cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A database for regional gene expression in the human brain.

Abstract Alterations in gene expression levels have been widely studied for various neurological diseases, but few studies have sought to characterize genome-wide gene expression patterns from various regions of the normal brain. A sensitive method for quantifying transcript levels, Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE), was used to assay expression levels in white matter, thalamus, and cerebellum from the same normal brain, obtained by rapid autopsy. The complete dataset for these SAGE libraries are posted on the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project sponsored SAGEmap website ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SAGE/ [3] ) where library comparisons can be made, or the data downloaded for local analysis. The expression of several region-specific genes — neurogenic differentiation 1 (cerebellum), cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (thalamus), and neurogranin (white matter) — was confirmed using quantitative fluorescent real-time RT-PCR. Further informatics analysis of the data yielded a list of brain-specific genes. The database formed by this analysis provides a means to investigate the expression status of genes involved in the region specific functions of the normal brain. These normal brain gene expression levels also are useful for comparison to pathological expression levels and a sensitive means to determine gene expression in a normal adult brain prior to formulating therapeutic strategies.
Automated Analysis of Fundamental Features of Brain Structures

Automated image analysis of the brain should include measures of fundamental structural features such as size and shape. We used principal axes (P-A) measurements to measure overall size and shape of brain structures segmented from MR brain images. The rationale was that quantitative volumetric studies of brain structures would benefit from shape standardization as had been shown for whole brain studies. P-A analysis software was extended to include controls for variability in position and orientation to support individual structure spatial normalization (ISSN). The rationale was that ISSN would provide a bias-free means to remove elementary sources of a structure’s spatial variability in preparation for more detailed analyses. We studied nine brain structures (whole brain, cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, brainstem, caudate, putamen, hippocampus, inferior frontal gyrus, and precuneus) from the 40-brain LPBA40 atlas. This paper provides the first report of anatomical positions and principal axes orientations within a standard reference frame, in addition to “shape/size related” principal axes measures, for the nine brain structures from the LPBA40 atlas. Analysis showed that overall size (mean volume) for internal brain structures was preserved using shape standardization while variance was reduced by more than 50%. Shape standardization provides increased statistical power for between-group volumetric studies of brain structures compared to volumetric studies that control only for whole brain size. To test ISSN’s ability to control for spatial variability of brain structures we evaluated the overlap of 40 regions of interest (ROIs) in a standard reference frame for the nine different brain structures before and after processing. Standardizations of orientation or shape were ineffective when not combined with position standardization. The greatest reduction in spatial variability was seen for combined standardizations of position, orientation and shape. These results show that ISSNs automated processing can be a valuable asset for measuring and controlling variability of fundamental features of brain structures.
Menstrual cycle phase does not influence gender differences in experimental pain sensitivity.

Influence of menstrual cycle phase on experimental pain sensitivity in women and on gender differences in pain sensitivity was examined in 48 men and 49 women in response to cold pressor, heat, and ischemic pain. Each woman was tested at three points in their menstrual cycle in randomized order, the early follicular, late follicular, and luteal phases, while men were also tested three times, controlling for number of days between test sessions. Cycle phase was confirmed via serum hormone levels. As expected, women were significantly more sensitive to cold pain (p < .01), to heat pain (p < .0001), and to ischemic pain (p < .01) than men. However, pain perception during each task was not influenced by the menstrual cycle in women, nor did the menstrual cycle influence the magnitude of the gender differences in pain sensitivity. These results indicate that although women are more sensitive to a variety of noxious stimuli than men, menstrual cycle phase does not appear to moderate those differences in healthy men and women.
Extreme Plane Wall Midplane Temperatures Due to Sequential Heating and Cooling

The thermal response of a one-dimensional plane wall to sequential heating and cooling is considered. Of interest is the thermal response at the midplane of the wall in terms of the extreme temperatures that evolve after heating subsides. Correlations are generated to estimate the extreme temperatures and the times at which they occur.
Systems of Technological Innovation

Comprehending and defining systems for technological innovation enable us to manage technology more effectively. This issue presents five papers aiming to contribute to our understanding of such systems. This issue is compiled with papers selected from Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology which was held in Portland, Oregon, USA in August of 2011. Bers et al. introduce a system integrating accelerated radical innovation concept with the extended stage gate model, thus providing a system for managing radical innovations. Huang et al. on the other hand explore the evolution of an industrial network in the flat panel display industry. Sick et al. use scenarios to explore how technology development can be impacted by raw material prices. Kwakkel and Yucel explore the Dutch electricity system using various data-mining and data visualization techniques. Their results indicate that most transition trajectories point towards a future energy supply system that is reliant on clean coal and gas. Finally, Oruc and Cunningham study the electric power industry and discuss strategic technology management issues. The tools and methods used to explore the systems of technological innovation in the papers presented in this issue are general enough to apply to many other sectors. Each paper demonstrates how complex systems can be studied easily by using different approaches and raises further questions on the applicability. It is expected that these papers motivate further research in this direction. J Knowl Econ (2014) 5:669 DOI 10.1007/s13132-012-0133-4
Randomized trial of the effects of simvastatin on cognitive functioning in hypercholesterolemic adults

