cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of Thrust and Normal Faults over Multiple Earthquake Cycles: Effects of Dipping Fault Geometry

We perform dynamic simulations of thrust and normal faults over multiple earthquake cycles. Our goal is to explore effects of asymmetric fault geometry on the long-term seismicity and dynamics of dipping faults. A dynamic finite-element method is used to model the interseismic and coseismic processes, with a dynamic relaxation technique for the former. The faults are loaded by stable sliding along the downward continuation of the faults. The asymmetric fault geometry of dipping faults with respect to the free surface cause changes in normal stress during the interseismic and coseismic periods. These changes are of opposite sign in the two periods, resulting in a stabilization of the normal and shear stresses over many earthquake cycles. Both faults develop relatively stable event patterns, in which a large event that ruptures the entire fault is preceded by a number of small events with various rupture lengths. A strong asymmetry in fault and ground motion exists between thrust and normal faults, and between the hanging wall and the footwall of both faults on faults dipping less than 70°. In both normal and thrust faults, the horizontal component of ground motion dominates on the footwall, while the vertical component dominates on the hanging wall. The above results may have implications in seismic hazard analysis and building design in regions where dip-slip faults predominate.
A new approach to measure the electric boundary resistance between high current carrying stabilized SMES conductor and its high strength aluminum supporting structure at 4.2, 77 and 300 K

A new approach to measure the electric boundary resistance (EBR) between high purity aluminum (HPAL) stabilized conductor and its high strength aluminum (HSAL) supporting structure in large superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) coils is introduced. The magnetic forces on the conductor are supported by the HSAL structure. For better protection of the SMES coil, the conductor and the structure are in electrical and thermal contact. We have designed and conducted an experiment to measure the EBR under equivalent operating conditions. The experiment is conducted under different compressive loads at 4.2, 77, and 300 K. The electric boundary resistance (EBR) /spl rho//sub B/(/spl Omega/-cm/sup 2/)=aL/sup -b/ is a power function of the load L. The constants a and b are functions of temperature. This paper reports on an experimental method of determining the electric boundary resistance at different temperatures and different compressive loads. >
New mutations and intellectual function

Exome-based sequencing is a powerful approach for studying rare genetic diseases. A new study now applies this technology to demonstrate an important role for de novo mutations in sporadic mental retardation.
Frequency shift in three-photon resonance.

We calculate the line shift in the three-photon resonance-absorption experiment performed by Ferrel, Payne, and Garrett [Phys. Rev. A 36, 81 (1988)] and find it large, to the violet, and close to experiment. In comparison, the calculated single-photon resonance shift in absorption is a factor of 30 times smaller and to the red. The three-photon resonance shift depends on the relative propagation directions of the excitation beams, and we present a formula for the case where only two excitation beams are present.
Evidence-Based Assessment for Children and Adolescents: Issues in Measurement Development and Clinical Application

Advances in measurement of child and adolescent social, emotional, and behavioral functioning and clinical disorders have been remarkable and remarkably reviewed in the prior articles. This commentary identifies common themes that emerge from the articles, discusses the proliferation of measures, and raises considerations regarding how one might proceed in developing evidence-based assessment (EBA). Developing EBA might begin by delineating the different purposes of assessment and then, for each purpose, identifying the special requirements and then the criteria for stating when these requirements are met. To illustrate the special requirements of different assessment goals, monitoring of patient progress in treatment is discussed.
A peripheral endocannabinoid mechanism contributes to glucocorticoid-mediated metabolic syndrome

Glucocorticoids are known to promote the development of metabolic syndrome through the modulation of both feeding pathways and metabolic processes; however, the precise mechanisms of these effects are not well-understood. Recent evidence shows that glucocorticoids possess the ability to increase endocannabinoid signaling, which is known to regulate appetite, energy balance, and metabolic processes through both central and peripheral pathways. The aim of this study was to determine the role of endocannabinoid signaling in glucocorticoid-mediated obesity and metabolic syndrome. Using a mouse model of excess corticosterone exposure, we found that the ability of glucocorticoids to increase adiposity, weight gain, hormonal dysregulation, hepatic steatosis, and dyslipidemia was reduced or reversed in mice lacking the cannabinoid CB1 receptor as well as mice treated with the global CB1 receptor antagonist AM251. Similarly, a neutral, peripherally restricted CB1 receptor antagonist (AM6545) was able to attenuate the metabolic phenotype caused by chronic corticosterone, suggesting a peripheral mechanism for these effects. Biochemical analyses showed that chronic excess glucocorticoid exposure produced a significant increase in hepatic and circulating levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide, whereas no effect was observed in the hypothalamus. To test the role of the liver, specific and exclusive deletion of hepatic CB1 receptor resulted in a rescue of the dyslipidemic effects of glucocorticoid exposure, while not affecting the obesity phenotype or the elevations in insulin and leptin. Together, these data indicate that glucocorticoids recruit peripheral endocannabinoid signaling to promote metabolic dysregulation, with hepatic endocannabinoid signaling being especially important for changes in lipid metabolism.
M1 and E2 transitions in 59Ni

