cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk Stratification by Regadenoson Stress Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and inducible ischemia on regadenoson cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) performed at 3.0 T. Regadenoson stress CMR MPI is increasingly used to assess patients with suspected ischemia; however, its value in patient prognostication and risk reclassification is only emerging. A total of 346 patients with suspected ischemia who were referred for regadenoson CMR were studied. The prognostic association of presence of inducible ischemia by CMR with MACEs was determined. In addition, we assessed the extent of net reclassification improvement by CMR beyond a clinical risk model. There were 52 MACEs during a median follow-up period of 1.9 years. Patients with inducible ischemia were fourfold more likely to experience MACEs (hazard ratio, 4.14, 95% confidence interval 2.37 to 7.24, p 10%) by CMR was 0.29 (95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.44), and continuous net reclassification improvement was 0.58. In conclusion, in patients with clinical suspicion of myocardial ischemia, regadenoson stress CMR MPI provides robust risk stratification. CMR MPI negative for ischemia was associated with a very low annual rate of hard cardiac events. In addition, CMR MPI provides effective risk reclassification in a substantial proportion of patients.
Pulmonary venous aneurysm presenting as a middle mediastinal mass

A large mediastinal mass in a 43-year-old man was proven at thoracotomy to comprise a right superior pulmonary vein aneurysm. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was useful in defining the abnormality. Pulmonary venous aneurysm appears to represent an extremely rare but surgically correctable addition to the differential diagnosis of middle mediastinal masses.
“Not So Much As Place to Lay Our Head...”: Moral Inclusion and Exclusion in the American Civil War Reconstruction

A war’s end can prompt societal change. This article examines inclusionary justice in the post-war period, when societies have the opportunity to change in ways that include formerly disadvantaged groups within the scope of justice. Using historical material on the Reconstruction after the American Civil War, this theory-generating article examines the post-war inclusionary trajectory for enslaved people who were emancipated as a result of the war. After briefly describing the Civil War, the article discusses four points along an inclusionary/exclusionary continuum of the Reconstruction: self-inclusion, instrumental inclusion, obstructed inclusion, and institutionalized exclusion. The article then looks at after-effects of the Reconstruction at two points in time: the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision and the hardships after Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The article concludes with lessons from the Reconstruction for a psychology of inclusionary justice, including the multidimensionality, difficulty, and urgency of changing the status quo, the importance of including missing voices, and the challenges of studying inclusionary change. It argues that moral inclusion needs to occur in political, legal, economic, and social spheres of society if it is to be sustained.
Structural and optical properties for typical solid mirror shapes

A method is developed to determine the weight, center of gravity, areal properties, and mass inertial properties for typical mirrors. A number of support conditions were considered to examine optical surface deflections, surface quality, and fundamental natural frequency for single- and double-arch mirror shapes. Structural performance estimates were made with the NASTRAN program, and optical performances were evaluated with the FRINGE program, using an SXA 40-in mirror. To show the behavior of element types from the NASTRAN program, finite element validity and sensitivity studies were performed in optical model applications. Material parameters, contoured back shapes, and support locations are shown to have significant effects on structural and optical performances. Optimal support locations and support points are given. Fundamental natural frequencies for some shapes are found with the closed-form solution. The plate models results may not be acceptable for determining real mirror optical performances.
Locally unique solutions of quadratic programs, linear and nonlinear complementarity problems

It is shown that McCormick's second order sufficient optimality conditions are also necessary for a solution to a quadratic program to be locally unique and hence these conditions completely characterize a locally unique solution of any quadratic program. This result is then used to give characterizations of a locally unique solution to the linear complementarity problem. Sufficient conditions are also given for local uniqueness of solutions of the nonlinear complementarity problem.
Levels upon levels: predicting age differences in text recall.

Abstract Younger and older adults read and recalled narrative and expository prose passages of varying propositional density. Age differences in recall were smaller when text units were from higher levels in a coherence graph and when the young and elderly groups compared were higher in verbal ability. The extent to which age differences were moderated by these factors varied, however, as a function of text characteristics. These results reinforce the position that the extent of age differences in text recall depends on both text and reader characteristics.
Ghost busting: Making sense of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians ∗ )

The Lee model is an elementary quantum field theory in which mass, wave-function, and charge renormalization can be performed exactly. Early studies of this model in the 1950’s found that there is a critical value of g 2, the square of the renormalized coupling constant, above which g 0 2 , the square of the unrenormalized coupling constant, is negative. For g 2 larger than this critical value, the Hamiltonian of the Lee model becomes non-Hermitian. In this non-Hermitian regime a new state appears whose norm is negative. This state is called a ghost. It has always been thought that in this ghost regime the Lee model is an unacceptable quantum theory because unitarity appears to be violated. However, in this regime while the Hamiltonian is not Hermitian, it does possess \( \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} \) symmetry. It has recently been discovered that a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian having \( \mathcal{P}\mathcal{T} \) symmetry may define a quantum theory that is unitary. The proof of unitarity requires the construction of a time-independent operator called \( \mathcal{C} \). In terms of \( \mathcal{C} \) one can define a new inner product with respect to which the norms of the states in the Hilbert space are positive. Furthermore, it has been shown that time evolution in such a theory is unitary. In this talk the \( \mathcal{C} \) operator for the Lee model in the ghost regime is constructed in the V/Nθ sector. It is then shown that the ghost state has a positive norm and that the Lee model is an acceptable unitary quantum field theory for all values of g 2.
Quantifying animal phenology in the aerosphere at a continental scale using NEXRAD weather radars

