cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of cyclic 3′,5′-AMP and other adenine nucleotides on the melanophores of the lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

1. Cyclic 3',5'-AMP has been reported to darken skins of the frog, Rana pipiens. This suggests that cyclic 3',5'-AMP may mediate the action of MSH on amphibian chromatophores. Since MSH also darkens skins of the lizard, Anolis carolinensis, we investigated the effects of cyclic 3',5'-AMP and other nucleotides on Anolis melanophores to determine whether cyclic 3',5'-AMP may be the intracellular mediator of hormone action on melanophores of another vertebrate class.2. Cyclic 3',5'-AMP, itself, causes a rapid melanin granule aggregation within melanophores of Anolis. This response is, however, somewhat nonspecific in that both 5'-ATP and 5'-ADP also lighten the skins by aggregating the melanin granules. Another nucleotide, 5'-AMP, darkens the skins by dispersing melanin granules. Cyclic 2',3'-AMP does not darken or lighten Anolis skins.3. Dibutyryl cyclic 3',5'-AMP, which is considered to be better able to penetrate membranes and resist degradation by a specific phosphodiesterase, maximally darkens Anolis skins, as does MSH. This darkening by the potent dibutyryl cyclic 3',5'-AMP suggests that cyclic 3',5'-AMP may be the intracellular mediator of melanin granule dispersion within Anolis melanophores leading to skin darkening.4. Other evidence supporting the first-messenger-second-messenger hypothesis for melanophore regulation is discussed.5. The differences in responses of Anolis melanophores to adenine nucleotides may relate to the ability of these agents to penetrate melanophore membranes; thus, the nucleotides could exert their effects either intracellularly or extracellularly on the plasma membrane.
Pricing of American Depositary Receipts under Market Segmentation

Abstract This article examines the pricing of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in a three-factor pricing model. A seemingly unrelated regression model is utilized to test the nonlinear parameter restriction implied by the model. It is found that, although ADRs are traded in the U.S. securities market, their returns are significantly affected by their respective home market factors rather than by U.S. market movements. While U.S. investors are exposed to incremental risk from foreign equity market, they do not command a risk premium. The findings suggest that (1) markets are segmented and ADR listing does not integrate world capital market and (2) ADRs behave more like a foreign security and ADR is an effective tool of global risk diversification for U.S. investors.
Antiarrhythmic effects of VVI pacing at physiologic rates: a crossover controlled evaluation.

Ventricular pacing can prevent bradycardia-dependent ventricular ectopic activity (VEA) and is helpful in some cases of drug-refractory venfricuiar tachycardia (VT). This study is a prospective evaluation of VVI pacing for the control of VEA not related to underlying bradycardia, drug side-effects, or prolonged QT interval syndromes. Twenty-nine patients undergoing serial electrophysioiogic-pharmacoiogic testing for VT control were studied. Eighteen of these patients (12 men; meon age = 60.1) both completed ihe protocol and had sufficient VEA for analysis. Coronary disease was present in 13 patients, cardiomyopathy in two patients, and one patient each had myocarditis, mitral valve prolapse, and no structural heart disease. Ambulatory (Holter) monitor recordings during VVI pacing were compared with control recordings made in the absence of pacing, VVI pacing rates were 10–15 bpm above the mean daily heart rate (mean = 92 bpm; range = 63–110). Hours from paced recordings were paired with hours from control (prior to analysis) according to time of day to reduce the effects of spontaneous variability in VEA frequency. Overall, VVI pacing reduced ventricular premature complexes (VPGs) 26% from 331 to 245/hour (p < 0.001). During pacing, couplets (pairs, successive VPGs) were reduced from 6.95 to 1.03/hour (p < 0.000001) and VT (≥3 successive VPCs) from 0.89 to 0.045 episodes/hour (p < 0.003). Of 13 patients with couplets, 11 had ≥50% reduction and five had ≥90% reduction. Baseline VT was eliminated in four out of nine patients during pacing. Pacing did not increase VEA significantly in any patient. In this group of patients, reduction of VEA by VVI pacing was significant and was comparable to pharmacologic interventions. Higher forms of VEA fcouplets and VT) appeared to respond better than single VPCs. Further studies may define patients with VEA who can benefit from pacing
Predictors of surgical revision after in situ decompression of the ulnar nerve.

