Elastic Propagation in random media: applications to the imaging of volcano structures

High-frequency seismograms contain features that reflect the random inhomogeneities of the earth. In this work I use an imaging method to locate the high contrast small- scale heterogeneity respect to the background earth medium. This method was first introduced by Nishigami (1991) and than applied to different volcanic and tectonically active areas (Nishigami, 1997, Nishigami, 2000, Nishigami, 2006). The scattering imaging method is applied to two volcanic areas: Campi Flegrei and Mt. Vesuvius. Volcanic and seismological active areas are often characterized by complex velocity structures, due to the presence of rocks with different elastic properties. I introduce some modifications to the original method in order to make it suitable for small and highly complex media. In particular, for very complex media the single scattering approximation assumed by Nishigami (1991) is not applicable as the mean free path becomes short. The multiple scattering or diffusive approximation become closer to the reality. In this thesis, differently from the ordinary Nishigami’s method (Nishigami, 1991), I use the mean of the recorded coda envelope as reference curve and calculate the variations from this average envelope. In this way I implicitly do not assume any particular scattering regime for the "average" scattered radiation, whereas I consider the variations as due to waves that are singularly scattered from the strongest heterogeneities. The imaging method is applied to a relatively small area (20 x 20 km), this choice being justified by the small length of the analyzed codas of the low magnitude earthquakes. I apply the unmodified Nishigami’s method to the volcanic area of Campi Flegrei and compare the results with the other tomographies done in the same area. The scattering images, obtained with frequency waves around 18 Hz, show the presence of high scatterers in correspondence with the submerged caldera rim in the southern part of the Pozzuoli bay. Strong scattering is also found below the Solfatara crater, characterized by the presence of densely fractured, fluid-filled rocks and by a strong thermal anomaly. The modified Nishigami’s technique is applied to the Mt. Vesuvius area. Results show a low scattering area just below the central cone and a high scattering area around it. The high scattering zone seems to be due to the contrast between the high rigidity body located beneath the crater and the low rigidity materials located around it. The central low scattering area overlaps the hydrothermal reservoirs located below the central cone. An interpretation of the results in terms of geological properties of the medium is also supplied, aiming to find a correspondence of the scattering properties and the geological nature of the material. A complementary result reported in this thesis is that the strong heterogeneity of the volcanic medium create a phenomenon called "coda localization". It has been verified that the shape of the seismograms recorded from the stations located at the top of the volcanic edifice of Mt. Vesuvius is different from the shape of the seismograms recorded at the bottom. This behavior is justified by the consideration that the coda energy is not uniformly distributed within a region surrounding the source for great lapse time.

Strategisches TV-Management: Erlösdiversifizierung privater deutscher Free-TV-Unternehmen

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Erlösdiversifizierung privater deutscher Free-TV-Unternehmen. Im Zentrum stehen dabei die Entwicklung eines Nutzwerttheo-rie-basierten Modells zur Bestimmung attraktiver Diversifikationsfelder und dessen empirische Überprüfung. Zur Modellbildung werden sowohl der market-based als auch der resource-based View des strategischen Managements berücksichtigt und methodisch integriert. Zunächst werden anhand von Fallstudien der Mediengruppe RTL Deutsch-land und der ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG der strategische Optionsraum bestehend aus 15 Diversifizierungsmärkten identifiziert und die Kernressourcen deutscher Free-TV-Unternehmen untersucht. Aufbauend auf den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen wird das soge-nannte COAT-Diversifizierungsmodell als Rahmenmodell für die Planung und Bewer-tung von Diversifizierungsstrategien entworfen (COAT = Online Content Distribution, Offline Activities und Add-On Services/ Transaction TV). Durch eine ausführliche Be-fragung von 26 hochrangigen Managern, Senderchefs und Branchenbeobachtern der deutschen TV-Industrie wird das entworfene Modell überprüft und die Attraktivität der identifizierten Diversifizierungsmärkte ermittelt. Im Zentrum des Modells und der Ex-pertenbefragung steht die Durchführung einer Nutzwertanalyse, anhand derer zum einen die Marktattraktivität der verschiedenen Diversifizierungsmärkte ermittelt wird (market-based View), und zum anderen die Bedeutung der Kernressourcen eines Free-TV-Unternehmens in den verschiedenen Diversifizierungsmärkten untersucht wird (ressour-ce-based View). Hierzu werden für beide Dimensionen entsprechende Subkriterien de-finiert und eine Nutzwertbewertung für jedes Kriterium in jedem der 15 Märkte vorge-nommen. Aus den ermittelten Teilnutzwerten können für jeden untersuchten Markt ein übergreifender marktorientierter Nutzwert NM und ein ressourcenorienterter Nutzwert NR ermittelt werden. Im Resultat lässt sich ein Nutzwert-Portfolio aufspannen, in dem die 15 Diversifizierungsmärkte entsprechend ihrer ressourcen- und marktorientierten Nutzwertkombinationen in vier Gruppen kategorisiert werden: Diversifizierungsmärkte mit 1) sehr hoher Attraktivität, 2) hoher Marktchance, 3) hoher Opportunität oder rn4) geringer Attraktivität. Abschließend werden erste Normstrategien für die einzelnen Diversifizierungskategorien abgeleitet und die Eignung des COAT-Diversifizierungs-modells für die strategische Planung analysiert.rn