Abstract Employing the Kuo-Brown interaction, M1 and E2 transition rates for the low-lying levels of 59Ni are calculated and the results are found to be in reasonably good agreement with the observed values.
Improving Satisfaction in Patients Receiving Mental Health Care: A Case Study

Patient satisfaction is increasingly becoming an important component of quality for behavioral health care systems. The following report describes Group Health Cooperative’s Behavioral Health Services department experiences over a 5-year period in moving from uncertainty about the value of patient satisfaction and the ability to positively impact patient ratings to achieving a significant improvement in patient ratings of satisfaction with mental health care. In this process, the Behavioral Health Department developed a deeper understanding of patient requirements and improvement strategies which could impact these requirements. A description of the results achieved along with the role of quality improvement processes in understanding and improving patient satisfaction in mental health care is presented.
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS AT FINITE TEMPERATURE

We present a systematic examination of finite temperature effects in quantum electrodynamics at one loop order. We calculate mass, charge, and wavefunction renormalization, demonstrate the running of the coupling constant at high temperatures, and study the renormalized vertex function and the energy momentum tensor. The confusion in the literature concerning the finite temperature corrections to the electron's magnetic moment is resolved. We also present the finite temperature effects in scalar electrodynamics. Throughout we stress the need to provide a well-defined method to observe a given quantity when interpreting the results of a calculation, and we suggest new techniques which incorporate the novel features of finite temperature theories.
Phase transformation of BeSe and BeTe to the NiAs structure at high pressure.

We report the existence of a reversible pressure-induced first-order phase transition between the zinc-blende (B3) and the NiAs (B8) phase in the beryllium chalcogenides BeSe and BeTe at pressures of 56\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5 GPa and 35\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5 GPa, respectively. The NiAs phase remains stable in both compounds with further pressure increase up to at least 72 GPa in BeSe and 53 GPa in BeTe. For BeTe, an amorphous phase was observed upon decompression in the pressure range from 47 to 32 GPa. The equation of state is determined for each compound. We discuss the systematic trends of the structural phase transition, the stability of the NiAs structure, amorphization, as well as metallization in the beryllium chalcogenides.
Research Spotlight: Auroral emissions reach ground level

[1] Earth's auroral electrons radiate some of their energy in radio waves. Theories of the mechanism for emission of this radiation, known as auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), suggest that this radiation propagates away from Earth and cannot be detected at ground level. However, LaBelle and Anderson present the first evidence that AKR does penetrate to ground level. On three occasions in July 2004 the researchers detected radio emissions that appeared to be AKR at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. They compared these emissions with AKR emissions detected simultaneously by the U.S.-Japanese Geotail satellite and found that they had the same frequency structure, suggesting that the emissions detected at ground level were indeed AKR. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2010GL046411, 2011)
Aeroacoustic performance of a scoop inlet

A low speed wind tunnel test demonstrated the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of a scoop inlet. Engine noise is directed upward by the extended lower lip of the scoop inlet. In addition, more of the scoop airflow comes in from above the inlet than below, leading to relatively higher surface velocities on the upper lip and lower surface velocities on the lower lip. These lower velocities on the lower lip result in a higher attainable angle of attack before internal flow separation occurs.
A convenient photo-based approach for assessing body posture

Good body posture is important because it helps to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and permanent distortions which may interfere with efficient functioning of the body. Individuals need to be aware that good body posture is vital for a healthy quality of life, especially as one ages. However, an individual's ability to detect poor posture can be difficult as a faulty posture tends to feel normal after continuous practice. Moreover, consulting a physician about one's posture may not always be feasible. As such, we propose a convenient photo-based approach for assessing body posture from a side profile image of an individual. Shape features extracted by processing these images, such as the curves from an individual's back are used to train a Support Vector Machine and a Naive Bayes classification models to predict good or poor posture. Results from the experiments conducted with 144 participants demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Precision measurements of the half-lives of 19Ne, 23Mg, 26mAl, 27Si and 63Zn

Abstract The half-lives of the radio isotopes 19 Ne, 23 Mg, 26m Al, 27 Si, and 63 Zn have been measured and found to be 17.36±0.06 sec, 11.41±0.05 sec, 6.38±0.06 sec, 4.17±0.01 sec, and 38.4±0.1 min, respectively. A systematic error in half-life measurements due to pile-up in cross-over timing systems was investigated and is presented.
Hydroxyl radical generation by coal mine dust: Possible implication to coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP)

