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Kinds of Express Terms modified by Express Selected AbstractsIncidence of and risk factors for neonatal morbidity after active perinatal care: extremely preterm infants study in Sweden (EXPRESS)ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 7 2010The EXPRESS Group Abstract Aims:, The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of neonatal morbidity in extremely preterm infants and to identify associated risk factors. Methods:, Population based study of infants born before 27 gestational weeks and admitted for neonatal intensive care in Sweden during 2004,2007. Results:, Of 638 admitted infants, 141 died. Among these, life support was withdrawn in 55 infants because of anticipation of poor long-term outcome. Of 497 surviving infants, 10% developed severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), 5.7% cystic periventricular leucomalacia (cPVL), 41% septicaemia and 5.8% necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC); 61% had patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and 34% developed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) stage ,3. Eighty-five per cent needed mechanical ventilation and 25% developed severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Forty-seven per cent survived to one year of age without any severe IVH, cPVL, severe ROP, severe BPD or NEC. Tocolysis increased and prolonged mechanical ventilation decreased the chances of survival without these morbidities. Maternal smoking and higher gestational duration were associated with lower risk of severe ROP, whereas PDA and poor growth increased this risk. Conclusion:, Half of the infants surviving extremely preterm birth suffered from severe neonatal morbidities. Studies on how to reduce these morbidities and on the long-term health of survivors are warranted. [source] A comparative study of Java and C performance in two large-scale parallel applicationsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 15 2009Aamir Shafi Abstract In the 1990s the Message Passing Interface Forum defined MPI bindings for Fortran, C, and C++. With the success of MPI these relatively conservative languages have continued to dominate in the parallel computing community. There are compelling arguments in favour of more modern languages like Java. These include portability, better runtime error checking, modularity, and multi-threading. But these arguments have not converted many HPC programmers, perhaps due to the scarcity of full-scale scientific Java codes, and the lack of evidence for performance competitive with C or Fortran. This paper tries to redress this situation by porting two scientific applications to Java. Both of these applications are parallelized using our thread-safe Java messaging system,MPJ Express. The first application is the Gadget-2 code, which is a massively parallel structure formation code for cosmological simulations. The second application uses the finite-domain time-difference method for simulations in the area of computational electromagnetics. We evaluate and compare the performance of the Java and C versions of these two scientific applications, and demonstrate that the Java codes can achieve performance comparable with legacy applications written in conventional HPC languages. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measuring the People Side of FedEx ExpressGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 4 2001Scott M. Smith At FedEx Express,the Federal Express subsidiary of the FedEx Corporation,the guiding principle is People-Service-Profit, whereby the company takes care of its people, who provide service to customers, who return profit. That principle works as both management and employee actions are guided by a variety of measured processes designed to ensure the performance that generates more than $15 billion in revenue by delivering an average of 3.3 million packages a day. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Construction of Recombinant Escherichia coli Catalysts which Simultaneously Express an (S)-Oxynitrilase and Different Nitrilase Variants for the Synthesis of (S)-Mandelic Acid and (S)-Mandelic Amide from Benzaldehyde and CyanideADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 10 2009Olga Sosedov Abstract Recombinant Escherichia coli strains were constructed which simultaneously expressed the genes encoding the (S)-oxynitrilase from cassava (Manihot esculenta) together with the wild-type or a mutant variant of the arylacetonitrilase from Pseudomonas fluorescens EBC191 in a single organism under the control of a rhamnose-inducible promoter. The whole cell catalysts obtained converted benzaldehyde and potassium cyanide in aqueous media at pH,5.2 mainly to (S)-mandelic acid and/or (S)-mandelic amide and synthesized only low amounts of the corresponding (R)-enantiomers. The conversion of benzaldehyde and potassium cyanide (KCN) by a whole-cell catalyst simultaneously expressing the (S)-oxynitrilase and the wild-type nitrilase resulted in a ratio of (S)-mandelic acid to (S)-mandelic amide of about 4:3. This could be explained by the strong nitrile hydratase activity of the wild-type nitrilase with (S)-mandelonitrile as substrate. The relative proportion of (S)-mandelic amide formed in this system was significantly increased by coexpressing the (S)-oxynitrilase with a carboxy-terminally truncated variant of the nitrilase. This whole-cell catalyst converted benzaldehyde and KCN to mandelic amide and mandelic