bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anatomical phenotyping in the brain and skull of a mutant mouse by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography
Authors: Nieman Brian J. , Flenniken Ann M. , Adamson S. Lee , Henkelman R. Mark , Sled John G.
Published: January 2006

Since genetically modified mice have become more common in biomedical research as models of human disease, a need has also grown for efficient and quantitative methods to assess mouse phenotype. One powerful means of phenotyping is characterization of anatomy in mutant vs. normal populations. Anatomical phenotyping requires visualization of structures in situ, quantification of complex shape differences between mouse populations, and detection of subtle or diffuse abnormalities during high-throughput survey work. These aims can be achieved with imaging techniques adapted from clinical radiology, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. These imaging technologies provide an excellent nondestructive method for visualization of anatomy in live individuals or specimens. The computer-based analysis of these images then allows thorough anatomical characterizations. We present an automated method for analyzing multiple-image data sets. This method uses image registration to identify corresponding anatomy between control and mutant groups. Within- and between-group shape differences are used to map regions of significantly differing anatomy. These regions are highlighted and represented quantitatively by displacements and volume changes. This methodology is demonstrated for a partially characterized mouse mutation generated by N-ethyl- N-nitrosourea mutagenesis that is a putative model of the human syndrome oculodentodigital dysplasia, caused by point mutations in the gene encoding connexin 43.
Noninvasive indirect imaging of vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression using bioluminescence imaging in living transgenic mice
Authors: Wang Yanling , Iyer Meera , Annala Alexander , Wu Lily , Carey Michael , Gambhir Sanjiv S.
Published: January 2006

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a critical role in the early activation of stromal tissues during wound healing and tumor growth. We report the use of a two-step transcriptional amplification (TSTA) approach to augment the transcriptional activity of the relatively weak VEGF promoter (pVEGF) using firefly luciferase ( fl) reporter gene and bioluminescence imaging (BLI). In cell culture, we demonstrate that TSTA-based fl gene expression can be significantly enhanced over the direct one-step system. Using a transgenic mouse model (pVEGF-TSTA- fl), we demonstrate the induction of VEGF gene expression using a wound-healing model and a subcutaneous mammary tumor model. In skin-wounding experiments, pVEGF-induced fl expression in the wound lesion is detected on days 4 and 5 and peaks on days 15–22. Furthermore, the bioluminescence signal shows good correlation with the endogenous VEGF protein levels in the wound tissue ( r2= 0.70). In the mammary tumor model, fl expression is detected on day 3, peaks at day 17, and declines thereafter. These results support the use of noninvasive BLI for the longitudinal monitoring of VEGF induction during wound healing and tumor progression, and this mouse model should find use in various applications in which it is important to noninvasively study VEGF gene expression.
Bioavailability of Apigenin from Apiin-Rich Parsley in Humans
Authors: Meyer Hellen , Bolarinwa Adrian , Wolfram Guenther , Linseisen Jakob
Published: January 2006

Aim: Absorption and excretion of apigenin after the ingestion of apiin-rich food, i.e. parsley, was tested. Methods: Eleven healthy subjects (5 women, 6 men) in the age range of 23–41 years and with an average body mass index of 23.9 ± 4.1 kg/m2 took part in this study. After an apigenin- and luteolin-free diet, a single oral bolus of 2 g blanched parsley (corresponding to 65.8 ± 15.5 µmol apigenin) per kilogram body weight was consumed. Blood samples were taken at 0, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 28 h after parsley consumption and 24-hour urine samples were collected. Apigenin was analyzed in plasma, urine and red blood cells by means of HPLC-ECD. Results: On average, a maximum apigenin plasma concentration of 127 ± 81 nmol/l was reached after 7.2 ± 1.3 h with a high range of variation between subjects. For all participants, plasma apigenin concentration rose after bolus ingestion and fell within 28 h under the detection limit (2.3 nmol/l). The average apigenin content in 24-hour urine was 144 ± 110 nmol/24 h corresponding to 0.22 ± 0.16% of the ingested dose. The flavone could be detected in red blood cells without showing dose-response characteristics. Conclusions: A small portion of apigenin provided by food reaches the human circulation and, therefore, may reveal biological effects.
Influence of Vitamin C and E Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Induced by Hyperbaric Oxygen in Healthy Men
Authors: Bader Nicolle , Bosy-Westphal Anja , Koch Andreas , Mueller Manfred J.
Published: January 2006