One of the primary ecological manifestations of climate change is a shift in the timing of events in a species' annual cycle. Such phenological shifts have been documented in numerous taxa, but data for animals have been derived primarily from human observers rather than networks of instruments used for remote sensing. The potential to use the network of weather radars in the United States (NEXRAD) to remotely sense animal phenologies could advance our understanding of the spatiotemporal scaling of phenologies in relation to shifts in local and regional climate. We tested the utility of NEXRAD radar products for quantifying the phenology of the purple martin (Progne subis) at summer roost sites in the United States. We found that the maximum radar reflectivity value in the hour before local sunrise above purple martin roost sites contained a strong phenological signal of significantly increased radar reflectivity during June, July, and August 2010. The seasonal pattern in this radar signal matched our expectation of the timing of formation and dissipation of these seasonal roosts. Radar reflectivity was greater and less variable when considering roosts close to NEXRAD stations (<25 km) than when including all 358 documented roosts; there was a negative relationship between maximum reflectivity and the distance between a roost and the nearest NEXRAD. Our results suggest that: (1) mosaicked NEXRAD radar products are a valuable source of information on the phenology of bioscatter in the aerosphere; (2) citizen scientists who document the locations of roosts on the ground are providing critical information for advancing our understanding of animal phenology and aeroecology; and (3) ongoing research that examines spatiotemporal relationships among radar-derived phenologies in airborne organisms, climate, and land cover change are likely to provide further insights.
Stressed-Out Mitochondria Get MAD

Mechanisms maintaining mitochondrial integrity range from specific repair pathways to wholesale degradation of damaged organelles. A recent study in Molecular Cell (Heo et al., 2010) adds another mechanism to this mitochondrial homeostasis toolkit: mitochondria-associated protein degradation (MAD) that ultimately directs endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway components to oxidatively stressed mitochondria.
Serotonin uptake in the blood platelets of Alzheimer's disease patients.

We determined serotonin (5-HT) uptake in the blood platelets of Alzheimer9s disease (AD) patients and comparable age-matched normal controls. The maximum number of 5-HT uptake sites (V max ) was significantly increased in mild and moderate AD patients, and a trend toward decreased V max was observed in severe AD patients as compared with normal controls. The K m of 5-HT uptake was negatively correlated with the Face-Hand Test (FHT) score of severely ill AD patients, whereas V max was correlated with the FHT score and the Mental Status Questionnaire score in the entire AD sample.
Recent progress in nickel based materials for high performance pseudocapacitor electrodes

Abstract Nickel based materials have been intensively investigated and considered as good potential electrode materials for pseudocapacitors due to their high theoretical specific capacity values, high chemical and thermal stability, ready availability, environmentally benign nature and lower cost. This review firstly examines recent progress in nickel oxides or nickel hydroxides for high performance pseudocapacitor electrodes. The advances of hybrid electrodes are then assessed to include hybrid systems of nickel based materials with compounds such as carbonaceous materials, metal and transition metal oxides or hydroxides, in which various strategies have been adopted to improve the electrical conductivity of nickel oxides or hydroxides. Furthermore, the energy density and power density of some recently reported NiO, nickel based composites and NiCo2O4 are summarized and discussed. Finally, we provide some perspectives as to the future directions of this intriguing field.
Positional differences in the wound transcriptome of skin and oral mucosa

When compared to skin, oral mucosal wounds heal rapidly and with reduced scar formation. Recent studies suggest that intrinsic differences in inflammation, growth factor production, levels of stem cells, and cellular proliferation capacity may underlie the exceptional healing that occurs in oral mucosa. The current study was designed to compare the transcriptomes of oral mucosal and skin wounds in order to identify critical differences in the healing response at these two sites using an unbiased approach. Using microarray analysis, we explored the differences in gene expression in skin and oral mucosal wound healing in a murine model of paired equivalent sized wounds. Samples were examined from days 0 to 10 and spanned all stages of the wound healing process. Using unwounded matched tissue as a control, filtering identified 1,479 probe sets in skin wounds yet only 502 probe sets in mucosal wounds that were significantly differentially expressed over time. Clusters of genes that showed similar patterns of expression were also identified in each wound type. Analysis of functionally related gene expression demonstrated dramatically different reactions to injury between skin and mucosal wounds. To explore whether site-specific differences might be derived from intrinsic differences in cellular responses at each site, we compared the response of isolated epithelial cells from skin and oral mucosa to a defined in vitro stimulus. When cytokine levels were measured, epithelial cells from skin produced significantly higher amounts of proinflammatory cytokines than cells from oral mucosa. The results provide the first detailed molecular profile of the site-specific differences in the genetic response to injury in mucosa and skin, and suggest the divergent reactions to injury may derive from intrinsic differences in the cellular responses at each site.
The maintenance of treatment gains following social learning-based marital therapy

