cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical role of TrkB and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the differentiation and survival of retinal pigment epithelium

In the vertebrate eye, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the neural retina arise from a single layer of neuroectoderm. Factors influencing the differentiation of retinal neurons have been identified; however, little is known about molecules directing the differentiation of the RPE. Here we have found that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an autocrine role in the differentiation and survival of Xenopus laevis RPE. Fluorescent in situ hybridization studies showed a precise co-expression of BDNF and its receptor trkB in the retinal neuroepithelium and actively differentiating RPE; in vitro studies demonstrated survival- and differentiation-promoting effects in serum-free explants and dissociated cultures. When a dominant negative mutant of the trkB receptor was expressed in developing embryos, severe arrest of RPE differentiation was seen with persistence of nestin- and Notch-positive neuroblasts.
DataMover: robust terabyte-scale multi-file replication over wide-area networks

Typically, large scientific datasets (order of terabytes) are generated at large computational centers, and stored on mass storage systems. However, large subsets of the data need to be moved to facilities available to application scientists for analysis. File replication of thousands of files is a tedious, error prone, but extremely important task in scientific applications. The automation of the file replication task requires automatic space acquisition and reuse, and monitoring the progress of staging thousands of files from the source mass storage system, transferring them over the network, archiving them at the target mass storage system or disk systems, and recovering from transient system failures. We have developed a robust replication system, called DataMover, which is now in regular use in High-Energy-Physics and Climate modeling experiments. Only a single command is necessary to request multi-file replication or the replication of an entire directory. A Web-based tool was developed to dynamically monitor the progress of the multi-file replication process.
On-Line Hole Quality Evaluation for Drilling Composite Material Using Dynamic Data

Aircraft manufacturing involves the drilling of a large number of holes for structural joints. The life and proper functioning of the joint can be critically affected by the quality of the hole which generally deteriorates with drill wear. In the use of composite material for the aircraft structure, the “lamination frequency,” associated with the laminated fiber of the material, can be considered to represent the waviness of the hole surface (an aspect of hole quality). The variance associated with this frequency, present in the dynamic nature of the drilling thrust and the hole surface profile, was found to change with the use of the drill. This study presents the possibility of using this change in the lamination frequency content of the drilling thrust for on-line monitoring of the drill condition, through analysis by the Dynamic Data System (DDS) technique.
Better skeletal microstructure confers greater mechanical advantages in Chinese-American women versus white women.

Despite lower areal bone mineral density (aBMD), Chinese-American women have fewer fractures than white women. We hypothesized that better skeletal microstructure in Chinese-American women in part could account for this paradox. Individual trabecula segmentation (ITS), a novel image-analysis technique, and micro–finite-element analysis (µFEA) were applied to high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) images to determine bone microarchitecture and strength in premenopausal Chinese-American and white women. Chinese-American women had 95% and 80% higher plate bone volume fraction at the distal radius and tibia, respectively, as well as 20% and 18% higher plate number density compared with white women (p < .001). With similar rodlike characteristics, the plate-to-rod ratio was twice as high in the Chinese-American than in white trabecular bone (p < .001). Plate-rod junction density, a parameter indicating trabecular network connections, was 37% and 29% greater at the distal radius and tibia, respectively, in Chinese-American women (p < .002). Moreover, the orientation of the trabecular bone network was more axially aligned in Chinese-American women because axial bone volume fraction was 51% and 32% higher at the distal radius and tibia, respectively, than in white women (p < .001). These striking differences in trabecular bone microstructure translated into 55% to 68% (distal radius, p < .001) and 29% to 43% (distal tibia, p < .01) greater trabecular bone strength, as assessed by Young's moduli, in the Chinese-American versus the white group. The observation that Chinese-American women have a major microstructural advantage over white women may help to explain why their risk of fracture is lower despite their lower BMD. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Commentary on the genus Ichthybotus (Ephemeridae) and the misplaced I. Dodecus Dubey

Abstract The recent description of certain mayflies from the Northwest Himalaya as a new species of Ichthybotus is shown to be untenable on the basis of known morphology. Ichthybotus dodecus Dubey is therefore designated as a taxon inquirenda. The genus Ichthybotus must continue to be regarded as dispecific and endemic to New Zealand.
Emergence and the Analytic Third: Working at the Edge of Chaos

This paper provides an integration of dynamic systems principles with the concept of the Analytic Third to further understand the therapeutic properties of the alliance between analyst and patient. I argue that the Analytic Third is an emergent phenomenon, in which something that is more than the sum of its parts is created, leading to an expansion of the capacity for play and spontaneity—with words, in relating to others, within the metaphor of the transference—which is one of the essential elements of therapeutic action. Rupture and repair is the central movement of therapeutic action, with mutual understanding building both mutual recognition and a stronger self-object bond. Adolescents can perhaps offer us the most striking and dramatic illustrations of emergence, because their analyses are particularly likely to unfold chaotically, often rapidly oscillating between periods of introspection and nonreflective action, but eventually shifting toward adaptation. A series of clinical vignettes taken from t...
"Atypical" Stevens-Johnson syndrome?

