bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prolonged FGF signaling is necessary for lung and liver induction in Xenopus
Authors: Shifley Emily T , Kenny Alan P , Rankin Scott A , Zorn Aaron M
Published: September 2012

Background

FGF signaling plays numerous roles during organogenesis of the embryonic gut tube. Mouse explant studies suggest that different thresholds of FGF signaling from the cardiogenic mesoderm induce lung, liver, and pancreas lineages from the ventral foregut progenitor cells. The mechanisms that regulate FGF dosein vivoare unknown. Here we useXenopusembryos to examine the hypothesis that a prolonged duration of FGF signaling from the mesoderm is required to induce foregut organs.

Results

We show that both mesoderm and FGF signaling are required for liver and lung development inXenopus;formally demonstrating that this important step in organ induction is conserved with other vertebrate species. Prolonged contact with the mesoderm and persistent FGF signaling through both MEK and PI3K over an extended period of time are required for liver and lung specification. Inhibition of FGF signaling results in reduced liver and lung development, with a modest expansion of the pancreas/duodenum progenitor domain. Hyper-activation of FGF signaling has the opposite effect expanding liver and lung gene expression and repressing pancreatic markers. We show that FGF signaling is cell autonomously required in the endoderm and that a dominant negative FGF receptor decreases the ability of ventral foregut progenitor cells to contribute to the lung and liver buds.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the liver and lungs are specified at progressively later times in development requiring mesoderm contact for different lengths of time. Our data suggest that this is achieved at least in part through prolonged FGF signaling. In addition to providing a foundation for further mechanistic studies on foregut organogenesis using the experimental advantages of theXenopussystem, these data have implications for the directed differentiation of stem cells into foregut lineages.
Proteomics of Streptococcus gordonii within a model developing oral microbial community
Authors: Hendrickson Erik L , Wang Tiansong , Dickinson Brittany C , Whitmore Sarah E , Wright Christopher J , Lamont Richard J , Hackett Murray
Published: September 2012

Background

Streptococcus gordonii is one of several species that can initiate the formation of oral biofilms that develop into the complex multispecies microbial communities referred to as dental plaque. It is in the context of dental plaque that periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis cause disease. We have previously reported a whole cell quantitative proteomics investigation of P. gingivalis in a model dental plaque community of S. gordonii, P. gingivalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Here we report the adaptation of S. gordonii to the same model.

Results

1122 S. gordonii proteins were detected in S. gordonii control samples, 915 in communities with F. nucleatum, 849 with P. gingivalis, and 649 with all three organisms. Quantitative comparisons showed extensive proteome changes in association with F. nucleatum or P. gingivalis individually or both P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum together. The changes were species specific, though the P. gingivalis interaction may be dominant, indicated by large differences between the proteomes with F. nucleatum or P. gingivalis but limited changes between communities with P. gingivalis or both P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum. The results were inspected manually and an ontology analysis conducted using DAVID. Extensive changes were seen in nutrition pathways with increases in energy metabolism and changes in the resulting byproducts, while the acid and sugar repressed PTS (phosphoenolpyruvate dependent phosphotransferase system) sugar transport systems showed decreases. These results were seen across all the multispecies samples, though with different profiles according to the partner species. F. nucleatum association decreased proteins for the metabolic end products acetate and ethanol but increased lactate, the primary source of acidity from streptococcal cultures. P. gingivalis containing samples had a reduction in levels of proteins for ethanol and formate but increased proteins for both acetate and lactate production. The communities also showed increases in exopolysaccharide synthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, and oxidative stress protection and decreases in adhesion and transporter proteins.

Conclusion

This study showed that S. gordonii demonstrates species specific responses during interactions with F. nucleatum or P. gingivalis. Extensive changes were seen in energy metabolism and byproduct production implicating nutrient transfer as an important community interaction.
Effect of temporal predictability on the neural processing of self-triggered auditory stimulation during vocalization
Authors: Chen Zhaocong , Chen Xi , Liu Peng , Huang Dongfeng , Liu Hanjun
Published: September 2012

Background

Sensory consequences of our own actions are perceived differently from the sensory stimuli that are generated externally. The present event-related potential (ERP) study examined the neural responses to self-triggered stimulation relative to externally-triggered stimulation as a function of delays between the motor act and the stimulus onset. While sustaining a vowel phonation, subjects clicked a mouse and heard pitch-shift stimuli (PSS) in voice auditory feedback at delays of either 0 ms (predictable) or 500–1000 ms (unpredictable). The motor effect resulting from the mouse click was corrected in the data analyses. For the externally-triggered condition, PSS were delivered by a computer with a delay of 500–1000 ms after the vocal onset.