Occupational exposure to coal mine dust causes coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and other pulmonary diseases by mechanisms that remain unclear. Because the hydroxyl radicals (.OH) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CWP, we studied the potential role of bituminous coal mine dust samples for catalyzing the generation of .OH from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). These coal mine dusts evaluated represented two geographic areas with diversity in CWP prevalence. Electron spin resonance (ESR), with the aid of spin trapping techniques, was used to measure the .OH radical generation. Bituminous coal mine dusts representing the Pittsburgh seam in the eastern United States and Blind Canyon seam in the mid-western United States were used together with a standard coal dust obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. All the coal mine dust samples generated varying levels of .OH radicals from H2O2 in the presence of a .OH spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). .OH radical generation by the coal from H2O2 was effectively inhibited by deferoxamine and catalase, but only partially inhibited by superoxide dismutase. Metal chelators DETAPAC and EDTA enhanced the radical generation. These results indicated that the Fenton reaction is predominantly involved in the generation of .OH radicals from H2O2. The .OH-generating potential of all the coal dusts showed a positive correlation with the surface iron content of coal mine dusts. In addition, the potential to induce lipid peroxidation by the coal samples exhibited a good correlation with the available surface iron. Based on the results presented here, we propose that higher concentrations of surface iron in coal mine dust may be involved in the generation of increased levels of .OH radicals and may play an important role in the development of CWP in different coal mining areas.
Recombinant human erythropoietin and the anemia of multiple myeloma

The anemia of multiple myeloma (MM) is multifactorial, including physical replacement of normal hemopoiesis by tumor cells, renal failure and cytokines which contribute to the blunted erythropoietin (EPO) response observed in anemias of chronic disease. Recombinant EPO has been evaluated in anemic patients with stable multiple myeloma ( or = 2g% hemoglobin increase) were observed in 78% of 41 patients in two separate studies. Responses were associated with an increase in bone marrow erythropoietic cell compartment and reticulocytosis. Evaluation of potential parameters affecting response identified prolonged cytotoxic therapy for > 12 months, especially with alkylating agents and pre-treatment EPO levels > 100 U/L, both of which seemed to decrease the likelihood of EPO response. EPO is a safe and effective treatment for the anemia associated with MM.
FOUNDING FAMILY OWNERSHIP AND CASH HOLDINGS

I investigate the relation between founding family ownership and firm cash holdings. I find that cash holdings are significantly lower at family firms than nonfamily firms. I also examine the marginal value of cash and report a smaller value of cash for family firms. Combined, the findings are consistent with the spending hypothesis that family firms tend to deploy cash quickly and the market discounts the quality of their spending.
Amplification of papovavirus defectives during serial low multiplicity infections

Abstract Many human cell lines share with A172 glioblastoma cells the ability to support lytic growth of SV40 and to accumulate defectives on low multiplicity passage. The latter is also characteristic of quite a number of host cells for BKV; thus, the need for high multiplicity infection to accumulate defectives is not as stringent as previously envisioned. Very few lines share with A172 the retention of reiterated viral termination regions in the defectives.
Is NF-κB2/p100 a direct activator of programmed cell death?

Abstract Transcription factor NF-κB has been implicated in cancer development due to its ability to upregulate expression of genes with potentially prooncogenic functions, such as cell cycle regulators and antiapoptotic proteins (Karin et al., 2002). A recent report by Wang et al. (2002) suggests that a structural motif, a death domain (DD), present in one of the mammalian NF-κB proteins, NF-κB2/p100, allows it to directly activate cell death in a transcription-independent manner. Further, it is suggested that loss of the proapoptotic function of NF-κB2/p100 is directly linked to its oncogenic activity in lymphomas.
Effects of surface waves on the behavior of perfect lenses

Backwards-wave (BW) materials, which have simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability, support electromagnetic waves with phase propagation in the direction opposite to power flow. At an interface between BW materials and free space, the normal component of the wave vector changes sign. In the case of an evanescent wave, this leads to growth of the field amplitude inside the BW material. An infinite slab of an ideal, homogeneous BW material can simultaneously compensate the phase and the amplitude propagation of a wave, such that a point source is perfectly reconstructed in the image [J. B. Pendry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 3966 (2000)]. However, it is more realistic to consider a thin layer at the surface over which the permeability and permittivity change from the free-space values to the BW values. Such layers influence the response of the system through a frequency shift of surface modes and the nonreflecting wave. One finds a lower bound for the size of resolvable features. It is shown that the transition layer is important even at thicknesses much smaller than the free-space wavelength of the radiation.
High-Sampling Rate Dynamic Inversion—Filter Realization and Applications in Digital Control

This paper presents a stable inversion of nonminimum phase systems with highly efficient computation for high-sampling rate applications. The stable filter that inverts the dynamics of a nonminimum system is based on cascading a stable pole-zero cancellation infinite impulse response (IIR) filter with a high-order finite impulse response (FIR) filter which inverts the unstable zero dynamics. The high-order FIR filter is realized based on efficient IIR filter implementation first introduced by Powell and Chau then later modified by Kurosu. As a demonstrative example, the inversion filters are applied to feedforward tracking and repetitive control algorithms and realized by a field programmable gate array. The controllers are implemented at 100-kHz sampling rate to control the motion of a 4 degrees-of-freedom magnetically levitated shaft in experiment.
The thermal and mechanical evolution of the Anadarko basin

