bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recommendations for the management of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and hypertension
Authors: Parati Gianfranco , Lombardi Carolina , Hedner Jan , Bonsignore Maria R. , Grote Ludger , Tkacova Ruzena , Lévy Patrick , Riha Renata , Bassetti Claudio , Narkiewicz Krzysztof , Mancia Giuseppe , McNicholas Walter T.
Published: February 2013

This article is aimed at addressing the current state-of-the-art in epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures and treatment options for appropriate management of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in cardiovascular (in particular hypertensive) patients, as well as for the management of cardiovascular diseases (in particular arterial hypertension) in OSA patients. The present document is the result of work performed by a panel of experts participating in the European Union COST (Cooperation in Scientific and Technological research) Action B26 on OSA, with the endorsement of the European Respiratory Society and the European Society of Hypertension. In particular, these recommendations are aimed at reminding cardiovascular experts to consider the occurrence of sleep-related breathing disorders in patients with high blood pressure. They are also aimed at reminding respiration experts to consider the occurrence of hypertension in patients with respiratory problems at night.
Genotyping 1000 yeast strains by next-generation sequencing
Authors: Wilkening Stefan , Tekkedil Manu M , Lin Gen , Fritsch Emilie S , Wei Wu , Gagneur Julien , Lazinski David W , Camilli Andrew , Steinmetz Lars M
Published: February 2013

Background

The throughput of next-generation sequencing machines has increased dramatically over the last few years; yet the cost and time for library preparation have not changed proportionally, thus representing the main bottleneck for sequencing large numbers of samples. Here we present an economical, high-throughput library preparation method for the Illumina platform, comprising a 96-well based method for DNA isolation for yeast cells, a low-cost DNA shearing alternative, and adapter ligation using heat inactivation of enzymes instead of bead cleanups.

Results

Up to 384 whole-genome libraries can be prepared from yeast cells in one week using this method, for less than 15 euros per sample. We demonstrate the robustness of this protocol by sequencing over 1000 yeast genomes at ~30x coverage. The sequence information from 768 yeast segregants derived from two divergent S. cerevisiae strains was used to generate a meiotic recombination map at unprecedented resolution. Comparisons to other datasets indicate a high conservation of recombination at a chromosome-wide scale, but differences at the local scale. Additionally, we detected a high degree of aneuploidy (3.6%) by examining the sequencing coverage in these segregants. Differences in allele frequency allowed us to attribute instances of aneuploidy to gains of chromosomes during meiosis or mitosis, both of which showed a strong tendency to missegregate specific chromosomes.

Conclusions

Here we present a high throughput workflow to sequence genomes of large number of yeast strains at a low price. We have used this workflow to obtain recombination and aneuploidy data from hundreds of segregants, which can serve as a foundation for future studies of linkage, recombination, and chromosomal aberrations in yeast and higher eukaryotes.
Probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, nocturnal disturbances and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a case-controlled study using the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire
Authors: Suzuki Keisuke , Miyamoto Tomoyuki , Miyamoto Masayuki , Watanabe Yuka , Suzuki Shiho , Tatsumoto Muneto , Iwanami Masaoki , Sada Tsubasa , Kadowaki Taro , Numao Ayaka , Hashimoto Kenichi , Sakuta Hideki , Hirata Koichi
Published: February 2013

Background

Increasing evidence provides a clear association between rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorders (RBD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the clinical features that determine the co-morbidity of RBD and PD are not yet fully understood.

Methods

We evaluated the characteristics of nocturnal disturbances and other motor and non-motor features related to RBD in patients with PD and the impact of RBD on their quality of life. Probable RBD (pRBD) was evaluated using the Japanese version of the RBD screening questionnaire (RBDSQ-J).

Results

A significantly higher frequency of pRBD was observed in PD patients than in the controls (RBDSQ-J ≥ 5 or ≥ 6: 29.0% vs. 8.6%; 17.2% vs. 2.2%, respectively). After excluding restless legs syndrome and snorers in the PD patients, the pRBD group (RBDSQ-J≥5) showed higher scores compared with the non-pRBD group on the Parkinson’s disease sleep scale-2 (PDSS-2) total and three-domain scores. Early morning dystonia was more frequent in the pRBD group. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) domain scores for cognition and emotional well-being were higher in the patients with pRBD than in the patients without pRBD. There were no differences between these two groups with respect to the clinical subtype, disease severity or motor function. When using a cut-off of RBDSQ-J = 6, a similar trend was observed for the PDSS-2 and PDQ-39 scores. Patients with PD and pRBD had frequent sleep onset insomnia, distressing dreams and hallucinations. The stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the PDSS-2 domain “motor symptoms at night”, particularly the PDSS sub-item 6 “distressing dreams”, was the only predictor of RBDSQ-J in PD.