Results

As compared to unpredictable externally-triggered PSS, P2 responses to predictable self-triggered PSS were significantly suppressed, whereas an enhancement effect for P2 responses was observed when the timing of self-triggered PSS was unpredictable.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate the effect of the temporal predictability of stimulus delivery with respect to the motor act on the neural responses to self-triggered stimulation. Responses to self-triggered stimulation were suppressed or enhanced compared with the externally-triggered stimulation when the timing of stimulus delivery was predictable or unpredictable. Enhancement effect of unpredictable self-triggered stimulation in the present study supports the idea that sensory suppression of self-produced action may be primarily caused by an accurate prediction of stimulus timing, rather than a movement-related non-specific suppression.
ErbB3 mRNA leukocyte levels as a biomarker for major depressive disorder
Authors: Milanesi Elena , Minelli Alessandra , Cattane Nadia , Cattaneo Annamaria , Mora Cristina , Barbon Alessandro , Mallei Alessandra , Popoli Maurizio , Florio Vincenzo , Conca Andreas , Bignotti Stefano , Gennarelli Massimo
Published: September 2012

Background

In recent years, the identification of peripheral biomarkers that are associated with psychiatric diseases, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), has become relevant because these biomarkers may improve the efficiency of the differential diagnosis process and indicate targets for new antidepressant drugs. Two recent candidate genes, ErbB3 and Fgfr1, are growth factors whose mRNA levels have been found to be altered in the leukocytes of patients that are affected by bipolar disorder in a depressive state. On this basis, the aim of the study was to determine if ErbB3 and Fgfr1 mRNA levels could be a biomarkers of MDD.

Methods

We measured by Real Time PCR ErbB3 and Fgfr1 mRNA expression levels in leukocytes of MDD patients compared with controls. Successively, to assess whether ErbB3 mRNA levels were influenced by previous antidepressant treatment we stratified our patients sample in two cohorts, comparing drug-naive versus drug-free patients. Moreover, we evaluated the levels of the transcript in MDD patients after 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment, and in prefrontal cortex of rats stressed and treated with an antidepressant drug of the same class.

Results

These results showed that ErbB3 but not Fgfr1 mRNA levels were reduced in leukocytes of MDD patients compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, ErbB3 levels were not affected by antidepressant treatment in either human or animal models

Conclusions

Our data suggest that ErbB3 might be considered as a biomarker for MDD and that its deficit may underlie the pathopsysiology of the disease and is not a consequence of treatment. Moreover the study supports the usefulness of leukocytes as a peripheral system for identifying biomarkers in psychiatric diseases.
Outpatient prescription practices in rural township health centers in Sichuan Province, China
Authors: Jiang Qian , Yu Bo Nancy , Ying Guiying , Liao Jiaqiang , Gan Huaping , Blanchard James , Zhang Juying
Published: September 2012

Background

Sichuan Province is an agricultural and economically developing province in western China. To understand practices of prescribing medications for outpatients in rural township health centers is important for the development of the rural medical and health services in this province and western China.

Methods

This is an observational study based on data from the 4th National Health Services Survey of China. A total of 3,059 prescriptions from 30 township health centers in Sichuan Province were collected and analyzed. Seven indicators were employed in the analyses to characterize the prescription practices. They are disease distribution, average cost per encounter, number of medications per encounter, percentage of encounters with antibiotics, percentage of encounters with glucocorticoids, percentage of encounters with combined glucocorticoids and antibiotics, and percentage of encounters with injections.

Results

The average medication cost per encounter was 16.30 Yuan ($2.59). About 60% of the prescriptions contained Chinese patent medicine (CPM), and almost all prescriptions (98.07%) contained western medicine. 85.18% of the prescriptions contained antibiotics, of which, 24.98% contained two or more types of antibiotics; the percentage of prescriptions with glucocorticoids was 19.99%; the percentage of prescriptions with both glucocorticoids and antibiotics was 16.67%; 51.40% of the prescriptions included injections, of which, 39.90% included two or more injections.

Conclusions

The findings from this study demonstrated irrational medication uses of antibiotics, glucocorticoids and injections prescribed for outpatients in the rural township health centers in Sichuan Province. The reasons for irrational medication uses are not only solely due to the pursuit of maximizing benefits in the township health centers, but also more likely attributable to the lack of medical knowledge of rational medication uses among rural doctors and the lack of medical devices for disease diagnosis in those township health centers. The policy implication from this study is to enhance professional training in rational medication uses for rural doctors, improve hardware facilities for township health centers, promote health education to rural residents and establish a public reporting system to monitor prescription practices in rural township health centers, etc.
A global model of malaria climate sensitivity: comparing malaria response to historic climate data based on simulation and officially reported malaria incidence
Authors: Edlund Stefan , Davis Matthew , Douglas Judith V , Kershenbaum Arik , Waraporn Narongrit , Lessler Justin , Kaufman James H
Published: September 2012

Background

The role of theAnophelesvector in malaria transmission and the effect of climate onAnophelespopulations are well established. Models of the impact of climate change on the global malaria burden now have access to high-resolution climate data, but malaria surveillance data tends to be less precise, making model calibration problematic. Measurement of malaria response tofluctuationsin climate variables offers a way to address these difficulties. Given the demonstrated sensitivity of malaria transmission to vector capacity, this work tests response functions to fluctuations in land surface temperature and precipitation.