Purpose In our initial study of the potential effects of cholesterol-lowering interventions on cognitive functioning, treatment with lovastatin as compared with placebo caused performance decrements on several neuropsychological tests, whereas scores on other tests were unaffected. The current study was designed to confirm and extend those findings. Methods The study comprised 308 hypercholesterolemic adults between 35 and 70 years of age. Employing a randomized double-blind design, we assigned participants to daily treatment with placebo, 10 mg of simvastatin, or 40 mg of simvastatin for 6 months. A neuropsychological test battery was administered to assess cognitive functioning at baseline and at the end of the treatment period. Results A total of 283 subjects completed the study: 94 subjects on placebo, 96 taking 10 mg of simvastatin, and 93 taking 40 mg of simvastatin. Compared with placebo, decremental effects of simvastatin treatment were found on tests previously observed to be sensitive to statins ( P = 0.008; difference in summary z scores=0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07 to 0.29) and on tests not previously administered ( P = 0.04; difference in summary z scores=0.17; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.29), but not on tests previously observed to be insensitive to statins ( P = 0.84; difference in summary z scores=0.02; 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.10). For the three tests specifically affected by simvastatin, effects on cognitive performance were small, manifest only as failure to improve during the 6 months of treatment (compared with placebo), and were confounded by baseline differences on one test. Conclusion This study provides partial support for minor decrements in cognitive functioning with statins. Whether such effects have any long-term sequelae or occur with other cholesterol-lowering interventions is not known.
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Surface Retexturing with Shotblasting as an Asphalt Pavement Preservation Tool

This study explored the economics of replacing chip sealing and thin hot-mix asphalt overlays for highways with surface retexturing with the same shotblasting technology that is used on airport pavements. This technology can restore both the microtexture and macrotexture on pavements that have skid resistance due to polishing. An economic analysis of a typical highway lane is conducted to determine life-cycle costs of various options for the hypothetical project. The study uses FHWA pavement life-cycle cost methodology and reports the results on a net present value basis to compare each skid restoration alternative. The analysis is conducted on two levels. First, a traditional deterministic life-cycle cost analysis is completed; and second, a stochastic analysis of life-cycle cost follows, using a Monte Carlo simulation. The conclusion is that shotblasting is an economically viable alternative to traditional methods for restoring lost skid resistance. Shotblasting also allows achievement of the desired engineering objective without consumption of additional asphalt binder or aggregate, thus making it an environmentally sustainable alternative as well.
On the rotational bursting of interplanetary dust particles

A model of the zodiacal cloud is used to evaluate the effects of rotational bursting on interplanetary dust particles caused by the interaction of solar radiation pressure with the irregular surface geometry of the particles. The effectiveness of this mechanism is evaluated using several values for the effective moment arm and tensile strength of the particles. Due to repeated bursting, it is shown that particles spiraling in from the asteroid belt by the Poynting-Robertson effect do not penetrate inside 1.2 AU. Spin rate stabilization under the effect of magnetic damping is found to depend critically on the initial heliocentric distance of the particle and on its radius.
Maximizing Kinematic Motion for a 3-DOF VGT Module

This article presents design results for maximizing kinematic motion range in three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) double-octahedral variable-geometry-truss (VGT) modules modeled as extensible gimbals. Design curves are presented to describe motion and results are summarized.
Advancing the Microbiome Research Community

The human microbiome has become a recognized factor in promoting and maintaining health. We outline opportunities in interdisciplinary research, analytical rigor, standardization, and policy development for this relatively new and rapidly developing field. Advances in these aspects of the research community may in turn advance our understanding of human microbiome biology.
Protonic model potential calculations on OH− and H2O

The protonic model potential approach is extended to OH− and H2O, a two proton system. Results are compared with more detailed calculations and with experiment.
The paradox of information: control versus chaos in managing documentation projects with multiple audiences

The paper considers how documentation professionals are faced today with a paradox that seems to defy resolution. We have learned the necessity for employing careful planning and mature project management practices to produce documents that match the needs of our users. On the other hand, we face the reality of Web time, wherein those users expect us to deliver information faster than previous methods have allowed. We cannot simply abandon practices that have proven to work; indeed, we have seen the consequences of simply slapping existing paper documents onto the Web. Each organization in each industry will have to determine how much to truncate the proven project management standards. Perhaps one model for doing so is the "just good enough, just in time" mode, which will allow us to deliver information products that work, and to do so quickly, with the understanding that we can improve them continually after initial delivery.
Antidepressants for irritable bowel syndrome

