bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Navigating Government Service as a Physician
Authors: Koh Howard K.
Published: January 2016

Working in government can be a remarkable life experience for anyone but particularly for those who have trained in the worlds of medicine and public health. This article describes some lessons learned from a physician initially based in academic medicine and public health who has since spent more than a decade serving in leadership positions at the state and federal levels. Many of the described themes about policy making can guide health professionals who wish to understand and ultimately contribute to the public sector. Certainly, the challenges and risks are noteworthy. However, for those willing and able to take the leap, government service can offer extraordinary opportunities not only for tremendous personal growth but also for making broader contributions to public health.
Inclusion of brain volume loss in a revised measure of ‘no evidence of disease activity’ (NEDA-4) in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kappos Ludwig , De Stefano Nicola , Freedman Mark S , Cree Bruce AC , Radue Ernst-Wilhelm , Sprenger Till , Sormani Maria Pia , Smith Terence , Häring Dieter A , Piani Meier Daniela , Tomic Davorka
Published: January 2016

Background:

‘No evidence of disease activity’ (NEDA), defined as absence of magnetic resonance imaging activity (T2 and/or gadolinium-enhanced T1 lesions), relapses and disability progression (‘NEDA-3’), is used as a comprehensive measure of treatment response in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS), but is weighted towards inflammatory activity. Accelerated brain volume loss (BVL) occurs in RMS and is an objective measure of disease worsening and progression.

Objective:

To assess the contribution of individual components of NEDA-3 and the impact of adding BVL to NEDA-3 (‘NEDA-4’)

Methods:

We analysed data pooled from two placebo-controlled phase 3 fingolimod trials in RMS and assessed NEDA-4 using different annual BVL mean rate thresholds (0.2%–1.2%).

Results:

At 2 years, 31.0% (217/700) of patients receiving fingolimod 0.5 mg achieved NEDA-3 versus 9.9% (71/715) on placebo (odds ratio (OR) 4.07; p < 0.0001). Adding BVL (threshold of 0.4%), the respective proportions of patients achieving NEDA-4 were 19.7% (139/706) and 5.3% (38/721; OR 4.41; p < 0.0001). NEDA-4 status favoured fingolimod across all BVL thresholds tested (OR 4.01–4.41; p < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

NEDA-4 has the potential to capture the impact of therapies on both inflammation and neurodegeneration, and deserves further evaluation across different compounds and in long-term studies.
Adverse effects of psychological therapy: An exploratory study of practitioners’ experiences from child and adolescent psychiatry
Authors: Jonsson Ulf , Johanson Josefin , Nilsson Elin , Lindblad Frank
Published: January 2016

The scientific knowledge about adverse effects of psychological therapies and how such effects should be detected is limited. It is possible that children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable and need specific support in order to express adverse effects. In this exploratory study, we used a qualitative approach to explore practitioners’ experiences of this phenomenon. Fourteen practitioners providing psychological therapy within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the data. Four overarching categories brought up by the practitioners were identified: vagueness of the concept (reflecting that the concept was novel and hard to define), psychotherapist–client interaction (encompassing aspects of the interaction possibly related to adverse effects), consequences for the young person (including a range of emotional, behavioural and social consequences) and family effects (e.g. professional complications and decreased autonomy for the parent). Professional discussions on these issues could improve psychological therapy for children and adolescents. Based on our findings and previous research, we propose three basic aspects to consider when adverse effects are detected and managed in this context: typology (form, severity and duration), aetiology (hypothesis about the causes) and perspective (adverse effects seen from the points of view of different interested parties).
Exploring parents’ understandings of their child’s journey into offending behaviours: A narrative analysis
Authors: Knowles Susan Frances , Eccles Fiona JR , Daiches Anna , Bowers Mark
Published: January 2016

Parents are perhaps the best placed individuals to comment upon their child’s life story, including early life experiences, transitions and their child’s needs. However, research has rarely focussed on the views of parents of young people who have committed serious offences. This research aimed to explore parents’ opinions of which factors may have led to their child becoming involved with the criminal justice system. Interviews were undertaken with six parents who were asked to narrate their child’s life journey into offending behaviours. The data were then analysed using narrative analysis techniques, and a shared story was created which incorporated the main transitional stages in the children’s journeys, as seen by the parents. The findings suggest that it is not just the child but the whole family who have been in a state of distress throughout the child’s life. Systemic and environmental factors are argued to contribute to this distress, and the use of diagnosis for this population is critically evaluated. The research highlights a life story in which the child’s and family’s distress remains unheard and therefore unresolved. Clinical implications for working with this population are discussed.
Challenging the Profession
Authors: Barrington Alison
Published: January 2016

This article explores some of the issues raised in recent literature about the manner in which music therapy has been developing. It focuses on the professional rather than the clinical issues that surround its development and explores concerns about and criticisms of the manner in which the profession in the UK has sought to develop. Thus it focuses on the political implications of the professionalisation of music therapy in the UK.