Aim: To investigate the effect of a 4-week vitamin C and E supplementation on oxidative stress induced by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). Methods: 19 healthy men were exposed to 3 sequential protocols, i.e. HBO (100% O2, 2.4 bar, 131 min) before (T1) and after 4 weeks of daily supplementation with 500 mg slow-release vitamin C and 272 IU vitamin E (T2). A normoatmospheric protocol (21% O2, 1.0 bar, 131 min) served as control treatment (nonexposed). Blood samples were taken before (B) and immediately after (A) treatment. Plasma levels of vitamin A, C, E, β-carotene, reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde were measured by HPLC. Antioxidative capacity and lipid peroxides in plasma were analyzed by ELISA. Results: HBO decreased vitamin C and antioxidative capacity (T1). At T1, Δ A – B of vitamin C and lipid peroxides was different from nonexposed. Vitamin supplementation increased plasma levels of vitamin C and E by 28 and 37%, respectively. Vitamin supplementation led to decreased concentrations of lipid peroxides and reduced glutathione. After supplementation, HBO decreased vitamin C and reduced glutathione. At T2, Δ A – B of vitamin C and lipid peroxides was significantly different from nonexposed. Conclusion: In humans, oxidative stress decreased plasma levels of vitamin C and antioxidative capacity and increased plasma lipid peroxides. Supplementation with vitamin C and E did not prevent these effects.
Lower Consumption of Cow Milk Protein A1 β-Casein at 2 Years of Age, Rather than Consumption among 11- to 14-Year-Old Adolescents, May Explain the Lower Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Iceland than in Scandinavia
Authors: Birgisdottir B.E. , Hill J.P. , Thorsson A.V. , Thorsdottir I.
Published: January 2006

Aim: To compare the consumption of the cow milk proteins A1 and B β-casein among children and adolescents in Iceland and Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland) as this might explain the lower incidence of type 1 diabetes (per 100,000/year, 0–14 years) in Iceland. Methods: The consumption of A1 β-casein in each country among 2- and 11- to 14-year-old children was calculated from results on food intake and on cow milk protein concentration. The consumption values were then compared and evaluated against the incidence of type 1 diabetes. Results: There was a significant difference between the consumption of A1 (p = 0.034) as well as the sum of A1 and B (p = 0.021) β-casein in Iceland and Scandinavia for 2-year-old children. In the same age group, consumption of A1 β-casein correlated with the incidence of type 1 diabetes in the countries (r = 0.9; p = 0.037). No significant difference in consumption of A1 or the sum of A1 and B β-casein was found for 11- to 14-year-old adolescents. Conclusion: This study supports that lower consumption of A1 β-casein might be related to the lower incidence of type 1 diabetes in Iceland than in Scandinavia. Additionally it indicates that consumption in young childhood might be of more importance for the development of the disease incidence than consumption in adolescence.
Thermogenesis Associated to the Intake of a Diet Non-Supplemented or Supplemented with n–3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Rich Fat, Determined in Rats Receiving the Same Quantity of Metabolizable Energy
Authors: Sanz Sampelayo M.R. , Fernández Navarro J.R. , Hermoso R. , Gil Extremera F. , Rodríguez Osorio M.
Published: January 2006

The beneficial effects of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are well known, but their consumption in western countries is chronically insufficient, and so it is recommended that diets should be supplemented with a fat rich in these fatty acids. However, the effect of such diets on the energy expenditure remains a controversial question. Precise data concerning the effect of using under the same metabolizable energy intake, a diet non-supplemented or supplemented with a fat rich in n–3 PUFA are not available. This type of information was obtained using rats at weaning fed a diet supplemented or non-supplemented with 10% of fish oil. Between the 30th and 60th day after starting the experiment, the energy and protein balance was established by means of the comparative slaughter method. The blood levels of different metabolites were also determined. Although total thermogenesis did not vary between the two groups, consumption of the fish oil diet led to a lower level of thermogenesis associated with the oxidation of protein, and a higher one of that associated with the oxidation of fat. We conclude that the thermic effect of feeding is a combination of independent processes. Due to their specific metabolism, n–3 PUFA may be considered essential compounds to maintain the energy balance.
Differential Effects of Cooked Beans and Cooked Lentils on Protein Metabolism in Intestine and Muscle in Growing Rats
Authors: Pirman Tatjana , Combe Etiennette , Ribeyre Marie Claude , Prugnaud Jacques , Stekar Jasna , Patureau Mirand Philippe
Published: January 2006

Aims: The effect of diets based on cooked beans or lentils on protein metabolism in intestines and muscles was studied in rats. Method: The cooked seeds were used as the unique protein source in balanced diets (containing 229 and 190 g of crude protein per kg dry matter) fed to young growing rats for 20 days. Their effects were compared with those of the control casein diet in pair-fed rats. Protein synthesis rates in small and large intestines and in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were determined in vivo, in a fed state, by the flooding dose method, using 13C-valine. Results: In the small and large intestine tissues of the legume fed groups, protein, RNA relative masses (mg·100 g BM–1) and protein synthesis rates (FSR and ASR) were higher than in the control rats (p < 0.05). In gastrocnemius and soleus muscles,protein and RNA contents (in mg) and protein synthesis rates were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the legume-fed groups than in the control rats. Conclusion: The chronic intake of cooked legumes increased protein synthesis rates in intestinal tissues and decreased them in muscles. This effect was greater for beans than for lentils in the large intestine and in gastrocnemius muscle.
Fatty Acid Alterations in Liver Peroxisomes from n–3-Deficient Mice
Authors: Bourre Jean-Marie , Dumont Odile , Clément Michel
Published: January 2006

