The 3rd Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference, 14-18 April 2012, Florence, Italy: Summaries of oral sessions

The 3rd Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference was held in Florence, Italy, April 14-18, 2012 and this year had as its emphasis, "The Globalization of Research". Student travel awardees served as rapporteurs for each oral session and focused their summaries on the most significant findings that emerged and the discussions that followed. The following report is a composite of these summaries. We hope that it will provide an overview for those who were present, but could not participate in all sessions, and those who did not have the opportunity to attend, but who would be interested in an update on current investigations ongoing in the field of schizophrenia research. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three time-based scale formulations for the two-stage lot sizing and scheduling in process industries

In this paper, we propose three novel mathematical models for the two-stage lot-sizing and scheduling problems present in many process industries. The problem shares a continuous or quasi-continuous production feature upstream and a discrete manufacturing feature downstream, which must be synchronized. Different time-based scale representations are discussed. The first formulation encompasses a discrete-time representation. The second one is a hybrid continuous-discrete model. The last formulation is based on a continuous-time model representation. Computational tests with state-of-the-art MIP solver show that the discrete-time representation provides better feasible solutions in short running time. On the other hand, the hybrid model achieves better solutions for longer computational times and was able to prove optimality more often. The continuous-type model is the most flexible of the three for incorporating additional operational requirements, at a cost of having the worst computational performance. Journal of the Operational Research Society (2012) 63, 1613-1630. doi:10.1057/jors.2011.159 published online 7 March 2012

Toll-like receptor 9 activation: a novel mechanism linking placenta-derived mitochondrial DNA and vascular dysfunction in pre-eclampsia

Emerging evidence suggests that in addition to being the 'power houses' of our cells, mitochondria facilitate effector responses of the immune system. Cell death and injury result in the release of mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) that acts via TLR9 (Toll-like receptor 9), a pattern recognition receptor of the immune system which detects bacterial and viral DNA but not vertebrate DNA. The ability of mtDNA to activate TLR9 in a similar fashion to bacterial DNA stems from evolutionarily conserved similarities between bacteria and mitochondria. mtDNA may be the trigger of systemic inflammation in pathologies associated with abnormal cell death. PE (pre-eclampsia) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy with devastating maternal and fetal consequences. The aetiology of PE is unknown and removal of the placenta is the only effective cure. Placentas from women with PE show exaggerated necrosis of trophoblast cells, and circulating levels of mtDNA are higher in pregnancies with PE. Accordingly, we propose the hypothesis that exaggerated necrosis of trophoblast cells results in the release of mtDNA, which stimulates TLR9 to mount an immune response and to produce systemic maternal inflammation and vascular dysfunction that lead to hypertension and IUGR (intra-uterine growth restriction). The proposed hypothesis implicates mtDNA in the development of PE via activation of the immune system and may have important preventative and therapeutic implications, because circulating mtDNA may be potential markers of early detection of PE, and anti-TLR9 treatments may be promising in the management of the disease.

Generating unconstrained two-dimensional non-guillotine cutting patterns by a Recursive Partitioning Algorithm

In this study, a dynamic programming approach to deal with the unconstrained two-dimensional non-guillotine cutting problem is presented. The method extends the recently introduced recursive partitioning approach for the manufacturer's pallet loading problem. The approach involves two phases and uses bounds based on unconstrained two-staged and non-staged guillotine cutting. The method is able to find the optimal cutting pattern of a large number of pro blem instances of moderate sizes known in the literature and a counterexample for which the approach fails to find known optimal solutions was not found. For the instances that the required computer runtime is excessive, the approach is combined with simple heuristics to reduce its running time. Detailed numerical experiments show the reliability of the method. Journal of the Operational Research Society (2012) 63, 183-200. doi: 10.1057/jors.2011.6 Published online 17 August 2011

STIM 1/Orai 1 contributes to sex differences in vascular responses to calcium in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Sex differences in Ca2+-dependent signalling and homoeostasis in the vasculature of hypertensive rats are well characterized. However, sex-related differences in SOCE (store-operated Ca2+ entry) have been minimally investigated. We hypothesized that vascular protection in females, compared with males, reflects decreased Ca2+ mobilization due to diminished activation of Orai 1/STIM 1 (stromal interaction molecule I). In addition, we investigated whether ovariectomy in females affects the activation of the Orai 1/STIM 1 pathway. Endothelium-denuded aortic rings from male and female SHRSP (stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats) and WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats and from OVX (ovariectomized) or sham female SHRSP and WKY rats were used to functionally evaluate Ca2+ influx-induced contractions. Compared with females, aorta from male SHRSP displayed: (i) increased contraction during the Ca2+-loading period; (ii) similar transient contraction during Ca2+ release from the intracellular stores; (iii) increased activation of STIM 1 and Orai1, as shown by the blockade of STIM 1 and Orai1 with neutralizing antibodies, which reversed the sex differences in contraction during the Ca2+-loading period; and (iv) increased expression of STIM I and Orai I. Additionally, we found that aortas from OVX-SHRSP showed increased contraction during the Ca2+-loading period and increased Orai1 expression, but no changes in the SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum)-buffering capacity or STIM I expression. These findings suggest that augmented activation of STIM 1/Orai 1 in aortas from male SHRSP represents a mechanism that contributes to sex-related impaired control of intracellular Ca2+ levels. Furthermore, female sex hormones may negatively modulate the STIM/Orai 1 pathway, contributing to vascular protection observed in female rats.