In this paper I describe research conducted in our laboratory which has informed us about the long-term efficacy of our social learning-based marital therapy treatment program. About half of the couples treated in our clinical research setting benefit to a clinically significant degree and retain those benefits at a two-year follow-up. On the other hand, close to one-third of the couples who initially recovered return to baseline levels of distress within two years following the end of treatment. Among the determinants of relapse are the failure to provide communication/problem-solving training, the provision of highly structured treatments which are not tailored to the needs of particular couples, and the unfortunate occurrence of stressful life events. Our current clinical and research efforts to enhance the maintenance of treatment gains is then described, focusing the discussion on a maintenance regimen which we developed and are currently evaluating.
Organic geochemistry - A retrospective of its first 70 years

Abstract Organic geochemistry had its origin in the early part of the 20th century when organic chemists and geologists realized that detailed information on the organic materials in sediments and rocks was scientifically interesting and of practical importance. The generally acknowledged “father” of organic geochemistry is Alfred E. Treibs (1899–1983), who discovered and described, in 1936, porphyrin pigments in shale, coal, and crude oil, and traced the source of these molecules to their biological precursors. Thus, the year 1936 marks the beginning of organic geochemistry. However, formal organization of organic geochemistry dates from 1959 when the Organic Geochemistry Division (OGD) of The Geochemical Society was founded in the United States, followed 22 years later (1981) by the establishment of the European Association of Organic Geochemists (EAOG). Organic geochemistry (1) has its own journal, Organic Geochemistry (beginning in 1979) which, since 1988, is the official journal of the EAOG, (2) convenes two major conferences [International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG), since 1962, and Gordon Research Conferences on Organic Geochemistry (GRC), since 1968] in alternate years, and (3) is the subject matter of several textbooks. Organic geochemistry is now a widely recognized geoscience in which organic chemistry has contributed significantly not only to geology (i.e., petroleum geochemistry, molecular stratigraphy) and biology (i.e., biogeochemistry), but also to other disciplines, such as chemical oceanography, environmental science, hydrology, biochemical ecology, archaeology, and cosmochemistry.
Ralstonia solanacearum Iron Scavenging by the Siderophore Staphyloferrin B Is Controlled by PhcA, the Global Virulence Regulator

PhcA is a transcriptional regulator that activates expression of multiple virulence genes in the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Relative to their wild-type parents, phcA mutants overproduced iron-scavenging activity detected with chrome azurol S siderophore detection medium. Transposon mutagenesis of strain AW1-PC (phcA1) generated strain GB6, which was siderophore negative but retained weak iron-scavenging activity. The ssd gene inactivated in GB6 encodes a protein similar to group IV amino acid decarboxylases, and its transcription was repressed by iron(III) and PhcA. ssd is the terminal gene in a putative operon that also appears to encode three siderophore synthetase subunits, a integral membrane exporter, and three genes with no obvious role in siderophore production. A homologous operon was found in the genomes of Ralstonia metallidurans and Staphylococcus aureus, both of which produce the polycarboxylate siderophore staphyloferrin B. Comparison of the siderophores present in culture supernatants of R. solanacearum, R. metallidurans, and Bacillus megaterium using chemical tests, a siderophore utilization bioassay, thin-layer chromatography, and mass spectroscopy indicated that R. solanacearum produces staphyloferrin B rather than schizokinen as was reported previously. Inactivation of ssd in a wild-type AW1 background resulted in a mutant almost incapable of scavenging iron but normally virulent on tomato plants. AW1 did not produce siderophore activity when cultured in tomato xylem sap, suggesting that the main location in tomato for R. solanacearum during pathogenesis is iron replete.
Approaching the ultimate open circuit voltage in thiophene based single junction solar cells by applying diindenoperylene as acceptor

Efficiency of a photovoltaic cell is directly proportional to its open circuit voltage. This in turn is eventually set by the donor-acceptor energy gap, i.e. the energy of the intermolecular charge-transfer state in organic solar cells. In this letter we study diindenoperylene (DIP) as a new molecular acceptor. We show that planar heterojunctions of thiophene derivatives and DIP yield extraordinarily high open circuit voltages (V oc ) of approximately 1.2 V for poly(3-hexylthiophene) and almost 1.4 V for heat treated α-sexithiophene. Those values are close to the maximum V oc attainable for these material systems.
The experimental exploration of carbon nanofiber and carbon nanotube additives on thermal behavior of phase change materials