Many of the issues have arisen as a result of the evolution of Community Music Therapy, challenging music therapists regardless of the clinical approaches employed. This article considers whether the profession's self-promotional activities are compatible with a client-centred1 approach, concluding that this is indeed the case.
Beyond the Therapy Room: Women's Experiences of ‘Going Public’ with Song Creations
Authors: Day Toni , Baker Felicity , Darlington Yvonne
Published: January 2016

This paper describes the experiences of five women relating to the public performance of their work created in music therapy. Performance within this project included the recording of their work and a subsequent live performance at the launch of a CD created within the project. Programme participants were interviewed and asked to describe their experiences of the song writing process, including recording and the public performance of their work. All participants in the programme had experienced childhood abuse and as such their song creations were intensely personal and at times included painful memories. The women reported many different feelings during the recording and performance process. Overall, all participants found this process to be worthwhile. Case vignettes present the experiences of the women involved in the programme. The paper concludes with considerations for music therapy practitioners.
What Has Schopenhauer's Theory of Music to Contribute to an Understanding of Improvisational Music Therapy?
Authors: Darnley-Smith Rachel
Published: January 2016

Schopenhauer has been described as the ‘musician's philosopher’ for the detailed attention he pays to music, assigning the medium a ‘pride of place in the arts' (Budd 1985: 76). Whilst his theory has received ample criticism (Han 1997) on the grounds of conceptual inconsistencies, what is of significance for music therapy is the way in which Schopenhauer cites music as the inner essence of man. Unlike the other arts which form representations of the world, music is not a representation; music therefore has the capacity to say the unsayable, revealing aspects of the world that verbal language is unable to reveal (Bowie 2003). It is of further significance that Schopenhauer has frequently been cited as a precursor to Freud, in particular upon comparing Schopenhauer's theory of man's inner essence or Will with Freud's theory of the unconscious.

This article explores the relevance of these theoretical links to the work of some pioneering theories of the modern western improvisational music therapy practices developed in the 1970s by Paul Nordoff, Clive Robbins and Mary Priestley. Schopenhauer's theory of music is shown not only to have had broad influence as a philosophy of music (Goehr 1996), but also to have contributed inadvertently to conceptual thinking in music therapy.
‘In My Beginning is My End’ Preliminary Exploration into the Framework and Efficacy of Endings in the Music Therapy Process When Working with Adults with a Learning Disability
Authors: Ruck Wendy
Published: January 2016

This article describes a research project undertaken to explore the framework and efficacy of endings in the music therapy process when working with adults with a learning disability. A review of the literature is presented incorporating texts from the related discipline of psychotherapy. Data from a questionnaire and from three semi structured interviews is also presented, followed by a discussion of the findings and clinical implications.

The article concludes that the issue of therapeutic endings when considered in the context of adults with a learning disability is as varied as the needs of this client group. There is a marked difference between what therapists aspire to achieve in their clinical practice and what they are able to achieve in the context of their different work settings. Therapists approach the management of therapeutic endings in different ways when considering the range of needs presented by this client group.
Dynamic Interplay in Clinical Improvisation
Authors: Pavlicevic Mercedes
Published: January 2016

When a therapist and patient/client are actively engaged in improvising music together, the potential exists for the development of an intimate and dynamic emotional relationship. The improvisation reveals both players' capacity for forming, expressing and communicating dynamic forms of feeling, within the context of this music relationship.

This paper examines the concept of dynamic forms, with recourse to the literature on mother-infant interaction, and applies this concept to clarify the use of clinical improvisation in music therapy.
Towards Music Psychotherapy
Authors: John David
Published: January 2016

This article is something of a large-scale map on which are outlined some very general thoughts about music psychotherapy. It covers an enormous area and I have sketched out fundamental concepts derived from psychoanalysis and from my work in music therapy. I view music therapy as a derivate of psychoanalysis and attempt to link the two by considering music as a bridge between unconscious and conscious processes.
Chaos, Noise and a Wall of Silence: Working with Primitive Affects in Psychodynamic Group Music Therapy
Authors: Stewart David
Published: January 2016

This article explores the efficacy of weekly psychodynamic group music therapy with those with chronic mental illness in a Therapeutic Community setting. An exploration of the author's general theoretical standpoint acts as the context for a discussion of the group in question and the specific approach that has evolved over four years' work. The group's use of the music therapy process is examined in the light of a single session, and its underlying processes are further explored in relation to Wilfred Bion's theory of K and minus K (Bion 1967). The music therapy is viewed essentially as providing a space for emotional communication and resonance to a group whose members are all severely isolated, silent and cut off.
Civic commitment: Promoting desistance through community integration
Authors: Fox Kathryn J
Published: January 2016