Systematic reports of antidepressant use in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) first appeared in the medical literature three decades ago. Recent meta-analyses of the cumulative controlled experience confirm the efficacy of antidepressants in IBS and other functional gastrointestinal disorders: only 3–4 patients require treatment to demonstrate a benefit over placebo—numbers indicating a solid treatment effect.1–3 Although many of the earlier reports would be considered scientifically flawed by today’s standards, the effects are consistent across studies. Odds ratios of treatment over placebo for primary study outcome, global (or syndromic) response, and pain exceeded 4.0 for each determination in one analysis, and the effect sizes of antidepressant treatment on continuous outcome measures were large.3 These observations in conjunction with reported open label experience and general clinical success have given antidepressants an important position in the therapeutic armamentarium for IBS.4 Most studies have employed tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), medications that appear to have benefits not necessarily shared across the antidepressant class. Daily dosages of TCAs (25–125 mg/day) that are below the psychiatric range for antidepressant effect typically are effective in IBS, producing at least a moderate response in more than 85% of patients in open label use.5 With the TCAs, onset of action is rapid, effects appear sustained without tachyphylaxis, and the benefits are unrelated …
Engaging in a Conversation with Synthetic Agents along the Virtuality Continuum

During the last decade research groups as well as a number of commercial software developers have started to deploy embodied conversational characters in the user interface especially in those application areas where a close emulation of multimodal human-human communication is needed. Incarnations of such characters differ widely in type and amount of embodiment - starting from simplistic cartoon-style 2D representations of faces, fully embodied virtual humans in 3D virtual worlds to physically embodied androids co-habiting the user?s real world. Despite of their variety, most of these characters have one thing in common: In order to enter the user?s physical world, they need to be physical themselves. My talk focuses on challenges that arise when embedding synthetic conversational agents in the user?s physical world.
On Model Specification and Selection of the Cox Proportional Hazards Model

Prognosis plays a pivotal role in patient management and trial design. A useful prognostic model should correctly identify important risk factors and estimate their effects. In this article, we discuss several challenges in selecting prognostic factors and estimating their effects using the Cox proportional hazards model. Although a flexible semiparametric form, the Cox’s model is not entirely exempt from model misspecification. To minimize possible misspecification, instead of imposing traditional linear assumption, flexible modeling techniques have been proposed to accommodate the nonlinear effect. We first review several existing nonparametric estimation and selection procedures and then present a numerical study to compare the performance between parametric and nonparametric procedures. We demonstrate the impact of model misspecification on variable selection and model prediction using a simulation study and a example from a phase III trial in prostate cancer.
Reassessing the impact of race on citizens' attitudes toward the police: A research note

This paper reassesses the relationship between race and attitudes toward the police. Using data obtained through a telephone interview survey of 560 residents of Detroit, the study contradicts previous research by finding that blacks hold more favorable attitudes toward the police than do whites. To explain these findings, we argue that as the social context of cities changes, so might the relationship between race and citizens' attitudes toward the police.
TGFβ: Roles in DNA Damage Responses

This review focuses on an emerging role for TGFβ in DNA damage and repair and how this function may contribute to its role as an epithelial tumor suppressor. TGFβ is rapidly and widely activated in response to ionizing radiation (IR). IR is a carcinogen, a mode of cancer therapy, and a probe used by biologists to understand how cells and organisms deal with DNA damage. Thus understanding how TGFβ participates in DNA damage response has therapeutic implications. Our data suggest that TGFβ1, in addition to its role in homeostatic growth control, plays a more complex role in regulating tissue response to damage, the failure of which would contribute to the development of cancer. Future studies are likely to uncover evidence of how TGFβ may act to integrate signaling across multiple scales of cell organization, underlining the broadening role of TGFβ as a fulcrum between physiology and pathology.
The autophagy-lysosomal pathway: General concepts and clinical implications.

