cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity during larval-pupal development of Manduca sexta

Abstract Profiles of ecdysone 20-monooxygenase (E-20-M) activity in the fat body and midgut of Manduca sexta were determined during larval-pupal development. The E-20-M activities for both tissues were found to exhibit a single major fluctuation during this 10-day period of development: fat body, a 10-fold fluctuation with peak activity on day 4; midgut, a 60-fold fluctuation with peak activity on day 5. Substrate kinetics revealed that the apparent Km values of fat body and midgut monooxygenases for ecdysone were fairly constant during the instar, 2.42 × 10−7 M and 4.67 × 10−7 M, respectively. By contrast, the monooxygenase Vmax values in each tissue fluctuated in a manner both quantitatively and temporally coincident with the fluctuations in enzyme activity. These findings suggest that changes in E-20-M activity are a function of changes in the titer of the enzyme. The possible developmental significance of the fluctuations in E-20-M activity are discussed.
In vivo Brain Imaging with Miniaturized Optical Systems

A longstanding challenge in neuroscience is to understand how populations of individual neurons contribute to animal behavior and brain disease. Addressing this challenge has been difficult partly due to lack of brain imaging technology for use in awake behaving animals. I will describe two approaches to studying the brains of awake behaving mice, one of which also allows time-lapse studies of cells in deep brain areas. Using these methodologies we have studied the dynamics of cerebellar Purkinje cells and hippocampal pyramidal neurons and relationships to rodent behavior.
LogCA: A Performance Model for Hardware Accelerators

To address the Dark Silicon problem, architects have increasingly turned to special-purpose hardware accelerators to improve the performance and energy efficiency of common computational kernels, such as encryption and compression. Unfortunately, the latency and overhead required to off-load a computation to an accelerator sometimes outweighs the potential benefits, resulting in a net decrease in performance or energy efficiency. To help architects and programmers reason about these trade-offs, we have developed the LogCA model, a simple performance model for hardware accelerators. LogCA provides a simplified abstraction of a hardware accelerator characterized by five key parameters. We have validated the model against a variety of accelerators, ranging from on-chip cryptographic accelerators in Sun's UltraSparc T2 and Intel's Sandy Bridge to both discrete and integrated GPUs.
Reliability of proliferation controls. The Hayflick limit and its breakdown in cancer

Abstract This paper presents a new theory of the Hayflick limit and its role in cancer. The Hayflick limit is identified as a fail-safe mechanism that limits to harmless size descendent clones of cells in which normal proliferation controls have broken down. Malignancy arises when the Hayflick limit is inactivated. It is argued that the Hayflick limit is due to differentiation towards a non-proliferating state. Redundant developmental clocks are envisioned as the mechanism. Chemical carcinogens and promoters can interfere with these clocks. Also, viral gene products and integration of viral DNA can stop the developmental clock and lead to malignant transformation in cells that have already suffered mutations in their normal regulatory mechanisms that control proliferation. Viral transformation can be understood as a viral strategy of survival and transmission to a new host. Malignant clones may constitute a niche for many slow viruses. Normal functioning of the Hayflick limit implies senescence of tissues due to differentiation towards a non-proliferating state. Hence, the limit may be the cause of senescence even though it is not due to an accumulation of somatic mutations.
THE CONTAGIOUS NATURE OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Attention is called to several recently advanced lines of evidence underscoring the role of contagion in antisocial behavior. One line of evidence consists of findings that the onset of antisocial behavior in one sibling increases the risk to other siblings. A second line of evidence shows that the tendency of monozygotic twins to be more concordant for antisocial behavior than dizygotic twins can be explained by contagion as well as heredity. In addition, there are differences in prevalence between same-sexed and opposite-sexed twins that contagion can explain, but heredity cannot, at least not without numerous ad hoc auxiliary suppositions. Third, behavioral contagion is also able to explain, and very precisely, the temporal course of aggregate delinquency through adolescence. Fourth, evidence has been presented that antisocial behavior is an equilibrial phenomenon, that is, that it depends on a balance between antisocial and prosocial forces, a balance (or imbalance) that would explain the sudden leaps and falls that crime statistics sometimes take. Finally, programs to combat drug use are often modestly successful and almost all such programs presuppose that drug use is contagious. The paper closes with two sections on the implications of these findings, first for theory and research and then for policy and practice.
The influence of histologic type on the incidence and duration of response in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