Conclusion

Our results indicate a significant impact of RBD co-morbidity on night-time disturbances and quality of life in PD, particularly on cognition and emotional well-being. RBDSQ may be a useful tool for not only screening RBD in PD patients but also predicting diffuse and complex clinical PD phenotypes associated with RBD, cognitive impairment and hallucinations.
The impact of a team-based intervention on the lifestyle risk factor management practices of community nurses: outcomes of the community nursing SNAP trial
Authors: Chan Bibiana C , Jayasinghe Upali W , Christl Bettina , Laws Rachel A , Orr Neil , Williams Anna , Partington Kate , Harris Mark F
Published: February 2013

Background

Lifestyle risk factors like smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity (SNAP) are the main behavioural risk factors for chronic disease. Primary health care is an appropriate setting to address these risk factors in individuals. Generalist community health nurses (GCHNs) are uniquely placed to provide lifestyle interventions as they see clients in their homes over a period of time. The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of a service-level intervention on the risk factor management practices of GCHNs.

Methods

The trial used a quasi-experimental design involving four generalist community nursing services in NSW, Australia. The services were randomly allocated to either an intervention group or control group. Nurses in the intervention group were provided with training and support in the provision of brief lifestyle assessments and interventions. The control group provided usual care. A sample of 129 GCHNs completed surveys at baseline, 6 and 12 months to examine changes in their practices and levels of confidence related to the management of SNAP risk factors. Six semi-structured interviews and four focus groups were conducted among the intervention group to explore the feasibility of incorporating the intervention into everyday practice.

Results

Nurses in the intervention group became more confident in assessment and intervention over the three time points compared to their control group peers. Nurses in the intervention group reported assessing physical activity, weight and nutrition more frequently, as well as providing more brief interventions for physical activity, weight management and smoking cessation. There was little change in referral rates except for an improvement in weight management related referrals. Nurses’ perception of the importance of ‘client and system-related’ barriers to risk factor management diminished over time.

Conclusions

This study shows that the intervention was associated with positive changes in self-reported lifestyle risk factor management practices of GCHNs. Barriers to referral remained. The service model needs to be adapted to sustain these changes and enhance referral.

Trial registration

ACTRN12609001081202
Numerical investigations of MRI RF field induced heating for external fixation devices
Authors: Liu Yan , Shen Jianxiang , Kainz Wolfgang , Qian Songsong , Wu Wen , Chen Ji
Published: February 2013

Background

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) field induced heating on external fixation devices can be very high in the vicinity of device screws. Such induced RF heating is related to device constructs, device placements, as well as the device insertion depth into human subjects. In this study, computational modeling is performed to determine factors associated with such induced heating.

Methods

Numerical modeling, based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, is used to evaluate the temperature rises near external device screw tips inside the ASTM phantom for both 1.5-T and 3-T MRI systems. The modeling approach consists of 1) the development of RF coils for 1.5-T and 3-T, 2) the electromagnetic simulations of energy deposition near the screw tips of external fixation devices, and 3) the thermal simulations of temperature rises near the tips of these devices.

Results

It is found that changing insertion depth and screw spacing could largely affect the heating of these devices. In 1.5-T MRI system, smaller insertion depth and larger pin spacing will lead to higher temperature rise. However, for 3-T MRI system, the relation is not very clear when insertion depth is larger than 5 cm or when pin spacing became larger than 20 cm. The effect of connection bar material on device heating is also studied and the heating mechanism of the device is analysed.

Conclusions

Numerical simulation is used to study RF heating for external fixation devices in both 1.5-T and 3-T MRI coils. Typically, shallower insertion depth and larger pin spacing with conductive bar lead to higher RF heating. The heating mechanism is explained using induced current along the device and power decay inside ASTM phantom.
Thiolated chitosan-modified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles for oral chemotherapy of lung cancer
Authors: Jiang Liqin , Li Xuemin , Liu Lingrong , Zhang Qiqing
Published: February 2013

Oral chemotherapy is a key step towards ‘chemotherapy at home’, a dream of cancer patients, which will radically change the clinical practice of chemotherapy and greatly improve the quality of life of the patients. In this research, three types of nanoparticle formulation from commercial PCL and self-synthesized d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (PLA-PCL-TPGS) random copolymer were prepared in this research for oral delivery of antitumor agents, including thiolated chitosan-modified PCL nanoparticles, unmodified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles, and thiolated chitosan-modified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles. Firstly, the PLA-PCL-TPGS random copolymer was synthesized and characterized. Thiolated chitosan greatly increases its mucoadhesiveness and permeation properties, thus increasing the chances of nanoparticle uptake by the gastrointestinal mucosa and improving drug absorption. The PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles were found by FESEM that they are of spherical shape and around 200 nm in diameter. The surface charge of PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles was reversed from anionic to cationic after thiolated chitosan modification. The thiolated chitosan-modified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles have significantly higher level of the cell uptake than that of thiolated chitosan-modified PLGA nanoparticles and unmodified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles. In vitro cell viability studies showed advantages of the thiolated chitosan-modified PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles over Taxol® in terms of cytotoxicity against A549 cells. It seems that the mucoadhesive nanoparticles can increase paclitaxel transport by opening tight junctions and bypassing the efflux pump of P-glycoprotein. In conclusion, PLA-PCL-TPGS nanoparticles modified by thiolated chitosan could enhance the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity, which revealed a potential application for oral chemotherapy of lung cancer.
DHEA Prevents Mineralo- and Glucocorticoid Receptor-Induced Chronotropic and Hypertrophic Actions in Isolated Rat Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Mannic Tiphaine , Mouffok Mounira , Python Magaly , Yoshida Takehisa , Maturana Andres D. , Vuilleumier Nicolas , Rossier Michel F.
Published: February 2013

