cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of orthometric height accuracy using bore hole gravimetry

Errors are introduced in orthometric height computations by the use of standard formulas to estimate mean gravity along the plumb line. Direct measurements of gravity between the Earth’s surface and sea level from bore hole gravimetry were used to determine the magnitude of these errors. For the seven cases studied, errors in orthometric height, due to the use of the Helmert method for computing mean gravity along the plumb line, were generally small (<2 cm). However, in one instance the error was substantial, being9.6 cm. The results verified the general validity of the Poincare-Prey approach to estimation of gravity along the plumb line and demonstrated that the suggestion byVanicek (1980) that the air gradient is more appropriate is incorrect. With sufficient topographic information to compute terrain corrections, and density estimates from surface gravity, errors in mean gravity along the plumb line should contribute no more than 3cm to orthometric height computation.
Developmental determinants of the independence and complexity of the enteric nervous system

Enteric nervous system (ENS) development is relevant to Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR; congenital aganglionosis of the terminal bowel), which is still imperfectly treated. Mutations in genes encoding the RET receptor tyrosine kinase and endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) are involved in HSCR pathogenesis; however, also important in ENS development are molecules that mediate events that are more restricted than those of RET and EDNRB, act later in development and which might not be HSCR-associated. Examples are molecules that function in the guidance of enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCDCs) and vagal axons, and in regulating the terminal differentiation of enteric neurons from ENCDCs. It is probable that highly prevalent disorders of gastrointestinal sensation and motility result from subtle defects in ENS development.
MicroRNAs in Platelet Production and Activation

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that modulate protein expression by degrading mRNA or repressing translation. They have been shown to play important roles in hematopoiesis, including embryonic stem cell differentiation, erythropoiesis, granulocytopoiesis/monocytopoiesis, lymphopoiesis, and megakaryocytopoiesis. miR-150 and miR-155 play divergent roles in megakaryocytopoiesis, with the former promoting development of megakaryocytes at the expense of erythrocytes and the latter causing a reduction in megakaryocyte colony formation. Platelets also contain fully functional miRNA machinery, and certain miRNA levels in platelets have been found to coordinate with reactivity to specific agonists and to pathologic states. This review will cover the current state of knowledge of miRNAs in megakaryocytes and platelets and the exciting possibilities for future research.
Role of isozyme-specific inhibition of cytochrome P450IIB1 activity in m-xylene-induced alterations in rat pulmonary benzo(a)pyrene metabolism.

1. m-Xylene (1 g/kg, i.p., 1 h) increased formation of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) mutagenic bay region diols, BP-7,8-diol (66%) and BP-9,10-diol (56%) by rat pulmonary microsomal preparations, while formation of individual BP phenols and quinones was unaltered.2. m-Xylene administration produced a decrease in cytochrome P450IIB1 activity as measured by pentoxy- and benzyloxy-resorufin O-dealkylation (PROD, BROD), while cytochrome P450IA1 activity, expressed as ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylation (EROD), was unaltered.3. Pulmonary microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity was also unaltered by m-xylene.4. In summary, m-xylene alters the relative contribution of P-450 isozymes to BP metabolism resulting in inhibition of BP detoxication and increased production of toxic metabolites.
Mechanism of action of TNF-α-stimulated prostaglandin production in cultured bovine luteal cells

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) influences hormone synthesis of many ovarian cell types and can also exert cytotoxic effects, possibly by increasing the synthesis of prostaglandins. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the mechanism of TNF-α-stimulated prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) production in cultured bovine luteal cells. Inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis (actinomycin D and cycloheximide, respectively) completely blocked TNF-α-stimulated PGF2α production. The phospholipase A2 inhibitor, aristolochic acid, prevented TNF-α-stimulated, but not basal, PGF2α production, whereas the phospholipase C inhibitor, compound 48 80 , was without effect. The addition of arachidonic acid to cultures did not overcome the inhibitory effects of cycloheximide or aristolochic acid. In conclusion, TNF-α-stimulated prostaglandin production by bovine luteal cells is dependent upon the stimulation of phospholipase A2 through mechanisms which require synthesis of RNA and protein.
Quantifying the Burden of Complications Following Total Pancreatectomy Using the Postoperative Morbidity Index: A Multi-Institutional Perspective

