A semantic similarity approach to electronic document modeling and integration

The World Wide Web is an enormous collection of information resources serving various purposes. However, the diversity of the Web information, as well as its related formats, makes it very difficult for users to efficiently search and obtain the information they require. The reason for the difficulty is because most of the information uploaded on to the Web is unstructured or semi-structured. Many meta-data models have been proposed to respond to this problem. These models attempt to provide a certain kind of general description for the Web information in order to improve its structuredness. Although these documents consist of the largest portion of the Web information or Web resources, few meta-data models deal with ill-structured Web documents by analyzing their semantic relations with each other. In this paper, we consider this huge set of Web information, called electronic documents. We propose a meta-data model called the EDM (Electronic Document Metadata) model. Using this model, we can extract the semantic characteristics from electronic documents and then use these characteristics to form a semantic electronic document model. This model, inversely, provides a basis for the analysis of semantic similarity between electronic documents and for electronic document integration. This document modeling and integration supports further manipulations on the electronic documents, such as document exchange, searching and evolution.published_or_final_versio

Understanding language teacher's culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and its enhancement through learning study with young Chinese language learners

Paper Session - SIG L1 Teacher EducationBACKGROUND: Chinese language learners (CLLs) in Hong Kong mainly came from ethnic minorities (EMs) of South Asia. To preclude marginalization, education for EMs became a controversial issue. Frontline Chinese language teachers often encounter difficulties in teaching due to inadequate training. Though teachers play an important role in young CLL’s learning of ...postprin

Using EMG to evaluate muscle functions in patients with low back pain (LBP) syndromes

Muscle function is relevant to the effective diagnosis and treatment of LBP, although the qualitative and quantitative measurement of muscle function remains problematic. The aims of this study is to evaluate the spinal musculature function and contraction profiles for patients with low back pain (LBP) syndromes both pre and post treatment, and to compare these results to those obtained from normal subjects. 20 normal subjects and 10 patients with LBP were asked to perform symmetrical and asymmetrical loading activities which simulated common industrial tasks. Surface EMG electrodes and video cameras were used to record muscular activity and spinal kinematics. In comparison with the normal group, subjects with LBP showed different muscle activations profiles. No change in the EMG patterns was seen pre and post-treatment.published_or_final_versionThe 20th IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Conference Proceedings, Hong Kong, China, 29 October - 1 November 1998, v. 5, p. 2666-266

Impact of trp2 allele mutation of α2 chain in collagen IX on the structural integrity of human annulus fibrosus

Conference Theme: Spinal Motion Segment: From Basic Science to Clinical Applicationpublished_or_final_versio

Management of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplant – a single center experience

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurs in 10-60% of patients after liver transplantation and carries very dismal prognosis. Optimal management of this condition has yet to be defined. Patients and Methods: All adult patients with HCC within the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) criteria who underwent liver transplantation at Queen Mary Hospital during the period from July 1995 to September 2013 were reviewed. Two hundred and fifty-two patients were included in the analysis. They were divided into three groups for comparison: with intrahepatic recurrence (IR), with multiple or extrahepatic recurrence (MR), with no recurrence (NR). Results: HCC recurrence occurred in 35 (13.9%) patients, 3 with IR and 32 with MR. Patients in the IR and MR groups had a younger age (51 vs. 51 vs. 56 years; p=0.007), a higher pretransplant serum α-fetoprotein level (27 vs. 97.5 vs. 18 ng/mL; p=0.005), more tumor nodules (4 vs. 2 vs. 1; p=0.003) and a higher incidence of lymphovascular permeation (33% vs. 59% vs. 27%; p=0.001) than patients in the NR group. More patients in the IR and MR groups had tumors beyond the UCSF criteria on histopathology (67% vs. 56% vs. 17%) when compared with the NR group. Treatments for IR included hepatectomy, radiofrequency ablation and transarterial chemoembolization. One patient with IR remained alive 3 years after last treatment. Overall survival in the IR group was longer than that in the MR group (59 vs. 30.4 months; p<0.001). Time from transplant to recurrence was similar between the two groups (23.1 vs. 12 months; p=0.141). Conclusions: Recurrence of HCC after liver transplantation is not uncommon. Aggressive surgical treatment may prolong survival in patients with IR only. Prognosis for patients with MR is dismal. Effective systemic therapy is urgently needed.published_or_final_versio

