bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of an observational instrument to determine variations in the patient care process and patient flow among emergency physicians and internists at the emergency department
Authors: Koks Daisy Roxanna Johanna Christina , Zonderland Maartje Elisabeth , Heringhaus Christian
Published: January 2013

Background

The increasing demand for acute care and restructuring of hospitals resulting in emergency department (ED) closures and fewer inpatient beds are reasons to improve ED efficiency. The approach towards the patient care process varies among doctors. The objective of this study was to determine variations in the patient care process and patient flow among emergency physicians (EP’s) and internists at the ED of Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), the Netherlands.

Methods

An observational instrument was developed during a pilot study at the LUMC ED, following observations of activities performed by EP’s and internists. The instrument divides all different types of activities a clinician can perform on the ED into eight categories. Using the observational instrument, their activities were observed and registered for 10 separate days. Primary outcomes were defined as the time spend on the eight separate activity categories, the total length of stay (LOS) and the number of patients seen during an interval. Secondary outcomes were general observations of working routine features that determine patient flow at the ED. The obtained data were analyzed into SPSS.

Results

Ten doctors were observed during a total of ± 36 hours in which 42 patients were seen. Although EP’s were observed for a shorter period of time than internists (13:48 vs. 22:10 hrs, -38%), they saw more patients (26 vs. 16, +62%). EP’s tended to spend a higher proportion of their time on patient contact than internists (27.2% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.06). Both groups dedicated the highest proportion of their time to documentation (31.5% and 33.4%, p = 0.75) and had little communication with ED nurses (3.7% and 2.4% p = 0.57). The average LOS of internal patients was higher than that of EP’s patients (5.25 ± sd 1:33 and 2.26 ± sd 1:32 hours). Internists occupied more treatment rooms at the same time (2.41 vs. 2.08, p < 0.00) and followed a more sequential working routine.

Conclusions

This paper describes the determination of variations in the ED care process and patient flow among EP’s and internists by an observational instrument. A pilot study with the instrument showed variations in the patient care process and patient flow among the two groups at the LUMC ED.
Peripapillary choroidal neovascularization in pars planitis
Authors: Mehta Sonia , Hariharan Luxme , Ho Allen C , Kempen John H
Published: January 2013

Background

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a rare complication of intermediate uveitis. Risk factors are not well-characterized. Here, we describe a case of peripapillary CNV in a patient with intermediate uveitis and explore the pathophysiology and treatment of this condition. This study is a case report and review of the literature.

Results

A 15-year-old boy with intermediate uveitis - suppressed for the preceding year on immunosuppressive therapy and low-dose corticosteroids - and chronic disc swelling presented with unilateral metamorphopsia, peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage, and subretinal fluid. Fluorescein angiogram confirmed the presence of an active choroidal neovascular membrane. Treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab 1.25 mg every 4 weeks for 4 months resulted in resolution of subretinal fluid, subretinal hemorrhage, and regression of the CNV. The patient's intermediate uveitis remained inactive throughout this time.

Conclusion

Review of the existing literature and pathophysiologic consideration suggests that chronic disc edema may be a risk factor for this condition. Peripapillary CNV in the context of intermediate uveitis appears to respond well to VEGF-inhibitor therapy.
Public‐private partnerships as driving forces in the quest for innovative medicines
Authors: Goldman Michel , Compton Carolyn , Mittleman Barbara B
Published: January 2013

Background

Despite progress in translational research, we are still falling short in developing the innovative medicines required to address major public health needs. Furthermore, the failure rate, time, and cost required for registration of a new drug are pushing the economics of the industry to the breaking point. New models of drug development based on collaborative endeavours are badly needed to improve this dire situation.

Findings

In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced the Critical Path Initiative with the intent of modernizing drug development by implementing public‐private partnerships (PPP) to share data, expertise, and resources. In response to FDA's initiative, in the following year the non‐profit Critical Path Institute (C‐Path) was formed. At the same time, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public‐Private Partnership program was established. In Europe, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) supported jointly by the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations was launched in 2008. These independent efforts have a common long‐term objective, namely to facilitate the emergence of innovative medicines by developing new tools for drug discovery, new indicators for drug efficacy or safety, and new approaches for patient stratification. Herein, we present evidence that PPP already exert a positive impact on the drug development process.

Conclusions

Public‐private partnerships represent attractive means to leverage resources dispersed across industry, academia, and voluntary health organizations in order to address multiple challenges of drug development in an era of constrained resources and increased regulatory pressure.
Association of the AIRE gene with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in a European population: a case control study
Authors: García-Lozano José-Raúl , Torres-Agrela Belén , Montes-Cano Marco-Antonio , Ortiz-Fernández Lourdes , Conde-Jaldón Marta , Teruel María , García Alicia , Núñez-Roldán Antonio , Martín Javier , González-Escribano María-Francisca
Published: January 2013

Introduction

AIRE is a transcriptional regulator playing a functional role in thymocyte education and negative selection by controlling the expression of peripheral antigens in the thymus. Recently, the AIRE gene was identified as a genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in genome wide association (GWA) studies performed in the Japanese population. According to the available data this association is restricted to the Asian population. However, different facts could influence the lack of association in Caucasian populations. The aim of this study was to further investigate the possible role of the AIRE gene in susceptibility to RA in a Caucasian population.