Mercato dell'informazione, posizionamento dei media e distorsioni: Un'analisi attraverso l'algoritmo Wordfish

Una stampa libera e plurale è un elemento fondante di ogni sistema democratico ed è fondamentale per la creazione di un’opinione pubblica informata e in grado di esercitare controllo e pressione sulle classi dirigenti. Dal momento della loro creazione i giornali si sono imposti come un’importantissima fonte di informazione per l’opinione pubblica. La seconda metà del Novecento, inoltre, ha conosciuto innovazioni tecnologiche che hanno portato grandi cambiamenti nel ruolo della carta stampata come veicolo di trasmissione delle notizie. Partendo dalla diffusione della televisione fino ad arrivare alla rivoluzione digitale degli anni ’90 e 2000, la velocità di creazione e di trasmissione delle informazioni è aumentata esponenzialmente, i costi di produzione e di acquisizione delle notizie sono crollati e una quantità enorme di dati, che possono fornire moltissime informazioni relative alle idee e ai contenuti proposti dai diversi autori nel corso del tempo, è ora a disposizione di lettori e ricercatori. Tuttavia, anche se grazie alla rivoluzione digitale i costi materiali dei periodici si sono notevolmente ridotti, la produzione di notizie comporta altre spese e pertanto si inserisce in un contesto di mercato, sottoposto alle logiche della domanda e dell'offerta. In questo lavoro verrà analizzato il ruolo della domanda e della non perfetta razionalità dei lettori nel mercato delle notizie, partendo dall’assunto che la differenza di opinioni dei consumatori spinge le testate a regolare l’offerta di contenuti, per venire incontro alla domanda di mercato, per verificare l’applicabilità del modello utilizzato (Mullainhatan e Shleifer, 2005) al contesto italiano. A tale scopo si è analizzato il comportamento di alcuni quotidiani nazionali in occasione di due eventi che hanno profondamente interessato l'opinione pubblica italiana: il fenomeno dei flussi migratori provenienti dalla sponda sud del Mediterraneo nel mese di ottobre 2013 e l'epidemia di influenza H1N1 del 2009.