Neurons, like other eukaryotic cells, utilize 2 major pathways for turning over dysfunctional proteins or organelles. One of them is the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which degrades short-lived proteins in the cytoplasm and nucleus and involves the covalent binding of ubiquitin molecules to the targeted protein, followed by its degradation by the proteasome. The second is the autophagy-lysosome pathway, which digests long-lived proteins, protein aggregates, stress RNA granules, and abnormal cytoplasmic organelles, including mitochondria. Autophagy (derived from the Greek words for self and eating) includes 3 major types: microautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), and macroautophagy; all these pathways eventually lead to cargo degradation by the lysosome. Autophagy is a highly regulated process that involves sequential activation of protein complexes encoded by autophagic genes (ATG). Macroautophagy, the best-characterized form of autophagy, involves the formation of a particular organelle called autophagosome. There are 2 main types of macroautophagy. Basal macroautophagy is a quality control mechanism that prevents metabolic and oxidative stress by degrading aggregated or aggregate-prone proteins or damaged organelles, such as mitochondria. Starvation-induced autophagy occurs in response to nutrient deprivation and recycles macromolecules to provide substrates for energy metabolism. The mammalian (mechanistic) target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) constitutively inhibits starvation-induced and to a lesser extent basal autophagy. There is interaction between the ubiquitin and the autophagy systems, as ubiquitination serves as a signal for cargo-selective autophagy. There is also crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis; in most cases, autophagy precedes and increases threshold for apoptosis in response to cellular stress. The fusion of the autophagosome with the lysosome is a critical final step of autophagy. Impairment of the autophagy-lysosomal system leads to accumulation of abnormal protein aggregates and dysfunctional mitochondria promoting oxidative stress and apoptosis. These are shared mechanisms of cell death in neurodegenerative disorders and lysosomal storage diseases. There are recent comprehensive reviews on these subjects1–14 and only salient concepts are emphasized here.
Pyroelectric energy converter using co-polymer P(VDF-TrFE) and Olsen cycle for waste heat energy harvesting

Abstract This study was concerned with designing, building, and testing a pyroelectric energy converter to directly convert waste heat into electricity. The pyroelectric effect refers to the flow of charges to or from the surface of a material upon heating or cooling. The device consisted of a teflon cylindrical chamber with a piston oscillating vertically and driving a working fluid back and forth between a heat source and a cold heat exchanger. The Olsen cycle was performed on co-polymer 60/40 poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] thin films sandwiched between metallic electrodes. Their temperature oscillation, charge, voltage and the overall heat input and output were measured experimentally. Then, the electrical power generated and the energy efficiency were computed. The effects of channel width, frequency, and stroke length on temperature swing, heat input, as well as energy and power densities were investigated. Reducing the channel width and increasing the stroke length had the largest effect on device performance. A maximum energy density of 130 J/l was achieved at 0.061 Hz frequency with temperature oscillating between 69.3 and 87.6 °C. Furthermore, a maximum power density of 10.7 W/l was obtained at 0.12 Hz between 70.5 and 85.3 °C. In both cases, the low and high electric fields in the Olsen cycle were 202 and 739 kV/cm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest energy density achieved by any pyroelectric energy converter using P(VDF-TrFE). It also matches performances reported in the literature for more expensive lead zirconate stannate titanate (PZST) ceramic films operated at higher temperatures.
Effects of cold cardioplegia on pH, Na, and Ca in newborn rabbit hearts.

Many studies suggest myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury results largely from cytosolic proton (Hi)-stimulated increases in cytosolic Na (Nai), which cause Na/Ca exchange-mediated increase...
Reliability of Measurements of Body Center-of-Mass Momentum During Sit-to-Stand in Healthy Adults

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of measurements of momentum of the body's center of mass (CM) during a sit-to-stand (STS) transfer in healthy adults. Subjects. Nineteen healthy adults aged 25 to 38 years (X=31.7, SD=4.2) participated. Methods. Horizontal and vertical components of CM momentum were computed for STS transfers made at three movement speeds (fast, natural, and slow) with the aid of a motion analysis system. Two force platforms detected the time when the subject lost contact with the chair and the propulsive and braking impulses in the horizontal and vertical directions. Separate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for three temporal variables (time to peak horizontal and vertical momentum and time to when the subject lost contact with the chair) and two magnitude variables (peak horizontal and vertical momentum). Results. The ICCs for magnitude variables were ≥.81 for all speeds of movement. The ICCs for temporal variables ranged from .28 for fast movements to .75 for slow movements. Conclusion and Discussion. Measurement of peak vertical and horizontal momentum magnitudes is highly reproducible during STS transfers. Measurement of temporal variables exhibits a range of reliability estimates. Implications include consideration of the speed at which STS transfer is performed and its effect on reliability estimates and the potential differences between reliability estimates for magnitude measurements versus temporal measurements.
Fixed solar array designs for GPS space vehicles

A risk reduction approach for the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) replenishment satellite block which uses fixed rather than tracking solar arrays is described. This design study was carried out as a result of reliability and electromagnetic interference (EMI) concerns with solar array drive power and transfer systems (SADPT). Fixed solar array designs eliminate the need for a SADPT, but result in larger arrays than tracking arrays in order to maintain acceptable end-of-life (EOL) performance. The weight increase due to the larger array is partially compensated for by the elimination of the SADPT. If advanced solar arrays and/or lightweight array designs are used, fixed array designs can lead to weight savings over baseline silicon cell-based designs. >
A New Approach to Automated Epileptic Diagnosis Using EEG and Probabilistic Neural Network

