magazines. Three advertisements, two from Cosmopolitan and one from Elle magazine, United Kingdom were used in order to test the impact of beauty and body image concerns in young Indian women. Literature has mainly concentrated on the portrayal of white women as advertising and cultural stereotypes in a global environment. Many studies have revealed that culture plays a very vital role in the way advertising and the visuals of women in them are perceived in society. Beauty has been always associated with superiority and global appreciation. Whiteness in particular is considered to be God�s gift to mankind and non white women are considered to be unwanted elements of society. However today trends are changing and even though women from the West are considered dynamically beautiful, advertising industry is also getting more and more appreciative of Asian beauty in international advertisements for cosmetic products. Body image is also one more important dimension that is explored in this dissertation and there is a general perception that fatness is associated with being ugly and since a very young age girls are affected by the discrepancies between their body image and the cultural body image. Thus body dissatisfaction is a very important concept that seems to be a concern of every young woman irrespective of ethnic origin. The objective of this study has been to understand these sensitive and personal issues from the eyes of young Indian women who are active members of this global environment and well versed with international fashion magazines

T1 and T2 mapping of articular cartilage and menisci in early osteoarthritis of the knee using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging

Purpose: 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1 and T2 mapping to detect and quantify cartilage matrix and meniscal degeneration between normal healthy volunteers and early osteoarthritis patients. Material and methods: A prospective study including 25 patients and 10 healthy volunteers was done. Patients with symptoms of early osteoarthritis and Kellgren-Lawrence grade I-II on plain radiograph were included for MRI knee. Patients with inflammatory arthritis, infection, trauma, and history of knee surgery were excluded. Healthy, normal adult volunteers (preferably age and sex matched) without symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee were drawn from patient's relatives/hospital employees/colleagues for MRI knee. Results: T1 and T2 relaxation time values of articular cartilage and menisci were significantly higher in osteoarthritis patients as compared to healthy volunteers. No significant difference was found in morphological thickness of articular cartilage and menisci in early osteoarthritis patients and healthy volunteers. Conclusions: T1 and T2 mapping are noninvasive MRI techniques reflecting changes in the biochemical composition of cartilage and menisci. T1 values reflect changes in proteoglycan content, and T2 values are sensitive to interaction between water molecules and collagen network. Mapping techniques assess early cartilage and meniscal matrix degeneration in osteoarthritis of the knee, and help in initiating treatment and monitoring disease progression. MRI is a sensitive modality for assessment of pathological changes in articular cartilage. With use of T1 and T2 mapping techniques, it is possible to evaluate the collagen network and proteoglycan content in articular cartilage and meniscal matrix

Beauty and Body dissatisfaction experienced by young Indian women exposed to foreign print advertisements found in International fashion Magazines targeted at women.

This dissertation has been greatly concerned with the impact of the advertising images in international mass media, mainly women�s fashion magazines. Three advertisements, two from Cosmopolitan and one from Elle magazine, United Kingdom were used in order to test the impact of beauty and body image concerns in young Indian women. Literature has mainly concentrated on the portrayal of white women as advertising and cultural stereotypes in a global environment. Many studies have revealed that culture plays a very vital role in the way advertising and the visuals of women in them are perceived in society. Beauty has been always associated with superiority and global appreciation. Whiteness in particular is considered to be God�s gift to mankind and non white women are considered to be unwanted elements of society. However today trends are changing and even though women from the West are considered dynamically beautiful, advertising industry is also getting more and more appreciative of Asian beauty in international advertisements for cosmetic products. Body image is also one more important dimension that is explored in this dissertation and there is a general perception that fatness is associated with being ugly and since a very young age girls are affected by the discrepancies between their body image and the cultural body image. Thus body dissatisfaction is a very important concept that seems to be a concern of every young woman irrespective of ethnic origin. The objective of this study has been to understand these sensitive and personal issues from the eyes of young Indian women who are active members of this global environment and well versed with international fashion magazines

Genetic polymorphisms in the human tissue kallikrein (KLK) locus and their implication in various malignant and non-malignant diseases