To the Editor .— We read with interest the excellent case series by Ravin et al,1 who examined one of the many manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The 3 cases were excellent examples of isolated mucositis occurring in association with M pneumoniae infection. In their article, and a recent similar report of isolated mucositis,2 the label of “atypical Stevens-Johnson syndrome” was applied to patients who developed the typical mucous membrane changes …
1.54‐μm photoluminescence from Er‐implanted GaN and AlN

We report the observation of the 1.54‐μm luminescence of optically excited Er3+ in ion‐implanted epitaxially grown GaN and AlN films using below band‐gap excitation. The Er‐implanted layers were co‐implanted with oxygen. At room temperature, this luminescence for GaN grown on sapphire is nearly as intense as it is at 6 or 77 K and exhibits many resolved transitions between crystal‐field levels of the 4I13/2 first excited multiplet and the 4I15/2 ground multiplet.
A water-soluble, diffusible pigment produced by a strain of Serratia marcescens (Chromobacterium prodigiosum).

MEMBERS of the bacterial species, Serratia marcescens, are characterized by the production of red or pink pigments. These pigments are described as being insoluble, or sparingly soluble in water, and to be associated with the bacterial cell1,2. Heavily pigmented strains show some diffusion of pigment into agar media, but the organisms still retain most of the colour2,3. We wish to report a red-to-pink pigment produced by a strain of S. marcescens which not only is readily soluble in water, but which also diffuses from the organisms into the medium and leaves the cells colourless.
Bone mineral density and prevalent osteoarthritis of the hip in older men for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Group

Summary We evaluated the association of bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip in elderly men. We found that elderly men with moderate to severe radiographic hip OA (RHOA) had significantly higher areal BMD (aBMD) and volumetric BMD (vBMD) at both the lumbar spine and hip compared to age similar controls without OA.
The Fanconi anemia protein FANCC binds to and facilitates the activation of STAT1 by gamma interferon and hematopoietic growth factors.

Hematopoietic progenitor cells from Fanconi anemia (FA) group C (FA-C) patients display hypersensitivity to the apoptotic effects of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and constitutively express a variety of IFN-dependent genes. Paradoxically, however, STAT1 activation is suppressed in IFN-stimulated FA cells, an abnormality corrected by transduction of normal FANCC cDNA. We therefore sought to define the specific role of FANCC protein in signal transduction through receptors that activate STAT1. Expression and phosphorylation of IFN-γ receptor α chain (IFN-γRα) and JAK1 and JAK2 tyrosine kinases were equivalent in both normal and FA-C cells. However, in coimmunoprecipitation experiments STAT1 did not dock at the IFN-γR of FA-C cells, an abnormality corrected by transduction of the FANCC gene. In addition, glutathione S-transferase fusion genes encoding normal FANCC but not a mutant FANCC bearing an inactivating point mutation (L554P) bound to STAT1 in lysates of IFN-γ-stimulated B cells and IFN-, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor- and stem cell factor-stimulated MO7e cells. Kinetic studies revealed that the initial binding of FANCC was to nonphosphorylated STAT1 but that subsequently the complex moved to the receptor docking site, at which point STAT1 became phosphorylated. The STAT1 phosphorylation defect in FA-C cells was functionally significant in that IFN induction of IFN response factor 1 was suppressed and STAT1-DNA complexes were not detected in nuclear extracts of FA-C cells. We also determined that the IFN-γ hypersensitivity of FA-C hematopoietic progenitor cells does not derive from STAT1 activation defects because granulocyte-macrophage CFU and erythroid burst-forming units from STAT1−/− mice were resistant to IFN-γ. However, BFU-E responses to SCF and erythropoietin were suppressed in STAT−/− mice. Consequently, because the FANCC protein is involved in the activation of STAT1 through receptors for at least three hematopoietic growth and survival factor molecules, we reason that FA-C hematopoietic cells are excessively apoptotic because of an imbalance between survival cues (owing to a failure of STAT1 activation in FA-C cells) and apoptotic and mitogenic inhibitory cues (constitutively activated in FA-C cells in a STAT1-independent fashion).
Counting subsets of the random partition and the ‘Brownian Bridge’ process

Abstract Let Ωm be the set of partitions, ω, of a finite m-element set; induce a uniform probability distribution on Ωm, and define Xms(ω) as the number of s-element subsets in ω. We alow the existence of an integer-valued function n=n(m)(t), tϵ[0, 1], and centering constants bms, 0⩽s⩽ m, such that Z (m) (t)= ∑ s=0 n(m)(t) (X ms −b ms ) √ ∑ s=0 m b ms converges to the ‘Brownian Bridge’ process in terms of its finite-dimensional distributions.
Water relations and food consumption of the mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus

Abstract 1. 1. The basal fluid and caloric intakes of Meriones unguiculatus were studied under conditions of ad lib. fresh water, progressively higher concentrations of NaCl, water deprivation, and rehydration. 2. 2. Mean fluid consumption of fresh water was 9·63 ± S.D. 1·95 per cent body weight per day, and caloric intake averaged 40·32 ± 4·92 kcal/100 g body weight per day when fed oven-dried Lab Chow. Total free and metabolic water intake combined averaged 13·3 per cent body weight per day. 3. 3. Both fluid and food intakes declined with increasing concentrations of NaCl. 4. 4. M. unguiculatus was very tolerant of highly concentrated salt solutions. Body weights were stable at molarities as high as 0·75, and some metabolically useful water was extracted from solutions as concentrated as 1·25 M. 5. 5. Weight losses of up to 47·8 per cent were tolerated before death; these are among the highest values recorded for small mammals. 6. 6. Rehydration was initially rapid, but was not completed at the end of a 12-day exposure to free water. 7. 7. The performance of M. unguiculatus is compared to that of other desert and non-xerically adapted species that have been similarly tested.
Triad of terror: post-START reductions in broader context

Abstract This paper considers the present condition and future prospects for post-Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (post-START) nuclear arms reductions in the following sequence. First, we review the essential features of the agreement between Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in July 2009, for a START follow-on agreement. Second, we discuss the larger political and military-strategic contexts within which these post-START negotiations will play out. Third, we perform an analysis to determine whether the START follow-on guidelines would meet prospective requirements for mutual deterrence and, in addition, whether US–Russian reductions could safely go even lower. Fourth, we take a specific look at the estimated impact of defenses on deterrence stability under post-START reductions. Fifth, pertinent conclusions are summarized.
Collaboration and meaning analysis process in intense problem solving teams

A set of testable propositions based on the collaboration and meaning analysis process (C-MAP) are presented. The C-MAP involves the conscious externalisation of knowledge to support knowledge transfer, the development of innovated knowledge and the development of cognitive similarity in intense problem solving teams (Rentsch, J.R., Delise, L.A., and Hutchison, S., 2008a. Transferring meaning and developing cognitive similarity in decision making teams: collaboration and meaning analysis process. In: M.P. Letsky, et al., eds. Macrocognition in teams. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 127–142). Innovated knowledge is collaboratively created knowledge not initially possessed by the team when it was composed. Intense problem solving teams are distributed teams in which each member possesses unique expert information that must be integrated to achieve a viable solution. The teams work in difficult contexts and their decisions have high risk implications. The cognitive processes included in the C-MAP may be ...
Peroxynitrite and the regulation of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity by angiotensin II in the rat proximal tubule.

Abstract NO reacts spontaneously with superoxide to produce the potent oxidant peroxynitrite. Studies were designed to examine the role of NO-derived oxidants and peroxynitrite on the regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity by angiotensin II (ANG II) freshly isolated rat proximal tubules. At picomolar concentrations ANG II stimulates Na+,K+-ATPase activity, but at nanomolar concentrations stimulation is lost. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was used to examine the role of superoxide and deferoxamine (DFO) and uric acid (UA) were used to examine the role of peroxynitrite. SOD (200 U/mL, 5-min preincubation) restored the stimulatory effect of ANG II (1.31±0.08-fold; n=4; P 10 −7 M alone), suggesting a role for superoxide. DFO ( 100 μm , 5-min preincubation) also restored the stimulatory effect of ANG II (1.40±0.08-fold; n=4; P 10 −7 M alone), as did UA (1.22±0.07-fold; n=5; P 10 −7 M alone). The NO synthesis inhibitor, N-monomethyl- l -arginine ( l -NMMA, 2 mM; 5-min preincubation), also unmasked a stimulatory effect of ANG II at 10 −7 M (1.4±0.1-fold; n=7; P 10 −7 M alone). The generation of peroxynitrite was further evidenced by the formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). 3-NT increased 3.5-fold in tubules exposed to ANG II ( 10 −7 M ) (0.0054±0.0019 3-NT/100 tyrosines for control and 0.019±0.0058 3-NT/100 tyrosines for ANG II, P l -NMMA prevented the increase. These data suggest that peroxynitrite signaling participates in the regulation of renal of Na+,K+-ATPase activity.
Comparison of hydraulic-fracture orientation techniques

Knowledge of the orientation of hydraulic fractures can be important in determining optimum well locations in recovery from tight gas sands, waterflooding, and EOR. The diagnostic technology used to determine fracture orientation in single wells has matured during the last few years so that reliable field-proven techniques exist. Five fracture-orientation techniques have been investigated extensively in multiple wells and in several fields in east Texas and Alaska for well depths up to 12,000 ft (3600 m). The techniques reviewed include active fracture mapping with tiltmeter arrays and a triaxial borehole seismic (TABS) tool. The active fracturing techniques are compared with the predictive techniques of stress relief, thermal expansion, and sonic velocity measurements on oriented sandstone cores. Sufficient field tests have been performed to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the data, and the theory by which the data are interpreted. All the field and laboratory techniques investigated proved to be reliable and provided good agreement between four or five independent tests in the same wells and zones. Accuracy of the various field tests varied from 5 to 20/sup 0/ (0.09 to 0.35 rad), and methods for improving this accuracy are reviewed.
Multicomponent reactive dispersion in tubes: Collocation vs. radial averaging