In this study, thermal properties of carbon nanofiber (CNF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) filled phase change materials (soy wax and paraffin wax) were studied experimentally, aiming to improve their thermal conductivities. The composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared by the stirring of CNF or CNT in liquid wax at 60 °C, with CNF and CNT doping levels of 1, 2, 5, and 10 wt%. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of composite PCMs increases as CNF or CNT loading contents. Both CNF and CNT can improve the thermal conductivity of the composite, while CNF is shown to be more effective than CNT as the thermal conductive filler because of its better dispersion in the matrix.
Chemical Bond Activation on Surface Sites Generated Photochemically from RhI(CO)2 Species

The activation of chemical bonds in molecules on photochemically produced RhI sites is reviewed in this article. The focus is primarily on the RhI(CO) species generated during the ultraviolet photolysis of the well-known RhI(CO)2 species supported on an aluminum oxide surface (designated RhI(CO)2/Al2O3). The RhI(CO)2 surface species is the heterogeneous analogue of the homogeneous phase CpRh(CO)2 and Cp*Rh(CO)2 (Cp* = η5-C5(CH3)5; Cp = η5-C5H5) known for its ability to activate the C−H bond in alkanes during ultraviolet irradiation. Here we review some of the key studies that have led to the molecular understanding of the activation of the RhI(CO)2/Al2O3 species by photochemical methods. Relevant examples of the homogeneous-phase bond activation studies utilizing a rhodium center will be discussed as well as theoretical studies that have provided valuable information regarding the active nature of the photoproduced Rh site. This will be followed by a review of recent photochemical studies of surface-bound...
k dixez? A corpus study of Spanish Internet orthography

New technologies have always influenced communication, by adding new ways of communication to the existing ones and/or changing the ways in which existing forms of communication are utilized. This is particularly obvious in the way in which computer-mediated communication (CMC) has had an impact on com- munication. In this exploratory article, we are concerned with some character- istics of a newly evolving form of Spanish Internet orthography that differ from standard Spanish spelling. Three types of deviations from 'the norm' are consid- ered: a reduction (post-vocalic d/() deletion in -ado), a transformation (namely the spelling change from ch to x), and reduplication (of characters). Based on a corpus of approximately 2.7 million words of regionally balanced informal inter- net Spanish compiled in 2008, we describe the spelling changes and discuss a variety of sometimes interacting factors governing the rates of spelling variants such as overall frequency effects, functional (pragmatic, sociolinguistic, and iconicity-related) characteristics, and phonological constraints. We also compare our findings to data from Mark Davies's (2002) Corpus del Espanol (100 million words, 1200s-1900s, http://www.corpusdelespanol.org) as well as other sources and relate them to the discussion of the register/genre of Internet language.
A Possible Mechanism of Morphogenetic Regulation in Dictyostelium discoideum

A model of morphogenetic regulation in Dictyostelium discoideum is presented which is based on the assumption that NH3 inhibits the synthesis and/or release of extracellular 3′,5′-cyclic-AMP and by topographical restriction of c-AMP production to specified zones within the cell aggregate, NH3 is presumed to set up the conditions for apical dominance and directed morphogenetic movements.
Reply to Jones and Crowe: Correcting mistaken views of sedimentary geology, Mn-oxidation rates, and molecular clocks

Jones and Crowe (1) raise issues already addressed in our article (2) based on an inaccurate grasp of the literature and several logical misconceptions. The authors suggest that inputs we chose in our kinetic calculations are unsuitable because we used values only from the Black Sea. As described, we made an extremely conservative estimate because the Black Sea is the most rapid Mn-oxidizing environment in the literature. Other locations have oxidation rates orders-of-magnitude lower (3). Jones and Crowe also propose sedimentation rates in our Mn-oxidation calculations were too high, citing a reference for incorrect rocks: different lithologies, environments, process sedimentology, geodynamic setting, and age. The paper they cite estimated long-term rates for the 2642–2521 Ma Campbellrand Subgroup, deposited >100 million y earlier on a marine platform rather than Koegas continental margin deltaic sediments. Using correct sedimentary geology is important (2).
The full potential of breast cancer screening use to reduce mortality has not yet been realized in the United States.

