cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
All in the Family: A Curious case of Aortopathy

A 28-year-old African American male with history of intermittent headaches presented to an outside hospital (OSH) with few days history of severe right lower extremity pain, swelling and dyspnea. Lower extremity venous ultrasound revealed a large occlusive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) extending from the right common femoral to the right popliteal vein. Chest Computed tomography angiogram (CT Angiogram) revealed a 5.9 cm mid ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm, a 3.2 cm pulmonary artery dilatation and no evidence of pulmonary embolus. He was started on anticoagulation with intravenous heparin and transferred to our institution for surgical management of the aortic aneurysm and evaluation for large vessel vasculitis.
Cardiovascular Risk Factors Following Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy in Black Americans Compared with White Americans

Bariatric surgery presents a long-term solution for clinical obesity. Given that Black Americans (BA) carry a greater burden of obesity-related comorbidities than White Americans (WA), understanding the racial disparities regarding remission of obesity comorbidities following the most common bariatric surgery, sleeve gastrectomy (SG). The goal of the current study was to provide quantitative values related to cardiovascular and lipid outcomes following SG and determine if racial disparities exist between BA and WA. Data was collected from de-identified electronic medical records for patients receiving SG surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS, USA. Of 464 patients who obtained SG from (2013–2019), 64% were WA, and 36% were BA. Before surgery, BA had significantly greater body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures (BP) in comparison with WA. Compared with WA, BA were predicted to lose 5.1 kg less BW than WA at 1-year follow-up. Reduction in SBP (− 0.96 vs. − 0.60 mmHg/doubling of days) and DBP (− 0.51 vs. − 0.26 mmHg/doubling of days) was significantly higher in WA compared with BA. There was no racial difference in the change to total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, or triglycerides by race. When normalized to weight loss, the racial disparity in BP reduction was mitigated. These data indicate that BA lose less body weight following SG; however, loss of excess body weight loss is associated with improvement to BP similarly in both BA and WA.
Concussion in collegiate athletics: A link to academic achievement:

ContextAfter concussion, many different symptoms can occur and persist that can affect daily functioning. Many of these symptoms could have implications in an athlete’s ability to return to academi...
Water quality related to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and cropland areas: Evidence from multi-temporal remote sensing

Abstract Water quality is affected by croplands. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), where farmers convert croplands to natural land cover (e.g., trees), is expected to improve water quality. However, whether such improvements are achieved alongside cropland area change has not been verified at river-basin scales, due to challenges in large scale observations. Therefore, aiming to quantify the relationship between CRP enrollment, cropland area, and the downstream water quality, we propose an approach that combines archived survey data, water quality monitoring data (total nitrogen content, TN), and remote sensing observations. By constructing the long-term datasets (1999–2014 annually) in Google Earth Engine and conducting multiple linear regression, we explained 79% variation in TN by the area of total CRP enrollment (CRP_all), area of corn and soybeans croplands, and discharge. Moreover, 78% is explained if we consider only water quality targeted conservation practices (CRP_WQ). Our results indicate significant positive correlation between CRP enrollment (both CRP_all and CRP_WQ) and the downstream water quality. Nevertheless, it should be noted that correlation does not necessarily represent causation. While this pioneer effort of quantifying impacts of the CRP on water quality from large scale observations has achieved some success, we call for more research to expand the spatial and/or temporal scales and consider more water quality variables, so as to further enhance our understanding of the coupled natural-and-human system.
Joint Gene Network Construction by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data

SO_SCPLOWUMMARYC_SCPLOWIn contrast to differential gene expression analysis at single gene level, gene regulatory networks (GRN) analysis depicts complex transcriptomic interactions among genes for better understandings of underlying genetic architectures of human diseases and traits. Recently, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data has started to be used for constructing GRNs at a much finer resolution than bulk RNA-seq data and microarray data. However, scRNA-seq data are inherently sparse which hinders direct application of the popular Gaussian graphical models (GGMs). Furthermore, most existing approaches for constructing GRNs with scRNA-seq data only consider gene networks under one condition. To better understand GRNs under different but related conditions with single-cell resolution, we propose to construct Joint Gene Networks with scRNA-seq data (JGNsc) using the GGMs framework. To facilitate the use of GGMs, JGNsc first proposes a hybrid imputation procedure that combines a Bayesian zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model with an iterative low-rank matrix completion step to efficiently impute zero-inflated counts resulted from technical artifacts. JGNsc then transforms the imputed data via a nonparanormal transformation, based on which joint GGMs are constructed. We demonstrate JGNsc and assess its performance using synthetic data. The application of JGNsc on two cancer clinical studies of medulloblastoma and glioblastoma identifies novel findings in addition to confirming well-known biological results.
A Two-tiered Functional Screen Identifies Herpesviral Transcriptional Modifiers and their Essential Domains