acid in a ratio of about 9:1. The ee of the (S)-mandelic amide formed was calculated to be >95%. [source] An Overview of the TAXUS® Express®, Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent Clinical Trial ProgramJOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006JOHN M. LASALA M.D., Ph.D. Restenosis remains a problem following percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with coronary artery disease. Drug-eluting stents (DES), which combine mechanical and pharmacologic properties, have been shown to prevent or reduce neointimal growth after deployment. This review describes the TAXUS paclitaxel-eluting stent clinical trial expansion program (TAXUS® Express®, Boston Scientific, Natick, MA). This program comprises the largest data set of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of DES to date, with over 6,200 patients enrolled since 2000. The program includes treatment of de novo lesions, as well as higher-risk lesion and patient populations. In this review, we discuss the results from the TAXUS family of randomized clinical trials, and compare the findings with data from TAXUS registries. The data from the randomized clinical trials suggest that the paclitaxel-eluting stent provides consistent and durable benefits across multiple lesion and patient types. Evidence from peri-and postapproval registries, where patient populations are more heterogeneous than those eligible and included in the RCTs, corroborate these findings, with overall low rates of cardiac events, including reinterventions. [source] Bridging East and West on the "Orient Express": Oriental Hip-Hop in the Turkish Diaspora of BerlinJOURNAL OF POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES, Issue 2 2001Caroline Diessel [source] Selective lasing in multimode periodic and non-periodic nanopillar waveguidesPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 4 2007Sergei V. Zhukovsky Abstract The lasing action in coupled multiple-row periodic and fractal Cantor-like nanopillar waveguides has been numerically investigated. It had been shown earlier [D. N. Chigrin et al., Opt. Express 12, 617 (2004)] that such a system exhibits band splitting with distinct, straightforward and controllable supermode formation. In this paper we demonstrate that selective lasing into each of the supermodes is possible. The structure acts as a microlaser with selectable wavelength. Mode selection is achieved by means of coaxial injection seeding with a Gaussian signal with different transverse envelope. The proposed concept of switchable lasing is viewed as an alternative to conventional laser tuning by means of external cavity control. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Bilder vom Roten PlanetenPHYSIK IN UNSERER ZEIT (PHIUZ), Issue 2 2004Article first published online: 3 MAR 200 Am 25. Dezember letzten Jahres schwenkte die europäische Sonde Mars Express in eine Umlaufbahn um den Roten Planeten ein. Alle Instrumente an Bord arbeiten bislang perfekt, Ende April wird schließlich auch das Radar angeschaltet. Am 3. und 24. Januar landeten die beiden Rover der NASA Spirit und Opportunity auf dem Mars. Trotz zwischenzeitlicher Probleme sind auch sie voll einsatzfähig. Einzig die Landesonde der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation, Beagle 2, ist verschollen und die japanische Sonde Nozomi ist am Mars vorbeigeflogen. Wir zeigen hier einige erste Bilder vom Mars. Weitere Aufnahmen und Messdaten finden Sie unter: www.jpl.nasa.gov und sci.esa.int/marsexpress, siehe auch unseren Beitrag in Heft 5/2003, S. 256. [source] Venus Express finds hot stuffASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 3 2010Article first published online: 24 MAY 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] An everolimus-eluting stent versus a paclitaxel-eluting stent in small vessel coronary artery disease: A pooled analysis from the SPIRIT II and SPIRIT III trials,CATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS, Issue 1 2010Antonio L. Bartorelli MD Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the XIENCE V everolimus-eluting stent compared to the TAXUS paclitaxel-eluting stent in small vessels. Backgroud: The XIENCE V everolimus-eluting stent (EES) has been shown to improve angiographic and clinical outcomes after percutaneous myocardial revascularization, but its performance in small coronary arteries has not been investigated. Methods: In this pooled analysis, we studied a cohort of 541 patients with small coronary vessels (reference diameter <2.765 mm) by using patient and lesion level data from the SPIRIT II and SPIRIT III studies. TAXUS Express (73% of lesions) and TAXUS Liberté (27% of lesions) paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) were used as controls in SPIRIT II. In SPIRIT III, Taxus Express2 PES was the control. Results: Mean angiographic in-stent and in-segment late loss was significantly less in the EES group compared with the PES group, (0.15 ± 0.37 mm vs. 0.30 ± 0.44 mm; P = 0.011 for in-stent; 0.10 ± 0.38 mm vs. 0.21 ± 0.34 mm; P = 0.034 for in-segment). EES also resulted in a significant reduction in composite major adverse cardiac events at 1 year (19/366 [5.2%] vs. 17/159 [10.7%]; P = 0.037), due to fewer non-Q-wave myocardial infarctions and target lesion revascularizations. At 1 year, the rate of non-Q-wave myocardial infarction was significantly lower in the EES group compared with that of the PES group (6/366 [1.6%] vs. 8/159 [5.0%]; P = 0.037). Conclusions: In patients with small vessel coronary arteries, the XIENCE V EES was superior to the TAXUS PES. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cell-wall Invertases from Rice are Differentially Expressed in Caryopsis during the Grain Filling StageJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Yong-Qin Wang Abstract Cell-wall invertase plays an important role in sucrose partitioning between source and sink organs in higher plants. To investigate the role of cell-wall invertases for seed development in rice (Oryza sativa L.), cDNAs of three putative cell-wall invertase genes OsCIN1, OsCIN2 and OsCIN3 were isolated. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed different expression patterns of the three genes in various rice tissues/organs. In developing caryopses, they exhibited similar temporal expression patterns, expressed highly at the early and middle grain filling stages and gradually declined to low levels afterward. However, the spatial expression patterns of them were very different, with OsCIN1 primarily expressed in the caryopsis coat, OsCIN2 in embryo and endosperm, and OsCIN3 in embryo. Further RNA in situ hybridization analysis revealed that a strong signal of OsCIN2 mRNA was detected in the vascular parenchyma surrounding the xylem of the chalazal vein and the aleurone layer, whereas OsCIN3 transcript was strongly detected in the vascular parenchyma surrounding the phloem of the chalazal vein, cross-cells, the aleurone layer and the nucellar tissue. These data indicate that the three cell-wall invertase genes play complementary/synergetic roles in assimilate unloading during the grain filling stage. In addition, the cell type-specific expression patterns of OsCIN3 in source leaf blades and anthers were also investigated, and its corresponding physiological roles were discussed. [source] Genes Differentially Expressed By Schwann Cells Of Motor Versus Sensory NervesJOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 1 2001D Imperiale Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease includes a heterogeneous group of inherited demyelinating peripheral neuropathies related to genetic defects of myelin-forming Schwann cells (SC). In CMT, as in other common acquired demyelinating neuropathies (Guillain Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy), motor nerves are invariably more involved than sensory nerves. Also in transgenic mouse models of peripheral neuropathy, there is a preferential demyelination of motor districts independent of the type of genetic alteration. The basis for differential susceptibility to demyelination is unknown. The aim of this study was to identify differences in gene and protein expression that may underlie the differential susceptibility to demyelination of motor and sensory myelin-forming SC. Since spinal roots are the only portion of mammalian PNS in which motor and sensory axons are segregated, we extracted RNA from adult rat dorsal (sensory) and ventral (motor) spinal roots and compared corresponding cDNAs by an RNA fingerprint approach. Four differentially displayed bands were isolated. We first characterized the most differentially expressed band, which was highly enriched in sensory roots. Sequence analysis showed that the band encoded a portion of rat sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transporting ATPase type 1 coding sequence (SERCA1). RT-PCR experiments confirmed SERCA1 enrichment in dorsal sensory roots. SERCA enzymes are ubiquitous calcium regulatory systems in muscle and non-muscle cells and SERCA1 is selectively enriched in skeletal muscle. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated SERCA isoform expression in peripheral nerve. Identification of a calcium regulatory molecule in SC is interesting, as calcium is essential for the proper structure and function of the nodal and paranodal portions of SC, as well as the myelin sheath. However, calcium homeostasis in SC is relatively unexplored. Experiments to localize SERCA1 transcript and protein in different PNS districts and to clarify its functional role in peripheral nerve are underway. [source] Profit Maximizing Warranty Period with Sales Expressed by a Demand FunctionQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2007Shaul P. Ladany Abstract The problem of determining the optimal warranty period, assumed to coincide with the manufacturer's lower specification limit for the lifetime of the product, is addressed. It is assumed that the quantity sold depends via a Cobb,Douglas-type demand function on the sale price and on the warranty period, and that both the cost incurred for a non-conforming item and the sale price increase with the warranty period. A general solution is derived using Response Modeling Methodology (RMM) and a new approximation for the standard normal cumulative distribution function. The general solution is compared with the exact optimal solutions derived under various distributional scenarios. Relative to the exact optimal solutions, RMM-based solutions are accurate to at least the first three significant digits. Some exact results are derived for the uniform and the exponential distributions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Review: Relaxin Expressed at the Feto,Maternal InterfaceREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 3-4 2000T Klonisch Contents The placental expression of relaxin, a member of the insulin-like family, has been studied in the placenta in various species with different histological types of materno-fetal interdigitation and