Free to read at publisher's site. The Kallikrein (KLK) gene locus encodes a family of serine proteases and is the largest contiguous cluster of protease-encoding genes attributed an evolutionary age of 330 million years. The KLK locus has been implicated as a high susceptibility risk loci in numerous cancer studies through the last decade. The KLK3 gene already has established clinical relevance as a biomarker in prostate cancer prognosis through its encoded protein, prostate-specific antigen. Data mined through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and next-generation sequencing point to many important candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in KLK3 and other KLK genes. SNPs in the KLK locus have been found to be associated with several diseases including cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and atopic dermatitis. Moreover, introducing a model incorporating SNPs to improve the efficiency of prostate-specific antigen in detecting malignant states of prostate cancer has been recently suggested. Establishing the functional relevance of these newly-discovered SNPs, and their interactions with each other, through in silico investigations followed by experimental validation, can accelerate the discovery of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we discuss the various genetic association studies on the KLK loci identified either through candidate gene association studies or at the GWAS and post-GWAS front to aid researchers in streamlining their search for the most significant, relevant and therapeutically promising candidate KLK gene and/or SNP for future investigations

Candidate gene association studies: a comprehensive guide to useful in silico tools

The candidate gene approach has been a pioneer in the field of genetic epidemiology, identifying risk alleles and their association with clinical traits. With the advent of rapidly changing technology, there has been an explosion of in silico tools available to researchers, giving them fast, efficient resources and reliable strategies important to find casual gene variants for candidate or genome wide association studies (GWAS). In this review, following a description of candidate gene prioritisation, we summarise the approaches to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) prioritisation and discuss the tools available to assess functional relevance of the risk variant with consideration to its genomic location. The strategy and the tools discussed are applicable to any study investigating genetic risk factors associated with a particular disease. Some of the tools are also applicable for the functional validation of variants relevant to the era of GWAS and next generation sequencing (NGS)

A Case of Two Abdominal Gossypibomas in a Patient: A Rare Case Report

Gossypiboma is a rare condition caused by retention of a foreign body, most commonly surgical sponge following any surgical procedure. The patient may be asymptomatic, can present with vague symptoms, or rarely with acute symptoms depending on the location of the foreign body and the complications associated with it; thus it may be difficult to diagnose this condition. A 30-year-old woman presented to our hospital with complaints of lump and mild pain on both sides of the lower abdomen for 3 months following caesarean section which was performed in a rural hospital. Ultrasound and computed tomography findings along with the classical history helped in arriving at the diagnosis of two gossypibomas in lower abdomen, one in each flank which was further confirmed on laparotomy

Robotic assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy: Initial experience from a tertiary care centre in India

Introduction: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) is now considered the standard for treatment of surgically correctable adrenal disorders. Robotic adrenalectomy has been performed worldwide and has established itself as safe, feasible and effective approach. We hereby present the first study in robotic transperitoneal LA from Indian subcontinent. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective evaluation of 25 patients who had undergone robotic assisted LA at a tertiary health centre by a single surgeon. Demographic, clinical, histopathological and perioperative outcome data were collected and analysed. Results: Mean age of the patients was 45 years (range: 27-65 years). Eleven male and 14 female patients were operated. Mean operative time was 139 min ± 30 min (range: 110-232 min) and mean blood loss was 85 ml ± 12 ml (range: 34-313 ml). Mean hospital stay was 2.5 ± 1.05 days (range: 2-6 days). Mean visual analogue scale score was 3.2 (range: 1-6) mean analgesic requirement was 50 mg diclofenac daily (range: 0-150 mg). Histopathological evaluation revealed 11 adenomas, eight phaeochromocytomas, two adrenocortical carcinomas, and four myelolipomas. According to Clavien-Dindo classification, three patients developed Grade I post-operative complications namely hypotension and pleural effusion. Conclusion: Robotic adrenalectomy is safe, technically feasible and comfortable to the surgeon. It is easier to perform with a short learning curve