Low-Congestion Shortcut and Graph Parameters

Distributed graph algorithms in the standard CONGEST model often exhibit the time-complexity lower bound of Omega~(sqrt{n} + D) rounds for many global problems, where n is the number of nodes and D is the diameter of the input graph. Since such a lower bound is derived from special "hard-core" instances, it does not necessarily apply to specific popular graph classes such as planar graphs. The concept of low-congestion shortcuts is initiated by Ghaffari and Haeupler [SODA2016] for addressing the design of CONGEST algorithms running fast in restricted network topologies. Specifically, given a specific graph class X, an f-round algorithm of constructing shortcuts of quality q for any instance in X results in O~(q + f)-round algorithms of solving several fundamental graph problems such as minimum spanning tree and minimum cut, for X. The main interest on this line is to identify the graph classes allowing the shortcuts which are efficient in the sense of breaking O~(sqrt{n}+D)-round general lower bounds. In this paper, we consider the relationship between the quality of low-congestion shortcuts and three major graph parameters, chordality, diameter, and clique-width. The main contribution of the paper is threefold: (1) We show an O(1)-round algorithm which constructs a low-congestion shortcut with quality O(kD) for any k-chordal graph, and prove that the quality and running time of this construction is nearly optimal up to polylogarithmic factors. (2) We present two algorithms, each of which constructs a low-congestion shortcut with quality O~(n^{1/4}) in O~(n^{1/4}) rounds for graphs of D=3, and that with quality O~(n^{1/3}) in O~(n^{1/3}) rounds for graphs of D=4 respectively. These results obviously deduce two MST algorithms running in O~(n^{1/4}) and O~(n^{1/3}) rounds for D=3 and 4 respectively, which almost close the long-standing complexity gap of the MST construction in small-diameter graphs originally posed by Lotker et al. [Distributed Computing 2006]. (3) We show that bounding clique-width does not help the construction of good shortcuts by presenting a network topology of clique-width six where the construction of MST is as expensive as the general case

Structural Features of Antiviral APOBEC3 Proteins are Linked to Their Functional Activities

Human APOBEC3 (A3) proteins are cellular cytidine deaminases that potently restrict the replication of retroviruses by hypermutating viral cDNA and/or inhibiting reverse transcription. There are seven members of this family including A3A, B, C, DE, F, G, and H, all encoded in a tandem array on human chromosome 22. A3F and A3G are the most potent inhibitors of HIV-1, but only in the absence of the virus-encoded protein, Vif. HIV-1 utilizes Vif to abrogate A3 functions in the producer cells. More specifically, Vif, serving as a substrate receptor, facilitates ubiquitination of A3 proteins by forming a Cullin5 (Cul5)-based E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which targets A3 proteins for rapid proteasomal degradation. The specificity of A3 degradation is determined by the ability of Vif to bind to the target. Several lines of evidence have suggested that three distinct regions of A3 proteins are involved in the interaction with Vif. Here, we review the biological functions of A3 family members with special focus on A3G and base our analysis on the available structural information

An Educational Intervention of Interprofessional Learning in Community Based Health Care in Indonesia: What did We Learn from the Pilot Study?

Interprofessional learning (IPL) in community based health care (CBHC) was a pilot model to promote interprofessional education and collaborative practice in Indonesia and to offer the opportunity for medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health students to have hands-on experiences in IPL in community settings. The purpose of this article is to describe the IPL program and its implementation in CBHC and to present the students’ reaction towards the program. The study was conducted at the State Islamic University in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2012. Sixty two third-year students, 20 faculty members as tutors, 20 people as standardized patients (SPs) and 15 real patients volunteered and completed this program. Students attended a four-day workshop, a two-day simulation and practiced IPL for two months. The evaluation program applied a mixed-method design and showed that the success of the program was due to designing the program based on theoretical grounds in learning and social domains, applying various teaching methods (small group learning techniques, practice-based learning, and reflective practice) and providing a supportive environment for informal activities. The usefulness of this program was evident from a significant quantifiable improvement in student satisfaction. However, the high rate of student withdrawal from the program was the main issue as the program was not integrated into the curriculum.  It needs support from university structures to handle the complexity of professional curricula and the boundaries between faculty/disciplines. Keywords: evaluation program, educational intervention, interprofessional learning, community settin

