cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proteomic analysis of serum and sputum analytes distinguishes controlled and poorly controlled asthmatics.

Background A major goal of asthma therapy is to achieve disease control, with maintenance of lung function, reduced need for rescue medication, and prevention of exacerbation. Despite current standard of care, up to 70% of patients with asthma remain poorly controlled. Analysis of serum and sputum biomarkers could offer insights into parameters associated with poor asthma control. Objective To identify signatures as determinants of asthma disease control, we performed proteomics using Olink proximity extension analysis. Methods Up to 3 longitudinal serum samples were collected from 23 controlled and 25 poorly controlled asthmatics. Nine of the controlled and 8 of the poorly controlled subjects also provided 2 longitudinal sputum samples. The study included an additional cohort of 9 subjects whose serum was collected within 48 hours of asthma exacerbation. Two separate pre-defined Proseek Multiplex panels (INF and CVDIII) were run to quantify 181 separate protein analytes in serum and sputum. Results Panels consisting of 9 markers in serum (CCL19, CCL25, CDCP1, CCL11, FGF21, FGF23, Flt3L, IL-10Rβ, IL-6) and 16 markers in sputum (tPA, KLK6, RETN, ADA, MMP9, Chit1, GRN, PGLYRP1, MPO, HGF, PRTN3, DNER, PI3, Chi3L1, AZU1, and OPG) distinguished controlled and poorly controlled asthmatics. The sputum analytes were consistent with a pattern of neutrophil activation associated with poor asthma control. The serum analyte profile of the exacerbation cohort resembled that of the controlled group rather than that of the poorly controlled asthmatics, possibly reflecting a therapeutic response to systemic corticosteroids. Conclusions and clinical relevance Proteomic profiles in serum and sputum distinguished controlled and poorly controlled asthmatics, and were maintained over time. Findings support a link between sputum neutrophil markers and loss of asthma control.
On the Dynamics of Controlled Magnetohydrodynamic Systems

In this paper we study the long time behavior of solutions for an optimal control problem associated with the viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid modeled by the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in a bounded two dimensional domain through the adjustment of distributed controls. We first con struct a quasi-optimal solution for the MHD systems which possesses exponential decay in time. We then derive some preliminary estimates for the long-time behavior of all admissible solutions of the MHD systems. Next we prove the existence of a solution for the optimal control problem for both finite and infinite time intervals. Finally, we establis h the long-time decay properties of the solutions for the optimal control problem.
Time-Course Microarray Data Analysis

In a time-course microarray experiment, each condition or sample represents a time point after a particular treatment on tissue samples. Because mRNA abundance of different time points are correlated, we may express the mRNA abundance as a function of time. This function is usually nonlinear, and the visual plot of this function against time is called gene expression profile. Similar to time-course microarray experiment, each condition or sample may represent a particular dose of a drug injection. We may also express the mRNA abundance as a function of the dosage. This kind of experiment is called dose-response microarray experiment.
Emerging Role of mTOR Signaling-Related miRNAs in Cardiovascular Diseases

Mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), an atypical serine/threonine kinase of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase- (PI3K-) related kinase family, elicits a vital role in diverse cellular processes, including cellular growth, proliferation, survival, protein synthesis, autophagy, and metabolism. In the cardiovascular system, the mTOR signaling pathway integrates both intracellular and extracellular signals and serves as a central regulator of both physiological and pathological processes. MicroRNAs (miRs), a class of short noncoding RNA, are an emerging intricate posttranscriptional modulator of critical gene expression for the development and maintenance of homeostasis across a wide array of tissues, including the cardiovascular system. Over the last decade, numerous studies have revealed an interplay between miRNAs and the mTOR signaling circuit in the different cardiovascular pathophysiology, like myocardial infarction, hypertrophy, fibrosis, heart failure, arrhythmia, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. In this review, we provide a comprehensive state of the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of interactions between the mTOR signaling pathway and miRs. We have also highlighted the latest advances on mTOR-targeted therapy in clinical trials and the new perspective therapeutic strategies with mTOR-targeting miRs in cardiovascular diseases.
A strategic approach for investigating light recipes for 'Outredgeous' red romaine lettuce using white and monochromatic LEDs.

