cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automated modeling and kinematic simulation of mechanisms

Abstract An analysis program is presented for rigid part mechanisms, such as feeders, locks and brakes. The program performs a kinematic simulation of driving motions and part contacts, with a limited dynamic simulation of gravity, springs and friction. It produces a realistic, 3D animation and a concise, symbolic interpretation of the simulation. It derives the kinematic motion equations for a large class of mechanisms, including ones with complex part shape, varying part contacts, and multiple driving motions. It avoids collision detection during simulation by precomputing pairwise part interactions. It uses a simple model of dynamics that captures the steady-state effect of forces without the conceptual and computational cost of full dynamic simulation. It is demonstrated that the simulation algorithm captures the workings of most mechanisms via a survey of 2500 mechanisms from an engineering encyclopedia.
The Paradox of Public Interest: How Serving Individual Superior Interests Fulfill Public Relations' Obligation to the Public Interest

Since the early 20th century, advocates of public relations professionalism have mandated that practitioners serve the public interest making it an ethical standard for evaluating the morality of public relations practice. However, the field has devoted little research to determining just what it means for practitioners to serve the public interest. Most research suggests practice-oriented solutions. This article focuses what practitioners must do to serve the public interest. It reviews theories of the social contract and the public interest to identify an approach to serving the public interest that will help practitioners reconcile moral obligations to themselves, their client organizations, and the public. It concludes that combining superior individual interests with John Dewey's public philosophy will contribute to the moral development and improvement of practitioners and the public.
Observational practice of relative but not absolute motion features in a single-limb multi-joint coordination task

The learning of relative and absolute motion features as a function of physical (actor group) and observational (observer group) practice was examined in a rhythmic single limb multi-joint coordination task. The task required the participants to learn a 90° relative phase pattern between the elbow and wrist in combination with an absolute elbow joint angle of 80° and a wrist joint angle of 48°. Each actor practiced the required relative and absolute motion features for 2 days while being watched by an observer. Overall, the actor group was characterized by an improvement in performance on the relative phase component and showed a clear differentiation in joint amplitudes. In a 24-h retention test, the observer group more closely matched the performance of the actors on the relative phase component in comparison to a control group that was not exposed to physical or observational practice. However, the observer and control groups did not demonstrate a clear differentiation in required joint amplitudes. In agreement with Scully and Newell (1985), we conclude that relative phase may be classified as a relative motion feature that may be picked through observation and benefit initial physical performance, whereas the joint amplitudes may be classified as absolute motion features that require physical practice to achieve the appropriate scaling.
Targeting of NEDD8 and its conjugates for proteasomal degradation by NUB1.

NEDD8 is a ubiquitin-like protein that controls vital biological events through its conjugation to cullin family members. Recently, we identified a negative regulator of the NEDD8 conjugation system, NUB1, which interacts with NEDD8 and down-regulates NEDD8 expression post-transcriptionally (Kito, K., Yeh, E. T. H., and Kamitani, T. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 20603–20609). Here, we show that NUB1 possesses a ubiquitin-like domain at the N-terminal region and binds to S5a of the 19 S proteasome activator (PA700). A GST pull-down assay revealed that the overexpression of NUB1 leads to a greater precipitation of NEDD8 conjugates with GST-S5a, suggesting that NUB1 might have an adaptor function between S5a and NEDD8. Furthermore, proteasome inhibitors completely block NUB1-mediated down-regulation of NEDD8 expression. These results suggest that NUB1 recruits NEDD8 and its conjugates to the proteasome for degradation, providing a direct functional link between the NEDD8 conjugation system and the proteasomal degradation pathway.
Nations of Writers

In a speech given at the first Algerian National Colloquium on Culture, M. Lacheraf, a Maghrebian historian and former Minister of National Education, addressed the question of minimal requirements for the development of a Maghrebian culture, asking the following question: "At what level already or yet to be reached, does a national culture cease to be mere entertainment and become as basic as the bread one eats and the air one breathes?"... This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol23/iss1/11
A study of a patient with an external pancreatic fistula.

In a man with an external pancreatic fistula, oral alcohol, intravenous secretin, and intrajejunal 0.1 N HCl caused a marked increase in pancreatic exocrine flow. Pitressin and anticholinergic drugs depressed the basal pancreatic flow, while secretin-stimulated flow was only slightly reduced by the anticholinergic drugs.
Considerations in development of CCT diagrams for complex ferritic materials

A recent literature review of available data for the bainitic creep strength enhanced ferritic steel grade 23 revealed significant variations among available continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams. Substantial differences in these diagrams were noted with respect to the observed transformation products, reported transformation temperatures and the data provided with the CCT diagram. While it is recognised that grade 23 is a complex material exhibiting up to three transformations on-cooling from austenitisation, there does not seem to be a standardised or uniform procedure for the development of CCT diagrams for such metallurgically diverse materials. This paper details development of a CCT diagram for this material through integration of results from thermal analysis, hardness measurements and microstructural observations.
Isoforms of ferritin have a specific cellular distribution in the brain