trophoblast invasiveness. Placental relaxin expression in these species showed some common features. Relaxin was present in placental areas of intense feto-maternal nutrition- and gas-exchange and high growth potential, implicating relaxin to be involved in placental metabolism and placental growth. Differentiation of trophoblast cells along various lineage pathways affected relaxin gene activity and an inverse expression pattern of relaxin and MHC class I molecules was observed in equine pseudostratified trophoblast cells. A fall in peripheral plasma concentrations of relaxin prior to abortion appears to indicate impaired materno-fetal interdigitation which results in insufficient placentation. [source] The Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 is More Frequently Expressed in Breast Compared to Other Metastatic Adenocarcinomas in EffusionsTHE BREAST JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008Ben Davidson MD Abstract:, This objective of this study was to investigate the expression of chemokine receptors in tumor cells and leukocytes in breast carcinoma effusions. The expression of leukocyte markers (CD3/4/8/14/16/19) and chemokine receptors (CXCR1/4, CCR2/5/7) was studied in 21 breast carcinoma effusions using flow cytometry. Breast carcinoma cells expressed CXCR4 in 7/21 (33%) effusions, with less frequent expression of CXCR1, CCR5, and CCR7. CXCR2 and CCR2 were absent. Lymphocytes showed frequent CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR7 expression, while CXCR1, CXCR2, CCR2 were rarely or never detected. Macrophages expressed all six receptors except for CXCR2. Comparative analysis of breast carcinoma effusions with previously studied ovarian and cervical/endometrial adenocarcinomas (ACs) showed significantly higher CXCR4 expression in breast carcinoma cells compared to the other gynecological ACs (p = 0.001). Breast and cervical/endometrial carcinoma effusions showed different expression of chemokine receptors in lymphocytes (lower CXCR1, higher CXCR4 and CCR7 levels; p = 0.012, p = 0.005, p < 0.001, respectively) and macrophages (higher CCR7 levels; p < 0.001), as well as lower CD8 counts (p < 0.001) and higher CD19 counts (p = 0.001) compared to ovarian carcinoma effusions. Higher numbers of CD8-positive lymphocytes (p = 0.080) and higher CCR7 monocyte expression (p = 0.087) were associated with a trend for shorter disease-free survival. In conclusion, breast carcinoma cells express CXCR4, a unique feature among metastatic ACs in effusions, with rare expression of other chemokine receptors. Chemokine receptor expression in leukocytes and lymphocyte counts significantly differ from those of ovarian carcinoma effusions. The prognostic role of CCR7 expression in monocytes and CD8 counts in breast carcinoma effusions merits further research. [source] TNF Receptors Differentially Signal and Are Differentially Expressed and Regulated in the Human HeartAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 12 2009R. S. Al-Lamki Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) utilizes two receptors, TNFR1 and 2, to initiate target cell responses. We assessed expression of TNF, TNFRs and downstream kinases in cardiac allografts, and compared TNF responses in heart organ cultures from wild-type (WTC57BL/6), TNFR1-knockout (KO), TNFR2KO, TNFR1/2KO mice. In nonrejecting human heart TNFR1 was strongly expressed coincidentally with inactive apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK1) in cardiomyocytes (CM) and vascular endothelial cells (VEC). TNFR2 was expressed only in VEC. Low levels of TNF localized to microvessels. Rejecting cardiac allografts showed increased TNF in microvessels, diminished TNFR1, activation of ASK1, upregulated TNFR2 co-expressed with activated endothelial/epithelial tyrosine kinase (Etk), increased apoptosis and cell cycle entry in CM. Neither TNFR was expressed significantly by cardiac fibroblasts. In WTC57BL/6 myocardium, TNF activated both ASK1 and Etk, and increased both apoptosis and cell cycle entry. TNF-treated TNFR1KO myocardium showed little ASK1 activation and apoptosis but increased Etk activation and cell cycle entry, while TNFR2KO myocardium showed little Etk activation and cell cycle entry but increased ASK1 activation and apoptosis. These observations demonstrate independent regulation and differential functions of TNFRs in myocardium, consistent with TNFR1-mediated cell death and TNFR2-mediated repair. [source] Galectins Are Differentially Expressed in Supratentorial Pilocytic Astrocytomas, Astrocytomas, Anaplastic Astrocytomas and Glioblastomas, and Significantly Modulate Tumor Astrocyte MigrationBRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Isabelle Camby Galectins, a family of mammalian lectins with specificity to ,-galactosides, are involved in growth-regulatory mechanisms and cell adhesion. A relationship is assumed to exist between the levels of expression of galectins and the level of malignancy in human gliomas. A comparative study of this aspect in the same series of clinical samples is required to prove this hypothesis. Using computer-assisted microscopy, we quantitatively characterized by immunohistochemistry the levels of expression of galectins-1, -3 and-8 in 116 human astrocytic tumors of grades I to IV. Extent of transcription of galectins-1, -3, and -8 genes was investigated in 8 human glioblastoma cell lines by means of RT-PCR techniques. Three of these cell lines were grafted into the brains of nude mice in order to characterize in