Abstract To optimize crop production/quality in space, we studied various “light recipes” that could be used in the Advanced Plant Habitat currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Outredgeous’) plants were grown for 28 days under seven treatments of white (W) LEDs (control), red (635 nm) and blue (460 nm) (RB) LEDs, W + blue (B) LEDs, W + green (520 nm) (G) LEDs, W + red (R) LEDs, W + far red (745 nm) (FR) LEDs, and RGB + FR LEDs with ratios similar to natural sunlight. Total PAR was maintained near 180 µmol m−2 s−1 with an 18 h photoperiod. Lettuce grown under RGB + FR produced the greatest leaf expansion and overall shoot biomass, while leaves from WB and RB showed the highest levels of pigmentation, secondary metabolites, and elemental nutrients. All other supplemental treatments had varying impacts on morphology that were dependent on crop age. The WG treatment increased fresh mass early in the cycle, while WR increased biomass later in the cycle. The plants grown under WFR exhibited elongation of petioles, lower nutrient content, and similar shoot biomass to the W control. The findings suggest that supplementing a broad spectrum, white light background with discrete wavelengths can be used to manipulate total yield, morphology, and levels of phytonutrients in lettuce at various times during the crop cycle.
Semantic Text Matching for Long-Form Documents

Semantic text matching is one of the most important research problems in many domains, including, but not limited to, information retrieval, question answering, and recommendation. Among the different types of semantic text matching, long-document-to-long-document text matching has many applications, but has rarely been studied. Most existing approaches for semantic text matching have limited success in this setting, due to their inability to capture and distill the main ideas and topics from long-form text. In this paper, we propose a novel Siamese multi-depth attention-based hierarchical recurrent neural network (SMASH RNN) that learns the long-form semantics, and enables long-form document based semantic text matching. In addition to word information, SMASH RNN is using the document structure to improve the representation of long-form documents. Specifically, SMASH RNN synthesizes information from different document structure levels, including paragraphs, sentences, and words. An attention-based hierarchical RNN derives a representation for each document structure level. Then, the representations learned from the different levels are aggregated to learn a more comprehensive semantic representation of the entire document. For semantic text matching, a Siamese structure couples the representations of a pair of documents, and infers a probabilistic score as their similarity. We conduct an extensive empirical evaluation of SMASH RNN with three practical applications, including email attachment suggestion, related article recommendation, and citation recommendation. Experimental results on public data sets demonstrate that SMASH RNN significantly outperforms competitive baseline methods across various classification and ranking scenarios in the context of semantic matching of long-form documents.
Comparing variations in implementation processes and influences across multiple sites: What works, for whom, and how?

Abstract Traditional analyses and interpretation of controlled trials rely on measures of central tendency (e.g., mean findings for treatment versus control) to detect treatment effects. These trial designs therefore emphasize homogeneity of results, with variations within the experimental or control groups treated as error to be controlled for or ignored. For implementation trials, however, heterogeneity of results is an expected result to be explored rather than an imperfection to be minimized. Thus, many implementation trials seek to understand not only “Does it work?” but also “What works, for whom, and how?” Hence, mixed quantitative-qualitative methods that can capitalize on heterogeneity are needed to (i) comprehensively identify factors that influence the implementation process and (ii) understand their impact on implementation outcomes. This paper outlines the matrixed multiple case study approach, which allows for understanding how these processes and influences similarly or differently interact with outcomes across multiple implementation sites. We provide an example of this approach using data from a multi-site trial that tested the implementation of the evidence-based Collaborative Chronic Care Model at nine US Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Malpractice Litigation in Plastic Surgery: Can We Identify Patterns?

BACKGROUND Malpractice litigation has a significant impact on healthcare costs and important professional implications for healthcare providers. OBJECTIVES The authors sought to comprehensively characterize the litigation landscape in plastic surgery across its different subspecialties. METHODS The authors utilized the Westlaw legal database to conduct a comprehensive search of malpractice cases in the United States in the following categories: cosmetic, reconstructive, hand, craniofacial, and gender affirmation surgery. They conducted both a Boolean and a natural language search to identify cases in which a plastic surgeon was the defendant. Data were analyzed employing descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and relative risk calculations. RESULTS In total, 165 cases were included. Most surgeons accused of malpractice worked in a private setting (148 [90%]). Among the 22 (13%) cases that contained information on board certification status, most surgeons were board certified (17 [77%]). Resident involvement was mentioned in only 5 (3%) cases. The majority of cases were successfully defended by surgeons (98 [60%] vs 65 [40%]), particularly in craniofacial surgery (risk ratio: 1.54; P = 0.03; 95% CI: 1.03-2.3). Surgeons who successfully defended a case were more likely to benefit from summary judgment (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Malpractice litigation is commonplace in medical practice, and no specialty is spared. Legal outcomes were in favor of plastic surgeons in the majority of cases, particularly those that proceeded to summary judgment. Surgeons can avoid litigation by maintaining detailed office and surgical notes, always obtaining informed consent, adequately following and monitoring patients after surgery, and ensuring compliance by communicating frequently and effectively.
Chapter 8 – Speleothems