Corticosteroids have been involved in the genesis of ventricular arrhythmias associated with pathological heart hypertrophy, although molecular mechanisms responsible for these effects have not been completely explained. Because mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists have been demonstrated to be beneficial on the cardiac function, much attention has been given to the action of aldosterone on the heart. However, we have previously shown that both aldosterone and corticosterone in vitro induce a marked acceleration of the spontaneous contractions, as well as a significant cell hypertrophy in isolated neonate rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Moreover, a beneficial role of the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been also proposed, but the mechanism of its putative cardioprotective function is not known. We found that DHEA reduces both the chronotropic and the hypertrophic responses of cardiomyocytes upon stimulation of MR and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in vitro. DHEA inhibitory effects were accompanied by a decrease of T-type calcium channel expression and activity, as assessed by quantitative PCR and the patch-clamp technique. Prevention of cell hypertrophy by DHEA was also revealed by measuring the expression of A-type natriuretic peptide and BNP. The kinetics of the negative chronotropic effect of DHEA, and its sensitivity to actinomycin D, pointed out the presence of both genomic and nongenomic mechanisms of action. Although the genomic action of DHEA was effective mostly upon MR activation, its rapid, nongenomic response appeared related to DHEA antioxidant properties. On the whole, these results suggest new mechanisms for a putative cardioprotective role of DHEA in corticosteroid-associated heart diseases.
Parathyroid Hormone (1-34) Counteracts the Suppression of Interleukin-11 Expression by Glucocorticoid in Murine Osteoblasts: A Possible Mechanism for Stimulating Osteoblast Differentiation Against Glucocorticoid Excess
Authors: Kuriwaka-Kido Rika , Kido Shinsuke , Miyatani Yuka , Ito Yuji , Kondo Takeshi , Omatsu Takashi , Dong Bingzi , Endo Itsuro , Miyamoto Ken-ichi , Matsumoto Toshio
Published: February 2013

Glucocorticoid (GC) excess causes a rapid loss of bone with a reduction in bone formation. Intermittent PTH (1-34) administration stimulates bone formation and counteracts the inhibition of bone formation by GC excess. We have previously demonstrated that mechanical strain enhances interleukin (IL)-11 gene transcription by a rapid induction of ΔFosB expression and protein kinase C (PKC)-δ-mediated phosphorylation of phosphorylated mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad)-1. Because IL-11 suppresses the expression of dickkopf-1 and -2 and stimulates Wnt signaling, IL-11 appears to mediate at least a part of the effect of mechanical strain on osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of PTH(1-34) and GCs on IL-11 expression in murine primary osteoblasts (mPOBs). PTH(1-34) treatment of mPOBs enhanced IL-11 expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner. PTH(1-34) also stimulated ΔFosB expression and Smad1 phosphorylation, which cooperatively stimulated IL-11 gene transcription. PTH(1-34)-induced Smad1 phosphorylation was mediated via PKCδ and was abrogated in mPOBs from PKCδ knockout mice. Dexamethasone suppressed IL-11 gene transcription enhanced by PTH(1-34) without affecting ΔFosB expression or Smad1 phosphorylation, and dexamethasone-GC receptor complex was bound to JunD, which forms heterodimers with ΔFosB. High doses of PTH(1-34) counteracted the effect of dexamethasone on apoptosis of mPOBs, which was blunted by neutralizing anti-IL-11 antibody or IL-11 small interfering RNA. These results demonstrate that PTH(1-34) and GCs interact to regulate IL-11 expression in parallel with osteoblast differentiation and apoptosis and suggest that PTH(1-34) and dexamethasone may regulate osteoblast differentiation and apoptosis via their effect on IL-11 expression.
Altered lipid homeostasis inDrosophilaInsP3 receptor mutants leads to obesity and hyperphagia
Authors: Subramanian Manivannan , Metya Suman Kumar , Sadaf Sufia , Kumar Satish , Schwudke Dominik , Hasan Gaiti
Published: February 2013

Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder that often manifests with a strong genetic component in humans. However, the genetic basis for obesity and the accompanying metabolic syndrome is poorly defined. At a metabolic level obesity arises from an imbalance between nutritional intake and energy utilization of an organism. Mechanisms that sense the metabolic state of the individual and convey this information to satiety centers, help achieve this balance. Mutations in genes that alter or modify such signaling mechanisms are likely to lead to either obese individuals, who in mammals are at high risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or excessively thin individuals with accompanying health problems. Here we show that Drosophila mutants for an intracellular calcium signaling channel, the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) store excess triglycerides in their fat bodies and become unnaturally obese on a normal diet. Although excess insulin signaling can rescue obesity in InsP3R mutants to an extent, we show that it is not the only cause of the defect. Rather, through mass spectrometric analysis of lipid profiles we find that homeostasis of storage and membrane lipids are altered in InsP3R mutants. Possibly as a compensatory mechanism, InsP3R mutant adults also feed excessively. Thus reduced InsP3R function alters lipid metabolism and causes hyperphagia in adults. Together the metabolic and behavioral change leads to obesity. Our results implicate altered InsP3 signaling as a previously unknown causative factor for metabolic syndrome in humans. Importantly our studies also suggest preventive dietary interventions.
Promoting blood vessel growth in ischemic diseases: challenges in translating preclinical potential into clinical success
Authors: Dragneva Galina , Korpisalo Petra , Ylä-Herttuala Seppo
Published: February 2013

Angiogenic therapy, which involves the use of an exogenous stimulus to promote blood vessel growth, is an attractive approach for the treatment of ischemic diseases. It has been shown in animal models that the stimulation of blood vessel growth leads to the growth of the whole vascular tree, improvement of ischemic tissue perfusion and improved muscle aerobic energy metabolism. However, very few positive results have been gained from Phase 2 and 3 clinical angiogenesis trials. Many reasons have been given for the failures of clinical trials, including poor transgene expression (in gene-therapy trials) and instability of the vessels induced by therapy. In this Review, we discuss the selection of preclinical models as one of the main reasons why clinical translation has been unsuccessful thus far. This issue has received little attention, but could have had dramatic implications on the expectations of clinical trials. We highlight crucial differences between human patients and animal models with regards to blood flow and pressure, as well as issues concerning the chronic nature of ischemic diseases in humans. We use these as examples to demonstrate why the results from preclinical trials might have overestimated the efficacy of angiogenic therapies developed to date. We also suggest ways in which currently available animal models of ischemic disease could be improved to better mimic human disease conditions, and offer advice on how to work with existing models to avoid overestimating the efficacy of new angiogenic therapies.
An inducible knock-out mouse to model cell-autonomous role of PTEN in initiating endometrial, prostate and thyroid neoplasias
Authors: Mirantes Cristina , Eritja Núria , Dosil Maria Alba , Santacana Maria , Pallares Judit , Gatius Sónia , Bergadà Laura , Maiques Oscar , Matias-Guiu Xavier , Dolcet Xavier
Published: February 2013

PTEN is one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. The role of PTEN in carcinogenesis has been validated by knockout mouse models. PTEN heterozygous mice develop neoplasms in multiple organs. Unfortunately, the embryonic lethality of biallelic excision of PTEN has inhibited the study of complete PTEN deletion in the development and progression of cancer. By crossing PTEN conditional knockout mice with transgenic mice expressing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERT under the control of a chicken actin promoter, we have generated a tamoxifen-inducible mouse model that allows temporal control of PTEN deletion. Interestingly, administration of a single dose of tamoxifen resulted in PTEN deletion mainly in epithelial cells, but not in stromal, mesenchymal or hematopoietic cells. Using the mT/mG double-fluorescent Cre reporter mice, we demonstrate that epithelial-specific PTEN excision was caused by differential Cre activity among tissues and cells types. Tamoxifen-induced deletion of PTEN resulted in extremely rapid and consistent formation of endometrial in situ adenocarcinoma, prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and thyroid hyperplasia. We also analyzed the role of PTEN ablation in other epithelial cells, such as the tubular cells of the kidney, hepatocytes, colonic epithelial cells or bronchiolar epithelium, but those tissues did not exhibit neoplastic growth. Finally, to validate this model as a tool to assay the efficacy of anti-tumor drugs in PTEN deficiency, we administered the mTOR inhibitor everolimus to mice with induced PTEN deletion. Everolimus dramatically reduced the progression of endometrial proliferations and significantly reduced thyroid hyperplasia. This model could be a valuable tool to study the cell-autonomous mechanisms involved in PTEN-loss-induced carcinogenesis and provides a good platform to study the effect of anti-neoplastic drugs on PTEN-negative tumors.
A Polynomial Time Algorithm for Rayleigh Ratio on Discrete Variables: Replacing Spectral Techniques for Expander Ratio, Normalized Cut, and Cheeger Constant
Authors: Hochbaum Dorit S.
Published: February 2013