While traditional methods for studying large DNA viruses allow the creation of individual mutants, CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to rapidly create thousands of mutant dsDNA viruses in parallel. Here, we used this approach to study the human oncogenic Kaposi9s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). We designed a sgRNA library containing all possible ~22,000 guides targeting the genome of KSHV - one cut site approximately every 8 base pairs - enabling the pooled screening of the entire genome. We used this tool to phenotype all possible Cas9-targeted viruses for transcription of KSHV late genes, which is required to produce structural components of the viral capsid. By performing targeted deep sequencing of the viral genome to distinguish between knock-out and in-frame alleles created by Cas9, we discovered a novel hit, ORF46 - and more specifically its DNA binding domain - is required for viral DNA replication. Our pooled Cas9 tiling screen followed by targeted deep viral sequencing represents a two-tiered screening paradigm that may be widely applicable to dsDNA viruses.
Analysis of Drosophila cardiac hypertrophy by micro-computerized tomography for genetic dissection of heart growth mechanisms

ABSTRACT Heart failure is often preceded by pathological cardiac hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart musculature driven by complex gene regulatory and signaling processes. The Drosophila heart has great potential as a genetic model for deciphering the underlying mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy. However, current methods for evaluating hypertrophy of the Drosophila heart are laborious and difficult to carry out reproducibly. Here we demonstrate that micro-computerized tomography (microCT) is an accessible, highly reproducible method for non-destructive, quantitative analysis of Drosophila heart morphology and size. To validate our microCT approach for analyzing Drosophila cardiac hypertrophy, we show that expression of constitutively active Ras (Ras85DV12), previously shown to cause hypertrophy of the fly heart, results in significant thickening of both adult and larval heart walls when measured from microCT images. We then show using microCT analysis that genetic upregulation of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) driven by expression of constitutively active Stim (StimCA) or Orai (OraiCA) proteins also results in significant hypertrophy of the Drosophila heart, through a process that specifically depends on Orai Ca2+ influx channels. Intravital imaging of heart contractility revealed significantly reduced end diastolic dimensions in StimCA and OraiCA expressing hearts, consistent with the hypertrophic phenotype. These results demonstrate that increased SOCE activity is an important driver of hypertrophic cardiomyocyte growth, and demonstrate how microCT analysis combined with tractable genetic tools in Drosophila can be used to delineate molecular signaling processes that underlie cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Genetic analysis of cardiac hypertrophy in Drosophila holds immense potential for the discovery of new therapeutic targets to prevent and treat heart failure. However, this potential has been hindered by a lack of rapid and effective methods for analysis of heart size in flies. Here we demonstrate that analysis of the Drosophila heart with micro-computerized tomography yields accurate and highly reproducible heart size measurements that can be used to efficiently analyze heart growth and cardiac hypertrophy in Drosophila.
Association Between Baseline Diastolic Blood Pressure and the Efficacy of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure-Lowering Therapy.

Importance Low diastolic blood pressure (DBP) has been found to be associated with increased adverse cardiovascular events; however, it is unknown whether intensifying blood pressure therapy in patients with an already low DBP to achieve a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) target is safe or effective. Objective To evaluate whether there is an association of baseline DBP and intensification of blood pressure–lowering therapy with the outcomes of all-cause death and cardiovascular events. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study analyzed patients who were randomized to intensive or standard BP control in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes–Blood Pressure (ACCORD-BP) trial and Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). Data were collected from September 1999 to June 2009 (ACCORD-BP) and from October 2010 to August 2015 (SPRINT). Data were analyzed from December 2020 to June 2021. Exposures Baseline DBP as a continuous variable. Main Outcomes and Measures All-cause death and a composite cardiovascular end point (CVE) that included cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke. Results A total of 14 094 patients (mean [SD] age, 66.2 [8.9] years; 8504 [60.4%] men) were included in this analysis. There were significant nonlinear associations between baseline DBP and all-cause death (eg, baseline DBP 50 vs 80 mm Hg: hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06-2.08;P = .02) and the composite CVE (eg, baseline DBP 50 vs 80 mm Hg: HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.27-3.04;P = .003) observed among all participants. Findings for the interaction between baseline DBP and treatment group assignment for all cause death did not reach statistical significance. For intensive vs standard therapy, the HR of death for a baseline DBP of 50 mm Hg was 1.80 (95% CI, 0.95-3.39;P = .07) and that for a baseline DBP of 80 mm Hg was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.59-1.01;P = .05). Overall, there was no interaction found between baseline DBP and treatment group assignment for the composite CVE. Over the range of baseline DBP values, significant reductions in the composite CVE for patients assigned to intensive vs standard therapy were found for baseline DBP values of 80 mm Hg (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.62-0.98;P = .03) and 90 mm Hg (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55-0.98;P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance This pooled cohort study found no evidence of a significant interaction between baseline DBP and treatment intensity for all-cause death or for a composite CVE. These results are hypothesis generating and merit further study.
Rabbinic Literature and the Christian Scriptures