vivo the galectins-1, -3 and -8 expression in relation to the patterns of the tumor invasion of the brain. The role of galectin-1, -3 and -8 in tumor astrocyte migration was quantitatively determined in vitro by means of computer-assisted phase-contrast videomicroscopy. The data indicate that the levels of galectin-1 and galectin-3 expression significantly change during the progression of malignancy in human astrocytic tumors, while that of galectin-8 remains unchanged. These three galectins are involved in tumor astrocyte invasion of the brain parenchyma since their levels of expression are higher in the invasive parts of xenografted glioblastomas than in their less invasive parts. Galectin-3, galectin-1, and to a lesser extent galectin-8, markedly stimulate glioblastoma cell migration in vitro. Since bands for the transcripts of human galectins-2, -4 and -9 were apparently less frequent and intense in the 8 human glioblastoma cell lines, this system provides an excellent model to assign defined roles to individual galectins and delineate overlapping and distinct functional aspects. [source] Copper-transporting P-Type Adenosine Triphosphatase (ATP7B) Is Expressed in Human Breast CarcinomaCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2002Atsuko Kanzaki This is the first report to show that a copper-transporting P-type adenosine triphosphatase, ATP7B, is expressed in certain breast carcinomas, and a priori knowledge of its expression is important for the choice of therapy. We investigated the hypothesis that ATP7B, which was shown to be associated with cisplatin resistance in vitro, is expressed in certain breast carcinomas. To test this hypothesis, ATP7B expression and protein level were examined in 41 breast carcinomas using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. ATP7B gene/protein could be detected in 22.0% (9/41) of breast carcinomas and ATP7B gene expression was correlated well with the protein expression. In nine ATP7B-positive tumors, adjacent normal breast tissue was similarly analyzed, revealing that ATP7B is upregulated in breast carcinoma. ATP7B gene expression in poorly differentiated carcinoma was significantly higher than that in well-/moderately differentiated carcinoma (P=0.012). Furthermore, we found no association between the ATP7B gene/protein expression and that of MDR1, MRP1, LRP and BCRP. These findings suggested that ATP7B gene expression might be a chemoresistance marker for cisplatin in patients with poorly differentiated breast carcinoma. [source] Characterization of the Biomechanical Properties of T4 Pili Expressed by Streptococcus pneumoniae,A Comparison between Helix-like and Open Coil-like PiliCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 9-10 2009Mickaël Castelain Dr. Abstract Adhesion strategies: Open coil-like T4 pili use different adhesion strategies in the presence of external forces (see figure) compared to the helix-like P pili. When exposed to significant forces, bacteria expressing helix-like pili remain attached by distributing the external force among a multitude of pili, whereas bacteria expressing open coil-like pili sustain large forces primarily by their multitude of binding adhesins. Bacterial adhesion organelles, known as fimbria or pili, are expressed by Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria families. These appendages play a key role in the first steps of the invasion and infection processes, and they therefore provide bacteria with pathogenic abilities. To improve the knowledge of pili-mediated bacterial adhesion to host cells and how these pili behave under the presence of an external force, we first characterize, using force measuring optical tweezers, open coil-like T4 pili expressed by Gram-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae with respect to their biomechanical properties. It is shown that their elongation behavior can be well described by the worm-like chain model and that they possess a large degree of flexibility. Their properties are then compared with those of helix-like pili expressed by Gram-negative uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which have different pili architecture. The differences suggest that these two types of pili have distinctly dissimilar mechanisms to adhere and sustain external forces. Helix-like pili expressed by UPEC bacteria adhere to host cells by single adhesins located at the distal end of the pili while their helix-like structures act as shock absorbers to dampen the irregularly shear forces induced by urine flow and to increase the cooperativity of the pili ensemble, whereas open coil-like pili expressed by S. pneumoniae adhere to cells by a multitude of adhesins distributed along the pili. It is hypothesized that these two types of pili represent different strategies of adhering to host cells in the presence of external forces. When exposed to significant forces, bacteria expressing helix-like pili remain attached by distributing the external force among a multitude of pili, whereas bacteria expressing open coil-like pili sustain large forces primarily by their multitude of binding adhesins which presumably detach sequentially. [source] Cultural differences in conceptual models of ride comfort for high-speed trainsHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 2 2009Joo Hwan Lee This study focuses on an analysis of the difference in cultural experiences for similar services through analyzing the difference in conceptual models of ride comfort for passengers of KTX (Korea