A group of 227 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma included seven favorable and four unfavorable histologic classes with collective median survival times of 83 and 16 months, respectively. The favorable group included three follicular subgroups (cleaved, mixed, and large noncleaved) and four diffuse classes (small lymphocytic, cleaved, Burkitt's noncleaved, and convoluted lymphocytic). The unfavorable group consisted of four diffuse subgroups (plasmacytoid lymphocytic, mixed, and small and large noncleaved). There were significant differences in collective median survivals between patients in Stage I--II and those in Stage III--IV in both the favorable group (not reached, NR versus 62 months, P less than 0.001) and the unfavorable group (57 months versus 12 months, P less than 0.01). The incidence of complete response to primary treatment was higher in the favorable than in the unfavorable group (75% versus 56%, P = 0.002) and in those with limited as compared with advanced disease. Complete responders in both prognostic groups had longer survival times than did partial or minimal responders. A significant difference in median complete remission duration was found between responders in Stage I--II versus Stages III-IV in the favorable group (not reached versus 40 months, P = 0.001) but not in the unfavorable one (56 months versus 22 months, P greater than 0.05). The absence of relapses after 41 months among complete responders in the favorable but not in the unfavorable group suggests a potential for cure in a proportion of cases from the former group. The incidence of complete response was lower and median remission duration was shorter after secondary as compared with primary treatment. The results of this study confirm the prognostic value of the Lukes and Collins classification system and the importance of initial staging and of achieving a complete response to primary treatment in both the favorable and unfavorable lymphomas.
Cities of Color: The New Racial Frontier in California's Minority-Majority Cities

Demographic changes of enormous magnitude have altered the ethnic and racial composition of large cities and metropolitan suburbs across the nation over the past thirty years, especially in California. Many cities and suburbs that were once home to large majorities of whites are now places where ethnic and racial minorities form the majority. "Minority-majority" cities in California have emerged as a new frontier in ethnic and race relations, where African Americans, Latinos, and other non-white groups now fi nd themselves, many for the fi rst time, living together and struggling to coexist. Although confl ict, tension, and misunderstanding characterize this new racial frontier, historians and other scholars must look deeper to fi nd examples of cooperation and collaboration in these new "cities of color." This article considers three cities in California-Compton, East Palo Alto, and Seaside-as examples of the historical and contemporary forces that have shaped "minority-majority" cities and the relations between African Americans and Latinos in particular.
Purlieus: locality-aware resource allocation for MapReduce in a cloud

We present Purlieus, a MapReduce resource allocation system aimed at enhancing the performance of MapReduce jobs in the cloud. Purlieus provisions virtual MapReduce clusters in a locality-aware manner enabling MapReduce virtual machines (VMs) access to input data and importantly, intermediate data from local or close-by physical machines. We demonstrate how this locality-awareness during both map and reduce phases of the job not only improves runtime performance of individual jobs but also has an additional advantage of reducing network traffic generated in the cloud data center. This is accomplished using a novel coupling of, otherwise independent, data and VM placement steps. We conduct a detailed evaluation of Purlieus and demonstrate significant savings in network traffic and almost 50% reduction in job execution times for a variety of workloads.
THE RELATION OF THE SPLEEN TO BLOOD DESTRUCTION AND REGENERATION AND TO HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE : XV. THE RESISTANCE TO HEMOLYTIC AGENTS OF DOGS IN WHICH THE SPLENIC BLOOD HAS BEEN DIVERTED FROM THE LIVER.

1. Dogs whose splenic veins or portal vein (Eck fistula) have been transplanted into the inferior vena cava, or whose splenic veins have been ligated, show a lessened tendency to jaundice similar to that exhibited by splenectomized animals. 2. Although the previously existing anemia and the concomitant increased resistance of the red cells of these animals are undoubtedly factors in the greater resistance to hemolytic agents, the lessened tendency to jaundice is, in part at least, due to a mechanical factor dependent on the course of the blood supply to the liver. 3. The additional anemia caused in the test animals by hemolytic agents is usually less than in the controls, although the total fall from the original normal may be greater. This applies to the splenectomized as well as the other test animals and is a modification of our former statements in regard to the severity of the anemia in splenectomized dogs. 4. Although the destruction of blood in these animals is less than in the normal controls, the repair of the same takes considerably longer than in the controls. This confirms similar results previously obtained in splenectomized animals. 5. The white cells exhibit much the same changes as they do following the administration of hemolytic agents to splenectomized or normal animals. As these changes are not unlike those following uncomplicated splenectomy or the operations here discussed, they cannot be considered as characteristic of any of the above procedures, but perhaps as an accompaniment of any temporary increased blood destruction. 6. The reaction of test and control animals is substantially the same, whether the jaundice is caused by toluylenediamin or hemolytic immune serum.
Influence of periodontal bacteria and disease status on Vβ expression in T cells