While contemporary studies demonstrate decreasing complication rates following total pancreatectomy (TP), none have quantified the impact of post-TP complications. The Postoperative Morbidity Index (PMI)—a quantitative measure of postoperative morbidity—combines ACS-NSQIP complication data with severity weighting derived from Modified Accordion Grading System. We establish the PMI for TP in a multi-institutional cohort. Nine institutions contributed ACS-NSQIP data for 64 TPs (2005–2011). Each complication was assigned an Accordion severity weight ranging from 0.110 (grade 1/mild) to 1.00 (grade 6/death). PMI equals the sum of complication severity weights (“Total Burden”) divided by total number of patients. Overall, 29 patients (45.3 %) suffered 55 ACS-NSQIP complications; 15 (23.4 %) had >1 complication. Thirteen patients (20.3 %) were readmitted and one death (1.6 %) occurred within 30 days. Non-risk adjusted PMI was 0.151, while PMI for complication-bearing cases rose to 0.333. Bleeding/Transfusion and Sepsis were the most common complications. Discordance between frequency and burden of complications was observed. While grades 4–6 comprised only 18.5 % of complications, they contributed 37.1 % to the series’ total burden. This multi-institutional series is the first to quantify the complication burden following TP using the rigor of ACS-NSQIP. A PMI of 0.151 indicates that, collectively, patients undergoing TP have an average burden of complications in the mild to moderate severity range, although complication-bearing patients have a considerable reduction in health utility.
"Bursty" Reconnection Following Solar Eruptions: MHD Simulations and Comparison with Observations

Posteruptive arcades are frequently seen in the aftermath of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The formation of these loops at successively higher altitudes, coupled with the classic "two-ribbon" flare seen in H-alpha, are interpreted as reconnection of the coronal magnetic field that has been dragged outward by the CME. White-light observations of "rays," which have been interpreted as being coincident with the current sheet at the reconnection site underneath the erupting CME, also provide evidence for its occurrence. "Blobs" occasionally seen within these rays suggest an even richer level of structure. In this report, we present numerical simulations that reproduce both the observed rays and the formation and evolution of the blobs. We compare their properties with SOHO/LASCO observations of similar structures, and relate their formation to standard theories of reconnection,
Black Studies in the 21st Century: Longevity Has Its Place

This article is concerned with the fact that Black studies (or African American studies, Africana studies, Pan-African studies, African Centered studies, Afrocentric studies, Africalogical studies,...
What happens to the energy input during fatigue crack propagation

Abstract The “energy balance” concept and experimental studies of fatigue crack tip plasticity were used to evaluate the distribution of the energy absorbed during fatigue crack propagation. The energy stored within the crack tip plastic zone was estimated from a knowledge of the plastic strain distribution around the crack tip and the flow behavior of the SiFe alloy used in this investigation. The heat dissipation was obtained indirectly assuming that the energy associated with the crack surfaces was negligible. The energy which accounted for the defect structure inside the plastic zone was a very small fraction of the absorbed energy and increased with crack propagation. This increase was very pronounced near the onset of unstable crack propagation. A similar observation was made for the heat dissipation.
Impact of scintillation on laser communication systems: recent advances in modeling

Laser communication systems offer several advantages over conventional radio frequency (RF) systems but, because of shorter wavelength, are subject to various atmospheric effects. Particularly significant in this regard is the signal fading below a prescribed threshold value owing primarily to optical scintillations associated with the received signal. Over terrestrial paths of 1 - 3 km, or at large zenith angles between the transmitter and receiver in an uplink/downlink channel, the intensity fluctuations can easily exceed the limitations imposed by weak fluctuation theory. Under strong conditions the intensity fluctuations can no longer be modeled by a lognormal distribution - instead, we find the gamma-gamma distribution to be an excellent model over virtually all conditions of irradiance fluctuations. In this paper we discuss some recent advances in the modeling of optical scintillation under weak-to- strong fluctuations associated with both terrestrial links and satellite/ground links. The analysis presented here specifically addresses scintillation effects on detector signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and on related fading probability and error probability or bit error rate (BER). We also discuss the use of multiple aperture receivers to mitigate the effects of optical turbulence.
A Testing Experiment in the Principles Course: Students Learn more by Composing Test Questions on a Microcomputer:

Undergraduate students taking a principles of marketing course were randomly assigned to compose multiple-choice questions for possible inclusion on tests held every two weeks during the course. Th...
Using optical metrology to reconstruct sound recordings

Prior to 1950 nearly all sound recordings were made on mechanical media such as wax, foil, shellac, lacquer, and plastic. Some of these older recordings contain material of great historical value or interest but are damaged, decaying, or now considered too delicate to play. Archives seek to preserve and also create broad access to their collections. An ongoing effort at Berkeley Lab has applied methods of optical metrology and image processing to reconstruct sound stored on these mechanical carriers. This approach was inspired by the use of precision optical metrology to align and fabricate silicon tracking arrays for high-energy physics experiments and by track finding and fitting data analysis methods. The technology has matured to the point that an optical metrology system for sound restoration has been designed and built for the Library of Congress.
Experience with varicoceles in children and young adults.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Varicocele ligation in children and adolescents has been advocated for left testicular growth arrest. We report our experience with this population as well as the results of the microscopic inguinal technique.Materials and Methods: Between 1994 and 1999, 184 children and young adults presented with unilateral left varicoceles. At presentation 171 patients were asymptomatic and 13 had pain. Testicular measurement was assessed with calipers in 158 cases and ultrasound in 26. Surgery was performed using a microscopic inguinal technique in 58 patients and loupes in 16 of those who presented with left testicular growth arrest initially or who had growth arrest while under observation. Only one child underwent surgery for pain alone.Results: Patient age at presentation ranged from 5 to 22 years, and 70% presented between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Of the 13 patients with pain ages ranged from 13 to 22 years and 6 (46%) also had left testicular growth arrest. Initially, 109 (60%) boys were fou...
Why 'Willusionism' Leads to 'Bad Results': Comments on Baumeister, Crescioni, and Alquist