Train eXpress) and TGV (Train a Grand Vitesse). These trains operate with identical platforms; KTX was introduced by K-TGV (Korea-TGV) based on TGV (French high-speed train). For the conceptual models of ride comfort, this study surveyed 200 KTX passengers on the Seoul--Busan line (duration: 2 hours 30 minutes) and surveyed 150 France TGV passengers on the Paris--Marseilles line (duration: 2 hours 40 minutes). The conceptual models of ride comfort were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). In the results of the study, though there were differences in cultural environment (e.g., physical environment, body size, etc.) and cultural mentality (e.g., preference, unconscious rule, etc.), the models of ride comfort for both countries shared similar critical factors. However, there were significant differences in loading values of ride comfort for these critical factors. In particular, there were differences of 1.5 to 2 times between the two models regarding the subfactors seat factor and human fatigue factor. In conclusion, this study elicits that experience factor is the most influential on ride comfort, and cultural factors are applied as essential variables in ride comfort improvement. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Quantification of Shigella IcsA required for bacterial actin polymerizationCYTOSKELETON, Issue 4 2002Juana Magdalena Abstract Shigella move through the cytoplasm of host cells by active polymerization of host actin to form an "actin tail." Actin tail assembly is mediated by the Shigella protein IcsA. The process of Shigella actin assembly has been studied extensively using IcsA-expressing Escherichia coli in cytoplasmic extracts of Xenopus eggs. However, for reasons that have been unclear, wild type Shigella does not assemble actin in these extracts. We show that the defect in actin assembly in Xenopus extracts by Shigella can be rescued by increasing IcsA expression by approximately 3-fold. We calculate that the number of IcsA molecules required on an individual bacterium to assemble actin filaments in extracts is approximately 1,500,2,100 molecules, and the number of IcsA molecules required to assemble an actin tail is approximately 4,000 molecules. The majority of wild type Shigella do not express these levels of IcsA when grown in vitro. However, in infected host cells, IcsA expression is increased 3.2-fold, such that the number of IcsA molecules on a significant percentage of intracellular wild type Shigella would exceed that required for actin assembly in extracts. Thus, the number of IcsA molecules estimated from our studies in extracts as being required on an individual bacterium to assemble actin filaments or an actin tail is a reasonable prediction of the numbers required for these functions in Shigella -infected cells. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 51:187,196, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Learning From the Pros: Influence of Web-Based Expert Commentary on Vicarious Learning About Financial Markets,DECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2007Matthew W. Ford ABSTRACT Web-based financial commentary, in which experts routinely express market-related thought processes, is proposed as a means for college students to learn vicariously about financial markets. Undergraduate business school students from a regional university were exposed to expert market commentary from a single financial Web site for a 6-week period. When compared to a control group, students in the experimental group were found to possess higher levels of financial market awareness. Degree of engagement, as approximated by measures of project exposure time and effort, was significantly related to market awareness. Finance majors were found to be more engaged in the process than nonfinance majors. Although this study should be considered exploratory in nature, findings support the notion of using Web-based vicarious learning processes in financial education. Future research can extend the generalizability of these findings, as well as shape vicarious learning mechanisms for use across business disciplines. [source] Ontogeny of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA expression in mid- and forebrain: Neuromeric pattern and novel positive regionsDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2005Faustino Marín Abstract Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines and, thus, critical in determining the catecholaminergic phenotype. In this study, we have examined the expression of TH mRNA by in situ hybridization in the embryonic mouse forebrain and midbrain and have mapped its localization according to the neuromeric pattern. We find that early in embryonic development, 10 to 12 days post coitum (dpc), TH mRNA is expressed in ample continuous regions of the neuroepithelium, extending across several neuromeres. However, from 12.5 dpc onward, the expression becomes restricted to discrete regions, which correspond to the dopaminergic nuclei (A8 to A15). In addition to these nuclei previously described, TH mRNA is also observed in regions that do not express this enzyme according to immunohistochemical studies. This difference in relation to protein expression pattern is consequent with the known posttranscriptional regulation of TH expression. The most representative example of a novel positive region is the conspicuous mRNA expression in both medial and lateral ganglionic eminences. This result agrees with reports describing the capacity of striatal