Ferritin is the major iron storage protein and accounts for the majority of the iron in the brain. Thus, ferritin is a key component in protecting the brain from iron induced oxidative damage. The high lipid content, high rate of oxidative metabolism, and high iron content combine to make the brain the organ most susceptible to oxidative stress. The role of oxidative damage and disruption of brain iron homeostasis is considered clinically important to normal aging and a potential pathogenic component of a number of neurologic disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Little is known, however, of the mechanism by which the brain maintains iron homeostasis at either the whole organ or cellular level. In this study we report the cellular distribution of the two isoforms of ferritin in the brain of adult subhuman primates. A subset of neurons immunolabel specifically for the H-chain ferritin protein, whereas cells resembling microglia are immunolabeled only after exposure to the L-chain ferritin antibody. Only one cell type immunostains for both H- and L-chain ferritin; these cells are morphologically similar and have the same distribution pattern as oligodendrocytes. Neither ferritin isoform is usually detected in astrocytes. These data indicate considerable differences in iron sequestration and use between neurons and glia and among neuronal and glial subtypes. This information will be essential in determining the role of each of these cells in maintaining general brain iron homeostasis and the relative abilities of these cells to withstand oxidative stress.
An optimal maintenance model for life cycle costing analysis

For many systems of nominal complexity, subsequent life-time operating and maintenance costs may amount to a larger sum than their acquisition cost. In this respect, reliability and maintainabiltiy constitute two direct and very predominant factors in life cycle costing analysis. This paper outlines the optimal maintenance schedule that minimises the system's future total expected maintenance cost. This minimum maintenance cost may be added to research and development costs, operation costs and salvage costs to obtain the total life cycle cost of the system. The case in which the system has constant failure rate is investigated under imperfect inspection policy.
An Asymptotic Solution to a Problem Involving Two Simultaneous Small Divisors

This paper concerns a model problem illustrating the techniques needed to analyze weakly nonlinear oscillator systems wherein two small divisors (resonances) may occur separately or simultaneously. The method of multiple scales in combination with singular perturbation methods is used to construct a uniformly valid asymptotic solution to the proposed model equation. It is shown that matching is necessary in order to establish a composite solution uniformly valid for the entire phase plane. The model equation does not encompass the class of problems where occurrence of two simultaneous small divisors leads to Kolmogorov-Arnol'd-Moser amplitude instability.
Role of reversed spins in the correlated ground state for the fractional quantum Hall effect

The ground-state energy for the correlated liquid state of Laughlin with one-half of the electrons having spins antiparallel to the field is obtained at $\frac{2}{5}$ filling of the lowest Landau level. The energy is found to be lower compared with the potential energy of the spin-polarized state. The energy difference is small, however, compared with the difference of magnetic energies between the two states under the present experimental conditions. Some of the results obtained for the one-spin state are in good agreement with recent experimental observations and very accurate Monte Carlo results.
Study of teduglutide effectiveness in parenteral nutrition-dependent short-bowel syndrome subjects

Loss of intestinal absorptive capacity from congenital defect, surgical resection or mucosal disease results in short bowel syndrome (SBS)-associated intestinal failure. In the past, few medical management options were available besides dietary modification, controlling diarrhea or high stomal output, and providing parenteral fluid, electrolyte and nutrient support (parenteral support). Recent research on strategies to enhance the intestinal absorptive capacity focused on glucagon-like peptide-2, an intestinotrophic hormone that has been shown to increase the villus height and crypt depth, and decrease gastric motility and intestinal secretory losses. STEPS is a Phase III randomized double-blinded controlled trial in which teduglutide, a recombinant analog of glucagon-like peptide-2, or placebo was given subcutaneously to SBS patients for 24 weeks. A clinically meaningful response, defined as a 20-100% reduction in parenteral support volume, was achieved in 63% of the treatment group compared with 30% in the placebo group (p = 0.002) without an increase in serious side effects. Teduglutide offers a new targeted approach to SBS-associated intestinal failure management. Its specific role in clinical practice remains to be evaluated.
Maternal infection regulates BDNF and NGF expression in fetal and neonatal brain and maternal-fetal unit of the rat.