Drawing on results discussed in the target article by Baumeister et al. (1), I argue that the claim that the modern mind sciences are discovering that free will is an illusion (“willusionism”) is ambiguous and depends on how ordinary people understand free will. When interpreted in ways that the evidence does not justify, the willusionist claim can lead to ‘bad results.’ That is, telling people that free will is an illusion leads people to cheat more, help less, and behave more aggressively, but these responses may be based on people’s interpreting willusionist claims to mean that they lack the powers of rational choice and self-control.
Modeling Inertia and Compliance Mechanisms in Route Choice Behavior Under Real-Time Information:

This research examines route choice, in the presence of real-time information, as a consequence of two underlying behavioral mechanisms: compliance and inertia. The compliance mechanism reflects the propensity of a user to comply with the information supplied by advanced traveler information systems (ATIS). The inertial mechanism represents the tendency of users to continue on their current paths. These two mechanisms in route choice are neither mutually exclusive nor collectively exhaustive. A framework is proposed to model these mechanisms explicitly. The proposed framework decomposes the route choice into two states by exploiting the user's path choice structure (resulting from the current choice prior to the decision of interest) and the information supplied by ATIS. In each state, the mechanisms are incorporated by associating their utilities with those that reflect the specific attributes of the alternative paths. The resulting nested choice structure is implemented using the multinomial probit model. This framework is illustrated using route choice data obtained from dynamic interactive simulator experiments. The empirical results strongly support the simultaneous presence of both the compliance and inertia mechanisms in route choice behavior. The results also indicate that information quality, network loading and day-to-day evolution, level-of-service measures, and trip-makers' prior experience are significant determinants of route choice through the inertial and compliance mechanisms. These findings have important implications in travel behavior forecasting, ATIS design and evaluation, demand management, and network state prediction.
Binding and Physiology of 4′-Ethynyl-4-n-propylbicycloorthobenzoate (EBOB) in Cyclodiene-Resistant Drosophila

Abstract 4′-Ethynyl-4-n-[2,3-3H2]propylbicycloorthobenzoate ([3H]EBOB) is a novel radioligand for the convulsant binding site of vertebrate and invertebrate γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. Previous studies in membranes from house fly heads have shown [3H]EBOB to have high affinity for the cyclodiene binding site, which was reduced fourfold in cyclodiene-resistant strains. Following our recent identification of single amino acid replacements in the Drosophila GABA receptor gene Rdl conferring resistance to cyclodienes, we were interested in correlating [3H]EBOB binding and physiology with specific replacements of alanine302 in Rdl. Here we report that [3H]EBOB binding is not detectable in resistant strains carrying either the resistance-associated alanine302> serine (Drosophila melanogaster or D. simulans) or the alanine302> glycine (D. simulans) replacement. Thus, despite high specific binding to membranes from susceptible flies, no binding higher than nonspecific was observed in resistant preparations. EBOB (100 nM) was also shown to functionally block GABA-gated chloride ion currents generated in insect cells infected with a recombinant susceptible Rdl baculovirus, while cells expressing constructs containing the alanine302> serine replacement showed 10-fold insensitivity to block. These results indicate that the presence of alanine302 is central to the binding of [3H]EBOB to GABA receptors containing Rdl subunits and confirm the usefulness of this radioligand for the study of this important binding site.
Formal transition in agent organizations

Multiagent systems (MAS) can be employed to solve a great many problems. When combined with an organization model, a MAS becomes an even more useful structure capable of taking on problems that require self-organization, adaptation, and recovery. To capture and understand the concept of organization and reorganization, we must define organization transition. Specifically, we describe a formal process of organization transition.
Spaceborne Laser Ranging System and its Applications in Crustal Motion Investigations

The spaceborne laser ranging system will provide a method of precise positioning of a large number of points on the earth’s surface in a short period of time.
Blocking CXCR4-Mediated Cyclic AMP Suppression Inhibits Brain Tumor Growth In vivo