Speleothems are mineral formations occurring in limestone caves, most commonly as stalagmites and stalactites or slablike deposits known as flowstones. Stalactites (which hang from the ceilings of caves) often have a hollow core, with growth occurring around this central orifice, whereas stalagmites are solid and grow incrementally at the drip site. Thus, stalagmites are generally selected for paleoclimatic analysis. The extensive distribution of karst landscapes means that studies can be undertaken on a worldwide basis. Speleothems are primarily composed of calcium carbonate, precipitated from groundwater that has percolated through the adjacent carbonate host rock. Certain trace elements may also be present (often giving the deposit a characteristic color), and one of these, uranium, can be used to determine the age of a speleothem, as discussed in the succeeding text. Seasonal variations in the trace element composition of dripwaters may also be used to identify annual layers. Deposition of a speleothems results from evaporation of water or degassing of carbon dioxide from water droplets. Evaporation is normally only an important process near cave entrances; most speleothems from deep within caves therefore result from the degassing process. Water that has percolated through soil and been in contact with decaying organic matter usually accrues a partial pressure of carbon dioxide exceeding that of the cave atmosphere. Thus, when water enters the cave, degassing of carbon dioxide occurs, causing the water to become supersaturated with calcite, which is thus precipitated.
Antioxidant Capacity of Calcium Lactate on m-Calpain Activity In Vitro

To investigate the antioxidant capacity of calcium lactate on m-calpain activity, porcine m-calpain was preincubated with various combinations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and/or different concentrations of calcium lactate (CaLac). The m-calpain was activated by CaLac, and the extent of m-calpain oxidation by H2O2 was decreased with increasing CaLac concentrations. These results suggest that CaLac addition to early postmortem muscle may lead a significant improvement of meat tenderness by providing an activation of endogenous calpain enzymes and protection against protein oxidation.
Comparative effects of varenicline or combination nicotine replacement therapy versus patch monotherapy on candidate mediators of early abstinence in a smoking cessation attempt

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The phase-based model of smoking cessation treatment suggests that treatment needs may vary across phases (e.g. pre-cessation, cessation). This study tested the comparative effects of varenicline and combination nicotine replacement therapy (C-NRT) relative to nicotine patch monotherapy on pre-cessation and cessation phase candidate withdrawal, expectancy and motivation mediators; relations between mediators and abstinence; and indirect effects of enhanced treatments on abstinence via candidate mediators. DESIGN Secondary mediation analysis of data from the open-label, randomized Wisconsin Smokers' Health Study 2, a comparative effectiveness trial of varenicline or C-NRT, versus patch monotherapy, in adults who smoked, recruited via media and community outreach. SETTING Research clinics in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1051 daily smokers motivated to quit smoking (52.5% female; mean age = 48.1, standard deviation = 11.6). INTERVENTIONS Twelve weeks of varenicline (n = 407) or 12 weeks of combination nicotine patch and nicotine lozenge therapy (n = 421), both compared with 12 weeks of patch control condition (n = 230), with individual smoking cessation counseling. MEASUREMENTS The primary abstinence outcome was biochemically verified 7-day point-prevalence abstinence 4 weeks post-target quit day (TQD). Candidate mediators (craving, positive smoking expectancies, withdrawal symptoms, and quitting motivation) were assessed via ecological momentary assessment from 1 week prior (pre-cessation phase) to 4 weeks after (cessation phase) the TQD. FINDINGS Pre-cessation and cessation mean levels and slopes of craving [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.34-0.79], smoking expectancies (aOR = 0.46-0.79) and quitting motivation (aOR = 1.35-7.21) significantly predicted 4-week post-TQD abstinence (P < 0.05). Significant varenicline mediation occurred via greater suppression in pre-cessation craving [mediated effect (ab) = 0.09, standard error (SE) = 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.04-0.14] and smoking expectancies (ab = 0.06, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.02-0.12). C-NRT mediation occurred via greater reduction in pre-post-TQD changes in craving (ab = 0.04, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.01-0.08) and expectancies (ab = 0.03, SE = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.001-0.07), relative to patch monotherapy. CONCLUSION Among adult smokers seeking to quit, varenicline seems to work through its effects on suppression of craving and smoking expectancies pre-cessation while combination nicotine replacement therapy mediation seems to work through cessation-related reduction in craving and smoking expectancies changes.
Hurricane Katrina at 15: Introduction to the Special Section

Over time, social norms evolved-shifting from residents accessing care in emergency departments to residents going to community-based health care provider organizations that offered comprehensive and holistic health and wellness services, including mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1800 people from Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina 2 Five contributions to this special section look at promising community health practices that encourage predisaster planning and crosssector coordination In true Louisiana form, these contributions are a bit of a gumbo, looking at a variety oftopics that affected community health, including public safety, cascading events, food access inequity, and community health workers as well as promising practices in pet evacuation and public health infrastructure Murphy et al note that lessons from Hurricane Katrina are vital for creating "a pathway to improve proactive cross-disciplinary integration and all-hazards preparedness "(p1490) There remains a need to learn from the gaps impeding an integrated response, the federal evaluation of the Department of Homeland Security and Exercise and Evaluation Program, and the local response from the New Orleans City Assisted Evacuation framework
Frontiers in Service Science: Ride Matching for Peer-to-Peer Ride Sharing: A Review and Future Directions