Objective. Breast cancer mortality has been declining in European countries and the United States since the early 1990s. Based on breast cancer screening programs in western European countries, the reduction in mortality results from a predictable pattern of increasing early-stage and subsequent declining incidence of late-stage cancers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in the incidence of early-stage and late-stage breast cancers has occurred in the United States to suggest that a reduction in breast cancer mortality is the result of screening. Method. The analyses are based on women 50–69 years of age using 1990–1998 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data. Five indicators that are precursors to reductions in mortality are described: in situ breast cancer, T1 tumors (<2 cm), stage II–IV tumors, lymph node-positive cancers, and locally advanced breast cancers (LABC). Results. The rate of in situ tumors increased from 37.8 to 67.0 per 100,000 population and that of T1 tumors increased from 143.5 to 163.5 per 100,000 population during 1990–1998. The rates of stage II–IV tumors, lymph node-positive cancers, and LABC remained unchanged at about 120 per 100,000, 76 per 100,000, and 17 per 100,000 population, respectively. Conclusions. Although there has been an increase in early-stage breast cancers (in situ and T1 tumors), the prerequisite decline in late-stage cancers has not yet occurred in the United States — a pattern that was observed in European studies. Possible explanations include the lack of widespread mammography use during the 1980s and, therefore, insufficient elapsed time since mammography use has become more widespread.
The Effect of Square Wave Exposure Profiles Upon the Performance of Passive Organic Vapor Monitoring Badges

Three commercially available passive organic vapor monitoring badges were exposed to ethyl benzene vapor in a dynamic test atmosphere characterized by well defined square wave concentration profiles having periods of 2, 6, and 10 minutes. These concentration fluctuations between zero and 150 ppm caused no significant bias in the TWA concentration indicated by the badges. A slight, but statistically significant, interaction between badge type and exposure profile is attributable to random analytical error in the data provided by one badge type.
A New Species of Martintella Artigas, 1996 from the Islands of Tobago and Trinidad (Diptera: Asilidae)

The genus Martintella Artigas, 1996, is recorded from the islands of Tobago and Trinidad for the first time. M. elliptica sp. nov from Tobago and Trinidad is described and illustrated. M. elliptica is compared to M. lestes (Williston).
Simultaneous determination of arsenic, germanium, phosphorus, and silicon

Summary A simple, rapid, accurate, and reliable method of simultaneous determination of arsenic, germanium, phospohrus, and silicon is reported. The method involves first, the determination of germanium as the phenylfluorone complex and its selective extraction with isoamyl alcohol. Arsenic and phosphorus are determined in the remaining aqueous phase by selective formation of the arseno- and phosphomolybdic acids after polymerization of soluble silica with perchloric acid followed by the selective extraction of the phosphomolybdic acid in the presence of arsenomolybdic acid by isobutyl acetate. Silicon is a determined by a differential procedure after selective destruction of arseno- and phosphomolybdic acids in the presence of silicomolybdic acid. Arsenic, silicon, and phosphorus are determined as their heteropoly blues, the latter after direct reduction of the phosphomolybdic acid in isobutyl acetate.
Integration: The new operative what the experts say

The integration of computing technology into the classroom has been and continues to be a pressing problem of widespread concern. This paper examines the status of educational computing in the United State by interviewing experts in the field. Eight individuals were chosen for interviews based upon their accomplishments in the field of educational computing. These choices provided input from experts in seven key states and from the National Science Foundation. Experts were asked to give their personal impressions, estimates and concerns in response to a series of questions. Questions related to computer utilization, computing curriculum and state requirements for students in their respective states. In addition, respondents were asked about the extent and importance of teacher training programs. Trends in educational computing that each expert projected were also identified. Finally, each was asked to identify one positive and one negative effect that the utilization of computers has had open education.
Regulation of expression of 1,25D3-MARRS/ERp57/PDIA3 in rat IEC-6 cells by TGFβ and 1,25(OH)2D3

We examined the transcriptional regulation of expression of the redox-sensitive Membrane-Associated-Rapid Response, Steroid-binding (1,25D(3)-MARRS) protein specific for 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) in a rat small intestinal cell line, IEC-6, that demonstrates rapid responses to 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). 1,25D(3)-MARRS binds and is activated by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), but is not itself up-regulated by treatment with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), nor is there a Vitamin D response element (VDRE) in its proximal promoter. We previously reported that transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) increased steady state levels of 1,25D(3)-MARRS transcript and protein approximately two-fold [Rohe B, Safford SE, Nemere I, Farach-Carson, MC. Identification and characterization of 1,25D(3)-membrane-associated rapid response, steroid (1,25D(3)-MARRS)-binding protein in rat IEC-6 cells. Steroids 2005;70:458-63]. To determine if this up-regulation could be attributed to the function of a highly conserved consensus smad 3 binding element present in the proximal promoter of the 1,25D(3)-MARRS gene, we created a promoter-reporter [SEAP] construct that was responsive to TGFbeta (200 pM). Deletion or mutation of the smad 3 element greatly reduced the response of the 1,25D(3)-MARRS promoter to TGFbeta. Subsequent studies found that the smad 3 response element is bound by a protein found in the IEC-6 nuclear extract, most likely smad 3. Interestingly, although 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) alone did not increase expression of the 1,25D(3)-MARRS promoter-reporter, co-treatment of transfected IEC-6 cells with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and TGFbeta shifted the dose-response curve to a lower effective concentration (100 pM peptide). We conclude that TGFbeta is a transcriptional regulator of 1,25D(3)-MARRS expression via a functional smad 3 element and that cross-talk with non-classical 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-stimulated pathways occurs. The findings have broad implications for redox-sensitive signaling phenomena including those that regulate phosphate transport in the intestine.
Targeting sphingolipid metabolism in head and neck cancer: rational therapeutic potentials.