The Rabbinic literature may be compared with the Christian Scriptures and vice versa, thus providing evidence of the beliefs held by authoritative sages of the two different communities of Judaism. The Rabbinic tradition is relevant to New Testament studies insofar as the two bodies of writings appeal to the same holy Scripture. By analyzing how they respond to that Scripture, we learn the choices people face and we better understand the context in which they made their decisions. Here, by evaluating one aggadic example and one halakhic one, we see how, in their treatment of Scripture, the Rabbinic literature and the New Testament appear to intersect but primarily part company. The result is a deeper comprehension of the distinctive ideologies and values of each tradition.
Selective photooxidation of abundant hydrocarbons by O2 in zeolites with visible light

Summary Selective oxidation of small alkenes and of toluene by O2 has been accomplished by irradiation of the reactants in zeolite Y with visible light. Products are industrially important compounds like benzaldehyde (from toluene) and acrolein (from propylene). The key to these tightly controlled reactions is an unprecedented stabilization of hydrocarbon•O2 excited charge-transfer states by the ionic environment of the zeolite matrix cage.
The N-ethylbenzisoxazolium cation—II: The mechanism of reactions of the cation with nucleophiles

Abstract The N-ethylbenzisoxazolium cation has been shown to undergo a ready general base-catalyzed internal elimination to form a transitory N-ethylbenzoketoketenimine. Alternative pathways involving benzoisoxazolines have been excluded by kinetic evidence and by study of the model substance, 2-ethylbenzo-4-isoxazoline. A competition study has shown that the intermediate benzoketoketenimine exhibits high selectivity in many of its combination reactions, and that for aqueous acetic acid in the pH range of 2–5 the reactive nucleophiles are most probably water and acetate ion.
NASA environmental design criteria

Environmental Design Criteria Monographs have been published to give the designer of spacecraft and the planner of space missions the best information which is currently available concerning the environmental conditions existing in various areas of outer space. Information is provided concerning the solar electromagnetic radiation, the earth's atmosphere, the earth albedo, the earth's trapped radiation belts, the Mars' atmosphere, the Venus atmosphere, the surface of Mars, the planet Jupiter, the planet Mercury, the planet Saturn, Titan's atmosphere, and the assessment and control of the magnetic fields of a spacecraft.
Formation and stability of higher order chromatin structures : contributions of the histone octamer

Unique roles have been identified for the histone octamer in the formation and stabilization of higher order chromatin structures. Histone octamers were assembled onto 12 tandem repeats of Lytechinus 5 S rDNA, at either saturating or subsaturating ratios. The extent of oligonucleosome folding and intermolecular association in divalent salts was monitored using analytical and differential sedimentation techniques. Saturated oligonucleosomes (12 nucleosomes/DNA) sedimented at 29 S in very low salt buffer. In 1.0-2.0 mM MgCl2, saturated oligonucleosomes formed a maximally folded 55 S structure whose extent of compaction was equivalent to that of classical higher order 30-nm diameter chromatin structures. These results are in marked contrast to those obtained previously in NaCl, where the maximally folded oligonucleosome species sedimented at only approximately 40 S (Hansen, J. C., Ausio, J., Stanik, V. H., and van Holde, K. E. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 9129-9136). Mg(2+)-dependent formation of the 55 S conformation was inhibited by histone octamer depletion; the maximum sedimentation coefficient observed for rDNA molecules containing 10-11 nucleosomes in 2.0 mM MgCl2 was only 40 S. Above 2.0 mM MgCl2, the equilibrium was progressively shifted toward formation of large associated oligonucleosome species. The implications of these results to the mechanism of chromatin folding and its relationship to the biological activity of the chromatin fiber are discussed.
Mechanisms of Action of Antiepileptic Drugs

The management of seizures in the patient with epilepsy relies heavily on antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Fortunately, for a large percentage of patients, AEDs provide excellent seizure control at doses that do not adversely affect normal function. At the molecular level, the majority of AEDs are thought to modify excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission through effects on voltage‐gated ion channels (e.g., sodium and calcium) and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors, respectively. In addition to these effects, two of the “second‐generation” AEDs have been found to limit glutamate‐mediated excitatory neurotransmission (i.e., felbamate and topiramate). Not surprisingly, those AEDs with broad spectrum clinical activity are often found to exert an action at more than one molecular target. Emerging evidence suggests that receptor and voltage‐gated subunits are modified by chronic seizures. Thus, attempts to understand the relationship between target and effect continue to provide important information about the neuropathology of the epileptic network and to facilitate the development of novel therapies for the treatment of refractory epilepsy.
The role of GABA in the mediation and perception of pain.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the mediation and perception of pain. The anatomical distribution of GABA neurons and receptors and the antinociceptive responses to GABA A and GABA B receptor agonists is consistent with the notion that manipulation of this transmitter system may be of clinical beneﬁt in the treatment of acute, inﬂammatory, and neuropathic pain. The chapter reviews the data in support of this proposition, a discussion of disparate and contradictory ﬁndings, and a description of theories used to explain variation in the antinociceptive responses to GABAergic drugs. The chapter emphasizes on interpreting the results in the context of the anatomical localization and function of GABA neurons as well as the molecular and pharmacological properties of GABA receptor subtypes. The chapter discusses evidence suggesting that GABA receptor expression and function, and, therefore, the antinociceptive responses to GABA agonists, vary as a function of the duration and intensity of a painful stimulus and of drug therapy. Such ﬁndings may facilitate the identiﬁcation of pain syndromes that are particularly responsive to manipulation of GABAergic transmission.
A Bacteriophage for Myxococcus xanthus: Isolation, Characterization and Relation of Infectivity to Host Morphogenesis

