cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost effective storage using extent based dynamic tiering

Multi-tier systems that combine SSDs with SAS/FC and/or SATA disks mitigate the capital cost burden of SSDs, while benefiting from their superior I/O performance per unit cost and low power. Though commercial SSD-based multi-tier solutions are available, configuring such a system with the optimal number of devices per tier to achieve performance goals at minimum cost remains a challenge. Furthermore, these solutions do not leverage the opportunity to dynamically consolidate load and reduce power/operating cost.Our extent-based dynamic tiering solution, EDT, addresses these limitations via two key components of its design. A Configuration Adviser EDT-CA determines the adequate mix of storage devices to buy and install to satisfy a given workload at minimum cost, and a Dynamic Tier Manager EDT-DTM performs dynamic extent placement once the system is running to satisfy performance requirements while minimizing dynamic power consumption. Key to the cost minimization of EDT-CA is its ability to simulate the dynamic extent placement afforded by EDT-DTM. Key to the overall effectiveness of EDT-DTM is its ability to consolidate load within tiers when feasible, rapidly respond to unexpected changes in the workload, and carefully control the overhead due to extent migration. Our results using production workloads show that EDT incurs lower capital and operating cost, consumes less power, and delivers similar or better performance relative to SAS-only storage systems as well as other simpler approaches to extent-based tiering.
The Founding Fathers of Sociology: Francis Galton, Adolphe Quetelet, and Charles Booth: Or What Do People You Probably Never Heard of Have to Do with the Foundations of Sociology?:

The theme of the 2008 meeting of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology was “Engaging Sociology: Applied Sociology's Past, Present, and Promise.” The theme suggests that applied sociology has a past that is different from the parent discipline of sociology, and given how the history of sociology has come to be taught and remembered, that is an understandable suggestion. The argument of this paper, however, is that the discipline of sociology itself—as it is actually practiced today—originated mainly in applied work, in the work of nineteenth century social reformers whose contributions to the field have been largely forgotten, people such as Francis Galton, Adolphe Quetelet, and Charles Booth. These, I argue, are the Founding Fathers of the discipline as I have practiced it for the past thirty-five years.
Liver Perilipin 5 Expression Worsens Hepatosteatosis But Not Insulin Resistance in High Fat-Fed Mice

Perilipin 5 (PLIN5) is a lipid droplet (LD) protein highly expressed in oxidative tissues, including the fasted liver. However, its expression also increases in nonalcoholic fatty liver. To determine whether PLIN5 regulates metabolic phenotypes of hepatosteatosis under nutritional excess, liver targeted overexpression of PLIN5 was achieved using adenoviral vector (Ad-PLIN5) in male C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet. Mice treated with adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) (Ad-GFP) served as control. Ad-PLIN5 livers increased LD in the liver section, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry revealed increases in lipid classes associated with LD, including triacylglycerol, cholesterol ester, and phospholipid classes, compared with Ad-GFP liver. Lipids commonly associated with hepatic lipotoxicity, diacylglycerol, and ceramides, were also increased in Ad-PLIN5 liver. The expression of genes in lipid metabolism regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α was reduced suggestive of slower mobilization of stored lipids in Ad-PLIN5 mice. However, the increase of hepatosteatosis by PLIN5 overexpression did not worsen glucose homeostasis. Rather, serum insulin levels were decreased, indicating better insulin sensitivity in Ad-PLIN5 mice. Moreover, genes associated with liver injury were unaltered in Ad-PLIN5 steatotic liver compared with Ad-GFP control. Phosphorylation of protein kinase B was increased in Ad-PLIN5-transduced AML12 hepatocyte despite of the promotion of fatty acid incorporation to triacylglycerol as well. Collectively, our data indicates that the increase in liver PLIN5 during hepatosteatosis drives further lipid accumulation but does not adversely affect hepatic health or insulin sensitivity.
Health care utilization by children with asthma.

INTRODUCTION We examined how differences in health service utilization among children with asthma are associated with race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (family income, mother's education), and health insurance coverage. METHODS We analyzed Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data from 1996 through 2000 (982 children younger than 18 years with asthma). We calculated percentages and mean distributions, odds ratios, and incidence rate ratios. RESULTS Non-Hispanic black children used more urgent care services and fewer preventive health services. Children in low-income families (125%-199% of the poverty line) had the lowest levels of prescription fills and general checkups. Children whose mothers had more education had more checkups and fewer emergency department visits. Children who were insured during the 2-year study period used more health services for asthma, not including emergency department visits. CONCLUSION Minority children and children of socioeconomically disadvantaged families use more urgent care and less preventive care for asthma. Children without health insurance use fewer health services overall. Future research should address how related factors might explain health services utilization in effectively managing asthma in children.
Intervention Research in Social Work: Recent Advances and Continuing Challenges

The purpose of this article is to review substantive and methodological advances in interventive research. Three substantive advances are discussed: (a) the growing use of a risk factor perspective...
Variation of oxo-transfer reactivity of (nitro)cobalt picket fence porphyrin with oxygen-donating ligands.

