cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Black swan in the kidney”: Renal involvement in the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

The antiphosphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) describes a clinical entity with recurrent thrombosis, fetal loss, thrombocytopenia in the presence of lupus anticoagulant and/or antibodies to cardiolipin. These antibodies may be associated with connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (secondary APS) or be found in isolation (primary APS). Renal syndromes increasingly being reported in association with these antibodies include thrombotic microangiopathy, renal vein thrombosis, renal infarction, renal artery stenosis and/or malignant hypertension, increased allograft vascular thrombosis, and reduced survival of renal allografts. Although much has been understood concerning the biology of these antibodies and the pathogenesis of thrombosis, the optimal therapy remains to be elucidated. This article presents a historical review of the renal involvement in the antiphospholipid syndrome and discusses therapeutic options. Further research is needed.
The Dynamic Glycome Microenvironment and Stem Cell Differentiation into Vasculature

The ability to control stem cell differentiation is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Although significant progress toward this goal has been achieved, few efficient and straightforward methods have been developed, necessitating a better understanding of the mechanisms that influence differentiation. The extracellular microenvironment is emerging as a major player in controlling stem cell fate. Cell surface and secreted heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (HSGAGs) are one element of the extracellular matrix that regulates complex cell signaling networks. HSGAGs facilitate binding and availability of cytokines to cells as they progress through development. For example, growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor bind to specific HSGAG sequences during vasculogenesis. HSGAGs have been shown to be critical for stem cell vasculogenesis as well as other differentiation lineages. Understanding the role that the extracellular microenvironment plays in controlling ...
Structure of intelligence in intellectually precocious children and in their parents

Abstract Students representing the top 0.03% of their age group in intellectual ability, who were identified by the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (Benbow & Stanley, 1980), were tested along with their parents using a battery of specifically designed cognitive tests. These highly intelligent children had less intelligent, but yet quite bright parents. Vernon's (1961) model of intelligence best fits our results. His following two factors explained most of the variance in the performance of the students and parents: verbal-educational and practical-spatial-mechanical. Moreover, there was potential evidence for a general factor. Among the children, who were mostly past puberty, age related to development of verbal abilities, but not spatial or mechanical abilities. Sex differences favoring the males were found on the spatial ability and mechanical comprehension tests.
Electro-Optical And Nonlinear Optical Characterization Of Narrow-Gap Superlattices

Magneto-transport and photo-transport measurements on MBE-grown HgTe/CdTe and HgZnTe/CdTe superlattices have been made. A detailed analysis of the magnetic-field-dependent Hall data shows that mixed conduction by more than one carrier species is significant at all temperatures. The T-dependence of the intrinsic carrier density has been used to characterize the bandgap and the product of the electron and hole density-of-states effective masses. Hole mobilities greater than 105 cm2/Vs are reported. Photo-Hall measurements employing CO2 laser-irradiation to generate excess electrons and holes are shown to yield minority electron mobilities and free-carrier lifetimes. Theoretical band-structure calculations by the tight-binding method are consistent with the experimental results in that they predict not only zero bandgap but also electron and hole effective masses which are both considerably less than O.Olmo. Calculated superlattice band structures are found to display a number of features which suggest the potential for large optical nonlinearities. Experimentally third-order nonlinear susceptibilities have been determined by the non-degenerate four-wave mixing technique, using a pair of grating tuned, Q-switched CO2 lasers. Even though the samples were grown without regard to optimizing the nonlinear optical properties, a x(3) of nearly 10-4 esu was observed in the non-degenerate four-wave mixing configuration.© (1988) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Separation of the rare earths by anion exchange in water-solvent mixtures in the presence of α-hydroxyisobutyric acid

Abstract Adsorption of the rare earths and a few other elements on to an anion exchange resin from mixed solvents containing α-hydroxyisobutyric acid has been investigated. Elution of the lanthanides was in the order of increasing atomic number. Separation factors between adjacent members of the series were essentially independent of solvent composition and somewhat less in value than analogous cation exchange. Some applications of the system using macro samples have been illustrated.
Nanostraw-Mediated Intracellular Delivery: Direct Observation of Cell/Nanotube Interfaces

As a tool for massively parallel, high throughput molecular delivery, nanostructured platforms have emerged as a delivery technique with unique capabilities. Nanostructured platforms are able to access many different types of cells, even those that resist traditional techniques, and modern fabrication techniques can be used to introduce unique functionalities into individual nanowires or nanotubes on a platform, such as electrical access. Unfortunately, the active delivery process, including the number or percentage of nanostructures that participate, the time scale of delivery, and the mechanisms, whether endocytotic or directly penetrating, are still unknown. Using single event, nanowire-based methods, these important characteristics of delivery are difficult to study and the technique is effectively a black box. We previously reported on a system, the nanostraw platform, capable of time resolved deliveries and in situ observation. Here we introduce a technique using nanostraws to directly observe molecular deliveries to cells. Using a simple, two part delivery assay, we demonstrate not only the direct observation of nanostraw penetration into cells, but also the probability and frequency of cell penetration by nanostraws. We are also able to demonstrate how soon cells accept nanostraw access after plating. Using these nanostraw techniques, we can make the first direct observations of the dynamic high-aspect ratio nanostructure to cell interface during molecular delivery.
Surface Chemical Characterization of Internal Interfaces Generated Within Thin-Film Fe-Ti Hydrides