Some bacterial antigens such as S. aureus enterotoxins can selectively stimulate T cells that express specific V beta genes of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not periodontal bacteria could similarly alter the expression of V beta families within the TCR complex. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) were isolated from 12 patients with early onset periodontitis and 11 periodontally-healthy controls. PBMNCs were incubated in media alone, or co-cultured for 48 h with heat-inactivated A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia. Expression of five V beta families (V alpha beta 2, V beta 5, V beta 6, V beta 8, and V beta 12) was determined by use of monoclonal antibodies. Mean unstimulated expression of V alpha beta 2 and V beta 8 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in patients than healthy controls. Co-culture with the three bacteria resulted in significant changes (increases or decreases) in V beta expression in 27% of the trials. There were no significant differences in the number or direction of changes in samples from patients and controls. When compared to unstimulated controls, 18 significant increases but no decreases in the percentage of cell expressing V alpha beta 2, V beta 5 or V beta 6 were noted following co-culture with P. intermedia. Overall, co-culture with P. intermedia significantly (p < 0.05) up-regulated expression of the five V beta families studied. These data suggest that periodontal bacteria may alter V beta expression within the T cell receptor complex.
Continuous Observation of the Auroral Belt by Means of Radio

THE purpose of this communication is to show that the southern edge of the auroral belt (the latitudinal range over which aurorae occur at a given time and longitude) can be reliably tracked by radio means. With the multi-frequency high-frequency system used at College, Alaska, the auroral belt can be tracked from overhead at 65° to above 80° north latitude. This wide coverage is possible because the high-frequency system utilizes ordinary ionospheric reflexion to extend the northern limit of detection, and normal E and F layer refraction to produce perpendicularity between the wave and the geomagnetic field. The very-high-frequency auroral radar, on the other hand, can detect only those aurorally associated scatterers located in the E layer near the relatively limited region where the line of sight is normal to the geomagnetic field.
Anomalous effects during electrolyte osmosis across charged porous membranes

Abstract Osmosis across uncharged membranes is, in general, characterized by the flow of solvent from low to high concentrations of solute and by a monotonic increase of the osmotic flow rate as a function of the concentration difference of the solute in the two compartments. On the other hand, during osmosis across charged membranes involving electrolytes a number of anomalous effects have been observed: The osmotic flow rate vs the concentration of solute in one of the reservoirs (at a fixed ratio of the concentrations in the two reservoirs) exhibits a maximum and a minimum, changes its direction over certain concentration range for some electrolytes, and shows a strong dependence on the valency and diffusivity of the ions. In this paper, the equations that govern the momentum and mass transport in cylindrical pores are solved, taking into account: (1) the electric field generated by the charged surface of the pores, and (2) the axial and radial variations of concentration, electrical potential, and pressure. It is shown that all the above anomalous effects can be explained using this framework. The effect of specific adsorption of ions upon the walls of the pores on the osmotic flow is also examined. Finally, the present theory is shown to correctly predict the trends in the variation of the membrane potential and solute permeability of the membrane with changes in the electrolyte concentration. The computations reveal that the extent of solute permeation of the membrane is determined in essence by the concentration and electrical potential gradients; except for very large values of the ratio of the Debye length to the pore radius, the contribution of the convection of ions (due to the osmotic flow) to the solute flux is very small.
Positronium Decay in Silica Sol-Gels

Positronium lifetimes inside porous silica are measured and discussed in terms of surface interactions, oxygen and nitrogen induced quenching and pore sizes. Surface interactions are studied for silica gels having surfaces covered solely with hydroxyl or methoxy groups. A rapid decay of positronium inside the pores filled with gaseous or liquid oxygen is reported and explained in terms of quenching mechanisms. An increase in the measured lifetimes for pores filled with nitrogen is attributed to the change in the pore distribution function.
A novel motion generation strategy for robotic tooth brushing simulator

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a robotic tooth brushing simulator mimicking realistic tooth brushing motions, thereby facilitating greater understanding of the generation of realistic tooth brushing motion for optimal design of toothbrushes., – Tooth brushing motions were measured via a motion capture system. Different motion patterns of brushing were analysed. A series of elliptical motion segments were generated by interpolating ellipse‐like trajectories. Furthermore, a path generation algorithm for brushing simulation was proposed. A path planning system incorporating robot motion control was developed to simulate realistic tooth brushing. The generality and efficiency of the proposed algorithm was demonstrated through simulation and experimental results., – The interpolation of ellipse‐like trajectories can generate elliptical motion segments. Furthermore, realistic tooth brushing can be achieved by integrating the elliptical motion segments into the path generated from the surfaces of teeth. The brushing simulator demonstrated good reproducibility of clinically standardized tooth brushing., – A robotic toothbrush assessment system is a potential application to the robotic tooth brushing simulator by incorporating control of brushing variables, including brushing pressure, speed and temperature., – This study demonstrates the feasibility of using robotic simulation techniques towards improved realistic human tooth brushing motions simulation for optimal design of tooth brushes.
Fortifications and Enclosures in European Prehistory: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

