bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ligation of the Intersphincteric Fistula Tract (LIFT): A Minimally Invasive Procedure for Complex Anal Fistula
Authors: Sileri Pierpaolo , Giarratano Gabriella , Franceschilli Luana , Limura Elsa , Perrone Federico , Stazi Alessandro , Toscana Claudio , Gaspari Achille Lucio
Published: November 2013

Introduction. The surgical management of anal fistulas is still a matter of discussion and no clear recommendations exist. The present study analyses the results of the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) technique in treating complex anal fistulas, in particular healing, fecal continence, and recurrence. Methods. Between October 2010 and February 2012, a total of 26 consecutive patients underwent LIFT. All patients had a primary complex anal fistula and preoperatively all underwent clinical examination, proctoscopy, transanal ultrasonography/magnetic resonance imaging, and were treated with the LIFT procedure. For the purpose of this study, fistulas were classified as complex if any of the following conditions were present: tract crossing more than 30% of the external sphincter, anterior fistula in a woman, recurrent fistula, or preexisting incontinence. Patient’s postoperative complications, healing time, recurrence rate, and postoperative continence were recorded during follow-up. Results. The minimum follow-up was 16 months. Five patients required delayed LIFT after previous seton. There were no surgical complications. Primary healing was achieved in 19 patients (73%). Seven patients (27%) had recurrence presenting between 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively and required further surgical treatment. Two of them (29%) had previous insertion of a seton. No patients reported any incontinence postoperatively and we did not observe postoperative continence worsening. Conclusion. In our experience, LIFT appears easy to perform, is safe with no surgical complication, has no risk of incontinence, and has a low recurrence rate. These results suggest that LIFT as a minimally invasive technique should be routinely considered for patients affected by complex anal fistula.
Unsaturated polyester nanocomposites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste using different types of nanofillers
Authors: Asaad Jeannette N , Abd-El-Messieh Salwa L , Ikladious Nawal E
Published: November 2013

The poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste was depolymerized using 1,4-butanediol, and diethylene glycol and the glycolyzed products were used in the preparation of the unsaturated polyester. The composition of the glycolyzed products and the prepared polyester (unsaturated polyester) were investigated in view of their infrared and 1H NMR spectra. Different samples of unsaturated polyester/nanocomposites containing various amounts (1, 3, and 5 wt%) of different nanofillers, namely Nanofil 116, Cloisite 30B, and Laponite RD, were also prepared. The effect of the nanofiller type and content on the morphological structure of the fractured surfaces, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties was investigated.
Disrupting ‘Wills to Truth’. How Catalan TV documentary contributed to the democratization of Spanish Civil War narratives
Authors: Castelló Enric
Published: November 2013

Catalan television journalism disrupted the existing hegemonic discourses of the 1990s and 2000s by broaching unknown or silenced topics regarding civilian suffering and the post-Civil War atrocities of Franco’s fascist dictatorship. The author introduces the concept of ‘narrative democratization’ to highlight the existence of alternative narratives regarding the Spanish Civil War and its consequences, paying special attention to a number of documentaries by award-winning journalists Montserrat Armengou and Ricard Belis. It is suggested that narrative democratization is grounded in four discourse strategies: giving the victims a voice, unveiling untold or unknown stories, representing remembrance as an act of justice and internationalizing the narratives of the Civil War. Taking a Foucauldian approach to the concept of ‘will to truth’ ( volonté de vérité), the author argues that television documentaries presented new perspectives on the public story of the Spanish Civil War.
Pre-eclampsia
Authors: Mazhar Khansa , Bhatti Faraaz , Maraj Hemant
Published: November 2013

Pre-eclampsia is a multi-system disorder that consists of hypertension in association with proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation, in a previously normotensive woman. It confers an increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. Complications include placental abruption, intra-abdominal haemorrhage, cardiac failure, cerebrovascular accidents, eclampsia and multi-organ failure. The fetus is at risk of intra-uterine growth restriction and pre-term birth. The aim of this article is to address aspects of the disease relevant to primary care, including pre-pregnancy counselling, the identification of affected women with subsequent assessment of severity, criteria for referral and post-natal management in the community.
Understanding Why Students Drop Out of High School, According to Their Own Reports
Authors: Doll Jonathan Jacob , Eslami Zohreh , Walters Lynne
Published: November 2013

Research on school dropout extends from early 20th-century pioneers until now, marking trends of causes and prevention. However, specific dropout causes reported by students from several nationally representative studies have never been examined together, which, if done, could lead to a better understanding of the dropout problem. Push, pull, and falling out factors provide a framework for understanding dropouts. Push factors include school-consequence on attendance or discipline. Pull factors include out-of-school enticements like jobs and family. Finally, falling out factors refer to disengagement in students not caused by school or outside pulling factors. Since 1966, most nationally representative studies depicted pull factors as ranking the highest. Also, administrators in one study corroborated pull out factors for younger dropouts, not older ones, while most recent research cites push factors as highest overall. One rationale for this change is a response to rising standards from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which can be ultimately tested only by future dropout research.
Gender Structure and Spatial Organization
Authors: Sadoughianzadeh Minoosh
Published: November 2013