FeTi is considered an excellent candidate for the reversible storage of hydrogen and has been studied extensively in an attempt to understand the bulk activation needed for this material before use. Segregation of TiO 2 to the surface has been noted to occur during activation explaining a slight loss of efficiency per hydride cycle, however, characterization by a host of bulk and surface sensitive techniques has not revealed the cause of this decomposition process. 10 nm FeTi samples were prepared in a UHV evaporator both with and without palladium coatings. Post treatment characterization was performed with backscatter c onversion e lectron M ossbauer s pectroscopy (CEMS), XPS and SIMS. CEMS is a powerful tool for providing stoichiometric, electronic, magnetic, chemical, and particle size information of iron at depths down to 100 nm. XPS and SIMS are useful to gain quantitative and chemical state information from the topmost 2 nm and the topmost monolayer, respectively. Activation treatments consisted of annealing at 573K and 623K followed by reduction at 573K. Results indicate that ppm levels of H 2 O in H 2 are sufficient to decompose the FeTi alloy and produce TiO 2 and Fe metal domains at the surface. Also, at 573K in vacuum, a solid-state reaction was found to occur between Fe oxides and FeTi to produce Fe metal and TiO 2 . The Pd-FeTi interface was probed with CEMS and the results demonstrate hydrogen dissociation and migration in the absence of alloy decomposition. Our approach uses nondestructive-depth profiling of non-Pd coated FeTi samples along with interfacial information from Pd-FeTi specimens to obtain unique insight into the decomposition process.
The electronic structure of tris(bipyridine)chromium(III) perchlorate

Abstract The sharp-line excitation spectrum of [Cr(bpy) 3 ] (ClO 4 ) 3 ·HbpyClO 4 (bpy=2,2′-bipyridine) revealed an unusually large 2 E g splitting of 165 cm −1 , which was attributed to an extensive π interaction of the bipyridine with the Cr(III) d orbitals. Ligand field calculations based on the exact geometric positions of the coordinated nitrogen atoms yielded values for the angular overlap parameters of −2283 cm −1 for e π and 342 cm −1 for e ππ . The latter represents the extent of phase coupling between the two nitrogen atoms in a bipyridine molecule. These values lead to an interpretation of the π interaction in terms of two strongly electron-withdrawing empty bipyridine molecular orbitals of different symmetry type.
Liver weight response to extended chlordecone exposure.

Etude de la reponse du foie a des doses specifiques de chlordecone pendant 5 jours consecutifs dans la semaine pendant 10 semaines, de facon a etudier les consequences de l'exposition professionnelle
AAV-mediated persistent bevacizumab therapy suppresses tumor growth of ovarian cancer

Rationale Anti-angiogenesis therapies such as bevacizumab, the monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), have been used against ovarian cancer, but transient and low peritoneal drug levels are likely a factor in treatment failure. We hypothesized that a single administration of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated intraperitoneal expression of bevacizumab would direct persistent expression and suppress growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer.
Surface downward flux computed by using geophysical parameters derived from HIRS 2/MSU soundings

The global field of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and surface downward flux (SDF) are computed for January and July 1979 (FGGE year). The computation was done by using geophysical parameters retrieved from space in conjunction which a radiation code. The geophysical parameters (such as temperature and humidity profiles, surface/land temperature, and cloud information) are retrieved from analysis of HIRS 2/MSU using the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres (GLA) physical retrieval system. The radiation code is a modified version of the Wu-Kaplan radiation code used in the GLA 4th order GCM. Other fluxes (such as clear OLR and clear SDF, and Earth emission) flux divergences (upward flux divergence and net upward flux divergence), flux differences and longwave radiative forcing (clear OLR — cloudy OLR, cloudy SDF — clear SDF, and atmospheric cloud forcing) which have physical meaning but can not be measured directly from space have also been computed and presented.
Use of local North Carolina browse species to supplement the diet of a captive colony of folivorous primates (Propithecus sp.)