As a consequence of the sharing economy attaining more popularity, there has been a shift toward shared-use mobility services in recent years, especially those that encourage users to share their p...
Bednets, Information and Malaria in Orissa

We study the identification and estimation of key parameters in a basic model of technology adoption when specifically collected information on subjective beliefs and expectations about the technology's impact is available. We discuss identification with both non-parametrically and parametrically specified utility as well as parametric and semi-parametric specifications for unobserved heterogeneity. We propose parametric and semi-parametric estimation methods to recover underlying preferences and use the model to study the adoption of bednets among poor households in rural Orissa (India). We carry out counterfactual exercises to examine the effects of price and belief changes on net ownership decisions. The results suggest that net purchase decisions are relatively insensitive to changes from current prices and beliefs. The methods proposed here should have applicability to other discrete choice settings with non-linear indices.
Wired for Fear: Recognizing and Countering Implicit Bias in the Brain

This essay explores the connections between fear, implicit bias, and injustice, noting how the brain’s deeply embedded structures and processes for survival predispose us to detect threat. It furth...
REPRESSIBLE ACID PHOSPHOMONOESTERASE AND CONSTITUTIVE PYROPHOSPHATASE OF SACCHAROMYCES MELLIS

Weimberg, Ralph (Northern Regional Research Laboratory, Peoria, Ill.), and William L. Orton. Repressible acid phosphomonoesterase and constitutive pyrophosphatase of Saccharomyces mellis. J. Bacteriol. 86:805–813. 1963.—Saccharomyces mellis produces a nonspecific acid phosphomonoesterase (pH optimum of 5.5 to 6.0) when grown in a medium devoid of phosphate. Only minimal amounts of this enzyme are present in cells harvested from media containing phosphate. The enzyme requires no cofactors. It is inhibited by such anions as phosphate, arsenate, molybdate, and borate. S. mellis also contains an inorganic pyrophosphatase with a pH optimum of 7.5. The properties of this enzyme are distinctly different from those of the acid phosphomonoesterase. The pyrophosphatase requires Mg++ for activity. This enzyme is constitutive, since it is present in cells regardless of the phosphate content of the growth medium.
Affirmations after God: Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Dawkins on atheism

. In this essay, I compare the atheism of Friedrich Nietzsche with that of Richard Dawkins. My purpose is to describe certain differences in their respective atheisms with the intent of showing that Nietzsche's atheism contains a richer and fuller affirmation of human life. In Dawkins’s presentation of the value of life without God, there is a naive optimism that purports that human beings, educated in science and purged of religion, will find lives of easy peace and comfortable wonder. Part of my argument is that this optimism regarding the power of objective science is subject to Nietzsche's criticism of Socrates and what he calls the “theoretical man.” As such, it fails in terms of providing a true affirmation of life in the godless world.
MHD Turbulence in a Partially Ionized Medium

Astrophysical fluids are turbulent, magnetized and frequently partially ionized. As an example of astrophysical turbulence, the interstellar turbulence extends over a remarkably large range of spatial scales and participates in key astrophysical processes happening in different ranges of scales. A significant progress has been achieved in the understanding of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence since the turn of the century, and this enables us to better describe turbulence in magnetized and partially ionized plasmas. The modern revolutionized picture of the MHD turbulence physics facilitates the development of various theoretical domains, including the damping process for dissipating MHD turbulence. This chapter is based on the work by Xu et al. (ApJ 810:44, 2015, [1]), Xu et al. (ApJ 826:166, 2016, [2]), Xu et al. (New J Phys 19:065005, 2017, [3]).
Multicultural Education Training for Special Educators Working with African-American Youth

Inservice training in multicultural education helps provide special education classroom teachers with the additional competencies needed to work more effectively with African-American students with disabilities. A pilot study was conducted to assess the perceptions of special education administrators in Ohio about multicultural inservice training and the nature of their exposure to multicultural education. Results indicate that special education administrators perceive that special education teachers should be involved in multicultural educational training programs with special emphasis on African-American students and their families. The results also reveal that personnel responsible for conducting such inservice programs may lack formal training. Author recommendations include the need for special educators to actively participate in high-quality, ongoing, multicultural education inservice programming conducted by personnel who have been formally prepared.
Comparison of head and body organ doses in CT

We compare head and body organ doses received by adult patients undergoing whole body scans operated using the same technique factors. Dosimetry data were obtained for six CT scanners (16 and 64 slice) from four vendors. Organ doses were obtained using the ImPACT CT dose software package for an adult male, together with the corresponding head and body CTDIw. Our data provide a link between the CTDI doses generated on most commercial scanners for each clinical CT examination and doses to organs and tissues within the directly irradiated region of an adult patient. The average numerical ratio of the brain dose to the head phantom CTDIw is 0.84 ± 0.05, the average ratio of the lung dose and liver dose to the body phantom CTDIw is 1.65 ± 0.05 and 1.48 ± 0.05, respectively. When scanned under identical conditions, lung doses are similar to brain doses, and liver doses are only ~10% lower. By comparison, the average body to head CTDIw ratio was 0.49 ± 0.06, which erroneously implies that doses to organs in the head are twice those of doses to organs in the body at the same techniques. Two CT dosimetry phantom sizes are therefore not required, and our findings support the need to reassess the role, if any, of current cylindrical acrylic dosimetry phantoms.
Asymptotic solutions for localized vibrational modes in strongly anharmonic periodic systems