As a contribution to the widespread debate on the “gender reading” of the “built environment,” this article aims to situate the subject in a new context, the Iranian society. To depict the subject, two distinct traditional architectures of the region, associated with their respective socio-spatial organizations, have been comparatively explored: the “Introvert” and “Extrovert.” These two almost ageless “Introvert” and “Extrovert” architectures, evolved through centuries in different geographical parts of the country, are spatial patterns aptly illustrating how the “gender structure” of each social organization has contributed to the formation of the relevant “physical space” and, further, how the specific “gender relationships” are pertinently structured within each one of the two types of the spaces. Based on a systematic approach and through concentration on the macro-socio-spatial organization, this article is to explore the gender/space associated variations within either of the social systems they belong to. This perspective is particularly instrumental in pinpointing the Introvert and Extrovert architectures in the context of their social organizations and carefully scrutinizing “gender” and “space” categories as systematically integrated variables.
Teachers Performing Professionalism
Authors: Bourke Terri , Lidstone John , Ryan Mary
Published: November 2013

Faced with the perceived need to redefine education for more economic utilitarian purposes, as well as to encourage compliance with government policies, Australia, like many other Anglophone nations, has engaged in numerous policy shifts resulting in performativity practices becoming commonplace in the educational landscape. A series of interviews with teachers from Queensland, Australia, in which they revealed their experiences of professionalism are examined archaeologically to reveal how they enact their roles in response to this performative agenda. Findings suggest that while there is some acceptance among teachers of the performative discourse, there is increasing resistance, which permits the construction of alternative or counter-discourses to the currently internationally pervasive performative climate.
Suicide Among Miners in Queensland, Australia
Authors: McPhedran Samara , De Leo Diego
Published: November 2013

A body of international and Australian research demonstrates connections between certain types of occupations and elevated suicide rates, relative to suicide rates observed in other occupations or within the general population. In Australia, it has been suggested that miners face a heightened risk of suicide relative to the population overall, but there is very little empirical data available to support this proposal. The current study provides unique data about male miners who died by suicide. Miners were compared against men in other occupations. Demographics, psychiatric history, and life events were examined. Miners were significantly more likely than men in other occupations to have experienced relationship problems prior to their death. Relationship problems may be an important predictor of suicide among miners. This could in turn provide helpful information for identifying miners who are at risk of suicide, as well as point the way to possible industry-specific intervention strategies in Australia and elsewhere.
Review of laser welding monitoring
Authors: You D. Y. , Gao X. D. , Katayama S.
Published: November 2013

Laser welding, as a highly efficient processing technology, has been widely applied to manufacturing industry. This paper makes an overview on real time monitoring of laser welding. It begins with a detailed introduction to six typical sensors (photodiode, visual, spectrometer, acoustical sensor, pyrometer, plasma charge sensor) in laser welding detection. Then it makes a review on multi-sensor fusion technology in both laser welding monitoring and adaptive control. Last, subjects for future research concerning welding monitoring and control have been proposed. The paper concludes that the real-time monitoring of laser welding can provide a great amount of valid information about welding status to help effectively identify weld defects and realize adaptive control.
Model for predicting ductile fracture of SA508-3 steel undergoing hot forming
Authors: He J. L. , Xiao Y. H. , Liu J. , Cui Z. S. , Ruan L. Q.
Published: November 2013

On the basis of the tensile tests that were conducted on a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator at various temperatures and strain rates, the fracture behaviour of SA508-3 steel was investigated, and a model for predicting the occurrence of ductile fracture during hot deformation was established. In order to determine the critical fracture strain ϵf that initiates the necking of the material, a ‘virtual’ part of the specimen was created according to the constant volume condition to replace the necking volume of the specimen. Experimental results indicated that ϵf depends on temperature and strain rate, and subsequently, a model of ϵf was established. In conjunction with Oyane's fracture criterion, an evaluation method for predicting the fracture of SA508-3 during hot forming was reproduced. The model was verified by upsetting tests, and good coincidence was obtained. As an application, it was applied to a simulation of a forging stretching process, and the calculated results showed the model has preferable predication performance.
Human circadian system causes a morning peak in prothrombotic plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) independent of the sleep/wake cycle
Authors: Scheer Frank A. J. L. , Shea Steven A.
Published: November 2013

Key Points

The human circadian system causes a morning peak in circulating levels of PAI-1, independent of any behavioral or environmental influences. The circadian system determines to a large extent the PAI-1 rhythm observed during a regular sleep/wake cycle.
Why does the bone marrow fail in Fanconi anemia?
Authors: Garaycoechea Juan I. , Patel K. J.
Published: November 2013

The inherited bone marrow failure (BMF) syndromes are a rare and diverse group of genetic disorders that ultimately result in the loss of blood production. The molecular defects underlying many of these conditions have been elucidated, and great progress has been made toward understanding the normal function of these gene products. This review will focus on perhaps the most well-known and genetically heterogeneous BMF syndrome: Fanconi anemia. More specifically, this account will review the current state of our knowledge on why the bone marrow fails in this illness and what this might tell us about the maintenance of bone marrow function and hematopoiesis.
Bordetella pertussis in infants hospitalized for acute respiratory symptoms remains a concern
Authors: Nicolai Ambra , Nenna Raffaella , Stefanelli Paola , Carannante Anna , Schiavariello Concetta , Pierangeli Alessandra , Scagnolari Carolina , Moretti Corrado , Papoff Paola , Bonci Enea , Ferrara Marianna , Papasso Stefano , Midulla Fabio
Published: November 2013

Background

Preliminary results suggest that pertussis infection might be considered in infants during a seasonal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreak.