The nutrient content and intake of locally available North Carolina browse was evaluated for use as a supplement to a herbivorous primate diet of commercial biscuit and produce. Twice weekly from May to October 1997, total dietary intakes were determined for two groups of folivorous lemurs. Group I consisted of Propithecus diadema diadema (n = 1) and P. tattersalli (n = 1) and group II consisted of P. verreauxi coquereli (n = 3). Six pooled samples of the diet and weekly samples of three browse species, Rhus copallina, Albizia julibrissin, and Liquidamber styrachiflua were analyzed for dry matter, energy, fiber, and nitrogen content. Browse species were also analyzed for nonprotein nitrogen and acid-insoluble nitrogen. Group average dry matter intakes were 37.1 ± 2.2% (mean ± SEM) and 49.7 ± 3.0% of amount offered for groups I and II, respectively. Browse contributed 40.7 ± 2.9% and 29.6 ± 2.4% of the total daily intake for groups I and II, respectively. Browse species differed (P < 0.05) for dry matter, energy, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose, lignin, total nitrogen, nonprotein nitrogen, available nitrogen, and available protein. R. copallina and L. styrachiflua were similar in total nitrogen, available nitrogen, and nonprotein nitrogen; A. julibrissin was higher. L. styrachiflua was highest in lignin. Dry matter, acid detergent fiber, and lignin in browse samples increased seasonally (P < 0.05), whereas available protein decreased (P < 0.01). Animals were offered and consumed R. copallina most often, followed by A. julibrisson and L. styrachiflua. With the exception of R. copallina, animals generally consumed only the immature leaves, flowers, or seeds of species offered. Daily dry matter intake varied because of both browse offered and consumed and biscuit and produce diet consumed. Thus, increased fiber density can be a major benefit of browse use only when incorporated into the total diet with respect to species use, quantity of other diet ingredients offered, and targeted nutrient intakes. Zoo Biol 20:447–461, 2001. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Noncollocated Feedback for the Control of Elastic Structures With Friction in the Actuators

Investigated are PID-type controllers that use noncollocated sensory feedback for damping vibrations of elastic structures with high friction in the actuators. Based on a two-degree-of-freedom spring-mass system, it is demonstrated how the controllability of such systems can be considerably improved by feedback of noncollocated measurements. Friction in the actuators leads to undamped, residual vibrations that cannot be controlled because the occurring forces do not suffice to overcome static friction. The boundaries of this uncontrollable domain are derived in the state space. A positive feedback of noncollocated sensory signals renders a stronger coupling of the motions of the actuators to structural deformations, resulting in a considerable reduction of the amplitudes of uncontrollable vibrations. Additionally, steady state errors can be significantly reduced because higher controller gains can be realized. It is shown that the time behavior of the deformations of an elastic structure can be predicted in good approximation by a linear model that neglects friction if the proposed controller is used.
RIM Binding Proteins (RBPs) Couple Rab3-Interacting Molecules (RIMs) to Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Channels

Ca(2+) influx through voltage-gated channels initiates the exocytotic fusion of synaptic vesicles to the plasma membrane. Here we show that RIM binding proteins (RBPs), which associate with Ca(2+) channels in hair cells, photoreceptors, and neurons, interact with alpha(1D) (L type) and alpha(1B) (N type) Ca(2+) channel subunits. RBPs contain three Src homology 3 domains that bind to proline-rich motifs in alpha(1) subunits and Rab3-interacting molecules (RIMs). Overexpression in PC12 cells of fusion proteins that suppress the interactions of RBPs with RIMs and alpha(1) augments the exocytosis triggered by depolarization. RBPs may regulate the strength of synaptic transmission by creating a functional link between the synaptic-vesicle tethering apparatus, which includes RIMs and Rab3, and the fusion machinery, which includes Ca(2+) channels and the SNARE complex.
A consensus embedding approach for segmentation of high resolution in vivo prostate magnetic resonance imagery

Current techniques for localization of prostatic adenocarcinoma (CaP) via blinded trans-rectal ultrasound biopsy are associated with a high false negative detection rate. While high resolution endorectal in vivo Magnetic Resonance (MR) prostate imaging has been shown to have improved contrast and resolution for CaP detection over ultrasound, similarity in intensity characteristics between benign and cancerous regions on MR images contribute to a high false positive detection rate. In this paper, we present a novel unsupervised segmentation method that employs manifold learning via consensus schemes for detection of cancerous regions from high resolution 1.5 Tesla (T) endorectal in vivo prostate MRI. A significant contribution of this paper is a method to combine multiple weak, lower-dimensional representations of high dimensional feature data in a way analogous to classifier ensemble schemes, and hence create a stable and accurate reduced dimensional representation. After correcting for MR image intensity artifacts, such as bias field inhomogeneity and intensity non-standardness, our algorithm extracts over 350 3D texture features at every spatial location in the MR scene at multiple scales and orientations. Non-linear dimensionality reduction schemes such as Locally Linear Embedding (LLE) and Graph Embedding (GE) are employed to create multiple low dimensional data representations of this high dimensional texture feature space. Our novel consensus embedding method is used to average object adjacencies from within the multiple low dimensional projections so that class relationships are preserved. Unsupervised consensus clustering is then used to partition the objects in this consensus embedding space into distinct classes. Quantitative evaluation on 18 1.5 T prostate MR data against corresponding histology obtained from the multi-site ACRIN trials show a sensitivity of 92.65% and a specificity of 82.06%, which suggests that our method is successfully able to detect suspicious regions in the prostate.
Modeling group structures in pedestrian crowd simulation