Methods

A total of 472 Spanish Caucasian RA patients and 475 ethnically matched controls were included in the study. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2776377, rs878081 and rs1055311) with a minor allele frequency >0.05 in the Caucasian population which were not included in the high-throughput platforms used in the GWA studies performed in susceptibility to RA, and two SNPs (rs2075876 and rs1800520) associated with RA in the Japanese population, were selected and genotyped using TaqMan assays.

Results

No significant differences in the distribution of the alleles of rs2776377, rs2075876, rs1055311 and rs1800520 SNPs between RA patients and controls were observed. Nevertheless, the frequency of the C allele of rs878081 was significantly higher among RA patients (80.5% vs. 74.6% in the control group, pc = 0.012, OR = 1.41, 95%CI 1.13-1.75). Regarding the distribution of the rs878081 genotypes, a higher frequency of CC homozygous individuals was found in the RA patient group (65.56% vs. 56.47% in the control group, pc = 0.013, OR = 1.47, 95%CI 1.12-1.93). The in silico analysis predicted lower affinity to the binding-site of a motif of the transcription NF-κB family and lower transcription levels of AIRE gene for the rs878081C risk variant

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the AIRE gene is associated with susceptibility to RA in the Spanish population. Probably, this association has not been detected in the European population in the GWA studies because the earliest high-throughput platforms did not include SNP suitable markers (e.g. rs878081).
The spectrum of renal thrombotic microangiopathy in lupus nephritis
Authors: Song Di , Wu Li-hua , Wang Feng-mei , Yang Xiao-wei , Zhu Di , Chen Min , Yu Feng , Liu Gang , Zhao Ming-hui
Published: January 2013

Introduction

Among various lupus renal vascular changes, thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) presented with the most severe clinical manifestations and high mortality. The pathogenesis of TMA in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was complicated. The aim of this study was to assess clinical manifestations, laboratory characteristics, pathological features and risk factors for clinical outcomes of lupus nephritis patients co-existing with renal TMA in a large cohort in China.

Methods

Clinical and renal histopathological data of 148 patients with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis were retrospectively analyzed. Serum complement factor H, A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease with Thrombospondin type I repeats 13 (ADAMTS-13) activity, antiphospholipid antibodies and C4d deposition on renal vessels were further detected and analyzed.

Results

In the 148 patients with lupus nephritis, 36 patients were diagnosed as co-existing with renal TMA based on pathological diagnosis. Among the 36 TMA patients, their clinical diagnoses of renal TMA were as followings: 2 patients combining with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome, 2 patients combining with anti-phospholipid syndrome, 2 patients with malignant hypertension, 1 patient with scleroderma and the other 29 patients presenting with isolated renal TMA. Compared with the non-renal TMA group, patients with renal TMA had significantly higher urine protein (7.09 ± 4.64 vs. 4.75 ± 3.13 g/24h, P = 0.007) and serum creatinine (159, 86 to 215 vs. 81, 68 to 112 μmol/l, P <0.001), higher scores of total activity indices (AI) (P <0.001), endocapillary hypercellularity (P <0.001), subendothelial hyaline deposits (P = 0.003), interstitial inflammation (P = 0.005), glomerular leukocyte infiltration (P = 0.006), total chronicity indices (CI) (P = 0.033), tubular atrophy (P = 0.004) and interstitial fibrosis (P = 0.018). Patients with renal TMA presented with poorer renal outcome (P = 0.005) compared with the non-TMA group. Renal TMA (hazard ratio (HR): 2.772, 95% confidence interval: 1.009 to 7.617, P = 0.048) was an independent risk factor for renal outcome in patients with lupus nephritis. The renal outcome was poorer for those with both C4d deposition and decreased serum complement factor H in the TMA group (P = 0.007).

Conclusions

There were various causes of renal TMA in lupus nephritis. Complement over-activation via both classical and alternative pathways might play an important role in the pathogenesis of renal TMA in lupus nephritis.
Promoter hypermethylation of the tumor-suppressor genes ITIH5, DKK3, and RASSF1A as novel biomarkers for blood-based breast cancer screening
Authors: Kloten Vera , Becker Birte , Winner Kirsten , Schrauder Michael G , Fasching Peter A , Anzeneder Tobias , Veeck Jürgen , Hartmann Arndt , Knüchel Ruth , Dahl Edgar
Published: January 2013

Introduction

For early detection of breast cancer, the development of robust blood-based biomarkers that accurately reflect the host tumor is mandatory. We investigated DNA methylation in circulating free DNA (cfDNA) from blood of breast cancer patients and matched controls to establish a biomarker panel potentially useful for early detection of breast cancer.

Methods

We examined promoter methylation of seven putative tumor-suppressor genes (SFRP1, SFRP2, SFRP5, ITIH5, WIF1, DKK3, and RASSF1A) in cfDNA extracted from serum. Clinical performance was first determined in a test set (n = 261 sera). In an independent validation set (n = 343 sera), we validated the most promising genes for further use in early breast cancer detection. Sera from 59 benign breast disease and 58 colon cancer patients were included for additional specificity testing.