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders that greatly impair patients' daily lives. Traditional epileptic diagnosis relies on tedious visual screening by neurologists from lengthy EEG recording that requires the presence of seizure (ictal) activities. Nowadays, there are many systems helping the neurologists to quickly find interesting segments from the lengthy signal by automatic seizure detection. However, we notice that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain long-term EEG data with seizure activities for epilepsy patients in areas lack of medical resources and trained neurologists. Therefore, we propose to study automated epileptic diagnosis using interictal EEG data that is much easier to collect than ictal data. The authors are not aware of any report on automated EEG diagnostic system that can accurately distinguish patients' interictal EEG from the EEG of normal people. The research presented in this paper, therefore, aims to develop an automated diagnostic system that can use interictal EEG data to diagnose whether the person is epileptic. Such a system should also detect seizure activities for further investigation by doctors and potential patient monitoring. To develop such a system, we extract three classes of features from the EEG data and build a probabilistic neural network (PNN) fed with these features. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO-CV) on a widely used epileptic-normal data set reflects an impressive 99.3% accuracy of our system on distinguishing normal people's EEG from patients' interictal EEG. We also find our system can be used in patient monitoring (seizure detection) and seizure focus localization, with 96.7% and 76.5% accuracy respectively on the data set.
Enrollment Is Driving Medicaid Costs—But Two Targets Can Yield Savings

This paper examines various reasons for the growth in Medicaid spending in the current decade. Although Medicaid spending has grown faster than the rate of increase in national health spending, much of this is explained by increased enrollment. Per enrollee, Medicaid spending actually compares favorably to increases in medical care prices and gross domestic product. The relative success in Medicaid cost containment seems to be attributable to limits on provider payment rates, expansion of managed care, limits on the use and pricing of prescription drugs, and expansion of community-based long-term care programs. We suggest two strategies for further cost containment.
Adhesion Properties of Uric Acid Crystal Surfaces

Two key steps in kidney stone formation—crystal aggregation and attachment to renal tissues—depend on the surface adhesion properties of the crystalline components. Anhydrous uric acid (UA) is the most common organic crystalline phase found in human kidney stones. Using chemical force microscopy, the adhesion force between various functional groups and the largest (100) surface of UA single crystals was measured in both aqueous solution and model urine. Adhesion trends in the two solutions were identical, but were consistently lower in the latter. Changes in the solution ionic strength and pH were also found to affect the magnitude of the adhesion. UA surfaces showed the strongest adhesion to cationic functionalities, which is consistent with ionization of some surface uric acid molecules to urate. Although hydrogen-bonding and van der Waals interactions are usually considered to be dominant forces in the association between neutral organic compounds, this work demonstrates that electrostatic interactions...
Contrabass: concurrent transmissions without coordination

A PHY and MAC protocol for MIMO concurrent transmissions, called Contrabass, is presented. Concurrent transmissions, also referred to as multi-user MIMO, are simultaneous transmissions by multiple interfering nodes over the same carrier frequency. Concurrent transmissions technique has the potential of mitigating the overhead of MAC protocols by amortizing protocol overhead among multiple packets. However, existing proposals for concurrent transmissions could not achieve this as MIMO channel training and collision avoidance typically involve an expensive process of coordination and control message exchanges. This overhead has made MIMO concurrent transmission Impractical and thus unused in real applications. Contrabass implements simultaneous channel training and optimal transmission control without any coordination. As a result, Contrabass achieves very high aggregate throughput, low delays and scalability even under dynamic environments and outperforms the existing MIMO protocols. This is the first practical implementation of MIMO-based concurrent transmissions. We implemented Contrabass in GNU radios and also in NS-2.
A Multi-disciplinary Science of Human Computer Interaction in Biomedical Informatics

Health information technologies have become vital tools for the practice of clinical medicine. However, numerous challenges remain for the fuller realization of its potential as instruments that advance clinical care and enhance patient safety. Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a discipline rooted in computer science as well as the social and behavioral sciences. It is focally concerned with evaluating and improving user experience, usability, and usefulness of technology. HCI in medicine and healthcare, the subject matter of this volume, extends across clinical and consumer health informatics, addressing a range of user populations including providers, biomedical scientists and patients. The breadth of HCI in biomedicine and healthcare is rather broad including thousands of journal articles across medical disciplines and consumer health domains. Although the 14 chapters in this volume are rather varied in subject matter and scope, there is greater focus on clinical informatics with a couple of chapters addressing consumer health informatics issues. This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the other chapters in this volume.
Augmented glucoregulatory hormone concentrations during exhausting exercise in mildly iron-deficient rats