Synthese und Evaluierung von (Radio)Liganden für den Free Fatty Acid Rezeptor 1

Der Free Fatty Acid Receptor 1 (FFAR1) ist ein G-Protein gekoppelter Rezeptor, welcher neben einer hohen Expression im Gehirn auch eine verstärkte Expressionsrate auf den β-Zellen des Pankreas aufweist. Diese Expressionsmuster machen ihn zu einem idealen Target für die Visualisierung der sogenannten β-Zell-Masse mittels molekularer bildgebender Verfahren wie der PET. Eine Entwicklung geeigneter Radiotracer für die β-Zell-Bildgebung würde sowohl für die Diagnostik als auch für die Therapie von Typ-1- und Typ-2-Diabetes ein wertvolles Hilfsmittel darstellen.rnAufbauend auf einem von Sasaki et al. publiziertem Agonisten mit einem vielversprechendem EC50-Wert von 5,7 nM wurden dieser Agonist und zwei weitere darauf basierende 19F-substituierte Moleküle als Referenzverbindungen synthetisiert (DZ 1-3). Für die 18F-Markierung der Moleküle DZ 2 und DZ 3 wurden die entsprechenden Markierungsvorläufer (MV 1-3) synthetisiert und anschließend die Reaktionsparameter hinsichtlich Temperatur, Lösungsmittel, Basensystem und Reaktionszeit für die nukleophile n.c.a. 18F-Fluorierung optimiert. Die abschließende Entschützung zum fertigen Radiotracer wurde mit NaOH-Lösung durchgeführt und die Tracer injektionsfertig in isotonischer NaCl-Lösung mit radiochemischen Ausbeuten von 26,9 % ([18F]DZ 2) und 39 % ([18F]DZ 3) erhalten.rnZusätzlich wurde ein Chelator zur 68Ga-Markierung an den Liganden gekoppelt (Verb. 46) und die Markierungsparameter optimiert. Nach erfolgter Markierung mit 95 % radiochemischer Ausbeute, wurde der Tracer abgetrennt und in vitro Stabilitätsstudien durchgeführt. Diese zeigten eine Stabilität von mehr als 90 % über 120 min in sowohl humanem Serum (37 °C) als auch isotonischer NaCl-Lösung.rnMit einem ebenfalls synthetisierten fluoreszenzmarkierten Derivat des Liganden (Verb. 43) wurden erste LSM-Bilder an sowohl Langerhansschen Inseln als auch FFAR1-tragenden RIN-M Zellen durchgeführt, welche einen vielversprechenden Uptake des neuen Liganden in die Zellen zeigen. Weitere Untersuchungen und biologische Evaluierungen stehen noch aus. Mit den Referenzsubstanzen wurden zusätzlich Vitalitätsstudien an Langerhansschen Inseln durchgeführt, um einen negativen toxischen Einfluss auszuschließen.rn

Relating the physicochemical characteristics and dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in different suspension media to their oxidative reactivity in vitro and inflammation in vivo

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is important in the toxicity of pathogenic particles such as fibres. We examined the oxidative potential of straight (50 microm and 10 microm) and tangled carbon nanotubes in a cell free assay, in vitro and in vivo using different dispersants. The cell free oxidative potential of tangled nanotubes was higher than for the straight fibres. In cultured macrophages tangled tubes exhibited significantly more ROS at 30 min, while straight tubes increased ROS at 4 h. ROS was significantly higher in bronchoalveolar lavage cells of animals instilled with tangled and 10 mum straight fibres, whereas the number of neutrophils increased only in animals treated with the long tubes. Addition of dispersants in the suspension media lead to enhanced ROS detection by entangled tubes in the cell-free system. Tangled fibres generated more ROS in a cell-free system and in cultured cells, while straight fibres generated a slower but more prolonged effect in animals.

Prospective study of fetal DNA in serum and disease activity during pregnancy in women with inflammatory arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) usually improves during pregnancy and recurs postpartum. Fetal cells and cell-free DNA reach the maternal circulation during normal pregnancy. The present study investigated dynamic changes in levels of fetal DNA in serum from women with RA and inflammatory arthritis during and after pregnancy to test the hypothesis that the levels of circulating fetal DNA correlate with arthritis improvement. METHODS: Twenty-five pregnant patients were prospectively studied. A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction panel targeting unshared, paternally transmitted HLA sequences, a Y chromosome-specific sequence, or an insertion sequence within the glutathione S-transferase M1 gene was used to measure cell-free fetal DNA. Results were expressed as fetal genomic equivalents per milliliter (gE/ml) of maternal serum. Physical examinations were conducted during and after pregnancy. RESULTS: Levels of fetal DNA in women with improvement in or remission of arthritis were higher than those in women with active disease, especially in the third trimester. Overall, an inverse relationship between serum fetal DNA levels and disease activity was observed (P < 0.001). Serum fetal DNA increased with advancing gestation, reaching median levels of 24 gE/ml (range 0-334), 61 gE/ml (range 0-689), and 199 gE/ml (range 0-2,576) in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively, with fetal DNA clearance observed postpartum. Arthritis improvement was initially noted in the first trimester for most patients, increased further or was sustained with advancing gestation, and was active postpartum. CONCLUSION: Changes in serum fetal DNA levels correlated with arthritis improvement during pregnancy and recurrence postpartum. Immunologic mechanisms by which pregnancy might modulate RA activity are described.