Why people desist from crime has been a popular topic among criminologists over the past decade or more. Debate continues about the relative importance of external or internal factors in contributing to desistance. Both sides agree that social dimensions affect desistance. This article argues that the social role of the larger community of ordinary citizens in integrating offenders has been under-theorized and untapped. Drawing upon qualitative interview data from a Circles of Support and Accountability program, I describe and analyze the nature of the relationships formed between released offenders and community volunteers who support them in their reintegration efforts. After a period of developing trust, the team creates a sense of mutual obligation, which thereby establishes the group’s moral authority, similar to the “family model” advocated by Braithwaite. Such a strengths-based and inclusive model of reentry contrasts with much of the correctional rehabilitation discourse that concentrates on offender re-offense risks and their management.
Minimum sentencing for murder in England and Wales: A critical examination 10 years after the Criminal Justice Act 2003
Authors: Fitz-Gibbon Kate
Published: January 2016

In 2003, the UK Parliament introduced a presumptive minimum sentencing scheme for the offence of murder. Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 sought to achieve greater consistency in the setting of minimum terms of imprisonment, while also providing a clear directive to judges on the need to punish and deter particularly aggravating contexts of intentional lethal violence. This article critically analyses the effects of this approach to sentencing, with 10 years' hindsight, and considers whether the continued imposition of a presumptive minimum sentencing scheme is in the best interests of justice. To examine the impacts of the 2003 Act, the article draws on interviews conducted with 26 English legal practitioners. It concludes that the introduction of a sentencing guideline for murder, alongside the repeal of Schedule 21, would better align sentencing practices for murder with those of other serious offences while also arguably allowing for more proportionate sentences to be applied on an individual case-by-case basis.
The Cinderella complex: Punishment, society and community sanctions
Authors: Robinson Gwen
Published: January 2016

This article explores the neglect of community sanctions (probation, parole etc.) in contemporary punishment and society scholarship, and seeks to understand why this part of the penal field has not attracted significant attention from researchers, despite expansion and diversification in a variety of jurisdictions. Following a review of punishment and society scholarship, which confirms the ‘Cinderella’ status of community sanctions, three arguments are proposed to help make sense of this finding. These concern the problems of language and labelling, the (in)visibility of the field and the debateable penal character of community sanctions. The article concludes with a ‘call to arms’ for punishment and society scholars, which entails recognising Cinderella as a key actor in the stories we tell about penal change, and pushing her out of the shadows of punishment and society scholarship.
Blending the benefits of reactivity controlled compression ignition and gasoline compression ignition combustion using an adaptive fuel injection system
Authors: Kavuri Chaitanya , Kokjohn Sage L , Klos David T , Hou Deyang
Published: January 2016

Computational optimizations of dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion and gasoline compression ignition combustion were performed using a novel adaptive dual-fuel injector capable of direct injecting both gasoline and diesel fuel in a single cycle. Optimization used the Engine Research Center KIVA code coupled with a multiobjective genetic algorithm. Model validation was performed by comparing simulation results to conventional diesel, reactivity controlled compression ignition, and gasoline compression ignition combustion, and the validated model was used to develop an optimum reactivity controlled compression ignition–gasoline compression ignition combustion strategy. The reactivity controlled compression ignition optimization results showed that by direct injecting gasoline and diesel fuel, the gasoline quantity can be held at a high percentage across the range of loads considered. In this study, the mode weighted gasoline percentage was 91%. At the lightest load point, direct injecting the gasoline gave optimum results, whereas for the other load points, premixing the gasoline yielded the optimum results. The optimized results were compared with conventional diesel combustion, and it was seen that reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion gives a cycle-averaged improvement of 33% in gross indicated efficiency over conventional diesel combustion. The cycle-averaged NOx and soot emissions were reduced by 95% and 75%, respectively. To demonstrate operation over the entire operating map, an optimization was performed at a high-speed–high-load (16 bar, 2500 r/min) condition. Optimization results showed that a gross indicated efficiency of 46.4% with near zero NOx and soot emissions could be achieved using gasoline compression ignition at this load point.
Building Capacity to Increase Health Promotion Funding to American Indian Communities
Authors: Pedersen Maja , Held Suzanne (Christopher) , Brown Blakely
Published: January 2016

Foundations and government agencies have historically played a critical role in supporting community-based health promotion programs. Increased access to health promotion funding may help address significant health issues existing within American Indian (AI) communities, such as childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Understanding the capacity of AI communities to successfully apply for and receive funding may serve to increase resources for health promotion efforts within AI communities in Montana. This exploratory qualitative study completed 17 semistructured interviews across three AI reservations in the state of Montana. Dimensions of community capacity within the context of the funding application process and partnership with funding agencies were identified, including resources, leadership, community need, networks, and relationship with the funding agency. Dimensions of AI community capacity were then used to suggest capacity-building strategies for improved partnership between AI communities in Montana and the funding agencies.
Using agent-based modeling and a designed experiment to simulate and analyze a new air-to-air missile
Authors: Connors Casey D , Miller J O , Lunday Brian J
Published: January 2016