Burchard, Robert P. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), and M. Dworkin. A bacteriophage for Myxococcus xanthus: isolation, characterization and relation of infectivity to host morphogenesis. J. Bacteriol. 91:1305-1313. 1966.-A bacteriophage (MX-1) infecting Myxococcus xanthus FB(t) has been isolated from cow dung. The bacteriophage particle is approximately 175 mmu long. A tail about 100 mmu in length is encased in a contractile sheath and terminates in a tail plate. The head is polyhedral with a width of about 75 mmu. The nucleic acid of the bacteriophage is deoxyribonucleic acid and has a guanine plus cytosine content of 55.5%. The bacteriophage requires 10(-3)m Ca(++) and 10(-2)m monovalent cation for optimal adsorption. Grown on vegetative cells of M. xanthus FB(t) at 30 C in 2% Casitone medium, the bacteriophage has a latent period of 120 min and a burst size of approximately 100. Host range studies indicate that three strains of M. xanthus including a morphogenetic mutant are sensitive to the bacteriophage, whereas M. fulvus, Cytophaga, Sporocytophaga myxococcoides, and a fourth strain of M. xanthus are not. Of the two cellular forms characteristic of the Myxococcus life cycle, the bacteriophage infect only the vegetative cells; they do not adsorb to microcysts. Ability to adsorb bacteriophage is lost between 65 and 75 min after initiation of the relatively synchronous conversion of vegetative cells to microcysts. The bacteriophage does not adsorb to spheroplasts. After the appearance of visible morphogenesis and before the loss of bacteriophage receptor sites, addition of bacteriophage results in the formation of microcysts which give rise to infective centers only upon germination. The possibility that the infected microcysts are harboring intact bacteriophages has been eliminated.
Recent Advances in Global Optimization

This book will present the papers delivered at the first U.S. conference devoted exclusively to global optimization and will thus provide valuable insights into the significant research on the topic that has been emerging during recent years. Held at Princeton University in May 1991, the conference brought together an interdisciplinary group of the most active developers of algorithms for global optimization in order to focus the attention of the mathematical programming community on the unsolved problems and diverse applications of this field. The main subjects addressed at the conference were advances in deterministic and stochastic methods for global optimization, parallel algorithms for global optimization problems, and applications of global optimization. Although global optimization is primarily a mathematical problem, it is relevant to several other disciplines, including computer science, applied mathematics, physical chemistry, molecular biology, statistics, physics, engineering, operations research, communication theory, and economics. Global optimization problems originate from a wide variety of mathematical models of real-world systems. Some of its applications are allocation and location problems and VLSI and data-base design problems.Originally published in 1991.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Release of TEA blockade of maxi-K+ channels by isoproterenol.

Abstract The outward K + current induced by step depolarization of freshly dispersed myocytes of guinea-pig taenia coli decreased about 80% upon treatment with 3 mM tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA). Isoproterenol (ISO, 2-5 μM) restored it to a large extent. This restoration did not occur in the presence of propranolol (2 μM). In single-channel recordings from cell-attached patches, the activity of maxi-K + channel is dominant. When 3 mM TEA is incorporated in the pipette solution, the dominant channel-openings observed had much smaller unitary conductance. On the addition of ISO (2 μM) to the bath solution, but not to the pipette solution, K + -channel openings with unitary conductance similar to that without TEA treatment appeared. Cyclic AMP incorporated into the cytoplasm through the pipette was ineffective. These results indicate that ISO release TEA decrease of maxi-K + channel conductance through some intracellular second messenger system other than adenylyl cyclase-protein kinase A system.
Stimulation of a neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase by cAMP system in P388D1 macrophages

Cholesteryl ester laden foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions derive, in part, from macrophages. Mobilization of stored cholesteryl esters involves hydrolysis by a neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase. Incubation of intact P388D1 macrophages with dibutyryl cAMP in the presence of 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine resulted in a dose-dependent increase in neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase activity of up to 50% (ED50 = 0.1 mM). Incubation with prostaglandin E1 in the presence of 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine also increased neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase activity by about 50%. In cell-free preparation, cAMP-dependent protein kinase caused about a 2-fold activation of the neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase. Activation was blocked by protein kinase inhibitor. These data suggest that the P388D1 macrophage may be a useful model for studying the hormonal regulation of cholesteryl ester mobilization in macrophage-derived foam cells.
Polygalacturonase Isozymes and Pectin Depolymerization in Transgenic rin Tomato Fruit