Orthogonal collocation is used to analyze the dispersion and chemical conversion of a multicomponent fluid pulse in a laminar isothermal flow in a catalytic tube. Homogeneous and heterogeneous first-order chemical reactions are included, and a full matrix diffusion law is used. The collocation method represents the dynamics well over wide ranges of system parameters and reaction time. Radial averaging approaches prove less convenient, since the dispersion coefficients thus introduced are complicated functions of time, transport properties and chemical kinetics.
Suppression of Transcription Factor Egr-1 by Curcumin

The transcription factor early growth response-1 gene product (Egr-1) is a member of the family of immediate early response genes and regulates a number of pathophysiologically relevant genes in vasculature that are involved in growth, differentiation, immune response, wound healing, and blood clotting. In the present study, we investigated the effect of curcumin, a natural plant phenolic compound known to exhibit anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory properties, on Egr-1 expression in endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Gel mobility shift assays showed that pretreatment of endothelial cells and fibroblasts with curcumin suppressed phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and serum-induced Egr-1 binding activity to the consensus Egr-1 binding site and also to the Egr-1 binding site present in the promoter of tissue factor gene. Western blot analysis revealed that curcumin inhibited phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced de novo synthesis of Egr-1 protein in endothelial cells. Suppression of Egr-1 protein expression in curcumin-treated cells stemmed from the suppression of Egr-1 mRNA. Northern blot analysis showed that curcumin inhibited serum and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced expression of tissue factor and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor mRNA in fibroblasts. Cumulatively, the data show that curcumin suppresses the induction of transcription factor Egr-1 and thereby modulates the expression of Egr-1-regulated genes in endothelial cells and fibroblasts.
Utilizing prospective sequence analysis of SHH, ZIC2, SIX3 and TGIF in holoprosencephaly probands to describe the parameters limiting the observed frequency of mutant gene×gene interactions.

Abstract Clinical molecular diagnostic centers routinely screen SHH , ZIC2 , SIX3 and TGIF for mutations that can help to explain holoprosencephaly and related brain malformations. Here we report a prospective Sanger sequence analysis of 189 unrelated probands referred to our diagnostic lab for genetic testing. We identified 28 novel unique mutations in this group (15%) and no instances of deleterious mutations in two genes in the same subject. Our result extends that of other diagnostic centers and suggests that among the aggregate 475 prospectively sequenced holoprosencephaly probands there is negligible evidence for direct gene–gene interactions among these tested genes. We model the predictions of the observed mutation frequency in the context of the hypothesis that gene × gene interactions are a prerequisite for forebrain malformations, i.e. the “multiple-hit” hypothesis. We conclude that such a direct interaction would be expected to be rare and that more subtle genetic and environmental interactions are a better explanation for the clinically observed inter- and intra-familial variability.
Brain asymmetry: facts and fallacies in statistical inference.

Abstract In a recent article, C. M. Clark, R. Kessler, and R. Margolin ((1985), Brain and Cognition, 4 , 7–12) argue that standard statistical tests should not be applied to measures of regional cerebral metabolism. They offer no evidence that such measures uniquely escape the mathematical foundations of statistical inference but, instead, merely note the definitional relations among various descriptive and inferential statistics. They falsely claim that these relations invalidate conclusions drawn from statistical tests, and in making this claim, they commit several quite serious logical fallacies. These fallacies are examined.
Experiments on the stability of convection rolls in fluids whose viscosity depends on temperature

The stability of two-dimensional convection rolls has been studied as a function of the Rayleigh number, wavenumber and variation in viscosity. The experiments used controlled initial conditions for the wavenumber, Rayleigh numbers up to 25 000 and variations in viscosity up to a factor of about 20. The parameter range of stable rolls is bounded by a hexagonal-cell regime at small Rayleigh numbers and large variations in viscosity. Otherwise, the rolls are subject to the same transitions as have already been studied in fluids of uniform viscosity. The bimodal instability leading to a stable three-dimensional pattern occurs at smaller values of the average Rayleigh number as the variations in viscosity increase. This appears to be a consequence of the low viscosity of the warm thermal boundary layer associated with the original rolls.
SOCIALIZING THE LEGAL PROFESSION: Can Redistributing Lawyers' Services Achieve Social Justice?

