cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bmi1 is required for regeneration of the exocrine pancreas in mice.

Background & Aims Bmi1 is a member of the Polycomb protein family and represses transcription by modifying chromatin organization at specific promoters. Bmi1 is implicated in the control of stem cell self-renewal and has been shown to regulate cell proliferation, tissue homeostasis, and differentiation. Bmi1 is present in a subpopulation of self-renewing pancreatic acinar cells and is expressed in response to pancreatic damage. We investigated the role of Bmi1 in regeneration of exocrine pancreas. Methods Acute pancreatitis was induced in Bmi1 −/− mice with cerulein; pancreatic cell regeneration, differentiation, and apoptosis were assessed. Cultured Bmi1 −/− and wild-type primary acini were analyzed in vitro to determine acinar-specific consequences of Bmi1 deletion. To investigate cell autonomous versus non–cell autonomous roles for Bmi1 in vivo, pancreatitis was induced in Bmi1 −/− mice reconstituted with a wild-type hematopoietic system. Results Bmi1 expression was up-regulated in the exocrine pancreas during regeneration after cerulein-induced pancreatitis. Exocrine regeneration was impaired following administration of cerulein to Bmi1 −/− mice. Pancreata of Bmi1 −/− mice were hypoplastic, and the exocrine pancreas was replaced with ductal metaplasia that had increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation compared with that of wild-type mice. Expression of Cdkn2a and p53-dependent apoptotic genes was markedly up-regulated in Bmi1 −/− pancreas compared with wild-type mice after injury. Furthermore, after transplantation of bone marrow from wild-type to Bmi1 −/− mice, the chimeric mice had intermediate levels of pancreatic hypoplasia and significant but incomplete rescue of impaired exocrine regeneration after cerulein injury. Conclusions Bmi1 contributes to regeneration of the exocrine pancreas after cerulein-induced injury through cell autonomous mechanisms, in part by regulating Cdkn2a expression, and non–cell autonomous mechanisms.
The Significance and Outcome of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure-Related Central Sleep Apnea During Split-Night Sleep Studies

Objective: To determine whether central sleep apnea (CSA) occurring during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) reflects subclinical congestive heart failure (CHF), and whether these events will improve with CPAP therapy. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of patients with suspected sleep-related breathing disorders referred for split-night polysomnography Patients and methods: Forty-two OSA patients with and without CPAP-related CSA were analyzed. All CSA patients (n = 21) and control subjects (n = 21) underwent echocardiography, pulmonary function testing, and arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. Repeat polysomnography with CPAP was performed 2 to 3 months after adequate CPAP therapy in CSA group patients. Results: Demographic, Epworth sleepiness scale, pulmonary function test, ABG, and baseline diagnostic polysomnography findings were similar in both groups. There was no difference in the prevalence of subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the CSA group vs the control group. CSA patients had decreased sleep efficiency (SE), increased sleep stage 1 percentage, sleep stages shift, wake time after sleep onset (WASO), and total arousals compared to control subjects. Twelve of 14 patients (92%) in the CSA group demonstrated complete or near-complete resolution of CSA events on follow-up polysomnography and showed improvement in SE, WASO, and total arousals compared to their baseline study. Conclusions: CSA events occurring during CPAP titration are transient and self-limited. They may be precipitated by the sleep fragmentation associated with initial CPAP titration and are not associated with an increased prevalence of occult CHF compared to OSA patients without CPAP-related CSA.
On the existence of steady supercritical plane thermal detonations

Abstract The conditions for existence of strongly supercritical steady detonations, proposed by Board and Hall, are considered. Fragmentation by local boiling is excluded, and only hydrodynamic mechanisms, such as boundary-layer stripping and/or Taylor instability can be operative. Truly steady supercritical detonations are achieved only when the fragmentation zone is terminated by an equilibrium Chapman-Jouguet plane (zero velocity and temperature difference between fuel and coolant). Strong sideways constraints are also necessary.
Comparison of Thermomechanical and Stress Wave Induced Laser Repair Techniques for Stiction-Failed Microcantilevers

Surface micromachined structures with high aspect ratios are often utilized as sensor platforms in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. These structures generally fail by stiction or adhesion to the underlying substrate during operation, or related initial processing. Such failures represent a major disadvantage in mass production of MEMS devices with highly compliant structures. Fortunately, most stiction failures can be prevented or repaired in a number of ways. Passive approaches implemented during fabrication or release include: (1) utilizing special low adhesion coatings and (2) processing with low surface energy rinse agents. These methods, however, increase both the processing time and cost and are not entirely effective. Active approaches, such as illuminating stiction-failed microstructures with pulsed laser irradiation, have proven to be very effective for stiction repair [1–5]. A more recent and promising method, introduced by Gupta et al. [6], utilized laser-induced stress waves to repair stiction-failed microstructures. This approach represents a logical extension of the laser spallation technique for debonding thin films from substrates [7–9]. The method transmits stress waves into MEMS structures by laser-irradiating the back side of the substrate opposite the stiction-failed structures. This paper presents an experimental study that compares the stress wave repair method with the thermomechanical repair method on identical arrays of stiction-failed cantilevers.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Vena caval bombesin infusion decreases spontaneous meal size in undisturbed rats