Methods

In order to analyze clinical features and laboratory findings in infants with pertussis hospitalized for acute respiratory symptoms during a seasonal RSV outbreak, we conducted a retrospective single-center study on 19 infants with pertussis (6 boys; median age 72 days) and 19 matched controls (RSV-bronchiolitis), hospitalized from October 2008 to April 2010.B. pertussisand RSV were detected from nasopharyngeal washes with Real Time-PCR.

Results

Infants with pertussis were less often breastfeed than infants with RSV bronchiolitis (63.2% vs 89.5%; p <0.06). Clinically, significantly fewer infants with pertussis than controls had more episodes of whooping cough (63.2% vs 0.0%; p < 0.001) and also less frequently fever at admission (15.8% vs 68.4%; p <0.01), apnea (52.6% vs 10.5%; p <0.006), and cyanosis (52.6% vs 10.5%; p < 0.006). Infants with pertussis had more often no abnormal chest sounds on auscultation than infants with RSV bronchiolitis (0% vs 42,1%; p < 0.005). The absolute blood lymphocyte and eosinophil counts were higher in infants withB. pertussisthan in controls with bronchiolitis (23886 ± 16945 vs 10725 ± 4126 cells/mm3, p < 0.0001 and 13.653 ± 10.430 vs 4.730 ± 2.400 cells/mm3, p < 0.001). The molecular analysis of 2B. pertussisisolates forptxA1,ptxP3, andprn2genes showed the presence of gene variants.

Conclusions

When infants are hospitalized for acute respiratory symptoms, physicians should suspect a pertussis infection, seek for specific clinical symptoms, investigate lymphocyte and eosinophil counts and thus diagnose infection early enough to allow treatment.
Activation of pro-oncogenic pathways in colorectal hyperplastic polyps
Authors: Do Catherine , Bertrand Claudine , Palasse Julien , Delisle Marie-Bernadette , Cohen-Jonathan-Moyal Elizabeth , Seva Catherine
Published: November 2013

Background

In contrast to sessile serrated adenomas and traditional serrated adenomas which are associated with a significant cancer risk, the role of hyperplastic polyps (HP) in colorectal carcinogenesis as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying their development remain controversial and still need to be clarified. Several reports suggest that a subset of HP may represent precursor lesions of some colorectal cancers. However, biomarkers are needed to identify the subset of HP that may have a malignant potential. The hormone precursor, progastrin (PG) has been involved in colon carcinogenesis and is known to activate pro-oncogenic pathways such as the ERK or the STAT3 pathway. We therefore analyzed PG expression and the activation of these signaling factors in HP.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed PG expression as well as the phosphorylation of ERK and STAT3 by immunohistochemistry in HP from 48 patients.

Results

Mean percentages of epithelial cells positive for PG or phospho-ERK were respectively, 31% and 33% in HP and were significantly higher in these lesions compared to normal colon (3%, p = 0.0021 and 7%, p = 0.0008, respectively). We found a significant correlation between PG and phospho-ERK expression in HP with ERK activation significantly stronger in lesions with high progastrin expression (p = 0.015). In contrast, STAT3 was not significantly activated in HP compared to normal colon and we did not observe a significant correlation with PG expression.

Conclusions

HP overexpressing PG that have the highest activation of the ERK pathway might reflect less latent lesions that might have a malignant potential.
CellFateScout – a bioinformatics tool for elucidating small molecule signaling pathways that drive cells in a specific direction
Authors: Siatkowski Marcin , Liebscher Volkmar , Fuellen Georg
Published: November 2013

Background

Small molecule effects can be represented by active signaling pathways within functional networks. Identifying these can help to design new strategies to utilize known small molecules, e.g. to trigger specific cellular transformations or to reposition known drugs.

Results

We developedCellFateScoutthat uses the method ofLatent Variablesto turn differential high-throughput expression data and a functional network into a list of active signaling pathways. Applying it toConnectivity Mapdata, i.e., differential expression data describing small molecule effects, we then generated aHuman Small Molecule Mechanisms Database. Finally, using a list of active signaling pathways as query, a similarity search can identify small molecules from the database that may trigger these pathways. We validated our approach systematically, using expression data of small molecule perturbations, yielding better predictions than popular bioinformatics tools.

Conclusions

CellFateScoutcan be used to select small molecules for their desired effects. TheCellFateScoutCytoscape plugin, a tutorial and theHuman Small Molecule Mechanisms Databaseare available athttps://sourceforge.net/projects/cellfatescout/under LGPLv2 license.
State-constrained optimal control of phase-field equations with obstacle
Authors: Zheng Jiashan , Liu Junjun , Liu Hao
Published: November 2013

This paper is concerned with an optimal control problem for the phase-fieldtransition system with state constraint and obstacle. After showing the relationshipbetween the control problem and its approximation, we derive Pontryagin’smaximum principle for an optimal control of our original problem by using one of theapproximate problems.