Importance of the field: Ceramide accumulation has been shown to be a conserved mechanism of apoptosis initiation in normal physiological processes as well as in response to cancer treatments. Therefore, it is unsurprising that many cancers develop aberrations of sphingolipid metabolism that prevent the accumulation of ceramide, whether by reduction of ceramide generation or by enhanced ceramide catabolism, particularly dangerous when catabolism leads to generation of pro-tumor sphingosine-1-phosphate and ceramide-1-phosphate. Numerous studies have now implicated dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism in head and neck cancers.Areas covered in this review: This review highlights the importance of sphingolipid metabolism and brings sphingolipid metabolism to the forefront in the investigation of novel therapies for head and neck cancer. It reviews sphingolipid-centric therapies under investigation in preclinical and clinical trials of cancers of the head and neck.What the reader will gain: The roles of sp...
Immediate effects of lung transplantation on right ventricular morphology and function in patients with variable degrees of pulmonary hypertension

Abstract Objectives. This study sought to determine the immediate effects of lung transplantation on right ventricular morphology and function in patients with variable degrees of pulmonary hypertension and to evaluate these features as potential markers of immediate outcome. Background. Selected lung transplant recipients with severe preoperative pulmonary hypertension have previously been shown to have a reduction in right ventricular size and improved function at follow-up evaluation. Methods. Thirty-two consecutive patients (mean [± SD] age 44 ± 11 years) were prospectively classified into three groups according to their pretransplantation pulmonary artery systolic pressure: severe pulmonary hypertensive group ≥ 75 mm Hg, intermediate pulmonary hypertensive group 40 to 74 mm Hg and non-pulmonary hypertensive group Results. Pulmonary artery systolic and mean pressures markedly decreased after transplantation in the severe pulmonary hypertensive group (from 115 ± 26 to 45 ± 19 mm Hg and from 76 ± 14 to 31 ± 11 mm Hg, respectively, both p Conclusions. Lung transplantation is associated with an immediate decrease in pulmonary artery pressures and right ventricular size and normalization of septal geometry but variable changes in right ventricular function. Continued depression of right ventricular fractional area change may be a potential marker of poor outcome.
Microcredit and women moneylenders : the shifting terrain of credit in rural Senegal.

This paper analyzes the new role rural Senegalese women play as moneylenders in their agrarian communities. The shifting terrain of local credit institutions parallels contemporary trends in rural development: state-led agricultural cooperatives which were introduced in 1960 formerly bolstered the position of elite farmers who lent out cash and grain to poor farmers during the dry-season months of scarcity. Agricultural cooperatives were abolished in the mid-1980s as a result of structural adjustment and elite farmers have now shifted to market-based activities no longer offering credit to neighbors and kin. During the same period nongovernmental organizations adopting a neoliberalist ideology created a number of village banks that target women as the principal recipients of cash loans to be invested in income-generating activities. A significant number of these women choose not to invest this money in trade activities but to recycle the cash as high-interest loans to other farmers-- emulating in new guise the earlier credit strategies of elite farmers. This paper examines the institutional changes unraveling in rural Senegal that contribute to the rise of a new class of female moneylenders during the contemporary epoch of neoliberal reform and offers ethnographic descriptions of womens money lending practices. (authors)
Lipid G Protein-coupled Receptor Ligand Identification Using β-Arrestin PathHunter™ Assay

A growing number of orphan G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been reported to be activated by lipid ligands, such as lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and cannabinoids, for which there are already well established receptors. These new ligand claims are controversial due to either lack of independent confirmations or conflicting reports. We used the beta-arrestin PathHunter assay system, a newly developed, generic GPCR assay format that measures beta-arrestin binding to GPCRs, to evaluate lipid receptor and ligand pairing. This assay eliminates interference from endogenous receptors on the parental cells because it measures a signal that is specifically generated by the tagged receptor and is immediately downstream of receptor activation. We screened a large number of newly "deorphaned" receptors (GPR23, GPR92, GPR55, G2A, GPR18, GPR3, GPR6, GPR12, and GPR63) and control receptors against a collection of approximately 400 lipid molecules to try to identify the receptor ligand in an unbiased fashion. GPR92 was confirmed to be a lysophosphatidic acid receptor with weaker responses to farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl diphosphate. The putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55 responded strongly to AM251, rimonabant, and lysophosphatidylinositol but only very weakly to endocannabinoids. G2A receptor was confirmed to be an oxidized free fatty acid receptor. In addition, we discovered that 3,3'-diindolylmethane, a dietary molecule from cruciferous vegetables, which has known anti-cancer properties, to be a CB(2) receptor partial agonist, with binding affinity around 1 microm. The anti-inflammatory effect of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in RAW264.7 cells was shown to be partially mediated by CB(2).
Electron Capture from Inner Shells by Fully Stripped Ions