Psychometric Item Analysis and Validation of Indonesian Version of Intragroup Conflict and Group Atmosphere Scale

Interprofessional education (IPE) is a learning model that brings together a variety of professions. This learning has the potential for the emergence of group conflict. It was needed the tools to evaluate the dynamics of conflict that arose within the group in IPE. The objective of this study was to validate the scales of intragroup conflict (IC) and group atmosphere (GA) in Indonesian version. A survey was conducted at the State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2011 and we collected 302 valid questionnaires from medical, nursing, pharmacy and public health students. The IC and GA scale were adapted in Indonesian language through the cross-cultural adaptation process. The psychometric properties were analyzed by both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA of IC scale on 11-items and GA scale on 8-items accounted for 65.1% and 62.0%, respectively, of the total variance. The final model of IC scale is 10 items three-factors and GA scale is of 8-items three-factors. Both scales demonstrated the satisfactory reliability, adequate convergent validity and acceptable indices of goodness of fit. The study suggested that the Indonesian version of IC and GA scale are valid to assess the attitudes to manage intragroup conflict during IPE

キナ植物体内に生息するエンドファイト糸状菌もキナアルカロイドを産生する(発表論文抄録(2011))

We report that the endophytic filamentous fungus Diaporthe sp., isolated from Cinchona ledgeriana and cultivated in a synthetic liquid medium, produces Cinchona alkaloids (quinine, quinidine, cinchonidine, and cinchonine). This shows that Cinchona alkaloids are produced not only in Cinchona plant cells, but also in endophytic microbe cells.We report that the endophytic filamentous fungus Diaporthe sp., isolated from Cinchona ledgeriana and cultivated in a synthetic liquid medium, produces Cinchona alkaloids (quinine, quinidine, cinchonidine, and cinchonine). This shows that Cinchona alkaloids are produced not only in Cinchona plant cells, but also in endophytic microbe cells

Delayed Methotrexate Elimination after Administration of a Medium Dose of Methotrexate in a Patient with Genetic Variants Associated with Methotrexate Clearance

Polymorphisms in methotrexate transporter pathways have been associated with methotrexate toxicities and clearance. Recent genome-wide association studies have revealed that the SLCO1B1 T521C variant is associated with methotrexate elimination. We present a case of a pediatric patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who suffered from persistently high plasma methotrexate concentrations and acute kidney injuries after the admin-istration of a medium dose of methotrexate. Subsequent genetic analysis showed that he was a carrier of dys-functional genetic variants associated with methotrexate clearance. This case highlights that polymorphisms of methotrexate transporter pathways can adversely affect methotrexate elimination in a clinically significant manner

Lipomatous Pseudohypertrophy of the Pancreas Taking the Form of Huge Massive Lesion of the Pancreatic Head

A 70-year-old woman presented with hypogastric pain. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a retroperitoneal tumor 18.0 cm in diameter with fatty tissue density, ventrally compressing the pancreatic head. We suspected a well-differentiated liposarcoma compressing the pancreas. At laparotomy, the tumor mass was the size of an infant's head; its center was located in the area corresponding to the pancreatic uncus. It was continuous with the pancreatic parenchyma through a poorly demarcated border, and we resected as much of the tumor mass as possible while conserving the pancreatic capsule. Histopathological examination indicated lipomatous pseudohypertrophy of the pancreas with proliferation of mature fatty tissue as the main constituent. At the periphery, islands of acinar tissue were retained among the fatty infiltration, which also contained branches of the pancreatic duct and islets of Langerhans. Previous reports have stated that this disorder only causes fatty replacements throughout the pancreas or in the pancreatic body and tail; however, in this patient, imaging and macroscopic examination revealed no fatty replacements in the pancreatic body and tail. We report this case, which we consider extremely rare, along with a brief review of the literature

Rasio Senyawa Enansiomer sesamin di dalam kulit batang Pentaspadon motleyi (Anacardiaceae)