A diet deficient in n–3 fatty acids dramatically reduces docosahexaenoic acid (4.8-fold) and 20:5n–3 content in murine total peroxisomal phospholipids, and conversely increases 22:5n–6 (17.1-fold) and also, to a lesser extent, 20:4n–6. This was also found in purified phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. After changing the non-deficient diet (containing α-linolenic acid, ALA) to a deficient one (deficient in ALA), it took a very long time for docosahexaenoic acid concentration in peroxisomes to decline (>5 months). In contrast, after changing the deficient to a non-deficient diet, time to complete recovery was more rapid (3 weeks). Changes in 20:5n–3, 22:6n–3 and 20:4n–6 were generally stabilized within 2–4 weeks. Dietary n–3 fatty acids control the fatty acid composition of peroxisomal membranes, and thus possibly affect some of their functions.
Diacylglycerol-Enriched Structured Lipids Containing CLA and Capric Acid Alter Body Fat Mass and Lipid Metabolism in Rats
Authors: Kim Hye-Jin , Lee Ki-Teak , Lee Mi-Kyung , Jeon Seon-Min , Choi Myung-Sook
Published: January 2006

Objective: The present study compared the effect of corn oil, diacylglycerol (DG) oil, and DG-enriched structured lipids (SL-DG) produced from corn oil, capric and conjugated linoleic acid on adiposity in rats fed an AIN-76 diet (5% fat) for 6 weeks. Methods: The plasma and hepatic lipids, adipose tissue weight, and enzyme activities related to fatty acid metabolism were determined. Results: The weights of the epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT), perirenal WAT, and interscapular WAT were significantly lower in the SL-DG group than in the DG group. Reduction of fat mass in the SL-DG group was related to suppressing fatty acid synthase activities and enhancing β-oxidation activity in perirenal WAT. The plasma leptin was lower in the SL-DG group than in the DG group, plus a lower plasma TG level was accompanied by an increase in adipocyte LPL activity. Meanwhile the SL-DG supplement lowered the plasma and hepatic cholesterol level. In addition, the hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and ACAT activities were significantly lower in the SL-DG group than in the other groups. Conclusion: The DG-enriched SL used in this study was effective in enhancing triglyceride metabolism in adipose tissue, especially as regards reducing the abdominal fat mass and cholesterol metabolism in the liver.
Quantitative Analysis of Viral RNA in the Murine Heart and Pancreas with Different Concentration of Coxsackievirus B3
Authors: Kim Eun Ok , Joo Chul Hyun , Ye Jeong Sook , Jun Eun Jung , Lee Hui Sun , Min Won-Ki , Lee Moo-Song , Lee Heuiran , Kim Yoo Kyum
Published: January 2006

Objectives: We investigated the clinical features, pathologic changes, and viral RNA kinetics in the course of acute and subacute experimental coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection in a murine model. Methods: Five-week-old A/J inbred male mice were divided into 5 groups. Four of those groups were inoculated intraperitoneally with 5 × 104 (group 1), 1 × 105 (group 2), 5 × 105 (group 3), or 1 × 106 (group 4) PFU of CVB3. Control mice were inoculated with uninfected Vero cell lysate in DMEM. Mice from each group were sacrificed on days 7 or 14 after inoculation. Results: Bloody diarrhea, earlier weight loss, perianal swelling, and death were correlated with higher viral load. One of ten mice in group 3 and 5 of 10 mice in group 4 died spontaneously between days 4 and 12 after inoculation. All of the remaining 34 mice of infected groups demonstrated extensive pancreatic inflammation. Focal myocarditis developed in only 4 (11.8%) of those 34 subjects. Amylase and creatine kinase activities in the serum were increased in the mice of infected groups. CVB3 RNA was detected in the heart and pancreatic tissue in all subjects. The CVB3 RNA copy number in pancreatic tissue was not correlated with the severity of inflammation. Conclusions: In the murine model, viral loading dose determines the clinical features of CVB3-induced infection, and the severity of pancreatitis is not correlated with the viral loading dose or tissue level of viral RNA.
Clinical Significance of the Genotype and Core Promoter/Pre-Core Mutations in Hepatitis B Virus Carriers
Authors: Hagiwara Satoru , Kudo Masatoshi , Minami Yasunori , Chung Hobyung , Nakatani Tatsuya , Fukunaga Toyokazu , Osaki Yukio , Yamashita Yukitaka , Kajimura Kozo
Published: January 2006

It has been shown that clinical and virological characteristics vary among hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes. In this study, we measured the virus level, disease severity, and presence or absence of core promoter (CP)/pre-core (PC) mutations in 241 HBV carriers, and investigated the clinical significance of measuring the HBV genotype. In genotype C HBV carriers, the proportion of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients was significantly higher than that in genotype B HBV carriers (0 vs. 34.4%, p < 0.05), and the virus level was higher (4.9 vs. 4.05 LGE/ml). In the genotype B HBV carriers, the incidence of PC mutation was significantly higher (69 vs. 34%, p < 0.05). In the genotype C HBV carriers, the incidence of CP mutation was significantly higher (13 vs. 78%, p < 0.05). We compared patients with the wild (W)/mutant (M) pattern in the CP/PC regions to those with the M/W pattern in the CP/PC regions among the genotype C HBV carriers. Both the proportion of HBeAg-positive patients (65.8 vs. 15.4%, p < 0.05) and the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (48 vs. 21.5 IU, p < 0.05) were higher in the patients with the M/W pattern in the CP/PC regions, and the disease severity was deteriorated. In conclusion, genotype B HBV may more frequently induce HBe seroconversion via PC mutation compared to genotype C HBV. Among the genotype C HBV carriers, hepatitis activity and the deterioration of the disease severity were significantly inhibited in the group in which PC mutation initially occurred, in comparison to the group in which CP mutation initially occurred.
Genome-Based Phylogeny of Poxvirus
Authors: Xing Ke , Deng Riqiang , Wang Jinwen , Feng Jinghua , Huang Mingsong , Wang Xunzhang
Published: January 2006