The chemokine CXCL12 and its cognate receptor CXCR4 regulate malignant brain tumor growth and are potential chemotherapeutic targets. However, the molecular basis for CXCL12-induced tumor growth remains unclear, and the optimal approach to inhibiting CXCR4 function in cancer is unknown. To develop such a therapeutic approach, we investigated the signaling pathways critical for CXCL12 function in normal and malignant cells. We discovered that CXCL12-dependent tumor growth is dependent upon sustained inhibition of cyclic AMP (cAMP) production, and that the antitumor activity of the specific CXCR4 antagonist AMD 3465 is associated with blocking cAMP suppression. Consistent with these findings, we show that pharmacologic elevation of cAMP with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor Rolipram suppresses tumor cell growth in vitro and, upon oral administration, inhibits intracranial growth in xenograft models of malignant brain tumors with comparable efficacy to AMD 3465. These data indicate that the clinical evaluation of phosphodiesterase inhibitors in the treatment of patients with brain tumors is warranted.
Analysis of infrared wireless links employing multi-beam transmitters and imaging diversity receivers

We analyze the improvements obtained in wireless infrared (IR) communication links when one replaces traditional single-element receivers by imaging receivers and diffuse transmitters by multi-beam (quasi-diffuse) transmitters. This paper addresses both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (non-LOS) IR links. We quantify link performance in terms of the transmitter power required to achieve a bit error rate (BER) not exceeding 10/sup -9/ with 95% probability. Our results indicate that in LOS links, imaging receivers can reduce the required transmitter power by up to 13 dB compared to single-element receivers. In non-LOS links, imaging receivers and multi-beam transmitters can reduce the required transmitter power by more than 20 dB.
Computational studies of the effects of oxidiser injector length on combustion instability

Computational studies were conducted to investigate the effects of oxidizer injector length on combustion instability for a single-eleme nt, longitudinal rocket combustor. The configuration is based on companion experiments that were developed to provide validation data for combustion instability. The experiment use s gaseous methane as fuel and decomposed hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer. As verified with multiple diagnostics, a baseline case demonstrates similar instability behavior as t he associated experimental case, with instability occurring at similar acoustic modes. Th is baseline case is then compared against four other oxidizer injector lengths, at similar ox idizer injector lengths as the experiment. The general trend of the computations is similar to the experiments, where the intermediate oxidizer injector length demonstrates the highest l evel of instability. The mechanisms which cause instability are then investigated using the c omputational results, with possible explanations given for the experimental behavior.
Angiotensin II and Gene Expression in the Kidney

Angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor, has a key role in renal injury and in the progression of chronic renal disease of diverse causes. In vascular smooth muscle cells, angiotensin II modulates growth, which may lead to hypertrophy and also may inhibit mitogen-stimulated DNA synthesis. The effects of angiotensin II on responsive cells are mediated by two classes of receptors, AT-1 and AT-2. Information obtained in the last decade indicates that angiotensin II increases the production of several autocrine factors, including transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and platelet-derived growth factor A chain (PDGF). Angiotensin also increases the release of other growth factors such as endothelin, platelet-activating factor (PAF), and interleukin 6. In addition, it increases the "activity" of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the synthesis of angiotensinogen. The emerging picture indicates that the actions of angiotensin II may be related to factors that are released or upregulated by angiotensin II, possibly through NF-kappaB activation. It appears likely that many of the effects of angiotensin II on renal disease may be mediated by TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha, and changes in the activity of NF-kappaB. The use of ACE inhibitors or antagonists of AT-1 or AT-2 receptors in experimental animals decreases the levels of angiotensin II or limits its action, thereby interfering with the production and effects of the factors described.
Increased blood pressure, aldosterone activity, and regional differences in renal ENaC protein during vasopressin escape.

The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is associated with water retention and hyponatremia. The kidney adapts via a transient natriuresis and persistent diuresis, i.e., vasopres...
Dynamic symbolic data structure repair

Generic repair of complex data structures is a new and exciting area of research. Existing approaches can integrate with good software engineering practices such as program assertions. But in practice there is a wide variety of assertions and not all of them satisfy the style rules imposed by existing repair techniques. I.e., a "badly" written assertion may render generic repair inefficient or ineffective. In this paper we build on the state of the art in generic repair and discuss how generic repair can work effectively with a wider range of correctness conditions. We motivate how dynamic symbolic techniques enable generic repair to support a wider range of correctness conditions and present DSDSR, a novel repair algorithm based on dynamic symbolic execution. We implement the algorithm for Java and report initial empirical results to demonstrate the promise of our approach for generic repair.
Fire behavior in masticated fuels: A review