Derivatives of (nitro)cobalt picket fence porphyrin with oxygen-donating ligands have been prepared in solution and in the solid state. Crystal structures of two of these derivatives, (H2O)CoTpivPP(NO2) and (CH3OH)CoTpivPP(NO2), have been determined. The ethanol complex (C2H5OH)Co(TPP)(NO2) has been obtained and spectrally characterized using sublimed layers methodology. The formation constant and the ΔH° value of the association reaction with ethanol have been determined by FTIR measurements in CCl4 solution. Catalytic oxygen activation and oxo-transfer reactions of these derivatives have been assessed in solution. Correlations between the oxo-transfer reactivity, thermodynamics, and characteristics of the nitro ligand show that although calculated and observed ONO vibrational spectra and bond lengths suggest activation of the NO2 ligand and enhanced oxo-transfer reactions as seen in the analogous five-coordinate complexes, density functional theory calculations support that thermodynamics limits oxo-ato...
Broad phoneme class based speech enhancement using mixture maximum model

This study develops a speech enhancement technique that uses a series of prior enhanced speech utterances, each optimized for a specific broad phoneme class, to generate a single, composite utterance to improve objective quality scores over all phoneme classes. The noisy utterance is partitioned into phoneme class segments using probabilistic decisions made from the mixture maximum model (MIXMAX). Based on these phoneme class decisions, the composite segment is constructed using a combination of the prior enhanced utterances. The enhancement system that generates multiple enhanced utterances is assumed to belong to the class of short-time spectral magnitude estimators which either minimizes the weighted Euclidean distortion (WED) between clean speech and clean speech estimate spectral magnitudes or which finds the joint MAP(JMAP) estimate of clean speech spectral magnitude and phase. Performance evaluations of the composite utterance exhibit better performance than the individual utterances over all phoneme classes in most cases of the noise types and SNR levels considered.
"Average-Representing Grant": Whitman's General

Examines Whitman’s changing attitudes toward Ulysses S. Grant from the Civil War through the poet’s late conversations with Horace Traubel, analyzes Whitman’s poetry and prose about Grant, and shows how Whitman eventually “saw in the general and his critics a symbol of his own poetic battles against the canons of tradition.”
A high speed magnetic printer

The potential virtues of magnetic printers have long been appreciated [1]. They include quiet, non-impact operation, high speed, the use of plain paper, and minimal sensitivity to humidity conditions. We report on a magnetic printer that has been extensively tested and shown to demonstrate these advantages. The tests have concentrated on the system's performance as a high speed printer of alphanumeric characters selected by a coded digital input. However, the system can also function as a plotter of any figure that can be composed from arrays of dots. The principal features are the following: Any format of alphanumeric characters may be printed at an appropriate line density. The rows of characters may be up to 14 inches long. Paper speed is normally 16.7 inches/sec. Thus, at the common density of 6 lines/inch, the printer operates at 6000 lines/minute. The stationary printing heads can produce a 14 inch long row of dots across the width of the paper. Dot density is 120 dots/inch in this transverse direction. In the longitudinal direction of paper travel, the dot density is generally maintained at 96 dots/inch. The 1672 printing locations on the magnetic recording head are selected by a coincidnt current scheme that utilizes novel integrated drive circuitry. The head "writes" the characters as magnetic latent images composed of dots on a 16 inch wide continuous loop of magnetic tape. The magnetic image is "developed" by exposing the tape to a dry magnetic ink which is attracted to the written dots. The ink images are transferred to paper and sealed by heated rollers.
Diamond —A Novel Sensing Material

The excellent electrical and optical properties of di amond are the driving force behind the current research in produc ing thin films of diamond. Based upon the unique properties of dia mond, enormous state-of-the-art novel electron devices and sensor configurations are possible. The synthesis of crystalline diamond in the laboratory provides tremendous opportunities to benefit from its unique properties. A critical review of the diamond depo sition process is presented. Recent NRL studies suggest deposition of good quality diamond films in a turbulent flow regime where CVD processes normally operate in local thermal equilibrium (LTE). Modifications are suggested to further enhance the deposi tion rates of diamond films. A brief account is provided of hybrid microelectronics, opto-electronic, and other novel devices realizable with the diamond material. Thermal management of electronic devices is extremely important in the design of sensors and high-speed, high-density electronic circuits with power de v...
The state of the US biotechnology industry

Much like the biological systems it explores, the US biotechnology industry has mechanisms that allow it to change in response to its environment. Terms such as ‘consolidation', ‘downsizing' and ‘restructuring' that were once only used in the context of larger corporations, are now being used to describe the industrial evolution of biotechnology. But exactly how have these changes affected the industry; how are the majority of biotechnology firms faring; what are the different areas of interest for R & D, and how do these sectors vary; and, how does the current structure of the industry affect the future?
Predicting Canopy Temperatures and Infrared Heater Energy Requirements for Warming Field Plots