Serum leptin and C-reactive protein levels in the physiological spontaneous menstrual cycle in reproductive age women

OBJECTIVE: Only a few studies have investigated variations of different markers for inflammatory processes during the physiological menstrual cycle. The results are conflicting, particularly concerning the correlation between the marker leptin and steroid hormones. The aim of the study was to investigate the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin in the serum of healthy, normally ovulating women and to correlate these with each other and with the hormones of the gonadal axis. A cycle-dependence of the markers studied would imply an exact timing of the blood sampling for clinical needs. DESIGN: Observational study investigating the two inflammatory markers CRP and leptin in relation to the hormonal pattern of the gonadal axis during the normal cycle. METHODS: Ovulatory cycles of 36 healthy, young, normo-androgenic women, having a normal body mass index were evaluated. Serum concentrations of leptin and CRP, as well as of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, 17beta-oestradiol, progesterone, prolactin (PRL) and free testosterone were measured every 1-2 days during one full cycle. RESULTS: Serum levels of leptin and CRP behaved differently during ovulatory cycles, with higher concentrations for leptin only during certain phases. Significant correlations were found in the follicular phase between leptin and PRL and leptin and free testosterone. CONCLUSIONS: Leptin levels change during the menstrual cycle. Leptin levels are more stable on cycle days 1-5 than later in the cycle. For precise cycle-independent measurements, these fluctuations have to be taken into account. There is no similar cyclic pattern for CRP.

Diagnostic significance of Neospora caninum DNA detected by PCR in cattle serum

A nested PCR that successfully detected Neospora caninum DNA in serum of cattle was used for investigation of selected abortion cases and in a study of healthy pregnant cows at an abattoir. N. caninum DNA was not detected in serum from antibody positive dams that aborted due to N. caninum, but was present in serum of some antibody negative dams that aborted due to other causes. N. caninum DNA was also found in the serum of about half of the animals that aborted of undetermined cause, but was not detected in cow sera from two beef cattle herds in Western Australia with no recent history of abortion. In the abattoir study of 79 dams and their foetuses N. caninum DNA was found in serum of 3 dams and in material from 11 foetuses. The majority of the cows and all foetuses were antibody negative. Our findings suggest that there is no obvious relationship between the presence or absence of N. caninum DNA in serum and the presence of antibodies to N. caninum in dams, the presence of N. caninum DNA in foetuses or abortion due to N. caninum. This is the first report of the detection of N. caninum DNA in serum of cattle rather than the white blood cell fraction. It indicates the presence of free tachyzoites and/or parasite DNA in circulation. The results suggest that persistent infection in the absence of antibodies is a possible outcome of N. caninum infection. Infection of foetuses in the absence of antibodies supports the possibility of persistent infection due to immunotolerance to an early in utero infection. It is therefore important to test for N. caninum DNA as well as antibodies for the detection of exposed and/or infected animals. However, the presence or absence of N. caninum antibodies or DNA did not support nor exclude N. caninum as the cause of abortion. Additional criteria are required for a positive diagnosis of abortion caused by N. caninum.

Continuous or repeated prolonged cisplatin infusions in children: a prospective study on ototoxicity, platinum concentrations, and standard serum parameters

BACKGROUND: To overcome the ototoxicity of cisplatin, single bolus infusions were replaced by repeated prolonged infusions of lower doses or by continuous infusions at still lower infusion rates. However, considering ototoxicity little is, in fact, known about the tolerance of repeated prolonged or continuous infusion in children. PROCEDURE: Auditory function was monitored along with plasma concentrations of free and total platinum (Pt), and with standard serum parameters (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, chloride, and creatinine) in 24 children receiving cisplatin by continuous infusion for the treatment of neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma or by repeated 1 or 6 hr infusions for the treatment of germ cell tumors. RESULTS: Hearing deteriorated in 10/15 osteosarcoma patients, 2/3 neuroblastoma patients, and 1/6 patients with germ cell tumors. Ototoxicity occurred after cumulative doses between 120 and 360 mg/m(2) cisplatin. In osteosarcoma patients, ototoxicity was associated with a comparatively higher mean plasma concentration of free Pt. However, Pt plasma concentrations did not discriminate between patients with or without ototoxicity. In patients experiencing ototoxicity serum creatinine increased by 45% compared to pre-treatment levels (mean). Serum creatinine increased by 26% in patients without ototoxicity (P < 0.05, Mann-Whitney Rank sum test). Despite standardized hydration, discrete but significant changes of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphate were observed during and/or after cisplatin infusion, which, however, did not discriminate between patients with and without ototoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: While continuous cisplatin infusions are less nephrotoxic than repeated prolonged infusions, we observed considerable ototoxicity in patients treated with continuous cisplatin infusions, which necessitates further evaluations on the tolerance of continuous cisplatin infusions in children.