MSC: 49K20, 49J20, 74N25.
Multiple solutions of boundary value problems with ϕ-Laplacian operators and under a Wintner-Nagumo growth condition
Authors: El Khattabi Noha , Frigon Marlene , Ayyadi Nourredine
Published: November 2013

In this paper, we establish the existence of multiple solutions to second-order differential equations with ϕ-Laplacian satisfying periodic, Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions. The right-hand side is a Carathéodory function satisfying a growth condition of Wintner-Nagumo type. The existence of upper and lower solutions is assumed. The proofs rely on the fixed point index theory.

MSC: 34B15, 34C25, 47H10, 37C25, 47H11.
Chemokine Expression in Peripheral Tissues from the Monosodium Lodoacetate Model of Chronic Joint Pain
Authors: Dawes John M , Kiesewetter Hannes , Perkins James R , Bennett David LH , McMahon Stephen B
Published: November 2013

Background

Chronic pain arising from degenerative diseases of the joint such as osteoarthritis (OA) has a strong peripheral component which is likely to be mediator driven. Current treatments which reduce the production of such mediators i.e. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can help to lessen pain in OA patients. However, this is not always the case and complete pain relief is rarely achieved, suggesting that additional unidentified mediators play a role. Here we have investigated the notion that chemokines might act as such pain mediators in OA.

Results

Using the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of chronic joint pain the expression of over 90 different inflammatory mediators, mainly cytokines and chemokines, were measured in tissues taken from the femorotibial joint (cartilage, subchondral bone, fat pad) using custom-made quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) array cards. At both the day 3 and 14 time points, numerous inflammatory mediators were significantly up-regulated in these tissues, although it was clear that the largest transcriptional dysregulation occurred in the cartilage. Using individual qPCR to measure immune cell markers, a significant infiltration of macrophages was measured in the cartilage and fat pad at day 3. Neutrophil infiltration was also measured in the fat pad at the same time point, but no infiltration was observed at day 14. Combination of mRNA expression data from different time points and tissues identified the chemokines, CCL2, 7 and 9 as being consistently up-regulated. The overall increase in CCL2 expression was also measured at the protein level.

Conclusion

Chemokines in general and CCL2, 7 and 9 in particular, represent promising targets for further studies into the identification of new pain mediators in chronic joint pain.
8q12 microduplication including CHD7: clinical report on a new patient with Duane retraction syndrome type 3
Authors: Baroncini Anna , Bertuzzo Sara , Quarantini Rita , Ricciardelli Paolo , Giorda Roberto , Bonaglia Maria Clara
Published: November 2013

Background

A novel multiple congenital anomalies syndrome has been recently identified in four patients carrying a 8q12 microduplication sharing the smallest region of overlap (SRO, size 1.6 Mb) including five genes CA8, ASPH, RAB2B, CLVS1 and CDH7. The phenotype is mainly characterized by neurodevelopmental delay, heart defects, facial features and Type 1 Duane anomaly. Increasing dosage of CDH7 was proposed to be responsible for the recurrent pattern of MCA.

Results

High resolution array-CGH analysis identified a 4.2 Mb de novo interstitial duplication of the 8q12.1-q12.3 chromosome region in a boy with developmental delay, dysmorphic features, type 3 Duane anomaly. This duplication includes several genes and spans the SRO.

Discussion

The present case represents a further patient with an interstitial duplication of chromosome 8q12 and several shared clinical features. Although more cases are needed to delineate the full-blown phenotype of 8q12 duplication syndrome, published data and present observations suggest that it results in a clinically recognizable phenotype. The presence of Duane anomaly in four out of five described patients with a 8q12 duplication definitely rules against the possibility of its being a chance finding unrelated to the imbalance and points toward a pathogenic role. Gene content analysis of the duplicated region and review of the literature suggest that gain-of-dosage of the CHD7 gene may be a good candidate for the main clinical features of the syndrome.
Respiratory syncytial virus - associated intensive care unit admission in children in Southern China
Authors: Zhang Qingli , Guo Zhongqin , Langley Joanne M , Bai Zhenjiang
Published: November 2013

Background

There are incomplete data on the global burden of viral lower respiratory tract infection, in particular the role of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in children requiring health services.

Findings

In this study set in a large urban area of southern China from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2010, children 1 month to 14 years of age with RSV-associated “severe” or “very severe pneumonia” according to World Health Organization definitions, and meeting local criteria for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit, were followed for the course of their admission. The median age was 3 months and 79% (135/171) of children with RSV were under six months of age. All children needed supplemental oxygen, and 22% required mechanical ventilatory support. The mortality rate was 3.5%. In multivariate analysis, congenital heart disease and Trisomy 21 were associated with death.

Conclusions

Children admitted to an intensive care unit with RSV-associated severe/very pneumonia in a large urban setting in southern China were most commonly ≤ six months old and almost one quarter of these had respiratory failure. The overall mortality rate was 3.5%. RSV vaccine strategies that would protect children from early infancy are urgently needed.
Statistics of insect catch within historic properties
Authors: Brimblecombe Peter , Brimblecombe Caroline Truth , Thickett David , Lauder Dee
Published: November 2013

Introduction

Certain species of insect are known to cause damage to historic collections. For more than a decade insects have been identified in traps set out in English Heritage properties, the data from which has been used in this paper. Descriptive statistics have been used to explore the data structure and insect distribution.