Results

Based on the test set, we determined ITIH5 and DKK3 promoter methylation as candidate biomarkers with the best sensitivity and specificity. In both the test and validation set combined, ITIH5 and DKK3 methylation achieved 41% sensitivity with a specificity of 93% and 100% in healthy and benign disease controls, respectively. Combination of these genes with RASSF1A methylation increased the sensitivity to 67% with a specificity of 69% and 82% in healthy controls and benign disease controls, respectively.

Conclusions

Tumor-specific methylation of the three-gene panel (ITIH5, DKK3, and RASSF1A) might be a valuable biomarker for the early detection of breast cancer.
MetAMOS: a modular and open source metagenomic assembly and analysis pipeline
Authors: Treangen Todd J , Koren Sergey , Sommer Daniel D , Liu Bo , Astrovskaya Irina , Ondov Brian , Darling Aaron E , Phillippy Adam M , Pop Mihai
Published: January 2013

We describe MetAMOS, an open source and modular metagenomic assembly and analysis pipeline. MetAMOS represents an important step towards fully automated metagenomic analysis, starting with next-generation sequencing reads and producing genomic scaffolds, open-reading frames and taxonomic or functional annotations. MetAMOS can aid in reducing assembly errors, commonly encountered when assembling metagenomic samples, and improves taxonomic assignment accuracy while also reducing computational cost. MetAMOS can be downloaded from: https://github.com/treangen/MetAMOS.
Improved Outcome in Pediatric Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results of a Randomized Trial on Liposomal Daunorubicin by the International BFM Study Group
Authors: Kaspers Gertjan J.L. , Zimmermann Martin , Reinhardt Dirk , Gibson Brenda E.S. , Tamminga Rienk Y.J. , Aleinikova Olga , Armendariz Hortensia , Dworzak Michael , Ha Shau-Yin , Hasle Henrik , Hovi Liisa , Maschan Alexei , Bertrand Yves , Leverger Guy G. , Razzouk Bassem I. , Rizzari Carmelo , Smisek Petr , Smith Owen , Stark Batia , Creutzig Ursula
Published: January 2013

Purpose

In pediatric relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), optimal reinduction therapy is unknown. Studies suggest that liposomal daunorubicin (DNX; DaunoXome; Galen, Craigavon, United Kingdom) is effective and less cardiotoxic, which is important in this setting. These considerations led to a randomized phase III study by the International Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster Study Group.

Patients and Methods

Patients with relapsed or primary refractory non–French-American-British type M3 AML who were younger than 21 years of age were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to fludarabine, cytarabine, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (FLAG) or to FLAG plus DNX in the first reinduction course. The primary end point was status of the bone marrow (BM) sampled shortly before the second course of chemotherapy (the day 28 BM). Data are presented according to intention-to-treat for all 394 randomly assigned patients (median follow-up, 4.0 years).

Results

The complete remission (CR) rate was 64%, and the 4-year probability of survival (pOS) was 38% (SE, 3%). The day 28 BM status (available in 359 patients) was good (≤ 20% leukemic blasts) in 80% of patients randomly assigned to FLAG/DNX and 70% for patients randomly assigned to FLAG (P = .04). Concerning secondary end points, the CR rate was 69% with FLAG/DNX and 59% with FLAG (P = .07), but overall survival was similar. However, core-binding factor (CBF) AML treated with FLAG/DNX resulted in pOS of 82% versus 58% with FLAG (P = .04). Grade 3 to 4 toxicity was essentially similar in both groups.

Conclusion

DNX added to FLAG improves early treatment response in pediatric relapsed AML. Overall long-term survival was similar, but CBF-AML showed an improved survival with FLAG/DNX. International collaboration proved feasible and resulted in the best outcome for pediatric relapsed AML reported thus far.
Chromosome Instability Accounts for Reverse Metastatic Outcomes of Pediatric and Adult Synovial Sarcomas
Authors: Lagarde Pauline , Przybyl Joanna , Brulard Céline , Pérot Gaëlle , Pierron Gaelle , Delattre Olivier , Sciot Raf , Wozniak Agnieszka , Schöffski Patrick , Terrier Philippe , Neuville Agnès , Coindre Jean-Michel , Italiano Antoine , Orbach Daniel , Debiec-Rychter Maria , Chibon Frédéric
Published: January 2013

Purpose

Synovial sarcoma (SS) occurs in both children and adults, although metastatic events are much more common in adults. Whereas the importance of the t(X;18) translocation in SS oncogenesis is well established, the genetic basis of SS metastasis is still poorly understood. We recently reported expression (CINSARC; Complexity Index in Sarcoma) and Genomic Index prognostic signatures related to chromosome integrity in sarcomas and GI stromal tumors. Here we investigate whether these signatures can also predict outcomes in SS.

Patients and Methods

One hundred patients who had primary untreated SS tumors were selected for expression and genomic profiling in a training/validation approach.

Results

CINSARC and Genomic Index have strong independent and validated prognostic values (P < .001). By comparing expression profiles of tumors with or without metastasis, 14 genes that are common to the CINSARC signature were identified, and the two top-ranked genes, KIF14 and CDCA2, were validated as prognostic markers in an independent cohort. Comparing genomic profiles of adult versus pediatric SS, we show that metastasis is associated with genome complexity in both situations and that the adult genome is more frequently rearranged. Accordingly, pediatric patients with an even genomic profile do not develop metastasis.