We have previously described the construction and expression of a chimeric gene that allows developmentally regulated expression of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) polygalacturonase in ripening-impaired, mutant (rin) tomato fruit (JJ Giovannoni, D DellaPenna, AB Bennett, RL Fischer [1989] The Plant Cell 1: 53-63). We now show that expression of the chimeric polygalacturonase gene in rin tomato fruit resulted in the accumulation of all three polygalacturonase isozymes (PG1, PG2A, and PG2B). Polyuronide solubilization and polyuronide depolymerization both reached their maximal levels in transgenic rin fruit prior to the appearance of PG2 isozymes. These results demonstrate that PG1, PG2A, and PG2B all arise by differential processing of a single gene product and further suggest that the PG1 isozyme is sufficient to carry out both polyuronide solubilization and depolymerization in vivo.
COAXIAL LINES FOR MULTIPHASE POWER DISTRIBUTION

A coaxial cable can be used to reduce the magnetic and electric fields that extend into environments in the vicinity of transmission lines and distribution lines and in-house or building wiring for power distribution systems. The use of the coaxial geometry may prove useful in cases where there are environmental concerns with respect to health effects and in cases where there is a need to run high-speed data communications in close proximity to power distribution systems.
Electrical conversion of cardiac arrhythmias

OVER the past 50 years the treatment of chronic arrhythmias has remained essentially pharmacologic. Initiated at the turn of the century by the pioneering work of Wenckebach and Frey, it has rested on the use of three drugs, namely, procaine amide, quinidine, and the digitalis glycosides. This therapeutic approach is now undergoing profound alteration. Before dealing with the new, it would be worth while to get a perspective on what the problems with drugs have been in the past and how these problems are being circumvented with new methods. The heart accomplishes three types of work, namely, rate, pressure, and volume work. The least well tolerated is a disturbance in rate. Dr. Schwedel dealt with one aspect of this, the consequences of slow rates, but rapid rates are often more taxing on the myocardium, especially if they are initiated in the ventricle. Serious compromise of cardiac output and of coronary flow may occur, often jeopardizing survival. Antiarrhythmic drugs have a number of limitations. In the first place, there is no way for the physician to know ill priori the specific drug requirements necessary to terminate a rhythm disorder. In effect, a biologic titration is necessary, and this may take minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. In the second place, toxicity often accompanies the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. The agents in current use compromise peripheral resistance and reduce cardiac contractility. Such deleterious changes occur at the very time when the heart is already maximally taxed in its reserve function. There is a third drawback to the use of drugs which relates to their mode of action. If one assumes that the majority of human ectopic arrythmias are sustained by a circus movement, i.e., the existence of a re-entry pathway, then these drugs presumably act by lengthening the refractory period of conduction; this would tend to extinguish the circulating wave of depolarization. However, at the same time, antiarrhythmic drugs slow conduction; this would tend to sustain the disorder. Whether or not an arrhythmia is terminated depends upon which of these two effects is dominant. At the same time, the antiarrhythmic drugs depress rhythmicity of the sinus node and thereby further inhibit the establishment of a normal rhythm. The final limitation of antiarrhythmic drugs is that they are not always effective. When atria1 fibrillation is the arrhythmia under treatment, the physician still has recourse to the digitalis drugs to slow the ventricular rate. However, in the case of ventricular tachycardia, no such recourse exists, and the patient then succumbs to
A stochastic model of data access and communication

Stochastic models are an important technique for predicting the performance of computer systems and communication networks. Although much work has been done to develop analytic and simulation models, these models usually assume that data access is uniformly distributed, that data is static, and that data access and communication occur according to the Poisson process. In practice, data access is highly skewed, does not occur at Poissonian times, and data items are constantly being created and deleted. A new stochastic model of data access is developed that includes all of these observed phenomena. The model displays a surprising richness of behavior and yet has a small number of independent parameters, is analytically tractable, and is easy to simulate. An axiomatic framework for a general class of continuous models is introduced, and a specific discrete approximation of such a model is developed in detail. The extent to which the model fits empirical observations is also discussed.
The relation of nerves to multiple regeneration in a single newt limb

Three amputation surfaces were formed on the lower arm of a single newt. Growth occurred on all combinations of these surfaces. The proximal surface (the only single surface to form regenerates) produced more regenerates (76% of the cases) than the two more distal surfaces. Blocking the proximal surface with whole skin greatly stimulates the production of accessory structures on the first and/or second more distal surfaces. The mean number of nerve fibers on the proximal surface is considerably higher than the nerve counts of the first more and second most distal surfaces. Limbs possessing a notch or digit(s) on the proximal surface and the absence of growth on the first more and second most distal surfaces also show a decrease in nerve number on the first more and second most distal surfaces. An analysis of the mean number of nerve fibers on the blocked (proximal) surface shows a noticeable decrease in comparison with nerve fibers in an equivalent level on normal limbs. Nerve fiber counts on the first more and second most distal surfaces are markedly increased on those limbs where the proximal surface was blocked with whole skin. Threshold experiments suggest that the irregular occurrence of accessory structures on the first more distal and second most distal surfaces may be related to an insufficient number of nerve fibers on these surfaces. Similarly, a possible explanation for the regular occurrence of accessory structures on the proximal surface is that nerve number on this surface is always above threshold.
A carcinogenesis- and tumorigenesis-associated rat fetal protein: an immuno-histochemical and immuno-biochemical study utilizing a new monoclonal antibody, MOFP