This article reviews recent research into the archaeological interpretation and investigation of fortifications and enclosures during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Europe. Recent methodological, technological, and cultural developments have expanded our understanding of the temporal, spatial, and formal variability of these features on the landscape. Interpretations of this variability also have varied with different theoretical trends in the discipline. We advocate a cross-cultural approach that focuses on the occurrence of enclosures and fortifications over the long term at the continental scale. Such a macroscalar approach complements interpretive frameworks at the regional and microregional scales. The geographic and temporal distribution of these features indicates that social institutions associated with principles of segmentation and substitutability became formalized and tethered to the landscape during the Neolithic.
Are entrepreneurship and cognitive skills related? Some international evidence

Do national differences in cognitive skills (CS) predict a nation’s likelihood of generating high-quality entrepreneurs who create and expand high-value businesses? We answer this question by estimating cross-country regressions that use the Acs and Szerb Global Entrepreneurship Development Index (GEDI) and a measure of national CS. After including conventional controls we find for a sample of 60 countries that our measure of CS robustly predicts the GEDI (unconditional correlation = 0.65, standardized beta = 0.42), an index that gives weight to both entrepreneurial attitudes within a nation and the institutional and economic prerequisites for creating high-value, high-growth firms. We find that this result also holds for an alternative measure of entrepreneurship.
Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World Glenn T. Eskew. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2013.

Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World Glenn T. Eskew. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2013.If success is measured by Oscars, Grammys, or Golden Globes, Johnny Mercer was a more successful songwriter than Irving Berlin or Cole Porter. Mercer's work on Broadway disappointed him-no Tonys-but his work on records, television, and movies served his music better. As Glenn Eskew argues in his new Mercer biography, "no other songwriter appears so successfully involved in so many facets of America's entertainment industry in the twentieth century as Johnny Mercer" (375). Eskew's index includes a select list of more than fifty artists for whom Mercer wrote or with whom he collaborated; these diverse partnerships include Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Henry Mancini, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. By 1947, fifteen million records in American homes featured music by Johnny Mercer, and it was said that no American could fail to hear at least one Mercer line per day.Eskew writes this new biography using new Mercer collections at Georgia State University, among many others. Eskew's Johnny Mercer differs from earlier biographies by including new materials but also because Eskew calls it a "scholarly work" and a biography. Eskew sets out to prove that Mercer was a leading figure in the music of America's southern diaspora, when massive migration took the South's multiracial musical genres throughout the United States and, eventually, into foreign countries as well.Some of Mercer's story may seem to contradict Eskew's thesis; Mercer was the favored child of a traditional, even elite, southern family, brought up as an Episcopalian and with the morals (and complex relationships with other races) of that elite. Few know, for example, that after his success years later, Mercer paid every dollar owed to creditors after his father's business bankruptcy. But this high southern morality did not stand in the way of Mercer's work with virtually every southern musical tradition.Mercer's work as a founder of Capitol Records allows Eskew to illustrate Mercer's place in the music of the southern diaspora most specifically. Capitol Records was the first label to refuse to use the term "race music," the industry's euphemism for black music; no separation meant Capitol artists of any race could more easily collaborate. Mercer the jazz stylist (he was never a Tin Pan Alley lyricist) was the "Artists and Repertoire" man for Capitol, but more than that, he wrote lyrics and music, recorded and even helped engineer recordings-working in every way possible with artists representing virtually every genre of southern music. …
Water diffusion in a basaltic melt

Water is the most abundant volatile component in terrestrial basalts and is a significant constituent of the gases that escape from basaltic magmas. Knowledge of the diffusivity of water (and other volatiles) in basaltic melts is important for understanding the degassing of basaltic magma and for assessing the fractionation of volatiles during degassing. We report here measurements of water diffusivity in a basaltic liquid. The water concentration profiles through the samples, determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, cannot be modelled adequately on the basis of a constant water diffusivity, but instead can be fitted by assuming that only molecular H_2O is diffusing and that there is a local equilibrium between H_2O molecules and OH groups. The concentration-dependent total water diffusivities in the basaltic melt at 1,300–1,500 °C are 30–50 times as large as those in rhyolitic melts, and are greater than the total CO_2 diffusivity in basaltic melts, contrary to previous expectations. These results suggest that diffusive fractionation would increase the ratio of water to carbon dioxide in growing bubbles relative to equilibrium partitioning, and decrease the ratio in interface melts near an advancing anhydrous phenocryst.
Solar Maximum Mission - A systems overview