Sievers et Takens (ST) ont recemment propose qu'un systeme periodique de particules interagissant via des potentiels harmoniques et anharmoniques quantiques presente des modes de vibration localises impairs. On demontre que ce comportement est une propriete fondamentale du systeme purement anharmonique. Pour une chaine periodique de particules monoatomiques unidimensionnelle interagissant via des potentiels de proches voisins purement anharmoniques, d'ordre pair, on montre dans l'approximation de l'onde tournante de ST que: le mode de vibration impair d'une molecule simple triatomique et lineaire, et le mode pair d'une molecule diatomique simple, fournissent des solutions exactes aux equations classiques du mouvement a la limite asymptotique d'ordre d'anharmonicite croissant
Elastic and inelastic scattering of protons by 18O

Abstract Differential cross sections for elastic and inelastic scattering of protons by 18 O have been obtained. Excitation curves from 7.89 MeV to 16.28 MeV exhibit a large resonance at 10.5 MeV. Angular distributions were obtained at 11 values of the incident energy. The elastic angular distributions were fitted with the optical model and the inelastic scattering angular distributions were analysed with both the distorted-wave Born approximation and the Tamm-Dancoff distributions were analysed with both the distorted-wave Born approximation and the Tamm-Dancoff approximation. The analysis indicates a value of β = 0.34.
Janelia Farm: An Experiment in Scientific Culture

Janelia Farm, the new research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is an ongoing experiment in the social engineering of research communities.
Multiple forms of BRMS1 are differentially expressed in the MCF10 isogenic breast cancer progression model.

Clinical studies evaluating the mRNA expression level of the BRMS1 metastasis suppressor in the progression of breast cancer have not been consistent. The purpose of this study was to characterize endogenous BRMS1 mRNA and protein in a model of the progression of breast cancer. BRMS1 protein expression was evaluated in the genetically related MCF10 cell lines representing ‘normal’ breast epithelial cells (MCF10A), pre-malignant breast disease (MCF10AT), comedo ductal carcinoma in situ (MCF10DCIS.com), and metastatic carcinoma (MCF10CAa.1 and MCF10CAd.1α) with two antibodies that recognize distinct epitopes in the BRMS1 protein. Nuclear expression of the characteristic ~35 kDa BRMS1 protein was detected in all cell lines. Because BRMS1 was expressed in the metastatic MCF10 variants, the BRMS1 exons were sequenced to scan for possible genetic mutations. BRMS1 was wild-type with the exception of a synonymous T/C transition in exon 7. However, alternatively spliced variants were detected by RT-PCR. Two variants, BRMS1.v2 and BRMS1.v4 were only detected in the MCF10A and AT cell lines, while BRMS1 and BRMS1.v3 were detected in all lines. These results demonstrate that expression of the characteristic ~35 kDa BRMS1 protein is not sufficient to prevent metastasis. The differential expression of alternative splice variants suggests caution should be taken when evaluating BRMS1 mRNA in clinical samples.
Peculiar velocity of the sun and the cosmic microwave background.

Solar velocity with respect to distant galaxies estimated from red shift for nearby galaxies, noting cosmic microwave background
Demand and capacity sharing decisions and protocols in a collaborative network of enterprises

This research is motivated by the arbitrary nature of customer orders and dynamic changes of demand patterns and the ability to overcome such uncertainty by enterprise collaboration. Such collaboration is an attractive strategy, and a set of enterprises can form a beneficial collaborative network. In a collaborative network of enterprises (CN), each enterprise is a self-operative organization, and enterprise collaboration needs to be carefully controlled to achieve mutual benefits. In this research, therefore, demand and capacity sharing protocols have been designed to find efficient demand and capacity sharing decisions in the CN. New protocol models are developed and numerical examples indicate that enterprise collaboration by the proposed demand and capacity sharing decisions and protocols can significantly increase the demand fulfillment rate and the total profit of the CN. While complete collaboration can increase the demand fulfillment rate, partial collaboration by design is preferred in terms of the total profit of the CN under certain conditions. It is found that a certain level of enterprise collaboration is required to maximize the total profit of the CN.
A DNA polymorphism, consistent with gene duplication, correlates with high renin levels in the mouse submaxillary gland

