Algebraic service composition for user-centric IoT applications

The Internet of Things (IoT) requires a shift in our way of building applications, as it is aimed at providing many services to society in general. Non-developer people require increasingly complex IoT applications and support for their ever changing run-time requirements. Although service composition allows the combination of functionality into more complex behaviours, current approaches provide support for dealing with one IoT scenario at a time, as they allow the definition of only one workflow. In this paper, we present DX-MAN, an algebraic model for static service composition that allows the definition of composite services that encompass multiple workflows for run-time scenarios. We evaluate our proposal on an example in the domain of smart homes

A secondary Fracture Prevention Programme to reduce fractures, hospital admissions, and mortality rates

Conference Theme: Happy Staff - Healthy People (開心員工 - 共建民康)published_or_final_versionThe Hospital Authority Convention, Hong Kong, 10-11 May 2010

Evaluation of the Osteoporosis Secondary Fracture Prevention Program at Queen Mary Hospital: successful recruitment is associated with lower re-fracture rate and mortality rate at one year

Conference Theme: Happy Staff - Healthy People (開心員工 - 共建民康)published_or_final_versionThe Hospital Authority Convention, Hong Kong, 10-11 May 2010

Awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vitamin D deficiency is a significant problem for a growing proportion of the UK population. Individuals with dark or covered skin are at particularly high risk due to ethno-cultural, environmental and genetic factors. We assessed the level of awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients in order to identify groups most in need of education.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey using a piloted questionnaire was conducted among consecutive at-risk patients without a diagnosis of Vitamin D deficiency arriving at a large inner city general practice in the North West of England over a five day period. The survey was completed by 221 patients. The mean age was 35 years. 28% of them (n = 61) had never heard about vitamin D. Older patients (p = 0.003) were less likely to have heard about vitamin D. 54% of participants were unaware of the commonest symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. 34% did not expose their skin other than their face in the last one year, and 11% did not include vitamin D rich foods in their diet.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of at-risk patients are aware of vitamin D; nevertheless, there is a significant lack of knowledge among older people, who have higher morbidity. A programme of targeted education of the at-risk population is recommended.</p

Circular Polymerase Extension Cloning of Complex Gene Libraries and Pathways

High-throughput genomics and the emerging field of synthetic biology demand ever more convenient, economical, and efficient technologies to assemble and clone genes, gene libraries and synthetic pathways. Here, we describe the development of a novel and extremely simple cloning method, circular polymerase extension cloning (CPEC). This method uses a single polymerase to assemble and clone multiple inserts with any vector in a one-step reaction in vitro. No restriction digestion, ligation, or single-stranded homologous recombination is required. In this study, we elucidate the CPEC reaction mechanism and demonstrate its usage in demanding synthetic biology applications such as one-step assembly and cloning of complex combinatorial libraries and multi-component pathways

Identification of QTL genes for BMD variation using both linkage and gene-based association approaches

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a risk factor for osteoporotic fracture with a high heritability. Previous large scale linkage study in Northern Chinese has identified four significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) for BMD variation on chromosome 2q24, 5q21, 7p21 and 13q21. We performed a replication study of these four QTL in 1,459 Southern Chinese from 306 pedigrees. Successful replication was observed on chromosome 5q21 for femoral neck BMD with a LOD score of 1.38 (nominal p value = 0.006). We have previously identified this locus in a genome scan meta-analysis of BMD variation in a white population. Subsequent QTL-wide gene-based association analysis in 800 subjects with extreme BMD identified CAST and ERAP1 as novel BMD candidate genes (empirical p value of 0.032 and 0.014, respectively). The associations were independently replicated in a Northern European population (empirical p value of 0.01 and 0.004 for CAST and ERAP1, respectively). These findings provide further evidence that 5q21 is a BMD QTL, and CAST and ERAP1 may be associated with femoral neck BMD variation

Morphology, ultrastructure and molecular characterisation of Spiroxys japonica Morishita, 1926 (Spirurida: Gnathostomatidae) from Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell) (Amphibia: Ranidae)

Gnathostomatid nematodes identified morphologically as Spiroxys japonica Morishita, 1926 were collected from the dark-spotted frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell) (Amphibia: Ranidae) in China. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the morphology of this species in detail. Previously unreported morphological features are revealed and others corrected. In addition, adult nematodes of S. japonica collected from P. nigromaculatus and Spiroxys hanzaki Hasegawa, Miyata & Doi, 1998 collected from Andrias japonicus (Temminck) (Caudata: Cryptobranchidae) in China and Japan, respectively, and the third-stage larva of S. japonica collected from Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw) (Anura: Ranidae) in Japan, were characterised using molecular methods by sequencing and analysing ribosomal [large ribosomal DNA (18S) and internal transcribed space] and mitochondrial [cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1] target regions, respectively. The new morphological and genetic data contributes to a more accurate diagnosis of this hitherto little known nematode genus

Knockdown of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells

Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) has recently been identified as a new molecular marker in human colorectal cancer. However, its role in glioma carcinogenesis is not known. In this study, we demonstrated that suppression of IFITM1 expression significantly inhibited proliferation of glioma cells in a time-dependent manner. The growth inhibitory effect was mediated by cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, IFITM1 knockdown significantly inhibited migration and invasion of glioma cells, which could be attributed to decreased expression and enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9. Taken together, these results suggest that IFITM1 is a potential therapeutic target for gliomas

Microenvironmental Influence on Pre-Clinical Activity of Polo-Like Kinase Inhibition in Multiple Myeloma: Implications for Clinical Translation

Polo-like kinases (PLKs) play an important role in cell cycle progression, checkpoint control and mitosis. The high mitotic index and chromosomal instability of advanced cancers suggest that PLK inhibitors may be an attractive therapeutic option for presently incurable advanced neoplasias with systemic involvement, such as multiple myeloma (MM). We studied the PLK 1, 2, 3 inhibitor BI 2536 and observed potent (IC50<40 nM) and rapid (commitment to cell death <24 hrs) in vitro activity against MM cells in isolation, as well as in vivo activity against a traditional subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. Tumor cells in MM patients, however, don't exist in isolation, but reside in and interact with the bone microenvironment. Therefore conventional in vitro and in vivo preclinical assays don't take into account how interactions between MM cells and the bone microenvironment can potentially confer drug resistance. To probe this question, we performed tumor cell compartment-specific bioluminescence imaging assays to compare the preclinical anti-MM activity of BI 2536 in vitro in the presence vs. absence of stromal cells or osteoclasts. We observed that the presence of these bone marrow non-malignant cells led to decreased anti-MM activity of BI 2536. We further validated these results in an orthotopic in vivo mouse model of diffuse MM bone lesions where tumor cells interact with non-malignant cells of the bone microenvironment. We again observed that BI 2536 had decreased activity in this in vivo model of tumor-bone microenvironment interactions highlighting that, despite BI 2536's promising activity in conventional assays, its lack of activity in microenvironmental models raises concerns for its clinical development for MM. More broadly, preclinical drug testing in the absence of relevant tumor microenvironment interactions may overestimate potential clinical activity, thus explaining at least in part the gap between preclinical vs. clinical efficacy in MM and other cancers