Published in Agron. J. 107:129–141 (2015) doi:10.2134/agronj14.0109 Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ABStRACt
α-MSH induces changes in protein phosphorylation in Cloudman S-91 mouse melanoma cells

α-MSH stimulates pigment synthesis in melanocytes and melanoma cells by interacting with a specific membrane receptor/adenylate cyclase system which activates tyrosinase, the key enzyme for pigment formation. Since most of the steps leading to this enzyme activation are unknown, we have investigated a possible role of protein phosphorylation in the action of α-MSH on melanoma cells. Incubation of Cloudman S-91 mouse melanoma cells with 32p-phosphate results in the incorporation of 32p into a large number of phosphoproteins. In the presence of α-MSH a significant increase of 32p incorporation was observed into two phosphoproteins with apparent molecular weights of 43,000 and 34,000 daltons, respectively. This increase was concentration dependent (significant at 10−8M α-MSH) and reversible. The effect could be induced by melanotropic but not by non-melanotropic peptides. [Norleucine4, D-phenylalanine7]-α-MSH which is 100 times more active than α-MSH in stimulating tyrosinase activity, was also superactive in increasing phosphorylation of the 43,000 and 34,000 dalton proteins. These results suppose that protein phosphorylation is involved in the stimulation of melanoma cells by α-MSH.
Comparison of multidimensional measures of aggression.

Despite the research generated on two of the most widely employed measures of aggression, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory and the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study, there has been no analysis of the relationship between scores on these tests although such information permits evaluation of the redundacy of these measures. 122 university students completed both measures and also the Desirability Scale from the Jackson Personality Research Form. Analysis yielded generally low correlations which followed predictable patterns. Overlap was found only in outwardly directed displays of aggression. The Desirability Scale was significantly correlated with dimensions of the Picture-Frustration Study but was uncorrelated with Buss-Durkee scores.
Evolution of the plasmoid-lobe interaction with downtail distance

This study examines the interaction between plasmoids moving anti‐sunward at high speeds and the tail lobes which bound them to the north and south. Attention is focused on the influence of changing lobe conditions with downtail distance. It is shown using ISEE 3 measurements that the gradual filling of the lobes with mantle plasma and the decrease in magnetic field intensity reduces the average lobe MHD fast mode speed from 1200 km s^{-1} at X = −80 R_{E} to 400 km s^{-1} at X = −220 R_{E}. This results in the ratio of the plasmoid speed to the fast mode speed increasing with downtail distance, from 0.3 at X = −80 R_{E} to ∼1 at X = −220 R_{E}. It is argued that the “standard” traveling compression region (TCR) signature observed closer to the Earth will be distorted at large distances, where the fast mode transit time between the plasmoid and magnetopause becomes long compared to the time for the plasmoid to move past a given point in the tail. This change in the nature of the plasmoid‐lobe interaction with downtail distance is offered as an explanation for why the reported rate of TCR occurrence peaks at X = −60 to −130 R_{E} and decreases in the more distant tail.
Enrichment Factors of Perfluoroalkyl Oxoanions at the Air/Water Interface

The refractory, water-bound perfluoro-n-alkyl carboxylate F(CF2)nCO2− and sulfonate F(CF2)nSO3− surfactant anions reach remote locations by mechanisms that are not well understood. Here we report experiments in which the relative concentrations of these anions on the surface of microdroplets produced by nebulizing their aqueous solutions are measured via electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Enrichment factors f (relative to Br−: f(Br−) ≡ 1) increase with n, asymptotically reaching f[F(CF2)nSO3−] ∼ 2 f[F(CF2)nCO2−] ∼ 200 f(Br−) values above n ∼ 8. The larger f values for F(CF2)nSO3− over their F(CF2)nCO2− congeners are consistent with a closer approach of the bulkier, less hydrated −SO3− headgroup to the air/water interface. A hyperbolic, rather than the predicted linear log f[F(CF2)nCO2−] vs n dependence suggests the onset of conformational restrictions to interfacial enrichment above n ∼ 4. Marine aerosols produced from contaminated ocean surface waters are therefore expected to be highly enriched ...
Studies in Physiognomic Perception: VI. Differential Effects of Directional Dynamics of Pictured Objects on Real and Apparent Motion in Artists and Chemists

(1960). Studies in Physiognomic Perception: VI. Differential Effects of Directional Dynamics of Pictured Objects on Real and Apparent Motion in Artists and Chemists. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 99-109.
Bronchogenic Carcinoma in Young Patients at Risk for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Several case reports have suggested that bronchogenic carcinoma occurs more frequently in young patients who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive. We investigated the incidence of bronchogenic carcinoma and its clinical presentations in young patients at risk for HIV infection. The tumor registry of Bellevue Hospital was reviewed, and 261 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma during the period from 1976 to 1979 (pre-AIDS period) and 232 during the period from 1987 to 1990 (AIDS period) were identified. These cases were stratified into age groups: 45 or younger, 46 to 55, 56 to 65, and 66 years or older. All patients aged 45 years or younger in the AIDS period were subdivided by HIV risk, and clinical characteristics were compared among the subgroups. Results revealed no increased incidence of bronchogenic carcinoma from the pre-AIDS period compared with the AIDS period. These results suggest that HIV seropositivity is not a risk factor for bronchogenic carcinoma.
BACE1 and BACE2 in pathologic and normal human muscle