Abstract Maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline was administered to rats to model maternal infection, and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in maternal plasma, placenta, amniotic fluid, fetal liver/spleen, fetal brain, and cerebral cortex after birth were determined by ELISA or semiquantitative Western blot analysis. BDNF expression was significantly increased in the fetal brain ( p =0.039); NGF expression was significantly increased in neonatal cortex ( p =0.0009). Neurotrophic factor expression was also altered in other tissues of the maternal–fetal unit. Abnormal expression of neurotrophic factors represents a potential mechanism through which maternal infection increases risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.
The Asymptotic Solution of a Recursion Equation Occurring in Stochastic Games

We show that there exists a Laurent series in a fractional power of n which approximates Vn up to log n, where Vn is the value of an n-stage two person zero sum stochastic game. We prove this result by showing that the Laurent series is an approximate solution of the dynamical programming equation for Vn, Vn+1 = fVn. It seems that our methods could be used to find approximate solutions to other difference equations. Our proof makes repeated use of Tarski's principle for real closed fields.
Overproduction of perlecan core protein in cultured cells and transgenic mice.

Heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG) and amyloid P component are the only macromolecules consistently associated with all varieties of amyloid, irrespective of the type of amyloid protein, suggesting that HSPG may play a pathogenetic role in amyloid formation through a common mechanism. In the case of Alzheimer's disease (AD), HSPG, such as perlecan, co-accumulates with amyloid-beta protein (Abeta), a main constituent of amyloid plaques, and paired helical filaments (PHFs). Additionally, in vitro, HSPG accelerates both Abeta fibril and PHF formation and protects Abeta from degradation. Therefore, this study first established lines of P19 mouse embryonic carcinoma cells stably carrying an expression vector encoding the complete perlecan core protein (approximately 400 kD). In the cell lysates, overexpressed perlecan was identified as an approximately 400 kD protein without glycosaminoglycan side-chains, while in the media, secreted perlecan was mostly glycosylated, suggesting that the secretion and glycosylation of perlecan are coupled. Next, transgenic mice were produced using the same expression vector. Marked perlecan overexpression occurred in the cytoplasm of multiple tissues including the brain, heart, kidney, and pancreas, without a discernible increase of perlecan in extracellular matrices. The transgenic mice up to 18 months of age did not develop amyloid or AD-like pathology in the brain or elsewhere, based on histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Thus, overproduction of perlecan core protein is insufficient to lead to amyloidosis and AD-like pathology.
Assembly of high-valent oxomanganese clusters in aqueous solution. Redox equilibrium of water-stable Mn3O44+ and Mn2O23+ complexes

The aqueous chemistry of a binuclear mixed-valence cluster, [(bpy) 2 Mn(O) 21 Mn(bpy) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 3 (1), has been investigated. The cluster exists in a pH-dependent equilibrium with a higher valent trinuclear species, [Mn 3 O 4 (bpy) 4 (OH 2 ) 2 ] 4+ (2). The trinuclear cluster is favored at low pH, conditions that favor disproportionation of 1
Work Release in Washington: Effects on Recidivism and Corrections Costs

This article presents results from two studies of Washington State's prison work release program conducted between 1991 and 1994. The first study analyzed a cohort of all male prisoners released from Washington prisons in 1990 (N = 2,452) to describe how work release operates and how successfully inmates perform in the program. The second study compared the recidivism of 218 offenders, approximately half of whom participated in work release and half of whom completed their sentences in prison. Results of the evaluation were mostly positive. Nearly a quarter of all prisoners released made a successful transition to the community through work release. Few work release inmates committed crimes while on work release. Recidivism and correctional costs for work releases and nonwork releases were similar.
Competent Patients’ Refusal of Nursing Care:

Competent patients' refusals of nursing care do not yet have the legal or ethical standing of refusals of life-sustaining medical therapies such as mechanical ventilation or blood products. The case of a woman who refused turning and incontinence management owing to pain prompted us to examine these situations. We noted several special features: lack of paradigm cases, social taboo around unmanaged incontinence, the distinction between ordinary versus extraordinary care, and the moral distress experienced by nurses. We examined this case on the merits and limitations of five well-known ethical positions: pure autonomy, conscientious objection, paternalism, communitarianism, and feminism. We found each lacking and argue for a 'negotiated reliance' response where nurses and others tread as lightly as possible on the patient's autonomy while negotiating a compromise, but are obligated to match the patient's sacrifice by extending themselves beyond their usual professional practice.
An assessment of the role of computing in systems biology

Systems biology is a burgeoning field in which researchers are investigating a flood of new data that is gathered in high-throughput genomics, proteomics, and related analyses. Systems biologists focus on what this data reveals about the functioning of living systems. The large volume of data, and the complexity of living systems, ensures that computing plays a central role in analyzing, modeling, and simulating these systems. In this paper, we discuss some of the key challenges in the field of computational systems biology. We also discuss possible ways in which the field of systems biology may evolve in coming years, along with some of the demands that systems biology research places on computing resources.
Calcineurin and cardiac hypertrophy: where have we been? Where are we going?