stem cells (that is, located at the lateral ganglionic eminence) to become dopaminergic in vitro. Other regions include the isthmic mantle layer and the early floor plate of the midbrain,caudal forebrain. On the whole, the expression map we have obtained opens new perspectives for evolutionary/comparative studies, as well as for therapeutic approaches looking for potentially dopaminergic cells. Developmental Dynamics 234:709,717, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cell proliferation in the Rana catesbeiana auditory medulla over metamorphic developmentDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Judith A. Chapman Abstract During metamorphic development, bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) undergo substantial morphological, anatomical, and physiological changes as the animals prepare for the transition from a fully-aquatic to a semi-terrestrial existence. Using BrdU incorporation and immunohistochemistry, we quantify changes in cell proliferation in two key auditory brainstem nuclei, the dorsolateral nucleus and the superior olivary nucleus, over the course of larval and early postmetamorphic development. From hatchling through early larval stages, numbers of proliferating cells increase in both nuclei, paralleling the overall increase in total numbers of cells available for labeling. Numbers of proliferating cells in the superior olivary nucleus decrease during the late larval and deaf periods, and significantly increase during metamorphic climax. Proliferating cells in the dorsolateral nucleus increase in number from hatchling to late larval stages, decrease during the deaf period, and increase during climax. In both nuclei, numbers of proliferating cells decrease during the postmetamorphic froglet stage, despite increases in the number of cells available for label. Newly generated cells express either glial- or neural-specific phenotypes beginning between 1 week and 1 month post-BrdU injection, respectively, while some new cells express ,-aminobutyric acid within 2 days of mitosis. Our data show that these auditory nuclei dramatically up-regulate mitosis immediately prior to establishment of a transduction system based on atmospheric hearing. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005 [source] Sex differences in progesterone receptor immunoreactivity in neonatal mouse brain depend on estrogen receptor , expressionDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Christine K. Wagner Abstract Around the time of birth, male rats express higher levels of progesterone receptors in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) than female rats, suggesting that the MPN may be differentially sensitive to maternal hormones in developing males and females. Preliminary evidence suggests that this sex difference depends on the activation of estrogen receptors around birth. To test whether estrogen receptor alpha (ER,) is involved, we compared progesterone receptor immunoreactivity (PRir) in the brains of male and female neonatal mice that lacked a functional ER, gene or were wild type for the disrupted gene. We demonstrate that males express much higher levels of PRir in the MPN and the ventromedial nucleus of the neonatal mouse brain than females, and that PRir expression is dependent on the expression of ER, in these regions. In contrast, PRir levels in neocortex are not altered by ER, gene disruption. The results of this study suggest that the induction of PR via ER, may render specific regions of the developing male brain more sensitive to progesterone than the developing female brain, and may thereby underlie sexual differentiation of these regions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 47: 176,182, 2001 [source] Indexicals, Fictions, and FictaDIALECTICA, Issue 2 2003Eros Corazza We defend the view that an indexical uttered by an actor works on the model of deferred reference. If it defers to a character which does not exist, it is an empty term, just as,Hamlet'and,Ophelia'are. The utterance in which it appears does not express a proposition and thus lacks a truth value. We advocate an ontologically parsimonious, anti-realist, position. We show how the notion of truth in our use and understanding of indexicals (and fictional names) as they appear within a fiction is not a central issue. We claim that our use and understanding of indexicals (and names) rests on the fact that their cognitive contribution is not exhausted by their semantic contribution. [source] Cross-reactivity of antibodies to actin- depolymerizing factor/cofilin family proteins and identification of the major epitope recognized by a mammalian actin-depolymerizing factor/cofilin antibodyELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 15 2004Alisa E. Shaw Abstract Members of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin family of proteins are expressed in all eukaryotic cells. In higher vertebrates, cells often express as many as three different ADF/cofilin genes and each of these proteins may be phosphorylated on serine 3, giving rise to up to six different species. Also, many avian, amphibian, and invertebrate systems have been useful in studying different aspects of ADF/cofilin function. Antibodies have been prepared against different members of the ADF/cofilin family, but no systematic examination of their cross-reactivity has been reported. Although ADF and cofilins within a single vertebrate species have about a 70% sequence homology, antibodies often differentiate between these