Abstract BACE1 and BACE2 are recently discovered enzymes participating in processing of amyloid β precursor protein (AβPP). Their discovery is contributing importantly to understanding the mechanism of amyloid-β generation, and hence the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) and hereditary inclusion-body myopathy (h-IBM) are progressive muscle diseases in which overproduction of AβPP and accumulation of its presumably toxic proteolytic product amyloid-β (Aβ) in abnormal muscle fibers appear to play an important upstream role in the pathogenic cascade. In normal human muscle AβPP was also shown to be present and presumably playing a role (a) at neuromuscular junctions and (b) during muscle development. To investigate whether BACE1 and BACE2 play a role in normal and diseased human muscle, we have now studied them by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting in 35 human muscle biopsies, including: 5 s-IBM; 5 chromosome-9p1-linked quadriceps-sparing h-IBM; and 25 control muscle biopsies. In addition, expression of BACE1 and BACE2 was studied in normal cultured human muscle. Our studies demonstrate that BACE1 and BACE2 (a) are expressed in normal adult muscle at the postsynaptic domain of neuromuscular junctions, and in cultured human muscle; (b) are accumulated in the form of plaque-like inclusions in both s-IBM and h-IBM vacuolated muscle fibers; and (c) are immunoreactive in necrotizing muscle fibers. Accordingly, BACE1 and BACE2 participate in normal and abnormal processes of human muscle, suggesting that their functions are broader than previously thought.
Heuristic determination of quantitative data for knowledge acquisition in medicine

Abstract Knowledge acquisition for medical knowledge bases can be aided by programs that suggest possible values for portions of the data. The paper presents an experiment which was used in designing a heuristic to help the process of knowledge acquisition. The heuristic helps to determine numerical data from stylized literature excepts in the context of knowledge acquisition for the QMR medical knowledge base. Quantitative suggestions from the heuristics are shown to agree substantially with the data incorporated in the final version of the knowledge base. The experiment shows the potential of knowledge base specific heuristics in simplifying the task of knowledge base creation.
Unified approach to absolute radiometric calibration in the solar-reflective range

Abstract The need is identified for a unified approach to the preflight and in-flight absolute radiometric calibration of satellite sensors, which does not depend on the accurate transfer of lamp and detector calibrations from the laboratory to orbit. Such an approach is described that uses the sun to provide the link between preflight solar radiation-based calibration (SRBC), in-flight solar diffuser-based calibration, and vicarious calibration. Examples are given of these methods and uncertainty estimates are provided. It is shown that an uncertainty, with respect to solar exoatmospheric irradiance, of σ , can be attained for each method and that each can, if needed, be accurately related to national laboratory standards. In addition to providing the link between preflight and in-flight on-board calibrations, this unified approach also fills the critical need to relate these calibrations to those of the radiometers used for vicarious calibration and data-product, field-validation measurements, by also referencing them to the same solar-irradiance scale.
Suppression of the Aggressive Impulse: Conceptual Difficulties in Anti-Violence Programs.

School anti-violence programs are united in their radical condemnation of aggression, generally equated with violence. The programs advocate its elimination by priming children's emotional and cognitive controls. What goes unrecognized is the embeddedness of aggression in human beings, as well as its positive psychological and moral functions. In attempting to eradicate aggression, schools increase the risk of student disaffection while stifling the goods associated with it: status, power, dominance, agency, mastery, pride, social-affiliation, social-approval, loyalty, self-respect, and self-confidence. It is argued that the distribution of power and authority to students as plausible substitutes for aggression, would enable them to express aggression in a legitimate manner and simultaneously encourage their attachment to school. A vibrant anti-violence program that attracts children will find a way for caring, amiability, sympathy, and kindness to live in tandem with competition, power, assertiveness, an...
Science for All: Engaging Students with Special Needs in and About Science

The notion of “science for all” suggests that all students—irrespective of achievement and ability—should engage in opportunities to understand the practice and discourse of science. Improving scientific literacy is an intrinsic goal of science education, yet current instructional practices may not effectively support all students, in particular, students with special needs. Argument-based inquiry approaches, such as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), require all students to construct their scientific understandings by engaging in investigations and negotiating their ideas in multiple contexts, such as discussions and writing. Various SWH studies demonstrated that students engaged in appropriating the language, culture, practice, and dispositions of science generally improved their critical thinking and standardized test scores. The implementation of such an approach has several implications for science and special education research and practice, including how learning environments should be established to encourage the inclusion of all students’ ideas, as well as how scaffolded supports can and should be used to support science learning.
Contact inhibitory factor also restores anchorage and serum dependence to hamster melanoma cells.