An oncofetal protein (OFP), which is a potential marker for carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis, was evaluated with monoclonal antibodies shown to be specific for the antigen. Treatment of partially hepatectomized rats with a single non-necrogenic dose of diethylnitrosamine induced OFP in the liver. Its concentration, as measured by a dual immuno/bioassay, increased steadily over a 5-week period of observation before reaching a constant level. Immunohistochemical localization of OFP in liver sections from rats treated with N-nitroso-N-diethyl-nitrosamine showed that the factor was primarily localized to the cell cytoplasm in cells of most of the altered hepatic foci although some of this shedding antigen was also extracellular. Monoclonal antibody 17-1A specific for 17-1A antigen, an established surface marker for adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract, showed a similar distribution in liver from the carcinogen-treated rats, but localized to the cell membrane and cytoplasm. Scattered cells surrounding the altered hepatic foci were also positive for both monoclonal antibodies. Immunolocalization studies showed fetal rat liver and hepatoma were positive for OFP but adult normal or regenerating liver was negative. It was not detected in cells which morphologically could be classified as oval cells. As assessed by immuno/bioassay, the OFP released to the peripheral blood (plasma) of hepato-carcinogen-treated rats increased for 3 weeks, before undergoing a transitory decrease. Circulating antibodies specific for the factor were detected in the blood around 3-5 weeks post-treatment. Development of Western blots of the OFP with antiphosphotyrosine IgG indicates that the marker protein contains phosphotyrosine.
Beijerinckia sp strain B1: a strain by any other name . . . . .

sp strain B1 grows with biphenyl as its sole source of carbon and energy. A mutant, strain B8/36, oxidized biphenyl to cis-(2S,3R)-dihydroxy-l-phenylcyclohexa-4,6-diene (cis-biphenyl dihydrodiol). Strain B8/36 oxidized anthracene, phenanthrene, benz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene to cis-dihydrodiols. Other substrates oxidized to cis-dihydrodiols were dibenzofuran, dibenzothiophene and dibenzo-p-dioxin. Biphenyl dioxygenase activity was observed in cells of Beijerinckia B1 and B8/36 after growth in the presence of biphenyl, m-, p-xylene and salicylate. Recent studies have led to the reclassification of Beijerinckia B1 as Sphingomonas yanoikuyae strain B1. Subsequent biotransformation studies showed that S. yanoikuyae B8/36 oxidized chrysene to a bis-cis-diol with hydroxyl substituents at the 3,4- and 9,10-positions. Dihydronaphthalene was oxidized to cis-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, naphthalene, cis-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene and 2-hydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene. Anisole and phenetole were oxidized to phenol. Thus the S. yanoikuyae biphenyl dioxygenase catalyzes cis-dihydroxylation, benzylic monohydroxylation, desaturation and dealkylation reactions. To date, the genes encoding biphenyl dioxygenase have not been cloned. However, the nucleotide sequence of a S. yanoikuyaeB1 DNA fragment contains five different α subunits as determined by conserved amino acids coordinating iron in a Rieske [2Fe-2S] center and mononuclear iron at the catalytic site. The specific role of the different putative oxygenases in biotransformation reactions catalyzed by S. yanoikuyae is not known and presents an exciting challenge for future studies.
Caring for Patients with Limited English Proficiency: The Perspectives of Small Group Practitioners

BACKGROUND Language barriers in medical care are a large and growing problem in the United States. Most research has focused on how language barriers affect patients. Less is known of the physician perspective and the efforts they are making to overcome these barriers.
FeO and H2O and the homogeneous accretion of the earth

Shock devolatilization recovery data for brunite (Mg(OH)2) shocked to 13 and 23 GPa are presented. These data combined with previous data for serpentine (Mg3Si2O5(OH)4) are used to constrain the minimum size terrestrial planet for which planetesimal infall will result in an impact generated water atmosphere. Assuming, in hydrous phyllosilicates, model calculations simulating the interaction of metallic iron with impact released free water on the surface of the accreting Earth were carried out. It is assumed that the reaction of water with iron in the presence of enstatite is the prime source of the terrestrial FeO component of silicates and oxides. Lower and upper bounds on the terrestrial FeO budget are based on mantle FeO content and possible incorporation of FeO in the outer core. We demonstrate that the iron water reaction would result in the absence of atmospheric/hydrospheric water, if homogeneous accretion is assumed.
Clinical and economic impact of diabetes following coronary artery bypass.