We hypothesized that augmented responses of glucoregulatory hormones in iron deficiency would enhance liver and muscle glycogenolysis, leading to increased gluconeogenic precursor (lactate) supply and upregulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis. Female weanling rats were randomly placed on either a mildly iron-deficient (-Fe; 15 mg Fe/kg diet) or an iron-sufficient (+Fe; 50 mg Fe/kg diet) diet for 4 wk and studied at rest and during exhaustive treadmill running. Hemoglobin was 9.0 +/- 0.2 and 13.1 +/- 0.3 g/dl in -Fe and +Fe, respectively, after 3.5 wk of dietary iron deficiency. Arterial plasma epinephrine (Epi), norepinephrine (NE), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, insulin, and glucagon levels were similar at rest in both groups, as were liver, gastrocnemius, and superficial and deep vastus medialis glycogen levels. Liver and kidney phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activities were similar in both groups. Maximum O2 consumption was decreased (22%) in -Fe. Respiratory exchange ratio (CO2 production/O2 consumption) was unaffected at rest but increased at maximum O2 consumption in -Fe. Time to exhaustion during a standardized running test (13.4 m/min, 0% grade) was decreased 45% in -Fe (63 +/- 5 vs. 116 +/- 10 min). During exercise, euglycemia was maintained in both groups, but blood lactate was elevated in -Fe. The mean net glycogen utilization during exercise was increased in liver (43%), soleus (33%), and superficial vastus medialis (106%) and decreased in the gastrocnemius (36%) in -Fe. Liver and kidney PEPCK activities were increased similarly at exhaustion in both groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Transgenic Analysis of a 100-kb Human β-Globin Cluster–Containing DNA Fragment Propagated as a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome

To date, the normal transcriptional regulation of the human beta-globin gene cluster has been recapitulated most accurately in transgenic mice that carry large yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) or ligated cosmid constructs. However, these large transgenes still exhibit variegated expression levels, perhaps because they tend to rearrange upon integration, or because the cloning vectors remain attached to the globin inserts. To try to circumvent these potential problems, we investigated the transgenic properties of a 100-kb DNA fragment containing the entire human beta-globin cluster propagated in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). We created 9 independent mouse lines, each carrying 1 to 6 copies of the human beta-globin cluster without the attached BAC vector. Five of the lines carry unrearranged copies of the cluster. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of adult F(1) mice showed that 2 lines express human beta globin at levels approximately equivalent to the endogenous mouse beta-major genes. One line expresses no human beta globin, while the remaining 6 lines show intermediate expression levels. Complete gamma-->beta-globin gene switching occurs, but is slightly delayed with respect to the endogenous mouse embryonic-->adult switch. Since these data are similar to what has been obtained using globin YACs or ligated cosmids, we conclude that (1) globin transgenes propagated in BACs are no less likely to rearrange than their cosmid or YAC counterparts, and (2) the retention of YAC vector sequences in a transgene probably has no significant impact on globin expression when using constructs of this size.
The importance of the thickness of the femoral cement mantle

The importance of mantle thickness in the long-term survival of cemented femoral components remains controversial. One complexity in evaluating mantle thickness alone is the dominating fact that so many other factors can influence the incidence of failure.Nonetheless, a cement grading system has been applied to the assessment of the intermediate and long-term follow-up series of the following cemented femoral stem designs HD-2 (Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ), CAD (Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ), Precoat (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN), Iowa (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN), Ti32 (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN), and DF80 (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN). In each series, a statistically significant increased risk of failure was found in those cases with cement mantles that were thin or deficient. While these data do not mean that all such cases fail, the data strongly support the concept of avoiding such deficiencies in the cement mantle of these stem designs.
The Long Tail of Legal Scholarship

Chris Anderson's book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, has attracted enormous attention since its publication in July 2006. His insight is that technology and the Internet have transformed the focus of America's culture and economy. Whereas pre-Internet firms turned out a small number of "hits" or blockbuster products (the "head" of the demand curve), today's Internet-era firms offer a broader range of niche products (the "tail"). This Essay argues that the Long Tail theory can help both explain the current state of legal scholarship and chart its future.
Optimal Design of Base-Isolated Systems Under Stochastic Earthquake Excitation