Abstract Grouping is a common phenomenon in pedestrian crowds and plays important roles in affecting crowd behavior. Group modeling is still an open challenging problem and has not been incorporated by existing crowd simulation models. Motivated by the need of group modeling for crowd behavior simulation, this paper presents a unified and well-defined framework for modeling the structure aspect of different groups in pedestrian crowds. Both intra-group structure and inter-group relationships are considered and their effects on the crowd behavior are modeled. Based on this framework, an agent-based crowd simulation system is developed and crowd behavior simulations using two different group structures are presented. The simulation results show that the developed framework allows different group structures to be easily modeled. Besides, different group sizes, intra-group structures and inter-group relationships can have significant impacts on crowd behaviors.
EGF-Dependent Translocation of Green Fluorescent Protein-Tagged PLC-γ1 to the Plasma Membrane and Endosomes

Abstract Growth factor-dependent translocation of phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1) was investigated using a green fluorescent protein-tagged PLC-γ1 (PLC-γ1–GFP) expressed in human epidermoid carcinoma A-431 cells. In the absence of growth factors, PLC-γ1–GFP was present throughout the cytoplasm of A-431 cells. Treatment of the cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) produced a very rapid redistribution of PLC-γ1–GFP to the plasma membrane in a nonuniform manner. This translocation to the plasma membrane was insensitive to an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and was independent of cell adhesion. However, the translocation was disrupted by an agent which depolymerizes the actin cytoskeleton. At later times following the addition of EGF, PLC-γ1–GFP appeared associated with intracellular vesicles. Stimulation of A-431 cells by Texas red-conjugated EGF for more than 10 min resulted in punctate intracellular PLC-γ1–GFP distribution that colocalized with Texas red-conjugated EGF. This suggests that PLC-γ1 is translocated to endosomes after EGF treatment, probably by associating with the internalized and autophosphorylated EGF receptor. Fractionation studies demonstrated that the EGF-induced plasma membrane-localized PLC-γ1 is concentrated in caveolae microdomains. Disruption of caveolae with methyl-β-cyclodextrin resulted in the ablation of EGF-induced, but not bradykinin-induced, mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. This treatment, however, only partially decreased PLC-γ1 membrane translocation.
Generic constraints on underspecified target trajectories

Although general network learning rules are of undeniable interest, it is generally agreed that successful accounts of learning must incorporate domain-specific, a priori knowledge. Such knowledge might be used, for example, to determine the structure of a network or its initial weights. The author discusses a third possibility in which domain-specific knowledge is incorporated directly in a network learning rule via a set of constraints on activations. The approach uses the notion of a forward model to give constraints a domain-specific interpretation. This approach is demonstrated with several examples from the domain of motor learning. >
Special Specimen Preparation Methods For Image Processing in Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Review*

SUMMARY One of the important developments in quantitative electron microscopy has been the application of optical and computer imaging methods to electron micrographs. In general these techniques of image analysis have been applied to electron micrographs from isolated biological structures prepared in the presence of various negative stains. To make full use of image processing techniques there are obvious advantages in preparing suitable specimens containing large areas of repeating features. However, the number of naturally occurring biological specimens exhibiting crystalline or paracrystalline features suitable for high resolution electron microscopy and subsequent image analysis is relatively small. Some recent experiments on the in vitro formation of crystalline and paracrystalline arrays from highly concentrated and purified isometric, filamentous and rod-like viruses is reviewed. The problems associated with the preparative procedures for producing two-dimensional and three-dimensional crystalline arrays are discussed together with the possibility of extending the negative staining-carbon film method for studying the gradual dissociation or assembly of viral components.
The development of measures of service availability