A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Poxviridae was performed in this study. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed from whole genomic information including gene order, gene content, and all conserved gene protein sequences. Gene content and gene order were the methods used for the first time in cladogram reconstruction of poxvirus. The results of the different methods finally shared mainly consistent tree topologies, which were supported by the classic taxonomy of Poxviridae. According to these topologies, the Entomopoxvirinae and Chordopoxvirinae subfamilies are divergent from each other. Subfamily Chordopoxvirinae could be divided into four main groupings, which could be further divided into subgroups. Parapoxvirus and Molluscipoxvirus have been considered distinct from other Chordopoxvirus. Results from our study consistently supported this suggestion. In our results, Parapoxvirus and Molluscipoxvirus were the most closely related genera and formed a group. This group could be the one that branched after the divergence of Avipoxviruses. Additionally, rabbitpox virus and vaccinia virus steadily formed clusters with high bootstrap support in all the cladograms.
Functional Vitamin E Deficiency in ApoE4 Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Mas Emilie , Dupuy Anne Marie , Artero Sylvaine , Portet Florence , Cristol Jean Paul , Ritchie Karen , Touchon Jacques
Published: January 2006

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Consequently, antioxidant therapies including Vitamin E (VitE) supplementation for both prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases currently appears to be a promising avenue of research. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between AD and the ApoE phenotype, lipid parameters and VitE levels in a large cohort of elderly subjects. No absolute deficit was observed in plasma VitE levels. However in AD, ApoE4 is not associated with an increase in total cholesterol (TC) and VitE levels. Moreover, our results suggest that oxidative stress-induced injury and protection by VitE in AD are related to the ApoE phenotype. Our study strongly supports the hypothesis of an impairment of lipophilic antioxidant delivery to neuronal cells in AD leading to a tissular antioxidant deficiency which could facilitate oxidative stress.
Excess Casein in the Diet Is Not the Unique Cause of Low-Grade Metabolic Acidosis: Role of a Deficit in Potassium Citrate in a Rat Model
Authors: Sabboh Houda , Besson Catherine , Tressol Jean-Claude , Rémésy Christian , Demigné Christian
Published: January 2006

This study examined the effects of a dietary model of protein excess and K anion salt deficit on the occurrence of metabolic acidosis in rat. Rats were adapted to diets containing either 13 or 26% casein, together with mineral imbalance, through lowering K/increasing sodium/omitting alkalinizing anions. For each protein level, a group of rats was supplemented with K citrate. Dietary K citrate resulted in neutral urinary pH, whatever the protein level. Urea excretion was higher in rats adapted to 26% casein than 13% casein diets, but K citrate enhanced this excretion and suppressed ammonium elimination. No citraturia could be observed in acidotic rats, whereas K citrate greatly stimulated citraturia and 2-ketoglutarate excretion. In conclusion, low-grade metabolic acidosis can occur with a moderate protein level in the diet. K citrate was apparently less effective in rats adapted to the 26% casein level than in those adapted to the 13% casein level with regard to magnesium, citrate and 2-ketoglutarate concentrations in urine.
Insulin Resistance Is an Intrinsic Defect Independent of Fat Mass in Women with Turner’s Syndrome
Authors: Salgin Burak , Amin Rakesh , Yuen Kevin , Williams Rachel M. , Murgatroyd Peter , Dunger David B.
Published: January 2006

Background/Aims: Turner’s syndrome (TS) is associated with increased insulin resistance and adiposity, which might be associated with type 2 diabetes in later life. We aimed to determine whether the defect in insulin sensitivity is a primary intrinsic defect in TS or dependent on variation in body composition. Methods: Sixteen women with TS not on growth hormone replacement but receiving oestrogen replacement therapy [age (mean ± SD): 30.2 ± 8.5 years; height-corrected fat-free mass: 26.1 ± 3.1 kg/height] and a control group of 16 normal healthy women (age: 30.1 ± 8.2 years; height-corrected fat-free mass: 25.9 ± 2.4 kg/height) were studied. Fasting blood samples were obtained for measurement of glucose, insulin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3 and lipid levels. The hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp was performed to assess peripheral insulin sensitivity (M value), and the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-S) was used to estimate fasting insulin sensitivity. Body composition was assessed using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. Results: Fasting insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S 103.2 ± 78.6 vs. 193.9 ± 93.5, p = 0.006) was lower in TS subjects compared to controls as was whole-body insulin sensitivity (M value 2.9 ± 1.9 vs. 5.5 ± 2.6 mg/kg/min, p = 0.003). In a multiple regression analysis the Turner karyotype was significantly related to insulin sensitivity (p = 0.008) independent of any differences in fat-free mass and percent whole-body fat mass. Conclusion: The increased insulin resistance in women with TS is independent of measures of body composition and may represent an intrinsic defect related to their chromosomal abnormality.
Ribavirin Levels and Haemoglobin Decline in Early Virological Responders and Non-Responders to Hepatitis C Virus Combination Therapy
Authors: Donnerer Josef , Grahovac Maja , Stelzl Evelyn , Kessler Harald H. , Bankuti Csilla , Stadlbauer Vanessa , Stauber Rudolf E.
Published: January 2006