A general form of minimizing the Rayleigh ratio on discrete variables is shown here, for the first time, to be polynomial time solvable. This is significant because major problems in clustering, partitioning, and imaging can be presented as the Rayleigh ratio minimization on discrete variables and an orthogonality constraint. These challenging problems are modeled as the normalized cut problem, the graph expander ratio problem, the Cheeger constant problem, or the conductance problem, all of which are NP-hard. These problems have traditionally been solved, heuristically, using the “spectral technique.” A unified framework is provided here whereby all these problems are formulated as a constrained minimization form of a quadratic ratio, referred to here as the Rayleigh ratio. The quadratic ratio is to be minimized on discrete variables and a single sum constraint that we call the balance or orthogonality constraint. When the discreteness constraints on the variables are disregarded, the resulting continuous relaxation is solved by the spectral method. It is shown here that the Rayleigh ratio minimization subject to the discreteness constraints requiring each variable to assume one of two values in {−b,1} is solvable in strongly polynomial time, equivalent to a single minimum s,t cut algorithm on a graph of same size as the input graph, for any nonnegative value of b. This discrete form for the Rayleigh ratio problem was often assumed to be NP-hard. Not only is it shown here that the discrete Rayleigh ratio problem is polynomial time solvable, but also the algorithm is more efficient than the spectral algorithm. Furthermore, an experimental study demonstrates that the new algorithm provides in practice an improvement, often dramatic, on the quality of the results of the spectral method, both in terms of approximating the true optimum of the Rayleigh ratio problem on both the discrete variables and the balance constraint, and in terms of the subjective partition quality.

A further contribution here is the introduction of a problem, the quantity-normalized cut, generalizing all the Rayleigh ratio problems. The discrete version of that problem is also solved with the efficient algorithm presented. This problem is shown, in a companion paper, to enable the modeling of features essential to clustering that are valuable in practical applications.
Allocating Cost of Service to Customers in Inventory Routing
Authors: Özener Okan Örsan , Ergun Özlem , Savelsbergh Martin
Published: February 2013

Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) replenishment is a collaboration between a supplier and its customers, where the supplier is responsible for managing the customers' inventory levels. In the VMI setting we consider, the supplier exploits synergies between customers, e.g., their locations, usage rates, and storage capacities, to reduce distribution costs. Due to the intricate interactions between customers, calculating a fair cost-to-serve for each customer is a daunting task. However, cost-to-serve information is useful when marketing to new customers or when revisiting routing and delivery quantity decisions. We design mechanisms for this cost allocation problem and determine their characteristics both analytically and computationally.
Multiple Objectives Satisficing Under Uncertainty
Authors: Lam Shao-Wei , Ng Tsan Sheng , Sim Melvyn , Song Jin-Hwa
Published: February 2013

We propose a class of functions, called multiple objective satisficing (MOS) criteria, for evaluating the level of compliance of a set of objectives in meeting their targets collectively under uncertainty. The MOS criteria include the joint targets' achievement probability (joint success probability criterion) as a special case and also extend to situations when the probability distributions are not fully characterized. We focus on a class of MOS criteria that favors diversification, which has the potential to mitigate severe shortfalls in scenarios when any objective fails to achieve its target. Naturally, this class excludes joint success probability. We further propose the shortfall-aware MOS criterion (S-MOS), which is inspired by the probability measure and is diversification favoring. We also show how to build tractable approximations of the S-MOS criterion. Because the S-MOS criterion maximization is not a convex optimization problem, we propose improvement algorithms via solving sequences of convex optimization problems. We report encouraging computational results on a blending problem in meeting specification targets even in the absence of full probability distribution description.
Distributed Welfare Games
Authors: Marden Jason R. , Wierman Adam
Published: February 2013

Game-theoretic tools are becoming a popular design choice for distributed resource allocation algorithms. A central component of this design choice is the assignment of utility functions to the individual agents. The goal is to assign each agent an admissible utility function such that the resulting game possesses a host of desirable properties, including scalability, tractability, and existence and efficiency of pure Nash equilibria. In this paper we formally study this question of utility design on a class of games termed distributed welfare games. We identify several utility design methodologies that guarantee desirable game properties irrespective of the specific application domain. Lastly, we illustrate the results in this paper on two commonly studied classes of resource allocation problems: “coverage” problems and “coloring” problems.
Building Reliable Air-Travel Infrastructure Using Empirical Data and Stochastic Models of Airline Networks
Authors: Arıkan Mazhar , Deshpande Vinayak , Sohoni Milind
Published: February 2013

Flight delays have been a growing issue and they have reached an all-time high in recent years, with the airlines' on-time performance at its worst level in 2007 since 1995. A recent report by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress chaired by Senator Charles E. Schumer has estimated that the total cost to the U.S. economy because of flight delays was as much as $41 billion in 2007. The goal of this paper is to build stochastic models of airline networks and utilize publicly available data to answer the following policy questions: Which are the bottleneck airports in the U.S. air-travel infrastructure (i.e., airports that cause most delay propagation)? How would increasing airport capacity at these airports alleviate delay propagation? What are the appropriate metrics for measuring the robustness of airline schedules? How could these schedules be made more robust? Which flight in an aircraft rotation is a bottleneck flight (and, hence, deserves managerial attention)? Flight delays are typically attributed to two factors: (i) the randomness in the intrinsic travel time for a scheduled flight (which is the travel time excluding propagated delays), and (ii) the propagation of this randomness through the air-travel network and infrastructure. We model both of these factors that cause travel delays. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we develop stochastic models, using empirical data, to analyze the propagation of delays through air-transportation networks. Our stochastic models allow us to develop three important robustness measures for airline networks. Second, our analysis enables us to make policy recommendations regarding managing bottleneck resources in the air-travel infrastructure, which, if addressed, could lead to a significant improvement in air-travel reliability.
When Is the Right Time to Refresh Knowledge Discovered from Data?
Authors: Fang Xiao , Sheng Olivia R. Liu , Goes Paulo
Published: February 2013

Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) techniques have been extensively employed to extract knowledge from massive data stores to support decision making in a wide range of critical applications. Maintaining the currency of discovered knowledge over evolving data sources is a fundamental challenge faced by all KDD applications. This paper addresses the challenge from the perspective of deciding the right times to refresh knowledge. We define the knowledge-refreshing problem and model it as a Markov decision process. Based on the identified properties of the Markov decision process model, we establish that the optimal knowledge-refreshing policy is monotonically increasing in the system state within every appropriate partition of the state space. We further show that the problem of searching for the optimal knowledge-refreshing policy can be reduced to the problem of finding the optimal thresholds and propose a method for computing the optimal knowledge-refreshing policy. The effectiveness and the robustness of the computed optimal knowledge-refreshing policy are examined through extensive empirical studies addressing a real-world knowledge-refreshing problem. Our method can be applied to refresh knowledge for KDD applications that employ major data-mining models.
Structures of the 2:1 Layers of Pyrophyllite and Talc
Authors: Drits Victor A. , Guggenheim Stephen , Zviagina Bella B. , Kogure Toshihiro
Published: February 2013

To determine the relationships between the symmetry of the overall pyrophyllite and talc structure and the symmetry of individual layers, the geometry and symmetry of each 2:1 layer of pyrophyllite and talc were analyzed. For each, the previously published, refined unit cell may be rotated clockwise by ~60° for comparison to a layer unit cell. In pyrophyllite, the layer unit cell is ideal and shown to be orthogonal with C2/m symmetry. The agreement between the refined atomic coordinates and those calculated for the layer with C2/m symmetry confirms that the symmetry of the pyrophyllite layer is C2/m. The obliquity of the pyrophyllite refined cell results from the layer stacking and the choice of unit cell, but the interlayer stacking sequence does not disturb the layer symmetry. In contrast, talc has an oblique layer cell, without a mirror plane. For the most part, the distortion of the talc 2:1 layer is probably caused by an elongation of unshared O-O lateral edges around M1 that creates a slight corrugation of the octahedral sheet surface. Perhaps of lesser importance, the distortion of the talc layer cell may result from Coulombic interactions between cations of adjacent layers, and these cation-to-cation distances are sufficiently large (~6–7.5 Å) that the weak van der Waals forces that stabilize the stacking are not overcome. Because pyrophyllite has a vacant octahedral site, similar interactions are not present, and this results in a more idealized layer symmetry.

Phyllosilicates consisting of layers with an orthogonal cell and mirror plane (pyrophyllite, kaolinite, sudoite) were shown to have similar stacking faults. In these structures, the 2:1 or 1:1 layers have uniform orientation, and stacking faults occur owing to interstratifications of two alternative interlayer displacements in the same crystal that are related by a mirror plane in the projection on the (001) plane. In talc, stacking faults are associated with layer rotations by ±120°, whereas the lateral displacement between the adjacent tetrahedral sheets across the interlayer region is relatively ordered.
Effects of Hydrothermal Parameters on the Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Zeolite NaY
Authors: Nouri Amir , Jafari Mostafa , Kazemimoghadam Mansour , Mohammadi Toraj
Published: February 2013

Synthesized zeolites are extremely important as industrial minerals and are most commonly prepared using organic templates. Because these organic templates present undesirable environmental hazards, a synthesis method which avoids their use is desirable. The objective of the current study was to develop such a synthesis method. Zeolite NaY was synthesized hydrothermally starting from a mixture of 1.0 Al2O3:10 SiO2:4.6 Na2O:180 H2O molar gel composition, without adding any organic additives. Experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of molar compositions including water content (H2O/SiO2), crystallization conditions including temperature, and time on the crystal size and yield of NaY-type zeolite. The results showed that increasing the crystallization time from 5 to 12 h increased the crystal size, while increasing the crystallization temperature from 80 to 100°C also increased crystallinity. The crystal species of zeolite NaY were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Zeolite NaY crystals in the size range 25–150 nm were synthesized successfully over a period of 8 h at 100°C.
The dematerializing and rematerializing of design
Authors: Chyon Gyungju , Sadar John Stanislav
Published: February 2013