Abstract During the late Mississippian the style of subsidence and sedimentary facies in the Anadarko Basin changed significantly. This marked an interval of rapid subsidence that was unrelated to the pre-existing Cambro-Ordovician trough referred to as the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen. The sedimentary facies changed from black shales and carbonates to predominantly elastics of the Mississippian-Springer series. At the same time, widespread deposition changed to deposition in a narrow, geographically isolated trough. During a span of close to 23 m.y., extending into the middle Pennsylvanian, nearly 3.5 km of these clastic sediments were deposited in the narrow trough. On the south side of the basin, during the latter half of this time interval, reverse faulting and uplift of the Wichita Mountains accompanied subsidence in the basin. The timing of the uplift indicates that north-south shortening in the basin was not the primary cause of subsidence. This early narrow phase was followed by a return to widespread deposition in late Des Moinesian time, although with continued clastic sedimentation. During the early Permian, elastics graded into evaporites. Subsidence slowed continuously throughout this final widespread phase of subsidence. We model the formation of the Anadarko Basin in terms of elastic flexure of the lithosphere. In order to accommodate the early narrow phase, subsidence is attributed to crustal thinning accompanied by faulting. We show that the final widespread phase of subsidence was accommodated by lithospheric flexure and that the flexural rigidity of the elastic lithosphere increased from D = 4.1·10 30 dyne cm to D = 1.9·10 31 dyne cm during this period. This increase can be attributed to a decrease in heat flow with time. These two phases of subsidence in the Anadarko Basin are consistent with crustal thinning followed by thermal subsidence.
Facilitated Acquisition of the Classically Conditioned Eyeblink Response in Females is Augmented in Those Taking Oral Contraceptives.

Sex differences in attentional processing and new motor learning remain controversial, and are complicated by the influence of endogenous and exogenous gonadal hormones. Facilitated acquisition of a classically conditioned eyeblink response in oral contraceptive-using women has been reported, as have menstrual cycle-dependent changes in pre-pulse inhibition (PPI). The current study sought to replicate and extend these findings by comparing acquisition of the conditioned eyeblink response and PPI in women currently taking oral contraceptives (OCs), women not taking OCs, as well as men. Women were assigned to participate either during their follicular or luteal menstrual cycle phase. Acquisition was assessed in a two-tone discrimination delay paradigm (500-ms conditional stimulus (CS); 100-ms airpuff unconditional stimulus (US)). PPI was lower in males and OC-users depending on stimulus intensity. Consistent with early classical conditioning research, females acquired an eyeblink conditioned response faster than males. Faster acquisition was associated with larger unconditional responses. Women taking OCs demonstrated accelerated conditioned response acquisition compared to women not taking OCs and males although unconditional responses were comparable to males. Facilitated acquisition of new motor learning in OC-users was replicated in a college-aged population of women and was not secondary to enhanced reactivity to sensory stimuli.
Sphincter of Oddi manometry: interobserver variability

To determine the frequency and magnitude of interobserver variability, 50 sphincter of Oddi manometry tracings were read by three separate physicians experienced in reading such manometry. Ninety station pull-throughs were read, and attention was focused on the reference duodenal baseline pressure and two methods of reading the basal sphincter pressure. A high degree of correlation was found among the three observers with correlation coefficients of > 0.9 for reading baseline duodenal and basal sphincter pressures. Differences in basal sphincter pressure readings were greatest in patients with very high basal sphincter pressure. The most clinically relevant parameter was thought to be the mean basal sphincter pressure. All three observers agreed on normal (mean basal pressure 40 mm Hg) in 82% to 90% of tracings. When the definition of agreement was broadened to include patients with pressures of 40 +/- 3 mm Hg (37 to 43 mm Hg), the observers agreed 87% to 94% of the time. Overall, these findings are thought to indicate that interobserver variability for reading sphincter of Oddi manometry is minimal when the observers are experienced in reading these tracings.
The Relationship between Erectile Dysfunction and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and the Role of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors

Abstract Context The relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) and the potential interplay of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-I) have clinical implications for both patient screening and treatment. Objective To describe the current literature assessing the LUTS–ED relationship and the role of PDE5-I from both a basic science and clinical intervention perspective. Evidence acquisition We focused on data recently published (1990–2008) describing epidemiologic and mechanistic manuscripts of the LUTS–ED relationship with emphasis on papers involving PDE5-I—particularly those using level 1 evidence clinical trials. Base key words used included BPH, LUTS, ED, and phosphodiesterase inhibitors in combination with such secondary key words as nitric oxide, autonomic hyperactivity, Rho-kinase, atherosclerosis, and mechanism. We abstracted >200 articles and reviewed >100. Evidence synthesis The large overlap of elderly men with both LUTS and ED likely stems from a cause-and-effect relationship. Thus far, four proposed mechanisms attempt to explain the relationship between LUTS and ED. Multiple studies showing that PDE5-I improved LUTS have been performed. Understanding the role of PDE5-I in the LUTS and ED relationship affects patient screening and treatment but also raises further research questions. Conclusions The future use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors as either prophylaxis or as a primary treatment for LUTS looms as a possibility and may not be limited to men.
The anatomical aspects of minimally invasive cardiac valve operations

Cadaveric dissections were carried out to examine the relationship of the cardiac valve structures to the surface anatomy of the chest as it relates to our approaches to minimally invasive valvular operations. The techniques of upper hemisternotomy and lower hemisternotomy as used at our institution are described.
Assembly of the Gigantic Hemoglobin of the Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris ROLES OF SUBUNIT EQUILIBRIA, NON-GLOBIN LINKER CHAINS, AND VALENCE OF THE HEME IRON

The extracellular hemoglobin of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris has four major kinds of O2-binding chains: a, b, and c (forming a disulfide-linked trimer), and chain d. Non-heme, non-globin structural chains, "linkers," are also present. Light-scattering techniques have been used to show that the ferrous CO-saturated abc trimer and chain d form an (abcd)4 complex of 285 kDa at neutral pH. Formation of the full-sized 4-MDa molecule requires the addition of linker chains in the proportion of two linkers per (abcd)4 and occurs much more rapidly in the presence of 10 mM calcium. This stoichiometry is supported not only by direct quantitative analysis of the intact hemoglobin but also by the fact that the addition of 50% of the proposed stoichiometric quantity of linkers results in the conversion of 50% of the (abcd)4 to full-sized molecules. Isolated CO-saturated abc trimers self-associate to (abc)2 and higher aggregates up to an apparent limit of (abc)10 approximately 550 kDa. The CO-saturated chain d forms dimers, (d)2, and tetramers, (d)4. Oxidation of the (abcd)4 complex with ferricyanide causes complete dissociation of chain d from the abc trimer, but addition of CN- maintains the (abcd)4 complex. Valence hybrids have also been studied. The ferrous CO-saturated abc trimer and met (ferric) chain d also associate to form (abcd)4, but the met abc trimer and ferrous CO-saturated chain d do not. Oxidation of the abc trimer and chain d to the ferric form causes the formation of a characteristic hemichrome spectrum with a maximum at 565 nm and a shoulder near 530 nm. These results show that interactions between the abc trimer and chain d are strongly dependent on the ligand and valence state of the heme iron. Light-scattering measurements reveal that oxidation of the intact Hb produces a significant drop in molecular mass from 4.1 to 3.6 MDa. Inclusion of CN- prevents this drop. These experiments indicate that oxidation causes the Hb to shed subunits. The observations provide an explanation for the wide variations in the molecular mass of L. terrestris Hb that have been observed previously.
Iterative modified approximate factorization

Abstract An implicit procedure for minimizing the error introduced by approximate factorization in solving scalar or block multidiagonal matrix equations is presented with applications to fluid dynamics. High convergence rates of approximately 0.8 are achieved upon application to a wide range of problems. The implicit procedure can be combined with a multigrid procedure for further convergence acceleration.
Curcumin inhibits anchorage-independent growth of HT29 human colon cancer cells by targeting epigenetic restoration of the tumor suppressor gene DLEC1

Colorectal cancer remains the most prevalent malignancy in humans. The impact of epigenetic alterations on the development of this complex disease is now being recognized. The dynamic and reversible nature of epigenetic modifications makes them a promising target in colorectal cancer chemoprevention and treatment. Curcumin (CUR), the major component in Curcuma longa, has been shown as a potent chemopreventive phytochemical that modulates various signaling pathways. Deleted in lung and esophageal cancer 1 (DLEC1) is a tumor suppressor gene with reduced transcriptional activity and promoter hypermethylation in various cancers, including colorectal cancer. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the inhibitory role of DLEC1 in anchorage-independent growth of the human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29 cells and epigenetic regulation by CUR. Specifically, we found that CUR treatment inhibited colony formation of HT29 cells, whereas stable knockdown of DLEC1 using lentiviral short hairpin RNA vector increased cell proliferation and colony formation. Knockdown of DLEC1 in HT29 cells attenuated the ability of CUR to inhibit anchorage-independent growth. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP), bisulfite genomic sequencing, and methylated DNA immunoprecipitation revealed that CUR decreased CpG methylation of the DLEC1 promoter in HT29 cells after 5 days of treatment, corresponding to increased mRNA expression of DLEC1. Furthermore, CUR decreased the protein expression of DNA methyltransferases and subtypes of histone deacetylases (HDAC4, 5, 6, and 8). Taken together, our results suggest that the inhibitory effect of CUR on anchorage-independent growth of HT29 cells could, at least in part, involve the epigenetic demethylation and up-regulation of DLEC1.
THE RELATION OF THE SPLEEN TO BLOOD DESTRUCTION AND REGENERATION AND TO HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE XVI. THE INFLUENCE OF SPLENECTOMY AND OF BLOOD DISINTEGRATION UPON THE PRODUCTION OF BILE PIGMENT.