Therapeutic drug monitoring of ribavirin has been claimed to predict virological response and/or haematological side effects in patients with chronic hepatitis C undergoing peginterferon/ribavirin combination treatment. In the present study, steady-state ribavirin levels were retrospectively analyzed in serum samples from patients at week 12 of combination therapy with peginterferon alpha-2a or alpha-2b and ribavirin. Patients were classified as early virological responders on the basis of undetectable HCV-RNA or HCV-RNA drop ≧2 log from baseline at week 12. The mean ribavirin level was not different between early virological responders (2.3 ± 0.1 µg/ml, n = 45) and early virological non-responders (2.0 ± 0.2 µg/ml, n = 10). There was no correlation between ribavirin levels at week 12 and early virological response. In patients with early virological response, haemoglobin (Hb) levels were found to be decreased by 18% on average from the basal values; however, in only 2 patients Hb levels declined below 100 g/l. There was a moderate negative correlation between ribavirin levels and Hb levels at week 12 (R = –0.50, p < 0.001); however, ribavirin levels did not correlate with relative or absolute decline in Hb as compared to basal levels or with ribavirin dose per kilogram body weight. In addition, a significant negative correlation between ribavirin levels and glomerular filtration rate was found (R = –0.31, p < 0.05). Based on our results, monitoring of ribavirin serum levels at week 12 of HCV combination therapy does not appear to predict early virological response or reductions in Hb levels. Further research is needed to assess their diagnostic value at other time points of peginterferon/ribavirin combination treatment and/or in patients with renal insufficiency.
Skin-Derived Micro-Organs Induce Angiogenesis in Rabbits
Authors: Hasson Eilat , Gallula Jeniffer , Shimoni Yael , Grad-Itach Etty , Marikovsky Moshe , Mitrani Eduardo
Published: January 2006

We have recently reported an alternative cell therapy approach to induce angiogenesis. The approach is based on small organ fragments – micro-organs (MOs) – whose geometry allows preservation of the natural epithelial/mesenchymal interactions and ensures appropriate diffusion of nutrients and gases to all cells. We have shown that lung-derived MOs, when implanted into hosts, transcribe a wide spectrum array of angiogenic factors and can induce an angiogenic response that can rescue experimentally induced ischemic regions in mice.From a clinical perspective, skin-derived MOs are particularly appealing as they could readily be obtained from a skin biopsy taken from the same target patient. In the present work we have investigated the angiogenesis-inducing capacity of rabbit and human skin-derived micro-organs in vitro and in vivo. Rabbit skin MOs were implanted into homologous adult rabbits and human skin MOs were encapsulated and implanted into xenogenic mice. Skin-derived MOs, as lung-derived MOs, were found to secrete a whole array of angiogenic factors and to induce a powerful angiogenic response when implanted back into animals. We believe the approach presented suggests a novel, efficacious and simple approach for therapeutic angiogenesis.
Serum Starvation and Growth Factor Receptor Expression in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Zimmermann Oliver , Zwaka Thomas P. , Marx Nikolaus , Torzewski Michael , Bucher Andrea , Guilliard Peter , Hannekum Andreas , Hombach Vinzenz , Torzewski Jan
Published: January 2006

Background: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation in atherosclerosis is regulated through the interaction of growth factors like platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and their receptors (R). We hypothesized that serum starvation of SMCs may affect PDGFβ-R and IGF-1-R expression and, consequently, the effect of their cognate ligands on SMC survival/proliferation. Methods and Results: Serum starvation significantly increases PDGFβ-R but not IGF-1-R mRNA and protein expression in SMCs. PDGF-BB stimulates cell survival but not proliferation in serum-starved SMCs of the synthetic phenotype, whereas SMCs of the contractile phenotype respond to PDGF-BB by a significant increase in proliferation. Immunohistochemical analysis of coronary atherosclerotic lesions reveals PDGFβ-R expression in SMCs in the lamina fibromuscularis, but not in the media and in healthy parts of the arterial wall. No such differential expression was observed for IGF-1-R. Conclusions: Differential regulation of PDGFβ-R and IGF-1-R expression by serum starvation might represent a mechanism for the control of SMC survival/proliferation in atherogenesis and restenosis. The distribution of PDGFβ-Rs and IGF-1-Rs in atherosclerotic lesions may indicate an effect of serum starvation on SMCs in the arterial wall.
Evaluation of the Time Course of Vascular Responses to Venous Congestion in the Human Lower Limb
Authors: Oldfield Mark A. , Brown Margaret D.
Published: January 2006