The article begins by considering design in relation to the rising environmental awareness in the decades since its beginnings in the 1960s and 1970s. Increasing environmental awareness has accompanied what several thinkers have noted to be a paradigm shift in values, as they come to
embrace process, variability and experience in lieu of progress and material goods. Given the beginnings of such a shift, and given the goal of shifting the world away from one based on material consumption, there is a need to shift values. The article suggests designers need to change their
thinking away from offering total, complete solutions isolated from the natural world towards designing with the forces and energy flow of nature. At the same time, artefacts can play a role in shaping values, taking into account immateriality – forces and energy – and experience.
Liquid Sky is presented as an example of how designing with the vagaries of the natural world might instil appreciation and change values. Liquid Sky is a window installation that amplifies the changing light and airflow conditions, using them to paint the domestic interior in an animate display
of light. The artefact itself is an incomplete armature, which is completed by the interrelationship of material (textile) and immaterial (sunlight and air movement). Liquid Sky offers an example of how artefacts can instil the unpredictability and endless variations characteristic of the
natural world, and how – through materializing the immaterial – artefacts can co-shape our values and thinking regarding an ecological future.
EXHIBITION REVIEW
Authors: Townsend Katherine
Published: February 2013

Let actions speak louder than words A review of the ‘Power of Making: The importance of being skilled’ Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 6 September 2011–2 January 2012
PUBLICATION REVIEWS
Authors: Maier Danica , Olding Simon
Published: February 2013

Anne Wilson: Wind/Rewind/Weave, Anne Wilson (2011) Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 159 pp, ISBN: 978-0-945-32322-8, p/bk, $30.00/£19.50

Stephen De Staebler: Matter and Spirit, Timothy Anglin Burgard (2012) San Francisco: The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in
association with University of California Press, 240 pp, ISBN: 978-0-520-27230-9, p/bk, $34.95
‘Plumb line scribe’: Using multimedia to preserve traditional craft skills
Authors: Lassen Ulrik Hjort , Wood Nicola
Published: February 2013

The skills required in craft practice involve a high degree of tacit knowledge which is frequently difficult for the craft expert to articulate. Nicola Wood, a multimedia designer, has undertaken extensive research over the last ten years seeking to understand the knowledge of skilled
craftsmen and find methods of capturing and passing it on. She has developed an elicitation strategy that employs an expert learner to uncover the skilled knowledge of master craftsmen, and a transmission strategy based on the concept of bridges to assist the design of learning resources for
novices. Ulrik H. Lassen has used the techniques developed by Wood to record and transmit the skilled knowledge needed to make timber-framed buildings, knowledge that today is in danger of being lost. The focus of the study has been the procedure for scribing timbers, which is a central part
of the building process. The aim of the research was to investigate the possibility of combining the two roles defined in Wood’s research as an expert learner and designer. Being a skilled carpenter, Lassen has acted as an expert learner, learning the skills of scribing through a combination
of researching existing documentation, working with master craftsmen and his own experimentation. At the same time, he developed and tested a multimedia learning resource to provide ‘bridges’ for new learners to this knowledge. The outcome of the application of Wood’s elicitation
and transmission strategy to plumb line scribing is a demonstration of the transferability of Wood’s methods within this new context. This is important because it reveals the potential for other craft practitioners to apply Wood’s methods to their own learning and teaching, and
produce learning resources to provide bridges to their craft knowledge and preserve their unique skills.
Mini mills: Grass-roots service providers for europe’s smallhold wool breeders
Authors: Ravasio Pamela
Published: February 2013

This report addresses four principle questions: What are mini mills? How large is the potential market mini mills are catering to? Why is it interesting for smallholder wool breeders to have their clip processed by mini mills? and How are mini mills equipped? The first and second questions
are addressed by reviewing available agriculture census data from Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, and the third question by providing a cost-benefit estimate based on retail prices of hand-knitting wool and the specific processing rates of two British mini mills. Finally, the
same two mini mills are presented in more depth in case studies that illustrate the type of equipment they use for processing, and the services they offer to their smallholder clients. According to the agricultural census data for Britain, Germany and France, mini mills cater to a potential
market of between 100,000 and 200,000 smallholds per country, of which between 0.5 per cent and 5 per cent produce an estimated average total wool clip of less than 20 kg. Such quantities lie substantially below the minimums required by industrial wool mills. The mini mills not only offer
a wool fleece processing service (specifically, spinning), but also guarantee a highly coveted ‘sheep to cone’ traceability. Rather than catering to the hobby craft end-consumer market, the mini mills offer their services to smallholders with small flocks, and hence small quantities
of fleece, and who intend to take charge of the fate of their sheep’s wool. In this way, mini mills play an important waste management and sustainability role, as they add value to an otherwise discarded resource, and thus contribute to keeping wool from being burnt or landfilled. Cost-benefit
estimates show that by having their wool processed in mini mills and selling the hand-knitting yarn directly, smallholders could reduce the financial losses incurred through shearing and processing because sales outweigh these costs by some margin.
Reviews
Authors: Sterritt David , Yates Steven , Conterio Martyn , Abecassis Michaël , Collis Leo
Published: February 2013

Cinema Italiano: The Complete Guide from Classics to Cult, Howard Hughes, (2011)London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 311pp., ISBN: 9781848856080 (pbk), £14.99

The Cinema of Mika Kaurismäki: Transvergent Cinescapes, Emergent Identities, Pietari Kääpä, (2011)
Bristol: Intellect, 208pp., ISBN: 9781841504094 (pbk), $50

