cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A technique for estimating long-term variations of solar total irradiance: Preliminary estimates based on observations of the Sun and solar-type stars

We analyze concurrent observations of Ca II H and K chromospheric emission fluxes (which are associated with the disk-averaged surface magnetic fluxes) and variability in the b and y bands of the Stromgren uvby photometric system (which are associated with the integrated total irradiance or brightness variation) in a group of stars, including the Sun. Those solar-type stars have a narrow range of mass and age, and similar observed activity variability. Their combined variability over several years reveals a range for the ratio of brightness change to chromospheric activity amplitude. We assume that the scatter in the ratios of brightness change to chromospheric activity change measured over a decade represents a distribution of variability that is intrinsic to the activity of a typical solar-type star (i.e., the Sun) over centuries. Under that assumption, we infer an empirical bound of possible solar brightness variations over centuries (Zhang et al., 1994). The estimated increase in solar brightness accompanying the net increase in average activity from the Maunder Minimum interval (ca. A.D. 1660–1710) to the decade of the 1980’s ranges from as low as 0.2 % to as high as 0.7 %; the indeterminacy of the brightness-chromospheric activity change ratio produces the large range of estimates. In addition, we estimate the timing of possible solar brightness change over the past three centuries. We also discuss the observed relation between the activity cycle amplitude and the activity cycle length, P cyc , for the Sun and solar-type stars. The activity cycle amplitude is inversely related to the parameterized quantity, (P cyc /P rot )2, where P rot is the rotation period.
Participant characteristics associated with withdrawal from a large randomized trial of spermicide effectiveness

Background: In most recent large efficacy trials of barrier contraceptive methods, a high proportion of participants withdrew before the intended end of follow-up. The objective of this analysis was to explore characteristics of participants who failed to complete seven months of planned participation in a trial of spermicide efficacy. Methods: Trial participants were expected to use the assigned spermicide for contraception for 7 months or until pregnancy occurred. In bivariable and multivariable analyses, we assessed the associations between failure to complete the trial and 17 pre-specified baseline characteristics. In addition, among women who participated for at least 6 weeks, we evaluated the relationships between failure to complete, various features of their first 6 weeks of experience with the spermicide, and characteristics of the study centers and population. Results: Of the 1514 participants in this analysis, 635 (42%) failed to complete the study for reasons other than pregnancy. Women were significantly less likely to complete if they were younger or unmarried, had intercourse at least 8 times per month, or were enrolled at a university center or at a center that enrolled fewer than 4 participants per month. Noncompliance with study procedures in the first 6 weeks was also associated with subsequent early withdrawal, but
Direct‐acting antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection: Interferon free is now

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a global, serious, and life-threatening disease. Virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) signifies a durable virologic response and is currently the primary efficacy endpoint used in registrational trials. This change led to more rapid clinical development and earlier approvals of highly effective and well-tolerated therapies, facilitating access to those in need. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a therapeutic area where mathematical modeling has proven helpful in understanding the drug mechanism and characterizing viral kinetics to inform therapy decisions. The availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) provides various treatment options for HIV/HCV coinfected patients, but the complexity of predicting and managing drug-drug interactions presents a unique challenge. Real-world experience or noninterventional studies can provide insight regarding the safety and use of therapeutics that may not be readily available from traditional clinical trials. This article provides a brief overview of the development of promising drugs for the treatment of CHC.
Endochondral Ossification for Enhancing Bone Regeneration: Converging Native Extracellular Matrix Biomaterials and Developmental Engineering In Vivo

Autologous bone grafting (ABG) remains entrenched as the gold standard of treatment in bone regenerative surgery. Consequently, many marginally successful bone tissue engineering strategies have focused on mimicking portions of ABG's "ideal" osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and osteogenic composition resembling the late reparative stage extracellular matrix (ECM) in bone fracture repair, also known as the "hard" or "bony" callus. An alternative, less common approach that has emerged in the last decade harnesses endochondral (EC) ossification through developmental engineering principles, which acknowledges that the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in developmental skeletogenesis, specifically EC ossification, are closely paralleled during native bone healing. EC ossification naturally occurs during the majority of bone fractures and, thus, can potentially be utilized to enhance bone regeneration for nearly any orthopedic indication, especially in avascular critical-sized defects where hypoxic conditions favor initial chondrogenesis instead of direct intramembranous ossification. The body's native EC ossification response, however, is not capable of regenerating critical-sized defects without intervention. We propose that an underexplored potential exists to regenerate bone through the native EC ossification response by utilizing strategies which mimic the initial inflammatory or fibrocartilaginous ECM (i.e., "pro-" or "soft" callus) observed in the early reparative stage of bone fracture repair. To date, the majority of strategies utilizing this approach rely on clinically burdensome in vitro cell expansion protocols. This review will focus on the confluence of two evolving areas, (1) native ECM biomaterials and (2) developmental engineering, which will attempt to overcome the technical, business, and regulatory challenges that persist in the area of bone regeneration. Significant attention will be given to native "raw" materials and ECM-based designs that provide necessary osteo- and chondro-conductive and inductive features for enhancing EC ossification. In addition, critical perspectives on existing stem cell-based therapeutic strategies will be discussed with a focus on their use as an extension of the acellular ECM-based designs for specific clinical indications. Within this framework, a novel realm of unexplored design strategies for bone tissue engineering will be introduced into the collective consciousness of the regenerative medicine field.
Modes of Leader Rhetoric in the Institutional Development of Mormonism