Mastication is an increasingly common fuels treatment that redistributes ‘‘ladder’’ fuels to the forest floor to reduce vertical fuel continuity, crown fire potential, and fireline intensity, but fuel models do not exist for predicting fire behavior in these fuel types. Recent fires burning in masticated fuels have behaved in unexpected and contradictory ways, likely because the shredded, compact fuel created when trees and shrubs are masticated contains irregularly shaped pieces in mixtures quite different from other woody fuels. We review fuels characteristics and fire behavior in masticated fuels across the United States. With insights from the few laboratory and field burning experiments conducted, we highlight the variation likely to occur across different ecosystems in which these treatments are being widely implemented. Masticated debris has a propensity to flame and smolder for long durations. Fuel variability and vegetation response will likely influence whether or not treatments reduce long-term fire hazard. We identify key science needs that will better elucidate fire behavior and effects in these treatments. With mastication widely applied in an expanding wildland–urban interface it is crucial to understand how such fuels burn. What we learn about combustion in these fuels will inform effective fuels management in these and other mixed fuels.
Characterization of a strong dominant phytochrome A mutation unique to phytochrome a signal propagation

Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a strong dominant-negative phytochrome A (phyA) mutation (phyA-300D) in Arabidopsis. This mutation carries a single amino acid substitution at residue 631, from valine to methionine (V631M), in the core region within the C-terminal half of PHYA. This PHYA core region contains two protein-interactive motifs, PAS1 and PAS2. Val-631 is located within the PAS1 motif. The phyA-V631M mutant protein is photochemically active and accumulates to a level similar to wild type in dark-grown seedlings. Overexpression of PHYA-V631M in a wild-type background results in a dominant-negative interference with endogenous wild-type phyA, whereas PHYA-V631M in a phyA null mutant background is inactive. To investigate the specificity of this mutation within the phytochrome family, the corresponding amino acid substitution (V664M) was created in the PHYTOCHROME B (PHYB) polypeptide. We found that the phyB-V664M mutant protein is physiologically active in phyB mutant and causes no interfering effect in a wild-type background. Together, our results reveal a unique feature in phyA signal propagation through the C-terminal core region.
Corporate Responsibility in a Free and Democratic Society

Do corporations have any social responsibilities? Those who have argued both sides of this debate have failed to focus their attention sufficiently on the common law rules governing market relations, especially the law of torts, contracts, and property. This article argues that these three foundational legal institutions are all premised on a fundamental obligation of attentiveness. Actors are obligated to attend to the likely consequences of their actions on others and refrain from actions that impose unreasonable risks of harm or which impose harms that individuals are entitled to be protected against. If this is so, then the argument that corporations cannot reasonably respond to vague duties of social responsibility becomes less powerful, given the pervasive duties of all market actors to consider whether they could justify their harm-producing conduct to an impartial decision maker - in other words, whether they could explain their actions as reasonable. We want clear rules to give us guidelines about what we are and are not allowed to do. But we also want a fuzzy edge of substantive standards to induce us to think before we act - to be attentive to the ways in which our actions affect others. Such fuzzy edges create appropriate incentives to think about the effects of one's actions on others and to consider the judgments that others would make about the justice or appropriateness of our own conduct, given the impact it will have on others who, after all, have equal rights. And we care so much about this that we have enshrined it in the basic law governing the market system.
On the scalability of routing integrated time synchronization

Reactive time synchronization is becoming increasingly popular in the realm of wireless sensor networks. Unlike proactive protocols, traditionally implemented as a standalone middleware service that provides a virtual global time to the application layer, reactive techniques establish a common reference time base post facto, i.e. after an event of interest has occurred. In this paper, we present the formal error analysis of a representative reactive technique, the Routing Integrated Time Synchronization protocol (RITS). We show that in the general case, the presence of clock skews cause RITS to scale poorly with the size of the network. Then we identify a special class of sensor network applications that are resilient to this scalability limit. For applications outside this class, we propose an in-network skew compensation strategy that makes RITS scale well with both network size and node density. We provide experimental results using a 45-node network of Berkeley MICA2 motes.
Variable resolution discretization for high-accuracy solutions of optimal control problems

State abstraction is of central importance in remforcement learning and Markov Decision Processes. This paper studies the case of variable resolution state abstraction for continuous-state, deterministic dynamic control problems in which near-optimal policies are required. We describe variable resolution policy and value function representations based on Kuhn triangulations embedded in a kd-tree. We then consider top-down approaches to choosing which cells to split in order to generate improved policies. We begin with local approaches based on value function properties and policy properties that use only features of individual cells in making splitting choices. Later, by introducing two new non-local measures, influence and variance, we derive a splitting criterion that allows one cell to efficiently take into account its impact on other cells when deciding whether to split. We evaluate the performance of a variety of splitting criteria on many benchmark problems (published on the web), paying careful attention to their number-of-cells versus closeness-to-optimality tradeoff curves.
Ultrasound Evaluation of the Acute Abdomen