Redistributing laywers' services is a principal focus of efforts to reform contemporary legal systems. Such reforms generally attempt to modify the market distribution in oneof two ways: by subsidizing lawyers for the unrepresented, or by rendering lawyers unnecessary through deprofessionalization. This essay analyzes the contribution that redistribution could make to social (rather than formal) justice by extrapolating the consequences of the greatest conceivable redistribution: a socialization of the profession that would withdraw lawyers from those who presently purchase lawyers' services, while simultaneously subsidizing lawyers for the unrepresented. It then turns to the political prospects forsocialization. Concluding that socialization appears either feasible nor likely to attainsocial justice if it were possible, the essay reflects on the implications of continued pursuit of reformist goals.
The effects of casino gambling on state tax revenue

A theoretical model of state tax structure implies that revenue enhancement due to the introduction of casino gambling is less likely in states where incomes taxes do not exist and where casino tax rates are lower than the corresponding tax rates on sales taxable and excise taxable goods. Further, it is clear that casino gambling is likely to adversely impact lottery tax revenues earmarked for education. Due to the cross-price effects of gambling, tax revenues will likely decline in states that introduce nontaxable casino gambling on Indian reservations. In the longer term, as casino gambling proliferates increasing competition among states, there will be negative revenue consequences due to fewer tourism and employment dollars.
Looking beyond Erectile Dysfunction: The Need for Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Sexual Dysfunction

Abstract Objectives: To review currently available self-report instruments for the assessment of male sexual function; to consider their utility for comprehensive assessments across all domains of sexual function, and suitability for wide-scale administration in clinical trial programmes. Methods: Several assessment scales in current use are reviewed: the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Danish Prostatic Symptom Scale (DAN-PSS), the Urolife Questionnaire, the International Continence Society Sexual Function Scale and the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI). Results: Available instruments have been designed, primarily, to assess erectile dysfunction (ED). Their ability to elicit and capture information on ejaculatory disorders, and other components of sexual satisfaction in men is less satisfactory, despite the evidence for widespread deficits in these domains experienced by men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Conclusions: Assessment of all sexual function domains needs to be considered in the treatment choice for BPH and/or LUTS. More comprehensive scales to assess all domains of sexual function, including ejaculatory disorders (EjD), are required to help manage an increasing population of ageing men.
Simultaneous Wavelength-Swept Generation in NIR and SWIR Bands Over Combined 329-nm Band Using Swept-Pump Fiber Optical Parametric Oscillator

We report the demonstration of a new wavelength-swept source. Utilizing narrowband, widely tunable fiber optical parametric process as the gain and the wavelength selection mechanism in a ring laser topology, simultaneous access to two distinct bands (NIR and SWIR) over 329 nm was achieved. A nonmechanical cavity-tuning mechanism allowed for ultrafast sweep rate, limited primarily by the speed of the tunable pump source confined to a conventional 1550-nm band. With the experimentally verified order-of-magnitude enhancement in sweep range and speed, the source opens a path for spectral scanning at an unprecedented speed and range while relying on existing tuning technologies.
Estimates of vertical heat flux and stratification from southern Georges Bank, model descriptions and results, Winter–Summer 1995

Abstract One-dimensional energy models have long been shown to describe the location of tidal mixing fronts, separating well-mixed from stratified waters on mid-latitude continental shelf regions, such as Georges Bank, from spring-fall. The same models can also be used to describe adjustments of the fronts and changes in density stratification to time-dependent variability of surface heating, tidal stirring and wind mixing over a broad range of time scales. Findings from this study include validation of a one-dimensional model through comparison of model potential energy anomalies with independent data consisting of potential energy anomalies computed using shipboard CTD measurements from broad-scale (and other) surveys of southern Georges Bank conducted during 1995. Model results from 1995 show net buoyancy removal due to tidal stirring remaining approximately 2–5 times greater than buoyancy input due to vertical heat flux for water depths of less than 60 m (zone 1) during the spring–summer period of positive heat flux; the addition of wind mixing adding relatively little to the net result given the very strong tidal stirring within zone 1. Additional model results show development of transient stratification during late-April 1995 over regions with bottom depths of 60–80 and 80–100 m (zones 2 and 3) due to net buoyancy input caused by increased vertical heat flux, neap tidal currents and reduced wind mixing, followed by increasing tidal currents from the next spring tide and strong wind mixing associated with low pressure systems which traversed the region during early-May 1995. Lastly, model results show the development of seasonal stratification during mid-May 1995 over regions with bottom depths of 60–80 and 80–100 m (zones 2 and 3) caused by increased vertical heat flux and reduced tidal stirring and wind mixing.
A Chinese Internet? History, practice, and globalization

In studying the impact of television on American journalism and the presidency, Michael Schudson (1995) writes that the question is not about television as an abstract technology, but about America...
Fulminant hepatic failure in rats: Survival and effect on blood chemistry and liver regeneration