Abstract Conditioned medium (CM) from confluent cultures of the contact-inhibited hamster melanocytic cell line, FF, contains a biologic activity, contact inhibitory factor (CIF), which reversibly restores density-dependent growth to melanoma cells. When a hydrophobic affinity-concentrated extract of CIF-containing CM was incorporated in agarose at a concentration of 1000 μg protein/ml, it restored anchorage-dependent growth to RPMI 1846 hamster melanoma cells. Colony-forming efficiency in CIF-treated wells decreased to 5% from levels of 51.5% in controls prepared with regular growth medium. In addition, CIF-containing CM restored serum-dependent growth to RPMI 1846 cells, markedly restricting proliferation in 1% calf serum-containing medium. Control cultures containing 1% calf serum and either complete growth medium or CM from the noncontact-inhibited hamster melanoma line itself, supported proliferation of RPMI 1846 cells to levels 3.9 × and 3.7 × that of CIF-treated cultures, respectively. CIF is the first factor derived from contact-inhibited mammalian cell cultures that has been shown to restore density-, anchorage-, and serum-dependent growth to malignant melanoma cells.
THE EFFECT OF A SINKING FUND ON THE REOFFERING YIELDS OF NEW PUBLIC UTILITY BONDS

In this study, empirical tests are conducted to determine the impact of a sinking fund on reoffering yields of a sample of new public utility bonds sold between January 1977 and March 1982. The findings of the regression analysis are consistent with the hypotheses that the value of the sinking fund varies with the default risk of the issuer and with market expectations of future interest rate movements, and that the sinking fund improves the liquidity of a bond issue.
Angular momentum bearing modes and nuclear structure effects in 12 C-induced fission

The angular momenta of the fragments produced in several 100 and 180 MeV12C induced fission reactions have been investigated usingγ-ray multiplicity (M λ) techniques. The averageM λ increases with both the bombarding energy and the total mass of the system. The dependence ofM λ on mass asymmetry is generally rather weak, except in regions near shell closures, where local minima are observed. The magnitudes ofM λ tend to be larger than expected on the basis of rigid rotation, possibly due to the excitation of collective modes. A comparison is made with a statistical model.
Instructional Uses of Approximate Convolutions and Their Graphs

Abstract A technique is presented for approximating convolution densities f * g by forming the convolution of step-function approximations of f and g. This technique, amenable to the electronic calculator or computer, provides suitably accurate graphs for illustrating concepts in probability and statistics. Several examples are included.
Glucose Biosensor Based on Oxygen Electrode Part III: Long-Term Performance of the Glucose Biosensor in Blood Plasma at Body Temperature

Abstract A potentially implantable glucose biosensor for continuous monitoring of glucose levels in diabetic patients has been developed. The glucose biosensor is based on an amperometric oxygen electrode and Glucose Oxidase immobilized on carbon powder held in a form of a liquid suspension. The enzyme material can be replaced (the sensor recharged) without sensor disassembly. Glucose diffusion membranes from polycarbonate (PC) and from polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) coated with silastic are used. Sensors were evaluated continuously operating in phosphate buffer solution and in undiluted blood plasma at body temperature. Calibration curves of the sensors were periodically obtained. The sensors show stable performance during at least 1200 hours of operation without refilling of the enzyme. The PTFE membrane demonstrates high mechanical stability and is little effected by long-term operation in undiluted blood plasma.
Spatial variation of melt pool geometry, peak temperature and solidification parameters during laser assisted additive manufacturing process

AbstractA three-dimensional heat transfer and material flow model is developed to numerically simulate the temperature and velocity fields in a laser assisted layer by layer deposition process with coaxially fed powder particles. The computed results are tested with independently reported temperature and build geometry for the deposition of multilayered structures of austenitic stainless steel. The results provide detailed insight about the important physical processes and show that the model can be used to understand the effects of process parameters on the thermal cycles, build geometry, cooling rates and solidification parameters in a multilayer additive manufacturing process.
Refractory precursor components of Semarkona chondrules and the fractionation of refractory elements among chondrites

Instrumental neutron activation analysis has been used to measure about 20 of the lithophile elements in 30 chondrules from the Semarkona chondrite. The amounts of oxidized iron were calculated from other compositional parameters, and Si concentrations are estimated from mass-balance considerations. It is suggested that the refractory component probably forms from fine grained materials that were able to equilibrate down to lower nebular temperatures. The chondrite matrix may have had an origin similar to that of the nonrefractory material. The low abundance of refractories and Mg in ordinary and enstatite chondrites was produced by the loss of materials having a higher refractory element/Mg ratio than that of the refractory element of the chondrules.
The striated urethral sphincter: muscle fibre types and distribution in the prostatic capsule