This article reviews the role of high-resolution ultrasound in the evaluation of various nontraumatic conditions involving the biliary tree, liver, pancreas, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract that can cause acute abdominal pain. In addition, the ultrasound imaging findings of conditions resulting in acute intra-abdominal hemorrhage and select gynecological conditions that also can present with acute abdominal pain and mimic upper abdominal disease are discussed.
The Hierarchy of Ethical Values in Nonprofit Organizations: A Framework for an Ethical, Self- Actualized Organizational Culture

Using Maslow’s theory of human psychological development as a framework, a model based on the hierarchy of values is proposed to explain how not-for-profit organizations develop an ethical culture. As with individual values, the five levels of ethical behavior—financial competence, accountability, reciprocity, respect, integrity—are attained successively and one at a time. Thus ethical values are a foundation for achieving integrity, defined herein not only as incorruptibility but as a total commitment to the highest standards of behavior. External controls stimulate ethical behavior primarily at the lower levels; internal controls must be present to achieve an ethical organizational culture.
Histogenesis of retinal dysplasia in trisomy 13

Although often associated with holoprosencephaly, little detail of the histopathology of cyclopia is available. Here, we describe the ocular findings in a case of trisomy 13 to better understand the histogenesis of the rosettes, or tubules, characteristic of the retinal dysplasia associated with this condition. A full pediatric autopsy was performed of a near term infant who died shortly after birth from multiple congenital anomalies including fused facial-midline structures. A detailed histopathological study of the ocular structures was performed. The expression of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), cellular retinal-binding protein (CRALBP), rod opsin, and Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) were studied by immunohistochemistry. Holoprosencephaly, and a spectrum of anatomical findings characteristic of Patau's syndrome, were found. Cytogenetic studies demonstrated trisomy 13 [47, XY, +13]. The eyes were fused but contained two developed separate lenses. In contrast, the cornea, and angle structures were hypoplastic, and the anterior chamber had failed to form. The retina showed areas of normally laminated neural retina, whereas in other areas it was replaced by numerous neuronal rosettes. Histological and immunohistochemical studies revealed that the rosettes were composed of differentiated retinal neurons and Muller cell glia. In normally laminated retina, Shh expression was restricted to retinal-ganglion cells, and to a population of neurons in the inner zone of the outer nuclear layer. In contrast, Shh could not be detected in the dysplastic rosettes. The histopathology of cyclopia appears to be more complex than what may have been previously appreciated. In fact, the terms "cyclopia" and "synophthalmia" are misnomers as the underlying mechanism is a failure of the eyes to form separately during development. The rosettes found in the dysplastic retina are fundamentally different than those of retinoblastoma, being composed of a variety of differentiated cell types. The dysplastic rosettes are essentially laminated retina failing to establish a polarized orientation, resulting in the formation of tubules. Finally, our findings suggest that defective ganglion cell Shh expression may contribute to the ocular pathology of cyclopia.
Effect of Culture Conditions on the Degree of Sialylation of a Recombinant Glycoprotein Expressed in Insect Cells

Secreted human placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) was produced in a nonengineered Trichoplusia ni insect cell line, Tn-4s, using a recombinant Autographa californica baculovirus expression vector. The effect of culture conditions on SEAP specific yield and glycosylation was studied. When cultured in the high aspect ratio vessel (HARV) or in tissue culture flasks (T-flasks), baculovirus-infected Tn-4s cells produced high levels of SEAP (13 and 23 U/10 6 cells, respectively; 4 days postinfection), but in those conditions SEAP possessed only high mannose, paucimannosidic, and hybrid structures. In spinner flasks, lower SEAP yields were obtained (<4 U/10 6 cells, 3 days postinfection), but in such cultures, sialylation of SEAP could be achieved. Several spinner-flask culture conditions were tested and resulted in different SEAP specific yields and levels of sialylation. The highest level of sialylation (9%) was obtained in the culture with the lowest agitation rate and lowest yield (1.2 U/10 6 cells), suggesting a limiting capacity of the Tn-4s cells to process glycoproteins to sialylation. High specific yield, low passage number Tn5B1-4 cells did not produce SEAP with complex glycosylation when cultured in a low agitation rate spinner-flask. On the basis of these results, we propose that the Golgi apparatus has a limited capacity for processing proteins to complex glycosylation and sialylation and that this capacity is easily overwhelmed by high levels of foreign protein productivity. Selected media additives such as Pluronic F-68, dextran sulfate (MW 12 500) and a lipids premix did not allow improvement of the specific yield of sialylated SEAP when supplemented to spinner-flask cultures.
Nonocclusive Mesenteric Ischemia Remains a Diagnostic Dilemma