The heart is a dynamic organ capable of adapting its size and architecture in response to alterations in workload associated with developmental maturation, physiological stimulation and pathological diseases. Such alterations in heart size typically result from the hypertrophic growth of individual myocytes, but not myocyte cellular proliferation. In recent years, a great deal of investigation has gone toward elucidating the molecular signalling machinery that underlies the hypertrophic response and manner in which increased cardiac load promotes alterations in gene expression. To this end, the Ca2+-calmodulin-activated phosphatase calcineurin has been proposed as a necessary component of the multi-pathway hypertrophy program in the heart. Despite initial controversy over this hypothesis due to disparate results from pharmacological inhibitory studies in animal models of hypertrophy, compelling data from genetic models with calcineurin inhibition now exist. This review will summarize many of these studies and will attempt to address a number of unanswered issues. In particular, specific downstream mediators of calcineurin signalling will be discussed, as well as the need to identify calcineurin's temporal activation profile, transcriptional targets and cross-communication with other reactive signalling pathways in the heart. Finally, we will present evidence suggesting that calcineurin, as a Ca2+-responsive enzyme, may function as an internal load sensor in cardiac myocytes, matching output demands to hypertrophic growth.
Sham Feeding Disrupts the Interdigestive Motility Complex in Man

We have examined the effect of sham feeding on the interdigestive motility complex (IDMC) and the release of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in a group of normal volunteers. The duration of the intervals in phase III of the IDMC was significantly delayed (p < 0.01) after sham feeding, whereas there was an increase in plasma PP levels in all subjects. These results support the presence of an inhibitory vagal mechanism for the distal stomach and intestinal motility.
The non-native plant Rosa multiflora expresses shade avoidance traits under low light availability

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Shade tolerance is a key trait promoting invasive plant performance in forest interiors. Rosa multiflora is a problematic invasive shrub in the northeastern United States, occurring in edge habitats and encroaching into forests. Our objective was to evaluate the shade tolerance of R. multiflora to assess how ecophysiological traits may facilitate its spread into forest interiors.• METHODS In the field, we documented shrub and seed bank density, fecundity, phenology, and seasonal photosynthetic rates of R. multiflora in contrasting light environments. In the greenhouse, we exposed seedlings to simulated canopy treatments by altering spectral quantity and quality, mimicking habitats ranging from open fields to forest interiors.• KEY RESULTS In the field, shrub density and fecundity of R. multiflora sharply increased with light availability. However, no differences were observed between forest edge and interior seed banks. Rosa multiflora initiated leaf growth earlier and retained leaves longer than canopy vegetation and tended to have higher photosynthetic rates in spring and fall. In the greenhouse, plants displayed shade-avoidance traits, decreasing relative growth rate and reducing branching, while increasing elongation and showing no change in light response curve parameters.• CONCLUSIONS In deciduous forest understories, R. multiflora appears to make use of a lengthened growing season in spring and fall, and therefore, substantial growth and spread through intact forests appears dependent on canopy gaps. Management should focus on reducing edge populations to reduce spread into the interior and on monitoring newly created canopy gaps.
T-Cell Receptors and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease—Signposts for T-Cell-Antigen Driven Diseases

The human autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) are characterized by profuse infiltrates of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The intrathyroidal T-cell-receptor repertoire in Graves' disease, more than in Hashimoto's disease, has been shown to be biased as evidenced by phenotypic analysis and by the use of a restricted T-cell-receptor variable (V) gene repertoire seen in both TCR α and β chains. Evidence for a bias in the T-cell repertoire has also been observed in animal models of induced and spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis. We found a similar phenomenon of autoimmune thyroid-related T-cell bias in thyroid-humanized scid mice. In these studies we transplanted lymphocyte-depleted thyrocytes and autologous peripheral lymphocytes from AITD patients with a basement membrane preparation which allowed the formation of an artificial thyroid which we have called an “organoid”. T-cell clonal expansion was present in these artificial mixed-cell organoids which appeared to mimic the in vivo process. Such clonal expansio...
Biphasic Modulation of Spinal Nociceptive Transmission From the Medullary Raphe Nuclei in the Rat

Zhuo, M. and G. F. Gebhart. Biphasic modulation of spinal nociceptive transmission from the medullary raphe nuclei in the rat. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 746–758, 1997. The modulatory effects of electrical and chemical (glutamate) stimulation in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) on spinal nociceptive transmission and a spinal nociceptive reflex were studied in rats. Electrical stimulation at a total 86 sites in the RVM in the medial raphe nuclei (n = 54) and adjacent gigantocellular areas (n = 32) produced biphasic (facilitatory and inhibitory, n = 43) or only inhibitory (n = 43) modulation of the tail-flick (TF) reflex. At these 43 biphasic sites in the RVM, facilitation of the TF reflex was produced at low intensities of stimulation (5–25 μA) and inhibition was produced at greater intensities of stimulation (50–200 μA). At 43 sites in the RVM, electrical stimulation only produced intensity-dependent inhibition of the TF reflex. Activation of cell bodies in the RVM by glutamate microinjection reproduced t...
Sphenopalatine (pterygopalatine) ganglion stimulation and cluster headache: New hope for ye who enter here