The amphibian tetradecapeptide bombesin (BN) decreases food intake in both humans and animals. Studies have typically examined the effects of BN on scheduled meals in deprived subjects. To investigate the properties of this peptide under more naturalistic conditions, we examined the effects of BN in spontaneously feeding rats. Undisturbed, ad lib-fed male rats (n = 9) with chronic inferior vena caval catheters were infused with saline vehicle and each of 3 doses (2, 4, and 8 μg/kg) of BN in counterbalanced order with intervening noninfusion days. Infusions were remotely activated at the onset of the first nocturnal meal and continued for 3 min (34 μl/min), delivery being completed within the first 2 min of infusion. Feeding was measured via electronic balances linked to a computer. All doses of the peptide significantly decreased the size and duration of the first nocturnal meal. In addition, 4 and 8 μg/kg of BN significantly shortened the intermeal interval from the end of the first meal to the beginning of the second meal. Despite this, the satiety ratio (interval/meal size) tended to increase after BN and was significantly increased by the highest dose (8 μg/kg), thus indicating a sustained satiety action of the peptide. In summary, these results show that brief, meal-contingent intravenous infusions of BN potently inhibit spontaneous feeding in undisturbed rats.
A Panel Probit Analysis of Campaign Contributions and Roll-Call Votes

Despite numerous analyses of the relationship between campaign contributions and the roll-call voting behavior of members of Congress, we still lack definitive answers to longstanding questions about whether contributions affect votes. Part of the reason for this is that it is methodologically difficult to account for members' predispositions to vote in favor of PACs' interests. This article seeks to advance our understanding of the relationship between campaign contributions and voting behavior by using a method for panel data that overcomes the problem of accounting for voting predispositions. This method enables us to account for individual specific effects, such as the predisposition to vote for or against a particular piece of legislation, which are too costly or impossible to measure. Applying this method, I find that contributions do not have consistent effects that would indicate that PACs are significantly biasing congressional decision making in their favor. he influence of "special interests" in politics is a perennial concern of those who seek to reform the political system in the United States. One way that special interests are perceived to have an undue influence is through campaign contributions. Efforts to reform campaign finance laws have been motivated in part by the belief that campaign contributions have a pernicious effect on the behavior of politicians. A recent Gallup survey found that 53 percent of individuals thought that campaign contributions influenced the policies supported by elected officials "a great deal" and 76 percent and 81 percent favored placing limits on contributions from labor and business groups, respectively (Saad 1997). Researchers have devoted a substantial amount of effort and resources to systematic analysis of campaign finance in order to uncover the relationship between campaign contributions and political decision making. One of the key questions that researchers have asked is "Do campaign contributions by political action committees (PACs) influence the roll-call voting behavior of members of Congress?" Despite numerous published analyses of contributions and votes, this question remains unsettled because of the conflicting answers that these analyses have produced.' Some studies have found no relationship between votes and contributions, while others have found the kind of relationship that reformers worry about. Part of the reason for these mixed results is that methodological problems have hampered attempts to assess accurately the degree to which PAC contributions affect voting. One of the most vexing problems is that it is difficult to untangle the effect of contributions from the effect of a member's predisposition to vote one way or another. That is, PACs contribute to members of Congress who are likely to vote the way the PACs favor even in the absence of contributions. A PAC donation to a friendly member might be misconstrued as
Sorting Out Where Fibroblasts Come From

Heart failure is the primary cause of adult mortality in the Western world, affecting 1% to 2% of the population, including ≤10% of people >701. Several disease settings, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, promote a maladaptive response characterized by myocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis. The latter refers to excessive extracellular matrix deposition that causes myocardial stiffening characteristic of heart failure. Article, see p 625 Cardiac fibroblasts are the primary cell type responsible for extracellular matrix remodeling during development and in disease. In a pathological context, activation and accumulation of fibroblasts perturb normal deposition and degradation of extracellular matrix components, notably of collagen type I2 and causes formation of rigid fibrotic lesions within myocardium. Hence, identifying mechanisms responsible for fibroblast accumulation in the failing heart represents a key issue for development of effective antifibrotic therapies. Figure. Previous studies have proposed that cardiac fibroblasts derive from epicardium during development, whereas large numbers of fibroblasts are generated by endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) and recruitment of blood cells after pressure overload. The study by Ali et al shows that Tie2Cre-tagged Thy1+HE− fibroblasts are present alongside epicardially derived Tbx18-Cre lineage traced Thy1+HE– fibroblasts in healthy myocardium. These developmentally derived subsets proliferate after aortic banding, leading to fibrosis. There was no evidence for EndoMT or conversion of hematopoietic progenitors into fibroblasts. HE indicates hematopoietic and endothelial lineage markers. Recent studies have proposed that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) and recruitment of circulating progenitors generate fibroblasts responsible for cardiac fibrosis3,4 A key marker used to identify cardiac fibroblasts in these studies was fibroblast-specific protein 15 that has been recently shown to …
Deletion of Cx43 from osteocytes results in defective bone material properties but does not decrease extrinsic strength in cortical bone.