Transit system failures impact system operations and economics in many ways: maintenance requirements, spare parts inventory requirements, reserve fleet requirements, maintenance fleet requirements, and service interruptions. The concept of service and ability treats this latter effect--the service interrupting effects of system failures, as viewed by the passengers. The transit industry seeks to control service interruptions to some level which is acceptable to the passengers. Hence, service availability measures are necessary to guide these control actions and gage their effectiveness. Service availabity has always been a concern in the design and operations of a transit system. However, the direct passenger service orientation was not explicitly utilized. Rather, the emphasis was on equipment performance--specifically equipment reliability and restorability measures. As new transit systems evolved, the experience of existing systems was utilized to establish desired reliability and restorability goals. Implicit in this approach was the assumption that improvements in these two parameters was tantamount to an improvement in service availability. Because of the similarity of applications and technology, this assumption was valid and the quantification of actual passenger-oriented service availablity was unnecessary. AGT systems, however, evolved to meet different service requirements: frequent service, short headways, high equipment utilization, and little tolerance to failure. Furthermore, both applications and competing technologies varied widely. Establishing performance requirements and measuring achieved performance levels requires the explicit treatment of passenger service levels--specifically expected delay patterns. Many models have been proposed to relate passenger delay potential and system failure characteristics. However, these are unsuitable for general use for different technologies and/or different transit system applications. An important conclusion is that no single measure or model will suffice in this role. Rather, each application and technology will require the derivation of specific control measures and values in response to specific passenger delay criteria.
Psychological Effects on Parents of Home and Hospital Apnea Monitoring

Controle electronique de la respiration des nourrissons a risque de mort subite, pratique en hopital et a domicile et les effets psychologiques de ce controle sur les parents
Rates of change differ among measures of visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To assess changes in measures of visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) over time. Methods: Patients with RP and visual acuity of 20/40 or better and central visual fields of 10° or larger were enrolled in a 9-year prospective study. The following measures of visual function were obtained annually over the follow-up period: visual acuity, Gold-mann visual fields (V4e target), focal electroretinograms, and hue discrimination. Results: Over the follow-up period, the averaged group data showed changes in all measures of visual function. The smallest amount of change occurred for visual acuity and hue discrimination, and the greatest amount of change occurred for visual field area. Examination of individual patient data over the follow-up period indicated that the rates of change varied among patients and that losses in function for one measure did not correlate well with losses on other measures. Conclusions: These results stress that although visual function deteriorated over time for this group of patients with RP, there were differences among our measures of visual function. Measures that primarily assess central retinal function change relatively slowly compared with measures that assess more peripheral retinal function.
Grand Challenges for Resilience-Based Management of Rangelands

The social and ecological contexts for rangeland management are changing rapidly, prompting a reevaluation of science, management, and their relationship. We argue that progression from steady-state management to ecosystem management has served the rangeland profession well, but that further development toward resilience-based management is required to ensure that ecosystem services are sustained in an era of rapid change. Resilience-based management embraces the inevitability of change and emphasizes that management should seek to guide change to benefit society. The objectives of this forum are to: 1) justify the need for adopting resilience-based management, 2) identify the challenges that will be encountered in its development and implementation, and 3) highlight approaches to overcoming these challenges. Five grand challenges confronting the adoption of resilience-based management, based upon the insights of 56 rangeland researchers who have contributed to this special issue, were identified as: 1) development of knowledge systems to support resilience-based management, 2) improvement of ecological models supporting science and management, 3) protocols to assess and manage tradeoffs among ecosystem services, 4) use of social-ecological system models to integrate diverse knowledge sources, and 5) reorganization of institutions to support resilience-based management. Resolving the challenges presented here will require the creation of stronger partnerships between ecosystem managers, science organizations, management agencies, and policymakers at local, regional, and national scales. A realistic near-term goal for achieving such partnerships is to initiate and support collaborative landscape projects. The creation of multiscaled social learning institutions linked to evolving knowledge systems may be the best approach to guide adaptation and transformation in rangelands in the coming century.
On 3-D scene flow and structure recovery from multiview image sequences

Two novel systems computing dense three-dimensional (3-D) scene flow and structure from multiview image sequences are described in this paper. We do not assume rigidity of the scene motion, thus allowing for nonrigid motion in the scene. The first system, integrated model-based system (IMS), assumes that each small local image region is undergoing 3-D affine motion. Non-linear motion model fitting based on both optical flow constraints and stereo constraints is then carried out on each local region in order to simultaneously estimate 3-D motion correspondences and structure. The second system is based on extended gradient-based system (EGS), a natural extension of two-dimensional (2-D) optical flow computation. In this method, a new hierarchical rule-based stereo matching algorithm is first developed to estimate the initial disparity map. Different available constraints under a multiview camera setup are further investigated and utilized in the proposed motion estimation. We use image segmentation information to adopt and maintain the motion and depth discontinuities. Within the framework for EGS, we present two different formulations for 3-D scene flow and structure computation. One formulation assumes that initial disparity map is accurate, while the other does not. Experimental results on both synthetic and real imagery demonstrate the effectiveness of our 3-D motion and structure recovery schemes. Empirical comparison between IMS and EGS is also reported.
Diversity wireless receivers with efficient co-channel interference suppression

A co-channel interference (CCI) rejection technique for diversity wireless receivers is proposed based on independent component analysis (ICA). Because of the adoption of complex notation, the receiver is able to perform the suppression at baseband instead of IF stage, and the dimensionality of the signal model is reduced by half. Consequently, the processing speed is kept low, and the structure is applicable to any type of modulation scheme. Computer simulations show that an interference rejection of 17 to 27dB is achievable for frame lengths of 50 to 1000 symbols in QPSK receivers. The algorithm has fast convergence, and it is robust to input signal to interference ratios and the type of fading channel.
Olfactomedin-1 activity identifies a cell invasion checkpoint during epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the chick embryonic heart.