Methods

This study of regional sensitivity of malaria incidence to year-to-year climate variations used an extended Macdonald Ross compartmental disease model (to compute malaria incidence) built on top of a globalAnophelesvector capacity model (based on 10 years of satellite climate data). The predicted incidence was compared with estimates from the World Health Organization and the Malaria Atlas. The models and denominator data used are freely available through the Eclipse Foundation’s Spatiotemporal Epidemiological Modeller (STEM).

Results

Although the absolute scale factor relating reported malaria to absolute incidence is uncertain, there is a positive correlation between predicted and reported year-to-year variation in malaria burden with an averaged root mean square (RMS) error of 25% comparing normalized incidence across 86 countries. Based on this, the proposed measure of sensitivity of malaria to variations in climate variables indicates locations where malaria is most likely to increase or decrease in response to specific climate factors. Bootstrapping measures the increased uncertainty in predicting malaria sensitivity when reporting is restricted to national level and an annual basis. Results indicate a potential 20x improvement in accuracy if data were available at the level ISO 3166–2 national subdivisions and with monthly time sampling.

Conclusions

The high spatial resolution possible with state-of-the-art numerical models can identify regions most likely to require intervention due to climate changes. Higher-resolution surveillance data can provide a better understanding of how climate fluctuations affect malaria incidence and improve predictions. An open-source modelling framework, such as STEM, can be a valuable tool for the scientific community and provide a collaborative platform for developing such models.
Comparative effects of amlodipine and benazepril on Left Atrial Pressure in Dogs with experimentally-induced Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Authors: Suzuki Shuji , Fukushima Ryuji , Ishikawa Taisuke , Yamamoto Yuta , Hamabe Lina , Kim Soomin , Yoshiyuki Rieko , Machida Noboru , Tanaka Ryou
Published: September 2012

Background

One of the purposes of treatment for dogs with mitral regurgitation (MR) is lowering left atrial pressure (LAP). There has been few study of the amlodipine in dogs with MR and amlodipine’s effect on LAP has not been fully evaluated in a quantitative manner because of difficulties in directly measuring LAP. The objective of our study was to compare the short-term effects of amlodipine (0.2 mg/kg PO q12h) vs benazepril (0.5 mg/kg PO q12h), on LAP and echocardiographic parameters in five beagle dogs with experimentally-induced MR. LAP of eight dogs that has own control were measured using radiotelemetry system at baseline and again on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of the drug administration.

Results

Mean LAP decreased significantly after amlodipine (11.20 ± 4.19 mmHg vs 14.61 ± 3.81 mmHg at baseline, p < .01) but not after benazepril treatment (13.19 ± 3.47 mmHg, p > .05). LAP was lower after 7 days of amlodipine treatment than after 7 days of benazepril treatment. Significant reduction was seen for the first time 4 days after the administration amlodipine. The rate of the maximal area of the regurgitant jet signals to the left atrium area (ARJ/LAA) of the amlodipine treatment was significantly lower (p < .05) after 7 days compared to baseline. Other echocardiographic parameters did not change significantly.

Conclusions

LAP was significantly decreased after amlodipine treatment in dogs with surgically-induced MR but not after benazepril treatment. Although this study did not focus on adverse effects, amlodipine may be an effective drug for helping the patients with acute onset of severe MR, such as rupture of chordae tendinae or end stage patients were the LAP is likely to be elevated. Additional studies in clinical patients with degenerative mitral valve disease and acute chordal rupture are warranted because the blood-pressure lowering effects of amlodipine can decrease renal perfusion and this can further activate the RAAS.
Towards a Universal SMILES representation - A standard method to generate canonical SMILES based on the InChI
Authors: O’Boyle Noel M
Published: September 2012

Background

There are two line notations of chemical structures that have established themselves in the field: the SMILES string and the InChI string. The InChI aims to provide a unique, or canonical, identifier for chemical structures, while SMILES strings are widely used for storage and interchange of chemical structures, but no standard exists to generate a canonical SMILES string.

Results

I describe how to use the InChI canonicalisation to derive a canonical SMILES string in a straightforward way, either incorporating the InChI normalisations (Inchified SMILES) or not (Universal SMILES). This is the first description of a method to generate canonical SMILES that takes stereochemistry into account. When tested on the 1.1 m compounds in the ChEMBL database, and a 1 m compound subset of the PubChem Substance database, no canonicalisation failures were found with Inchified SMILES. Using Universal SMILES, 99.79% of the ChEMBL database was canonicalised successfully and 99.77% of the PubChem subset.