This study analyzes variation in the expressive modes of official religious rhetoric by Mormon leaders during a 150 year span of Mormon history. Rhetorical modes-identified through content analysis of a comprehensive sample of Mormon general conference addresses-include categories of: (1) exposition (i.e., explanation, justification, repudiation, narration), and (2) admonition (i.e., prescription, proscription, chastisement). Findings include: consistent preference for expository rhetoric over admonition; within expository rhetoric, a shift towards more explanation and repudiation but less narration and justification; general predominance ofprescriptive over proscriptive and chastisement rhetorical modes within the category of admonition; but variations in admonitory modes relative to different audiences (e.g., members vs. non-members, men vs. women, adults vs. youth). The theoretical and historical implications of these findings are discussed in relationship to the social transformation of Mormonism from its initial cult-sect beginnings to its modem state of rapid growth and public acceptance.
An Application of the Recombination and Generation Theory by Shockley, Read and Hall to Biological Ion Channels

We have applied the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) model for the generation and recombination of charged carriers to biological ion channels. We show how to include this important effect in the traditional PNP model. The idea is to use the software of computational electronics that has been developed to solve Shockley’s equations. In particular we have used the simulator PROPHET to simulate biological ion channels and to include particle like properties and dynamics such as the capture and release of ions. The considerable reduction of effective diffusion coefficients can be well simulated. The saturation effect observed in current-concentration curves, which is not predicted by the conventional PNP model, has been successfully reproduced in our simulation. We also show that PROPHET can be used to perform both steady state and time dependent simulations for ion channels. The timescale can be microseconds, far beyond the range of molecular dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate the useful role of PROPHET simulations in a multi-scale simulation approach.
Oxytetracycline Residue in Hybrid Striped Bass Muscle

Hybrid striped bass (Morose saxatilis male ×M. chrysops female) were injected with 25 and 50 mg oxytetracycline (OTC) per kg of fish. Rate of elimination of OTC from muscle tissue and inhibition of bacteria by muscle injected with OTC were studied. OTC residue in muscle of fish injected with 50 mg OTC/kg fish was much higher (P < 0.01) than that in fish injected with 25 mg/kg and took a longer time to clear from the muscle. In fish injected at 25 mg OTC/kg of fish, OTC was completely eliminated from muscle in 24 d; the rate of elimination constant (β) was 0.278/day and the half-life (t1/2) 2.5 d. In fish injected at 50 mg OTC/kg of fish, the OTC was not depleted in fish muscle until 32 d after injection; the rate of elimination constant 13 was 0.265/day and the half-life was 2.6 d. No statistical difference was found in muscle OTC residue between male and female fish. Size of fish (16.5 to 21.5 cm and 21.6 to 25.5 cm) made little difference in OTC residue in muscle. Muscle removed from fish injected with 25 mg/kg OTC 12 d after injection inhibited the growth of Vibrio anguillarum, V. ordalii and Aeromonas hydrophila in cultures.
A HEURISTIC TECHNIQUE FOR TESTING FOR THE PRESENCE OF INTERACTION IN NONREPLICATED FACTORIAL EXPERIMENTS

This paper suggests univariate and multivariate techniques for investigating interaction in nonreplicated factorial experiments. The tests can detect certain types of interaction, but they are not powerful against all possible alternative hypotheses. The two-way factorial experiment is discussed in some detail and an example is used to demonstrate the procedure. The procedure is compared to other tests for interaction. These comparisons show that the procedure can detect some types of interaction which other tests cannot. Likewise other tests can detect interaction this procedure cannot.
Greening the Firm: The Politics of Corporate Environmentalism

1. Greening the firm: an introduction 2. Environmental policymaking within firms 3. Baxter and Lilly: evolution of environmental programs 4. Baxter and Lilly: case studies 5. Beyond compliance: findings and conclusions.
Activating AMP-Activated Protein Kinase without AMP

Though once believed to be regulated exclusively by the cellular energy state, AMPK has now been shown to be activated by a calcium-dependent signaling pathway.
Lightning‐associated precipitation of MeV electrons from the inner radiation belt