Deletion of connexin (Cx) 43 from osteoblasts and osteocytes (OCN-Cre;Cx43fl/− mice) or from osteocytes only (DMP1-8kb-Cre;Cx43fl/fl mice) results in increased cortical, but not cancellous, osteocyte apoptosis and widening of the femoral midshaft without changes in cortical thickness. Despite the consequent larger moment of inertia, stiffness and ultimate load, measures of mechanical strength assessed by three-point bending, are not higher in either model of Cx43 deficiency due to reduced Young’s modulus, a measure of the stiffness of the material per unit of area. In OCN-Cre;Cx43fl/− mice, this was accompanied by a reduced ratio of nonreducible/reducible collagen cross-links as assessed by Fourier transformed infrared imaging (FTIRI) in the femoral diaphysis. On the other hand, DMP1-8kb-Cre;Cx43fl/fl mice did not show a significant reduction in collagen maturation in the same skeletal site, but a small decrease in mineralization was detected by FTIRI. Remarkably, both osteoblastic and osteocytic cells lacking Cx43 expressed lower mRNA levels of lysyl oxidase, a crucial enzyme involved in collagen maturation. These findings suggest that Cx43 expression in osteoblasts is involved in maintaining the quality of the bone matrix in cortical bone through the maturation of collagen cross-links. Osteocytic Cx43 expression is important also to maintain the stiffness of the bone material, where Cx43 deficiency results in local reduction in mineralization, possibly due to osteocyte apoptosis.
In Vivo and in Vitro Inhibition of cyp19 Gene Expression by Prostaglandin F2α in Murine Luteal Cells: Implication of GATA-4

A major function of the corpus luteum (CL) is to secrete progesterone. In rats, this gland also produces significant amounts of 17beta-estradiol. Progesterone and 17beta-estradiol are important regulators of rat luteal cell function. Estrogen biosynthesis is catalyzed by P450aromatase (P450arom), which is encoded by the cyp19 gene. In the rat CL, P450arom is expressed throughout pregnancy until the day before parturition, when it rapidly decreases. The mechanisms that control P450arom expression in luteal cells, particularly, the one or more factors that cause its rapid fall before parturition, are not known. Inasmuch as prostaglandin (PG) F(2alpha) plays a key role in the regulation of luteal function at the end of pregnancy, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether PGF(2alpha) affect the expression of P450arom in the CL before parturition. PGF(2alpha) decreased luteal P450arom mRNA and protein levels in vivo and in vitro. A decrease in P450arom mRNA was also observed in mice CL just before parturition, but this change did not take place in PGF(2alpha) receptor knockout mice. The time course of the decrease in P450arom mRNA by PGF(2alpha) reflected the P450arom mRNA half-life determined by actinomycin D. Moreover, nuclear run-on assay showed that PGF(2alpha) attenuates P450arom gene transcription. Gel shift assays revealed that GATA-4 binds to the P450aromatase promoter, and that such binding is increased by PGF(2alpha). It is concluded that PGF(2alpha) decreases luteal P450arom mRNA levels at the end of pregnancy in rodents by inhibiting cyp19 expression.
Reading English Literature and Korean Scholars' Search for "Authentic Subjectivity"

In his article "Reading English Literature and Korean Scholars' Search for 'Authentic Subjectivity'" Jonggab Kim discusses the ambivalence of Korean scholars toward the reading and analysis of English-language literature because of its perceived threat to Korean national identity and a route to internationalization. Kim's study is an attempt to evaluate a dual strategy of reading, one that involves both sympathy and antipathy. Kim postulates that what Korean scholars need is not a national practice of reading, but the type of reading that takes into account Korea's historical situation with the knowledge of the field or period of the text. Based on the notion of the Korean concept of "authentic subjectivity" ( juchesung), Kim examines the growing confidence of Korean scholars on the one hand and their insecurity and sense of anxiety over asserting their subjectivity in the production of scholarship. Jonggab Kim, "Reading English Literature and Korean Scholars' Search for 'Authentic Subjectivity'" page 2 of 9 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 16.6 (2014): Special Issue Western Canons in a Changing East Asia. Ed. Simon C. Estok
Current recommendations: what is the clinician to do?

Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) has complex biologic effects but continues to have an important clinical role in the management of vasomotor and other menopausal symptoms. The rational use of menopausal HT requires balancing the potential benefits and risks of treatment. Findings from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and other randomized clinical trials have helped to clarify the benefits and risks of HT and have provided insights to improve decision making. Several clinical characteristics have utility in identifying women for whom benefits of HT are likely to outweigh the risks. Age and time since menopause are strong predictors of health outcomes and absolute risks associated with HT, and differences by age have been particularly apparent for estrogen alone. In the WHI trial of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) alone, younger women (50–59 years) had more favorable results for all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and the global index, but not for stroke and venous thrombosis. Age trends were less clear for CEE + medroxyprogesterone acetate, owing to increased risks of breast cancer, stroke, and venous thrombosis in all age groups. Absolute risks of adverse events were lower in younger than in older women in both trials, however. Other predictors of lower vascular risk from HT include favorable lipid status and absence of the metabolic syndrome. Transdermal administration may be associated with lower risks of venous thrombosis and stroke, but additional research is needed. The use of risk stratification and personalized risk assessment offers promise for improved benefit-risk profile and safety of HT. One approach to decision making is presented. Key elements include: assessment of whether the patient has moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, the primary indication for initiating systemic HT (vaginal estrogen may be used to treat genitourinary symptoms in the absence of vasomotor symptoms); understanding the patient's own preference regarding therapy; evaluating the patient for the presence of any contraindications to HT, as well as the time since menopause onset and baseline risks of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer; reviewing carefully the benefits and risks of treatment with the patient, giving more emphasis to absolute than to relative measures of effect; and, if HT is initiated, regularly reviewing the patient's need for continued treatment.
The memory that’s right and the memory that’s left: Event-related potentials reveal hemispheric asymmetries in the encoding and retention of verbal information

We examined the nature and timecourse of hemispheric asymmetries in verbal memory by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) in a continuous recognition task. Participants made overt recognition judgments to test words presented in central vision that were either novel (new words) or had been previously presented in the left or right visual field (old words). An ERP memory effect linked to explicit retrieval revealed no asymmetries for words repeated at short and medium retention intervals, but at longer repetition lags (20–50 intervening words) this ‘old/new effect’ was more pronounced for words whose study presentation had been biased to the right hemisphere (RH). Additionally, a repetition effect linked to more implicit recognition processes (P2 amplitude changes) was observed at all lags for words preferentially encoded by the RH but was not observed for left hemisphere (LH)-encoded words. These results are consistent with theories that the RH encodes verbal stimuli more veridically whereas the LH encodes in a more abstract manner. The current findings provide a critical link between prior work on memory asymmetries, which has emphasized general LH advantages for verbal material, and on language comprehension, which has pointed to an important role for the RH in language processes that require the retention and integration of verbal information over long time spans.
Axonal regeneration and motor neuron survival after microsurgical nerve reconstruction

Rodent models are used extensively for studying nerve regeneration, but little is known about how sprouting and pruning influence peripheral nerve fiber counts and motor neuron pools. The purpose of this study was to identify fluctuations in nerve regeneration and neuronal survival over time. One hundred and forty-four Lewis rats were randomized to end-to-end repair or nerve grafting (1.5 cm graft) after sciatic nerve transection. Quantitative histomorphometry and retrograde labeling of motor neurons were performed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months and supplemented by electron microscopy. Fiber counts and motor neuron counts increased between 1 and 3 months, followed by plateau. End-to-end repair resulted in persistently higher fiber counts compared to the grafting for all time points (P < 0.05). Percent neural tissue and myelin width increased with time while fibrin debris dissipated. In conclusion, these data detail the natural history of regeneration and demonstrate that overall fiber counts may remain stable despite pruning.
SU-E-J-178: Development of Image Planning System for Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: The constraints required for patient imagingdose received during image‐guidedradiotherapy differ from those applied in the diagnostic realm. Wide latitude in applied dose can be justified if it results in useful improvement in image quality. Currently, image acquisition parameters are chosen via broad categorizations in patient anatomy and imaging goal. Herein, we describe the development and early benchmarking of a patient‐specific image planning system that is capable of predetermining the optimal acquisition parameters for a given level of patient dose and imaging goal. Methods: An algorithm was written in Matlab that performed a divergent ray‐trace through a 3D CT data set and impinges on a flat imaging receptor. Energy‐specific attenuation through each voxel of the CT data set is calculated to derive a net transmitted intensity. The detector response as a function of beam quality and exposure was measured and integrated into the algorithm. It is primarily this feature that distinguishes this from a traditional digitally reconstructed radiograph. Verification data was collected using a flat panel imager mounted onto a linear accelerator gantry and a lung phantom with an embedded nodule. Loss of object detectability was evaluated by measuring the visible diameter of the phantom nodule. Results: There is qualitative agreement between simulated and measured images in terms of contrast and object detectability. The simulation algorithm predicts both under‐exposure and saturation of the detector over a range of beam qualities (80 keV to 120keV) and exposure levels. Object detectability erodes predictably above 60 mAs for at 80keV and above 15mAs for 120 keV for both simulated and measured images. Quantitative accuracy is currently limited by lack of beam heterogeneity, which will be added in further work. Conclusions: The feasibility and qualitative accuracy of an image planning system has been established.
Emergent learning behaviour in a simulated organization faced with tasks requiring team effort