Conclusions

The InChI canonicalisation algorithm can successfully be used as the basis for a common standard for canonical SMILES. While challenges remain – such as the development of a standard aromatic model for SMILES – the ability to create the same SMILES using different toolkits will mean that for the first time it will be possible to easily compare the chemical models used by different toolkits.
A new measure based on degree distribution that links information theory and network graph analysis
Authors: Hadley Michael W , McGranaghan Matt F , Willey Aaron , Liew Chun Wai , Reynolds Elaine R
Published: September 2012

Background

Detailed connection maps of human and nonhuman brains are being generated with new technologies, and graph metrics have been instrumental in understanding the general organizational features of these structures. Neural networks appear to have small world properties: they have clustered regions, while maintaining integrative features such as short average pathlengths.

Results

We captured the structural characteristics of clustered networks with short average pathlengths through our own variable, System Difference (SD), which is computationally simple and calculable for larger graph systems. SD is a Jaccardian measure generated by averaging all of the differences in the connection patterns between any two nodes of a system. We calculated SD over large random samples of matrices and found that high SD matrices have a low average pathlength and a larger number of clustered structures. SD is a measure of degree distribution with high SD matrices maximizing entropic properties. Phi (Φ), an information theory metric that assesses a system’s capacity to integrate information, correlated well with SD - with SD explaining over 90% of the variance in systems above 11 nodes (tested for 4 to 13 nodes). However, newer versions of Φ do not correlate well with the SD metric.

Conclusions

The new network measure, SD, provides a link between high entropic structures and degree distributions as related to small world properties.
Adaptive multiple subtraction with wavelet-based complex unary Wiener filters
Authors: Ventosa Sergi , Le Roy Sylvain , Huard Iréne , Pica Antonio , Rabeson Hérald , Ricarte Patrice , Duval Laurent
Published: September 2012

Adaptive subtraction is a key element in predictive multiple-suppression methods. It minimizes misalignments and amplitude differences between modeled and actual multiples, and thus reduces multiple contamination in the data set after subtraction. Due to the high crosscorrelation between their waveforms, the main challenge resides in attenuating multiples without distorting primaries. As they overlap on a wide frequency range, we split this wide-band problem into a set of more tractable narrow-band filter designs, using a 1D complex wavelet frame. This decomposition enables a single-pass adaptive subtraction via complex, single-sample (unary) Wiener filters, consistently estimated on overlapping windows in a complex wavelet transformed domain. Each unary filter compensates for amplitude differences within its frequency support, and can correct small and large misalignment errors through phase and integer delay corrections. This approach greatly simplifies the matching filter estimation and, despite its simplicity, narrows the gap between 1D and standard adaptive 2D methods on field data.
Guideline for the Management of Fever and Neutropenia in Children With Cancer and/or Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation
Authors: Lehrnbecher Thomas , Phillips Robert , Alexander Sarah , Alvaro Frank , Carlesse Fabianne , Fisher Brian , Hakim Hana , Santolaya Maria , Castagnola Elio , Davis Bonnie L. , Dupuis L. Lee , Gibson Faith , Groll Andreas H. , Gaur Aditya , Gupta Ajay , Kebudi Rejin , Petrilli Sérgio , Steinbach William J. , Villarroel Milena , Zaoutis Theoklis , Sung Lillian
Published: September 2012

Purpose

To develop an evidence-based guideline for the empiric management of pediatric fever and neutropenia (FN).

Methods

The International Pediatric Fever and Neutropenia Guideline Panel is a multidisciplinary and multinational group composed of experts in pediatric oncology and infectious disease as well as a patient advocate. The Panel was convened for the purpose of creating this guideline. We followed previously validated procedures for creating evidence-based guidelines. Working groups focused on initial presentation, ongoing management, and empiric antifungal therapy. Each working group developed key clinical questions, conducted systematic reviews of the published literature, and compiled evidence summaries. The Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to generate summaries, and evidence was classified as high, moderate, low, or very low based on methodologic considerations.

Results

Recommendations were made related to initial presentation (risk stratification, initial evaluation, and treatment), ongoing management (modification and cessation of empiric antibiotics), and empiric antifungal treatment (risk stratification, evaluation, and treatment) of pediatric FN. For each recommendation, the strength of the recommendation and level of evidence are presented.

Conclusion

This guideline represents an evidence-based approach to FN specific to children with cancer. Although some recommendations are similar to adult-based guidelines, there are key distinctions in multiple areas. Implementation will require adaptation to the local context.
Gipc1 has a dual role in Vangl2 trafficking and hair bundle integrity in the inner ear
Authors: Giese Arnaud P. , Ezan Jérome , Wang Lingyan , Lasvaux Léa , Lembo Frédérique , Mazzocco Claire , Richard Elodie , Reboul Jérome , Borg Jean-Paul , Kelley Matthew W. , Sans Nathalie , Brigande John , Montcouquiol Mireille
Published: September 2012