Cluster headache is a devastating primary headache disorder (1) that in its chronic form presents as if approached and consumed by three beasts. Medically intractable chronic cluster headache (2) is among the most challenging of ailments headache specialists can be called on to treat. While we have seen important advances in understanding the disorder with brain imaging (3,4), and the conduct of randomized controlled trials in the last decade (5,6), many patients still suffer far too much. Research in the field is at best pathetically funded; as an example the writer is unaware of any dedicated projects involving the United States National Institutes of Health or United Kingdom (UK) Medical Research Council. Yet at some 0.1% of the population (7,8), cluster headache is as common as multiple sclerosis in the UK (9). Developments are welcome, and this issue of the Journal offers a new twist based on our understanding of the pathophysiology of the condition (10)—the involvement of the cranial parasympathetic outflow through the sphenopalatine ganglion (11).
Canaries in the Coal Mine Mitochondrial DNA and Vascular Injury From Reactive Oxygen Species

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), that curious and ancient genomic relic from the birth of the first eukaryotes, has surfaced once again in a context pertinent to cardiovascular biology and disease. In this issue of Circulation Research , Ballinger et al1 describe how human vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells accumulate lesions in mtDNA when exposed to superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, or peroxynitrite. In response to conditions that generate reactive oxygen species, damage to mtDNA is much more marked than damage to nuclear DNA, at least as assessed at a single transcriptionally inactive nuclear gene (β-globin). Ballinger et al also describe concomitant decreases in steady-state concentrations of mRNA transcribed from mitochondrial genes, in mitochondrial protein synthesis and membrane potential, and in total cellular ATP pools. They propose that these effects of reactive oxygen species contribute to vascular cell dysfunction so as to promote or accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. The findings of Ballinger et al1 are reminiscent of previous observations in which increased frequency of mtDNA mutations was implicated in the pathobiology of cardiovascular disease. Mutated forms of mtDNA increase in number as a function of increasing age or ischemic heart disease in the human myocardium.2 3 Numerous reports describe mtDNA mutations in humans or animals with hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy,4 5 6 and a similarly increased burden of mutated forms of mtDNA has been described in neural tissues of humans with neurodegenerative diseases.7 8 9 Although few studies have directly examined the mechanisms by which mtDNA damage arises in these conditions, reactive oxygen species have been proposed almost uniformly as the primary inciting agents. What is the significance of …
Photoacoustic imaging of clinical metal needles in tissue

The ability to visualize and track temporarily or perma- nently implanted metal devices is important in many applications ranging from diagnosis to therapy. Specifically, reliable imaging of metal needles is required in today's clinical settings. Currently, ultra- sound is utilized to image a needle inserted into tissue in real time. However, the diagnostic value and tracking ability of these images depends highly on the orientation of the needle, and also its proximity to regions of interest in the tissue. We examine the use of photoacous- tic imaging combined with current ultrasound imaging methods to obtain high-contrast images of commonly used needles in the body. Experiments were performed using 21 G and 30 G needles inserted into ex vivo porcine tissue and tissue-mimicking phantoms. The needles and surrounding tissue were imaged using an ultrasound im- aging system interfaced with the pulsed laser source necessary for photoacoustic imaging. The results suggest that photoacoustic imag- ing, combined with ultrasound imaging, is capable of real-time, high- contrast, and high-spatial-resolution visualization of metal implants within anatomical landmarks of the background tissue. © 2010 Society of
ESTIMATION OF SHRIMP POPULATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL PONDS USING MARK‐RECAPTURE AND STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING METHODS

Reliable estimates of survival of organisms in ponds is essential for efficient management of feeding programs and harvesting schedules. However, accurate population estimates are seldom obtained on a routine basis because of the complexities of most sampling procedures. Two sampling techniques for estimating populations of Penaeus vannamei in ponds were investigated during the summer and fall of 1978. The Peterson mark-recapture procedure resulted in a population estimate that was only 5.9% in excess of the actual population number. However, because the number of marked animals rapidly declined due to molting or mortality, sequential population estimates based on the same group of marked animals was not feasible. The second sampling technique, involving simple random sampling with a cast net within specified areas (strata) of the pond, was more streamlined than the mark-recapture method, because the marking process was avoided. A significant linear relationship (r2 = 0.64) was found between the mean catch per cast and the actual population at harvest in 13 ponds tested using the stratified random sampling method. Subsequent use of this relationship as a predictive tool for estimating populations in 7 ponds based on mean catch per cast yielded estimates with an average deviation of 11.6% greater than the actual population.
PHOTOKINESIS AND TONIC EFFECT OF LIGHT IN UNIONICOLA.