1. In four animals with a bile duct-ureter anastomosis and without disturbance due to obstruction or absorption, the total quantity of bile pigment output during a day under normal conditions varied from 0.0618 to 0.0678 gm. These figures are practically identical with those of Stadelmann (9, 10) but lower than those given by Hooper and Whipple (7), who find that the average bile pigment excretion amounts to about 1 mg. per pound of body weight per 6 hours. 2. In all the experiments there is definite evidence of a decrease in bile pigment elimination after splenectomy. This is true not only of the elimination when no hemolytic agent is administered but also when excessive blood destruction is caused. Under the latter circumstances the amount of bile pigment is greatly increased but never reaches the high level of blood destruction before splenectomy. 3. These observations appear to show conclusively that the absence of the spleen influences the formation of bile pigment. To what extent the influence is mechanical, i.e., change in the course of the blood to the liver, and to what extent due to anemia, cannot be stated at present.
Neural subtype specification from embryonic stem cells.

One of the keys to using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in brain research and potential application in neurological diseases is directed differentiation of neuronal and glial subtypes. This may be achieved by application of developmental principles in guiding cell lineage specification from naive stem cells. Establishment of defined ESC differentiation models that recapitulate in vivo development, especially from human ESCs, will most likely provide a dynamic tool for dissecting molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development that is otherwise not readily obtainable. This is also a rational and realistic way of producing enriched populations of functional neurons and glia for pathological analyses as well as possible therapeutic applications.
METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR CHANGES DURING A STATE OF ACUTE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AROUSAL

ABSTRACT Measurements of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and glucose levels, urinary excretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, heart rate, and blood pressure were made in 20 students undergoing a major fifteen-minute scholastic examination. Similar measurements were made on a non-test day. Marked increases in plasma FFA concentration occurred in all 20 students during the examination. Plasma glucose concentration also rose. The urinary excretion of adrenaline increased in all subjects. Urinary excretion of noradrenaline varied sporadically. The heart rate increased in all. Several students had marked tachycardia (120 to 166 beats per minute). Independent post-examination assessment of affect arousal indicated varying degrees of response. A rating of affect arousal was correlated to some extent with the level of the heart rate and with the magnitude of the increases in serum FFA and glucose levels and in the urinary excretion of adrenaline. These acute changes suggest that lipolysis may be a companion proces...
Incidence of chromosomal mosaicism in morphologically normal nonhuman primate preimplantation embryos.

Objective To establish the exact rates of chromosomal mosaicism in morphologically normal rhesus macaque embryos by determining the chromosomal complement of all blastomeres. Design Retrospective rhesus monkey IVF study. Setting Academic laboratory and primate research center. Patient(s) Young fertile rhesus macaque females. Intervention(s) Morphologically normal in vitro–produced rhesus macaque embryos were dissociated and cytogenetically assessed using a five-color fluorescent in situ hybridization assay developed for rhesus macaque chromosomes homologous to human chromosomes 13, 16, 18, X, and Y. Main Outcome Measure(s) The incidence and extent of chromosomal mosaicism in rhesus macaque preimplantation embryos. Result(s) Seventy-seven preimplantation embryos, displaying normal morphology and development, from 17 young rhesus macaque females were analyzed. Overall, 39 embryos (50.6%) were normal, 14 embryos (18.2%) were completely abnormal, and 24 embryos (31.2%) were mosaic. Of the 226 blastomeres analyzed in the mosaic group, 110 blastomeres (48.7%) were normal. Conclusion(s) The observed rate of mosaicism in good-quality rhesus embryos resembles previously documented frequencies in poor-quality human preimplantation embryos. A high incidence of mosaicism may limit the diagnostic accuracy of preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
Differences in Initial Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Management Between Primary Care Physicians and Urologists

Purpose The introduction of efficacious pharmacotherapies has effectively transformed benign prostatic hyperplasia into a chronic disease that requires ongoing medical care. With this transformation primary care physicians have become more involved in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The impact of the increasing role of the primary care physician on the use of benign prostatic hyperplasia related health services remains unknown. Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using medical claims from a nonprofit managed care organization. Between 1997 and 2005 we identified incident cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia and the provider responsible for the initial care. We fitted logistic regression models to measure the association between subject receipt of an evaluative process and the treating physician specialty. Furthermore, we examined differences between primary care physicians and urologists with respect to the use of medical therapy. Results Less than a third of incident cases received initial care from a urologist. Use of office based procedures and urodynamic tests was exclusive to urology. Urologists performed urinalysis testing and transrectal ultrasonography more frequently than primary care physicians (p Conclusions On average, urologists had a higher intensity practice style for benign prostatic hyperplasia than primary care physicians. Further studies are needed to determine how these practice style differences relate to patient clinical outcomes.
CPR: The P Stands for Plumber’s Helper