Vangl2 is one of the central proteins controlling the establishment of planar cell polarity in multiple tissues of different species. Previous studies suggest that the localization of the Vangl2 protein to specific intracellular microdomains is crucial for its function. However, the molecular mechanisms that control Vangl2 trafficking within a cell are largely unknown. Here, we identify Gipc1 (GAIP C-terminus interacting protein 1) as a new interactor for Vangl2, and we show that a myosin VI-Gipc1 protein complex can regulate Vangl2 traffic in heterologous cells. Furthermore, we show that in the cochlea of MyoVI mutant mice, Vangl2 presence at the membrane is increased, and that a disruption of Gipc1 function in hair cells leads to maturation defects, including defects in hair bundle orientation and integrity. Finally, stimulated emission depletion microscopy and overexpression of GFP-Vangl2 show an enrichment of Vangl2 on the supporting cell side, adjacent to the proximal membrane of hair cells. Altogether, these results indicate a broad role for Gipc1 in the development of both stereociliary bundles and cell polarization, and suggest that the strong asymmetry of Vangl2 observed in early postnatal cochlear epithelium is mostly a ‘tissue’ polarity readout.
Transcriptional regulatory mechanisms underlying the GABAergic neuron fate in different diencephalic prosomeres
Authors: Virolainen Sini-Maaria , Achim Kaia , Peltopuro Paula , Salminen Marjo , Partanen Juha
Published: September 2012

Diverse mechanisms regulate development of GABAergic neurons in different regions of the central nervous system. We have addressed the roles of a proneural gene, Ascl1, and a postmitotic selector gene, Gata2, in the differentiation of GABAergic neuron subpopulations in three diencephalic prosomeres: prethalamus (P3), thalamus (P2) and pretectum (P1). Although the different proliferative progenitor populations of GABAergic neurons commonly express Ascl1, they have distinct requirements for it in promotion of cell-cycle exit and GABAergic neuron identity. Subsequently, Gata2 is activated as postmitotic GABAergic precursors are born. In P1, Gata2 regulates the neurotransmitter identity by promoting GABAergic and inhibiting glutamatergic neuron differentiation. Interestingly, Gata2 defines instead the subtype of GABAergic neurons in the rostral thalamus (pTh-R), which is a subpopulation of P2. Without Gata2, the GABAergic precursors born in the pTh-R fail to activate subtype-specific markers, but start to express genes typical of GABAergic precursors in the neighbouring P3 domain. Thus, our results demonstrate diverse mechanisms regulating differentiation of GABAergic neuron subpopulations and suggest a role for Gata2 as a selector gene of both GABAergic neuron neurotransmitter and prosomere subtype identities in the developing diencephalon. Our results demonstrate for the first time that neuronal identities between distinct prosomeres can still be transformed in postmitotic neuronal precursors.
Redefining the structure of the hair follicle by 3D clonal analysis
Authors: Sequeira Inês , Nicolas Jean-François
Published: September 2012

The hair follicle (HF) is a multi-tissue mini-organ that self-renews periodically. However, the cellular organisation of this much-studied model is not fully understood. The structures of the outer layer and of the bulb, which ensures HF growth, have not been completely established. To clarify these points, we have conducted in vivo clonal analyses with 3D imaging in mice. The upper two-thirds of the HF outer layer consists of two clonally unrelated groups of cells that exhibit different modes of growth. They correspond to the basal outer root sheath (ORS) and the companion layer (Cp). The basal ORS has an unusual anisotropic mode of growth from a suprabulbar zone, which we named the privileged proliferation zone. The Cp has a stem/transient-amplifying mode of growth and is shown to be an HF internal structure. Furthermore, we describe an additional element, the bulb outer layer, which is contiguous and shares markers (e.g. Lgr5) with the basal ORS but is formed by a separate lineage that belongs neither to the ORS nor Cp lineage. It represents a novel element with proximal cells that are contiguous with the germinative layer in the bulb. In reference to its shape and position we named it the lower proximal cup (LPC). These clonal hierarchies reveal a novel model of HF organisation and growth based on two major entities: the basal ORS and the LPC plus the seven internal layers.
Early arteriovenous fistula after radiofrequency ablation of long saphenous vein
Authors: Ahmad A , Sajjanshetty M , Mandal A , Hamilton H
Published: September 2012

A 75-year-old woman developed an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) between the common femoral artery and common femoral vein following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of left long saphenous vein. Failed coil embolization of the AVF was followed by successful surgical ligation. Awareness of the aetiology of this uncommon complication of RFA and its treatment options is important with the increasing use of RFA for varicose vein treatment.
Abnormal expression of Tie1 on the valves of great saphenous varicose vein
Authors: Wang Xin , Zhao Rong , Liu Changjian , Qiao Tong
Published: September 2012

Objective

To investigate the abnormal expressions of Tie1 on the valves of great saphenous varicose vein, and to discuss the relationship between the phenomenon and pathogenesis of varicose vein of lower extremity.

Methods

Varicose veins group 18 samples, normal control group 14 samples. Immunohistochemistry staining has investigated the expression of CD31 and Tie1 in the first valves of great saphenous veins. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has checked mRNA expression of Tie1. Western blot has checked the expression of Tie1 protein in venous valves.