Endothelia in the atrioventricular (AV) canal of the developing heart undergo a prototypical epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) to begin heart valve formation. Using an in vitro invasion assay, an extracellular matrix protein, Olfactomedin-1 (OLFM1), was found to increase mesenchymal cell numbers in AV canals from embryonic chick hearts. Treatment with both anti-OLFM1 antibody and siRNA targeting OLFM1 inhibits mesenchymal cell formation. OLFM1 does not alter cell proliferation, migration or apoptosis. Dispersion, but lack of invasion in the presence of inhibiting antibody, identifies a specific role for OLFM1 in cell invasion during EMT. This role is conserved in other epithelia, as OLFM1 similarly enhances invasion by MDCK epithelial cells in a transwell assay. Synergy is observed when TGFβ2 and OLFM1 are added to MDCK cell cultures, indicating that OLFM-1 activity is cooperative with TGFβ. Inhibition of both OLFM1 and TGFβ in heart invasion assays shows a similar cooperative role during development. To explore OLFM1 activity during EMT, representative EMT markers were examined. Effects of OLFM1 protein and anti-OLFM1 on transcripts of cell-cell adhesion molecules and the transcription factors Snail-1, Snail-2, Twist1 and Sox-9 argue that OLFM1 does not initiate EMT. Rather, regulation of transcripts of Zeb1 and Zeb2 , secreted proteases and mesenchymal cell markers by both OLFM1 and anti-OLFM1 is consistent with regulation of the cell invasion step of EMT. We conclude that OLFM1 is present and necessary during EMT in the embryonic chick heart. Its role in cell invasion and mesenchymal cell gene regulation suggests an invasion checkpoint in EMT where OLFM1 acts to promote cell invasion into the three-dimensional matrix.
A study of multiple singularities in multi-material wedges and their use in analysis of microelectronic interconnect structures

The nature of the singular stress field at bi-material and multi-material wedges with de-bonded or bonded interfaces is investigated in this paper with the aim of relating singular stress field to failures in microelectronic interconnect structures. The dependence of the strength and the number of the singularities on the relative material behavior as well as the wedge angle is extensively analyzed using planar isotropic elasticity. The procedure is used to analyze modern copper interconnect structures; the orders of singularities and angular functions are asymptotically determined, based on which the stress intensity factors are calculated.
Unsteady Natural Convection in Enclosures With Stratified Medium

A numerical solution is given to study the unsteady natural convection in enclosures with stratified medium. Three designs of the enclosure wall are investigated that encompass a wall without insulation on it, insulation placed over the exterior of the wall, and insulation placed over the interior. The enclosed medium is initially stratified in the middle region and the wall temperature is uniform at the high temperature level of the medium. Computation results indicate the superiority of placing the insulation inside to maintain the thermal stratification in the medium. Flow and temperature fields are given for a quantitative substantiation of this observation.
Deformation of oceanic lithosphere near slow-spreading ridge discontinuities

Abstract Transform and non-transform discontinuities that offset slow spreading mid-ocean ridges involve complex thermal and mechanical interactions. The truncation of the ridge axis influences the dynamics of spreading and accretion over a certain distance from the segment-end. Likewise, the spreading system is expected to influence the lithospheric plate adjacent to the ridge-end opposite of the discontinuity. Tectonic effects of the truncated ridge are noticeable in for example the contrast between seafloor topography at inside corners and outside corners, along-axis variations in rift valley depth, style of crustal accretion, and ridge segment retreat and lengthening. Along such slow-spreading discontinuities and their fossil traces, oceanic core complexes or mega-mullion structures are rather common extensional tectonic features. In an attempt to understand deformation of oceanic lithosphere near ridge offsets, the evolution of discontinuities, and conditions that may favor oceanic core complex formation, a three-dimensional thermo-mechanical model has been developed. The numerical approach allows for a more complete assessment of lithosphere deformation and associated stress fields in inside corners than was possible in previous 3-D models. The initial suite of results reported here focuses on deformation when axial properties do not vary along-strike or with time, showing the extent to which plate boundary geometry alone can influence deformation. We find that non-transform discontinuities are represented by a wide, oblique deformation zone that tends to change orientation with time to become more parallel to the ridge segments. This contrasts with predicted deformation near transform discontinuities, where initial orientation is maintained in time. The boundary between the plates is found to be vertical in the center of the offset and curved at depth in the inside corners near the ridge–transform intersection. Ridge–normal tensile stresses concentrate in line with the ridge tip, extending onto the older plate across the discontinuity, and high stress amplitudes are absent in the inside corners during the magmatic accretionary phase simulated by our models. With the tested rheology and boundary conditions, inside corner formation of oceanic core complexes is predicted to be unlikely during magmatic spreading phases. Additional modeling studies are needed for a full understanding of extensional stress release in relatively young oceanic lithosphere.
High accuracy of Karplus equations for relating three-bond J couplings to protein backbone torsion angles.