Objective To clarify the muscle fibre types in the striated urethral sphincter and the pattern of distribution of this muscle in the prostatic capsule. Materials and methods Twenty-three prostate glands obtained at radical prostatectomy were studied using a whole-organ technique. Each gland was sectioned from prostatic apex to base, including the bladder neck and seminal vesicles. The slides were then traced on paper after staining with haematoxylin and eosin and the distribution of striated muscle mapped. Two prostates were studied after sectioning with a cryostat and staining with adenosine phosphatase at pH 4.2, 4.6 and 4.93 to distinguish between the subclassification of Type 2 fibres. Other sections were stained for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate with nitroblue tetrazolium, to distinguish fast from slow twitch fibres. Results Striated muscle was present within the anterolateral aspect of the prostatic capsule, extending from the prostatic apex to the bladder neck. Three different fibre types were present; fast-twitch fatigue-sensitive, fast-twitch fatigue-resistant and slow-twitch. Conclusion There are three distinct fibre types in the prostatic capsular striated muscle, representing displaced muscle fibres from the striated urethral sphincter. The composition of three types makes it eminently suitable to function as a sphincter muscle.
Glomerular matrix accumulation is linked to inhibition of the plasmin protease system.

Glomerular matrix accumulation is linked to inhibition of the plasmin protease system. TGF-β plays a pivotal role in the pathological accumulation of extracellular matrix in experimental glomerulonephritis. Increased TGF-β expression leads to increased synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix components while administration of antiserum to TGF-β suppresses the major manifestations of the disease. We hypothesized that TGF-β might also enhance matrix accumulation by decreasing matrix turnover via effects on protease/protease inhibitor balance. Plasmin is a potent protease capable of degrading a variety of matrix molecules. Plasmin generation from plasminogen is regulated by plasminogen activator(s) (PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor(s) (PAI). In this study PA activity was markedly reduced and PAI-1 synthesis dramatically increased when TGF-β was added to normal glomeruli. Diseased glomeruli also showed decreased PA activity, increased PAI-1 synthesis and increased PAI-1 deposition into matrix. Administration of anti-TGF-β serum to glomerulonephritic rats blocked the expected increase in glomerular PAI-1 deposition. Thus changes in the PA/PAI balance favoring accumulation of matrix are induced by TGF-β in normal glomeruli and are present in nephritic glomeruli when endogenous TGF-β production is high. Our findings implicate the plasmin protease system in tissue repair following acute glomerular injury and suggest another mechanism by which TGF-β enhances the matrix accumulation characteristic of many glomerular diseases.
Sources and distributions of Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd relative to macronutrients along the central California coast during the spring and summer upwelling season

Abstract Coastal upwelling in the central California Current System (cCCS) delivers macro and micronutrients to the surface ocean that fuel biological productivity. Variations in upwelling strength and continental shelf width affect trace metal sources seasonally. The purpose of this study was to investigate various sources and distributions for a suite of dissolved trace metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd) in the cCCS (34–41°N) as well as to determine the effects of biological uptake, physical advection, and mixing processes on trace metal concentrations during the spring and summer upwelling season. Continental shelf sediments did not substantially affect upwelled concentrations of Ni, Zn, and Cd — three typical nutrient-type trace metals. However, shelf sediments provided a significant external source for Mn, Fe, Co, and Cu — scavenged and hybrid-type trace metals. There was no clear seasonal trend in benthic boundary layer (BBL) Fe concentrations; however, higher concentrations of Mn and Co together with lower O2 concentrations were found in the BBL in the late summer compared to early spring. Conversely, there was a higher sedimentary Cu source to the BBL in the early spring before O2 concentrations dropped. Surface transect samples along the Big Sur Coast (May, 2010) and North Coast (August, 2011) demonstrated both mixing and biological assimilation of NO3− and trace metals. Iron and Zn showed accelerated drawdown relative to NO3− during both seasons suggesting an increased metal to nitrogen drawdown ratio at higher dissolved metal concentrations. Surface Mn and Co concentrations were higher in the late summer and both showed evidence for accelerated drawdown relative to NO3−. Cadmium and Ni were strongly correlated with NO3− indicating that both are affected by a combination of assimilation and regeneration at a constant rate relative to NO3−; however, Cd showed slightly increased drawdown in aged upwelled waters during the late summer when Zn and Fe concentrations were low. This study provides field trace metal and macronutrient data supporting past laboratory studies suggesting that complex biological interactions are a key control on trace metal distributions and marine biogeochemical cycles.
Gonadal Steroids Influence Serum Somatomedin-C Concentrations in Prepubertal Female Rhesus Monkeys*