Transient perturbations of subionospheric very low frequency (VLF) radiowave signals provide new evidence for lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP) events involving short ( 1 MeV electrons from the earth's inner radiation belt at L ≤1.8. The signal amplitude changes are attributed to increased absorption in the earth-ionosphere waveguide and/or alterations of the waveguide mode structure due to localized secondary ionization enhancements produced in the nighttime lower ionosphere and the mesosphere by the precipitating electrons. The otherwise stably trapped electrons are believed to be scattered in pitch angle during cyclotron resonant interactions in the magnetosphere with the lightning-generated whistler waves. That some precipitation bursts consist partly of MeV electrons is suggested by (i) confinement of the perturbed subionospheric signal path to low magnetic latitudes (L ≤1.8), for which corresponding electron energies for gyroresonance with typical whistler-wave frequencies in the magnetosphere are >1 MeV, and (ii) the temporal signatures of the perturbation events, which often exhibit an unusually rapid initial recovery (time constant of τ 1 MeV electrons.
Development of a stained cell nuclei counting system

This paper presents a novel cell counting system which exploits the Fast Radial Symmetry Transformation (FRST) algorithm [1]. The driving force behind our system is a research on neurogenesis in the intact nervous system of Manduca Sexta or the Tobacco Hornworm, which was being studied to assess the impact of age, food and environment on neurogenesis. The varying thickness of the intact nervous system in this species often yields images with inhomogeneous background and inconsistencies such as varying illumination, variable contrast, and irregular cell size. For automated counting, such inhomogeneity and inconsistencies must be addressed, which no existing work has done successfully. Thus, our goal is to devise a new cell counting algorithm for the images with non-uniform background. Our solution adapts FRST: a computer vision algorithm which is designed to detect points of interest on circular regions such as human eyes. This algorithm enhances the occurrences of the stained-cell nuclei in 2D digital images and negates the problems caused by their inhomogeneity. Besides FRST, our algorithm employs standard image processing methods, such as mathematical morphology and connected component analysis. We have evaluated the developed cell counting system with fourteen digital images of Tobacco Hornworm's nervous system collected for this study with ground-truth cell counts by biology experts. Experimental results show that our system has a minimum error of 1.41% and mean error of 16.68% which is at least forty-four percent better than the algorithm without FRST.
A Thermal Model for Analysis and Control of Drilling in Icy Formations on Mars

Abstract Geologic samples acquired from Mars or solar system bodies via dry coring or drilling operations undergo substantial heating. A finite element thermal model has been created to provide knowledge of the complete thermal environment throughout the bit and rock formation during a drilling process, using only properties of the rock formation and the sampling system. A set of experimental drilling operations was performed upon a block of 45 MPa Indiana limestone outfitted with thermal sensors to validate the accuracy of the model during penetration as well as during periods of rest designed to allow the system to cool. Tests were performed by a prototype Mars Sample Return (MSR) drill operating in a 7 Torr atmosphere. The maximum error between predicted and observed temperatures was found to be 1.26 °C for a test predicted to generate in excess of 100° of temperature rise within the rock. Analysis of this error, in conjunction with penetration rate data, suggest that this difference may be caused by the drill bit's depth-dependent ability to clear hot, cut material from the borehole. The thermal model will be an essential tool in preventing potentially catastrophic freeze-in conditions caused by melting and subsequent re-freezing of contained ice, as well as helping to minimize and record the thermal alternation of the acquired samples prior to in situ analysis or Earth return.
The Effect of Cathode Structures on Nafion Membrane Durability

The effect of cathode structures on the chemical stability of Nafion membranes is investigated. Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were prepared by using Nafion 212 membrane and commercially available carbon supported Pt electro-catalysts. The cathode structures were controlled by the use of long side chain (LSC) and short side chain (SSC) perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) as well as three dispersing solvents for the electrode fabrication (a water-isopropanol mixture, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, or glycerol). The membrane durability was evaluated by the H2 crossover current density after a 200-hour open circuit voltage accelerated stress test. The MEA with a glycerol-processed SSC PFSA-bonded cathode exhibited a 200-fold less H2 crossover current density than the MEA with a water-isopropanol-processed LSC PFSA-bonded cathodes. The analyzes by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and microscopy suggest that the structural uniformity of cathodes play the most significant role in the chemical stability of the Nafion membranes. This study emphasizes the importance of cathode structures on the durability of Nafion membranes. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any
Bilingual Minorities and Language Issues in Writing Toward Professionwide Responses to a New Challenge

This article takes the position that teaching writing effectively to diverse students of non-English background will require an examination of existing views about the nature of writing and a critical evaluation of the profession's ability to work with bilingual individuals of different types. In order to explain this view, the article is divided into three parts. Part 1 describes the nature of bilingualism, identifies the population of students who can be classified as American bilingual minorities, and suggests that existing compartmentalization within the composition profession cannot address the needs of this particular population. Part 2 of the article reviews trends in current scholarship in second-language writing and points out that most of this research has focused on ESL students rather than on fluent/functional bilinguals. Finally, Part 3 lists and discusses a number of research directions in which the involvement and participation of mainstream scholars would be most valuable. In presenting an...
Modern Rapanui Adaptation of Spanish Elements