To the Editor.— Through novel methods of cardiac resuscitation exist, the traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques recommended by the American Heart Association have a proven track record. 1 This is not the case, however, in all families. We describe a 65-year-old Iranian man with severe triple-vessel coronary artery disease documented by cardiac catheterization in Iran in 1985. Since his third myocardial infarction he has been limited by severe one-block angina. Unable to afford bypass surgery, his condition was managed with antianginal medications. One recent Saturday evening after dinner, while watching television, the patient collapsed in front of his family. He was unrousable. His son, poorly trained in traditional CPR, attempted to ventilate his father, but the patient did not respond. The son then attempted manual chest compression, but his father reportedly remained pulseless and breathless. The son then remembered that his mother had resuscitated her husband 6 months earlier with
Later embryogenesis: regulatory circuitry in morphogenetic fields

The subject of this review is the nature of regulatory processes underlying the spatial subdivision of morphogenetic regions in later embryogenesis. I have applied a non-classical definition of morphogenetic field, the progenitor field, which is a region of an embryo composed of cells whose progeny will constitute a given morphological structure. An important feature of such fields is that they have sharp spatial boundaries, across which lie cells whose progeny will express different fates. Two examples of the embryonic specification and development of such fields are considered. These are the formation of the archenteron in the sea urchin embryo and the formation of dorsal axial mesoderm in the Xenopus embryo. From these and a number of additional examples, from vertebrate, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans and sea urchin embryos, it is concluded that the initial formation of the boundaries of morphogenetic progenitor fields depends on both positive and negative transcription control functions. Specification of morphogenetic progenitor fields, organization of the boundaries and their subsequent regionalization or subdivision are mediated by intercellular signaling. Genes encoding regionally expressed transcription factors that are activated in response to intercell signaling, and that in turn mediate signaling changes downstream, appear as fundamental regulatory circuit elements. Such [signal-->transcription factor gene-->signal] circuit elements appear to be utilized, often repetitively, in many different morphogenetic processes.
Fishing behavior of factory trawlers: a hierarchical model of information processing and decision-making

This study presents a model of an individual factory trawler conducting fishing operations off the west coast of North America in the Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) fishery. The model is used to explore several concepts that provide new insight into fishing behavior. A central theme of the model is the role of decisionmaking at different spatio-temporal scales. Decision-making occurs at two scales: (1) choosing an area to fish, and (2) scheduling haul setting and retrievals whilst fishing within an area. These decisions are considered to be state-dependent, with state consisting of both the internal state of the vessel, represented by the amount of fish in holding bins and the amount of fish already in the net, and the external state of the environment, represented by the density of Pacific hake in the area. A novel aspect of the model is a quantitative procedure, based on the Kalman filter, for modeling expert knowledge about local fish densities gained by searching and fishing. Information about local fish density is processed by the fisherman and retained in memory as a symbolic representation, or a ‘‘map’’. Although the spatial structure of the map and the updating procedures are quite simple in the model presented in this paper, the concept is general and can be extended to other kinds of information available to the fisherman about local fish densities. The model is used to characterize the optimal decision rules and to evaluate the usefulness of indices derived from factory trawler catch data to monitor population abundance trends.
A Regression Method for Real Estate Price Index Construction

Abstract Quality differences make estimation of price indexes for real properties difficult, but these can be largely avoided by basing an index on sales prices of the same property at different times. The problem of combining price relatives of repeat sales of properties to obtain a price index can be converted into a regression problem, and standard techniques of regression analysis can be used to estimate the index. This method of estimation is more efficient than others for combining price relatives in that it utilizes information about the price index for earlier periods contained in sales prices in later periods. Standard errors of the estimated index numbers can be readily computed using the regression method, and it permits certain effects on the value of real properties to be eliminated from the index.
Role of Viscoelastic Properties of Differentiated SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells in Cyclic Shear Stress Injury