The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM), or the central effort of the Solar Maximum Year research endeavor is discussed. The mission's attempt to exploit the synergistic advantages of correlated data to obtain a complete picture of solar phenomena is stressed, as is the coordination provided by a world-wide network of ground-based observations. The prominent features of the SMM observatory, including the payload module and the solar-array system, are shown diagramatically and the science instruments (coronagraph/polarimeter, ultraviolet spectrometer/polarimeter, soft X-ray polychromater) are discussed. Descriptions of the spacecraft's electrical power system, attitude determination and control systems and communications systems are also included. The Experiment Operations Facility, which provides quick response to rapidly changing solar conditions and permits coordination with a multitude of ground observatories and coordinated experiments, is described.
Cytokinesis: Effects of blocks between the mitotic apparatus and the surface on furrow establishment in flattened echinoderm eggs

The physical mechanism which accomplishes cytokinesis in animal cells develops as a consequence of interaction between the mitotic apparatus and the surface. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether successful furrow establishment depends upon normal geometrical relations between the interactants in some areas but not in others. Blocks were positioned between different regions of the mitotic apparatus and the surface in flattened sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) and sand dollar (Echinarachnius parma) eggs. The blocking agents used were slit-shaped perforations, needles, and oil drops. Results were consistent regardless of which block was used. Blocks located outside the equatorial plane did not affect furrowing. Perforations located in the equatorial plane resulted in furrow formation on the proximal surface of the perforation; no furrows formed distal to the perforation, either in the cell margin or the distal surface of the puncture. Oil drops and glass needles positioned in the equatorial plane affected furrowing. The magnitude of the effect was directly related to the size of the block. The results demonstrate that furrow establishment is not affected by drastic modifications of the geometrical relationship between the mitotic apparatus and the poles, but it is very susceptible to interference in the region between the mitotic apparatus and the equator.
Minority politics in the house of medicine: the physicians forum and the New York County Medical Society, 1938-1965.

The late 1930s challenged laissez-faire medicine. Recognition of serious inadequacies in the distribution of medical services stirred activists who questioned fee-for-service delivery and posited a national health program, including health insurance. The AMA and its components—state and county medical societies—counterattacked, mobilizing money and their powerful political arsenal to fight government intrusion in private medicine. The Physicians Forum, initially under the leadership of Ernst P. Boas, emerged as a formidable element within the New York County Medical Society (the largest component of the AMA). The Forum provoked discussion of medical indigence and economics, upsetting the Society leadership with independent candidate slates and telling the public that doctors spoke with more than one voice. For 25 years, the Physicians Forum altered the dynamics of the Medical Society of the County of New York. While the Forum effort to institutionalize minority opinion in the councils of medicine failed, the interchange between County regulars and Forum insurgents broadened the medical reform agenda and moved the County Society in directions that historically it had avoided. Although medical economics formed an unbridgeable chasm between County regulars and rebels, Forum members demonstrated that medicine was not monolithic, that “majority opinion [was not] . . . unanimous opinion,” and that doctors must speak to issues of medical and social policy.
Critical Thinking in Health Professions Education: Summary and Consensus Statements of the Millennium Conference 2011

Purpose: Critical thinking is central to the function of health care professionals. However, this topic is not explicitly taught or assessed within current programs, yet the need is greater than ever, in an era of information explosion, spiraling health care costs, and increased understanding about metacognition. To address the importance of teaching critical thinking in health professions education, the Shapiro Institute for Education and Research and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation jointly sponsored the Millennium Conference 2011 on Critical Thinking. Summary: Teams of physician and nurse educators were selected through an application process. Attendees proposed strategies for integrating principles of critical thinking more explicitly into health professions curricula. Working in interprofessional, multi-institutional groups, participants tackled questions about teaching, assessment, and faculty development. Deliberations were summarized into consensus statements. Conclusions: Educational leaders partic...
Prehospital decompression for suspected tension pneumothorax

Abstract Introduction: This single institutional experience with needle decompression of a tension pneumothorax in the prehospital setting was stimulated because of the paucity of information in the literature. Methods: Retrospective, descriptive review of prehospital needle decompression. Setting: Three-helicopter air medical program staffed with nurse/paramedic crew in a primarily rural service area. Results: Seventy-five of 6,112 patients transported during the study period (1.2%) required needle decompression. Patients averaged 36.7 years of age, Trauma Score averaged 4.6, Injury Severity Score averaged 37.3, and hospital length of stay for survivors averaged 7.8 days. Confirmation of the pneumothorax and clinical improvement post decompression occurred in a little over half of the study patients. The single, most accurate sign of a tension pneumothorax was increased difficulty in manually ventilating the patient. Only one complication could be related directly to needle decompression. The overall mortality was high (49 of 75 patients). Conclusions: The majority of patients died of their injuries in the prehospital setting. The procedure appeared safe and effective. Prospective study is indicated to further define the population that might most benefit from prehospital needle decompression.
The dynamics of volunteer participation in futures research