Background.Diabetes has been shown to have a negative impact on mortality following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. This analysis examines the impact of diabetes on additional clinical and economic outcomes. Material and methods.Between May and October of 1996, 312 consecutive patients undergoing isolated primary CABG were followed through hospital discharge. A total of 114 diabetics (37%) and 198 nondiabetics (63%) was evaluated. Among the diabetics, 62 (54%) were insulin requiring and 52 (46%) were treated with oral hypoglycemic agents or with diet alone. Results.The incidences of major clinical complications including death, renal failure, stroke, reexploration for bleeding, and mediastinitis or sternal dehiscence were not significantly different among insulin-requiring diabetics, noninsulin-requiring diabetics, and nondiabetics. However, insulin-requiring diabetics had a significantly longer (P< 0.01) total length of stay compared to both noninsulin-requiring diabetics and nondiabetics (10.7 ± 12.7 days vs. 5.6 ± 1.5 days vs. 6.8 ± 5.4 days, respectively), a significantly longer (P< 0.01) intensive care unit length of stay (5.3 ± 12.4 days vs. 1.4 ± 0.8 days vs. 2.0 ± 3.9 days, respectively), and significantly greater (P< 0.01) total hospital charges (48.7 ± 56.1 thousand dollars vs. 29.3 ± 4.3 thousand dollars vs. 32.9 ± 18.9 thousand dollars, respectively). There were no significant differences between the noninsulin-requiring diabetics and the nondiabetics with regard to these clinical and economic outcomes. Conclusions.Diabetics treated with oral hypoglycemic agents or with diet alone have clinical and economic outcomes similar to nondiabetics following CABG. Insulin-requiring diabetes, however, predicts significantly increased hospital resource utilization. Future outcome assessment and resource utilization analyses must stratify diabetes by treatment to be completely accurate.
The Effect of Knowledge and Strategy Training on Monitoring Accuracy

Abstract The effect of prior knowledge and strategy training on monitoring accuracy among college students was investigated. The authors compared the debilitative, no-impact, and facultative hypotheses. The authors predicted that prior knowledge and strategy training would facilitate monitoring accuracy because both variables help students assess their performance. Experiment 1 revealed that mathematics knowledge was related positively to performance and monitoring accuracy. In Experiment 2, the trainable and no-trainable hypotheses were tested; the authors found that strategy training increased performance and monitoring accuracy immediately, but not after a 1-week delay. Measures of general ability and mathematics self-efficacy were not related to monitoring accuracy in either experiment.
Pulse transit time: Relationship to blood pressure

The relationships between pulse transit time (PTT) and both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were evaluated in 114 human subjects during rest and stress. PTT was found to covary quite consistently with SBP, but not with DBP, when blood pressure was measured both noninvasively and invasively. Pharmacological blockade of the sympathetic innervation of the heart appreciably attenuated the relationship between PTT and SBP.
A Review of Associations Between Family or Shared Meal Frequency and Dietary and Weight Status Outcomes Across the Lifespan

Abstract Objective To summarize the research literature on associations between family meal frequency and dietary outcomes as well as weight status across the lifespan. Methods Reviewed literature of family or shared meals with dietary and weight outcomes in youth, adults, and older adults. Results Across the lifespan, eating with others, particularly family, is associated with healthier dietary outcomes. Among children and adolescents, these findings appear to be consistent for both boys and girls, whereas mixed findings are seen by gender for adult men and women. The findings of associations between family or shared meals and weight outcomes across the lifespan are less consistent and more complicated than those of dietary outcomes. Conclusions and Implications Now is the time for the field to improve understanding of the mechanisms involved in the positive associations seen with family meal frequency, and to move forward with implementing interventions aimed at increasing the frequency of, and improving the quality of, food served at family meals, and evaluating their impact. Given the more limited findings of associations between family or shared meals and weight outcomes, capitalizing on the positive benefits of family and shared meals while addressing the types of foods served, portion sizes, and other potential mechanisms may have a significant impact on obesity prevention and reduction. Future research recommendations are provided.
Large-scale energy-efficient graph traversal: a path to efficient data-intensive supercomputing