Prognosis in pediatric hematologic malignancies is associated with serum concentration of mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2)

BACKGROUND: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and MBL-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) are key components of the lectin pathway of complement activation. Their serum concentrations show a wide interindividual variability. This study investigated whether the concentration of MBL and MASP-2 is associated with prognosis in pediatric patients with cancer. METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study, MBL and MASP-2 were measured by commercially available ELISA in frozen remnants of serum taken at diagnosis. Associations of overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) with MBL and MASP-2 were assessed by multivariate Cox regression accounting for prognostically relevant clinical variables. RESULTS: In the 372 patients studied, median serum concentration of MBL was 2,808 microg/L (range, 2-10,060) and 391 microg/L (46-2,771) for MASP-2. The estimated 4-year EFS was 0.60 (OS, 0.78). In the entire, heterogeneous sample, MBL and MASP-2 were not significantly associated with OS or EFS. In patients with hematologic malignancies, however, higher MASP-2 was associated with better EFS in a significant and clinically relevant way (hazard ratio per tenfold increase (HR), 0.22; 95% CI, 0.09-0.54; P = 0.001). This was due to patients with lymphoma (HR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.03-0.47; P = 0.003), but less for those with acute leukemia (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.11-1.15; P = 0.083). CONCLUSION: In this study, higher MASP-2 was associated with better EFS in pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies, especially lymphoma. Whether MASP-2 is an independent prognostic factor affecting risk stratification and anticancer therapy needs to be assessed in prospective, disease-specific studies.

Optimal beam forming for laser beam propagation through random media

Focusing optical beams on a target through random propagation media is very important in many applications such as free space optical communica- tions and laser weapons. Random media effects such as beam spread and scintillation can degrade the optical system's performance severely. Compensation schemes are needed in these applications to overcome these random media effcts. In this research, we investigated the optimal beams for two different optimization criteria: one is to maximize the concentrated received intensity and the other is to minimize the scintillation index at the target plane. In the study of the optimal beam to maximize the weighted integrated intensity, we derive a similarity relationship between pupil-plane phase screen and extended Huygens-Fresnel model, and demonstrate the limited utility of maximizing the average integrated intensity. In the study ofthe optimal beam to minimize the scintillation index, we derive the first- and second-order moments for the integrated intensity of multiple coherent modes. Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modes are used as the coherent modes to synthesize an optimal partially coherent beam. The optimal beams demonstrate evident reduction of scintillation index, and prove to be insensitive to the aperture averaging effect.

Evaluation of reproducibility of protein identification results after multidimensional human serum protein separation

We developed a gel- and label-free proteomics platform for comparative studies of human serum. The method involves the depletion of the six most abundant proteins, protein fractionation by Off-Gel IEF and RP-HPLC, followed by tryptic digestion, LC-MS/MS, protein identification, and relative quantification using probabilistic peptide match score summation (PMSS). We evaluated performance and reproducibility of the complete platform and the individual dimensions, by using chromatograms of the RP-HPLC runs, PMSS based abundance scores and abundance distributions as objective endpoints. We were interested if a relationship exists between the quantity ratio and the PMSS score ratio. The complete analysis was performed four times with two sets of serum samples containing different concentrations of spiked bovine beta-lactoglobulin (0.1 and 0.3%, w/w). The two concentrations resulted in significantly differing PMSS scores when compared to the variability in PMSS scores of all other protein identifications. We identified 196 proteins, of which 116 were identified four times in corresponding fractions whereof 73 qualified for relative quantification. Finally, we characterized the PMSS based protein abundance distributions with respect to the two dimensions of fractionation and discussed some interesting patterns representing discrete isoforms. We conclude that combination of Off-Gel electrophoresis (OGE) and HPLC is a reproducible protein fractionation technique, that PMSS is applicable for relative quantification, that the number of quantifiable proteins is always smaller than the number of identified proteins and that reproducibility of protein identifications should supplement probabilistic acceptance criteria.