Abstract This article is based on the author's professional experience of using volunteers in a futures research capacity. It focuses on the social, psychological and methodological dynamics of volunteer participation in futures research.
Symplectic gluing along hypersurfaces and resolution of isolated orbifold singularities

This paper is concerned with two themes of symplectic topology. The first is the development of techniques to construct symplectic manifolds and, in particular, compact symplectic 4-manifolds. The second is the resolution of symplectic singularities and, in particular, the resolution of isolated singularities in symplectic 4-manifolds. On the first topic we prove a theorem which allows the gluing of two symplectic manifolds along a special class of hypersurfaces that we call o-compatible hypersurfaces. Let (X, og) be a symplectic 2n-manifold and M c X a hypersurface with a fixed point free S 1-action. M is called o2compatible if the orbits of the action lie in the null directions of og[u. An ~o-compatible hypersurface M has a canonical co-orientation. Hence, if M is a separating hypersurface, then M divides X into distinguished components X and X +. In dimension 4, our main gluing theorem is as follows.
Paul Virilio and the articulation of post-reality

This article provides an introductory overview of the theories of Paul Virilio, particularly regarding how technologically-enhanced speed impacts human reality. It positions Virilio as part modernist, part postmodernist and discusses how his ethico-political views color his more aesthetic metaphysics, creating a tension in his final position on the merits of technological speed's blurring of the real and the imaginary. It concludes by contrasting Virilio's position with some comments on aesthetics by Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Genetic variants associated with fasting blood lipids in the U.S. population: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The identification of genetic variants related to blood lipid levels within a large, population-based and nationally representative study might lead to a better understanding of the genetic contribution to serum lipid levels in the major race/ethnic groups in the U.S. population. Using data from the second phase (1991-1994) of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), we examined associations between 22 polymorphisms in 13 candidate genes and four serum lipids: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG). Univariate and multivariable linear regression and within-gene haplotype trend regression were used to test for genetic associations assuming an additive mode of inheritance for each of the three major race/ethnic groups in the United States (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Mexican American). Variants within APOE (rs7412, rs429358), PON1 (rs854560), ITGB3 (rs5918), and NOS3 (rs2070744) were found to be associated with one or more blood lipids in at least one race/ethnic group in crude and adjusted analyses. In non-Hispanic whites, no individual polymorphisms were associated with any lipid trait. However, the PON1 A-G haplotype was significantly associated with LDL-C and TC. In non-Hispanic blacks, APOE variant rs7412 and haplotype T-T were strongly associated with LDL-C and TC; whereas, rs5918 of ITGB3 was significantly associated with TG. Several variants and haplotypes of three genes were significantly related to lipids in Mexican Americans: PON1 in relation to HDL-C; APOE and NOS3 in relation to LDL-C; and APOE in relation to TC. We report the significant associations of blood lipids with variants and haplotypes in APOE, ITGB3, NOS3, and PON1 in the three main race/ethnic groups in the U.S. population using a large, nationally representative and population-based sample survey. Results from our study contribute to a growing body of literature identifying key determinants of plasma lipoprotein concentrations and could provide insight into the biological mechanisms underlying serum lipid and cholesterol concentrations.
Focusing properties of magnetic sectors of the wedge type. Part II

Abstract The focusing properties of inhomogeneous magnetic sector fields with cylindrical symmetry, symmetrical arrangement of object and image and perpendicular trajectories at the field boundaries are investigated. First and second order aberrations are computed and compared with the analogous values of other stigmatic focusing magnets.
A Case Study of Teaching for Literacy Acceleration Within a Critical Literacy Framework: Reconstructing Pedagogical Approaches

In this article I report on a case study of a teacher and student teaching and learning literacy within a critical literacy framework. The case study is drawn from a larger study I conducted with teachers enrolled in a master's programme designed to prepare literacy specialists. As the course instructor, I asked the students to engage with the theory and pedagogy of accelerative and critical literacy. In this article, I share a case study of how one teacher—Karen—learned to accelerate her second-grade student—Isaiah—as a reader and writer within a critical literacy framework. Karen's case points to the importance of a more nuanced language for talking about the emergence of critical literacy practices, one that recognises the growth and development of individuals as they become critically literate.
High responsivity, low dark current, heterogeneously integrated thin film Si photodetectors on rigid and flexible substrates