A reproducible experimental animal model of fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) resembling the clinical condition is needed. We have developed such a model in the rat by combining resection of the two anterior liver lobes (68% liver mass) with ligation of the right lobes pedicle (24% liver mass), resulting in liver necrosis; the remaining two omental lobes (8% liver mass) are left intact. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were used. Survival time was determined in 60 rats. Because maintenance of body temperature at 37 degrees C shortened survival time by half, FHF rats were not warmed during the postinduction period and were allowed to gradually enter a state of mild to moderate hypothermia (29-32 degrees C). Additionally, 42 FHF rats were killed in batches of six rats each 2, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 hours postoperatively to evaluate changes in blood chemistry (glucose, lactate, liver function tests, prothrombin time) and to assess liver regenerative response in the residual omental liver lobes (weight, protein content, incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine [BrdU], expression of proliferation cell nuclear antigen [PCNA], mitotic activity), plasma levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta1), and tissue expression of the HGF and it's receptor c-met. Rats undergoing partial hepatectomy of 68% (PH; n = 42) and a sham operation (SO; n = 42) served as controls. All SO and PH controls survived. PH rats showed only transient decreases in body temperature, signs of modest early hepatic dysfunction (hyperlactemia, hyperammonemia, prolonged PT time), and normal restitution of liver mass. All FHF rats became comatose by 24 hours postoperatively. Most animals (90%) died within 24-48 hours postoperatively (mean, 39 +/- 11 hours). Changes in blood chemistry reflected rapid development of liver failure. Plasma HGF levels were markedly elevated and at all time points were higher than in PH controls (P < .05). At the same time, expression of HGF and c-met messenger RNA in the remnant liver was delayed. Plasma TGF-beta1 levels increased early (18 hours) and remained twofold to threefold higher than that of PH and SO controls (P < .05). There was only a 20% increase in the weight of the remnant liver lobes due to swelling. No hepatocytes stained positively for BrdU and PCNA, and none showed mitotic figures. In contrast, all PH controls showed vigorous liver regeneration. In conclusion, we have developed and characterized a novel model of FHF in rats that has a number of physiological and biochemical features seen clinically in FHF, including severely impaired ability of the residual liver tissue to regenerate.
High-order approximation compact schemes for forward subsurface scattering problems

We develop an efficient iterative approach to the solution of the discrete three-dimensional Helmholtz equation with variable coefficients and PML boundary conditions based on compact fourth and sixth order approximation schemes. The coefficient matrices of the resulting systems are not Hermitian and possess positive as well as negative eigenvalues so represent a significant challenge for constructing an efficient iterative solver. In our approach these systems are solved by a combination of a Krylov subspace-type method with a matching high order approximation preconditioner with coefficients depending only on one spatial variable. In the algorithms considered, the direct solution of high order preconditioning system is based on a combination of the separation of variables technique and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) type methods. The resulting numerical methods allow for efficient implementation on parallel computers. Numerical results confirm the high efficiency of the proposed iterative algorithms.
Arginine desimidase in Chlorella

Abstract Previous work had shown that Chlorella vulgaris rapidly converts arginine to citrulline, suggesting that this organism contains arginine desimidase. An arginine desimidase has been extracted from Chlorella and purified 20-fold. Evidence for the desimidase has been obtained by the determination of substrate specificity, identification of the products and the stoichiometry of the reaction. The enzyme requires no cofactors, has a broad pH optimum with a maximum near pH 8·0, has a restricted specificity and is sensitive to thiol reagents.
Comparison of behavioral effects of synthetic (-) 9 -trans-tetrahydrocannabinol and marihuana extract distillate in chimpanzees.

Eight chimpanzees emitted panel push responses under a procedure in which three operant schedules of positive reinforcement, each associated with a different stimulus, were presented successively. The fixed ratio (FR) schedule required the emission of 40 responses for reinforcement. Reinforcement under the differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL) schedule was delivered only for a response that followed the immediately preceding response by 10 or more sec. No responses were reinforced under the extinction or time out from reinforcement (TO) schedule. The behavioral effects produced by a marihuana extract distillate containing a known amount of (−)δ 9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (δ 9-THC) were compared with those produced by a totally synthesized δ 9-THC. On four separate drug days each chimpanzee was orally administered one of the two compounds 2.5 h prior to experimentation in amounts yielding 1.0 mg/kg δ 9-THC. Only the DRL schedule performance was significantly affected by either drug compound. Both the marihuana extract and the synthetic δ 9-THC produced a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of correct DRL responses. However, no statistically significant differences between the drug effects produced by the two δ 9-THC dose forms were obtained.
Single-shot compressed ultrafast photography at one hundred billion frames per second

The capture of transient scenes at high imaging speed has been long sought by photographers, with early examples being the well known recording in 1878 of a horse in motion and the 1887 photograph of a supersonic bullet. However, not until the late twentieth century were breakthroughs achieved in demonstrating ultrahigh-speed imaging (more than 10^5 frames per second). In particular, the introduction of electronic imaging sensors based on the charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology revolutionized high-speed photography, enabling acquisition rates of up to 10^7 frames per second. Despite these sensors’ widespread impact, further increasing frame rates using CCD or CMOS technology is fundamentally limited by their on-chip storage and electronic readout speed. Here we demonstrate a two-dimensional dynamic imaging technique, compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), which can capture non-repetitive time-evolving events at up to 10^(11) frames per second. Compared with existing ultrafast imaging techniques, CUP has the prominent advantage of measuring an x–y–t (x, y, spatial coordinates; t, time) scene with a single camera snapshot, thereby allowing observation of transient events with temporal resolution as tens of picoseconds. Furthermore, akin to traditional photography, CUP is receive-only, and so does not need the specialized active illumination required by other single-shot ultrafast imagers. As a result, CUP can image a variety of luminescent—such as fluorescent or bioluminescent—objects. Using CUP, we visualize four fundamental physical phenomena with single laser shots only: laser pulse reflection and refraction, photon racing in two media, and faster-than-light propagation of non-information (that is, motion that appears faster than the speed of light but cannot convey information). Given CUP’s capability, we expect it to find widespread applications in both fundamental and applied sciences, including biomedical research.
Electroencephalographic lateralization in chronic infantile hemiplegia