Rapanui is a Polynesian language spoken on Easter Island, Chile. In this paper, I focus on the linguistic adaptations that Rapanui speakers make when transferring Spanish elements into their Modem Rapanui speech. I analyze Spanish transfers and the mechanisms of adaptation at the levels of phonology, morphology, lexicon, syntax, and discourse. The discussion includes phonological adaptation; application of Rapanui bound morphemes; possessive class assignment; kin and emotion semantic fields; syntactic category crossing; the introduction of a modal construction of obligation, coordinating conjunctions, and an adverb of negation; and the use of Spanish elements as discourse markers and the indexicality they make possible. The analysis of Modern Rapanui speech presented in this paper demonstrates that mixing Spanish elements in Rapanui discourse requires that speakers hold significant tacit knowledge of the Rapanui linguistic system. Instead of looking at these Spanish transfers as evidence of Rapanui becoming contaminated by Spanish, they can be analyzed as evidence of the bilingual speakers' creative performance in Modern Rapanui speech and what extends the remarkable survival and adaptability of the Rapanui language. By considering the diachronic and synchronic variation found in Spanish transfers, the analysis also contributes toward the understanding of the process of language change, speakers' roles in it, and the ways in which linguistic variation is related to the phenomenon of language change. Most of the data I employ are taken from transcripts made from naturalistic verbal interactions among the island residents recorded during my ethnographic research in this Rapanui-Spanish bilingual island community (1993-I 996).
Formation of porphyrins in the presence of acid-labile metalloporphyrins: a new route to mixed-metal multiporphyrin arrays.

The ability to incorporate distinct metalloporphyrins at designated sites in multiporphyrin arrays is essential for diverse applications in materials and biomimetic chemistry. The synthesis of such mixed-metal arrays via acid catalyzed reactions has largely been restricted to metalloporphyrins of stability class II (e.g., Cu, Co, Ni) or I. We describe routes for the rational synthesis of mixed-metal arrays via acid-catalyzed condensations that are compatible with metalloporphyrins of stability class III (e.g., Zn) and IV (e.g., Mg). The routes are demonstrated for p-phenylene-linked arrays. The key finding is that several mild Lewis acids [InCl3, Sc(OTf)3, Yb(OTf)3, and Dy(OTf)3], which are known to catalyze the dipyrromethane + dipyrromethane−dicarbinol condensation in CH2Cl2 at room temperature without acidolysis, do not demetalate zinc or magnesium porphyrins under the same conditions. Rational routes to porphyrin dyads and triads employ reaction of a (porphyrin)−dipyrromethane and a (porphyrin)−dipyrr...
Pharmacologic neuroprotection with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase for the treatment of glaucoma

Excessive nitric oxide, generated by inducible NOS-2 in astrocytes and microglia in the optic nerve head of patients with glaucoma, may contribute to the optic neuropathy associated with the disease. A rat model of glaucoma, in which there is chronic, moderately elevated IOP and slow loss of retinal ganglion cells, has been established to study pharmacological agents that have the potential to be neuroprotective. In this model, the pharmacological use of an inhibitor of NOS-2, aminoguanidine, significantly prevents the loss of retinal ganglion cells. A well-tolerated pharmacological inhibitor of NOS-2, perhaps orally or locally delivered, is a reasonable candidate for a neuroprotective agent for treating glaucoma.
Alternative conceptions of semantic theory

Abstract It is argued that theories of semantic memory have diverged in a manner that parallels current linguistic controversy concerning the representation of meaning. The feature-comparison model (Smith, Shoben & Rips, 1974) applies the linguistic theory of Lakoff (1972) to predict people's reaction times to verify sentences, while the marker-search model, described here, uses the type of semantic representation outlined by Katz (1972) to explain a similar range of data. The two models are described and the evidence for each is reviewed. Available evidence supports the marker-search model, but disconfirms a major prediction of the feature-comparison model. It is argued that the feature-comparison model is in principle inadequate as a model of semantic representation, unless its conception of semantic components is substantially alatered.
Enhancement of renal disease in BXSB lupus prone mice after prior exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide

The mechanism, or mechanisms, responsible for enhancement of renal disease after episodes of infection are poorly understood. We used the BXSB mouse as a lupus model of autoimmune disease and we used bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a surrogate infectious agent to gain some insight into the mechanism by which infections promote enhancement of autoimmune disease to chronicity. BXSB mice were exposed to LPS for 5 weeks, LPS was withdrawn and various tests and measurements were performed 6 weeks thereafter. Matched BXSB mice exposed to vehicle injections for 5 weeks served as controls. We verified that previous exposure to LPS enhances polyclonal B cell activation, impairs carrier function of blood cells for immune complexes, increases deposition of immune complexes in the microcirculation and promotes glomerular inflammation and sclerosis. These changes occurred at 6 weeks after withdrawal of LPS in the presence of unimpaired function of mononuclear phagocytes. Some of the effects of LPS are reversible, others are partially so and others are irreversible. Altered immune functions elicited by prior exposure to LPS can result in enhanced involvement of various renal compartments and can result in renal insufficiency.
Capital-energy complementarity in aggregate energy-economic analysis