This study examined the time course of changes in blood flow to the lower leg in response to venous distension – the veni-arteriolar vasoconstrictor response – in 31 healthy males. During a 5-min period of venous distension (thigh cuff pressure 50 mm Hg), calf blood flow (venous occlusion plethysmography) decreased more rapidly (within 30 s) compared to skin perfusion (after 2 min, Laser Doppler flowmetry), consistent with disparate filling times of superficial and deeper veins and a greater increase in deep vein volume. On completion of venous filling, vascular resistance in the skin was unchanged from baseline, implying that the reduction in perfusion was solely the result of reduced perfusion pressure. For the whole calf, vascular resistance was unchanged after 1 min but decreased thereafter by 35–45% from baseline, indicating adjustment of pre- or post-capillary resistances to maintain flow. Repeated plethysmographic flow measurements assisted the decrease in resistance, most likely by intermittent compression of the thigh cuff acting to displace blood volume centrally and alleviate congestion. These findings do not support an active veni-arteriolar vasoconstrictor mechanism in response to venous distension alone in the lower leg, and provide evidence of dynamic flow adjustments that should be acknowledged during procedures that involve prolonged periods of venous congestion.
Co-occurrence Retrieval: A Flexible Framework for Lexical Distributional Similarity
Authors: Weeds Julie , Weir David
Published: January 2006

Techniques that exploit knowledge of distributional similarity between words have been proposed in many areas of Natural Language Processing. For example, in language modeling, the sparse data problem can be alleviated by estimating the probabilities of unseen co-occurrences of events from the probabilities of seen co-occurrences of similar events. In other applications, distributional similarity is taken to be an approximation to semantic similarity. However, due to the wide range of potential applications and the lack of a strict definition of the concept of distributional similarity, many methods of calculating distributional similarity have been proposed or adopted.

In this work, a flexible, parameterized framework for calculating distributional similarity is proposed. Within this framework, the problem of finding distributionally similar words is cast as one of co-occurrence retrieval (CR) for which precision and recall can be measured by analogy with the way they are measured in document retrieval. As will be shown, a number of popular existing measures of distributional similarity are simulated with parameter settings within the CR framework. In this article, the CR framework is then used to systematically investigate three fundamental questions concerning distributional similarity. First, is the relationship of lexical similarity necessarily symmetric, or are there advantages to be gained from considering it as an asymmetric relationship? Second, are some co-occurrences inherently more salient than others in the calculation of distributional similarity? Third, is it necessary to consider the difference in the extent to which each word occurs in each co-occurrence type?

Two application-based tasks are used for evaluation: automatic thesaurus generation and pseudo-disambiguation. It is possible to achieve significantly better results on both these tasks by varying the parameters within the CR framework rather than using other existing distributional similarity measures; it will also be shown that any single unparameterized measure is unlikely to be able to do better on both tasks. This is due to an inherent asymmetry in lexical substitutability and therefore also in lexical distributional similarity.
Induction of Word and Phrase Alignments for Automatic Document Summarization
Authors: Daumé Hal , Marcu Daniel
Published: January 2006

Current research in automatic single-document summarization is dominated by two effective, yet naïve approaches: summarization by sentence extraction and headline generation via bagof-words models. While successful in some tasks, neither of these models is able to adequately capture the large set of linguistic devices utilized by humans when they produce summaries. One possible explanation for the widespread use of these models is that good techniques have been developed to extract appropriate training data for them from existing document/abstract and document/ headline corpora. We believe that future progress in automatic summarization will be driven both by the development of more sophisticated, linguistically informed models, as well as a more effective leveraging of document/abstract corpora. In order to open the doors to simultaneously achieving both of these goals, we have developed techniques for automatically producing word-to-word and phrase-to-phrase alignments between documents and their human-written abstracts. These alignments make explicit the correspondences that exist in such document/abstract pairs and create a potentially rich data source from which complex summarization algorithms may learn. This paper describes experiments we have carried out to analyze the ability of humans to perform such alignments, and based on these analyses, we describe experiments for creating them automatically. Our model for the alignment task is based on an extension of the standard hidden Markov model and learns to create alignments in a completely unsupervised fashion. We describe our model in detail and present experimental results that show that our model is able to learn to reliably identify word- and phrase-level alignments in a corpus of (document, abstract) pairs.
Improving Machine Translation Performance by Exploiting Non-Parallel Corpora
Authors: Munteanu Dragos Stefan , Marcu Daniel
Published: January 2006

We present a novel method for discovering parallel sentences in comparable, non-parallel corpora. We train a maximum entropy classifier that, given a pair of sentences, can reliably determine whether or not they are translations of each other. Using this approach, we extract parallel data from large Chinese, Arabic, and English non-parallel newspaper corpora. We evaluate the quality of the extracted data by showing that it improves the performance of a state-of-the-art statistical machine translation system. We also show that a good-quality MT system can be built from scratch by starting with a very small parallel corpus (100,000 words) and exploiting a large non-parallel corpus. Thus, our method can be applied with great benefit to language pairs for which only scarce resources are available.
Chinese Word Segmentation and Named Entity Recognition: A Pragmatic Approach
Authors: Gao Jianfeng , Li Mu , Huang Chang-Ning , Wu Andi
Published: January 2006