The renin regulatory locus (Rnr) is a genetic element governing mouse submaxillary gland (SMG) renin levels. A 45,000 dalton polypeptide detectable after in vitro translation of mouse SMG mRNA has been identified by genetic and physical criteria as SMG renin. A cDNA recombinant clone specific for SMG renin has been isolated and used to demonstrate that the previously described genetic regulation of SMG renin levels is manifest at the level of renin mRNA concentration. The renin cDNA clone has also been used in Southern blot analyses to study the organization of homologous DNA sequences in strains carrying different alleles at the Rnr locus. Restriction digest patterns of high renin strains (Rnrs) are characteristically distinct from patterns observed for low renin strains (Rnrb) and are suggestive of a structural gene duplication at the chromosome 1 locus in high renin strains. However, gene dosage cannot account for the increased levels in high renin strains, since SMG renin levels in Rnrs and those in Rnrb may differ up to 100-fold.
Interspatial subjectivities: engineering in virtual environments

It is becoming increasingly common for workers to collaborate across continents in technologically-mediated spaces, where geography and time are related in new ways, where visual elements for interpreting the other's actions are reduced, and where quite diverse cultural practices and beliefs are encountered. Phenomenologically, intersubjectivity, or taking the point of view of the other, and imagining oneself in the other's space, requires a new type of work. In this article we discuss two engineering design teams as they orient their actions to the work of building, repairing, and maintaining an “interspatial” subjectivity. We focus on aspects of multimodality, relationships of time, and integration of different local practices and habits, as they are affected by encounters in technologically-mediated space. The engineers are simultaneously building an understanding of the structural space they are creating, as well as how to most effectively transfer or reinvent skills learned as engineer-collaborators.
Effect of terazosin on prostatism in men with normal and abnormal peak urinary flow rates

Objectives To determine if men with normal peak urinary flow rates (PFR) and prostatism respond to terazosin.
Comparison of three methods for generating group statistical inferences from independent component analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data

Purpose To evaluate the relative effectiveness of three previously proposed methods of performing group independent component analysis (ICA) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Materials and Methods Data were generated via computer simulation. Components were added to a varying number of subjects between 1 and 20, and intersubject variability was simulated for both the added sources and their associated time courses. Three methods of group ICA analyses were performed: across-subject averaging, subject-wise concatenation, and row-wise concatenation (e.g., across time courses). Results Concatenating across subjects provided the best overall performance in terms of accurate estimation of the sources and associated time courses. Averaging across subjects provided accurate estimation (R > 0.9) of the time courses when the sources were present in a sufficient fraction (about 15%) of 100 subjects. Concatenating across time courses was shown not to be a feasible method when unique sources were added to the data from each subject, simulating the effects of motion and susceptibility artifacts. Conclusion Subject-wise concatenation should be used when computationally feasible. For studies involving a large number of subjects, across-subject averaging provides an acceptable alternative and reduces the computational load. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2004;19:365–368. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fluctuating asymmetry, interspecific aggression and male mating tactics in two species of Japanese scorpionflies

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is defined as small, random deviations from bilateral symmetry in a generally perfect bilaterally symmetrical morphological trait. FA in forewing length affects the outcomes of interspecific contests for food items (dead arthropods) between two species of Japanese scorpionflies, Panorpa nipponensis and P. ochraceopennis, in nature. FA differences between same-sex contestants are more important than either body size or ownership of food in determining the outcomes of interspecific contests; for both sexes, winners statistically significantly more often have relatively low FA. Two condition-dependent mating tactics are used by the males of each species: (a) a male may defend a dead-arthropod nuptial gift, or (b) a male without such an arthropod may wait near a male with one. In both tactics, males release long-distance sex pheromones. Groups of pheromone-releasing males are made up of one male with a nuptial gift and his satellites; the males in a group may be conspecifics or heterospecifics. Males that lose contests for nuptial gifts often become satellites of the contest winners whether or not winners are conspecific. Satellite males have statistically significantly greater FA than males with nuptial gifts in heterospecific male display groups. Satellite males mate infrequently and briefly compared to resource-holding males. Satellites of heterospecific males copulate with conspecific females displaced from nuptial gifts by the resource-holding males of the other species. In both species, the largest and smallest individuals have the greatest FA, and intermediate-sized individuals have the least; this same pattern often occurs in other animals.
Retinal detachment after open globe injury.