Conclusion

Metastasis development in SS is strongly associated with chromosome complexity, and CINSARC and Genomic Index are validated independent prognostic factors. The differences in metastasis frequency between adults and children are associated with genome instability, which is much more frequent in adults. Genomic Index is potentially the best overall biomarker and clearly the most clinically relevant, considering that genome profiling from formalin-fixed samples is already used in pathology.
Experiencing the Space and Place of Early Modern Theater
Authors: Kermode Lloyd Edward
Published: January 2013

This essay introduces and assesses the importance of philosophical, geographical, and anthropological understandings of “space” and “place” for literary and dramatic scholars. In the process, it asks its own questions about the political use and control of space, and how we might talk of an ideology or hegemony of space and place. The essay then specifically studies dramatic examinations of place and space (with close reading of several moments from Hamlet and King Lear) to delineate the various ways in which spaces are occupied by actors and audience members, and the extent to which multiple (parallel or virtual) realities are manufactured and manipulated by temporal and aural, as well as spatial, phenomena. A number of the essay’s theoretical, political, practical, material, and aesthetic matters are taken up in the essays that follow in this special issue.
“All Places Are Alike”: Marlowe’s Edward II and English Spatial Imagination
Authors: Atwood Emma Katherine
Published: January 2013

This essay responds to queer approaches to Edward II and instead explores the way Marlowe tests the limits of imaginative space by presenting challenging and untenable spaces with which his audience must engage. For example, when Edward II is asked to imagine Killingworth Castle as his court rather than his prison, the audience must reimagine a space they have yet to confront. This effect is magnified by the fact that the historical Kenilworth Castle is ghosted in mimetic or verbal representations of the fictional Killingworth. This essay shows that Marlowe’s spaces are not “empty,” but rather too full, a “problem” that engages the individual subjectivity of active audience participation. Significantly, this frustrates the development of English spatial identity that relies on the collective rather than the individual. In this way, Marlowe’s invocation of spatial imagination intervenes in and provides an alternative to English nation-making, while it fractures the collective effects of theater.
“How Many Arts from Such a Labour Flow”: Thomas Middleton and London’s New River
Authors: Kok Su Mei
Published: January 2013

Spanning a thirty-eight-mile canal, a walled reservoir, and a city-wide network of wooden mains, London’s New River altered terrain from Hertfordshire to the city. A vital shift in London’s spatial order attended these topographical changes, as public space became a private commodity. This essay compares Thomas Middleton’s allusions to the New River in his civic shows and city comedies, revealing his ambivalent attitude toward an increasingly profit-oriented city and his place in it.
S1pr2/Gα13 signaling controls myocardial migration by regulating endoderm convergence
Authors: Ye Ding , Lin Fang
Published: January 2013

A key process during vertebrate heart development is the migration of bilateral populations of myocardial precursors towards the midline to form the primitive heart tube. In zebrafish, signaling mediated by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and its cognate G protein-coupled receptor (S1pr2/Mil) is essential for myocardial migration, but the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Here, we show that suppression of Gα13 signaling disrupts myocardial migration, leading to the formation of two bilaterally located hearts (cardia bifida). Genetic studies indicate that Gα13 acts downstream of S1pr2 to regulate myocardial migration through a RhoGEF-dependent pathway. Furthermore, disrupting any component of the S1pr2/Gα13/RhoGEF pathway impairs endoderm convergence during segmentation, and the endodermal defects correlate with the extent of cardia bifida. Moreover, endoderm transplantation reveals that the presence of wild-type anterior endodermal cells in Gα13-deficient embryos is sufficient to rescue the endoderm convergence defect and cardia bifida, and, conversely, that the presence of anterior endodermal cells defective for S1pr2 or Gα13 in wild-type embryos causes such defects. Thus, S1pr2/Gα13 signaling probably acts in the endoderm to regulate myocardial migration. In support of this notion, cardiac-specific expression of Gα13 fails to rescue cardia bifida in the context of global Gα13 inhibition. Our data demonstrate for the first time that the Gα13/RhoGEF-dependent pathway functions downstream of S1pr2 to regulate convergent movement of the endoderm, an event that is crucial for coordinating myocardial migration.
Optimal histone H3 to linker histone H1 chromatin ratio is vital for mesodermal competence in Xenopus
Authors: Lim Chin Yan , Reversade Bruno , Knowles Barbara B. , Solter Davor
Published: January 2013

Cellular differentiation during embryogenesis involves complex gene regulation to enable the activation and repression of genes. Here, we show that mesodermal competence is inhibited in Xenopus embryos depleted of histones H3 and H3.3, which fail to respond to Nodal/Activin signaling and exhibit concomitant loss of mesodermal gene expression. We find that transcriptional activation in gastrula embryos does not correlate with promoter deposition of H3.3. Instead, gastrulation defects in H3.3/H3-deficient embryos are partially rescued with concurrent depletion of the linker histone H1A. In addition, we show that linker histone H1-induced premature loss of mesodermal competence in animal cap explants can be abrogated with the overexpression of nucleosomal H3.3/H3. Our findings establish a chromatin-mediated regulatory mechanism in which a threshold level of H3 is required to prevent H1-induced gene repression, and thus facilitate mesodermal differentiation in response to inductive signaling.
Signal transduction by the Fat cytoplasmic domain
Authors: Pan Guohui , Feng Yongqiang , Ambegaonkar Abhijit A. , Sun Gongping , Huff Matthew , Rauskolb Cordelia , Irvine Kenneth D.
Published: January 2013