Results

In normal control group valves, there was no difference between proximal and distal sides endothelium, which expressing CD31 in both valvar basement and valve cusp (positive endothelial cells [ECs] percentage: P > 0.05, P > 0.05). However, the endothelium of the proximal side demonstrates Tie1 stronger than distal side in valvar basement (positive ECs percentage: P < 0.05), which was not found at valve cusp (positive ECs percentage: P > 0.05). In varicose veins group, the endothelium of proximal side cells expresses CD31 weaker than distal side at both valvar basement and valve cusp (positive ECs percentage: P < 0.05, P < 0.05) besides the morphological alteration of valves. Moreover, it expresses Tie1 much weaker than diatal side (positive ECs percentage: P < 0.01). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that valves of varicose veins group expressed Tie1 much weaker than the normal control group ( P < 0.01). Western blot could not detect the expression of Tie1 in venous valves.

Conclusion

The decreasing expression of Tie1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of primary lower extremity varicose veins.
Numerical Simulation of Solitary Waves Using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method
Authors: De Chowdhury Swapnadip , Sannasiraj S. A.
Published: September 2012

Understanding shallow water wave propagation is of major concern in any coastal mitigation effort. Many times, a solitary wave replicates a shallow water wave in its extreme sense which includes a tsunami wave. It is mainly due to known physical characteristics of such waves. Therefore, the study of propagation of solitary waves in the near shore waters is of equal importance in the context of non linear water waves. Owing to the significant growth in computational technologies in the last few decades, a significant number of numerical methods have emerged and applied to simulate nonlinear solitary wave propagation. In this study, one such method, the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method has been described to simulate the solitary waves. The split-up of a single solitary wave while it crosses a continental kind of shelf has been simulated by the present model. Then SPH model is coupled with the Boussinesq model to predict the time interval between two successive solitary waves on landfall. It has also been shown to be equally efficient in simulating the wave breaking while a solitary wave propagates over a mild slope.
Healthcare Scheduling by Data Mining: Literature Review and Future Directions
Authors: Rinder Maria M. , Weckman Gary , Schwerha Diana , Snow Andy , Dreher Peter A. , Park Namkyu , Paschold Helmut , Young William
Published: September 2012

This article presents a systematic literature review of the application of industrial engineering methods in healthcare scheduling, with a focus on the role of patient behavior in scheduling. Nine articles that used mathematical programming, data mining, genetic algorithms, and local searches for optimum schedules were obtained from an extensive search of literature. These methods are new approaches to solve the problems in healthcare scheduling. Some are adapted from areas such as manufacturing and transportation. Key findings from these studies include reduced time for scheduling, capability of solving more complex problems, and incorporation of more variables and constraints simultaneously than traditional scheduling methods. However, none of these methods modeled no‐show and walk‐ins patient behavior. Future research should include more variables related to patient and/or environment.
Advanced Fire Design of Timber Structures Using Computational Techniques - Simple Indeterminate Structures
Authors: Hopkin D. , El-Rimawi J. , Silberschmidt V. , Lennon T.
Published: September 2012

Large timber buildings, formed from both light and heavy timber construction, are becoming increasingly common in Europe. Many multiple-occupancy timber buildings, such as apartment blocks, are now constructed to greater heights and in densely populated urban locations. The fire-resistance performance of such timber buildings is generally related to the standard fire test. Alternatively, EN 1995-1-2 may be used to demonstrate fire resistance by means of calculation or numerical modelling. The latter is currently limited to standard fire exposure. In addition, modelling approaches are often avoided as many numerical codes do not normally offer the capability to model timber exposed to fire. The most obvious barrier is incorporating the different tensile and compressive strength/stiffness degradation with increasing temperature. Unlike many other structural materials, it is not possible to define a single relationship between timber Modulus of Elasticity (MoE) and temperature. When timber design is advanced to a ‘performance-based’ level further complexities will arise. For example, the definition of structure temperatures for non-standard fires is a difficult task, and assessment of strength/stiffness degradation on the basis of temperature alone is not sufficient due to char formation. As a result, when cooling is considered, material properties based upon stress state, temperature and temperature history are needed.