This article presents a pragmatic approach to Chinese word segmentation. It differs from most previous approaches mainly in three respects. First, while theoretical linguists have defined Chinese words using various linguistic criteria, Chinese words in this study are defined pragmatically as segmentation units whose definition depends on how they are used and processed in realistic computer applications. Second, we propose a pragmatic mathematical framework in which segmenting known words and detecting unknown words of different types (i.e., morphologically derived words, factoids, named entities, and other unlisted words) can be performed simultaneously in a unified way. These tasks are usually conducted separately in other systems. Finally, we do not assume the existence of a universal word segmentation standard that is application-independent. Instead, we argue for the necessity of multiple segmentation standards due to the pragmatic fact that different natural language processing applications might require different granularities of Chinese words.

These pragmatic approaches have been implemented in an adaptive Chinese word segmenter, called MSRSeg, which will be described in detail. It consists of two components: (1) a generic segmenter that is based on the framework of linear mixture models and provides a unified approach to the five fundamental features of word-level Chinese language processing: lexicon word processing, morphological analysis, factoid detection, named entity recognition, and new word identification; and (2) a set of output adaptors for adapting the output of (1) to different application-specific standards. Evaluation on five test sets with different standards shows that the adaptive system achieves state-of-the-art performance on all the test sets.
Die Zeitschrift ,,Evrejskaja Starina". Wissenschaftlicher Kommunikationsort und Sprachrohr der Jüdischen Historisch-Ethnographischen Gesellschaft in St. Petersburg
Authors: Armborst Kerstin
Published: January 2006

With the foundation of the journal ,,Evrejskaja Starina" in 1909, the Jewish Historical-Ethnographic Society of St. Petersburg wanted to create a forum for the study of the history of Jews in Russia and Poland. This article investigates whether the journal was able to live up to its goal, and to which extent ,,Evrejskaja Starina" served as a basis for the further development of a Russian-Jewish historiography.
The Topography of Symbol: Between Late Antique and Modern Jewish Understanding of Cities
Authors: Klein Gil P.
Published: January 2006

This article explores the theological role of cities in Judaism as settings for the mediation between the heavenly and earthly realms. By way of juxtaposing the late antique city of Sepphoris and the modern settlement of Me'ah She'arim in Jerusalem, two understandings of this mediation will be studied dialectically. The differences and similarities between the two communities and their self-representation through urban architecture reveal the ways in which the highest religious symbols are manifested in the life of a city. They also unfold the transformation of modernity and the particular interpretation of a Jewish settlement it inspired.
Der Konstruktivismus – viel Lärm um nichts? Eine erkenntnistheoretische Kontroverse und ihre Folgen
Authors: Siebert Horst
Published: January 2006

The constructionism is an epistemology that is discussed in several social and educational disciplines. The key thesis is that the human world is based on perception and is a construction of a reality that lies outside of the knowing subject. Everything that can be known of this external reality is created by the observer. The following article describes the tradition of this epistemological position of skepticism and the different perspectives and ,,schools" of this constructionist paradigm. Some unsolved questions are discussed, and it is asked whether this paradigm is really new and innovative. The last section concerns the reception of these ideas within the educational sciences and pedagogical practice.
Vor dem ,,Judenspiegel". Wilhelm Marr und die Juden in Hamburg
Authors: Tilly Michael
Published: January 2006

The article examines the historical and cultural background for the blatantly anti-Jewish argumentation of the political agitator and writer William Marr in his programmatic pamphlet ,,Der Judenspiegel" (,,The Jewish Mirror", Hamburg 1862). Attention will be paid in particular to the events and procedures within the contemporary Jewish community in Hamburg. The ,,Judenspiegel" clearly exhibits the close relationship between the struggle for the equal civil rights of the German Jews and the development of the modern anti-Semitic ideology.
Restaurant Discounts for Seniors
Authors: Knutson Bonnie , Elsworth Jeffery , Beck Jeffrey
Published: January 2006

An online survey of 685 persons over age fifty found that discounts aimed at persons over a certain age are not the driving force in where they decide to eat. Nevertheless, most believe that restaurants should offer discounts to older diners. Findings also show that high users of age-based discounts are more supportive of the practice than are low users, who are less driven to seek such discounts. The chief implication of these findings is that restaurateurs must consider carefully whether and how to offer discounts for Americans over a particular age. Rather than rely on discounts, restaurant operators must consider the overall price-value position that they are offering.
Palapa Politics
Authors: Kimes Sheryl E.
Published: January 2006

A 350-room Caribbean hotel has extremely high demand for its 92 beachfront palapas. It can offer these palapas to guests on a first-come, first-served basis or it can charge the guests a daily rental fee. The question becomes one of the trade-off between revenue maximization and customer satisfaction.
When Does Franchising Help Restaurant Chain Performance?
Authors: Ketchen David J. , Combs James G. , Upson John W.
Published: January 2006