We conceptualize organizational learning as a result of the collective learning behaviour of knowledge agents in an organization. Each agent provides a range of attributes that may be required to perform organizational tasks. We devised a computational model consisting of three processes to simulate an organization's response to performing repeated tasks: (1) Expert Selection Process for selecting the winner knowledge agent or lead agent; (2) Plan Formation Process for deciding what additional attributes are needed, but not possessed by the winner expert agent, and iteratively selecting further agents with the needed attributes until the task can be accomplished by the combined attributes of the 'coalition of agents' so formed; and (3) Capital Modification Process for rewarding participating agents according to the success of their combined organizational performance. We observed the simulated results for different combinations of three levels of task difficulty (requiring, respectively, 5, 10 and, 15 different attributes, each at a sufficient level in the coalition or team to complete the task), and three levels of selection, during plan formation, for knowledge agent performance (the extent to which selection favours knowledge agents with much capital or large strength versus knowledge agents without much capital or large strength). The simulated organization exhibited aspects of both single loop and double loop learning, in repeatedly performing the same task, and 'learning to perform the task' with the smallest possible team.
An Investigation of Surge in a High-Speed Centrifugal Compressor Using Digital PIV

Compressor stall is a catastrophic breakdown of the flow in a compressor, which can lead to a loss of engine power, large pressure transients in the inlet/nacelle and engine flameout. The implementation of active or passive strategies for controlling rotating stall and surge can significantly extend the stable operating range of a compressor without substantially sacrificing performance. It is crucial to identify the dynamic changes occurring in the flow field prior to rotating stall and surge in order to successfully control these events. Generally, pressure transducer measurements are made to capture the transient response of a compressor prior to rotating stall. In this investigation, Digital Particle Imaging Velocimetry (DPIV) is used in conjunction with dynamic pressure transducers to simultaneously capture transient velocity and pressure measurements in the non-stationary flow field during compressor surge. DPIV is an instantaneous, planar measurement technique which is ideally suited for studying transient flow phenomena in high speed turbomachinery and has been used previously to successfully map the stable operating point flow field in the diffuser of a high speed centrifugal compressor. Through the acquisition of both DPIV images and transient pressure data, the time evolution of the unsteady flow during surge is revealed.
Closed population estimation models and their extensions in Program MARK

Program MARK provides > 65 data types in a common configuration for the estimation of population parameters from mark-encounter data. Encounter information from live captures, live resightings, and dead recoveries can be incorporated to estimate demographic parameters. Available estimates include survival (S or ϕ), rate of population change (λ), transition rates between strata (Ψ), emigration and immigration rates, and population size (N). Although N is the parameter most often desired by biologists, N is one of the most difficult parameters to estimate precisely without bias for a geographically and demographically closed population. The set of closed population estimation models available in Program MARK incorporate time (t) and behavioral (b) variation, and individual heterogeneity (h) in the estimation of capture and recapture probabilities in a likelihood framework. The full range of models from M0 (null model with all capture and recapture probabilities equal) to Mtbh are possible, including the ability to include temporal, group, and individual covariates to model capture and recapture probabilities. Both the full likelihood formulation of Otis et al. (1978) and the conditional model formulation of Huggins (1989, 1991) and Alho (1990) are provided in Program MARK, and all of these models are incorporated into the robust design (Kendall et al. 1995, 1997; Kendall and Nichols 1995) and robust-design multistrata (Hestbeck et al. 1991, Brownie et al. 1993) data types. Model selection is performed with AICc (Burnham and Anderson 2002) and model averaging (Burnham and Anderson 2002) is available in Program MARK to provide estimates of N with standard error that reflect model selection uncertainty.
Cognitive changes with coronary artery disease: a prospective study of coronary artery bypass graft patients and nonsurgical controls.