To address the above limitations, a number of developments, which can be used with general FEA software, such as DIANA, to design timber structures for fire, are presented. The developments are incorporated via user-supplied subroutines written in FORTRAN code. The routines include code for determining MoE and strength based upon stress state, temperature and temperature history. They are implemented as part of a total strain-based constitutive model. The implementation of the routines is demonstrated using a simple continuous beam. The example is also used to demonstrate how compartmentation provisions and aspects of whole building behaviour can be used to better design large-section timber buildings. Comparisons are made with simple empirical approaches presented in EN 1995-1-2. Extensions to ‘performance-based design’ using parametric fires are also discussed.
Experimental Examination of the Structural Performance of Restrained HSS Steel Beams and their End Connections in Fire
Authors: Salem Osama , Hadjisophocleous George , Zalok Ehab
Published: September 2012

This paper describes a series of full-scale tests performed in the fire research facilities of Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. These tests are part of an experimental programme, whose objective is to investigate the structural performance of axially restrained tubular steel beams at elevated temperatures. The primary focus is to determine the effect of the beam end connections on the structural performance of the steel-frame assembly. Four unprotected steel-frame test assemblies, each composed of a hollow structural section (HSS) steel beam restrained between two HSS columns, were subjected to a standard fire while constantly loaded. The main parameters investigated were the end plate thickness and the degree of beam axial restraint. Two different end plate thicknesses were tested, 12.7 mm and 19.0 mm. The experimental results showed a considerable effect of the end plate thickness on the structural behaviour of the connection and the connected beam. Moreover, the fire tests have revealed different connection failure modes, such as excessive end plate deformations, column buckling, and bolts fracture.
The CEO of Sweden’s Public Broadcating Corporation (SVT), Eva Hamilton, on Benefits of Expanding Ties Between Content Industry and the State in the Digital Age
Authors: Hamilton Eva
Published: September 2012

Being the CEO of a broadcasting company, I have come to realize that a big part of my professional life has to be devoted to distribution, be it cable, satellite, terrestrial or the Internet. Distribution is a complex question. It is about technology, economy, politics and very much
about ideology. Or to be even more precise, it is about democracy and the right for all citizens regardless of age, education and income, to obtain information via television and via the Internet. This essay focuses on distribution via the Internet, the fastest growing of all forms of distribution
of media. In it, I will highlight four issues: coyright, spectrum policy, network neutrality and media policy.
Telling the Greek Story of Europe and the Bull Trap: How U.S. Correspondents Attribute News Value to a Topic-Oriented Country’s Status Within the Eurozone’s Debt Crisis
Authors: Hahn Oliver , Jaursch Julian
Published: September 2012

With the Greek debt crisis unfolding and slowly expanding as an economic crisis all over Europe, coverage of this event was heavy and steady – not only in the Eurozone. American media were closely following the situation in Greece from the very beginning at the start of 2010.
Similar long-term coverage of Europe has been rare in the new millennium which begs the question why this crisis became such a big continuous news story in the United States. In this empirical study, it will be argued that the status of Greece as a news topic has been elevated due to the ongoing
crisis because it is topically connected and contextualized to a broader story of Europe’s economy. Thus, including topical and contextual considerations in the news factor country status seems necessary. This paper uses news value theories as its theoretical background and is based
on qualitative interviews with several Europe-based U.S. correspondents.
Pleasure, provocation and value in hospital art: The evaluation of the University College London Hospitals arts programme
Authors: Froggett Lynn , Little Robert
Published: September 2012

This article discusses a psychosocial study of a hospital arts programme informed by the principles of ‘realistic evaluation’, which assumes that individuals’ responses to artworks reflect their circumstances and are influenced by social context. The methodology combined
experience-distant and experience-near methods – an observation scale and elicitation of views and perceptions. The findings are discussed in relation to a model of public value, widely debated in the cultural sector, that distinguishes intrinsic, institutional and instrumental dimensions.
It is argued that intrinsic value enables institutional value to be fully realized in that it enables people to make personally meaningful use of artworks that at the same time create a sense of connection to the institution as a community. However, since intrinsically good art may also challenge
some people, this raises the question of what kind of provocation is acceptable in health-care contexts.
Hymns and mental health: A survey of church attendees
Authors: Lowis Michael J. , Eldred Janet , Jewell Albert J. , Jackson Michael I.
Published: September 2012

A survey entitled ‘What hymns mean to you’ was conducted on 394 men and women, mostly recruited through religious organizations. Participants completed details on the extent that hymns can help overcome feeling down or depressed, and the reasons why. They also named up to
three hymns that can have this effect. Analysis of the data revealed a high level of benefit from hymns, and a significant relationship between this and level of self-rated religiosity. Women reported significantly higher benefit than did men. Most cited hymns sung to tunes in major (as opposed
to minor) mode, and approximately 66 per cent were in quadruple (as opposed to triple) time. Reasons for why the hymns had a positive effect on the participants’ mental health were offered, and these were supplemented by qualitative comments from the participants themselves. These findings
have the potential to inform those responsible for compiling and conducting religious services in churches, care homes and other venues, on which hymns have he potential to help people by raising their spirits, and why.
The role of performance in healing: A personal reflective journey
Authors: Fan Sheng-Tao
Published: September 2012

Performance can be used as a means of communication in performance studies and as a treatment medium in drama therapy. This article shows autoethnographic performance could heal the personal pain and cultural wound, and could balance personal and professional, English and Chinese, and
mind and body. In this journey, I performed both roles of myself and Laozi, the Chinese philosopher and the father of Taoism, in dialogue. In this article, the readers can watch and hear the authentic and therapeutic impact of the autoethnographic performances embodied by myself as a scholar
in communication and performance studies in the academic and pedagogical setting.
REVIEWS
Authors: Zavala Martin , Ashton Carine
Published: September 2012