The barks of Pentaspadon motleyi Hook. f. (Anacardiaceae) were collected from the Poso district in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 1992 which it has been used traditionally as a remedy for malaria and tuberculosis in the local area. It was found that a mixture of (+)-sesamin (1) and (-)-sesamin (2) in a ratio of 100:86 were present together with lupeol in the bark of Pentaspadon motleyi. This was the first evidence of sesamin being isolated in almost equivalent amounts of (+)- and (-)-forms from a single plant species, and indicates that the biosynthetic pathway of sesamin in the plant is not enantioselective or fuzzy.Kulit batang Pentaspadon motleyi Hook. F (Anacardiaceae ) yang dikoleksi dari daerah Poso (Sulawesi Tengah), Indonesia tahun 1992 dan secara tradisional digunakan untuk pengobatan malaria dan tuberkolosis. Senyawa kimia dalam bentuk campuran (+)-sesamin (1) dan (-)-sesamin (2) dengan perbandingan 100:86 bersama dengan senyawa lupeol telah ditemukan dari kulit batang Pentaspadon motleyi. Ini adalah laporan yang pertama kali bahwa sesamin yang diisolasi yang mempunyai jumlah hampir sama antara (+)-sesamin dan (-)-sesamin dari satu spesies tanaman ini, dan ini menunjukkan bahwa jalan biosíntesis sesamin dalam tanaman tersebut tidak enansioselektif atau tidak begitu jelas

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of Chronic Pain through a Self-managed Behavioral Exercise Program : A Pilot Study in Japan

We conducted this study to determine the short-term treatment outcomes of multidisciplinary approaches to chronic pain management for outpatients in Japan. We evaluated pain reduction and improvement in quality of life (QOL) after treatment. We analyzed 32 patients who had experienced intractable chronic pain for > 3 months. The patients received multidisciplinary therapeutic self-managed exercise instructions and then underwent evaluations 1 and 3 months after the treatment. We used the Pain Disability Short Form-36 (SF-36), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Pain Disability Assessment Scale (PDAS) to evaluate QOL. Although the pain levels were the same before and after the physical exercise program, the patients showed significant improvements in physical function on the SF-36 (48.5 vs. 54.5, 3 months vs. 1 month; p=0.0124), the magnification subscale on the PCS (6.8 vs. 5.9, 1 month vs. before; p=0.0164) and the PDAS (29.2 vs. 23.4, 3 months vs. before; p=0.0055). Chronic pain should be treated with a biopsychosocial approach, but time constraints and costs have limited the implementation of multidisciplinary and behavioral approaches to chronic pain management. Our findings demonstrate that clinical improvements are possible for patients with chronic pain, using multidisciplinary team resources widely available in Japanese clinical practice

Epigenetic alterations in sperm associated with male infertility

The most common form of male infertility is a low sperm count, known as oligozoospermia. Studies suggest that oligozoospermia is associated with epigenetic alterations. Epigenetic alterations in sperm, which may arise due to the exposure of gametes to environmental factors or those that pre-exist in the sperm of infertile individuals, may contribute to the increased incidence of normally rare imprinting disorders in babies conceived after assisted reproductive technology using the sperm of infertile men. Genomic imprinting is an important developmental process whereby the allelic activity of certain genes is regulated by DNA methylation established during gametogenesis. The aberrant expression of several imprinted genes has been linked to various diseases, malignant tumors, lifestyle and mental disorders in humans. Understanding how infertility and environmental factors such as reproductive toxicants, certain foods, and drug exposures during gametogenesis contribute to the origins of these disorders via defects in sperm is of paramount importance. In this review, we discuss the association of epigenetic alterations with abnormal spermatogenesis and the evidence that epigenetic processes, including those required for genomic imprinting, may be sensitive to environmental exposures during gametogenesis, fertilization and early embryonic development. In addition, we review imprinting diseases and their relationships with environmental factors. While the plasticity of epigenetic marks may make these more susceptible to modification by the environment, this also suggests that aberrant epigenetic marks may be reversible. A greater understanding of this process and the function of epidrugs may lead to the development of new treatment methods for many adult diseases in the future