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is well recognized, but previous investigations have been limited by lack of an appropriate control group. We compared changes in cognitive performance at 3 and 12 months after CABG with those in a control group of patients with comparable risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) who had not undergone surgery. Methods Patients undergoing CABG (n = 140) and demographically similar nonsurgical control subjects with CAD (n = 92) completed baseline neuropsychological assessment and were followed prospectively at 3 and 12 months. Cognitive function was evaluated with a battery of neuropsychological tests assessing the cognitive domains of attention, language, verbal and visual memory, visuoconstruction, executive function, and psychomotor and motor speed. Results The CABG patients who were tested in their hospital rooms before surgery had lower scores for timed tests; however, after adjustment for demographic variables and testing location there were no statistically significant differences between the CABG and nonsurgical control subjects in baseline neuropsychological test performance. Both groups improved from baseline to 3 months; the only statistically significant group difference was a greater improvement in the CABG group with regard to verbal memory. At 12 months there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions The prospective longitudinal neuropsychological performance of patients with CABG did not differ from that of comparable nonsurgical control subjects with CAD at 3 months or 1 year after base line examination. This suggests that the previously reported cognitive decline during the early postoperative period after CABG is transient and reversible. Continued follow-up will determine whether a specific “late decline” occurs in CABG patients but not in nonsurgical control subjects with similar risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
Anxiety, depression, and the content of worries.

Worry content as assessed by using a modified Worry Domains Questionnaire (WDQ) was compared among participants diagnosed with a depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and both a depressive disorder and GAD. A discriminant function analysis of worry domains yielded two significant functions. The worry domains Lack of Confidence, Aimless Future, Relationships, and Financial Concerns loaded significantly on Function 1, which was termed "Depressive Worries." The worry domain Loss of Control loaded significantly on Function 2, which was termed "Anxious Worries." The three participant groups differed in their pattern of worries in a way that lends support to the content-specificity hypothesis for both depression and anxiety. In addition, multiple regression analysis indicated that WDQ domain scores (in particular the Aimless Future domain) predicted the severity of depressive symptoms even after the variance contributed by anxiety symptoms was removed from the analysis. These findings suggest that the content of a person's worries may be significantly associated with the presence of depression, anxiety, or comorbid depression and anxiety.
Creating synergy between computer engineering and computer science programs

Development of academic programs in computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering that are mutually supportive has been a challenge at many universities. We examine the dimensions of computers and digital systems. From this perspective we review the creation of the computer engineering program at UCSC and the simultaneous development of computer science. We identify factors that we believe have resulted in the synergy between these programs at UCSC. Some of these are: the hiring and mentoring of junior faculty, the sharing and management of space, facilities and budgets, development of joint research projects that support faculty and students from both departments, employment and supervision of shared staff and the sharing of courses and teaching assignments.
Quasi- and Simulated-Likelihood Approaches to Censored Demand Systems: Food Consumption by Food Stamp Recipients in the United States

A quasi-maximum-likelihood estimator is proposed and applied to a censored Translog demand system for foods, using a sample of food stamp recipients in the United States. The procedure produces remarkably close parameter and elasticity estimates to those of the simulated-maximum-likelihood procedure. A two-step procedure is also considered but it produces different elasticities. Demands are found to be price elastic for pork and fish but price inelastic for all other food products. Gross complementarity and net substitutability are obvious but these cross-price effects are much less pronounced than own-price and total food expenditure effects. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Study of the Effects on Health-Related Quality of Life and Perceived Work Performance One Week into the Attempt

BACKGROUNDMost patients attempting to quit smoking experience symptoms that may influence functioning and sense of well-being.OBJECTIVETo conduct a pilot study to assess the acute effects of smoking cessation on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and perceived work performance.METHODSQuestionnaires were mailed to patients of a smoking-cessation program just prior to quit date and one week after they quit. The questionnaires included the Smoking Cessation Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Work Performance Scale (WPS). Other data included patient demographics, smoking duration, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence scale, and smoking status. Student's t-tests were used for pre–post comparisons as well as comparison between higher addiction and lower addiction groups, with p  0.05 used for determination of statistical significance.RESULTSThirty-four respondents (higher addiction = 12, lower addiction = 22) averaged 48.6 ± 12.0 (mean ± SD) years of age and were primarily white (97.1%) and female (7...
Conservatism, Covenants, and Recovery Rates

We hypothesize and provide evidence that accounting conservatism and accounting-based debt covenants increase implied recovery rates by preserving the firm’s fungible economic assets at levels sucient to support recovery by debtholders. We employ Das & Hanouna’s (2009) approach to jointly estimate implied default and recovery rates from CDS spreads, implied stock return volatilities, and stock prices. Controlling for known determinants of recovery rates documented in the prior literature, we predict and find that implied recovery rates increase with the combination of conservatism and covenants, and that these results are stronger for riskier firms, when conservatism is conditional rather than unconditional, for capital rather than performance covenants, when accounting information is less contractible, and for bonds rather than loans.
Influence of Intermittent Treatment with Dietary Fluoride on Experimental Dental Caries