Improved corrosion resistance of plasma carbon coated NiTi orthopedic materials

Nickel titanium (NiTi) alloys are useful in orthopedic applications because of their super-elastic properties and shape memory effects. However, when NiTi is used for a prolonged period of time, harmful Ni ions can leach out into the surrounding body fluid inside a human body, and so it is important to design a method to impede the out-diffusion of nickel from the materials into the biological medium. We aim at producing a barrier to mitigate the release of Ni ions during normal use. Carbon coatings have been shown to possess excellent bio-compatibility and good mechanical strength. In this work, amorphous hydrogenated DLC films with a graded C/NiTi interface were fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition (PU & D) to provide such a barrier layer on NiTi. The elemental depth profiles and film thickness were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) whereas the surface morphology was evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The film structure was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance of the film was investigated using electrochemical tests based on ASTM G5-94. Compared to the control sample, the corrosion potential of the sample with the carbon coating changes from -250 to -50 mV and the film breakdown potential increases from 250 to 1200 mV. The corrosion current also diminishes from 10-6 to 10-7 A. The simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions after the electrochemical test were analyzed for Ni concentrations by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and that data show that a much smaller amount of Ni has been released from the treated sample surface compared to the untreated control sample surface. Our results thus indicate that the deposited DLC film is effective in retarding the release of Ni ions from the bulk materials and more superior corrosion resistance is achieved based on our tests in a simulated fluid medium and at human body temperature.published_or_final_versio

Coupling of small leucine-rich proteoglycans to hypoxic survival of a progenitor cell-like subpopulation in Rhesus Macaque intervertebral disc

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a major spinal disorder that associates with neck and back pain. Recent studies of clinical samples and animal models for IVD degeneration have identified cells with multi-potency in the IVD. However, IVD tissue-specific progenitor cells and their niche components are not clear, although degenerated IVD-derived cells possess invitro characteristics of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSCs). Here, we firstly identified the tissue-specific intervertebral disc progenitor cells (DPCs) from healthy Rhesus monkey and report the niche components modulated the survival of DPCs under hypoxia. DPCs possess clonogenicity, multipotency and retain differentiation potential after extended expansion invitro and invivo. In particular, the nucleus pulposus-derived DPCs are sensitive to low oxygen tension and undergo apoptosis under hypoxic conditions due to their inability to induce/stabilize hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). The presence of small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRP), biglycan or decorin, can reduce the susceptibility of DPCs to hypoxia-induced apoptosis via promoting the activation/stabilization of HIF-1α and HIF-2α. As IVD is avascular, we propose SLRPs are niche components of DPCs in IVD homeostasis, providing new insights in progenitor cell biology and niche factors under a hypoxic microenvironment. © 2013 .postprin

Targeting VEGFR-1 and VEGFR2-expressing non-tumor cells is essential for esophageal cancer therapy

Increasing appreciation of tumor heterogeneity and the tumor-host interaction has stimulated interest in developing novel therapies that target both tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. Bone marrow derived cells (BMDCs) constitute important components of the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we aim to investigate the significance of VEGFR1- and VEGFR2-expressing non-tumor cells, including BMDCs, in esophageal cancer (EC) progression and in VEGFR1/VEGFR2-targeted therapies. Here we report that VEGFR1 or VEGFR2 blockade can significantly attenuate VEGF-induced Src and Erk signaling, as well as the proliferation and migration of VEGFR1+ and VEGFR2+ bone marrow cells and their pro-invasive effect on cancer cells. Importantly, our in vivo data show for the first time that systemic blockade of VEGFR1+ or VEGFR2+ non-tumor cells with neutralizing antibodies is sufficient to significantly suppress esophageal tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis in mice. Moreover, our tissue microarray study of human EC clinical specimens showed the clinicopathological significance of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in EC, which suggest that anti-VEGFR1/VEGFR2 therapies may be particularly beneficial for patients with aggressive EC. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the important contributions of VEGFR1+ and VEGFR2+ non-tumor cells in esophageal cancer progression, and substantiates the validity of these receptors as therapeutic targets for this deadly disease.published_or_final_versio