proteins. Here, Western blotting was used with chemiluminescence substrates of different sensitivities to determine the relative immunoreactivities of different polyclonal rabbit antibodies and a mouse monoclonal antibody to purified ADF/cofilins from plants, protists, nematodes, insects, echinoderms, birds, and mammals. From immunocross-reactivities and sequence alignments, the principal epitope in mammalian ADF and cofilin-1 recognized by an antibody raised against avian ADF was identified. The specificity of an antibody to the phosphopeptide epitope of metazoan ADF/cofilins was confirmed by two-dimensional (2-D) immunoblot analysis. Futhermore, this bank of antibodies was used to identify by Western blotting a putative member of the ADF/cofilin family in the sea slug, Aplysia californica. [source] Significant cytotoxic activity in vitro of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib in acute myeloblastic leukaemiaEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Elin Lindhagen Abstract Objectives:, Gefitinib inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling, but may also act by non-EGFR dependent mechanisms. We have investigated the activity of gefitinib in haematological tumour cells, in particular acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML). Methods:, Cytotoxic activity of gefitinib, alone or in combination with standard anti-leukaemic drugs, was assessed by the short-term fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay in tumour cells from 117 patients representing five haematological and five non-haematological malignancies. In AML, the EGFR status was analysed by immunochemistry. Gefitinib-induced apoptosis was investigated in a subset of AML samples, as well as in the leukaemia cell line MV-4-11, using a multiparametric high content screening assay. To confirm activation of caspase-3 in cells treated with gefitinib, a blocking test was carried out in which MV4-11 cells were pretreated with the specific caspase inhibitor DEVD-FMK. Results:, Gefitinib showed highest cytotoxic activity in AML (n = 19) with many samples being sensitive at concentrations achievable in clinical practice (<10 ,M), and no difference between previously untreated and relapsed patients. No correlation between the activity of gefitinib and standard antileukaemic drugs (cytarabine, doxorubicin, etoposide) was observed. Combining gefitinib with these drugs resulted in mainly additive or synergistic (etoposide) effects, with no evidence of sequence dependency. The AML cells did not express the EGFR. Gefitinib induced apoptosis, which was at least partly mediated by activation of the caspase-3 pathway. Conclusion:,In vitro, gefitinib has significant cytotoxic activity in AML by inducing apoptosis through non-EGFR dependent pathways. [source] Novel CD8+ Treg suppress EAE by TGF-,- and IFN-,-dependent mechanismsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Mei-Ling Chen Abstract Although CD8+ Treg-mediated suppression has been described, CD8+ Treg remain poorly characterized. Here we identify a novel subset of CD8+ Treg that express latency-associated peptide (LAP) on their cell surface (CD8+LAP+ cells) and exhibit regulatory activity in vitro and in vivo. Only a small fraction of CD8+LAP+ cells express Foxp3 or CD25, although the expression levels of Foxp3 for these cells are higher than their LAP, counterparts. In addition to TGF-,, CD8+LAP+ cells produce IFN-,, and these cells suppress EAE that is dependent on both TGF-, and IFN-,. In an adoptive co-transfer model, CD8+LAP+ cells suppress myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific immune responses by inducing or expanding Foxp3+ cells and by inhibiting proliferation and IFN-, production in vivo. Furthermore, in vivo neutralization of IFN-, and studies with IFN-,-deficient mice demonstrate an important role for IFN-, production in the function of CD8+LAP+ cells. Our findings identify the underlying mechanisms that account for the immunoregulatory activity of CD8+ T cells and suggest that induction or amplification of CD8+LAP+ cells may be a therapeutic strategy to help control autoimmune processes. [source] The role of Fas ligand as an effector molecule in corneal graft rejectionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 9 2005Patrick Abstract Previous studies have shown that the expression of Fas ligand (FasL; CD95L) by donor corneas is critical to their survival when placed on allogeneic recipients. Since there have been reports that the cornea expresses Fas, we tested the idea that FasL on lymphoid cells could be an effector molecule during rejection episodes. When FasL defective BALB/c- gld mice were engrafted with allogeneic corneas, significantly more of these corneas were accepted than by normal BALB/c mice. However, this was not due to impaired FasL-mediated effector function in these mice as the allogeneic corneas did not express detectable Fas by Western blot or RT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, donor corneas without Fas were given no survival advantage, but were rejected similar to wild-type donor allogeneic corneas. Examination of the T cell compartment in gld mice revealed that these cells express higher levels of Fas and are more susceptible to Fas-mediated death than wild-type cells. These results indicate that FasL is not an effector molecule in corneal graft rejection and that gld mice show reduced graft rejection due to greater susceptibility of their T cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||