We report thin film single crystal silicon photodetectors (PDs), composed of 13- 25 μm thick silicon, heterogeneously bonded to transparent Pyrex® and flexible Kapton® substrates. The measured responsivity and dark current density of the PDs on pyrex is 0.19 A/W – 0.34 A/W (λ = 470 nm – 600 nm) and 0.63 nA/cm2, respectively, at ~0V bias. The measured responsivity and dark current density of the flexible PDs is 0.16 A/W – 0.26 A/W (λ = 470 nm – 600 nm) and 0.42 nA/cm2, respectively, at a ~0V bias. The resulting responsivity-to-dark current density ratios for the reported rigid and flexible PDs are 0.3-0.54 cm2/nW and 0.38-0.62 cm2/nW, respectively. These are the highest reported responsivity-to-dark current density ratios for heterogeneously bonded thin film single crystal Si PDs, to the best of our knowledge. These PDs are customized for applications in biomedical imaging and integrated biochemical sensing.
Inarticulate they are not

Popov, L. & Holmer, L.E. 1994 Cambrian-Ordovician lingulate brachio-pods from Scandinavia, Kazakhstan, and South Ural Mountains. Fossils and Strata, No. 35,156 pp. and 115 figures.
Persistent prostate-specific antigen expression after neoadjuvant androgen depletion: An early predictor of relapse or incomplete androgen suppression

Abstract Objectives To analyze post-androgen depletion (AD) primary tumors to identify markers of treatment failure because AD does not reduce the probability of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure after prostatectomy. Methods Tumors removed by radical prostatectomy after 3 months of AD from 21 patients were analyzed for gene expression using oligonucleotide arrays. Differences between patients with and without relapse were identified using a conservative significance criteria of a threefold change and delta 0.68, ensuring a false discovery rate of less than 11%. Results At 50 months of follow-up, 7 of the 18 evaluable patients developed a biochemical recurrence. Gleason grade, pretherapy PSA level, T stage, and margin status were similar between the two groups. Patients with recurrence had greater post-AD PSA levels than those without recurrence (0.87 versus 0.19 ng/mL; P = 0.042). Gene expression analysis revealed 35 probe sets overexpressed in tumors from patients who relapsed. Among the highest ranked probe sets were PSA and other androgen-responsive genes. Serum PSA values during AD revealed similar findings. After 40 days of AD, the PSA level in those without recurrence was 1.21 ng/mL versus 4.5 ng/mL in those with recurrence ( P = 0.0034). Immunohistochemistry of post-AD tumors also demonstrated a high PSA staining intensity in many tumors that recurred relative to those that didn't. Conclusions The results of our study show that early recurrence is associated with expression of androgen-responsive genes. Surprisingly, these could be identified as early as 3 months after the initiation of AD therapy. Whether this represents a failure to abrogate androgen receptor mediated signaling with androgen depletion or early reactivation of signaling is under study.
A two-current model for the dynamics of cardiac membrane.

In this paper we introduce and study a model for electrical activity of cardiac membrane which incorporates only an inward and an outward current. This model is useful for three reasons: (1) Its simplicity, comparable to the FitzHugh-Nagumo model, makes it useful in numerical simulations, especially in two or three spatial dimensions where numerical efficiency is so important. (2) It can be understood analytically without recourse to numerical simulations. This allows us to determine rather completely how the parameters in the model affect its behavior which in turn provides insight into the effects of the many parameters in more realistic models. (3) It naturally gives rise to a one-dimensional map which specifies the action potential duration as a function of the previous diastolic interval. For certain parameter values, this map exhibits a new phenomenon—subcritical alternans—that does not occur for the commonly used exponential map.
Massaging the message: Marshall McLuhan and oral interpretation

Those who beat the drums for oral interpretation in McLuhan's “tribal village” need to be sure of the message.
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adolescent Girls: Moderators of the Distress-Function Relationship.

This study examined nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a community sample of young adolescent girls. Potential moderators of the relationships between different types of distress (internal and interpersonal) and particular functions of NSSI (emotion-regulation and interpersonal) were explored. Participants included 94 girls (49% Hispanic; 25% African American) ages 10-14 years who completed questionnaires regarding self-injurious behavior and other constructs of interest. Fifty-six percent of girls (n = 53) reported engaging in NSSI during their lifetime, including 36% (n = 34) in the past year. Internal distress (depressive symptoms) was associated with engaging in NSSI for emotion-regulation functions, and rumination moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and engaging in NSSI for automatic positive reinforcement. Interpersonal distress (peer victimization) was associated with engaging in NSSI for social reinforcement, and quality of peer communication moderated this relationship. The clinical implications of these findings include designing preventions that address the particular contexts of self-injurious behavior.
Subcellular localization of sea urchin egg spectrin: evidence for assembly of the membrane-skeleton on unique classes of vesicles in eggs and embryos.