Fluoride-supplemented diets were fed intermittently to caries-susceptible rats in post-weaning assays. Fluoride supplements of 100 ppm for four 84-minute periods per day, 200 ppm for two 84-minute periods per day, 100 ppm for 24 hours on alternate days, and 150 ppm for 24 hours every third day were approximately as effective in reducing the caries prevalence as was 50 ppm, given continuously.
Estrogen Receptors α and β Mediate Contribution of Bone Marrow–Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells to Functional Recovery After Myocardial Infarction

Background— Estradiol (E2) modulates the kinetics of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and favorably affects neovascularization after ischemic injury. However, the roles of estrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ) in EPC biology are largely unknown. Methods and Results— In response to E2, migration, tube formation, adhesion, and estrogen-responsive element–dependent gene transcription activities were severely impaired in EPCs obtained from ERα-knockout mice (ERαKO) and moderately impaired in ERβKO EPCs. The number of ERαΚΟ EPCs (42.4±1.5; P<0.001) and ERβKO EPCs (55.4±1.8; P=0.03) incorporated into the ischemic border zone was reduced as compared with wild-type (WT) EPCs (72.5±1.3). In bone marrow transplantation (BMT) models, the number of mobilized endogenous EPCs in E2-treated mice was significantly reduced in ERαKO BMT (WT mice transplanted with ERαKO bone marrow) (2.03±0.18%; P=0.004 versus WT BMT) and ERβKO BMT (2.62±0.07%; P=0.02 versus WT) compared with WT BMT (2.87±0.13%) (WT to WT BM...
Emerging methods for disease monitoring in malignant gliomas.

SUMMARY MRI remains the backbone of measuring disease burden and treatment response in individuals with malignant gliomas. Traditional radiographic approaches, however, are largely limited to depicting anatomic changes and are not a direct measure of disease burden. For example, contrast enhancement is related to blood–brain barrier integrity rather than actual tumor size. Without accurate measures of disease, common clinical dilemmas include ‘pseudo-progression‘ (e.g., after chemoradiation) or ‘pseudo-response‘ (e.g., with steroid treatment and antiangiogenic agents), which can lead to delays in therapy, premature discontinuation of successful treatments and to unnecessary surgical procedures. This overview focuses on novel, minimally invasive approaches in the area of imaging and blood-based biomarkers that aim to more accurately determine disease status and response to treatment in malignant brain tumors.
Predicting oxygen vacancy non-stoichiometric concentration in perovskites from first principles

a b s t r a c t Formation of oxygen vacancies by introducing various mixed-valent cation dopants is a common practice to improve the cathode performance in solid oxide fuel cells. A computational procedure is developed in this work to predict the equilibrium oxygen vacancy non-stoichiometric concentrations at experimen- tally relevant temperatures and oxygen partial pressures for both bulk and surface oxide phases. The calculations are based on the first-principles density functional theory and a constrained free-energy functional. Quantitative agreements are found by direct comparisons to the thermogravimetry and solid electrolyte coulometry measurements for the strontium-doped lanthanum cobalt iron oxides at different compositions. Our results indicate that the oxygen vacancies are energetically stabilized at surfaces for all temperatures and all oxygen partial pressures, while such surface stabilization effects become stronger at higher temperatures and lower oxygen partial pressures.
PEGylation and zwitterionization: pros and cons in the renal clearance and tumor targeting of near-IR-emitting gold nanoparticles.

PEGylation is the most common and successful surface-chemistry strategy for reducing nonspecific accumulation and prolonging blood circulation of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), so that the NPs can effectively target tumors through well-known “enhanced permeability and retention (EPR)” effect.[1] These strengths fundamentally arise from the fact that poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) moiety on the particle surface creates steric hindrance for the serum protein (opsonin) adsorption and slows down the NP uptake by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) organs (liver, spleen etc.).[2] However, the majority of PEGylated NPs still end up in RES organs after the circulation,[3] resulting in low targeting specificity (defined as the amount of NPs in tumor vs that in liver).[4] For instance, even though PEGylated AuNPs with a 2 nm core size can circulate in the body at a high concentration, they were found to severely accumulate in the liver (78 %ID/g) and spleen (15.2 %ID/g) at 24 h post-injection (p.i.).[5] Such long-term severe accumulation in RES potentially induces health hazards, hampering their clinical translation. Therefore, developing PEGylated inorganic NPs that not only can retain strong EPR effect but also can be eliminated from the urinary system like clinically used small molecular contrast agents[6] is highly desired but remains a big challenge.
Superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass and external carotid reconstruction for carotid restenosis after angioplasty and stent placement.