Results

About 55% of the traps of the more than 30000 traps examined over that period contained insects that were readily categorised. The rate of catch (insects/trap) was highest in London and the Southeast. Booklice (Liposcelis bostrychophila) and silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) were the most frequent catch. Woolly bear (Anthrenus spp.) larvae and crustacean woodlice (Porcellio spinicornis) were also common. A higher frequency of furniture beetles (Anobium punctatum) is notable in the Southeast and West. Despite this overall pattern, catch varied greatly between individual properties. The general view that insects have increased over time was not universal, although the dominant booklouse showed an increased catch over the last decade. The insects did not appear to be randomly distributed, but clustered onto traps in greater numbers than might be expected from a Poisson distribution, which suggested they occurred as infestations. Some insect species appeared in combination with other species at a higher frequency than expected, but the reasons for these associations were not always obvious. Pheromone traps collected more webbing and case bearing clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella, Tinea pellionella) than traps without attractants, much as expected. There are hints that covered traps may collect fewer insects than simple blunder traps.

Conclusions

No obvious drivers of high insect count were identified. Trends over time were not especially clear. The results provide clues to management of insect pests in historic properties. The presence and trapping of insects at a given property is individual in nature, and so mitigation strategies need to be site-specific. Although an insect might occur in low numbers in some periods, the possibility of infestation remains. Future work will examine the trends in catch more carefully and ascertain the importance of various environmental factors.
Temperature of gas delivered from ventilators
Authors: Chikata Yusuke , Onodera Mutsuo , Imanaka Hideaki , Nishimura Masaji
Published: November 2013

Background

Although heated humidifiers (HHs) are the most efficient humidifying device for mechanical ventilation, some HHs do not provide sufficient humidification when the inlet temperature to the water chamber is high. Because portable and home-care ventilators use turbines, blowers, pistons, or compressors to inhale in ambient air, they may have higher gas temperature than ventilators with piping systems. We carried out a bench study to investigate the temperature of gas delivered from portable and home-care ventilators, including the effects of distance from ventilator outlet, fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FIO2), and minute volume (MV).

Methods

We evaluated five ventilators equipped with turbine, blower, piston, or compressor system. Ambient air temperature was adjusted to 24°C ± 0.5°C, and ventilation was set at FIO2 0.21, 0.6, and 1.0, at MV 5 and 10 L/min. We analyzed gas temperature at 0, 40, 80, and 120 cm from ventilator outlet and altered ventilator settings.

Results

While temperature varied according to ventilators, the outlet gas temperature of ventilators became stable after, at the most, 5 h. Gas temperature was 34.3°C ± 3.9°C at the ventilator outlet, 29.5°C ± 2.2°C after 40 cm, 25.4°C ± 1.2°C after 80 cm and 25.1°C ± 1.2°C after 120 cm (P < 0.01). FIO2 and MV did not affect gas temperature.

Conclusion

Gas delivered from portable and home-care ventilator was not too hot to induce heated humidifier malfunctioning. Gas soon declined when passing through the limb.
Direct cadaverine production from cellobiose using β-glucosidase displaying Escherichia coli
Authors: Ikeda Naoki , Miyamoto Mari , Adachi Noriko , Nakano Mariko , Tanaka Tsutomu , Kondo Akihiko
Published: November 2013

In this study, we demonstrate the one-step production of cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane) from cellobiose using anEscherichia colistrain displaying β-glucosidase (BGL) on its cell surface. L-lysine decarboxylase (CadA) derived fromE. coliand BGL fromThermobifida fuscaYX (Tfu0937) fused to the anchor protein Blc fromE. coliwere co-expressed usingE. colias a host. The expression of CadA was confirmed by Western blotting and BGL activity on the cell surface was evaluated using pNPG as a substrate. Growth on cellobiose as the sole carbon source was also achieved. The OD600 value of the BGL and CadA co-expressing strain was 8.0 after 48 h cultivation, which is higher than that obtained by growth on glucose (5.4 after 48 h cultivation). The engineered strain produced cadaverine from cellobiose more effectively than from glucose: 6.1 mM after 48 h from 28 g/L of consumed cellobiose, vs. 3.3 mM from 20 g/L of consumed glucose.
A generic and adaptive aggregation service for large-scale decentralized networks
Authors: Pournaras Evangelos , Warnier Martijn , Brazier Frances MT
Published: November 2013

Purpose

Aggregation functions are used in distributed environments to make system-wide information locally available in the nodes of a network. The computation of different aggregation functions, e.g., summation, average, maximum etc., in large-scale distributed systems is challenging and crucial for a wide range of applications. This is especially the case when the input values of these functions dynamically change during system runtime. Related approaches of decentralized aggregation are function-dependent, interaction-dependent, assume static values or cannot always tolerate duplicates and continuously changing information.

Methods

This paper introduces DIAS, the Dynamic Intelligent Aggregation Service. DIAS is an agent-based middleware that addresses these issues with a holistic approach: an efficient availability of the distributed information in every node of the network that enables the simultaneous computation of almost any aggregation function. Such an abstraction initially requires a significant communication and storage cost and has a rather large overhead. These issues are resolved by introducing an implicit local representation and storage of the explicit distributed information: aggregation memberships in bloom filters.

Results

The performance impact of bloom filters in DIAS is critical for its applicability as it compensates and reduces the initial high communication and storage required for such an abstraction.