1. The speed of progression of Unionicola , a water mite, is influenced by light; and over a certain range increases as a function of the light intensity. 2. The relation between speed and light intensity is not a simple one, as the speed of progression is due to the combined effect of amplitude of steps and frequency of leg movement. 3. The amplitude of stride increases in direct proportion to the logarithm of the light intensity, while the frequency of stepping has no such simple relation to intensity. 4. The change in length of stride with changing light intensity indicates a tonic effect of light on the locomotor muscles. Such an effect has been observed previously in studies of orientation, due to unequal illumination, which produces changes in posture.
A clinician's guide to the use of lung volume reduction surgery

The primary purpose of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) compared with medical therapy as a treatment for advanced emphysema. Transitioning the results of a complex multicenter long-term clinical trial into routine clinical practice is challenging, particularly when the therapy examined is controversial, as was the case in NETT. Aspects of the “clinical art” used by the study investigators to select and treat patients are not always transparent to practitioners reading study publications. At the last NETT Steering Committee meeting, a roundtable discussion was held with investigators, coordinators, Steering Committee leadership, and Data Coordinating Center staff regarding the clinical aspects of patient evaluation and selection and performance of LVRS in advanced emphysema. The questions posed to the meeting participants were ones that are commonly asked by patients and their treating physicians who are considering LVRS and included the following: Why recommend LVRS to a patient? When should LVRS be recommended to a patient? What types of patients are candidates for LVRS? What are the important barriers to performing LVRS? What are the major messages delivered by NETT? It is hoped that answers from NETT investigators to some of these commonly encountered questions will provide clarity and guidance to clinicians faced with the responsibility of considering and discussing LVRS with their patients. NETT investigators were also queried regarding the future directions of research in emphysema and the role that NETT played in shaping that future. The following article is a summary of the highlights of these discussions.
Left Atrial Appendage Closure to Reduce the Risk of Thromboembolic Complications in Atrial Fibrillation: Pay Now and Possibly Pay Later?∗

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and currently afflicts 5 million Americans [(1)][1]. The treatment of AF and its complications costs the United States healthcare system $26 billion annually [(2)][2]. Due to aging of the population and an increasing incidence of AF
Bluebook Blues: Changes in the Seventeenth Edition

This article discusses the minute changes in The Blue Book like signals, parallel citations, internet and electronic media, and punctuation.
Abstract 5328: Interleukin-4 receptor regulates metastasis of mammary epithelial cancer cells

Interleukin-4 (IL-4), a cytokine produced mainly by immune cells, may promote cancer cell survival by mediating apoptosis resistance in epithelial tumors. The IL-4 Receptor (IL-4R) is overexpressed in a variety of human solid cancer cell lines and primary cell lines, and may be a promising target for anti-tumor therapy. Here, we show that loss of IL-4Rα, a component of the IL-4 receptor, in two murine mammary tumor cell lines (R221A and 4T1), reduces tumor cell survival and results in attenuated metastatic growth in secondary sites. Proliferation and direct cell counting analyses, following knockdown of IL-4Rα with RNA interference, show that R221A clones with reduced IL-4Rα expression proliferate at a comparable rate to control clones, but the number of cells is significantly reduced. This data correlates with the finding that reduced IL-4Rα expression in R221A cells almost completely abolishes tumor take after orthotopic mammary injection in vivo. Furthermore, reduced IL-4Rα expression in R221A and 4T1 cell lines results in a decrease [2.4 fold] in lung metastatic growth in vivo. Reduced expression of IL-4Rα in 4T1 cells results in a similar decrease of liver metastasis. In support of this data, proliferation assays following serum starvation and a modified clonogenic survival assay show that both 4T1 and R221A knockdown clones have a decrease [2 fold] in survival ability in comparison to control clones. Taken together, our results indicate that the IL-4 receptor promotes survival of breast cancer cells at metastatic sites, and suggests that drugs targeting this pathway, currently in clinical trials for respiratory ailments, may have potential for limiting metastatic disease. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5328. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5328
Optimal Ownership Division in Venture Capital Investment

We develop a principal agent model to determine the optimal ownership division in venture capital investment where there are three factors of production—the entrepreneur’s effort, the VC’s service, and the investment amount—and the VC takes on a belief about the entrepreneur’s disutility of effort. Our results show that, for the VC to receive maximal economic rents, the VC should only offer to the entrepreneur an ownership share equaling the entrepreneur’s output elasticity—namely, the importance of the entrepreneur’s effort to the success of the venture—and demand all the rest. On the other hand, if the entrepreneur is to receive maximal economic rent, the VC can only demand an ownership share equaling the VC’s output elasticity with all the rest allocated to the entrepreneur. Furthermore, the information asymmetry about the entrepreneur’s disutility of effort only affects whether the VC should make an offer and not the ownership division. We also develop closed-form expressions for important deal outcomes.
The powers and pathologies of networks: Insights from the political cybernetics of Karl W. Deutsch and Norbert Wiener1:

This article reconstructs Karl Deutsch’s fearful yet hopeful views about the powers and pathologies of military, and other, national and international network systems. These views presuppose Norber...
Abstract 4959: Osteoprotegerin mediates resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

[Purpose] Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to have great potential for the treatment of most human tumor cells without harming normal cells. However, some cancers show resistance to TRAIL induced apoptosis. The poor prognosis of both pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is likely due to the absence of valid approaches for early detection, the frequency of its metastases at the time of diagnosis, frequent recurrence after surgery, and poor responsiveness to chemotherapy. PDAC is also known as the most common resistant cells to TRAIL. Since osteoprotegerin (OPG) is known as a decoy receptor that binds to TRAIL and inhibits TRAIL-induced apoptosis, we hypothesized that OPG might play a role in mediating resistance to apoptosis in PDAC cells. [Methods and Results] To investigate the expression of OPG in PDAC cells, RT-PCR, Western blot and ELISA were performed. From the results, we found significant expression of OPG in both cell and cell culture medium. To investigate the apoptotic activity of TRAIL, we performed cell viability assay and apoptosis assay with or without siRNA against OPG. We found that PDAC cells showed significantly resistance to TRAIL induced apoptosis and knocking down of OPG sensitized TRAIL induced apoptosis in PDAC cells. [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that OPG played a role in resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in PDAC cells. Expression of OPG might provide PDAC cells with an essential growth advantage through resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of OPG expression and blocking OPG function might be a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4959. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4959
Necessity and Extravagance in Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior: Art and the Ethnic Experience

Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior, by its very commercial success and its popularity with the literary establishment and the mainstream audience, seems to have become ideologically suspect to some Asian-American critics.' Jeffery Paul Chan faults Kingston for mistranslating the Cantonese term "ghost" and giving a distorted picture of Chinese-American culture based on her "unique" experiences.2 He also expresses distress at the fact that the publisher passed The Woman Warrior off as nonfiction when it is obviously fiction, a practice he attacks as belittling of Chinese-American experiences and creative efforts. Chan sees Kingston's sensibility as having been "shaped by a white culture predisposed to fanciful caricature of a Shangri-la four thousand years wise, but feudally binding." Benjamin R. Tong goes even further than Chan and accuses Kingston of being "purposeful" in mistranslating Chinese terms to suit white tastes so that her book would sell better.3 "She has the sensibility but no conscious, organic connection with [Cantonese] history and psychology," Tong concludes. "[I]f she and I were ever to meet, she would know that I know she knows she's been catching pigs [tricking whites out of their money by giving them what they think is Chinese] at too high a price" - "the selling out of her own people." These are grave charges. They are worth examining in some detail since the unspoken assumptions on which they rest pertain to the important issue of how one conceives of Chinese-American literature, and, by extension, ethnic literature in America. First, the depiction of "unique" experience in literature is deemed reprehensible because it threatens to "distort" Chinese-American reality. Secondly, fantasy drawing on traditional Chinese culture (in which The Woman Warrior abounds) is considered exotic "fanciful caricature," presumably because social reality is given short shrift. As for the translation of Chinese terms, while most translators would agree that a word
Effects of anticholinergics, antacids, and antrectomy on gastrin production and relation of antral motility to gastrin release

Studies carried out on 5 dogs prepared with Heidenhain pouches and gastric cannulas have revealed that: 1. Oral administration of a commercial antacid (Maalox) consistently increased pouch secretion of hydrochloric acid over that induced by food alone, even when large doses of anticholinergic medication (propanthe-line bromide or glycopyrrolate) were given. This increase was presumably due to an increased release of gastrin. 2. The suppressive effects on pouch secretion of oral propantheline bromide in 0.75 and 1.5-mg./kg. dosages were essentially equivalent to those of glycopyrrolate dosages of 0.1 and 0.2 mg./kg. 3. Prolonged suppression of pouch secretion (presumably reflecting gastrin release) was not achieved by oral propantheline or glycopyrrolate. Very large doses of glycopyrrolate sharply reduced and temporarily abolished pouch secretion without affecting motility. 4. Following antrectomy, pouch secretion was drastically reduced. Oral antacid administration was without effect in causing increased pouch production. 5. Gastrin release is apparently unrelated to antral motility. Propantheline consistently abolished antral motility; glycopyrrolate did not affect antral motility.
Labor progression in teenage women.