Serum metabolomics reveals irreversible inhibition of fatty acid beta-oxidation through the suppression of PPARalpha activation as a contributing mechanism of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity

Metabolic bioactivation, glutathione depletion, and covalent binding are the early hallmark events after acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. However, the subsequent metabolic consequences contributing to APAP-induced hepatic necrosis and apoptosis have not been fully elucidated. In this study, serum metabolomes of control and APAP-treated wild-type and Cyp2e1-null mice were examined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and multivariate data analysis. A dose-response study showed that the accumulation of long-chain acylcarnitines in serum contributes to the separation of wild-type mice undergoing APAP-induced hepatotoxicity from other mouse groups in a multivariate model. This observation, in conjunction with the increase of triglycerides and free fatty acids in the serum of APAP-treated wild-type mice, suggested that APAP treatment can disrupt fatty acid beta-oxidation. A time-course study further indicated that both wild-type and Cyp2e1-null mice had their serum acylcarnitine levels markedly elevated within the early hours of APAP treatment. While remaining high in wild-type mice, serum acylcarnitine levels gradually returned to normal in Cyp2e1-null mice at the end of the 24 h treatment. Distinct from serum aminotransferase activity and hepatic glutathione levels, the pattern of serum acylcarnitine accumulation suggested that acylcarnitines can function as complementary biomarkers for monitoring the APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. An essential role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in the regulation of serum acylcarnitine levels was established by comparing the metabolomic responses of wild-type and Ppara-null mice to a fasting challenge. The upregulation of PPARalpha activity following APAP treatment was transient in wild-type mice but was much more prolonged in Cyp2e1-null mice. Overall, serum metabolomics of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity revealed that the CYP2E1-mediated metabolic activation and oxidative stress following APAP treatment can cause irreversible inhibition of fatty acid oxidation, potentially through suppression of PPARalpha-regulated pathways.

Novel cell-free strategy for therapeutic angiogenesis: in vitro generated conditioned medium can replace progenitor cell transplantation

BACKGROUND: Current evidence suggests that endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) contribute to ischemic tissue repair by both secretion of paracrine factors and incorporation into developing vessels. We tested the hypothesis that cell-free administration of paracrine factors secreted by cultured EPC may achieve an angiogenic effect equivalent to cell therapy. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: EPC-derived conditioned medium (EPC-CM) was obtained from culture expanded EPC subjected to 72 hours of hypoxia. In vitro, EPC-CM significantly inhibited apoptosis of mature endothelial cells and promoted angiogenesis in a rat aortic ring assay. The therapeutic potential of EPC-CM as compared to EPC transplantation was evaluated in a rat model of chronic hindlimb ischemia. Serial intramuscular injections of EPC-CM and EPC both significantly increased hindlimb blood flow assessed by laser Doppler (81.2+/-2.9% and 83.7+/-3.0% vs. 53.5+/-2.4% of normal, P<0.01) and improved muscle performance. A significantly increased capillary density (1.62+/-0.03 and 1.68+/-0.05/muscle fiber, P<0.05), enhanced vascular maturation (8.6+/-0.3 and 8.1+/-0.4/HPF, P<0.05) and muscle viability corroborated the findings of improved hindlimb perfusion and muscle function. Furthermore, EPC-CM transplantation stimulated the mobilization of bone marrow (BM)-derived EPC compared to control (678.7+/-44.1 vs. 340.0+/-29.1 CD34(+)/CD45(-) cells/1x10(5) mononuclear cells, P<0.05) and their recruitment to the ischemic muscles (5.9+/-0.7 vs. 2.6+/-0.4 CD34(+) cells/HPF, P<0.001) 3 days after the last injection. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Intramuscular injection of EPC-CM is as effective as cell transplantation for promoting tissue revascularization and functional recovery. Owing to the technical and practical limitations of cell therapy, cell free conditioned media may represent a potent alternative for therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic cardiovascular diseases.

Creative Commons Olympics. How Big Media is Learning to License From Amateur Authors

NBC Universal’s decision to use Creative Commons-licensed photographs in an Olympic broadcast is an example of how media conglomerates are experimenting with collaboration with amateurs, but it also reveals potential problems of letting non-lawyers negotiate copyright licensing agreements. In the process, NBC’s producers nearly opened the door for a multimillion-dollar infringement law suit. To avoid such pitfalls, media companies need to adopt policies and best practices for using amateur licensed works. These guidelines should instruct how a production can attribute collaborating authors and how the Open Content licensing terms affect the licensing of the productions. The guidelines should also instruct how producers can seek alternative licensing arrangements with amateurs and contribute back to the Open Content community.