Conclusions

Experimental evaluation under various aggregation and resource-constrained settings shows that DIAS is an efficient and accurate decentralized aggregation service.
Mast cells exert pro-inflammatory effects of relevance to the pathophyisology of tendinopathy
Authors: Behzad Hayedeh , Sharma Aishwariya , Mousavizadeh Rouhollah , Lu Alex , Scott Alex
Published: November 2013

Introduction

We have previously found an increased mast cell density in tendon biopsies from patients with patellar tendinopathy compared to controls. This study examined the influence of mast cells on basic tenocyte functions, including production of the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), extracellular matrix remodeling and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene transcription, and collagen synthesis.

Methods

Primary human tenocytes were stimulated with an established human mast cell line (HMC-1). Extracellular matrix remodeling was studied by culturing tenocytes in a three-dimensional collagen lattice. Survival/proliferation was assessed with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium salt (MTS) assay. Levels of mRNA for COX-2, COL1A1, MMP1, and MMP7 were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cox-2 protein level was assessed by Western blot analysis and type I procollagen was detected by immunofluorescent staining. PGE2 levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

Mast cells stimulated tenocytes to produce increased levels of COX-2 and the pro-inflammatory mediator PGE2, which in turn decreased COL1A1 mRNA expression. Additionally, mast cells reduced the type I procollagen protein levels produced by tenocytes. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) was responsible for the induction of Cox-2 and PGE2 by tenocytes. Mast cells increased MMP1 and MMP7 transcription and increased the contraction of a three-dimensional collagen lattice by tenocytes, a phenomenon which was blocked by a pan-MMP inhibitor (Batimastat).

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that mast cell-derived PGE2 reduces collagen synthesis and enhances expression and activities of MMPs in human tenocytes.
Corpus callosum morphology in first-episode and chronic schizophrenia: combined magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging study of Chinese Singaporean patients
Authors: Collinson Simon L. , Gan Swu Chyi , Woon Puay San , Kuswanto Carissa , Sum Min Yi , Yang Guo Liang , Lui Ji Min , Sitoh Yih Yian , Nowinski Wieslaw L. , Sim Kang
Published: November 2013

Background

Abnormalities in the corpus callosum have been reported in patients with schizophrenia for over 30 years but the influence of inter-individual differences and illness characteristics remains to be fully elucidated.

Aims

To examine the influence of individual and illness characteristics on the corpus callosum in Chinese Singaporean patients with schizophrenia.

Method

Using magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging, mean corpus callosum area, volume and fractional anisotropy were investigated in 120 Chinese Singaporean patients (52 with chronic and 68 with first-episode schizophrenia) and compared with data from 75 matched healthy controls.

Results

Both area and volume were significantly reduced in patients relative to controls but no significant differences in corpus callosum existed between genders in either patients or controls. Differences in area and volume of the corpus callosum were greatest in patients whose condition was chronic relative to patients with a first episode and controls. Anterior callosum in patients, regardless of chronicity, was no different to that of controls.

Conclusions

Morphological abnormalities in the corpus callosum may increase with illness progression.
Absent Presence: Candice Breitz’s Extra
Authors: Houston Kerr
Published: November 2013

In Extra Candice Breitz blurs the distinction between active producer and passive consumer. Her decision to insert herself, playfully and awkwardly, into the plotted action of a popular South African soap opera literalizes Breitz’s long-standing interest in occupying or invading the spectacle generated by the mass entertainment industry. Furthermore, the video prompts us to think in terms of racial difference: Breitz is the sole white presence in a cast of nonwhite actors, and she stands, literally, apart from them. But the metaleptic aspects of Extra ultimately remind us that the video is the product of volitional collaboration and negotiation between Breitz and the cast of Generations. Consequently, the piece avoids some of the critical shortcomings occasionally associated with her earlier work and embodies, in a provocative and parallel sense, Frantz Fanon’s emphasis on the need for mutual recognition.
Man’s Conquest of Nature: Al-Gazzar, Sartre, and Nasser's Great Aswan Dam
Authors: Shalem Avinoam
Published: November 2013

This article discusses a painting of the Great Dam of Aswan made by Abdel Hadi al-Gazzar in 1964 and immediately crowned as the iconic image of Egypt in the heroic age of the Nasser regime. The painting clearly adopts the aesthetic language of surrealism, illustrating a particular zeitgeist in the Egyptian artistic milieu and mirroring the individual and genuine artistic response of al-Gazzar to the utopian, almost mythical status given to surrealism in Egypt in the first half of the last century. This work of art is dealt with here as a reflection of the changing social and political context in Egypt in the 1950s and the early 1960s under the governorship of the charismatic ruler Gamal Abdel Nasser, and as influenced by the global Cold War era.
Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960–1980
Authors: Jacques Geoffrey
Published: November 2013

African American Los Angeles in the middle decades of the last century was alive with militancy, movement, and creativity. Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960 – 1980, curated by Kellie Jones, captures this vitality while offering a nuanced survey of how visual artists in that community used the materials and ideas of the then-emergent post – abstract expressionist sensibility to shape a vital part of the Black Arts movement. In this review Geoffrey Jacques suggests how Now Dig This! can serve not only as a window into the particularities of the African American arts community of Los Angeles in the last century’s middle decades, but as a way of adding nuance to our ways of seeing art history, art making, and the art world generally during that period.
We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today
Authors: Pantazis Steve
Published: November 2013