The large atypical cadherin Fat is a receptor for both Hippo and planar cell polarity (PCP) pathways. Here we investigate the molecular basis for signal transduction downstream of Fat by creating targeted alterations within a genomic construct that contains the entire fat locus, and by monitoring and manipulating the membrane localization of the Fat pathway component Dachs. We establish that the human Fat homolog FAT4 lacks the ability to transduce Hippo signaling in Drosophila, but can transduce Drosophila PCP signaling. Targeted deletion of conserved motifs identifies a four amino acid C-terminal motif that is essential for aspects of Fat-mediated PCP, and other internal motifs that contribute to Fat-Hippo signaling. Fat-Hippo signaling requires the Drosophila Casein kinase 1ϵ encoded by discs overgrown (Dco), and we characterize candidate Dco phosphorylation sites in the Fat intracellular domain (ICD), the mutation of which impairs Fat-Hippo signaling. Through characterization of Dachs localization and directed membrane targeting of Dachs, we show that localization of Dachs influences both the Hippo and PCP pathways. Our results identify a conservation of Fat-PCP signaling mechanisms, establish distinct functions for different regions of the Fat ICD, support the correlation of Fat ICD phosphorylation with Fat-Hippo signaling, and confirm the importance of Dachs membrane localization to downstream signaling pathways.
Perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics of Intracerebral Tuberculomas and Its Role in Differentiating Tuberculomas from Metastases
Authors: Sankhe Shilpa , Baheti Akshay , Ihare Ashish , Mathur Shobhit , Dabhade Poonam , Sarode Ashish
Published: January 2013

Background

Intracerebral tuberculomas usually manifest as ring-enhancing of nodular lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These imaging findings are also observed in other lesions like metastases and toxoplasmosis.

Purpose

To study the MRI perfusion characteristics of tuberculomas and its potential role in their definitive diagnosis. Material and Methods: Thirty-four tuberculomas were evaluated by conventional and perfusion MRI. The relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) values of the center, peripheral wall, and perilesional neuroparenchymal tissue were calculated using rCBV maps. Ten ring-enhancing metastases were similarly evaluated and rCBV values of their peripheral walls were calculated.

Results

Thirty-one of the 34 tuberculomas were ring-enhancing or conglomerate lesions and revealed hypoperfused centers with hyperperfused peripheral walls, with the mean rCBV ± SD being 0.42 ± 0.25 and 2.04 ± 0.61, respectively. Three nodular enhancing lesions showed predominantly homogenous hyperperfusion, with the mean rCBV measuring 2.96 ± 0.39 (mean ± SD). The perilesional neuroparenchyma was hypoperfused in both cases. The metastases revealed mean rCBV ratio of the peripheral wall to be 5.43 ± 2.1 (mean ± SD). Analysis of the values by ROC curve method revealed a cut-off value of ≥ 3.745 for differentiating ring-enhancing metastases from ring-enhancing tuberculomas.

Conclusion

Perfusion MR is a useful tool for the assessment of tuberculomas and can help differentiate them from neoplasms like metastases. It also has a potential role in monitoring therapy and for early detection of drug resistance.
Evaluation of Transportation Practices in the California Cut Flower Industry
Authors: Nguyen Christine , Toriello Alejandro , Dessouky Maged , Moore James E.
Published: January 2013

In the past two decades, California’s share of the national cut flower market has decreased from 64 percent to 20 percent. California growers’ largest competitors are South American growers; Colombia controls 75 percent of the US market. South American growers have several competitive advantages, including the favorable trucking rates they enjoy by consolidating all shipments in Miami, Florida, prior to US distribution. This paper evaluates the California cut flower industry’s current transportation practices and investigates the feasibility and cost of establishing a shipping consolidation center in Oxnard, California. Applying a simple inventory management policy, we estimate a 35 percent system-wide transportation cost decrease of $20 million per year if all California cut flower growers participate in the consolidation center. The California Cut Flower Commission incorporated our findings into an application for federal funds from the US Department of Transportation to construct a new flower transportation and logistics center in California. The state’s flower growers are also searching for alternative ways to cooperatively fund a consolidation center.
Predicting Adoption Probabilities in Social Networks
Authors: Fang Xiao , Hu Paul Jen-Hwa , Li Zhepeng (Lionel) , Tsai Weiyu
Published: January 2013

In a social network, adoption probability refers to the probability that a social entity will adopt a product, service, or opinion in the foreseeable future. Such probabilities are central to fundamental issues in social network analysis, including the influence maximization problem. In practice, adoption probabilities have significant implications for applications ranging from social network-based target marketing to political campaigns, yet predicting adoption probabilities has not received sufficient research attention. Building on relevant social network theories, we identify and operationalize key factors that affect adoption decisions: social influence, structural equivalence, entity similarity, and confounding factors. We then develop the locally weighted expectation-maximization method for Naïve Bayesian learning to predict adoption probabilities on the basis of these factors. The principal challenge addressed in this study is how to predict adoption probabilities in the presence of confounding factors that are generally unobserved. Using data from two large-scale social networks, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The empirical results also suggest that cascade methods primarily using social influence to predict adoption probabilities offer limited predictive power and that confounding factors are critical to adoption probability predictions.
The Effects of Rewarding User Engagement: The Case of Facebook Apps
Authors: Claussen Jörg , Kretschmer Tobias , Mayrhofer Philip
Published: January 2013