New weapons system analysis is a field with much interest and study due to the enduring requirement for militaries to improve their set of tactical capabilities. Moreover, as development, testing, fielding, and employment of any new weapon system can be quite costly, justifications of acquisition decisions must be deliberate and thorough to improve necessary capabilities at the least possible cost. Informing these decisions, via analyses of the weapons systems’ benefits and costs, yields better decisions. Our goal herein is to demonstrate a sound methodology to efficiently attain information about the potential benefits, known as key performance parameters (KPPs), of a particular weapon system. Utilizing a simple, unclassified scenario, we identify benefits that the small advanced capability missile (SACM) concept provides, and we demonstrate a basis for further investigation into the tactics used to leverage its capabilities. Within this study, we substitute unclassified data from Lockheed Martin’s Cuda prototype for the SACM concept. Furthermore, we discuss how each of the chosen study factors influences the air combat scenario. Ultimately, we establish the usefulness of a designed experimental approach to analysis of agent-based combat simulation models, which yields useful insights during the acquisition process about the complex interactions of different actors on the battlefield.
Extrinsic versus intrinsic hand muscle dominance in finger flexion
Authors: Al-Sukaini A. , Singh H. P. , Dias J. J.
Published: January 2016

This study aims to identify the patterns of dominance of extrinsic or intrinsic muscles in finger flexion during initiation of finger curl and mid-finger flexion. We recorded 82 hands of healthy individuals (18–74 years) while flexing their fingers and tracked the finger joint angles of the little finger using video motion tracking. A total of 57 hands (69.5%) were classified as extrinsic dominant, where the finger flexion was initiated and maintained at proximal interphalangeal and distal interphalangeal joints. A total of 25 (30.5%) were classified as intrinsic dominant, where the finger flexion was initiated and maintained at the metacarpophalangeal joint. The distribution of age, sex, dominance, handedness and body mass index was similar in the two groups. This knowledge may allow clinicians to develop more efficient rehabilitation regimes, since intrinsic dominant individuals would not initiate extrinsic muscle contraction till later in finger flexion, and might therefore be allowed limited early active motion. For extrinsic dominant individuals, by contrast, initial contraction of extrinsic muscles would place increased stress on the tendon repair site if early motion were permitted.
Using computerized text analysis to assess communication within an Italian type 1 diabetes Facebook group
Authors: Troncone Alda , Cascella Crescenzo , Chianese Antonietta , Iafusco Dario
Published: January 2016

The purpose of this study was to assess messages posted by mothers of children with type 1 diabetes in the Italian Facebook group “Mamme e diabete” using computerized text analysis. The data suggest that these mothers use online discussion boards as a place to seek and provide information to better manage the disease’s daily demands—especially those tasks linked to insulin correction and administration, control of food intake, and bureaucratic duties, as well as to seek and give encouragement and to share experiences regarding diabetes and related impact on their life. The implications of these findings for the management of diabetes are discussed.
Design Implications to Increase Utilization of Stairwells
Authors: Moatari-Kazerouni Afrooz , Pennathur Priyadarshini , Tucker Sharon J. , Leyden Luke A.
Published: January 2016

Stairwell use is a cost-effective opportunity to increase physical activity. Although stairwell use can integrate moderate physical activity in daily work routines, little information is available to guide architects and engineers on how to design facilities that promote stairwell use. This study examined the reasons behind using stairwells versus elevators through a case study at a teaching hospital. A broad range of physical design recommendations were evaluated to understand how the design of stairwells can encourage hospital staff and students to use them. An online survey was used to collect data. Findings indicated travel distance and travel direction as primary reasons for preferring elevators. Design recommendations such as motivational signs and physical movement reinforcements (e.g., cardio indicators) are discussed.
Cooling Methods to Prevent Heat-Related Illness in the Workplace
Authors: Brearley Matt
Published: January 2016

The common practice of workers resting in the shade to dissipate body heat can be complemented by ingestion of crushed ice or immersion in temperate water to rapidly lower core body temperature.
Design Parameters for Impact Research in Science Education
Authors: Spybrook Jessaca , Westine Carl D. , Taylor Joseph A.
Published: January 2016

The Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development were created as a joint effort between the Institute of Education Science and the National Science Foundation in an effort to streamline education research and contribute to an accumulation of knowledge that will lead to improved student outcomes. One type of research that emerged in the guidelines is impact research. In order to achieve the level of rigor expected for an impact study, it is common that a research team will employ a cluster randomized trial (CRT). This article provides empirical estimates of design parameters necessary for planning adequately powered CRTs focused on science achievement. Examples of how to use these parameters to improve the design of science impact studies are discussed.
Mission Theology Revisited: Keeping up with the Crises
Authors: Frazier William B.
Published: January 2016