Purpose To characterize the development of retinal detachment (RD) after open globe trauma. Design Case-control study. Participants A total of 892 patients comprising 893 open globe injuries (OGIs), of whom 255 were ultimately diagnosed with RD, with the remaining eyes serving as controls. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients with OGIs presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary between 1999 and 2011. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to estimate the time to detachment, and multivariable logistic regression was used to define the clinical factors associated with RD after OGI. Main Outcome Measures Demographic and clinical characteristics at the time of presentation after OGI, date of RD diagnosis, and last date of follow-up. Results Primary repair of the open globe was typically undertaken within hours of presentation. A total of 255 eyes were ultimately diagnosed with RD after open globe trauma, yielding an incidence of 29% (95% confidence interval, 26–32). For eyes that developed RD, 27% (69/255) detached within 24 hours of primary open globe repair, 47% (119/255) detached within 1 week, and 72% (183/255) detached within 1 month. Multivariable regression analysis revealed the presence of vitreous hemorrhage (odds ratio [OR], 7.29; P P P Conclusions Retinal detachment is common after open globe trauma, although often not appearing until days to weeks after the initial traumatic event. Several clinical variables at the time of initial presentation can predict the future risk of detachment.
Abstract B13: FGFR2 as a therapeutic target in squamous cell lung carcinoma

Squamous cell lung carcinoma (lung SCC)) is the second most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, with 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the United States. Unlike lung adenocarcinoma, few targetable genomic events are known drivers of lung SCC, and therefore, therapeutic options are limited for patients with this disease. As part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, we have analyzed the entire coding sequence of 196 lung SCCs for mutated genes which may be amenable to targeted therapeutics. In the 196 patient samples analyzed to date, we have observed mutations in the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) kinase gene in ten cases, or 5% of samples. The observed FGFR2 mutations are present in both the extracellular domain and the kinase domain of the protein, an observation that is consistent with activating mutations in FGFR2 that are known to drive endometrial cancer. We therefore hypothesized that these mutations are oncogenic and may be driving transformation in a subset of lung SCC patients. Expression of mutated FGFR2 in NIH-3T3 cells led to anchorage-independent colony formation, which was inhibited by treatment with the pan-FGFR inhibitor FIIN-1. A known mechanism of FGFR2 activation is the constitutive dimerization of receptors with mutated extracellular domains via intermolecular disulfide bond formation, and we have observed this phenomenon in two of our ECD mutants as well. These data suggest that both ECD and kinase mutations in the FGFR2 gene are sufficient to transform cells. This finding, along with recently published data suggesting that FGFR1 amplification is also able to drive lung SCC development, demonstrates that the FGFR family may be a promising therapeutic target in lung SCC.
What has orthodox development economics learned from recent experience

Abstract Orthodox development economics has advocated the view that the challenge of development lies in the initiation of take-off. Once initiated, however, an array of mechanisms could be counted on to maintain development and to assure that it would trickle and spread into various pockets of poverty internationally as well as within countries. From the vantage point of the orthodox approach the recent experience of developing countries with rapid growth but growing unemployment and income inequality comes, therefore, as a surprise. This paper suggests that this experience squares more satisfactorily with an alternative disequilibrium interpretation of the development process. Some building blocks of a new paradigm that would emphasize disequilibrium processes are specified and illustrated with respect to the contemporary landscape of developing countries. The policy and other implications of the alternative disequilibrium and orthodox paradigms are contrasted.
Electric conduction of silicon nitride induced by Si ion implantation

Abstract We have examined the change of electric conduction of silicon nitride induced by MeV Si ion implantation. 2 MeV Si + ions were implanted at the doses from 1×10 14 to 3×10 17 ions/cm 2 in 12 steps, by measuring the resistance using dc-constant voltage method between two deposited Mo thin films as electrodes on the sample. Temperature during implantation was 370–530 or 600 K without or with heater. Up to the dose of 2×10 16 or 8×10 15 ions/cm 2 for without or with heater, sheet resistance was larger than 10 9 Ω/□. The resistance decreased dramatically with increasing dose and it became less than 10 5 Ω/□ at doses over 1×10 17 ions/cm 2 . Saturation of conductivity over the dose of 1×10 17 ions/cm 2 was clear with the heater. Temperature dependence of conductivity indicates that the conductor is as semiconductor. After annealing up to 1000 K, the conductivity increased; however, it decreased beyond 1150 K and it became almost non-conductive at 1500 K. The electric conduction induced by Si ion implantation occurs via a variable-range hopping process and closely related to defects and their behavior.
Three-dimensional body scanning system for apparel mass-customization

Mass customization is a new manufacturing trend in which mass-market products (e.g., apparel) are quickly modified one at a time based on customers' needs. It is an effective competing strategy for maximizing customers' satisfaction and minimizing inventory costs. An automatic body measurement system is essential for apparel mass customization. This paper introduces the development of a body scanning system, body size extraction methods, and body modeling algorithms. The scanning system utilizes the multiline triangulation technique to rapidly acquire surface data on a body, and provides accurate body measurements, many of which are not available with conventional methods. Cubic B-spline curves are used to connect and smooth body curves. From the scanned data, a body form can be constructed using linear Coons surfaces. The body form can be used as a digital model of the body for 3-D garment design and for virtual try-on of a designed garment. This scanning system and its application software enable apparel manufacturers to provide custom design services to consumers seeking personal-fit garments.
Short-term interactions between DDT and endrin accumulation and elimination in mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis).