(3) JC'C' and (3) JHNHα couplings are related to the intervening backbone torsion angle ${\varphi }$ by standard Karplus equations. Although these couplings are known to be affected by parameters other than ${\varphi }$, including H-bonding, valence angles and residue type, experimental results and quantum calculations indicate that the impact of these latter parameters is typically very small. The solution NMR structure of protein GB3, newly refined by using extensive sets of residual dipolar couplings, yields 50-60 % better Karplus equation agreement between ${\varphi }$ angles and experimental (3) JC'C' and (3) JHNHα values than does the high-resolution X-ray structure. In intrinsically disordered proteins, (3) JC'C' and (3) JHNHα couplings can be measured at even higher accuracy, and the impact of factors other than the intervening torsion angle on (3) J will be smaller than in folded proteins, making these couplings exceptionally valuable reporters on the ensemble of ${\varphi }$ angles sampled by each residue.
Time dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations of superconductivity

Abstract We study in this article the existence, uniqueness and long time behavior of the solutions of a nonstationary Ginzburg-Landau superconductivity model. We first prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions with H 1 initial data, which are crucial for the study of the global attractor. We also obtain, for the first time, the existence of global weak solutions of the model with L 2 initial data. It is then proved that the Ginzburg-Landau system admits a global attractor, which represents exactly all the long time dynamics of the system. The global attractor obtained consists of exactly the set of steady state solutions and its unstable manifold. Its Hausdorff and fractal dimensions are estimated in terms of the physically relevant Ginzburg-Landau parameter, diffusion parameter and applied magnetic field. We construct explicitly absorbing sets for some abstract semigroups having a Lyapunov functional and consequently prove the existence of global attractors. This abstract result is applied to the Ginzburg-Landau system, for which the existence of global attractor does not seem to be the direct consequence of some a priori estimates of solutions.
Role of Cardiac Output and the Autonomic Nervous System in the Antinatriuretic Response to Acute Constriction of the Thoracic Superior Vena Cava

Study of the differential characteristics of hepatic congestion and decreased cardiac output in terms of potential afferent stimuli in the antinatriuretic effect of acute thoracic inferior vena cava (TIVC) constriction. An attempt is made to see if the autonomic nervous system is involved in the antinatriuretic effect of acute TIVC or thoracic superior vena cava constriction.
Expression of GABAB receptors is altered in brains of subjects with autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often comorbid with seizures. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in brain. GABAB receptors play an important role in maintaining excitatory/inhibitory balance in brain and alterations may lead to seizures. We compared levels of GABAB receptor subunits GABBR1 and GABBR2 in cerebellum, BA9 and BA40 of subjects with autism and matched controls. Levels of GABBR1 were significantly decreased in BA9, BA40, and cerebellum, while GABBR2 was significantly reduced in the cerebellum. The presence of seizure disorder did not have a significant impact on the observed reductions in GABAB receptor subunit expression. Decreases in GABAB receptor subunits may help explain the presence of seizures that are often comorbid with autism, as well as cognitive difficulties prevalent in autism.
Divergent pheromone‐mediated insect behaviour under global atmospheric change

While the effects of global atmospheric changes on vegetation and resulting insect populations('bottom-up interactions') are being increasingly studied, how these gases modify interactions among insects and their natural enemies ('top-down interactions') is less clear. As natural enemy efficacy is governed largely by behavioural mechanisms, altered prey finding and prey defence may change insect population dynamics. Here we show that pheromone-mediated escape behaviours, and hence the vulnerability of insects to natural enemies, are divergent under atmospheric conditions associated with global climate change.
Acute undifferentiated leukemia (AUL): A case report and a proposed system of classification

This report describes a case of HLADR+, CD34- acute undifferentiated leukemia (AUL) diagnosed in an 18-year-old male. A definition of AUL and a system for its classification are proposed on the basis of the current state of knowledge about phenotypic features of AUL cells and their clonal counterparts that exist during early stages of normal hematopoiesis. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sunset: a hardware-oriented algorithm for lossless compression of gray-scale images