Graph traversal is a widely used algorithm in a variety of fields, including social networks, business analytics, and high-performance computing among others. There has been a push for HPC machines to be rated not just in Petaflops, but also in "GigaTEPS" (billions of traversed edges per second), and the Graph500 benchmark has been established for this purpose. Graph traversal on single nodes has been well studied and optimized on modern CPU architectures. However, current cluster implementations suffer from high latency data communication with large volumes of transfers across nodes, leading to inefficiency in performance and energy consumption. In this work, we show that we can overcome these constraints using a combination of efficient low-overhead data compression techniques to reduce transfer volumes along with latency-hiding techniques. Using an optimized single node graph traversal algorithm [1], our novel cluster optimizations result in over 6.6X performance improvements over state-of-the-art data transfer techniques, and almost an order of magnitude in energy savings. Our resulting implementation of the Graph500 benchmark achieves 115 GigaTEPS on a 320-node/5120 core Intel® Endeavor cluster with Intel® Xeon® processors E5-2670, which matches the second ranked result in the recent November 2011 Graph500 list [2] with about 5.6X fewer nodes. Our cluster optimizations only have a 1.8X overhead in overall performance from the performance of the optimized single-node implementation, and allows for near-linear scaling with number of nodes. Our algorithm on 1024 nodes on Intel® Xeon® processor X5670-based systems (with lower per-node performance) for a large multi-Terabyte graph attained 195 GigaTEPS in performance, proving the high scalability of our algorithm. Our per-node performance is the highest in the top 10 of the Nov 2011 Graph500 list.
Hemorrhagic Synovial Cyst: The Possible Role of Initial Trauma and Subsequent Microtrauma in Its Pathogenesis: Case Report

Background and importance Intraspinal synovial cysts are uncommon causes of back and radicular leg pain. Usually associated with degenerative spinal disease, these juxtafacet cysts are usually located in the lumbar spine and may rarely undergo intracystic hemorrhage. The pathogenesis of these cysts are unclear, and risk factors that may contribute to hemorrhagic complications are largely unknown. Clinical presentation A 68-year-old man presented to the clinic 4 months after a fall on ice with persistent back pain and lumbar radiculopathy. A week after the initial clinic consultation, the patient presented to the emergency room with increased pain and worsening weakness in the left foot. An emergent magnetic resonance image showed thecal sac compression secondary to a large, juxtafacet cyst that was hyperintense on T1-weighted and hypointense on T2-weighted images. Lumbar decompressive laminectomies were performed at L3 and L4 with cyst removal and stabilization. Conclusion We present the eighth reported case of a hemorrhagic juxtafacet cyst secondary to physical trauma, the second in which the patient's symptoms acutely worsened several months after the initial insult without new trauma. We also present summary statistics of the 31 cases of hemorrhagic juxtafacet cysts reported in the literature and propose a putative mechanism that may account for the development and progression of symptoms in some patients.
Childcare quality and pricing: evidence from Wisconsin

Childcare prices vary dramatically both between and within states. We identify the effects of demographic and provider characteristics on childcare pricing, but focus primarily on whether unique government-provided information on childcare quality has an effect on pricing. Using provider-level observations across three adjacent counties in southern Wisconsin, we find that this government-provided information on childcare quality does not significantly affect pricing. Recognizing that information asymmetry may be the root cause of the insignificant relationship, we test the relationship further within multiple subsamples and with alternative models. Only the lowest quality childcare providers are significantly associated with lower prices in areas that we hypothesize suffer from greater information asymmetry.
Domain Orientation in the N-Terminal PDZ Tandem from PSD-95 Is Maintained in the Full-Length Protein

Summary Tandem PDZ domains have been suggested to form structurally independent supramodules. However, dissimilarity between crystallography and NMR models emphasize their malleable conformation. Studies in full-length scaffold proteins are needed to examine the effect of tertiary interactions within their native context. Using single-molecule fluorescence to characterize the N-terminal PDZ tandem in PSD-95, we provide the first direct evidence that PDZ tandems can be structurally independent within a full-length scaffold protein. Molecular refinement using our data converged on a single structure with an antiparallel alignment of the ligand-binding sites. Devoid of interaction partners, single-molecule conditions captured PSD-95 in its unbound, ground state. Interactions between PDZ domains could not be detected while fluctuation correlation spectroscopy showed that other conformations are dynamically sampled. We conclude that ultra-weak interactions stabilize the conformation providing a "low-relief" energy landscape that allows the domain orientation to be flipped by environmental interactions.
A HA2-Fusion tag limits the endosomal release of its protein cargo despite causing endosomal lysis.

Abstract Background Protein transduction domains (PTDs) can be fused to a protein to render it cell-permeable. The delivery efficiencies of PTDs are, however, often poor because PTD-protein conjugates cannot escape from endosomes. A potential solution to this problem consists in adding HA2 analogs to the PTD-protein construct as these peptides can cause endosomal lysis upon acidification of the endosomal lumen. To date, however, the utility of HA2-based PTDs has not been clearly established. Methods We investigate the biophysical and cellular properties of the glutamate-rich HA2 analog E5 fused to the model protein TAT-mCherry. Results E5-TAT-mCherry causes the release of fluorescent dextrans trapped with the protein inside endosomes. Yet, E5-TAT-mCherry itself is not released in the cytosol of cells, indicating that the protein remained trapped inside endosomes even after endosomal lysis takes place. Cytosolic delivery of the protein could be achieved, however, by insertion of a disulfide bond between E5 and its cargo. Conclusions These results show that E5 causes the retention of its fused protein inside endosomes even after lysis takes place. General significance These data establish that HA2 analogs might not be useful PTDs unless cleavable linkers are engineered between PTD and protein cargo.