Maryknoll, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, holds its General Chapter, or assembly, every six years. This is a gathering of leaders and delegates, representing Maryknoll Missioners from around the world, to reflect on the affairs and concerns of the society. The General Chapter provides a prime occasion for reflecting on missional principles and reassessing priorities. In preparation for the most recent chapter, held in late 1984, Father William B. Frazier, M.M., Professor of Systematic Theology at Maryknoll School of Theology, Maryknoll, New York, prepared a painstaking and comprehensive study entitled “Mission Theology Revisited.” Although this was prepared as an “in-house” document to help fellow Maryknollers clarify their thinking about fundamental issues Maryknoll has been confronting in recent years, the society and Father Frazier have kindly agreed to share the study with the readers of the International Bulletin.

Two decades ago Frazier captured the attention of missiologists when, in the aftermath of Vatican Council II, he published “Guidelines for a New Theology of Mission” (Worldmission 18, No. 4, Winter 1967–68; reprinted in Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, eds., Mission Trends No. 1 [1974]). In the current study, he analyzes the tension—and the implications far mission theory and practice—between those missioners who retain a more or less traditional focus on the evangelization of persons and those who wish to emphasize the “evangelization” of societal institutions and systemic structures. Although lengthy and at times occupied with developments particular to Maryknoll, Frazier's study, we believe, makes a major contribution toward explicating the current missiological debate and ferment. Few, if any, of today's mission agencies—Protestant or Catholic—can hope to remain aloof from the dynamics of the issues he discusses. Testimony to the seriousness of the situation and the debate is found in the reflections of three mission leaders invited by the editors to respond to Father Frazier's study. Their responses appear following Frazier's article below.
Signaling-mediated cooperativity between glycoprotein Ib-IX and protease-activated receptors in thrombin-induced platelet activation
Authors: Estevez Brian , Kim Kyungho , Delaney M. Keegan , Stojanovic-Terpo Aleksandra , Shen Bo , Ruan Changgeng , Cho Jaehyung , Ruggeri Zaverio M. , Du Xiaoping
Published: January 2016

Key Points

GPIb-IX signaling cooperates with PAR signaling to promote platelet response to low concentrations of thrombin, which are important in vivo. Thrombin induces a GPIb-IX–specific signaling pathway that requires the cytoplasmic domain of GPIbα, 14-3-3 protein, Rac1, and LIMK1.
Adipose-derived endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells enhance vascular network formation on three-dimensional constructs in vitro
Authors: Freiman Alina , Shandalov Yulia , Rozenfeld Dekel , Shor Erez , Segal Sofia , Ben-David Dror , Meretzki Shai , Egozi Dana , Levenberg Shulamit
Published: January 2016

Background

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been gaining fame mainly due to their vast clinical potential, simple isolation methods and minimal donor site morbidity. Adipose-derived MSCs and microvascular endothelial cells have been shown to bear angiogenic and vasculogenic capabilities. We hypothesized that co-culture of human adipose-derived MSCs with human adipose-derived microvascular endothelial cells (HAMECs) will serve as an effective cell pair to induce angiogenesis and vessel-like network formation in three-dimensional scaffolds in vitro.

Methods

HAMECs or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured on scaffolds with either MSCs or human neonatal dermal fibroblasts. Cells were immunofluorescently stained within the scaffolds at different time points post-seeding. Various analyses were performed to determine vessel length, complexity and degree of maturity.

Results

The HAMEC:MSC combination yielded the most organized and complex vascular elements within scaffolds, and in the shortest period of time, when compared to the other tested cell combinations. These differences were manifested by higher network complexity, more tube alignment and higher α-smooth muscle actin expression. Moreover, these generated microvessels further matured and developed during the 14-day incubation period within the three-dimensional microenvironment.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate optimal vascular network formation upon co-culture of microvascular endothelial cells and adipose-derived MSCs in vitro and constitute a significant step in appreciation of the potential of microvascular endothelial cells and MSCs in different tissue engineering applications that can also be advantageous in in vivo studies.
Detection of hepatic maturation by Raman spectroscopy in mesenchymal stromal cells undergoing hepatic differentiation
Authors: Wu Hao-Hsiang , Ho Jennifer H. , Lee Oscar K.
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are well known for their application potential in tissue engineering. We previously reported that MSCs are able to differentiate into hepatocytes in vitro. However, conventional methods for estimating the maturation of hepatic differentiation require relatively large amounts of cell samples. Raman spectroscopy (RS), a photonic tool for acquisition of cell spectra by inelastic scattering, has been recently used as a label-free single-cell detector for biological applications including phenotypic changes and differentiation of cells and diagnosis. In this study, RS is used to real-time monitor the maturation of hepatic differentiation in live MSCs.