This review is on the exhibition We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today (June 2 – September 16, 2012), which took place in Manchester, United Kingdom, during the Olympic summer. In particular, it focuses on one venue, the Whitworth Art Gallery, where new works created by contemporary artists from West African countries were presented to the public.
Indochina, Traces of a Mother
Authors: Merkel Ian
Published: November 2013

This review provides both context for and aesthetic analysis of Idrissou Mora-Kpai’s latest film, Indochina, Traces of a Mother. Starting with a brief synthesis of historical work dealing with colonial soldiers fighting on behalf of France, it attempts to ground the multiple spaces of the French Empire in which the film takes place: West Africa and Southeast Asia, Benin, and Vietnam; the 1950s and today. Far from a politicohistorical documentary, however, Indochina explores the human possibilities of racial mixing and the psychological traumas of the Afro-Asian children most often torn from their mothers and place of birth at the close of the war. Indochina’s exploration of heretofore uncharted ground in French, African, and Vietnamese history and its insight into the unexpected psychological impacts of colonial warfare illuminate the present.
Zebrafish tissue injury causes up-regulation of interleukin-1 and caspase dependent amplification of the inflammatory response
Authors: Ogryzko Nikolay V. , Hoggett Emily E. , Solaymani-Kohal Sara , Tazzyman Simon , Chico Timothy J. A. , Renshaw Stephen A. , Wilson Heather L.
Published: November 2013

Interleukin-1, the 'gate-keeper' of inflammation, is the apical cytokine in a signalling cascade that drives the early response to injury or infection. Expression, processing and secretion of IL-1 is tightly controlled, whilst dysregulated IL-1 signalling has been implicated in a number of pathologies ranging from atherosclerosis to complications of infection. Our understanding of these processes comes from in vitro monocytic cell culture models as lines or primary isolates where a range and spectra of IL-1 secretion mechanisms have been described. We therefore investigated whether zebrafish embryos provide a suitable in vivo model for studying IL-1 mediated inflammation. Structurally, zebrafish IL-1β shares a beta-sheet rich trefoil structure with its human counterpart. Functionally, leukocyte expression of IL-1β was detectable only following injury, which activated leukocytes throughout zebrafish embryos. Migration of macrophages and neutrophils was attenuated by caspase-1 and P2X7 inhibitors, which similarly inhibited the activation of NF-κB at the site of injury. Zebrafish offer a new and versatile model to study the IL-1β pathway in inflammatory disease and should offer unique insights into IL-1 biology in vivo.
Photochromic Property of Anionic Spiropyran with Sulfonate-substituted Indoline Moiety
Authors: Sugahara Akira , Tanaka Naru , Okazawa Atsushi , Matsushita Nobuyuki , Kojima Norimichi
Published: November 2013

For fabricating photoresponsive multifunctional materials, we have developed the potassium salt of a new anionic spiropyran, 1′,3′,3′-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2′-indoline]-5′-sulfonate (1−), with the sulfonate group present on the indoline moiety and whose crystal structure was revealed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The photochromism of 1·K was demonstrated at room temperature in the KBr-diluted state, as well as in solution. The protonated spiropyran 1H shows negative photochromism.
Iridium-catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Pyridinium Salts for Constructing Multiple Stereogenic Centers on Piperidines
Authors: Kita Yusuke , Iimuro Atsuhiro , Hida Shoji , Mashima Kazushi
Published: November 2013

A salt formation strategy for asymmetric hydrogenation of pyridines is described. Poly-substituted pyridinium salts were successfully hydrogenated using chiral iridium dinuclear complexes to afford substituted piperidines with multiple stereogenic centers after a simple basic workup.
Aντιλήψεις νηπίων για την οικονομική κρίση: Μια μελέτη περίπτωσης στην Ελλάδα
Authors: Doliopoulou Elsie
Published: November 2013

Όλο και περισσότερα παιδιά ανά τον κόσμο βιώνουν τις αλλαγές που επηρεάζουν την καθημερινή τους ζωή ως αποτέλεσμα της οικονομικής κρίσης. Όσο καλύτερα κατανοήσουμε το πώς τα παιδιά αντιλαμβάνονται αυτά που συμβαίνουν γύρω τους και πώς επηρεάζουν τις συμπεριφορές τους, τόσο περισσότερο θα μπορέσουμε να τα βοηθήσουμε να τα αντιμετωπίσουν.Στην παρούσα μελέτη διερευνήθηκε από νηπιαγωγούς σε μία περιοχή της Βόρειας Ελλάδας, το πώς νήπια ηλικίας 4-6 ετών αντιλαμβάνονται την κρίση. Πιο συγκεκριμένα τα παιδιά ρωτήθηκαν το τι σκέφτονται όταν ακούν τον όρο «οικονομική κρίση», πώς αισθάνονται γι’ αυτή και τι νομίζουν ότι μπορούν να κάνουν σχετικά με αυτή. Συνολικά συλλέξαμε 276 απαντήσεις παιδιών από τις συζητήσεις που έκαναν μαζί τους 29 νηπιαγωγοί, ενώ ορισμένα παιδιά έδωσαν παραπάνω από μία απαντήσεις. Μερικά παιδιά, μάλιστα, ζωγράφισαν τις αντιλήψεις τους σχετικά με το θέμα.Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας αναλύονται στην εργασία αυτή και διατυπώνονται προτάσεις για εκπαιδευτικούς και γονείς σχετικά με το πώς μπορούν να βοηθήσουν τα παιδιά να αντεπεξέλθουν στις δύσκολες καταστάσεις που βιώνουν.
Κυβερνο-εκφοβισμός και κυβερνο-θυματοποίηση σε παιδιά και εφήβους: Συχνότητα εμφάνισης και παράγοντες επικινδυνότητας
Authors: Kokkinos Constantinos M. , Antoniadou Nafsika
Published: November 2013