The present study examined the influence of estradiol (E2) arid androstenedine (Δ4) on the regulation of GH and somatomedin-C (Sm-C) secretion in prepubertal female rhesus monkeys. Ovariectomized animals (n = 9) received empty capsules (0) or capsules filled with E2 or Δ4 in successive 2-week treatment blocks as follows: 0, E2) E2 plus Δ4, 0, Δ4, Δ4 plus E2, and 0. Serum samples were collected twice weekly for determination of basal hormone levels. Implantation of Δ4 capsules elevated serum Δ4 and testosterone concentrations, but did not influence E2 levels. Conversely, treatment with E2 only elevated serum E2. Basal concentrations of serum GH were unaffected by steroid treatment as levels varied between 5.5 and 9.5 ng/ml during the study. In contrast, Sm-C concentrations were increased significantly by each steroid treatment. Levels of Sm-C were elevated by Δ4 treatment (450.7 ± 33.2 ng/ml) compared to baseline (376.2 ± 37.7 ng/ml), whereas concentrations were maximally increased by E2 administration (>6...
Adaptive control of flexible structures with uncertain dynamics and uncertain disturbance spectra

In the present paper we revisit the active structural and acoustic vibration problem in terms of adaptive control. For active structural and acoustic vibration problem we consider retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC). RCAC is a direct adaptive control technique, that requires minimal modeling, specifically, a limited number of Markov parameters from the control input to the performance variable. No modeling information is needed concerning the disturbance and command spectra, disturbance path, and measurement feedback path. This study is aimed at assessing in detail the level of modeling accuracy required by RCAC for disturbance rejection in lightly damped structures, with uncertain modal frequencies, damping, and mode shapes, unmodeled dynamics, uncertain disturbance spectra, sensor noise, sensor/actuator dynamics, and without the benefit of disturbance measurements, sensor/actuator passivity due to colocation and velocity sensing, in both SISO and MIMO applications.
Isolation and characterization of rat liver mitochondrial DNA

Abstract Mitochondria were rapidly prepared from rat liver by differential centrifugation. Nucleic acids were extracted by a detergent-phenol method and the DNA and RNA were separated by hydroxyapatite chromatography. Mitochondrial DNA thus prepared contained up to 90% of the un-nicked, twisted, circular form-I, as determined by sedimentation velocity experiments. The mitochondrial DNA was shown to be free of nuclear DNA by its renaturation properties and by its banding pattern in an alkaline cesium chloride equilibrium buoyant-density gradient. Both early-melting and delayed-melting transitions were observed, presumably resulting from thermal denaturation of the intact circular mitochondrial DNA. The form-I mitochondrial DNA was rapidly nicked at pH 12.3 in 3 m -CsCl solution. Upon centrifugation to equilibrium, the two mitochondrial DNA strands separated and banded at 1.740 and 1.771 g/ml. However, a small fraction of the closed-circular form-I was stable enough at 25 °C and pH 12.3 to form a band at a buoyant density of 1.766 g/ml.
Epidemiological and laboratory studies of power frequency electric and magnetic fields.

A LONG history of lore suggests that magnetism and electricity influence human health, generally for the better. For example, more than 200 years ago, Dr Anton Mesmer attracted worldwide attention with his claim to cure a variety of diseases through exposure to magnetism (and thus, "Mesmerism"). 1 Reports are now appearing that magnetic fields may be harmful to health. Whether 200 years from now our progeny will look back at this concern as superstition, as we do at Mesmerism, or as the discovery of a new field of health science, is not yet clear. BACKGROUND Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) surround all electrical conductors, including power lines, household wiring, and appliances. There are two components to EMF, electrical and magnetic, that under usual circumstances occur together, but the magnitude of each varies independently. Since the magnitude of the electric field component is determined by voltage, the electric fields are generally
Multicenter Pilot Treatment Trial for Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance There is a paucity of controlled treatment trials for the treatment of conversion disorder, seizures type, also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, the most common conversion disorder, are as disabling as epilepsy and are not adequately addressed or treated by mental health clinicians. Objective To evaluate different PNES treatments compared with standard medical care (treatment as usual). Design, Setting, and Participants Pilot randomized clinical trial at 3 academic medical centers with mental health clinicians trained to administer psychotherapy or psychopharmacology to outpatients with PNES. Thirty-eight participants were randomized in a blocked schedule among 3 sites to 1 of 4 treatment arms and were followed up for 16 weeks between September 2008 and February 2012; 34 were included in the analysis. Interventions Medication (flexible-dose sertraline hydrochloride) only, cognitive behavioral therapy informed psychotherapy (CBT-ip) only, CBT-ip with medication (sertraline), or treatment as usual. Main Outcomes and Measures Seizure frequency was the primary outcome; psychosocial and functioning measures, including psychiatric symptoms, social interactions, quality of life, and global functioning, were secondary outcomes. Data were collected prospectively, weekly, and with baseline, week 2, midpoint (week 8), and exit (week 16) batteries. Within-group analyses for each arm were performed on primary (seizure frequency) and secondary outcomes from treatment-blinded raters using an intention-to-treat analysis. Results The psychotherapy (CBT-ip) arm showed a 51.4% seizure reduction ( P = .01) and significant improvement from baseline in secondary measures including depression, anxiety, quality of life, and global functioning ( P P = .008) and significant improvements in some secondary measures, including global functioning ( P = .007). The sertraline-only arm did not show a reduction in seizures ( P = .08). The treatment as usual group showed no significant seizure reduction or improvement in secondary outcome measures ( P = .19). Conclusions and Relevance This pilot randomized clinical trial for PNES revealed significant seizure reduction and improved comorbid symptoms and global functioning with CBT-ip for PNES without and with sertraline. There were no improvements in the sertraline-only or treatment-as-usual arms. This study supports the use of manualized psychotherapy for PNES and successful training of mental health clinicians in the treatment. Future studies could assess larger-scale intervention dissemination. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00835627
The synthesis and molecular structure of a seven-coordinate rhenium isocyanide complex