Shear stress and strain lead to neurodegeneration in vivo during head injury, glaucoma, and certain repetitive motion disorders. In vitro, shear stress and strain have been shown to lead to cell injury in a number of models using neurons and neuron-like cells. In the present study we examined the relationship between shear stress, strain, and the extent of cell injury in a cyclic shear stress induced model of cell injury using differentiated SH-SY5Y (human neuroblastoma) cells. Shear stress led to cell strain that increased with increasing stress and diminished upon cessation of shear. Strain rate during cyclic application of shear stress increased by over an order of magnitude from the first to all subsequent cycles, suggesting that the cell and/or its polymer network became more elastic upon cyclic shear stress application. To support this conclusion we measured the degree of cytoskeletal polymerization before and after exposure of cells to cyclic shear stress and found that the fraction of polymerized tubulin in the cell relative to total tubulin decreased by a factor of 2 after six cycles of shear stress. The extent of injury, as indicated by the fraction of cells with fragmented DNA, was three times higher for cyclic shear stress than for steady shear stress and may be related to the change in strain rate and/or cytoskeletal reorganization associated with cyclic stress. These findings may aid in understanding the mechanism by which neurons and neuron-like cells respond to cyclic shear stress and strain and lead to new treatments for disease or injury arising from the exposure of neurons to abnormal cyclic or repetitive stress and strain.
Phylogenetic interrelationships, taxonomy, and reductive evolution in the Neotropical electric fish genus Hypopygus (Teleostei, Ostariophysi, Gymnotiformes)

A phylogenetic reconstruction of the Neotropical electric fish genus Hypopygus based on 47 parsimony-informative morphological characters is presented. A series of synapomorphies support the hypothesis of monophyly of Hypopygus, and partially resolve species-level relationships within the genus. Hypopygus species are recognized here as miniaturized fishes based on two criteria; first, a derived condition of diminutive body size, and; second, the presence of a suite of reductive morphological characters, including partial or total losses, simplifications, and reductions of the anal-fin rays, scales, cranial bones, and laterosensory canal system. Reductive characters associated with miniaturization comprise 45% of the total number of characters in the phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus. Miniaturization and reductive morphological evolution in Hypopygus are discussed here in the phylogenetic context. A taxonomic revision of Hypopygus is presented, in which five new species are described, two species previously assigned to the genus are redescribed, and a single known species of Stegostenopos is redescribed and included in Hypopygus as a junior synonym. Distribution maps and a key for all eight valid species of Hypopygus are provided, based on the examination of 5014 catalogued museum specimens. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163, 1096–1156.
Interleukin-2 Does Not Overcome Suppression of Graft Rejection by Cyclosporin A: Effect of Cyclosporin A on T Cell Propertiesin Vivo

The most evident immunosuppressive effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) on T cells is suppression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) production through the suppression of type-2B serine/threonine-specific phosphatase, calcineurin. To test whether suppression of IL-2 production is a major mechanism of CsA-mediated suppression of allograft rejection, we treated allogeneic skin-grafted mice with CsA and IL-2, and observed that IL-2 did not override the suppressive effect of CsA. Specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity and natural killer (NK) activity of the spleens were increased by treatment with IL-2, and CsA significantly suppressed the killing activity. We also found that CsA-treatment decreased the expression of lck kinase of T cells and the production of IL-2 in response to concanavalin A (ConA), with minimum effect on IL-4 production. These results suggest that T cell dysfunctions other than decreased production of IL-2 are essential for suppressive effect of CsA on skin allograft rejection.
Equality, Employment, and Budgetary Restraint: The Trilemma of the Service Economy

This article presents an analysis of the postindustrial economy from a political economy perspective. It identifies a set of specific distributional trade-offs associated with the new role played by the services sector as the chief source of employment growth in advanced democracies over the last three decades. It is argued that three core policy objectives--budgetary restraint, wage equality, and expansion of employment--constitute a political "trilemma" that allows only two of the goals to be successfully pursued at the same time. Using a combination of statistical and case-oriented analysis, the authors demonstrate the political and economic salience of the trilemma, the distributional tensions inherent in each strategy to cope with it, and the political-institutional constraints under which these strategies are chosen.
Dietary supplementation: effects on visual performance and occurrence of AMD and cataracts

To evaluate results of studies that have provided information regarding the effects of dietary supplementation on visual performance, development and progression of age-related macular degeneration...
An adiabatic framework for a low energy /spl mu/-architecture and compiler

We add new passes to the MachineSUIF compiler, to flag instruction groups that can potentially walk through a superscalar pipeline as a group. Hence, these instruction groups offer a fairly robust model of superscalar microarchitecture ILP. A compile time scheduling analysis can also generate instruction slack values. The slack indicates the program region within which an instruction can be scheduled. We also present a dispatch stage dynamic scheduling algorithm that utilizes the compiler annotated slacks to reschedule instructions with the explicit objective of minimizing the dispatch stage IPC variance. In other words, the proposed dispatch stage is adiabatic. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate an average reduction of 4.16% in IPC variance over SPEC2000 benchmarks with the adiabatic compiler and microarchitecture. The preliminary evaluation also shows the average processor dispatch stage energy reduction of 3.9% over the same SPEC2000 benchmarks. We expect to add similar IPC smoothening control knobs at instruction fetch and issue stages as well in the future, which should result in a more significant energy reduction.