A study of ninety-four food-service chains revealed four distinct groups relating to strategic use or avoidance of franchising. The four groups are as follows: manager-scarce franchisors, money-scarce franchisors, franchising minimizers, and seasoned veterans. The use of franchising by the manager-scarce and money-scarce franchisors supports the concept that youthful companies take up franchising to gain access to resources in an economical fashion. Franchising minimizers avoided the potential tangles of franchise-related agency, most likely because they wanted to maintain control of their strong brand names and relatively complex operating systems. The seasoned veterans had been in business the longest but were driven by neither agency concerns nor resource scarcity. They made modest use of franchising; some for many years and some only recently. While their growth was not speedy, their financial performance ranked with franchise minimizers. This group also enjoyed long tenure of managers, meaning that its members did not face scarcity of human resources.
A Systems Approach to Service Quality
Authors: Testa Mark R. , Sipe Lori J.
Published: January 2006

Rather than take the usually futile approach of repeatedly addressing the symptoms of service problems, managers should dig deeper until they reach the root causes of those problems. Even better is to enlist employees’ participation in determining the causes. To that end, managers could apply the time-tested approaches from total quality management and systems thinking, including the “5 Whys” (repeatedly asking why until the cause is revealed) and process flowcharting (creating a timeline of the service process). The process of listing hot spots and touch points can help work groups see where problems exist (hot spots) and identify chances to impress guests with excellent service (touch points). Managers can also use an employee-tools grid, which lists specific steps that can be taken to improve service in any of the following five categories: (1) define and communicate issues, (2) train and educate employees, (3) improve processes, (4) evaluate results and provide feedback, and (5) celebrate successes.
Targeting Sports Teams
Authors: Tse Eliza Ching-Yick , Ho Suk-Ching
Published: January 2006

Hosting sports teams can be a consistent and lucrative source of revenue for hotels that are able to fulfill the specific needs of professional athletes. To fill a gap in information about professional teams’ needs, this study sampled teams in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. Although the players have some concerns in common, the study found that teams in each sport have specific requirements. Moreover, each individual team’s policies determine the services a team will want during its stay at a hotel. All professional teams want security, enough rooms for single occupancy, and smooth front-desk service. Unlike baseball and basketball teams, football teams need breakout space for team meetings and require carefully controlled in-house food service. Basketball players appreciate extralarge beds and late-night food service.
The Role of Disclosure in Variable Hotel Pricing
Authors: Choi Sunmee , Mattila Anna S.
Published: January 2006

An exploration of cross-cultural differences in customers’ fairness perceptions of hotel room pricing found that increasing the level of information improved fairness perceptions for respondents in both the United States and Korea. Overall, U.S. consumers seem to perceive variable pricing practices as more fair than do their Korean counterparts. The extent of pricing information offered appears to have a diverse influence across the two culture groups. While only full information had a positive effect on American consumers’ fairness perceptions (i.e., what factors affected room rates and how those factors operate), limited information (i.e., just the knowledge that room rates vary and what factors affected room rates) was sufficient to improve fairness perceptions among Korean consumers. These findings have significant managerial implications for global hotel operators practicing revenue management across the two continents.
“Palapa Politics”
Authors: Kasikci Ali V.
Published: January 2006

The Caribbean Palms Resort has attempted to achieve both revenue and guest satisfaction from its beach-front palapas. However, the approaches to date have been too complex and have confused customers. A straightforward policy of charging appropriate seasonal prices for all palapas, coupled with add-on services for those who want them, will achieve both revenue and guest-satisfaction goals.
Applying Revenue Management to Palapas
Authors: Pinchuk Steven G.
Published: January 2006

The beachfront palapas described in the accompanying case study represent a scarce resource that should be subject to revenue management applications, just like guest rooms. By setting an appropriate fee structure for the palapas, the Caribbean Palm Resort can end guest confrontations while boosting both guest satisfaction and palapa revenue. A particularly effective approach might be to bundle the palapas with the price of premium rooms. In any event, palapas should be subject to a formal reservation policy, rather than claimed in an informal process. Once the correct pricing and reservation policy is in place for the palapas, the resort must enforce it consistently.
Providing interactive access to architectural floorplans for blind people
Authors: Petrie Helen , King Neil , Burn Anne-Marie , Pavan Peter
Published: January 2006

The TeDUB system is a new method for providing access to graphic information for blind people, using synthetic speech, sounds and forcefeedback information from a joystick. Currently certain types of visual diagram, such as architectural floorplans, can be automated by the TeDUB system and presented to the user. A variety of features to allow users to navigate through the diagram (Text View, Map View, Spatial Navigation View, Walkthrough) and explore the information have been developed. This article presents an overview of the TeDUB system, some of the work carried out in developing the user requirements for the system, and an evaluation with 34 blind participants of the floorplan prototype of the system.
Estimating the speed of vehicles using an electronic travel-aid interface
Authors: Jones Tim
Published: January 2006

This article investigates the ability of the sighted and partially sighted to estimate the speed of vehicles using a new low-vision travel-aid interface. It reports on existing environmental, ‘traditional’ and electronic travel aids and the ability to estimate velocity. Results suggest that sighted and partially sighted observers are able to estimate vehicle velocity in the physical environment and using the travel-aid interface, although estimations are frequently made with error.