Abstract Oxidative additions of Br 2 to Re(CO)L 4 Br (L = CNMe, p -CNC 6 H 4 Me) produce the rhenium(III) isocyanide complexes ReL 4 Br 3 . The structure of the p -tolyl isocyanide complex was determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. In this complex rhenium is seven coordinate; there is a capped octahedral geometry about the metal with three isocyanide and three bromide ligands in fac -octahedral arrangement and the fourth isocyanide ligand situated on the face bounded by the three isocyanides. The presence of the unique isocyanide causes the three isocyanides to move part distorting the octahedral arrangement so that the average CReC angle is 115°, and the average CReBr angle is 158° instead of 180°.
Two‐Year‐Old Children's Sensitivity to a Parent's Knowledge State When Making Requests

These studies examined whether toddlers take their communicative partners' knowledge states into account when communicating with them. In Study 1, 16 2-year-old children (mean age 2-7) had to ask a parent for help in retrieving a toy. On each trial, a child was first introduced to a new toy that was then placed in 1 of 2 containers on a high shelf. The parent either witnessed these events along with the child or did not because she or he had left the room or had covered her or his eyes and ears. As predicted, when asking for help in retrieving the toy, children significantly more often named the toy, named its location, and gestured to its location when a parent had not witnessed these events than when she or he had. In Study 2, 16 2-year-old children (mean age 2-3) had to ask a parent for help in retrieving a sticker dropped into 1 of 2 identical containers placed out of reach in the far corners of a table. The parent either witnessed, along with the child, which container the sticker was dropped into or did not because her or his eyes were closed. In their requests for help, young 2-year-old children gestured to the sticker's location significantly more often when the parent did not know its location than when she or he did. The implications of these findings for current characterizations of 2-year-old children's ability to assess the knowledge of others is discussed.
Molecular Clock Genes in Man and Lower Animals: Possible Implications for Circadian Abnormalities in Depression

This paper reviews the recent discovery of clock genes that provide the mechanism for the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms in lower organisms and in humans and relates these clock genes to the circadian abnormalities in depression. (1) A subgroup of depressed patients have documented circadian abnormalities in mood, sleep, temperature and neuroendocrine secretion; (2) It is also suggested that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) patients may show an abnormality in their ability to shift their daily circadian rhythms in response to seasonal light changes; (3) The dramatic improvements in some depressions in response to three treatment modalities which manipulate circadian rhythms suggest that circadian abnormalities reported in patients may constitute a core component of the pathophysiology in depression; (4) Mutations in clock genes have been discovered that accelerate or delay circadian cycles; (5) It is hypothesized that 24-hour rhythm abnormalities in major depression and SAD may be due to altered clock genes.
The impact of extremely low birth weight on the families of school-aged children.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to document the impact and burden of extremely low birth weight ( METHODS. A prospective study was completed at 8 years of a cohort of 219 children with extremely low birth weight born 1992–1995 and 176 children with normal birth weight. Measures included the following predictor variables: socioeconomic status and parent risk, birth risk, neonatal risk, neurodevelopmental outcome, impairment in adaptive abilities, and functional impact of chronic conditions. The primary outcome measure was the Impact on Family scale. A measure of family stressors and resources (the Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory) was also obtained. RESULTS. The primary finding was that the total family impact was greater in the extremely low birth weight group compared with controls. Moreover, the negative impact on family in specific domains was greater in the extremely low birth weight group in financial impact, caretaker burden, and familial burden. These differences were not attributable to general family stressors, socioeconomic status, child, gender, or race. Higher parent/socioeconomic risk, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and the functional impact of chronic conditions predicted greater family impact within the extremely low birth weight group, whereas birth and neonatal risk scores did not. CONCLUSIONS. Extremely low birth weight was associated with a negative impact on families. Socioeconomic parental risk, but most especially child-related factors such as neurodevelopmental and the functional impact of chronic conditions, predicted the negative family impact within the extremely low birth weight group. Findings underscore the need to develop and test interventions to provide support for families of extremely low birth weight infants to ameliorate the burden of extremely low birth weight and associated risk factors on families.