Computational Paradigm to Elucidate the Effects of Arts-Based Approaches and Interventions: Individual and Collective Emerging Behaviors in Artwork Construction

Art therapy, as well as other arts-based therapies and interventions, is used to reduce pain, stress, depression, breathlessness and other symptoms in a wide variety of serious and chronic diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer and schizophrenia. Arts-based approaches are also known to contribute to one’s well-being and quality of life. However, much research is required, since the mechanisms by which these non-pharmacological treatments exert their therapeutic and psychosocial effects are not adequately understood. A typical clinical setting utilizing the arts consists of the creation work itself, such as the artwork, as well as the therapist and the patient, all of which constitute a rich and dynamic environment of occurrences. The underlying complex, simultaneous and interwoven processes of this setting are often considered intractable to human observers, and as a consequence are usually interpreted subjectively and described verbally, which affect their subsequent analyses and understanding. We introduce a computational research method for elucidating and analyzing emergent expressive and social behaviors, aiming to understand how arts-based approaches operate. Our methodology, which centers on the visual language of Statecharts and tools for its execution, enables rigorous qualitative and quantitative tracking, analysis and documentation of the underlying creation and interaction processes. Also, it enables one to carry out exploratory, hypotheses-generating and knowledge discovery investigations, which are empirical-based. Furthermore, we illustrate our method’s use in a proof-of-principle study, applying it to a real-world artwork investigation with human participants. We explore individual and collective emergent behaviors impacted by diverse drawing tasks, yielding significant gender and age hypotheses, which may account for variation factors in response to art use. We also discuss how to gear our research method to systematic and mechanistic investigations, as we wish to provide a broad empirical evidence for the uptake of arts-based approaches, also aiming to ameliorate their use in clinical settings.     

The suppressive effect of delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol on the steroidogenic activity of rat granulosa cells in culture

In previous study the major psychoactive ingredient of marihuana (delta 1-THC) has been shown to inhibit ovarian prostaglandin synthesis when administered to normally cycling rats in the early afternoon of proestrus. These results suggested a direct suppressive effect of the drug on the ovary. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of delta 1-THC on steroidogenesis in granulosa cells (GC) in vitro. Incubation of GC with delta 1-THC (10-50 microM) effectively inhibited LH-stimulatable progestin production. This suppressive effect was not abolished by washing the cells after 24 h of culture in the presence of delta 1-THC, indicating the irreversible nature of the blocking effect of delta 1-THC. By contrast, estradiol production following incubation of GC with testosterone (1 microgram/ml) was not inhibited by similar concentrations of delta 1-THC, thus suggesting that delta 1-THC does not inhibit aromatase activity in GC. In addition, delta 1-THC was shown to inhibit cAMP production as well as 125I-hCG binding capacity to GC. Administration of 8-Br-cAMP did not abolish the delta 1-THC-induced block, suggesting that the drug probably acts distal to the cAMP site of action.     

Control of knee coronal plane moment via modulation of center of pressure: a prospective gait analysis study

ObjectivesFootwear-generated biomechanical manipulations (e.g., wedge insoles) have been shown to reduce the magnitude of adduction moment about the knee. The theory behind wedged insoles is that a more laterally shifted location of the center of pressure reduces the distance between the ground reaction force and the center of the knee joint, thereby reducing adduction moment during gait. However, the relationship between the center of pressure and the knee adduction moment has not been studied previously. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the location of the center of pressure and the relative magnitude of the knee adduction moment during gait in healthy men.MethodsA novel foot-worn biomechanical device which allows controlled manipulation of the center of pressure location was utilized. Twelve healthy men underwent successive gait analysis testing in a controlled setting and with the device set to convey three different para-sagittal locations of the center of pressure: neutral, medial offset and lateral offset.ResultsThe knee adduction moment during the stance phase significantly correlated with the shift of the center of pressure from the functional neutral sagittal axis in the coronal plane (i.e., from medial to lateral). The moment was reduced with the lateral sagittal axis configuration and augmented with the medial sagittal axis configuration.ConclusionsThe study results confirm the hypothesis of a direct correlation between the coronal location of the center of pressure and the magnitude of the knee adduction moment.     

SIAH-1 interacts with the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-encoded ORF45 protein and promotes its ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also referred to as human herpesvirus 8, is a potentially tumorigenic virus implicated in the etiology of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and some forms of multicentric Castleman's disease. The open reading frame 45 (ORF45) protein, encoded by the KSHV genome, is capable of inhibiting virus-dependent interferon induction and appears to be essential for both early and late stages of infection. In the present study, we show, both in yeast two-hybrid assays and in mammalian cells, that the ORF45 protein interacts with the cellular ubiquitin E3 ligase family designated seven in absentia homologue (SIAH). We provide evidence that SIAH-1 promotes the degradation of KSHV ORF45 through a RING domain-dependent mechanism and via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Furthermore, our data indicate the involvement of SIAH-1 in the regulation of the expression of ORF45 in KSHV-infected cells. Since the availability of KSHV ORF45 is expected to influence the course of KSHV infection, our findings identify a novel biological role for SIAH proteins as modulators of virus infection.     

Role of protein kinase C delta in reactivation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate), a well-known activator of protein kinase C (PKC), can experimentally induce reactivation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in certain latently infected cells. We selectively blocked the activity of PKC isoforms by using GF 109203X or rottlerin and demonstrated that this inhibition largely decreased lytic KSHV reactivation by TPA. Translocation of the PKCdelta isoform was evident shortly after TPA stimulation. Overexpression of the dominant-negative PKCdelta mutant supported an essential role for the PKCdelta isoform in virus reactivation, yet overexpression of PKCdelta alone was not sufficient to induce lytic reactivation of KSHV, suggesting that additional signaling molecules participate in this pathway.     

Effect of combined insecticide sprays and sanitation techniques on population dynamics of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the central mountains of Israel

We conducted an environmental manipulation study over a 7-km2 area to examine the effect of different control levels on the population dynamics of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the central mountains of Israel. Adult male monitoring was carried out from spring to fall during 1988-1991 and year-round from 1994 to 2001. From 1995 to 1997, we manipulated the study area, imposing different levels of control by using a combination of insecticide sprays, tree pruning and removal, and fruit stripping. In the years preceding the manipulation, population dynamics was characterized by a peak summer population size in June-July, followed by a population decrease in August, leading to an early fall peak in September-October. If flies overwinter locally, we expected the intensive control to decrease the early summer population after the control. If flies do not overwinter locally, the control and sanitation activities should not decrease the population level in the following summer. During the entire period discussed, no flies were captured between January and May. The first appearance was recorded in late May or early June, reaching a peak in July. Regardless of control level and extent, the early summer peak remained unchanged during the entire study period, whereas the later fall peak decreased as host density decreased. We suggest that the first peak is the result of a seasonal reinvading population, whereas the later peak is governed by host availability and multiplication of the invading flies. The meaning and possible practical implications of our findings are discussed.