Abstract In 20 of 40 patients with chronic infantile hemiplegia, EEGs failed to lateralize cerebral dysfunction as determined clinically. Patients with “concordant” clinical EEG lateralization were compared to those with “discordant” or non-localizing findings. There was no difference between these groups as to sex, age, cerebral vascular resistance and cerebral oxygen consumption. However, cerebral blood flow was significantly lower in the group with discordant lateralization suggesting the existence of generalized bilateral brain damage.
Oxidation of Inorganic Compounds by Ferrate(VI) and Ferrate(V): One-Electron and Two-Electron Transfer Steps

Ferrate(VI) (Fe(VI)O(4)(-), Fe(VI)) and ferrate(V) (Fe(V)O(4)(3-), Fe(V)) have a high oxidizing power and upon decomposition form a nontoxic byproduct, Fe(III), which makes them environmentally friendly oxidants in water and wastewater treatment. The kinetics of the reaction between Fe(VI) and I(-) was determined using a stopped-flow technique. The second-order rate constants (k, M(-1) s(-1)) for the oxidation of I(-) and other inorganic compounds by protonated ferrate(VI) (HFe(VI)O(4)(-)) and ferrate(V) (Fe(V)O(4)(3-)) ions were correlated with thermodynamic reduction potentials to understand the reaction mechanisms. A linear relationship was found between log k and 1-e(-) reduction potentials for iodide, cyanides, and superoxide while oxy-compounds of nitrogen, sulfur, selenium, and arsenic demonstrated a linear relationship for 2-e(-) reduction potentials. The estimated limits for the reduction potentials of the couple are E(o)(Fe(VI)/Fe(V)) >or= 0.76 V and E(o)(Fe(VI)/Fe(IV)) >or= -0.18 V. Conclusions drawn from the correlations are consistent with the mechanisms postulated from stoichiometries, intermediates, and products of the reactions. Implication of the kinetic results in treatment using ferrate(VI) is briefly discussed.
Proximity of manipulandum and foodcup as a determinant of the generalized SD effect

An experiment was performed to determine if the discriminative control exerted by an SD and SΔ over an unrelated response might be due to the fact that the S elicits foodcup approach behavior which has the effect of bringing S nearer to the manipulandum, thereby increasing the probability of a response in SD. This hypothesis was disconfirmed in that (a) the generalized SD effect was obtained even under conditions where SD-elicited foodcup approach would keep S as far away as possible from the manipulandum, and (b) during testing the SD and SΔ did not lead to differential numbers of foodcup approach responses.
Pressure Based Exogenous Force Estimation

Using pressure transducers to estimate the exogenous force acting on an end effector could be useful for a number of applications. These might include load estimation or diagnostics. In this case, it is motivated by haptic control of backhoes/excavators. Using pressure transducers is attractive from a cost point of view because they are relatively inexpensive and more importantly already present on many electro-hydraulic systems. Measuring the cylinder pressure and multiplying by the respective areas give the total force on each cylinder that is produced by the hydraulic pressure. Embedded in this force is cylinder and structural friction, gravitational forces, inertial/Coriolis/centrifugal forces and exogenous forces acting on the end effector. Particularly challenging is the friction inside the cylinders which is not only velocity dependent, but also pressure dependent. The friction increases as the pressure inside the cylinders push harder on the seal. This paper discusses how to remove the unwanted force components which result in an estimation of the exogenous force on the end effector. Experimental results are presented from a backhoe test-bed and the new method is compared with previous work related to this topic.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
NEMO-binding Domains of Both IKKα and IKKβ Regulate IκB Kinase Complex Assembly and Classical NF-κB Activation