The recent proliferation of endovascular treatment of carotid atherosclerotic disease will increase the number of patients who require treatment for recurrent carotid stenosis after angioplasty and stent placement. The optimal management of these patients has not yet been defined. We describe a 66-year-old woman who required 2 surgical procedures for recurrent in-stent carotid stenosis. She experienced numerous transient ischemic attacks 5 months after left extracranial internal carotid artery angioplasty and stenting for asymptomatic stenosis. Angiography showed high-grade in-stent restenosis, left intracranial carotid artery stenosis, and poor collateral flow to the left middle cerebral artery circulation. The patient underwent a superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass, and the transient ischemic attacks resolved. Five months later, angiography showed progressive stenosis of the external carotid artery at the site of the stent. The. patient underwent successful external carotid reconstruction with an on-lay patch. Extracranial-intracranial bypass grafting may be used successfully in the treatment of recurrent extracranial carotid artery stenosis after angioplasty and stent placement. Also, external carotid artery reconstruction at the site of an internal carotid artery stent can be performed safely.
Talent acquisition in the IT industry in Bangalore : A multi-level study

Multinational corporations have established research and development centres in India to take advantage of low-cost labour and sophisticated science and technology facilities. India is becoming a global competitor in innovation, and its knowledge-intensive firms increasingly need skilled workers. This article investigates talent acquisition in the information technology (IT) industry in Bangalore, also known as India's Silicon Valley. In particular, the paper studies the local supply and demand of human capital, which is critical for innovation and competition in the global knowledge economy. The author argues for a multi-level study to better understand labour needs in emerging economies. In conclusion, the article addresses local and national institutional obstacles to talent acquisition and discusses future labour challenges in India's IT industry.
Kinetic Differences between Synaptic and Extrasynaptic GABA A Receptors in CA1 Pyramidal Cells

GABAA-mediated IPSCs typically decay more rapidly than receptors in excised patches in response to brief pulses of applied GABA. We have investigated the source of this discrepancy in CA1 pyramidal neurons. IPSCs in these cells decayed rapidly, with a weighted time constant τDecay of ∼18 msec (24°C), whereas excised and nucleated patch responses to brief pulses of GABA (2 msec, 1 mm) decayed more than three times as slowly (τDecay, ∼63 msec). This discrepancy was not caused by differences between synaptic and exogenous transmitter transients because (1) there was no dependence of τDecayon pulse duration for pulses of 0.6–4 msec, (2) responses to GABA at concentrations as low as 10 μm were still slower to decay (τDecay, ∼41 msec) than IPSCs, and (3) responses of excised patches to synaptically released GABA had decay times similar to brief pulse responses. These data indicate that the receptors mediating synaptic versus brief pulse responses have different intrinsic properties. However, synaptic receptors were not altered by the patch excision process, because fast, spontaneous IPSCs could still be recorded in nucleated patches. Elevated calcium selectively modulated patch responses to GABA pulses, with no effect on IPSCs recorded in nucleated patches, demonstrating the presence of two receptor populations that are differentially regulated by intracellular second messengers. We conclude that two receptor populations with distinct kinetics coexist in CA1 pyramidal cells: slow extrasynaptic receptors that dominate the responses of excised patches to exogenous GABA applications and fast synaptic receptors that generate rapid IPSCs.
Early experience with the bifurcated Excluder endoprosthesis for treatment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Abstract Purpose: This report describes our initial experience with the modular, bifurcated Excluder endoprosthesis and its safety and efficacy in the primary endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Methods: AAAs (mean diameter, 58.2 ± 14.3 mm) were repaired in 19 patients with this device between March 1999 and January 2000. The mean age of patients was 71.8 ± 8.4 years (range, 57-86 years). This modular device was inserted through an 18F introducer sheath placed in one femoral artery, and the contralateral artery was cannulated with a 12F introducer sheath. All procedures were performed in a standard operating room with angiographic capabilities. Results: Endograft deployment was successful in all patients. The average surgical time was 135 ± 37 minutes, with a mean blood loss of 229 ± 138 mL. In eight patients, the use of either aortic or iliac extenders was required for enhanced sealing or additional length. An external iliac artery dissection occurring at the time of endograft insertion was successfully treated with a Wallstent. Type II leaks initially found to be present by means of intraoperative completion angiography had spontaneously thrombosed by the 1-month follow-up computed tomography scan. There was one perioperative death (5.3%). Complications included superficial wound infections (n = 3) and a nonfatal myocardial infarction (n = 1). The mean length of hospital stay was 2.9 ± 1.2 days, and only six patients required intensive care. Endoleaks were seen in four patients (21%) by means of the 30-day computed tomography scan; three of these endoleaks had spontaneously sealed at the time of the 6-month follow-up examination (5.5% 6-month endoleak rate). Aneurysm size did not increase in the patients with leaks. Conclusion: The Excluder endoprosthesis was an effective means of excluding an infrarenal AAA from the systemic circulation in this selected group of patients. The smaller sheath sizes may increase the pool of potential candidates. Further study of this device is warranted, and continued assessment of the long-term durability of the device will be necessary. (J Vasc Surg 2001;33:497-502.)