Abstract A recent study from our laboratory on the sea urchin egg suggested that spectrin was not solely restricted to the plasma membrane, but instead had a more widespread distribution on the surface of a variety of membranous inclusions. (E. M. Bonder et al., 1989, Dev. Biol. 134, 327–341). In this report we extend our initial findings and provide experimental and ultrastructural evidence for the presence of spectrin on three distinct classes of cytoplasmic vesicles. Immunoblot analysis of membrane fractions prepared from egg homogenates establishes that spectrin coisolates with vesicle-enriched fractions, while indirect immunofluorescence microscopy on cryosections of centrifugally stratified eggs demonstrates that spectrin specifically associates with cortical granules, acidic vesicles, and yolk platelets in vivo. Immunogold ultrastructural localization of spectrin on cortices isolated from eggs and early embryos details the striking distribution of spectrin on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane and the membranes of cortical granules, acidic vesicles, and yolk platelets, while quantitative studies show that relatively equivalent amounts of spectrin are present on the different membrane surfaces both before and after fertilization. These data, in combination with the localization of numerous spectrin crosslinks between actin filaments in surface microvilli, suggest that spectrin plays a pivotal role in structuring the cortical membrane-cytoskeletal complex of the egg and the embryo.
Calcium regulation of intracellular pH in pituitary intermediate lobe melanotropes

The regulatory activities of both intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) and intracellular pH (pHi) have greatly increased interest in the study of their interdependence. We have designed an epifluorescence video microscope that will image the fluorescence from two ratio dyes, indo-1 (for [Ca2+]i) and SNARF-1 (for pHi) at video rates. We examined primary cultures of pituitary intermediate lobe melanotropes loaded with both dyes. After experimentation, cells were positively identified by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. K(+)-induced depolarization of melanotropes produced increases in [Ca2+]i due to activation of L-type Ca channels. A secondary Ca2+ peak or oscillations were often seen. After treatment with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrozone, depolarization produced a rise in intracellular [Ca2+]i as well as oscillations. After thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid treatment, depolarization produced a primary Ca2+ elevation, but the secondary Ca2+ changes disappeared. This suggests that the oscillations were due to Ca2+ release from an endoplasmic reticulum type of intracellular store. All of these increases in [Ca2+]i were also directly coupled to a rise in intracellular H+. The close association between intracellular Ca2+ and H+ suggests that the observed pHi changes were due to the release of H+ upon binding of Ca2+ to intracellular buffers. This direct obligate coupling of intracellular Ca2+ and H+ suggests the possibility that pH-dependent cellular processes are directly activated by sudden increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels. This second messenger type of signaling system would be activated whether the Ca2+ was released from intracellular stores or entered the cell via plasma membrane Ca2+ channels.
PREVENTING DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY : THE ROLE OF PRIMARY CARE

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States and is associated with significant human and economic cost. It is recognized that care of the person with diabetes should be focused on the prevention of the many devastating long-term complications of the disease. The primary care provider is in a key position to implement good preventive care. Monitoring for microalbuminuria is the accepted method for identifying early nephropathy. Individual providers need to be aware of current guidelines for performing screening exams. Once early nephropathy is detected, prudent care with tight glycemic control, angiotension-converting enzyme therapy, control of hypertension, and lifestyle risk-factor modification are warranted. Currently, there is strong indication that the progression of renal disease can be slowed with appropriate early interventions. Positive outcomes are dependent on timely detection of microalbuminuria.
Learning from marginalized users: reciprocity in HCI4D

Users in the developing world continue to appropriate information and communication technologies (ICTs) in pioneering ways resulting in innovations such as M-Pesa, the popular mobile money transfer system developed in Kenya. M-Pesa's success demonstrates the emergence of user-centered innovative applications in resource-constrained settings. The goals of our workshop are twofold: 1) to uncover more of these examples and 2) to discuss how they can influence design in developed countries.
Synovial Cysts of the Spine: Clinical Presentation and Treatment

Synovial cysts of the spine are benign degenerative abnormalities of facet joints where the synovial lining herniates through the joint capsule to form a cyst. Usually found in the lumbar spine, they can arise in the cervical and thoracic spine. Synovial cysts become symptomatic when causing compression on the nerve structures. Treatment should be guided by the requirements for decompression. Presence of a synovial cyst alone is not an indication for surgery. The surgeon must keep in mind that synovial cysts are a manifestation of facet arthropathy. Fusion should be considered if the facet joint is rendered incompetent by decompression.
On the decomposition and coordination of large scale dynamic control problems

This paper proposes a new framework for large-scale dynamical control problems from the perspective of hierarchical decomposition and coordination. Its key features include coordination concepts from game theory, the decomposition along the time axis, and parallel processing algorithms to take advantage of the gradually increasing computation capability. Preliminary results are presented through a linear quadratic optimal control problem.