Background Despite reports of low mortality and high bowel-salvage rates in nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI), our experience has been much less favorable. This study analyzes our experience with NOMI. Patients and Methods A retrospective chart review (1979 to 1992) identified 113 patients with acute mesenteric ischemia, of whom 13 (12%) met our criteria for NOMI. Results Patients were grouped into early and late presenters. The 5 early presenters were women, younger (mean age [± SD]50 ± 5.8 years.), with no risk factors, and had vague symptoms leading to a delay in diagnosis. The 7 late presenters were older (mean age [± SD] 63 ± 5.3 years), with identifiable risk factors; all had bowel infarction at the time of initial diagnosis. Conclusions Vague symptoms and a wide range of patients at risk make early diagnosis of NOMI uncommon. In the absence of early diagnosis, bowel resection with its high morbidity and mortality remains the only applicable treatment option in the vast majority of patients.
Optically generated dynamically tunable, low noise millimeter wave signals using microchip solid state lasers

This paper concerns the optical generation of microwave and millimeter wave signals by heterodyning two or more solid state microchip lasers. The lasers can be temperature and voltage tuned to produce beat frequencies up to 200 GHz with tuning speed of 50GHz/microsec. A novel fiberoptic delay is employed to stabilize the transmitter yielding a measured phase noise of -101 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset.
Simulating the Relation between the Environmental Protection Investment and the Economics

Based on the continuous model, the paper established a discrete model, which is good at showing the impact of environmental protection investment to economic and environment simply. There are three response strategies in the paper: complete elastic response strategy of environmental protection investment, directional elastic response strategy of environmental protection investment and minimum maintain response strategy of environmental protection investment. They were all used for the simulation of the model. And the best strategy is the third one. Through the simulation, it is known that the growth of depreciation rate by environment is conducive to environment quality but not to economic development and the rate of technological progress of environmental protection is good at both sides. The increase in population growth rate is not conducive to the development of both.
Ascent to altitude: an integrated cerebrovascular, ventilatory and acid-base response.

Intricate relationships exist between arterial blood gases, acid–base balance, cerebral blood flow and ventilatory variables. Central to this phenomenon is the basic carbonic anhydrase equation: CO2+ H2O →[H2CO3]→[H+]+[HCO3−]. As arterial CO2 increases in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, it forms carbonic acid and dissociates to hydrogen ions [H+]. Respiratory chemoreflex and cerebral blood flow control systems act to protect cerebral and systemic [H+] as part of a feedback system, where CO2/[H+] stimulate (1) the respiratory chemoreceptors to increase ventilation, and (2) cerebral arteriolar vasodilatation. In this context, alterations in acid–base in any system will affect the relationship between and [H+] (i.e. a greater increase in arterial [H+] for a given increase in ), and thereby affect respiratory control. Furthermore, elevated cerebral blood flow allows a ‘washout’ of CO2 and thus [H+] ions, to reduce the ventilatory stimulus and stabilize breathing. Therefore, cerebrovascular responses are in place to adjust [H+], thereby affecting respiratory chemoreflex control.
cloche, an early acting zebrafish gene, is required by both the endothelial and hematopoietic lineages

Endothelial and hematopoietic cells appear synchronously on the extra-embryonic membranes of amniotes in structures known as blood islands. This observation has led to the suggestion that these two ventral lineages share a common progenitor. Recently, we have shown in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, that a single cell in the ventral marginal zone of the early blastula can give rise to both endothelial and blood cells as well as to other mesodermal cells (Stainier, D. Y. R., Lee, R. K. and Fishman, M. C. (1993). Development 119, 31–40; Lee, R. K. K., Stainier, D. Y. R., Weinstein, B. M. and Fishman, M. C. (1994). Development 120, 3361–3366). Here we describe a zebrafish mutation, cloche, that affects both the endothelial and hematopoietic lineages at a very early stage. The endocardium, the endothelial lining of the heart, is missing in mutant embryos. This deletion is selective as evidenced by the presence of other endothelial cells, for example those lining the main vessels of the trunk. Early cardiac morphogenesis proceeds normally even in the absence of the endocardium. The myocardial cells form a tube that is demarcated into chambers, beats rhythmically, but exhibits a reduced contractility. This functional deficit is likely due to the absence of the endocardial cells, although it may be a direct effect of the mutation on the myocardial cells. Cell transplantation studies reveal that the endothelial defect, i.e. the endocardial deletion, is a cell-autonomous lesion, consistent with the possibility that cloche is part of a signal transduction pathway. In addition, the number of blood cells is greatly reduced in cloche mutants and the hematopoietic tissues show no expression of GATA-1 or GATA-2, two key hematopoietic transcription factors that are first expressed during early embryogenesis. These results show that cloche is involved in the genesis and early diversification of the endothelial and blood lineages, possibly by affecting a common progenitor cell population.
Taxonomic triage and the poverty of phylogeny