We study the market for apps on Facebook, the dominant social networking platform, and make use of a rule change by Facebook by which highly engaging apps were rewarded with further opportunities to engage users. The rule change led to new applications with significantly higher user ratings being developed. Moreover, user ratings became more important drivers of app success. Other drivers of app success are also affected by the rule change; sheer network size became a less important driver for app success, update frequency benefitted apps more in staying successful, and active users of Facebook apps declined less rapidly with age. Our results show that social media channels do not necessarily have to be managed through hard exclusion of participants but can also be steered through “softer” changes in reward and incentive systems.
Social Media Brand Community and Consumer Behavior: Quantifying the Relative Impact of User- and Marketer-Generated Content
Authors: Goh Khim-Yong , Heng Cheng-Suang , Lin Zhijie
Published: January 2013

Despite the popular use of social media by consumers and marketers, empirical research investigating their economic values still lags. In this study, we integrate qualitative user-marketer interaction content data from a fan page brand community on Facebook and consumer transactions data to assemble a unique data set at the individual consumer level. We then quantify the impact of community contents from consumers (user-generated content, i.e., UGC) and marketers (marketer-generated content, i.e., MGC) on consumers' apparel purchase expenditures. A content analysis method was used to construct measures to capture the informative and persuasive nature of UGC and MGC while distinguishing between directed and undirected communication modes in the brand community. In our empirical analysis, we exploit differences across consumers' fan page joining decision and across timing differences in fan page joining dates for our model estimation and identification strategies. Importantly, we also control for potential self-selection biases and relevant factors such as pricing, promotion, social network attributes, consumer demographics, and unobserved heterogeneity. Our findings show that engagement in social media brand communities leads to a positive increase in purchase expenditures. Additional examinations of UGC and MGC impacts show evidence of social media contents affecting consumer purchase behavior through embedded information and persuasion. We also uncover the different roles played by UGC and MGC, which vary by the type of directed or undirected communication modes by consumers and the marketer. Specifically, the elasticities of demand with respect to UGC information richness are 0.006 (directed communication) and 3.140 (undirected communication), whereas those for MGC information richness are insignificant. Moreover, the UGC valence elasticity of demand is 0.180 (undirected communication), whereas that for MGC valence is 0.004 (directed communication). Overall, UGC exhibits a stronger impact than MGC on consumer purchase behavior. Our findings provide various implications for academic research and practice.
Introduction to the Special Issue—Social Media and Business Transformation: A Framework for Research
Authors: Aral Sinan , Dellarocas Chrysanthos , Godes David
Published: January 2013

Social media are fundamentally changing the way we communicate, collaborate, consume, and create. They represent one of the most transformative impacts of information technology on business, both within and outside firm boundaries. This special issue was designed to stimulate innovative investigations of the relationship between social media and business transformation. In this paper we outline a broad research agenda for understanding the relationships among social media, business, and society. We place the papers comprising the special issue within this research framework and identify areas where further research is needed. We hope that the flexible framework we outline will help guide future research and develop a cumulative research tradition in this area.
Gradient estimates for the p-Laplace heat equation under the Ricci flow
Authors: Wang Lin-Feng
Published: January 2013

We establish space-only gradient estimates for positive continuous weak solutions to the p-Laplace heat equation on some complete manifolds evolving under the Ricci flow. As applications, we get Harnack inequalities to compare solutions at different points
Veroneseans, power subspaces and independence
Authors: Kantor W. M. , Shult E. E.
Published: January 2013

Results are proved indicating that the Veronese map vd often increases independence of both sets of points and sets of subspaces. For example, any d + 1 Veronesean points of degree d are independent. Similarly, the dth power map on the space of linear forms of a polynomial algebra also often increases independence of both sets of points and sets of subspaces. These ideas produce d + 1-independent families of subspaces in a natural manner
A lower bound for the Ricci curvature of submanifolds in generalized Sasakian space forms
Authors: Malek Fereshteh , Nejadakbary Vahid
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we obtain inequalities between the Ricci curvature, the scalar curvature and the squared mean curvature of submanifolds in generalized Sasakian space forms such that each inequality is a lower bound for the Ricci curvature. Also, we obtain a sharp relationship between the scalar curvature, a Riemannian invariant and the squared mean curvature of anti-invariant submanifolds in generalized Sasakian space forms.
Synthesis, characterization and in vitro antimicrobial assessment of some novel 4H-1, 4-benzothiazines and their sulfone derivatives
Authors: Gautam Naveen , Bishnoi Ajay Kumar , Guleria Anjali , Jangid Dinesh Kumar , Gupta Sudesh Kumar , Gautam Dinesh Chand
Published: January 2013