Objective Compare labor progression in first and second stages in women Study Design Retrospective cohort study of consecutive women at term that reached the second stage of labor between 2004 and 2008. The first stage in women Results There was no significant difference in progress of the first stage of labor between women 60 or 120 minutes. Conclusion Laboring women
THE EVOLUTION OF FEMALE‐BIASED SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM: A POPULATION‐LEVEL COMPARATIVE STUDY IN HORNED LIZARDS (PHRYNOSOMA)

Female-biased sexual size dimorphism is uncommon among vertebrates and traditionally has been attributed to asymmetric selective pressures favoring large fecund females (the fecundity-advantage hypothesis) and/or small mobile males (the small-male advantage hypothesis). I use a phylogenetically based comparative method to address these hypotheses for the evolution and maintenance of sexual size dimorphism among populations of three closely related lizard species (Phrynosoma douglasi, P. ditmarsi, and P. hernandezi). With independent contrasts I estimate evolutionary correlations among female body size, male body size, and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) to determine whether males have become small, females have become large, or both sexes have diverged concurrently in body size during the evolutionary Xhistory of this group. Population differences in degree of SSD are inversely correlated with average male body size, but are not correlated with average female body size. Thus, variation in SSD among populations has occurred predominantly through changes in male size, suggesting that selective pressures on small males may affect degree of SSD in this group. I explore three possible evolutionary mechanisms by which the mean male body size in a population could evolve: changes in size at maturity, changes in the variance of male body sizes, and changes in skewness of male body size distributions. Comparative analyses indicate that population differentiation in male body size is achieved by changes in male size at maturity, without changes in the variance or skewness of male and female size distributions. This study demonstrates the potential of comparative methods at lower taxonomic levels (among populations and closely related species) for studying microevolutionary processes that underlie population differentiation.
Antimicrobial Access in the 21st Century: Delays and Critical Shortages

When shortages of antimicrobials are coupled with the dynamics of serious infections, the results can be catastrophic. The authors discuss possible incentives, programs, and regulations that could ...
Model of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

The article describes results of the modified model of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction which resembles well the limit set observed in an experiment in the Petri dish. We discuss the concept of the ignition of circular waves and show that only an asymmetrical ignition leads to the formation of spiral structures. From the qualitative assumptions on the behavior of dynamic systems we conclude that the reactants in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction likely forms a regular grid.
436 PARADOXICAL RESPONSE OF URINE ALBUMIN EXCRETION ASSOCIATED WITH ORAL GLUCOSE CHALLENGE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES.

Purpose Microalbuminuria is strongly predictive of diabetic nephropathy and associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Little information is available regarding the relationship between postprandial hyperglycemia and microalbuminuria. We sought to determine the changes in urinary albumin excretion (Ualb) before and after a standard oral glucose loading. Methods Fifty diabetic patients in a VA primary care clinic were recruited. Excluded were those with symptomatic heart diseases, chronic inflammatory conditions, blood pressure (BP) > 140/90 mm Hg, fasting blood glucose > 250 mg/dL, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) > 9%. Ualb values were determined in fasting state, at 2 and 6 hours after 75 g of glucose jelly. Other measured parameters included BP, body mass index (BMI), glucose, HbA1c, lipid panel, renal and hepatic functions, and highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP). ANOVA and linear multiple regression model were used for statistical analysis. Results There were 12 (24%) smokers and 48 (96%) males, with a mean age of 67 years, BMI 28.5 kg/m2, systolic BP 130 mm Hg, HbA1c 7.4%, and creatinine 1.04 mg/dL. Sixty eight percent of the patients were on statin, 68% on ACE-I/ARB, and 10% on insulin. Ualb at baseline and 2 and 6 hours post-glucose challenge were 71, 58, and 73 mg/L, respectively. Compared with the fasting level, 2 hours postglucose Ualb was significantly decreased (p = .028 in quadratic trends) and returned to baseline in 6 hours. There were no significant associations between the changes in Ualb and other measured parameters and use of tobacco, statin, or ACE-I/ARB. Conclusion Contrary to the common postulation that short-term hyperglycemia can cause transient elevations in Ualb, our result from this study population shows a decreased Ualb 2 hours after a glucose load. We propose the term paradoxical phenomenon. This may reflect glomerular self-protection and homeostasis in response to acute hyperglycemia. Possible mechanisms may involve glomerular osmotic or vascular changes through neuroendocrine regulation. The involvement of rennin-angiotensin system or inflammation cannot be excluded based on this study with a limited sample size and selected patient population. However, our preliminary results merit further investigation of potential mechanisms for this paradoxical phenomenon.
The Amendatory Model of Commodity Supply Chain

This paper attempts to explain commodity supply chain by extending the principal-agent model.The choice of the main acts in supply chain is analyzed,and a principal-agent model of supply chain is built,and the basic idea and conditions are proposed by solving the model about specification commodity supply chain and elimination of adverse selection.
Academic procrastination in linking motivation and achievement-related behaviours: a perspective of expectancy-value theory

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationships among college students’ achievement motivation (subjective task value and academic self-efficacy), academic procrastination (...