Revisionary taxonomy is frequently dismissed as merely descriptive, which belies its strong intellectual content and hypothesis-driven nature. Funding for taxonomy is inadequate and largely diverted to studies of phylogeny that neither improve classifications nor nomenclature. Phylogenetic classifications are optimal for storing and predicting information, but phylogeny divorced from taxonomy is ephemeral and erodes the accuracy and information content of the language of biology. Taxonomic revisions and monographs are efficient, high-throughput species hypothesis-testing devices that are ideal for the World Wide Web. Taxonomic knowledge remains essential to credible biological research and is made urgent by the biodiversity crisis. Theoretical and technological advances and threats of mass species extinctions indicate that this is the time for a renaissance in taxonomy. Clarity of vision and courage of purpose are needed from individual taxonomists and natural history museums to bring about this evolution of taxonomy into the information age.
Integrating depression treatment within primary care improves outcomes in adolescents

ABSTRACT FROM: Richardson LP, Ludman E, McCauley E, et al . Collaborative care for adolescents with depression in primary care: a randomised clinical trial. JAMA 2014;312:809–16. As most adolescents have access to primary care, collaborative care models that bring evidence-based treatments into primary care have strong potential for improving access, quality of care and patient outcomes. While there is strong evidence supporting effectiveness of collaborative care for adult depression, Richardson et al 's study adds to results of two other studies in supporting the value of collaborative care models for adolescent depression: (1) using a similar model, Asarnow et al 1 found significant advantages for collaborative depression care versus usual care (UC); (2) using a stronger medication treatment as usual condition, collaborative care with psychotherapy plus medication yielded a marginal advantage on depressive symptoms and significant advantage on mental health-related quality of …
Implications of the 2014 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report for Forensic Mental Health in the War on Terror

In December 2014, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a declassified executive summary on the use by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of enhanced interrogation techniques against suspected terrorist detainees in the War on Terror. The report relies on 6 million pages of documents that describe the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, providing a systematic and comprehensive investigation into covert military and intelligence practices after the attacks on September 11, 2001. This article presents an analysis of key findings related to forensic mental health. I explore their implications for the ethics of mental health professionals who work with military and intelligence agencies and for facts disputed within the Guantanamo military commission system. Opportunities for further study and theoretical development are outlined.
Trading biodiversity for pest problems

Recent shifts in agricultural practices have resulted in altered pesticide use patterns, land use intensification, and landscape simplification, all of which threaten biodiversity in and near farms. Pests are major challenges to food security, and responses to pests can represent unintended socioeconomic and environmental costs. Characteristics of the ecological community influence pest populations, but the nature of these interactions remains poorly understood within realistic community complexities and on operating farms. We examine how species diversity and the topology of linkages in species’ abundances affect pest abundance on maize farms across the Northern Great Plains. Our results show that increased species diversity, community evenness, and linkage strength and network centrality within a biological network all correlate with significantly reduced pest populations. This supports the assertion that reduced biological complexity on farms is associated with increased pest populations and provides a further justification for diversification of agroecosystems to improve the profitability, safety, and sustainability of food production systems. Bioinventories as comprehensive as the one conducted here are conspicuously absent for most agroecosystems but provide an important baseline for community and ecosystem ecology and the effects of food production on local biodiversity and ecosystem function. Network analyses of abundance correlations of entire communities (rather than focal interactions, for example, trophic interactions) can reveal key network characteristics, especially the importance and nature of network centrality, which aid in understanding how these communities function.
Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging Can Be Segmental: Two Cases and Review of the Literature.

Hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging) is a neurodegenerative disease that mimics Alzheimer disease (AD) clinically and has a prevalence rivaling AD in advanced age. Whereas clinical biomarkers are not yet optimized, HS-Aging has distinctive pathological features that distinguish it from other diseases with “hippocampal sclerosis” pathology, such as epilepsy, cerebrovascular perturbations, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. By definition, HS-Aging brains show neuronal cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampal formation out of proportion to AD-type pathology; it is strongly associated with aberrant TDP-43 pathology and arteriolosclerosis. Here, we describe 2 cases of “segmental” HS-Aging in which “sclerosis” in the hippocampus was evident only in a subset of brain sections by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. In these cases, TDP-43 pathology was more widespread on immunostained sections than the neuronal cell loss and gliosis seen in H&E stains. The 2 patients were cognitively intact at baseline and were tracked longitudinally over a decade using cognitive studies with at least 1 neuroimaging scan. We discuss the relevant HS-Aging literature, which indicates the need for a clearer consensus-based delineation of “hippocampal sclerosis” and TDP-43 pathologies in aged subjects.
Metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty: going, going, gone… – affirms

Metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty gained significant favor in the first decade of the millennium. However, the past several years have seen increasing reports of failure, pseudotumor and other adverse reactions. This study presents the results of a single center’s 15-year experience with metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty as strong evidence that metal-on-metal is going, going, gone.