Abstract The interplay between capital and energy will affect the outcome of energy policy initiatives. This paper develops a static model to clarify the interpretation of the conflicting empirical evidence on the nature of this interplay. This resolves an apparent conflict between engineering and economic interpretations and points to an additional ambiguity that can be resolved by distinguishing between policy issues at aggregated and disaggregated levels. We have arrived at the finding that we human beings do not, on careful examination. turn out to possess any one clear-cut notion of complementarity and substitutability. Paul A. Samuelson (1974)
Immunotherapy for allergies and asthma: present and future

Allergen immunotherapy (IT) is a proven approach for treating allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma that has been practiced since 1911 and has undergone significant development in the past two decades. As currently practiced, IT involves subcutaneous or sublingual administration of allergens, both methods of which have been extensively investigated. In addition to allergen IT, a number of additional nonspecific IT approaches are being used or are in phase II/phase III clinical trials, which may be available in clinics within the next one to three years. Such therapies include anti-IgE antibodies and the soluble IL-4 receptor. Other experimental IT approaches are at the preclinical research stage and may proceed to clinical trials and the clinic within the next five to ten years. This review discusses the pros and cons of recent developments in both currently practiced and experimental IT approaches.
Synthesis and characterization of chiral liquid‐crystalline polyesters containing sugar‐based diols via melt polymerization

Liquid-crystalline (LC) polyesters based on hexanediol or butanediol, dimethyl 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylate, and a sugar-based diol, isosorbide or isomanide, were prepared with conventional melt polymerization. 1 H NMR spectroscopy confirmed that 50 mol % of the charged sugar diol was successfully incorporated into various copolyesters. Modest molecular weights were obtained, although they were typically lower than those of polyester analogues that did not contain sugar-based diols. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the incorporation of isosorbide or isomanide units did not reduce the thermal stability in a nitrogen atmosphere. Melting points that ranged from 190 to 270 °C were achieved as a function of the copolyester composition. The lined focal conic fan textures, typical indications of a chiral smectic C LC phase, were observed upon the shearing of the LC melt under polarized light microscopy. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the twisted molecular orientation in the chiral LC phase induced periodically soft lamellar structures.
Evidence Concerning Pion-Pion Interactions below the 765-Mev Pion-Pion Resonance

A search has been made for pion-pion resonances in the reaction ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}+p$ at incident pion energies of 871 Mev and 775 Mev, using a sodium-iodide luminescent chamber as a detector. The spectra of ${m}^{*}$, the total energy of the two pions in their own barycentric system, are presented and compared with the spectra predicted by phase-space alone. The maximum ${m}^{*}$ which can be obtained in this experiment is 695 Mev and the recoil proton momenta range from 400 to 700 Mev/c. The 871-Mev spectrum shows a deviation from the phase-space prediction in the form of an abrupt rise at an ${m}^{*}$ of 590 Mev. This rise is most prominent for the spectrum with recoil proton momenta above 550 Mev/c. The 775-Mev spectrum does not show any strong deviations from phase space. It is concluded, on the basis of this experiment and other experiments at similar or somewhat higher-incident pion energies, that the peak above phase space in the ${m}^{*}$ spectrum range of 575 to 700 Mev is due to at least one other process besides the 765-Mev two-pion resonance particular. The possible existence of a new two-pion, $T=1$ resonance with an ${m}^{*}$ of about 600 Mev is discussed. An evaluation of the performance of the luminescent chamber in this experiment is made.
The problem of neuronal cell types: a physiological genomics approach

Neural circuits within the vertebrate brain are composed of highly diverse cell types. The exact extent of this diversity is a matter of continuing debate. For example, do cortical interneurons comprise a few, dozens or >100 distinct cell types? Recently, several groups have used microarrays to measure genome-wide gene expression profiles for specific neuronal cell types. These methods can offer an objective basis for neuronal classification. In this review, we argue that this approach should now be carried out more broadly and that it should be coupled to large-scale efforts to generate mouse driver lines in which tools for genetic manipulation, such as the Cre recombinase, are expressed in identified cell types within the brain. This would enable neuroscientists to begin to investigate more systematically the roles of specific genes in establishing particular cellular phenotypes, and also the roles of particular cell types within brain circuits. This review is part of the TINS special issue on The Neural Substrates of Cognition.
Mechanisms of fatigue in normal intercostal muscle and muscle from patients with myasthenia gravis

Fatigue mechanisms in normal intercostal muscle and muscle from patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) were evaluated by monitoring the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and tetanic tension responses to repetitive nerve or muscle stimulation in vitro. When fatigue was induced by nerve stimulation at 30 Hz for 0.5 s every 2.5 s, about half of the original tension decreased after 30 min in normal muscle and 5 min in MG muscle. Analysis of the changes in area of CMAPs and tension indicated that impairment of neuromuscular transmission, muscle membrane excitation, and excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling and contractility accounted for 40%, 29%, and 31% of fatigue in normal muscle, and 83%, 0%, and 17% of fatigue in MG muscle. When fatigue was induced by muscle stimulation at 30 Hz, tension declined by a quarter after 30 min in normal muscle, but by a half after 17 min in MG muscle. Impairment of muscle membrane excitation and E-C coupling and contractility accounted for 58% and 42% of fatigue in normal muscle, and 22% and 78% of fatigue in MG muscle. Thus, fatigue of normal muscle is caused by impairment of at least four processes, and enhanced fatigue of MG muscle is caused by greater impairment of neuromuscular transmission, E-C coupling, and contractility. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Metaphase chromosome folds and X-inactivation

To evaluate the suggested nonrandom folding of Xq13-q21 (center of Barr body condensation) of the inactivated X chromosomes, metaphases from nine subjects with or without X chromosome abnormalities (eight females and one male) were investigated with RBG-staining. A significant increase (p less than .05) in the number of arm folds (Xq13-q21) of the late-replicating X chromosome, particularly in early to mid-metaphase, was observed in four of eight females. Therefore, the stage of chromosome contraction was an important factor with more folds observed at the centromeres and in longer chromosomes in early metaphase compared with mid- to late metaphase. X chromosome folds were present in cells of subjects treated with or without bromodeoxyuridine. While our study agrees with the relationship of Xq13-q21 fold with the X-inactivation center, the correlation of extended chromosomes and folding limits this method as a sole indicator of X-inactivation in routine mid-metaphase, but is useful in the analysis of early metaphase chromosomes.
Complementation of coq3 mutant yeast by mitochondrial targeting of the Escherichia coli UbiG polypeptide: evidence that UbiG catalyzes both O-methylation steps in ubiquinone biosynthesis.

Ubiquinone functions in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Recent evidence suggests that the reduced form of ubiquinone (ubiquinol) may also function as a lipid soluble antioxidant. The biosynthesis of ubiquinone requires two O-methylation steps. In eukaryotes, the first O-methylation step is carried out by the Coq3 polypeptide, which catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to 3,4-dihydroxy-5-polyprenylbenzoate. In Escherichia coli, 2-polyprenyl-6-hydroxyphenol is the predicted substrate; however, the corresponding O-methyltransferase has not been identified. The second O-methylation step in E. coli, the conversion of demethylubiquinone to ubiquinone, is carried out by the UbiG methyltransferase, which is 40% identical in amino acid sequence with the yeast Coq3 methyltransferase. On the basis of the chemical similarity of the first and last methyl-acceptor substrates and the high degree of amino acid sequence identity between Coq3p and UbiG, the ability of UbiG to catal...
Colonic cell proliferation in familial polyposis

Methods are presented for measuring cell proliferation in inherited gastrointestinal polyposis syndromes and related diseases. Future studies should be aimed at the identification of potentially susceptible individuals and interventions to inhibit tumor development.
251 Non-invasive assessment of murine pulmonary arterial pressure: validation and application to models of pulmonary hypertension

Background Genetically modified mice offer the unique opportunity to gain insights into the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In mice, right heart catheterization is the only available technique to measure right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP). However, it is a terminal procedure and does not allow serial follow-up. Our objective was to validate a non-invasive technique to assess RVSP in mice. Methods Right ventricle catheterization and echocardiography were simultaneously performed in mice with pulmonary hypertension induced acutely by infusion of a thromboxane analogue, U-46619 or chronically by lung-specific over-expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6). In a subgroup of mice, echocardiography was performed using light anesthesia before catheterization. Pulsed-Doppler of pulmonary artery flow was recorded in the parasternal short axis view. Pulmonary acceleration time (PAT), and ejection time (ET) were measured. Results Infusion of U-46619 acutely increased RVSP, shortened PAT and decreased PAT/ET. The pulmonary flow pattern changed from symmetric at baseline to asymmetric at higher RVSPs. Transgenic IL-6 mice had high RVSP measured by catheter (39±7 mmHg), short PAT (17±4 ms) and low PAT/ET ratio (31±8%). The PAT correlated linearly with RVSP (r2=–0.67; p 32 mmHg) were 100% (7/7) and 86% (6/7), respectively, for both indexes (cutoff values: PAT Conclusion Pulmonary artery systolic pressure can be estimated noninvasively in mice. Echocardiography allows to monitor acute changes of RVSP and to detect pulmonary hypertension. This technique enables to follow PAH evolution easily and repeatedly in mice. Download : Download full-size image
Joint Analysis of Longitudinal Data with Informative Right Censoring

Longitudinal data arise when subjects are followed over a period of time. A commonly encountered complication in the analysis of such data is the variable length of follow-up due to right censorship. This can be further exacerbated by the possible dependency between the censoring time and the longitudinal measurements. This article proposes a combination of a semiparametric transformation model for the censoring time and a linear mixed effects model for the longitudinal measurements. The dependency is handled via latent variables which are naturally incorporated. We show that the likelihood function has an explicit form and develops a two-stage estimation procedure to avoid direct maximization over a high-dimensional parameter space. The resulting estimators are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal, with a closed form for the variance-covariance matrix that can be used to obtain a plug-in estimator. Finite sample performance of the proposed approach is assessed through extensive simulations. The method is applied to renal disease data.
Influence of dietary egg and soybean phospholipids and triacylglycerols on human serum lipoproteins

Human serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations and compositions were compared in ten healthy middle-aged men consuming phospholipids from egg or from soybean or triacylglycerol mixtures with fatty acid compositions similar to those of the phospholipids. All subjects followed each of the four treatments: egg phospholipids (EP), soybean phospholipids (SP), an oil of fatty acid composition similar to that of EP, and an oil similar in fatty acid composition to SP for six weeks with “wash-out” periods of similar duration between treatment periods. The phospholipids, 15 g/d, and the oils, 12 g/d, which contained approximately equivalent quantities of fatty acids were provided to the subjects in gelatin capsules and were taken before meals. Diet intake was monitored by three-day food records. Serum lipoproteins (Lp) were separated by ultracentrifugation into very low density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL)2 and HDL3. Lp fractions and whole serum were analyzed for triacylglycerols, cholesterol (CH), phospholipids (PL), and protein. HDL cholesterol was determined in while serum. Cholesteryl esters were determined in some Lp fractions. Lipid compositions of Lp were expressed in mmol/g protein. Apoprotein B was measured in whole serum and in LDL; apoprotein A-I in whole serum and in HDL3. In whole serum, CH and PL were significantly lower after the SP compared to EP treatment periods. CH, but not PL, was lower after SPTG compared to EP. CH in HDL2 was significantly higher after SP compared to SPTG. Also, PL in HDL2 were significantly higher after SP compared to all other treatments and to baseline. Although human serum lipid responses to dietary phospholipids were generally the same as responses to ingested oils of comparable fatty acid composition, the data suggest the possibility that SP selectively increase HDL2 cholesterol and phospholipids.
Learn about the MAVEN Mission to Mars at the 2014 Public Lecture

The 2014 AGU Public Lecture will feature a panel of expert scientists who will speak about their work on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.
Relating Mental Health and Physical Function at Discharge to Rehabilitation Status at Three Months Postburn

Preinjury mental health is said to be a major predictive factor in the rehabilitation progress of burn patients. However, it is unclear which component of rehabilitation (emotional v physical) is predicted by this variable; furthermore, the predictive validity of preinjury mental health has not been compared with physical variables. The present study compared preinjury mental health, physical variables, and length of hospitalization in predicting the rehabilitation progress of 59 major burn patients at three-month follow-up. Preinjury mental health was assessed by the Rand Mental Health Form; physical status, by the Upper Extremity Index (standard measures of upper limb joint mobility); and hospital stay, by the number of days of acute hospitalization. These variables were assessed at the time of discharge. Three-month rehabilitation outcome was measured by the Sickness Impact Profile, a self-report inventory that evaluates patient outcome in 12 different areas. These areas were in turn placed in the categories of disability (ie, difficulties in functioning in activities of daily living; eating) handicap (ie, difficulties in functioning in general areas of living; employment) and mental health status. In predicting mental health status at three months, preinjury mental health was significantly correlated. In predicting physical disability, physical factors were found to be important. Conversely, physical status was not significantly related to mental health outcome, and preinjury mental health was not related to physical disability. The results indicate the importance of defining outcome when attempting to predict rehabilitation progress of burn patients. Language: en
Sex differences in the relations among handedness, sighting-dominance and eye-acuity.

Abstract There are conflicting reports in the literature regarding the relations among handedness, sighting-dominance and eye-acuity. Some studies report an association between handedness and sighting-dominance or between sighting-dominance and eye-acuity while other studies fail to detect such relations. The present investigation tested the possibility that sex might have mediated these results as this variable, which was found to be of importance in research on laterality, has been largely ignored by all previous studies. Two hundred subjects (100 males, 100 females) were tested on a measure of handedness, three measures of sighting- dominance and a standard measure of eye-acuity. Handedness was found to be associated with sighting-dominance for males, but not for females. Eye-acuity, on the other hand, was associated with sighting-dominance for females, but not for males. These findings suggest sex differences in the mechanisms through which motoric and, possibly, cognitive lateralization is established.
Randomized surgical training for medical students: resident versus peer-led teaching.

Objective Medical students spend significant portions of their time in the operating room, with many learning skills through trial and error. Peer-assisted learning is a useful teaching and learning method. Our hypothesis is that students will perform basic skills in the operating room environment more often when taught by their peers. Study Design Sixty third-year medical students participated in an operating room introduction course. Learners were randomized into 2 cohorts: 1 led by obstetrics and gynecology residents, 1 led by fourth-year medical students. Assessment was performed using an objective, structured clinical exercise. Results Peer-assisted learners performed more steps correctly during the objective exercise compared with resident-assisted learners (16.1 vs 14.4 of 22 total steps assessed, P Conclusion Peer-assisted learning may be a useful teaching method for simulation training. Third-year medical students may benefit from this low threat and informal environment.
A RAPID, NON-RADIOACTIVE METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR BINDING PROTEINS BY WESTERN LIGAND BLOTTING

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are produced by many cell types and are present in a wide variety of biological fluids. Detection of IGFBPs in complex fluids is commonly performed by Western ligand blotting using 12SI-IGF-I and/or 125I-IGF-II as the labeling ligand. This method is extremely useful in detecting IGFBPs; however, it requires the use of radioactive materials and usually takes several days to weeks to complete. Herein, we report on a modification of this method using biotinylated IGFs to detect both purified recombinant IGFBPs, as well as IGFBPs in fibroblast conditioned medium. This alternative method has proved sensitive, time- and cost-efficient, and it is environmentally safe.
Capacity of Place Based Opportunistic Networks

Opportunistic networks exploits opportunistic contacts among mobile devices to facilitate data forwarding. In this paper, we focus on visited places of the mobiles and resulting opportunistic yet relative stable contacts within the places. We focus on investigating the capacity of this place based opportunistic network. We reveal that the capacity of the network is mainly determined by two factors, the message exchanges at the places and the people flow among the places. We propose a two-layer model to analyze this problem. In the first layer, a mixed form queueing network model is constructed to compute the population in each place and also the visitor arrival rate as well as visiting probability to each place. After this, in the second layer we transform the results from first layer into node capacity and link capacity which in turn will be used to calculate the network capacity. We perform simulation experiments to study the theoretical results.
Changes in urinary catecholamines and their metabolites in depressed patients treated with amitriptyline or imipramine

The effects of treatment with amitriptyline (AMI) or imipramine (IMI) on changes in catecholamines and their metabolites in urine were studied in 95 unipolar and bipolar depressed patients. For the entire group, not separated by drug, substantial reduction in concentrations of all metabolites, but not catecholamines, occurred. Although catecholamine and metabolite change was similar for most substances assayed, there were some specific drug and diagnostic group differences. Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) reduction was limited to bipolar patients; metanephrine (M) reduction to unipolar patients. Greater M and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) reduction were associated with response in unipolar, but not bipolar patients. In bipolar, but not unipolar patients, norepinephrine (NE) rose in responders in contrast to reductions among nonresponding bipolar patients. The results suggest that effectiveness of blockade of reuptake of norepinephrine may be relatively more important for recovery in bipolar than in unipolar patients. Study of a battery of amine substances may contribute more information to our understanding of antidepressant drug effects on aminergic systems than analyses of MHPG alone.
Quantum walks on the N-cycle subject to decoherence on the coin degree of freedom.

For a discrete time quantum walk (QW) on the $N$-cycle, allowing for decoherence on the coin, we derive a number of results, including an explicit formula for the position probability distribution. For a QW of this type, we show that the mixing behavior tends, in the long run, to a uniform distribution regardless of the initial state of the system and irrespective of the parity of the number of nodes $N$. These results confirm the findings of previous authors who arrived at similar conclusions through extensive numerical simulations. In particular, we infer that the mixing time $\overline{M(ϵ)}$ for the time-averaged probability distribution is of order no greater than $O({N}^{2}/ϵ)$.
Surreptitious observation of responses to hypnotically suggested hallucinations: A test of the compliance hypothesis

Suggestions for arm levitation and for visual, auditory, tactile, and taste hallucinations were administered twice via audiotape to a group of high suggestible students and low suggestible simulators. During one of the administrations, participants were led to believe they were alone, but their behavior was surreptitiously recorded on videotape and observed on a video monitor. During the other administration, they were observed openly by an experimenter who had not been informed about group assignment. When unaware that they were being observed, simulators were significantly less responsive to suggestion and engaged in substantially more role-inappropriate behavior. In contrast, the responsiveness of nonsimulating students was not affected by the presence of an experimenter, and they exhibited little role-inappropriate behavior even when alone. These data indicate that the responses of suggestible individuals reflect internally generated changes in experience and are not due to simple intentional compliance (i.e., faking).