Theories for electron capture from inner shells by fully stripped ions are compared with experiments for K-shell vacancy production, The recently developed theory goes beyond the Oppenheimer-Brinkman-Kramers (OBK) approximation since it accounts for the perturbed stationary-state (PSS) and relativistic (R) effects in the description of inner shells as well as for the Coulomb (C)-deflection of the projectile ions; at high velocities of these ions, the theory merges with the second Born approximation. Agreement with a vast amount of data is obtained without introduction of semiempirical scaling factors. The scheme of calculations, which are cast in terms of the OBK cross sections of Nikolaev3 only for convenience, is presented through a sample evaluation of electron capture cross sections.
Coupling cloth and rigid bodies for dexterous manipulation

This paper introduces a new simulation technique to enable detailed dexterous manipulation of cloth. Without reimplementation or substantial modification, existing cloth simulators can only be used to approximate limited interaction between cloth and rigid bodies due to the incorrect computation of contact forces. For example, a simple scenario of two fingers pinching a piece of cloth often results in the cloth slipping out of the hand. Our technique provides a simple solution to cloth-rigid coupling using existing cloth and rigid body simulators as-is. We develop a light-weight interface so that the rigid body and cloth simulators communicate on a demand-driven manner to achieve two main goals: allow the rigid bodies to impart friction forces to the cloth and avoid unsolvable collision situations between the rigid bodies and the cloth. We demonstrate a set of basic manipulation skills including gripping, pinching, and pressing, that are frequently seen in daily activities such as dressing and folding clothes.
Laser velocimeter measurements of the flowfield generated by an advanced counterrotating propeller

Results are presented of an investigation to measure the flowfield generated by an advanced counterrotating pusher propeller model similar to the full-scale Unducted Fan demonstrator engine. A laser Doppler velocimeter was used to measure the velocity field in several planes normal to the centerline of the model at axial stations upstream and downstream of each rotor. During this investigation, blades of the F4/A4 type were installed on the model which was operating in a freestream Mach 0.72 regime, with the advance ratio of each rotor set at 2.80. The measured data indicate only a slight influence of the potential field of each front rotor blade on the flowfield upstream of the rotor. The data measured downstream of the front rotor characterize the tip vortices, vortex sheets and potential field nonuniformities generated by the front rotor. The unsteadiness of the flow in the rotating frame of reference of the aft rotor is also illustrated.
Applying a fuzzy model approach to the classification of sexual differences: Beyond the male/female binary

The idea that sex (the male/female binary) is a clear-cut category distinction is well established in our culture. However, people born with ambiguous genitalia or with a mixture of male and female anatomy have always existed, originally known as hermaphrodites and, later on, as intersex. Along the centuries, human cultures have classified sexual differences in different ways, though the dichotomical model of the two sexes has been the most prevalent. The main objective of this paper is to show how different epistemological models or frameworks have a direct impact on the way of thinking about sexual difference and we claim that a new epistemological model based on fuzzy logic can open the scope to understanding sex in a non-dichotomic and fixed way.
Algebraic manipulation as motion within a landscape

We show that students rearranging the terms of a mathematical equation in order to separate variables prior to integration use gestures and speech to manipulate the mathematical terms on the page. They treat the terms of the equation as physical objects in a landscape, capable of being moved around. We analyze our results within the tradition of embodied cognition and use conceptual metaphors such as the path-source-goal schema and the idea of fictive motion. We find that students solving the problem correctly and efficiently do not use overt mathematical language like multiplication or division. Instead, their gestures and ambiguous speech of moving are the only algebra used at that moment.
Syntectonic sedimentation in the Proterozoic upper Belt Supergroup, northwestern Montana

Deepening environments in the Proterozoic Libby Formation record a tectonically induced style of sedimentation distinctly different from that of older Belt rocks. Facies associations and sedimentary structures indicate that deposition in the lower Libby Formation occurred above fair-weather wave base. Thick, widespread hummocky cross-stratified quartzite in the upper Libby Formation lacks the association of shallow-water features present in the lower Libby Formation, suggesting that upper Libby deposition occurred below fair-weather wave base and above storm wave base. Independent evidence for tectonism during deposition of the Belt Supergroup exists but is plagued by poor age control. The angular unconformity that occurs between Libby-equivalent rocks and the overlying Windermere Supergroup indicates tectonic activity between deposition of the Belt-Purcell and Windermere Supergroups. The interpreted subsidence or rise in basin water level combined with newly uplifted source areas as recorded in the upper Libby Formation and Garnet Range Formation could have been an early manifestation of movements that produced this unconformity.
An upper bound on density for packings of collars about hyperplanes in $${\mathbb{H}^n}$$