In recent years, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 4H-1,4-benzothiazines and their sulfone derivatives have gained momentum due to their medicinal and industrial importance. Our studies focused on the design and synthesis of new antimicrobial agents, and for this purpose a series of novel 4H-1,4-benzothiazines and their sulfone derivatives were synthesized and their in vitro antimicrobial assessment was carried out against a representative panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains and selected fungi species. The reported 4H-1,4-benzothiazines were prepared by condensation followed by oxidative cyclization of substituted 2-aminobenzenethiols with compounds containing active methylene groups. It is believed that the reaction proceeds via intermediary of the enaminoketone system. The sulfone derivatives were synthesized by oxidation of 4H-1,4-benzothiazines using 30% hydrogen peroxide in glacial acetic acid. Structure determination was done by spectral and elemental investigations.
Game importance as a dimension of uncertainty of outcome
Authors: Lei Xinrong , Humphreys Brad R.
Published: January 2013

Sports teams have incentives to put more effort into games with an immediate effect on standings compared to games that do not, possibly affecting outcome uncertainty. We develop a measure of game outcome uncertainty, game importance (GI), that captures how each game affects a team’s standing and can be calculated for individual games. Results show that observed variation in GI explains observed variation in attendance, game outcomes, and margin of victory at MLB games over the 1994 through 2010 seasons, suggesting that GI is an influential indicator in fans’ attendance decisions, consistent with the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis.
Crystal structure of chloro-(5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)-manganese, C44H28ClMnN4
Authors: Yuste Consuelo , Arranja Claudia C. , Marcos Mariana , Balakrishna Avula , Sobral Abilio J. F. N. , Ramos Silva Manuela
Published: January 2013

C44H28ClMnN4, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 12.3044(6) Å, b = 21.688(1) Å, c = 17.0016(8) Å, β = 123.536(3)°, V = 3781.9 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0645, wRref(F2) = 0.0939, T = 293 K
Crystal structure of tris(1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene)[(μ12- phosphato)-tetracosakis(μ2-oxo)-dodecaoxo-dodeca-molybdenum], C27H51Mo12N6O40P
Authors: Xia Daocheng , Feng Feng
Published: January 2013

C27H51Mo12N6O40P, trigonal, R3c (no. 161), a = 20.212(5) Å, c = 23.801(5) Å, V = 8420.8 Å3, Z = 6, Rgt(F) = 0.0318, wRref(F2) = 0.0610, T = 293 K.
Crystal structure of [Ag3(DMF)7][W12O40P], a 2D-coordinated system, C21H49Ag3N7O47PW12
Authors: Gschwind Fabienne , Jansen Martin
Published: January 2013

C21H49Ag3N7O47PW12, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 17.329(4) Å, b = 17.098(3) Å, c = 22.479(5) Å, β = 105.19(3)°, V = 6427.7 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0664, wRref(F2) = 0.1543, T = 293 K.
Crystal structure of 1-methyl-4-(4-diethylaminophenylazo)pyridinium iodide, C16H21N4+·I–, C16H21IN4
Authors: Kitoh Soh-ichi , Fujinami Shuhei , Iwase Akitaka , Kuwae Akio , Hanai Kazuhiko , Suda Mitsuhiro , Honda Mitsunori , Kunimoto Ko-Ki
Published: January 2013

C16H21IN4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 10.433(1) Å, b = 13.846(1) Å, c = 12.162(1) Å, β = 97.294(2)°, V = 1742.7 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0352, wRref(F2) = 0.0935, T = 123 K.
Crystal structure of 2-ethyl-1-ferrocenylsulfonyl-6-nitro-1H-1,3-benzimidazole, C19H17FeN3O4S
Authors: Wang Lu-Yao , Meng Dong , Li Lu
Published: January 2013

C19H17FeN3O4S, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.1964(3) Å, b = 10.9732(4) Å, c = 11.6391(4) Å, α = 80.857(2)°, β = 86.758(2)°, γ = 87.323(2)°, V = 905.3 Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0275, wRref(F2) = 0.0754, T = 296 K.
Production, quality control and biodistribution studies of thulium-170-labeled ethylenediamine (tetramethylene phosphonic acid)
Authors: Shirvani-Arani Simindokht , Bahrami-Samani Ali , Meftahi M. , Jalilian Amir Reza , Ghannadi-Maragheh Mohammad
Published: January 2013

Thulium-170 (T
1/2 = 128.4 d, E

β
(max) = 968 keV, E

γ
= 84 keV (3.26%)) has radionuclidic properties suitable to be used in palliative therapy of bone metastases as an alternative to 89SrCl2. 170Tm can be produced by a relatively easy route involving thermal neutron bombardment on natural Tm2O3 (100% 169Tm) in medium flux research reactors. The requirement for an enriched target does not arise and radionuclidic impurities are not formed by radiative capture during neutron activation. In this study 170Tm was produced using Tm(NO3)3, prepared by neutron activation (3–4E13) of a natural sample. Ethylenediamine (tetramethylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP) was synthesized and radiolabeled with 170Tm. Complexation parameters were optimized to achieve maximum yields (>99%). The radiochemical purity of 170Tm-EDTMP was checked by RTLC. It was found to retain its stability at room temperature even after 2 months of preparation (> 95%). Biodistribution studies of the complexes carried out in wild-type rats showed significant bone uptake with rapid clearance from blood. The properties of produced 170Tm-EDTMP suggest applying a new efficient bone pain palliative therapeutic agent in the country instead of some other in-use radiopharmaceuticals, such as 89SrCl2 and 32P, in order to overcome metastatic bone pains.
Mixed Micellization Behavior of Gemini (Cationic Ester-Bonded) Surfactants with Conventional (Cationic, Anionic and Nonionic) Surfactants in Aqueous Medium
Authors: Fatma Nazish , Ansari Wajid Husain , Panda Manorama , ud-Din Kabir
Published: January 2013