African Chelsea (2011) USA Director Brent Roske Written by Brent Roske With Corrinne Becker (Chelsea), Tosa Oghbagado (Tosa – Bouncer), Jilon VanOver (Jack) and Sally Kirkland (Anna)Runtime 6 minutes Produced and Distributed
by Roske Entertainment LTD
Around the Circuit
Authors: Grant Barry Keith , Prout Ryan , Radomski Marcin
Published: February 2013

Toronto International Film Festival 2012: 6-12 September, 2012 A report by Barry Keith Grant

Madeira FilmFestival 2012: 2-6 May, 2012 A Report by Ryan Prout

Expand New Horizons in Poland T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival: 19 - 29 July 2012 A report by Marcin Radomski
Fascistization and fascism: Spanish dynamics in a Eeuropean process
Authors: Gallego Ferran
Published: February 2013

This article defends the hypothesis that the regime built during the Spanish Civil War should be included within the historical category of fascism. The concept of fascistization is used to examine the evolution of the radical right wing and its convergence into a Spanish fascism that
culminated in a civil war. This concept answers the main objections commonly held regarding the fascist nature of the regime that began in 1936: namely the minority standing of the Spanish fascist party, the existence of heterogeneous components in the movement that led to the civil war, a
dictatorship that relied upon traditional segments of society to establish hegemony and the irreconcilable relationship between fascism and the essentially catholic nature of the new regime. Here it is shown that such objections can also be launched against other regimes usually considered
fascist and that fascistization was not an alternative to, but rather the implementation of fascism under the conditions defining Spain in the 1930s.
Fascism and violence in Spain: Aa comparative update
Authors: Rodrigo Javier
Published: February 2013

Fascism in Spain? Almost no historian has spoken of fascism in Franco’s Spain without denying it altogether, modifying conceptual boundaries or adding terminological parameters (para-, proto-, pseudo-, -ized). Yet, it is just possible that something is not being handled correctly.
In this article, through a critical review of some of the central features in the field of historical interpretation of fascism, comparative analysis is employed to re-examine the current characterization of the Franco regime and to identify it as fascist during the civil war and immediate
post-war period. In examining some of the latest historiographical debates and advances, this article proposes a coherent reading of Spanish fascism. In this sphere historiography does seem to be in agreement: violence and its contexts occupy a central position in the analysis of fascism.
Violence, institutionalization and context are some of the theoretical issues that aim to re-evaluate the position of Franc's Spain within the European family of Fascism.
Performing the human subject: Arts-based knowledge dissemination in health research
Authors: Lafrenière Darquise , Cox Susan M. , Belliveau George , Lea Graham W.
Published: February 2013

This article reflects on a pilot project undertaken at the University of British Columbia, Canada, by an interdisciplinary team of researchers and lay and professional artists. The project was an experiment in the use of arts-based methods as a means of disseminating research findings
from a five-year funded study entitled ‘Centring the Human Subject in Health Research: Understanding the Meaning and Experience of Research Participation’. Through the creation, performance and/or display of found poetry, drama, song and visual arts, more than 50 researchers and
artists collectively presented the experiences of human subjects involved in many types of health research. By way of detailed discussion, this article explores the practice and process of interdisciplinarity as it applies to arts-based health research.
Arts-Health intersections: Amodel of practice for consistency in the arts-health sector
Authors: Vogelpoel Nicholas , Gattenhof Sandra
Published: February 2013

The field of Arts-Health practice and research has grown exponentially in the past 30 years. While researchers are using applied arts as the subject of investigation in research, the evaluation of practice and participant benefits has a limited general focus. In recent years, the field
has witnessed a growing concentration on the evaluation of health outcomes, outputs and tangential benefits for participants engaging in Arts-Health practice. The wide range of methodological approaches applied arts practitioners implement make the field difficult to define. This article introduces
the term Arts-Health intersections as a model of practice and framework to promote consistency in design, implementation and evaluative processes in applied arts programmes promoting health outcomes. The article challenges the current trend to solely evaluate health outcomes in the field,
and promotes a concurrent and multidisciplinary methodological approach that can be adopted to promote evaluation, consistency and best practice in the field of Arts-Health intersections. The article provides a theoretical overview of Arts-Health intersections, and then takes this theoretical
platform and details a best model of practice for developing Arts-Health intersections and presents this model as a guide.
Colour for well-being:Exploring adult learners’ responses to utilizing colour as a therapeutic tool
Authors: Parkes Jacqueline H. , Volpe Vanessa
Published: February 2013

This article reports on a pilot project that explored the use of ‘colour’ as a therapeutic intervention that can be used to enhance a sense of personal well-being in adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. The project was designed, delivered and evaluated
by an occupational therapist with extensive experience in the therapeutic use of colour within complementary therapy. Over a nine-week period, individuals attending the programme were taught a variety of colour awareness exercises, which could be incorporated within their daily lifestyle.
The findings of a follow-up evaluation undertaken twelve months after the Colour for Wellbeing (CfWB) programme began indicates that training in colour awareness is a cost-effective intervention that can positively impact on the mood, behaviour, and sense of mental and physical wellbeing of
individuals experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues.