cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CGI-58/ABHD5-derived signaling lipids regulate systemic inflammation and insulin action

Mutations of comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) in humans cause Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disease in which excess triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulates in multiple tissues. CGI-58 recently has been ascribed two distinct biochemical activities, including coactivation of adipose triglyceride lipase and acylation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). It is noteworthy that both the substrate (LPA) and the product (phosphatidic acid) of the LPA acyltransferase reaction are well-known signaling lipids. Therefore, we hypothesized that CGI-58 is involved in generating lipid mediators that regulate TAG metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Here, we show that CGI-58 is required for the generation of signaling lipids in response to inflammatory stimuli and that lipid second messengers generated by CGI-58 play a critical role in maintaining the balance between inflammation and insulin action. Furthermore, we show that CGI-58 is necessary for maximal TH1 cytokine signaling in the liver. This novel role for CGI-58 in cytokine signaling may explain why diminished CGI-58 expression causes severe hepatic lipid accumulation yet paradoxically improves hepatic insulin action. Collectively, these findings establish that CGI-58 provides a novel source of signaling lipids. These findings contribute insight into the basic mechanisms linking TH1 cytokine signaling to nutrient metabolism.
Decreased Muscle Strength Relates to Self-Reported Stooping, Crouching, or Kneeling Difficulty in Older Adults

Background Bending down and kneeling are fundamental tasks of daily living, yet nearly a quarter of older adults report having difficulty performing or being unable to perform these movements. Older adults with stooping, crouching, or kneeling (SCK) difficulty have demonstrated an increased fall risk. Strength (force-generating capacity) measures may be useful for determining both SCK difficulty and fall risk. Objective The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine muscle strength differences in older adults with and without SCK difficulty and (2) to examine the relative contributions of trunk and leg muscle strength to SCK difficulty. Design This was a cross-sectional observational study. Methods Community-dwelling older adults (age [X±SD]=75.5±6.0 years) with SCK difficulty (n=27) or without SCK difficulty (n=21) were tested for leg and trunk strength and functional mobility. Isometric strength at the trunk, hip, knee, and ankle also was normalized by body weight and height. Results Compared with older adults with no SCK difficulty, those with SCK difficulty had significant decreases in normalized trunk extensor, knee extensor, and ankle dorsiflexor and plantar-flexor strength. In 2 separate multivariate analyses, raw ankle plantar-flexor strength (odds ratio [OR]=0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.95–0.99) and normalized knee extensor strength (OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.44–0.82) were significantly associated with SCK difficulty. Stooping, crouching, and kneeling difficulty also correlated with measures of functional balance and falls. Limitations Although muscle groups that were key to rising from SCK were examined, there are other muscle groups that may contribute to safe SCK performance. Conclusions Decreased muscle strength, particularly when normalized for body size, predicts SCK difficulty. These data emphasize the importance of strength measurement at multiple levels in predicting self-reported functional impairment.
Recurrent network-based face recognition using image sequences

In this work, we propose a novel method for face recognition with large pose variations in image sequences using a Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent Network (CSRN).The pose problem is still a daunting challenge in face recognition. If the image sequences are obtained from different viewpoints in a surveillance type of application, the face recognition rate drops significantly. We formulate the recognition problem for face image sequences with large pose variation as an implicit temporal prediction task for CSRN. Further, to reduce the computational cost, we obtain eigenfaces for a set of image sequences for each person and use these reduced pattern vectors as the input to the CSRN. The CSRN is trained by this pattern vector, and each CSRN learns how to associate each face class/person in the training phase. When a new face is encountered, the corresponding image sequence is projected to each eigenface space to obtain the test pattern vectors. The Euclidian distances between successive frames of test and output pattern vectors indicate either a match or mismatch between the two corresponding face classes. We extensively evaluate our CSRN-based face recognition technique with 5 persons using publicly available VidTIMIT Audio-Video face dataset [1].In order to verify the performance of the CSRN, we also implement an Elman neural network for comparison. Our simulation shows that for this VidTIMIT Audio-Video face dataset with large pose variation, we can obtain an overall 65% (for rank 1) or 75% (for rank 2) face recognition accuracy better than the 55%(rank 1) recognition accuracy of Elman neural network.
Response of Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis and Breakdown to Levels of Dietary Protein and Fat During Growth in Weanling Rats

Skeletal muscle growth, muscle nucleic acids, and muscle protein syn thesis and breakdown were measured to evaluate the protein requirement of weanling rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed purified diets that differed in protein and energy contents. Diets ranged from 5 to 30% casein, 5 to 15% corn oil, and all were methionine fortified. All diets were provided for 14 days beginning at 24 days of age. At 38 days of age, animals were killed and the soleus, plantaris, gastrocnemius, extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and biceps brachii muscles and the inguinal, epididymal, and perirenal fat pads were removed and weighed. The soleus and EDL were used to determine protein synthesis and breakdown and nucleic acid contents. Body weight, muscle weight, protein synthesis, protein, DNA and RNA/DNA increased as the casein content of the diet increased to 15%. Casein levels up to 30% failed to cause any additional increases in any of these parameters. These findings indicate that for growing rats maximum protein synthesis defines the minimum amount of dietary protein nec essary to achieve maximum muscle growth. J. Nutr. 112: 255-262, 1982.
Predicting Risk from Financial Reports with Regression

We address a text regression problem: given a piece of text, predict a real-world continuous quantity associated with the text's meaning. In this work, the text is an SEC-mandated financial report published annually by a publicly-traded company, and the quantity to be predicted is volatility of stock returns, an empirical measure of financial risk. We apply well-known regression techniques to a large corpus of freely available financial reports, constructing regression models of volatility for the period following a report. Our models rival past volatility (a strong baseline) in predicting the target variable, and a single model that uses both can significantly outperform past volatility. Interestingly, our approach is more accurate for reports after the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, giving some evidence for the success of that legislation in making financial reports more informative.
Characterization of seismic hazard and structural response by energy flux

Seismic safety of structures depends on the structure's ability to absorb the seismic energy that is transmitted from ground to structure. One parameter that can be used to characterize seismic energy is the energy flux. Energy flux is defined as the amount of energy transmitted per unit time through a cross-section of a medium, and is equal to kinetic energy multiplied by the propagation velocity of seismic waves. The peak or the integral of energy flux can be used to characterize ground motions. By definition, energy flux automatically accounts for site amplification. Energy flux in a structure can be studied by formulating the problem as a wave propagation problem. For buildings founded on layered soil media and subjected to vertically incident plane shear waves, energy flux equations are derived by modeling the building as an extension of the layered soil medium, and considering each story as another layer. The propagation of energy flux in the layers is described in terms of the upgoing and downgoing energy flux in each layer, and the energy reflection and transmission coefficients at each interface. The formulation results in a pair of simple finite-difference equations for each layer, which can be solved recursively starting from the bedrock. The upgoing and downgoing energy flux in the layers allows calculation of the energy demand and energy dissipation in each layer. The methodology is applicable to linear, as well as nonlinear structures.
UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADOPTERS AND NONADOPTERS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

With the increased interest among organizations in managing Information Technology (IT) projects as a portfolio, there has been a growing need for research on factors influencing adoption of IT Project Portfolio Management (ITPPM). ITPPM allows organizations to improve the alignment of IT projects with organizational strategy, by balancing the risks and returns from inter-related projects. To contribute to our understanding of ITPPM, this study examines the adoption of ITPPM through the theoretical lens of diffusion of innovation. Using the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, we model ITPPM adoption and test our model using survey data from 302 project managers. Our results show that an organization's external pressure, ITPPM costs, organizational support, quality of data on existing IT projects, number of IT projects within the organization, and business resistance are significantly related to the adoption decision. We also find interesting results in how expected benefits of ITPPM and compatibility are perceived as equally important by both adopters and nonadopters. In light of the increasingly complex IT project management environment faced by organizations, our paper helps managers to understand and focus on key enablers of ITPPM adoption and better manage ITPPM inhibitors.
Use of a Scanning Slit in Determination of a Radial Irradiance Distribution

Scanning slit across point or line spread function in determination of radial irradiance distribution
Limited multilayer desorption of brown, parboiled rice

Summary Two mathematical models, the BET-equation and the Caurie-equation, are used to analyse experimental desorption isotherms of two long-grain varieties of brown, parboiled rice at different temperatures. Monolayer moisture contents and maximum number of sorbed water layers, estimated by the Caurie-model, decrease with increasing temperature. From the temperature dependence of the desorption isotherms, isosteric heats of desorption are calculated. For both varieties, the differential heats of desorption are already very small (1.4 kJ/mol) at a moisture content of 20%. Thus, additional moisture behaves almost like pure water.
Masculinity, male development, gender, and identity: modern and postmodern meanings

Modern and postmodern scholars are addressing the crisis in masculinity by questioning the meaning of masculinity and by rethinking masculinity, male development, gender, and identity. This article explicates current modern humanist positions and postmodern positions on these topics. The first section summarizes contemporary theories advanced by scholars in the relatively new discipline of men's studies. The second section presents postmodern positions exploring sex as a biological given, the emerging critiques of differentiating sex and gender, and poststructural psychoanalytic positions on simultaneous production of individual subjectivity (sense of self), masculine identity, and society. Implications of these perspectives are identified.
A Wetland Simulation Module for the MODFLOW Ground Water Model

The alteration of wetland habitats by natural and anthropogenic processes is an issue of worldwide concern. Understanding the changes that occur in wetlands often requires knowledge of how surface water levels relate to adjacent aquifer systems. The ability to simulate surface water movement and its interaction with ground water and wetland slough channels is a desirable step in the design of many projects constructed in or near wetlands. Currently, most ground water flow models incorporate wetland systems as general head boundary nodes. The purpose of this research was to develop a computer package for the widely used MOD-FLOW code that would simulate three-dimensional wetland flow hydroperiods and wetland interactions with aquifers and slough channels. The ground water flow model was used to reproduce the surface water flow process through wetlands, and then to estimate new flow rates and values using a Manning-type equation. This package represents flow routing, export and import of water, and evapotranspiration from wetlands for different hydroperiods. A basic verification procedure for the numerical solution of the diffusion equation was applied, based on a test case that was solved using a two-dimensional surface water model. This example is a transient solution to the diffusion equation, in which the initial conditions were depicted by a sinusoidal water surface profile and a flat bottom.
HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE UPPER JURASSIC/LOWER CRETACEOUS OF THE AUSTRALIAN NW SHELF

Source-rock richness, timing of hydrocarbon generation, and thicknesses of potential source shales of the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous section of the Australian NW Shelf have been ex-amined in order to make predictions as to the hydrocarbon potential of the several basins in that region. The result is a rating of four areas potentially productive of liquid hydrocarbons: the Browse Basin, the Malita Graben/NW Bonaparte Gulf Basin, the Rowley Sub-basin, and the Vulcan Sub-basin/Sahul Syncline, respectively.
Risk Factors for Low Birth Weight in New York State Counties

The rate of low birth weight (LBW) is a national concern. In New York counties in 2009, the LBW rate was 8.2%. Reducing LBW has significant humanitarian and economic implications. At an average cos...
Annexin A4 is a novel direct regulator of adenylyl cyclase type 5

Annexin A4 (AnxA4), a Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-binding protein, is up-regulated in the human failing heart. In this study, we examined the impact of AnxA4 on β-adrenoceptor (β-AR)/cAMP-dependent signal transduction. Expression of murine AnxA4 in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells dose-dependently inhibited cAMP levels after direct stimulation of adenylyl cyclases (ACs) with forskolin (FSK), as determined with an exchange protein activated by cAMP-Forster resonance energy transfer (EPAC-FRET) sensor and an ELISA (control vs. +AnxA4: 1956 ± 162 vs. 1304 ± 185 fmol/µg protein; n = 8). Disruption of the anxA4 gene led to a consistent increase in intracellular cAMP levels in isolated adult mouse cardiomyocytes, with heart-directed expression of the EPAC-FRET sensor, stimulated with FSK, and as determined by ELISA, also in mouse cardiomyocytes stimulated with the β-AR agonist isoproterenol (ISO) (anxA4a(+/+) vs. anxA4a(-/-): 5.1 ± 0.3 vs. 6.7 ± 0.6 fmol/µg protein) or FSK (anxA4a(+/+) vs. anxA4a(-/-): 1891 ± 238 vs. 2796 ± 343 fmol/µg protein; n = 9-10). Coimmunoprecipitation experiments in HEK293 cells revealed a direct interaction of murine AnxA4 with human membrane-bound AC type 5 (AC5). As a functional consequence of AnxA4-mediated AC inhibition, AnxA4 inhibited the FSK-induced transcriptional activation mediated by the cAMP response element (CRE) in reporter gene studies (10-fold vs. control; n = 4 transfections) and reduced the FSK-induced phosphorylation of the CRE-binding protein (CREB) measured on Western blots (control vs. +AnxA4: 150 ± 17% vs. 105 ± 10%; n = 6) and by the use of the indicator of CREB activation caused by phosphorylation (ICAP)-FRET sensor, indicating CREB phosphorylation. Inactivation of AnxA4 in anxA4a(-/-) mice was associated with an increased cardiac response to β-AR stimulation. Together, these results suggest that AnxA4 is a novel direct negative regulator of AC5, adding a new facet to the functions of annexins.
A robust pulsed flip-flop and its use in enhanced scan design

Delay faults are frequently encountered in nanometer technologies. Therefore, it is critical to detect these faults during factory test. Testing for a delay fault requires the application of a pair of test vectors in an at-speed manner. To maximize the delay fault detection capability, it is desired that the vectors in this pair are independent. Independent vector pairs cannot always be applied to a circuit implemented with standard scan design approaches. However, this can be achieved by using enhanced scan flip-flops, which store two bits of data. This paper has two contributions. First, we develop a pulsed flip-flop (PFF) design. Second, we present an enhanced scan flipflop design, based on our PFF circuit. We have compared the performance of our pulse based flip-flop with recently published pulse based flip-flop designs, as well as a traditional master-slave D flip-flop. Our PFF shows significant improvements in power and timing compared to the other designs. Our pulse based enhanced scan flip-flop (PESFF) has 13% lower power dissipation and 26% better timing than a conventional D flipflop based enhanced scan flip-flop (DESFF). The layout area of our PESFF is 5.2% smaller than the DESFF. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that our design is more robust to process variations than the DESFF.
An ethnographic comparison of HIV risk behaviors among heroin and methamphetamine injectors

Drug injection and other practices affecting the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were studied among 154 heroin users and 45 methamphetamine users in San Antonio, Texas. Amphetamine users were younger, mostly white, and had less-severe drug dependence. Heroin users had significantly higher levels of needle risk, as indicated by frequency of injection, number of persons sharing equipment, and place of injection. Methamphetamine users tended to buy syringes in lots of 10 or more from pharmacies and to use a syringe less than 5 times before discarding it. Heroin users tended to buy 1 needle at a time from an illicit source and to use it more than 20 times. Of methamphetamine users, 71% had more than one sex partner, compared to 39% of heroin users. Partners of methamphetamine users were more likely to be drug injectors than were partners of heroin users. Fewer methamphetamine users reported a behavior change in response to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, and fewer had been contacted by AIDS Education/Outreach. We suggest that efforts to promote risk reduction among methamphetamine users be stepped up because this population has been underserved and because less-sweeping behavior changes are needed to reduce needle-related risks to acceptable levels.
James T. Willerson, MD, Editor of Circulation, 1993-2004 A Note of Appreciation

With this issue of Circulation , the remarkable tenure of James T. Willerson as Editor comes to a sterling close. Many of us who know Jim well recognize that he works harder than any of us, and his job as Circulation’ s Editor for the past 11 years only serves to confirm that oft-repeated observation. As an editor, Jim Willerson has been described as tireless, devoted, …
TATA box-dependent protein-DNA interactions are detected on heat shock and histone gene promoters in nuclear extracts derived from Drosophila melanogaster embryos

Abstract We monitored protein-DNA interactions that occur on the hsp26, hsp70, histone H3, and histone H4 promoters in nuclear extracts derived from frozen Drosophila melanogaster embryos. All four of these promoters were found to be transcribed in vitro at comparable levels by extracts from both heat-shocked and non-heat-shocked embryos. Factors were detected in both types of extracts that block exonuclease digestion from a downstream site at ca. +35 and -20 base pairs from the start of transcription of all four of these promoters. In addition, factors in extracts from heat-shocked embryos blocked exonuclease digestion at sites flanking the heat shock consensus sequences of hsp26 and hsp70. Competition experiments indicated that common factors cause the +35 and -20 barriers on all four promoters in both extracts. The formation of the barriers at +35 and -20 required a TATA box but did not appear to require specific sequences downstream of +7. We suggest that the factors responsible for the +35 and -20 barriers are components whose association with the promoter precedes transcriptional activation.
Global preordering for Newton equations using model hierarchy

In solving large simulation problems using Newton's method, a large sparse linear system Ax = b has to be solved. The cost of solving its problems can dominate the overall solution cost of the problem. Current approaches of reducing these costs are reviewed, and then a new algorithm for preordering the sparse matrix A is described that is based on the hierarchical structure provided by an object-oriented description of many recent modeling systems such as ASCEND, gPROMS, DIVA, and Omola. Particularly, rapid preorderings are obtained to support interactive manipulation of models and efficient solutions in automatic process synthesis algorithms, two applications where the preordering cost will be spread over only a few factorizations. With a factorization routine that permits a-priori reorderings (LU1SOL), this algorithm produces order of magnitude reductions in analysis and factoring times as well as in fill and operation count over our previous experience. The time to factor the 50,000 Newton equations for a highly recycled ethylene plant model is of the order of a few seconds on a conventional workstation. Abstracting and applying the fundamental concepts of this algorithm made it possible to improve the performance of the ma28 code significantly. This approach makes solution speeds competitive with and generally more consistent than codes considered the state-of-the-art (ma48 and umfpack 1.0).
INFLUENCES OF INTRODUCED PLAGUE ON NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS: IMPLICATIONS FROM ECOLOGY OF PLAGUE IN ASIA

Intercontinental movements of invasive species continue to modify the world’s ecosystems. The plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) has colonized and altered animal communities worldwide but has received much more attention as a human pathogen. We reviewed studies on the ecology of Y. pestis in ancient foci of central Asia and in western North America, where the bacterium apparently has become established much more recently. Although rodent populations on both continents are affected dramatically by epizootics of plague, the epidemiologically important species of Asia demonstrate resistance in portions of their populations, whereas those of North America are highly susceptible. Individual variation in resistance, which is widespread in Asian rodents and allows a microevolutionary response, has been documented in few North American species of rodents. Plague increases costs of sociality and coloniality in susceptible hosts, increases benefits of disease resistance in general, and increases benefits of adaptability to variable environments for species at higher trophic levels. Prairie dogs (Cynomys) epitomize taxa with high risk to plague because prairie dogs have uniformly low resistance to plague and are highly social. Relationships to plague are poorly understood for many North American rodents, but more than one-half of the species of conservation concern occur within the geographic range of plague. words: coevolution, host‐parasite relations, invasive species, plague, resistance, rodent, Yersinia pestis
Alcohol in Process: A Study of Long-Term Alcohol Consumption Trends in Iowa

As alcohol sales trends rose and fell in Iowa during recent decades, beverage alcohol as a socially constructed object changed. Since the early 1960s Iowans have redefined alcohol and modified their drinking norms. During the same time period per capita consumption first trended up and then down. Although the proportion of Iowans defining alcohol for its social effects and the proportion defining it additionally for personal effects (psychological relief) changed little, the proportion defining alcohol negatively-as generally harmful and particularly as a health hazard-rose dramatically. During the prolonged sales uptrend of the 1960s and 70s Iowans' drinking norms became more approving of others' drinking and slightly more tolerant of others' getting high, while disapproval of intoxication remained constant and virtually unanimous.Numerous government actions affecting the physical availability of alcohol did not consistently ratchet sales up and down. Annual per capita (age 14+) alcohol sales rose some 7...
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF LARGE OBJECTS IN SHALLOW WATER WAVES AND UNIFORM CURRENT

A mathematical model is presented which portrays the physical system of a large axially symmetric structure in a flow field of finite water depth, large amplitude wave and strong current. The flow field, which enters as the input, is derived from a velocity potential similar to that of the cnoidal wave of Keulegan and Patterson. The inclusion of a uniform velocity in the derivation of velocity potential results in a cross interference term in addition to the well known Doppler shift effect. The numerical results are compared with experiments on a bridge pier (Ref. 6) which is partially cylindrical with base diameter equivalent to 100 feet in prototype; close to the surface, where the wave action is greatest it is conical. These results are also compared with theoretical calculations based on linear wave theory and fifth-order wave theory. It is concluded that the results based on the modified cnoidal wave theory come closest to the experimental value.
Differential Equations in a Projective Space and Linear Dependence over a Projective Variety

This chapter proves J.F. Ritt's result that says in an irreducible algebraic variety V in complex projective space P c ( n ) and n + 1 meromorphic functions f 0 , f u ,…, f n on some region of C, there exists an irreducible ordinary differential polynomial R ∈ C{y 0 , y 1 ,…, y n }, dependent only on V and having order equal to the dimension of V , which enjoys the following property: a necessary and sufficient condition that there exist c 0 , c u ,…, c n ∈ C not all zero such that ( c 0 : c 1 : … : c n ) is a point of V and ∑ C j f j = 0 is that ( f 0 , f 1 ,…, f n ) be in the general solution of the differential equation R = 0. When V = P c ( n ), this reduces to the classical theorem on the Wronskian determinant. Ritt's result is generalized to include functions of several complex variables as well as one and formulated in the setting of abstract differential fields of characteristic zero.
Kinetics of the Reductive Dissolution of Lead(IV) Oxide by Iodide

Lead(IV) oxide (PbO2) is a corrosion product found in lead service lines used to convey drinking water. The presence of reductants can accelerate PbO2 dissolution and enhance lead release to drinking water. The dissolution rate rather than the equilibrium solubility of PbO2 can control the dissolved lead concentrations in water distributed through pipes containing PbO2. Iodide, a known reductant for PbO2, was selected as a model reductant for investigating the kinetics and mechanisms of the reductive dissolution of PbO2. The dissolution rate of plattnerite (β-PbO2) was determined as a function of pH, iodide concentration, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration using continuously stirred tank reactors. The dissolution rate of plattnerite increased with decreasing pH and increasing iodide concentrations. The presence of 10 mg C/L DIC accelerated plattnerite dissolution, but further increases in DIC concentration did not affect the dissolution rate. The reductive dissolution of PbO2 can be interp...
Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution and Migration

capacities and representatives of the five United Nations regional commis? sions, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organiza tion (WHO). Also represented were the following intergovernmental and non-go venimental organizations: the International Organization for Migra? tion (IOM), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), the Center for Migration Studies, the Population Crisis Committee and the World Council of Churches. As a basis for discussion, the 16 experts had prepared papers on the main agenda items in order to provide a framework for discussion. The views expressed by the experts were their own and did not necessarily represent the views of their Governments or organizations. The Population Division of the (then) Department of Economic and Social Development had pre? pared a background document for the meeting, entitled "Population distri? bution and migration: the emerging issues." Discussion notes were provided by the Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), WHO, UNHCR, FAO, ILO, the United Nations Office in Vienna, HABITAT, IOM and the Population Institute.
Addiction Edema and Withdrawal Edema in Morphinized Rats.

ConclusionMorphinism in rats causes edema which tends to advance and decline at different rates in different tissues. Early and extensively affected is the skin. The water exchange becomes decidedly increased. Sudden withdrawal induces a fresh edema, especially of the brain, the skin passing first through a dry stage. The water exchange is first depressed, then greatly increased. Ingestion of food has not varied sufficiently in amount to account for any of the findings.
Outcomes of biventricular mechanical support patients discharged to home to await heart transplantation.

Background The use of left ventricular assist devices has grown rapidly in recent years for patients with end-stage heart failure. A significant proportion of patients require both left- and right-sided support with biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) as a bridge to transplantation. Traditionally, these patients have waited in the hospital until they receive a transplant. Purpose The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical course of BiVAD patients discharged to home to await heart transplantation. Methods Between November 2009 and July 2011, 24 adult patients underwent Thoratec paracorporeal BiVAD placement at the University of California Los Angeles, all with an Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support score 1 or 2. The disposition, complications, and rehospitalizations of these subjects were retrospectively reviewed. Results Fourteen of the 24 patients were successfully discharged to home, with a mean time of 60 ± 27 days from BiVAD implantation to discharge. Ninety-three percent (13/14) of the patients sent home went on to be transplanted. Eleven of the 14 (79%) came in from home to receive their transplant. The mean time from BiVAD implantation to transplantation was 100 ± 65 days. Of the 14 patients discharged to home, there were 18 readmissions in 8 patients. Conclusion In this small single-center review, we found that complex medical patients with BiVADs can be discharged to home and can await a heart transplant from home under the close management of multidisciplinary acute care and outpatient teams.
A BOTTOM BOUNDARY LAYER SEDIMENT RESPONSE TO WAVE GROUPS

A field experiment measured in situ sediment resuspension in the bottom boundary layer. Spatially and temporally dense suspended sediment concentration profiles, three-dimensional velocities and pressures were obtained from a location with a flat, fine-sand bottom in Lake Erie in 1992. By use of a conceptual model, ten minute averaged near bottom sediment concentration is found to be proportional to significant wave orbital velocity and group wave parameters. The result attempts to clarify the ambiguity of using a monochromatic wave parameterization for bottom boundary layer model comparisons with measured data containing spectral wave conditions.
The acid deoxyribonuclease of neutrophils: a possible participant in apoptosis-associated genome destruction

Human neutrophils are terminally differentiated cells that spontaneously undergo apoptosis in tissue culture. Apoptosis in these cells can be delayed by culture in the presence of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or other inflammatory mediators. Neutrophils were found to contain an acid endonuclease that appeared to be responsible for the internucleosomal DNA cleavage that accompanies apoptosis. As measured by a plasmid nicking assay, this endonuclease had a molecular weight (M,) of 35,000, a pH optimum of 5.5, and a threshold for activity of pH 6.6 to 6.8. It was weakly inhibited by divalent cations (Ca’’, Mg2+, and Zn2+) and more strongly inhibited by aurintricarboxylic acid EUTROPHILS ARE terminally differentiated cells with a life span of hours to days. In culture, they undergo programmed cell death or apoptosis, an event characterized among other things by the condensation of chromatin and the digestion of genomic DNA into oligonucleosomal fragments (manifested in apoptotic cells as altered nuclear morphology and the appearance of nucleosomal ladders on gel electrophoresis of DNA), whereas energy stores and membrane integrity remain for the most part intact.’ In the absence of cytokines, apoptosis occurs in 30% to 50% of the cells by 24 hours. Apoptosis in neutrophils can be delayed, but not prevented, by cytokines such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin- 1 (IL- I), or lipopolysaccharide.*.’ Apoptosis-associated DNA degradation in other systems has been attributed to any of several endonucleases, including a calcium- and magnesium-dependent endonuclease: the calcium-dependent enzyme DNase I,’ and an acidic endonuclease similar or identical to DNase IL6 In the present report we characterize an acid endonuclease as the only DNase detectable in mature human neutrophils and show that, when the intracellular pH of neutrophils is lowered into the range in which this nuclease is active, internucleosomal DNA cleavage is seen. N
Curve Separation for Line Graphs in Scholarly Documents

Line graphs are abundant in scholarly papers. They are usually generated from a data table and that data can not be accessed. One important step in an automated data extraction pipeline is the curve separation problem: segmenting the pixels into separate curves. Previous work in this domain has focused on raster graphics extracted from scholarly PDFs, whereas most scholarly plots are embedded as vector graphics. We report a system to extract these plots as SVG images and show how that can improve both the accuracy (90%) and the scalability (5-8 seconds) of the curve separation problem.
Adolescent Snacking Behaviors Are Associated with Dietary Intake and Weight Status

BACKGROUND Most adolescents consume ≥1 snack/d; exploring the relevance of snacking patterns for overall diet and weight status is important to guide dietary counseling and public health strategies for obesity prevention. OBJECTIVE This study examined intake of common energy-dense snack foods, total number of snacks consumed, frequency of consuming snacks prepared away from home, and frequency of snacking while watching television in adolescents and how these behaviors may be linked to diet and weight status. Relations were examined with attention to potential confounders that may help explain the mixed findings of previous research. METHODS Survey measures of snacking behavior, a food-frequency questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements were completed by 2793 adolescents (53.2% girls, mean age = 14.4 y) in Minneapolis-St. Paul school classrooms in 2009-2010. Linear regression was used to examine associations with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and other potential confounding factors, such as meal skipping, underreporting energy intake, dieting to lose weight, and physical activity. RESULTS Adolescents reported consuming a mean of 2.2 energy-dense snack food servings/d and 4.3 snacks/d and purchasing snacks prepared away from home on 3.2 occasions/wk. More than two-thirds of adolescents reported that they sometimes, usually, or always consumed a snack while watching television. The measures of snacking were directly associated (P < 0.01) with higher energy, lower fruit/vegetable, higher sugar-sweetened beverage, and more frequent fast-food intakes in all models except for one: energy-dense snack food servings were not related to sugar-sweetened beverage intake. A direct relation between daily servings of energy-dense snack foods and body mass index (BMI) z score was found; however, the snacking behaviors were inversely related to BMI z score (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The observed cross-sectional associations suggest that snack consumption is a risk factor for poor diet, but unless energy-dense foods are consumed, snacking does not consistently contribute to overweight in US adolescents.
Positive and Negative Chemical Ionization Mass Spectra of Polychlorinated Pesticides 1

Chemical ionization (CI) and negative chemical ionization (NCI) mass spectra generally show substantially less fragmentation than their electron impact (EI) counterparts. 2 Consequently,+the relative intensity of ions with high information content, e.g. MH , is often higher in CI than in EI spectra. The simplicity and sensitivity of the CI spectra of drugs have resulted in the successful use of chemical ionization in the screening of crude extracts of biological fluids for drugs and poisons. 3 The extension of these methods to pesticide residue analysis is obvious but not necessarily direct.
Monomer Dynamics of Alzheimer Peptides and Kinetic Control of Early Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease

The rate of reconfiguration-or intramolecular diffusion-of monomeric Alzheimer (Aβ) peptides is measured and, under conditions that aggregation is more likely, peptide diffusion slows down significantly, which allows bimolecular associations to be initiated. By using the method of Trp-Cys contact quenching, the rate of reconfiguration is observed to be about five times faster for Aβ40 , which aggregates slowly, than that for Aβ42 , which aggregates quickly. Furthermore, the rate of reconfiguration for Aβ42 speeds up at higher pH, which slows aggregation, and in the presence of the aggregation inhibitor curcumin. The measured reconfiguration rates are able to predict the early aggregation behavior of the Aβ peptide and provide a kinetic basis for why Aβ42 is more prone to aggregation than Aβ40 , despite a difference of only two amino acids.
Pancreatic fibroblasts smoothen their activities via AKT–GLI2–TGFα

Pancreatic stromal fibroblasts provide structural support. Activated fibroblasts are critical in the tumor microenvironment. In this issue of Genes & Development, Liu and colleagues (pp. 1943-1955) unravel the finding that depletion of Smoothened (Smo) in pancreatic stromal fibroblasts results in AKT activation and noncanonical GLI2 activation with subsequent TGFα secretion, activation of EGFR in pancreatic epithelial cells, and augmentation of acinar-ductal metaplasia. Additionally, Smo-mediated signaling has proproliferative effects on pancreatic tumor cells.
A timely arrival in neutron scattering

The hydrogen bond occupies a central position in physics, chemistry and biology. It determines the properties of several important materials (water not the least of them), controls the dynamics of phase transitions in ferroelectric materials, and plays a crucial role in the replication of DNA. Therefore a variety of experimental techniques – neutron diffraction, quasi-elastic neutron scattering and inelastic neutron scattering – have been used to study the hydrogen bond.
Incoming human papillomavirus 16 genome is lost in PML protein‐deficient HaCaT keratinocytes

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) target promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs) during infectious entry and PML protein is important for efficient transcription of incoming viral genome. However, the transcriptional down regulation was shown to be promoter-independent in that heterologous promoters delivered by papillomavirus particles were also affected. To further investigate the role of PML protein in HPV entry, we used small hairpin RNA to knockdown PML protein in HaCaT keratinocytes. Confirming previous findings, PML knockdown in HaCaT cells reduced HPV16 transcript levels significantly following infectious entry without impairing binding and trafficking. However, when we quantified steady-state levels of pseudogenomes in interphase cells, we found strongly reduced genome levels compared with parental HaCaT cells. Because nuclear delivery was comparable in both cell lines, we conclude that viral pseudogenome must be removed after successful nuclear delivery. Transcriptome analysis by gene array revealed that PML knockdown in clonal HaCaT cells was associated with a constitutive interferon response. Abrogation of JAK1/2 signaling prevented genome loss, however, did not restore viral transcription. In contrast, knockdown of PML protein in HeLa cells did not affect HPV genome delivery and transcription. HeLa cells are transformed by HPV18 oncogenes E6 and E7, which have been shown to interfere with the JAK/Stat signaling pathway. Our data imply that PML NBs protect incoming HPV genomes. Furthermore, they provide evidence that PML NBs are key regulators of the innate immune response in keratinocytes. IMPORTANCE Promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML NBs) are important for antiviral defense. Many DNA viruses target these subnuclear structures and reorganize them. Reorganization of PML NBs by viral proteins is important for establishment of infection. In contrast, HPVs require the presence of PML protein for efficient transcription of incoming viral genome. Our finding that PML protein prevents the loss of HPV genome following infection implies that the host cell may be able to recognize chromatinized HPV genome or the associated capsid proteins. A constitutively active interferon response in absence of PML protein suggests that PML NBs are key regulators of the innate immune response in keratinocytes.
Influence of Nanopolymers with Different End-Functionalities on Platelet Function and the Coagulation Cascade - An Ex-Vivo Study.

Abstract Dendritic polymers are branched nanopolymers with a central core and multiple peripheral functional groups that offer great potential as high payload delivery vehicles carrying multiple copies of drug molecules, targeting ligands and imaging agents to their site of action. Their nanoscopic dimensions offer exciting possibilities for achieving high intracellular drug concentrations in many therapeutic areas including anti-cancer drug delivery. Biocompatibility and biodistribution of dendritic polymers may be influenced by surface charge and concentration. One of the major challenges in their use is the effect on coagulation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of change in surface charge and concentration of dendritic polymer on cellular and enzymatic components of coagulation. Materials and Methods: The effect of increasing concentrations (1, 10, 100, and 1000mcg/ml) of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with -COOH (anionic), -OH (neutral), and -NH2 (cationic) end functionalities, on platelet function and coagulation was evaluated using thromboelastography, whole blood aggregation, and flow cytometry. The thromboelastographic profile and platelet aggregation studies were obtained on samples of whole blood incubated for thirty minutes with dendrimer. Platelets were incubated with FITC labelled dendrimer for 30,60 and 120 mins, to determine uptake and platelet activation using flow cytometry. All tests were performed in triplicate. RESULTS: Thromboelastography: No significant effect on clot formation (time to clot formation and size) was seen with PAMAM-COOH (COOH) or PAMAM-OH (OH). Prolonged time to initiation of clot and decreased size were noted with 100 and 1000mcg/ml of PAMAM-NH2(NH2) as shown in figure1, indicating impairment of both the enzymatic and cellular components of the coagulation system. Whole Blood Aggregation: Neither platelet aggregation nor secretion were significantly affected by COOH or OH. Platelet aggregation was significantly decreased with NH2 at 100 and 1000mcg/ml. Flow Cytometry: Spontaneous CD62 activation was seen in platelets incubated with NH2. No spontaneous CD62 activation was noted with COOH or OH even at 1000mcg/ml. Platelet uptake of FITC labeled dendrimer was assessed at 30, 60 and 120mins of incubation. Increased uptake of FITC labeled dendrimer was noted at 2 hours with NH2. Download : Download high-res image (58KB) Download : Download full-size image CONCLUSIONS: Surface charge of the dendritic nanopolymers plays a significant role on its effect on coagulation and platelet function. The anionic -COOH terminated and neutral -OH terminated dendrimers had no effect on hemostasis even at the highest concentrations while the cationic-NH2 was associated with inhibition of platelet aggregation and delayed clot initiation at higher concentrations. This would indicate that the anionic and neutral dendrimers would serve as better vehicles than cationic dendrimers for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents.
Shear-wave ultrasound elastography of the liver in normal-weight and obese children:

BackgroundThe identification and subsequent management of liver diseases in children is challenging due to the lack of non-invasive imaging biomarkers. Ultrasound shear-wave elastography (US-SWE) is an emerging imaging technique which can quantitatively assess liver stiffness and may be useful as a tool in the management of liver disease in overweight and obese children.PurposeTo evaluate US-SWE velocities of the liver in normal-weight and obese children, to correlate US-SWE findings with age and body-mass-index (BMI), and to compare US-SWE values with qualitative assessment (i.e. normal versus abnormal echogenicity) of the liver by conventional US.Material and MethodsA cohort of 300 children (mean age, 9.9 ± 5.3 years; age range, 0.06–18.9 years) were studied, comprising 176 normal-weight and 124 obese participants. In each patient, both US-SWE and conventional US of the liver were obtained. Three pediatric radiologists individually and in consensus determined whether liver parenchyma was of normal or ab...