THE UNCERTAIN AND MULTIPLE WORLD OF EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY – REFLECTIONS AFTER THE IEATA CONFERENCE IN PERU: ‘LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY: MULTIPLICITY AS A HEALING PATHWAY THROUGH EEPRESSIVE ARTS’, LIMA, PERU10–14 AUGUST2011

COLOUR MY WELL-BEING: APPLIED ARTS
AND HEALTH CONFERENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON, 19–20: AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE EXPLORING COLOUR WITHIN APPLIED ARTS, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Digital productivism: New participatory mass culture
Authors: Glahn Philip
Published: September 2012

New media art and activist organizations, such as FutureEverything in Manchester, Bootlab in Berlin, and the Waag Society in Amsterdam, sound a strikingly Productivist tone in their avowals to employ digital technology to turn consumers into producers, availing mass participation for
social innovation. As such practices seek to reconstruct the public sphere, the question remains whether this access to information and the technological means of its production actually redistribute ownership of knowledge, labour and experience, or whether such projects further institutionalize
an ideal bourgeois public sphere by creating a mere semblance of cultural participation.
Essences of social change: City Fusion, interculturalism and the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day festival in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland
Authors: McIvor Charlotte
Published: September 2012

This article examines the Dublin St. Patrick’s Festival’s official intercultural parade performance group, City Fusion, through my perspective as a volunteer artist and group facilitator in 2009. By tracing City Fusion’s 2009 process from concept to performance, I
critique the project’s reliance on performative ‘essences’ from various minority groups. These dramaturgical choices reveal City Fusion’s version of interculturalism as negotiated primarily by Irish(-born) artists and designers, resulting in a refusal to situate participants’
histories, issues and performance techniques in context. City Fusion’s blind spots ultimately reveal key challenges hindering dialogical theorizations of interculturalism in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.
City of night: Parisian Explorations
Authors: Howell Catherine
Published: September 2012

The city of Paris is a primary cultural site for western/European modernism. Creative and critical projects engaging with Parisian modernities work collectively to remember the city as spectacle: as myth, legend and icon. This study examines Philippe Soupault’s Les Dernières
Nuits de Paris (1928), seeing it as a modernist work typifying the Surrealist fascination with the city at night. It argues that Soupault’s novel renders Paris as urban spectacle, manifesting an experiential urban mode, or poetics of place, that foreshadows the experiments of the Situationists
and the contemporary civic festival, the Nuit Blanche.
When Do (and Don't) Normative Appeals Influence Sustainable Consumer Behaviors?
Authors: White Katherine , Simpson Bonnie
Published: September 2012

The authors explore how injunctive appeals (i.e., highlighting what others think one should do), descriptive appeals (i.e., highlighting what others are doing), and benefit appeals (i.e., highlighting the benefits of the action) can encourage consumers to engage in relatively unfamiliar sustainable behaviors such as “grasscycling” and composting. Across one field study and three laboratory studies, the authors demonstrate that the effectiveness of the appeal type depends on whether the individual or collective level of the self is activated. When the collective level of self is activated, injunctive and descriptive normative appeals are most effective, whereas benefit appeals are less effective in encouraging sustainable behaviors. When the individual level of self is activated, self-benefit and descriptive appeals are particularly effective. The positive effects of descriptive appeals for the individual self are related to the informational benefits that such appeals can provide. The authors propose a goal-compatibility mechanism for these results and find that a match of congruent goals leads to the most positive consumer responses. They conclude with a discussion of implications for consumers, marketers, and public policy makers.
More than Words: The Influence of Affective Content and Linguistic Style Matches in Online Reviews on Conversion Rates
Authors: Ludwig Stephan , de Ruyter Ko , Friedman Mike , Brüggen Elisabeth C. , Wetzels Martin , Pfann Gerard
Published: September 2012

Customers increasingly rely on other consumers' reviews to make purchase decisions online. New insights into the customer review phenomenon can be derived from studying the semantic content and style properties of verbatim customer reviews to examine their influence on online retail sites' conversion rates. The authors employ text mining to extract changes in affective content and linguistic style properties of customer book reviews on Amazon.com . A dynamic panel data model reveals that the influence of positive affective content on conversion rates is asymmetrical, such that greater increases in positive affective content in customer reviews have a smaller effect on subsequent increases in conversion rate. No such tapering-off effect occurs for changes in negative affective content in reviews. Furthermore, positive changes in affective cues and increasing congruence with the product interest group's typical linguistic style directly and conjointly increase conversion rates. These findings suggest that managers should identify and promote the most influential reviews in a given product category, provide instructions to stimulate reviewers to write powerful reviews, and adapt the style of their own editorial reviews to the relevant product category.