The development of a general framework for reliability-based design of base-isolated structural systems under uncertain conditions is presented. The uncertainties about the structural parameters as well as the variability of future excitations are characterized in a probabilistic manner. Nonlinear elements composed by hysteretic devices are used for the isolation system. The optimal design problem is formulated as a constrained minimization problem which is solved by a sequential approximate optimization scheme. First excursion probabilities that account for the uncertainties in the system parameters as well as in the excitation are used to characterize the system reliability. The approach explicitly takes into account all non-linear characteristics of the combined structural system (superstructure-isolation system) during the design process. Numerical results highlight the beneficial effects of isolation systems in reducing the superstructure response.
Azoospermia: Indeterminate Etiology

In some cases it may be difficult to ­distinguish between obstructive and nonobstructive azoospermia based on the initial clinical evaluation. These indeterminate cases include patients with borderline clinical findings such as mild serum FSH elevations and mildly low testicular ­volumes, as well as patients in which discrepancies exist between the clinical history, physical examination, and serum hormone evaluation. The classic approach in these cases has been performance of diagnostic testicular biopsy for direct histologic assessment of spermatogenesis and remains the gold standard for diagnostic evaluation. However, most experts (including the authors) advocate directly proceeding to exploratory surgery without performance of a separate testicular biopsy. The advantage of this approach is that it is both diagnostic and therapeutic, allowing for management of the patient with indeterminate azoospermia with a single procedure.
A Testing Engine for High-Performance and Cost-Effective Workflow Execution in the Cloud

While pursuing high performance and cost effectiveness for directed acyclic graph (DAG)-structured scientific workflow executions in the cloud, it is critical to identify appropriate resource instances and their quantity. This paper presents a testing engine that employs a resource-selection heuristic, which statically analyzes the DAG structure to guide the selection of resource instances, how many and which ones. The testing engine combines the heuristic with two platform-independent DAG-scheduling policies, the Area-oriented DAG-scheduling heuristic (AO) and the Locally-Optimal heuristic (L-OPT), to perform extensive validation assessments. The testing engine ensures the realism of these assessments by modeling the performance variability of the cloud platform using real traces. The testing engine also enables cost-effectiveness analysis that guides users to select a small set of instance candidates that provide performance-cost trade off. Our empirical results show that the pairing of the resource-selection heuristic with AO scheduling policy is a powerful method for cost-effective DAG-structured workflow execution in the cloud.
Green and Blue Electrochromic Polymers from Processable Siloxane Precursors

Herein we report the synthesis of a new class of processable siloxane precursor polymers consisting of aromatic groups and flexible siloxane linkages and their conversions to green and blue electrochromic polymers in the solid state. 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), 2,2′-bis(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (BiEDOT), and a donor–acceptor moiety 4,7-bis(EDOT)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BEBTD) were incorporated as aromatic groups to demonstrate the versatility of the precursor method to different aromatic systems. The utilization of a siloxane linkage allows for a precursor polymer exhibiting improved solubility in common organic solvents and accessible glass transition temperatures (−1 to 132 °C) as compared to a previously reported silane precursor. A simple method to control the thermal properties of the precursor was also demonstrated by incorporation of both siloxane and silane functionalities into the precursor backbone. The oxidatively converted product from the precursors showed electronic and optoelectro...
Continuous Electroencephalography in Neuroscience ICU Setting as a Potential Modality of Detecting Intracranial Pressure Changes (P06.263)

Objective: To describe the clinical correlation and concomitant benefits of dual monitoring in two cases where clinical changes related to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) were also associated with acute changes in the continuous electroencephalogram (cEEG). Background Multimodal neurologic monitoring is one of the significant advances of neurocritical care. ICP monitoring and cEEG are among the widely used modalities in the neuroscience intensive care unit. We describe two cases where cEEG was predictive of acute ICP changes. Design/Methods: Observational; case series. Results: We describe two patients who had elevated ICP suspected on the basis of clinical history, examination, tachypnea –bradypnea and bradycardia-tachycardia. One patient had a medulloblastoma. The second patient had a complex Dandy-Walker cyst with associated hydrocephalus. Suspected ICP elevation was confirmed with ventriculostomy placement and ICP measurements that occurred within minutes after the change in clinical exam. During these events continuous cEEG had been in progress and demonstrated broad significant attenuation in the background rhythm and amplitude (greater than 50% change) as well as changes in the character of the background rhythm. These changes resolved when the elevated ICP was treated. Conclusions: Correlation between sudden changes in ICP and cEEG has not been previously reported in the literature. We suggest that cEEG may be useful as a non-invasive correlate to ICP monitoring. Disclosure: Dr. Hornik has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vitorovic has nothing to disclose. Dr. Singh has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schneck has nothing to disclose. Dr. Baldwin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Morales-Vidal has nothing to disclose.
New method for the experts absence in the process of evaluation