Methods

The MSCs were cultured on the type I collagen pre-coating substrate and differentiated into hepatocytes in vitro using a two-step protocol. The Raman spectra at different time points are acquired in the range 400–3000 cm–1and analyzed by quantification methods and principle component analysis during hepatic differentiation from the MSCs.

Results

The intensity of the broad band in the range 2800–3000 cm–1 reflects the amount of glycogen within lipochrome in differentiated hepatocytes. A high correlation coefficient between the glycogen amount and hepatic maturation was exhibited. Moreover, principle component analysis of the Raman spectra from 400 to 3000 cm–1 indicated that MSC-derived hepatocytes were close to the primary hepatocytes and were distinct from the undifferentiated MSCs.

Conclusions

In summary, RS can serve as a rapid, non-invasive, real-time and label-free biosensor and reflects changes in live cell components during hepatic differentiation. The use of RS may thus facilitate the detection of hepatic differentiation and maturation in stem cells. Such an approach may substantially improve the feasibility as well as shorten the time required compared to the conventional molecular biology methods.
Biodistribution, migration and homing of systemically applied mesenchymal stem/stromal cells
Authors: Leibacher Johannes , Henschler Reinhard
Published: January 2016

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are increasingly used as an intravenously applied cellular therapeutic. They were found to be potent in situations such as tissue repair or severe inflammation. Still, data are lacking with regard to the biodistribution of MSCs, their cellular or molecular target structures, and the mechanisms by which MSCs reach these targets. This review discusses current hypotheses for how MSCs can reach tissue sites. Both preclinical and clinical studies using MSCs applied intravenously or intra-arterially are discussed in the context of our current understanding of how MSCs might work in physiological and pathological situations.
Genomic analyses reveal FAM84B and the NOTCH pathway are associated with the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Cheng Caixia , Cui Heyang , Zhang Ling , Jia Zhiwu , Song Bin , Wang Fang , Li Yaoping , Liu Jing , Kong Pengzhou , Shi Ruyi , Bi Yanghui , Yang Bin , Wang Juan , Zhao Zhenxiang , Zhang Yanyan , Hu Xiaoling , Yang Jie , He Chanting , Zhao Zhiping , Wang Jinfen , Xi Yanfeng , Xu Enwei , Li Guodong , Guo Shiping , Chen Yunqing , Yang Xiaofeng , Chen Xing , Liang Jianfang , Guo Jiansheng , Cheng Xiaolong , Wang Chuangui , Zhan Qimin , Cui Yongping
Published: January 2016

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the sixth most lethal cancer worldwide and the fourth most lethal cancer in China. Genomic characterization of tumors, particularly those of different stages, is likely to reveal additional oncogenic mechanisms. Although copy number alterations and somatic point mutations associated with the development of ESCC have been identified by array-based technologies and genome-wide studies, the genomic characterization of ESCCs from different stages of the disease has not been explored. Here, we have performed either whole-genome sequencing or whole-exome sequencing on 51 stage I and 53 stage III ESCC patients to characterize the genomic alterations that occur during the various clinical stages of ESCC, and further validated these changes in 36 atypical hyperplasia samples.

Results

Recurrent somatic amplifications at 8q were found to be enriched in stage I tumors and the deletions of 4p-q and 5q were particularly identified in stage III tumors. In particular, the FAM84B gene was amplified and overexpressed in preclinical and ESCC tumors. Knockdown of FAM84B in ESCC cell lines significantly reduced in vitro cell growth, migration and invasion. Although the cancer-associated genes TP53, PIK3CA, CDKN2A and their pathways showed no significant difference between stage I and stage III tumors, we identified and validated a prevalence of mutations in NOTCH1 and in the NOTCH pathway that indicate that they are involved in the preclinical and early stages of ESCC.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that FAM84B and the NOTCH pathway are involved in the progression of ESCC and may be potential diagnostic targets for ESCC susceptibility.
Differences in cancer stage, treatment and in-hospital mortality
between patients with and without schizophrenia: retrospective matched-pair
cohort study
Authors: Ishikawa Hanako , Yasunaga Hideo , Matsui Hiroki , Fushimi Kiyohide , Kawakami Norito
Published: January 2016

Background

Healthcare access and outcomes in cancer patients with schizophrenia
remain unclear.

Aims

To investigate the likelihood of early diagnosis and treatment in
patients with schizophrenia who have cancer and their prognosis.

Method

A retrospective matched-pair cohort of gastrointestinal cancer patients
was identified using a national in-patient database in Japan.
Multivariable ordinal/binary logistic regressions was modelled to compare
cancer stage at admission, invasive treatments and 30-day in-hospital
mortality between patients with schizophrenia (n = 2495)
and those without psychiatric disorders (n = 9980).

Results

The case group had a higher proportion of stage IV cancer (33.9%
v. 18.1%), a lower proportion of invasive treatment
(56.5% v. 70.2%, odds ratio (OR) = 0.77, 95% CI
0.69–0.85) and higher in-hospital mortality (4.2% v.
1.8%, OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.04–1.75).