We consider packings of radius r collars about hyperplanes in \({\mathbb{H}^n}\). For such packings, we prove that the Delaunay cells are truncated ultra-ideal simplices which tile \({\mathbb{H}^n}\). If we place n + 1 hyperplanes in \({\mathbb{H}^n}\) each at a distance of exactly 2r to the others, we could place radius r collars about these hyperplanes. The density of these collars within the corresponding Delaunay cell is an upper bound on density for all packings of radius r collars.
The intersections of white privilege and racism: Moving forward

In the final chapter, the editors reflect on the ways in which the chapters contribute to the understanding of white privilege and racism in adult and continuing education.
Prevalence of Left Ventricular Diastolic Filling Abnorrnalities in Adult Cardiac Surgical Patients: An Intraoperative Echo cardiographic Study

The incidence of left ventricular (LV) diastolic abnormalities in adult cardiac surgical patients has not previously been adequately investigated. The present study was performed to characterize LV diastolic filling patterns by performing transesophageal Doppler echocardiographic (TEE) studies in patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures and thus indirectly assess diastolic function in these patients. Doppler TEE studies were performed and transmitral flow (TMF) and pulmonary venous flow (PVF) velocities were recorded in 104 patients intraoperatively. Peak early (E) and late (A) TMF velocities and systolic (S) and diastolic (D) forward PVF velocities were assessed and deceleration time (DT) was measured in all patients. For analysis, the study patients were classified into three groups according to the ratio of the TMF E to A velocity curves: group I with E/A ratio less than 1.0, group II with E/A ratio of 1.0 to less than 2.0, and group III with E/A ratio of 2.0 or greater. A filling pattern of abnormal LV relaxation was found in 73 patients (E/A 2.0). Patients with impaired relaxation had a greater incidence of recent myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure (CHF) than those with normal or pseudonormal filling patterns. Within group II, patients with CHF had higher TMF E deceleration rates and lower PVF S/D ratios compared with those without CHF (P < .05). Doppler echocardiographic examination of TMF and PVF velocities suggests that abnormalities in diastolic function are prevalent in adult cardiac surgical patients.
Investigating association of four gene regions (GABRB3, MAOB, PAH, and SLC6A4) with five symptoms in schizophrenia.

Abstract Recently, microsatellite polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with four genes, GABRB3 , MAOB , PAH , and SLC6A4, and their relationships have been tested to five symptom factors: hallucinations, delusions, negative symptoms, mania, and depression. These factors were frequently present in schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the Irish Study of High Density Schizophrenia Families (ISHDSF) with a proband with the diagnosis of schizophrenia (Bergen et al., 2009). Of these, GABRB3 and PAH were reported to be significantly associated with hallucinations and delusions in a 90-family subset of the ISHDSF, respectively. In this study, we tested the association of genetic markers from these four gene regions with the approximate five clinical symptoms, based upon 256 schizophrenia patients, with genotypic data obtained by higher resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. We found one GABRB3 SNP (rs1426891, 70.8kb downstream of this gene) and haplotype constructed by three SNPs (rs1426891, rs2912602, and rs2912600) were significantly associated with hallucinations in Caucasians after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (Bonferroni corrected P : 0.032 and 0.016, respectively). Additionally, we found one haplotype constructed by two SNPs, rs5905587–rs37615860, in MAOB/NDP gene region was significantly associated with delusions in all samples tested (Bonferroni corrected P : 0.048). These results provide additional evidence that GABRB3 and MAOB/NDP gene regions might constitute risk factors for hallucinations and delusions in schizophrenia.
Intermittent increases in cytosolic Ca2+stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells

Muscle contractions cause numerous disturbances in intracellular homeostasis. This makes it impossible to use contracting muscle to identify which of the many signals generated by contractions are ...
Optically tuneable photonic crystal waveguides

Incorporation of DNA into nanoscale wells in a silicon substrate has been demonstrated to show fabrication feasibility for optically tunable photonic crystal waveguides. A change in propagation characteristics due to DNA incorporation has been observed for a silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal waveguide.
AMPLIFIED FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM AND MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ANALYSES REVEAL PATTERNS OF DIVERGENCE AND HYBRIDIZATION IN THE HISPID COTTON RAT (SIGMODON HISPIDUS)

Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, has a wide geographic distribution and has been the focus of numerous ecological studies; however, patterns of genetic divergence within this species remain largely unknown. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and mitochondrial cytochrome-b DNA sequence analyses were employed to document patterns of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) divergence within this species. AFLP analysis of specimens from Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arizona demonstrated that the previously recognized genetic discontinuity dividing S. hispidus into eastern and western mtDNA lineages also was evident in the nuclear genome. The contact zone between these 2 lineages was located in eastern Texas and hybridization was confirmed. The width of the hybrid zone was found to be 3 orders of magnitude greater than the estimated dispersal distance. This, in combination with an absence of linkage disequilibrium within the hybrid zone and its unimodality, suggests that selection is not a strong factor in the maintenance of the hybrid zone.