In order to fairly solve the problem that all the evaluation values have not been given,this paper had inquired into this problem and its current solutions,and then put forward the necessary principles and features of evaluation made by the experts.Consequently,this paper proposed its solution:comprehensive consulting estimation.This approach made comparisons among the evaluation values of different candidates presented by the same expert to get monomial reliability and that of the same candidate presented by different experts to get the similarity.On the basis of the monomial reliability and similarity,it is possible to estimate the values that the experts fail to give by a comprehensive way.This method expands the given information without any lose,and so it is an objective and accurate new method to solve the problems of this kind.
In vitro motility assays using microtubules tethered to Tetrahymena pellicles

Publisher Summary This chapter describes in vitro assay to initiate and grow microtubules (MTs) from purified tubulin to form a tethered array of polymers with known polar orientation. This array can be used to study both the binding and the movement of objects that interact with MTs under well-defined experimental conditions. This system is used to study two forms of motility—namely, (1) chromosome movement induced by MT depolymerization alone and (2) MT–MT sliding driven by conventional motor enzymes. The specific advantage of this in vitro system is that motility occurs along anchored MTs of uniform polarity, and therefore the geometry of motion is defined. In addition, conditions can be varied easily during these assays to control the dynamic state of the tethered MTs. The two assays described allow the study of movements of cellular objects driven by MT depolymerization and test whether a particular motor of interest has the ability to slide MTs past each other. These assays test motility in real time within a light microscope perfusion chamber, using video-enhanced differential interference contrast (DIC) optics.
Banking: Taking a Marketing Perspective

The paper presents a brief review of the use of marketing in the banking industry since deregulation. Deregulation has exposed banking to increased competition from a proliferating group of financial service providers. As retail banking changes in the 1980s and 1990s, the importance of the development of an effective marketing program will magnify. Marketers will become more strategic and less tactical in orientation, emphasizing strategic planning. Banking institutions can choose to compete on rates, which will always meet with some success, or through products, services and promotions aimed at a particular target market. A bank needs to have a contemporary image and create products for the up-and-coming affluent individual. A successful marketing program will build a strong customer base by understanding its market, and will respond quickly to changes in both the market environment, and be knowledgeable in new products and services designed for the retail market.
Willi’s Voice: The Academic Road—Thorns and Roses

What an amazing opportunity I was given by the editor of this volume; I am so grateful for this chance to reflect upon my own journey as an academic, and as a learning designer and educational technologist. I hope that this view of the thorns and roses in my path to becoming an educational technologist enable the reader to examine what has made him or her a better, stronger professional.
3D respiratory resolved phase contrast imaging of the aorta

Background Respiratory motion compensation is essential for reproducible and robust cardiovascular MRI. Traditionally, breathholds or prospective gating by bellows or navigator signals limit data acquisition to the quiescent phase of respiration [1]. These approaches do not capture any variations of blood flow over the respiratory cycle, yet respiration has been shown to significantly affect flow in the great vessels [2]. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt a 3D radially undersampled PC MR sequence (PC VIPR [3,4]) for use with our retrospective dual-gated (cardiac and respiratory) reconstruction to evaluate respiratory effects on net flow and cardiac flow waveforms.
Retinal reattachment and ERG recovery after ophthalmic artery chemosurgery for advanced retinoblastoma in eyes with minimal baseline retinal function

Aim To report retinal function outcomes after ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) for advanced retinoblastoma (RB) in eyes with minimal pretreatment retinal function. Methods For 72 advanced RB eyes with baseline electroretinograms (ERGs) indistinguishable from noise (‘extinguished’) or flicker ERG amplitudes Results At 3 months, 1 year and 2 years post-OAC, ‘extinguished’ eyes showed 9/15, 4/11 and 2/6 detectable ERGs, respectively, and ‘poor’ eyes showed 19/55, 14/30 and 8/18 ERGs exceeding 25 μV, respectively. Correlations between baseline and post-OAC ERGs were poor; however, good correlation (R 2 ) existed between ERGs post-OAC at 3 months and 1 year (0.749), at 3 months and 2 years (0.773) and at 1 year and 2 years (0.771). Overall, 49/70 eyes presented with RD; 29 RDs resolved 3 months post-OAC, with an average ERG change of +20.6 μV. Eyes with persistent RD had an average ERG change of −2.2 μV. No eyes underwent ≥25 μV change without RD resolution. Conclusions Minimal baseline ERGs do not preclude significant recovery of retinal function after OAC. Good correlation exists between ERG outcomes at 3 months and those at subsequent follow-ups, suggesting that ERG amplitudes at 3-month post-OAC can prognosticate longer term retinal function, and that improvement is durable. For eyes presenting with RD, RD resolution is necessary but not sufficient for significant (≥25 μV) increases in ERG amplitudes.