Low-level laser therapy in collagenase-induced Achilles tendinitis in rats: Analyses of biochemical and biomechanical aspects

NSAIDs are widely prescribed and used over the years to treat tendon injuries despite its well-known long-term side effects. In the last years several animal and human trials have shown that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) presents modulatory effects on inflammatory markers, however the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effects of LLLT or sodium diclofenac treatments on biochemical markers and biomechanical properties of inflamed Achilles tendons. Wistar rats Achilles tendons (n?=?6/group) were injected with saline (control) or collagenase at peritendinous area of Achilles tendons. After 1?h animals were treated with two different doses of LLLT (810?nm, 1 and 3?J) at the sites of the injections, or with intramuscular sodium diclofenac. Regarding biochemical analyses, LLLT significantly decreased (p?<?0.05) COX-2, TNF-a, MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13 gene expression, as well as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production when compared to collagenase group. Interestingly, diclofenac treatment only decreased PGE2 levels. Biomechanical properties were preserved in the laser-treated groups when compared to collagenase and diclofenac groups. We conclude that LLLT was able to reduce tendon inflammation and to preserve tendon resistance and elasticity. (c) 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:19451951, 2012

A Comparative Analysis between Ultrasonometry and Computer-Aided Tomography to Evaluate Bone Healing

An ultrasonometric and computed-tomographic study of bone healing was undertaken using a model of a transverse mid-shaft osteotomy of sheep tibiae fixed with a semi-flexible external fixator. Fourteen sheep were operated and divided into two groups of seven according to osteotomy type, either regular or by segmental resection. The animals were killed on the 90th postoperative day and the tibiae resected for the in vitro direct contact transverse and axial measurement of ultrasound propagation velocity (UV) followed by quantitative computer-aided tomography (callus density and volume) through the osteotomy site. The intact left tibiae were used for control, being examined in a symmetrical diaphyseal segment. Regular osteotomies healed with a smaller and more mature callus than resection osteotomies. Axial UV was consistently and significantly higher (p?=?0.01) than transverse UV and both transverse and axial UV were significantly higher for the regular than for the segmental resection osteotomy. Transverse UV did not differ significantly between the intact and operated tibiae (p?=?0.20 for regular osteotomy; p?=?0.02 for resection osteotomy), but axial UV was significantly higher for the intact tibiae. Tomographic callus density was significantly higher for the regular than for the resection osteotomy and higher than both for the intact tibiae, presenting a strong positive correlation with UV. Callus volume presented an opposite behavior, with a negative correlation with UV. We conclude that UV is at least as precise as quantitative tomography for providing information about the healing state of both regular and resection osteotomy. (C) 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:10761082, 2012

Models for capacitated lot-sizing problem with backlogging, setup carryover and crossover

Setup operations are significant in some production environments. It is mandatory that their production plans consider some features, as setup state conservation across periods through setup carryover and crossover. The modelling of setup crossover allows more flexible decisions and is essential for problems with long setup times. This paper proposes two models for the capacitated lot-sizing problem with backlogging and setup carryover and crossover. The first is in line with other models from the literature, whereas the second considers a disaggregated setup variable, which tracks the starting and completion times of the setup operation. This innovative approach permits a more compact formulation. Computational results show that the proposed models have outperformed other state-of-the-art formulation.

Similar ethanol drinking in adolescent and adult C57BL/6J mice after chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence shows that excessive alcohol consumption during adolescence increases vulnerability to alcohol use disorders in adulthood. The aim of this study was to examine differences between adolescent and adult C57BL/6J mice in drinking behavior and blood ethanol (EtOH) concentrations (BECs) after chronic EtOH exposure and withdrawal. METHODS: Male adolescent (PND = 28 to 30) and adult (PND = 70) C57BL/6J mice were allowed to consume EtOH in a 2-bottle choice paradigm (15% EtOH vs. water) for 3 weeks (Baseline drinking, Test 1, and Test 2), which were interspersed with 2 cycles (Cycles I and II) of chronic EtOH vapor or air inhalation (16 hours) and withdrawal (8 hours). BECs were determined during both cycles. RESULTS: Chronic EtOH exposure led to increased EtOH intake during Test 1 and Test 2 in both adolescent and adult mice compared with air-exposed controls, and no differences between age groups were observed. During Cycle I adult mice showed higher BECs compared with adolescents. During Cycle II, BECs were lower in adult mice as compared to Cycle I, and BECs in adolescent mice did not change between the 2 cycles. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic EtOH exposure followed by withdrawal periods increases EtOH consumption similarly in both adolescent and adult mice, despite differences in BECs