Conclusions

Patients with schizophrenia who had gastrointestinal cancer had more
advanced cancer, a lower likelihood of invasive treatment and higher
in-hospital mortality than those without psychiatric disorders.
Geographic Mapping, Social Mapping: The Human Body in theRab'inal Achi
Authors: Bell Elizabeth R.
Published: January 2016

The Rab'inal Achi, a Maya drama originating in the sixteenth century, contains an encoded discourse about the human body. Using four components—the heart, the whole body, the navel, and the head—this play explores and negotiates the territorial disputes of the Maya region during the time in which it was written and performed. An examination of the cultural symbolism of each of these body parts reveals that the Rab'inal Achi uses them to talk indirectly about territory, thereby producing a less risky discourse to resolve bellic conflicts. Furthermore, by drawing on performance theory, we gain deeper understanding of the unique ability of performative drama and the body to negotiate conflict and serve as a repository of sociocultural meaning.
HOW OLD IS HUMAN BRUTALITY?
Authors: Malešević Siniša
Published: January 2016

Given the paucity of evidence available, scholarship in archaeology and the social sciences is deeply divided over the question, how old is human violence? Some scholars have concluded that humans are intrinsically violent, and others that they are basically nonviolent, but in both interpretive schools there is a pronounced tendency to rely on simple naturalist epistemology. In contrast, this article offers an interpretation focusing on the structural foundations of violent action. Instead of tracing violent or nonviolent behavior to “human nature,” the origins of violence are linked to the rise and proliferation of complex social organizations.
The intrinsic strength of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic
Authors: Yu Jinfeng , Liu Xiequan , Ni Xinhua
Published: January 2016

Composite ceramic has the excellent properties at normal and high temperatures, especially when the structure of the composite eutectic is triangular symmetrical. Obviously, mechanical behavior and fracture properties of composite ceramic closely relates to the micro-structure of symmetrical triangular eutectic. In order to reveal the mechanical properties of eutectic composite ceramic, it is necessary to determine the intrinsic strength of triangular composite eutectic. Since the fiber and matrix of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic sharing a same covalent bond, the theoretical cohesion strength of symmetrical triangular eutectic was obtained by the combination-separation displacement of intrinsic bond. Basing on micro-structure plastic deformation before fracture of composite eutectic matrix, the dislocation pile-up model of eutectic composite ceramics was established. And then intrinsic bond fracture shear stress of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic was given by using the theory of dislocation pile-up. According to the macroscopic structure properties of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic and the distribution of stress field of composite eutectic, intrinsic strength of eutectic was obtained. The results shows that intrinsic strength of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic possessed clear size-dependence and the stress decreases with the increases of the diameter of fiber inclusions.
A motion sensor network for quantitative gait measurement
Authors: Tan Ming Gui , Tea Yean Chun , Ho Jee-Hou , Goh Hui-Ting , Ng Hoon Kiat , Kong Ing
Published: January 2016

Quantitative gait analysis is an important research area to enable physiotherapist to perform systematic studies and health diagnosis of the lower extremity of patients throughout the rehabilitation. The quantitative measurement of ambulatory gait can be performed by using convenient and economical wearable sensors outside specialized motion laboratories. In this paper, a sensor system consisting of three tri-axial accelerometers, two flex sensors and four force sensors was developed. Subject testing were carried out to obtain temporal and spatial gait parameters. The performance of the sensor suite is compared to results from camera videos analysed by Kinovea motion tracking software.
BioTapestry now provides a web application and improved drawing and layout tools
Authors: Paquette Suzanne M. , Leinonen Kalle , Longabaugh William J.R.
Published: January 2016

Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) control embryonic development, and to understand this process in depth, researchers need to have a detailed understanding of both the network architecture and its dynamic evolution over time and space. Interactive visualization tools better enable researchers to conceptualize, understand, and share GRN models. BioTapestry is an established application designed to fill this role, and recent enhancements released in Versions 6 and 7 have targeted two major facets of the program. First, we introduced significant improvements for network drawing and automatic layout that have now made it much easier for the user to create larger, more organized network drawings. Second, we revised the program architecture so it could continue to support the current Java desktop Editor program, while introducing a new BioTapestry GRN Viewer that runs as a JavaScript web application in a browser. We have deployed a number of GRN models using this new web application. These improvements will ensure that BioTapestry remains viable as a research tool in the face of the continuing evolution of web technologies, and as our understanding of GRN models grows.
THE MODEL AND ALGORITHM ARTIFICIAL IMMUNE SYSTEM
Authors: Астахова  , Astakhova I. , Ушаков  , Ushakov S.
Published: January 2016