Ο κυβερνο-εκφοβισμός (ΚΕ) αποτελεί μια μορφή επιθετικής συμπεριφοράς, η οποία πραγματοποιείται με τη χρήση των Τεχνολογιών της Πληροφορίας και των Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ). Η παρούσα έρευνα μελετά τα ατομικά χαρακτηριστικά 429 μαθητών (47,3% κορίτσια) της Ε’ και ΣΤ’ τάξης δημοτικού σχολείου και των τριών τάξεων γυμνασίου και λυκείου σε σχέση με εμπειρίες ΚΕ. Οι μαθητές συμπλήρωσαν ερωτηματολόγιο αυτο-αναφοράς που αφορούσε στη χρήση των ΤΠΕ, τις εμπειρίες KE και κυβερνο-θυματοποίησης (ΚΘ), και τα χαρακτηριστικά της προσωπικότητάς τους. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι στα περιστατικά ΚΕ και ΚΘ συμμετείχαν συχνότερα αγόρια και μαθητές γυμνασίου, κυρίως με το ρόλο του επιθετικού θύματος. Οι συμμετέχοντες έκαναν συχνότερη και πιο επικίνδυνη χρήση των ΤΠΕ, δήλωσαν μεγαλύτερη άρση αναστολής στο διαδίκτυο, ιδιαίτερα τα επιθετικά θύματα, τα οποία σημείωσαν υψηλή βαθμολογία στα χαρακτηριστικά αντικοινωνικής προσωπικότητας, και χαμηλή βαθμολογία στη συναισθηματική ενσυναίσθηση και τις κοινωνικές δεξιότητες. Ο ΚΕ και η ΚΘ παρουσίασαν θετική συσχέτιση μεταξύ τους, με τη συχνότητα χρήσης ΤΠΕ, την άρση αναστολής, τα χαρακτηριστικά αντικοινωνικής προσωπικότητας και αρνητική συσχέτιση με τη συναισθηματική ενσυναίσθηση, ενώ, ο ΚΕ παρουσίασε αρνητική συσχέτιση με τη γνωστική ενσυναίσθηση. Η άρση αναστολής, και η μεγαλομανία-χειριστικότητα ήταν από τους σημαντικότερους παράγοντες πρόβλεψης της ΚΘ και του ΚΕ. Τα ευρήματα υπογραμμίζουν το ρόλο της προσωπικότητας, των κοινωνικών δεξιοτήτων, και των χαρακτηριστικών του διαδικτύου στην εκδήλωση του φαινομένου.
Provisional Application of International Treaties: Practice of States
Authors: Осминин Борис , Osminin Boris
Published: November 2013

The provisional application of international treaties is analyzed from the perspectives of both international and domestic law. Provisional application is based on an international agreement. It may be prescribed by the treaty, or it may be subject of a subsidiary agreement. In every case, it constitutes a distinct agreement. Provided that it is valid the agreement on provisional application produces the same effects as any international agreement and as such, it is subject to the principle pacta sunt servanda. The article analyses the practice of different states on provisional application of international treaties.
Corporate Structure, Indirect Bankruptcy Costs, and the Advantage of De Novo Firms: The Case of Gene Therapy Research
Authors: Sosa M. Lourdes
Published: November 2013

Current literature demonstrates that, at least initially, incumbents invest less in the in-house development of a new technology than do entrants, whether diversifying or de novo; this is because, for incumbents, new technology challenges managers’ mental models through changes in capabilities, revenue models, or product features. What has not been explored, despite its significance for strategic action, is whether (and if so, why) incumbent, diversifying, and de novo firms might invest differently across variants of a new technology through a discontinuity. This paper uses unique quantitative, archival, and interview data on the investment choices of incumbent, diversifying, and de novo firms around three variants of biotechnology—small-molecule, large-molecule and gene therapy drugs—to show there are differences in investment choices across groups of firms and to suggest that these can be explained through differences in volatility of outcomes across variants. When volatility in product performance generates volatility in firm-level outcomes, de novo firms can cap negative consequences through bankruptcy, an alternative that is extremely costly for established firms (whether incumbent or diversifying), given their complex corporate structure. By keeping indirect bankruptcy costs low, de novo firms’ simple corporate structure allows them to extract option value from volatility, making established versus de novo firms the key groups for analysis of investment choices, not incumbent versus entrant firms. This article thus identifies the interaction between a technological investment’s volatility and de novo firms’ simple corporate structure as the explanatory variable for the observed investment differences. I discuss implications for technology strategy and the competitive analysis of discontinuities.