Experiments were conducted to determine whether interactions in disposition between two insecticides might occur within the first few hours of exposure. Levels of both [14C]endrin and [3H]DDT were monitored in serum, gall bladders, and whole bodies during pre- and post-exposures to each compound or analogs, as well as during concurrent exposures in mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Prior exposure to DDT for four hr generally reduced endrin accumulation in serum, gall bladders and whole bodies, whereas prior exposure to endrin exerted little effect on DDT accumulation. Simultaneous exposure to DDT and endrin reduced DDT accumulation in the gall bladder at all times and in the whole body during the first two hr; endrin accumulation was generally reduced in the gall bladder and whole body. Endrin levels in fish exposed subsequently to only DDT or DDE were significantly higher in the gall bladder at all times after 0.5 hr and were reduced in the whole body at all times tested, compared to fish exposed subsequently only to uncontaminated water. While endrin post-treatment had no effect on DDT levels in the gall bladder, aldrin and dieldrin exposure resulted in significantly higher gall bladder levels of DDT compared to fish exposed subsequently only to uncontaminated water. The insecticide interactions observed may be the result of competition for and/or displacement of insecticides from mutual binding sites.
Human electropharmacology of tocainide, a lidocaine congener

The electropharmacology of tocainide, an orally active congener of lidocaine, was evaluated in 10 patients with coronary artery disease. Electrophysiologic measurements including sinus nodal recovery time, sinoatrial conduction time, intraatrial conduction time, atrial, atrioventricular (A-V) nodal and ventricular refractory periods and intraventricular conduction time were obtained before and after intravenous infusion of tocainide. At blood levels shown to be effective against ventricular arrhythmias, tocainide produced no statistically significant changes in the electrophysiologic measurements, although occasional marked individual effects were observed. No side effects were observed during these studies. No adverse effects on A-V conduction were observed in patients with an intraventricular conduction disturbance or a prolonged control H-V interval. Thus, plasma tocainide concentrations effective in the therapy of ventricular arrhythmias exert no adverse effects on cardiac electrophysiologic properties in patients with coronary artery disease.
Role of the vagus nerve in experimental cinchophen-ulcer.

Summary and ConclusionsSurgical interruption of the vagus nerves above the diaphragm had no effect whatsoever on the incidence of peptic ulcer produced by cinchophen.
The impact of forecasting methods on the bullwhip effect

Abstract This paper considers the impact of forecasting methods on the bullwhip effect for a simple replenishment system in which a first-order autoregressive process describes the customer demand and an order-up-to inventory policy characterizes the replenishment decision. A bullwhip effect measure is derived for the optimal forecasting procedure that minimizes the mean-squared forecasting error for the specified demand process. Similar measures are obtained for the moving average and exponential smoothing methods. The findings indicate that different forecasting methods lead to bullwhip effect measures with distinct properties in relation to lead time and underlying parameters of the demand process. Moreover, a simple rule is established to help managers select a forecasting method that yields the lowest inventory cost.
Neointimas cultured in vitro for circulatory assist devices: I-Comparison of cultured cells derived from autologous tissues of various organs☆☆☆

Abstract In order to develop an antithrombogenic surface for cardiovascular prostheses, neointimas were produced from various autologous tissues on velour-lined and flat prosthetic surfaces. Twenty-four mongrel dogs and six calves were used and three modalities of tissue culture techniques, i.e. explant culture, subculture, and direct trypsinization followed by in vitro culture, were applied. It was found that good neointimas can be made in vitro from autologous skeletal muscle, vein, omentum and granulation tissue on velour-lined prostheses. For the silicone rubber prosthesis with flat surface, the omentum was the only usable tissue to produce a living cell lining in vitro because of easy procurement, short preparation time, formation of uniform and thin cell layers, and least incidence of bacterial contamination.
Characterization of Fatigue Behavior of Bonded Composite Repairs

Composite patches are bonded to a cracked metallic surface either symmetrically (double sided ) or unsymmetrically (single sided ) to extend service life. The stresses in the metallic panel are greatly affected by the repair symmetry. Unsymmetric repairs present the greatest challenge because of the presence of out-of-plane bending. Thermal residual stresses are present because of the thermal coefe cient mismatch of the patch and the aluminum plate. Debonding along an adhesive ‐adherend interface can reduce the patch effectiveness. A simple analysis with Mindlin plate theory is investigated to model the host and the repair plate. The two plates are connected by an adhesive layer modeled by effective springs. Large dee ection theory is used in the case of unsymmetric repairs. The springs are ineffective in the debond zone and are removed. Both the aluminum and the debond cracks are characterizedbyfracturemechanicsby useofthestressintensity factorand strain-energyreleaserate,respectively. Experiments on aluminum 2024-T3 plate, AS4/3501-6 carbon/epoxy composite patch and FM73 adhesive include determining the thermal residual stresses in the aluminum plate and observation of debond development by use of an ultrasonic C-scan. Tests are conducted to examine the metallic and debond crack growth interaction on unsymmetric repairs.