In particular, models had only one type of cages , they applied V-lymphocytes. The distribution and a decentralization were the second feature for using artificial immune systems. This article is devoted to creation the artificial immune system (AIS), the creation model and algorithm of IIS is considered. The model for realization of a problem is consid-ered. Accuracy of calculations is compared to other methods, especially to neural networks. The structure of a program complex is described.
THE USAGE OF DISTRIBUTED ARTIFICIAL IMMUNE SYSTEMS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS OF IDENTIFICATION IN ECOLOGY
Authors: Ушаков  , Ushakov S. , Астахова  , Astakhova I. , Хицкова  , Khitskova Yu.
Published: January 2016

There is a problem of ecological forecasting identification which is finding power sources for the available experimental data. This task is an inverse problem, the solution of which will be considered by applying the method of symbolic regression. The artificial immune system (AIS) – a model that allows you to solve various problems of recognition, its concept was borrowed from biology. This distributed network can operate in any heterogeneous environment, which is achieved through the use of cross-platform programming language Python. AIS demonstrates the ability to restore the original function in the identification problem, a plot of the solution for test data is presented.
Positive Eigenfunctions of Markovian Pricing Operators: Hansen-Scheinkman Factorization, Ross Recovery, and Long-Term Pricing
Authors: Qin Likuan , Linetsky Vadim
Published: January 2016

This paper develops a spectral theory of Markovian asset pricing models where the underlying economic uncertainty follows a continuous-time Markov process X with a general state space (Borel right process, or BRP) and the stochastic discount factor (SDF) is a positive semimartingale multiplicative functional of X. A key result is the uniqueness theorem for a positive eigenfunction of the pricing operator such that X is recurrent under a new probability measure associated with this eigenfunction (recurrent eigenfunction). As economic applications, we prove uniqueness of the Hansen and Scheinkman factorization of the Markovian SDF corresponding to the recurrent eigenfunction; extend the Recovery Theorem from discrete time, finite state irreducible Markov chains to recurrent BRPs; and obtain the long-maturity asymptotics of the pricing operator. When an asset pricing model is specified by given risk-neutral probabilities together with a short rate function of the Markovian state, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of a recurrent eigenfunction and provide explicit examples in a number of important financial models, including affine and quadratic diffusion models and an affine model with jumps. These examples show that the recurrence assumption, in addition to fixing uniqueness, rules out unstable economic dynamics, such as the short rate asymptotically going to infinity or to a zero lower bound trap without possibility of escaping.
Contingent Preannounced Pricing Policies with Strategic Consumers
Authors: Correa José , Montoya Ricardo , Thraves Charles
Published: January 2016

Companies in diverse industries must decide the pricing policy of their inventories over time. This decision becomes particularly complex when customers are forward looking and may defer a purchase in the hope of future discounts and promotions. With such uncertainty, many customers may end up not buying or buying at a significantly lower price, reducing the firm’s profitability. Recent studies show that a way to mitigate this negative effect caused by strategic consumers is to use a posted or preannounced pricing policy. With that policy, firms commit to a price path that consumers use to evaluate their purchase timing decision. In this paper, we propose a class of preannounced pricing policies in which the price path corresponds to a price menu contingent on the available inventory. We present a two-period model, with a monopolist selling a fixed inventory of a good. Given a menu of prices specified by the firm and beliefs regarding the number of units to be sold, customers decide whether to buy upon arrival, buy at the clearance price, or not to buy. The firm determines the set of prices that maximizes revenues. The solution to this problem requires the concept of equilibrium between the seller and the buyers that we analyze using a novel approach based on ordinary differential equations. We show existence of equilibrium and uniqueness when only one unit is on sale. However, if multiple units are offered, we show that multiple equilibria may arise. We develop a gradient-based method to solve the firm’s optimization problem and conduct a computational study of different pricing schemes. The results show that under certain conditions the proposed contingent preannounced policy outperforms previously proposed pricing schemes. The source of the improvement comes from the use of the proposed pricing policy as a barrier to discourage strategic waiting and as a discrimination tool for those customers waiting.
Marginal Values and Returns to Scale for Nonparametric Production Frontiers
Authors: Podinovski Victor V. , Chambers Robert G. , Atici Kazim Baris , Deineko Iryna D.
Published: January 2016

We present a unifying linear programming approach to the calculation of various directional derivatives for a very large class of production frontiers of data envelopment analysis (DEA). Special cases of this include different marginal rates, the scale elasticity, and a spectrum of partial and mixed elasticity measures. Our development applies to any polyhedral production technology including, to name a few, the conventional variable and constant returns-to-scale DEA technologies, their extensions with weight restrictions, technologies with weakly disposable undesirable outputs, and network DEA models. Furthermore, our development provides a general method for characterization of returns to scale (RTS) in any polyhedral technology. The new approach effectively removes the need to develop bespoke models for the RTS characterization and calculation of marginal rates and elasticity measures for each particular technology.