Sunset is a lossless gray scale compression algorithm designed for a simple hardware implementation based on the prediction error context approach for predictive gray-scale compression. Sunset uses adaptive binary arithmetic coding with neighboring prediction error buckets as compact conditioning contexts for directly encoding the prediction error. A prototype card was built to send or receive either compressed or uncompressed images across the IBM PC/AT bus. A special interface was designed to load the memory buffer of a high resolution color display. The result is a component of a workstation prototype for radiologists and the physician who referred the patient. The Sunset approach handles gray scale images where the bits-per-pel precision is simply an input parameter to the algorithm; the compression algorithm itself is relatively insensitive to this parameter. For hardware simplicity, the error bucket (bin) identifier is determined by a leading-one detector (or priority encoder) circuit on the prediction error so the number of prediction error values per bucket is a power of two. The next less significant bits of the prediction error become the ''extra-bits'' which, when encoded, make the algorithm lossless. The number of extra-bits in a final (catch-all) bucket depends on the bits-per-pel parameter of the uncompressed image.
A Calibration of the Development of the Chick Under Improved Conditions of Incubation and the Relationship of Developmental Rate to Age of Hen and Hatchability Record

Abstract VARIABILITY in the development of the chick is an accepted fact, but differences noted between embryos from modern incubators and those of Duval (1889), which have served as the basis for most later tables of chick development (Lillie, 1919; Patten, 1929), are apparently too great to be safely included in the normal range of variation. Those from modern incubators were markedly less developed at various incubation ages, and it seemed unlikely that such discrepancies could be traced to differences in types of incubator alone; therefore, it appeared desirable to calibrate the development of the chick in modern incubators, controlling, as completely as possible, various factors that have been mentioned as possible sources of abnormal variation. Several evident causes of variation have been enumerated and the influences of each have been studied more or less intensively. Older incubators did not possess mechanisms for control of temperature and humidity; ventilation was so . . .
Remodelling after pinning for slipped capital femoral epiphysis

We assessed 70 hips at an average of 7.1 years after pinning for slipped upper femoral epiphysis to determine the frequency of remodelling, what factors influence it and its effect on the clinical outcome. Remodelling was defined by a new classification of the anterior femoral head-neck profile as seen on the lateral radiograph. Remodelling occurred in 50% of hips with a head-shaft angle of 30 degrees or more; the probability of remodelling was significantly less the greater the degree of slip, but was significantly increased if the triradiate cartilage was open at the time of presentation. We found no significant effect for age, sex, weight or length of symptoms. The range of internal rotation was significantly greater in those hips that remodelled. We support the treatment of moderate slips in skeletally immature patients by pinning in situ, since the probability of satisfactory remodelling was 75% for slips of 40 degrees or less.
Towards scalable performance analysis and visualization through data reduction

Performance analysis tools based on event tracing are important for understanding the complex computational activities and communication patterns in high performance applications. The purpose of these tools is to help applications scale well to large numbers of processors. However, the tools themselves have to be scalable. As application problem sizes grow larger to exploit larger machines, the volume of performance trace data generated becomes unmanagable especially as we scale to tens of thousands of processors. Simultaneously, at analysis time, the amount of information that has to be presented to a human analyst can also become overwhelming. This paper investigates the effectiveness of employing heuristics and clustering techniques in a scalability framework to determine a subset of processors whose detailed event traces should be retained. It is a form of compression where we retain information from processors with high signal content. We quantify the reduction in the volume of performance trace data generated by NAMD, a molecular dynamics simulation application implemented using CHARM++. We show that, for the known performance problem of poor application grainsize, the quality of the trace data preserved by this approach is sufficient to highlight the problem.
PAUSES: EXPLORATIONS IN SOCIAL RHYTHM

Despite the ubiquity of pauses in the personal and social fabric of everyday life, sociological analysis of this phenomenon has been limited in both scope and concern. In this article it is argued that pausing should not be relegated to the status of a residual category nor should pauses merely be conceptualized as breaks in action or periods of inactivity. Rather, it is suggested that pauses are an essential element of the social rhythm that demonstrates degrees of personal and community well-being and vitality. As well, pausing may be an important, perhaps even necessary, part of the process of commitment and self-esteem. A typology of pauses is offered and the implications of pausing in establishing the rhythm of human behavior are discussed. Ask almost anyone to characterize modern urban society in a few words and in all likelihood that characterization will express, at least in part, a sense of fast-paced action. City-dwellers almost everywhere are “doers” and “goers.” In “such a society, time is a commodity to be spent, lost, invested, saved, wasted, thrown away, or employed to best advantage” (Smith, 1961:85). This “utilitarian conception of time” has certainly expedited the development of “ . . . an ‘activity cult,’ whereby people are expected to maximize their ‘active’ time and to minimize any ‘empty, unaccounted-for’ time periods” (Zerubavel, 1981:56).’ Although people’s attempts to optimally utilize time are most evident in the industrial sector (Zerubavel, 198 l), they also characterize much of nonwork activity as well.