Proinflammatory NF-κB activation requires the IκB (inhibitor of NF-κB) kinase (IKK) complex that contains two catalytic subunits named IKKα and IKKβ and a regulatory subunit named NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO). NEMO and IKKβ are essential for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced NF-κB activation, and we recently demonstrated that NEMO and IKKα are sufficient for interleukin (IL)-1-induced signaling. IKKα and IKKβ both contain a functional NEMO-binding domain (NBD); however, the role of NEMO association with each kinase in NF-κB signaling and IKK complex formation remains unclear. To address this question, we stably reconstituted IKKα−/− and IKKβ−/− murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with wild-type (WT) or NBD-deficient (ΔNBD) versions of IKKα and IKKβ, respectively. TNF-induced classical NF-κB activation in IKKβ−/− MEFs was rescued by IKKβWT but not IKKβΔNBD, whereas neither IKKβWT nor IKKβΔNBD affected IL-1-induced NF-κB signaling. As previously described, classical NF-κB transcriptional activity was absent in IKKα−/− cells. Reconstitution with either IKKαWT or IKKαΔNBD rescued both IL-1 and TNF-induced transcription, demonstrating that NEMO association is not required for IKKα-dependent regulation of NF-κB-dependent transcription. Stably expressed IKKαWT or IKKβWT associated with endogenous IKKs and NEMO in IKKα−/− or IKKβ−/− MEFs, respectively, resulting in formation of the heterotrimeric IKKα-IKKβ-NEMO complex. In contrast, although the IKKαΔNBD and IKKβΔNBD mutants associated with endogenous IKKs containing an NBD, these dimeric endogenous IKK-IKKΔNBD complexes did not associate with NEMO. These findings therefore demonstrate that formation of the heterotrimeric IKKα-IKKβ-NEMO holocomplex absolutely requires two intact NEMO-binding domains.
Self-actualization and empathy as predictors of marital satisfaction.

The relationships between marital satisfaction, self-actualization, and empathy scores were tested for 30 intact couples. Analyses indicated that both self-actualization and empathy scores were ind...
QSO metal-line absorbers: The key to large-scale structure

Abstract A study of the spatial autocorrelation of heavy-element-containing absorption systems in QSOs has shown strong clustering. Based on this correlation, it is proposed that more data may facilitate study of large-scale structure at larger scales and earlier epochs than previously possible. It may be possible to measure the slope of the primordial power spectrum, and set a new lower bound on the mass density of the universe in nonrelativistic species, including the unknown dark matter, whether or not it is baryonic.
Directionalization of visual targets during involuntary eye movement.

Perceived visual direction with respect to one's self (egocentric direction) depends upon the retinal location of a target's image (its oculocentric direction) and concurrent information about the position of the eyes in the head. Information about eye position is presumably obtained from efference copy signals. However, in order to explain illusory target motion that can occur during reflexive eye movements (e.g., post-rotary nystagmus), these signals have been suggested to accompany only voluntary oculomotor responses. In the experiment reported here, manual pointing was used to assess the perceived direction of targets flashed during optokinetic afternystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes that occurs in darkness following optokinetic stimulation. Egocentric directionalization was essentially veridical, indicating that accurate eye position information is available during optokinetic afternystagmus. A model is proposed that accounts for illusory target motion during involuntary oculomotor responses by the cancellation of efference copy information about these eye movements with signals of oppositely directed head motion.
Joint control of region-2 field-aligned currents by the east–west component of the interplanetary electric field and polar cap illumination

Abstract Passes of the Polar spacecraft through the region-2 field-aligned currents at geocentric distances from 1.7 to 2.3 Earth radii in the southern hemisphere are used to measure the magnetic perturbation associated with these currents. Examination of the interplanetary electric field (IEF) measured by ACE and Wind reveals a linear dependence of the strength of the region-2 currents on the east–west component of the IEF when it is from dawn to dusk and no dependence when it is from dusk to dawn. Thus in the steady-state conditions examined herein, the region-2 currents exhibit a linear dependence on the dawn–dusk component of the IEF as do the ring-current injection and the cross-polar-cap potential drop. Examination of the state of illumination of the ionosphere at the foot of the magnetic field line through Polar reveals that the dependence of the field-aligned currents on the IEF has on average twice the slope for the sunlit ionosphere ( 387 nT/mV ) than for the dark ionosphere ( 175 nT/mV ). We interpret the result as consistent with the expected greater drag on the convective flow over the sunlit regions than at night due to the greater Pedersen conductivity in sunlight.
Fuzzy convex set-based pattern classification for analysis of mammographic microcalcifications

Abstract There are many different criteria for the comparative analysis of pattern classifiers. They include generalization ability, computational complexity and understanding of the feature space. In some applications such as the medical diagnostic systems it is crucial to use reliable tools, whose behavior is always predictable, so that the risk of misdiagnosis is minimized. In such applications the use of the popular feedforward backpropagation (BP) neural network algorithm can be seen as questionable. This is because it is not inherent for the backpropagation method to analyze the problem's feature space during training, which can sometimes result in inadequate decision surfaces. A novel convex-set-based neuro-fuzzy algorithm for classification of difficult-to-diagnose instances of breast cancer is described in this paper. With its structural approach to feature space the new method offers rational advantages over the backpropagation algorithm. The classification performance, computational and structural efficiencies are analyzed and compared with that of the BP network. A 20-dimensional set of “difficult-to-diagnose” mammographic microcalcifications was used to evaluate the neuro-fuzzy pattern classifier (NFPC) and the BP methods. In order to evaluate the learning ability of both methods, the relative size of training sets was varied from 40 to 90%. The comparative results obtained using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis show that the ability of the convex-set-based method to infer knowledge was better than that of backpropagation in all of the tests performed, making it more suitable for use in real diagnostic systems.