Two cationic ester-bonded cleavable gemini surfactants of different hydrophobic chain length ethane-1,2-diyl bis(N,N-dimethyl-N-alkylammoniumacetoxy)dichloride, C
n
H2n+1(CH3)2N+(CH2COOCH2)2N+(CH3)2C
n
H2n+1. 2Cl- (n-E2-n, n=12, 16), having ester linkage in the spacer, were synthesized adopting the reported procedure. Physicochemical properties of the single and binary gemini-conventional mixed micelles of different mole fractions were studied by conductivity measurements at 30 ºC. The conventional surfactants used were: DTAC (dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride), CTAC (hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride), CPC (cetylpyridinium chloride), SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), SDBS (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate), TX-100 (t-octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol) and Brij 58 (polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl ether). Whereas the critical micelle concentration (cmc) values for the dicationic geminis (12-E2-12 and 16-E2-16) were found to be very low as compared to the respective monomeric surfactant with the same number of carbon atoms in the hydrophobic chain per hydrophilic head group, those for all the binary systems were found to be less than the ideal cmc values studied at different mole fractions of the geminis. This synergistic interaction between the surfactants has been analyzed in the light of various theoretical models such as Clint, Rubingh, Motomura and Maeda.
From Subaltern to Free Worker
Authors: Rettig Tobias
Published: January 2013

In the second half of 1944, the majority of the roughly fourteen thousand Vietnamese workers who had arrived in France four years earlier, but remained stranded there following France's defeat in June 1940, took advantage of the power vacuum created by the liberation of France. They would launch a diasporic-metropolitan precursor of the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 by successfully claiming workers' rights and a sense of dignity they had previously been denied. Loosely adopting Hirschman's concepts of “exit, voice, and loyalty,” this essay investigates the strategies chosen by this subaltern imperial workforce to emancipate itself from the militarized labor camp system. It argues that different interests led the largely illiterate workers and the French-speaking supervisors and interpreters to opt for different strategies.
Thyroid hormone, thyroid hormone receptors, and cancer: a clinical perspective
Authors: Moeller Lars C , Führer Dagmar
Published: January 2013

Thyroid hormones (THs) may play a role in diseases other than hyper- and hypothyroidism. Several lines of evidence suggest tumor-promoting effects of TH and TH receptors. They are possibly mediated by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and MAPK and involve among others stimulation of angiogenesis via αvβ3. Thus, an increased risk for colon, lung, prostate, and breast cancer with lower TSH has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies, even suggesting a TH dose effect on cancer occurrence. Furthermore, higher TH levels were associated with an advanced clinical stage of breast and prostate cancer. In rodent models, TH stimulated growth and metastasis of tumor transplants, whereas hypothyroidism had opposite effects. In clinical studies of glioblastoma and head and neck cancer, hypothyroid patients showed longer survival than euthyroid patients. Also, patients with renal cell cancer that were treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib and developed hypothyroidism in due course showed significantly longer survival than patients that remained euthyroid. Development of hypothyroidism was an independent predictor for survival in two studies. Yet, it is still possible that hypothyroidism is only a surrogate marker for treatment efficacy and does not positively influence treatment outcome by itself. Future cancer treatment studies, especially with substances that can induce hypothyroidism, should therefore be designed in a way that allows for an analysis of thyroid function status and its contribution on treatment outcome.
In vivo exposure to 17β-estradiol triggers premature sperm capacitation in cauda epididymis
Authors: Ded Lukas , Sebkova Natasa , Cerna Martina , Elzeinova Fatima , Dostalova Pavla , Peknicova Jana , Dvorakova-Hortova Katerina
Published: January 2013

Estrogens play a crucial role in spermatogenesis and estrogen receptor α knock-out male mice are infertile. It has been demonstrated that estrogens significantly increase the speed of capacitationin vitro; however this may lead to the reduction of reproductive potential due to the decreased ability of these sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction. To date thein vivoeffect of estrogens on the ability of sperm to capacitate has not been investigated. Therefore, in this study, we exposed mice (n=24) to 17β-estradiol (E2) at the concentration of 20 ng/ml either during puberty from the fourth to seventh week of age (n=8), or continuously from birth for a period of 12 weeks (n=8) at which age the animals from both groups were killed. The capacitation status of epididymal and testicular sperm was analysed by tyrosine phosphorylation (TyrP) antibody (immunofluorescence and western blot) and chlortetracycline (CTC) assay. According to our results,in vivoexposure to increased E2concentrations caused premature sperm capacitation in the epididymis. The effect of E2, however, seems reversible because after the termination of the exposure premature epididymal sperm capacitation is decreased in animals treated during puberty. Furthermore the changes in epididymal sperm capacitation status detected by TyrP and CTC positively correlate with plasma levels of E2and the expression of the estrogen-dependent trefoil factor 1 (Tff1) gene in testicular tissue. Therefore, our data implicate thatin vivoexposure to E2under specific conditions leads to the premature capacitation of mouse sperm in epididymis with a potential negative impact on the sperm reproductive fitness in the female reproductive tract.