Background This study was performed to identify factors associated with the need for revision surgery after in situ decompression of the ulnar nerve for cubital tunnel syndrome. Methods This case-control investigation examined all patients treated at one institution with open in situ decompression for cubital tunnel syndrome between 2006 and 2011. The case patients were 44 failed decompressions that required revision, and the controls were 79 randomly selected patients treated with a single operation. Demographic data and disease-specific data were extracted from the medical records. The rate of revision surgery after in situ decompression was determined from our 5-year experience. A multivariate logistic regression model was used based on univariate testing to determine predictors of revision cubital tunnel surgery. Results Revision surgery was required in 19% (44 of 231) of all in situ decompressions performed during the study period. Predictors of revision surgery included a history of elbow fracture or dislocation (odds ratio [OR], 7.1) and McGowan stage I disease (OR, 3.2). Concurrent surgery with in situ decompression was protective against revision surgery (OR, 0.19). Discussion The rate of revision cubital tunnel surgery after in situ nerve decompression should be weighed against the benefits of a less invasive procedure compared with transposition. When considering in situ ulnar nerve decompression, prior elbow fracture as well as patients requesting surgery for mild clinically graded disease should be viewed as risk factors for revision surgery. Patient factors often considered relevant to surgical outcomes, including age, sex, body mass index, tobacco use, and diabetes status, were not associated with a greater likelihood of revision cubital tunnel surgery.
TRACE-ELEMENT GEOCHEMISTRY OF ONION CREEK NEAR VAN STONE LEAD-ZINC MINE (WASHINGTON, USA) - CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND GEOCHEMICAL MODELING

Van Stone lead-zinc mine in Washington is a possible contamination source of Columbia River water. Breaching of an old tailings pond, seepage of contaminated water, and surficial transport of mine tailings have increased trace-element (TE) concentrations in the Onion Creek water and sediments. Chemical analyses of water and sediment samples indicate high TE levels near the breached tailings pond. TE contamination indices for sediments indicate high values of Pb, Zn, and other TE's which decrease downstream. High Kd values (> 104) for several TE's (e.g., Al, Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb, V, and Zn) suggest their enrichment in the solid phase. TE concentrations in Onion Creek water and sediment sharply attenuate downstream due to: (1) enhanced carbonate dissolution, thereby increasing pH and immobilizing TE's; (2) sorption to oxides; and (3) change in lithology from carbonate to granite. Speciation model MINTEQA2 was used to study the effect on TE dispersion due to dissolution-precipitation reactions and adsorption to ferrihydrite. In addition to the field and chemical data, the model also supports the hypothesis that Onion Creek sediments are the major sink for TE's at VSM. Model runs indicate precipitation of Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn minerals from oversaturation, whereas TE's with low concentrations (Cr, Cu, Ni, Se) or geochemically more mobile (As, Mo, Sb) remain dissolved in water. Near the tailings ponds, high pH and abundance of sorption sites in sediments contribute to the complete adsorption of Pb and Zn species. Because ambient conditions result in the sorption of most Pb and Zn ions, Onion Creek water quality meets EPA regulatory standards. These species will persist in Onion Creek sediments as sorbed or insoluble complexes, and without drastic pH changes (< 4.0) they will remain immobilized. However, continued TE enrichment in sediments will prove hazardous to filter feeding and aquatic organisms.
An explicit construction of interpolation nodes on the simplex

An open question concerns the spatial distribution of nodes that are suitable for high-order Lagrange interpolation on the triangle and tetrahedron. Several current methods used to produce nodal sets with small Lebesgue constants are recalled. A new approach is presented for building nodal distributions of arbitrary order, that is based on curvilinear finite-element techniques. Numerical results are shown which demonstrate that, despite the explicit nature of this construction, the resulting node sets are well suited for interpolation and competitive with existing sets for up to tenth-order polynomial interpolation. Matlab scripts which evaluate the node distributions on the equilateral triangle are included.
The in vitro proliferation of murine lymphocytes to mercuric chloride is restricted to mature T cells and is interleukin 1 dependent.

Abstract The aims of this study were to compare the in vitro responses of murine lymphocytes to HgCl 2 to determine the requirement for adherent cells, and the contribution that costimulation plays in T cell proliferation. The in vitro proliferative response of murine splenocytes to HgCl 2 was found to be both cell concentration- and HgCl 2 concentration-dependent with the greatest response occurring with 5×10 6 cells/ml in the presence of 10 −5 M HgCl 2 . Both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells proliferated in response to HgCl 2 , but B cells and immature T cells (thymocytes) did not. Proliferation required the presence of splenic adherent cells and was inhibited by addition of anti-IL-1α antibodies. Antibodies to the other co-stimulatory molecules CD40 ligand, CD80 (B7-1), and CD86 (B7-2), although inhibitory, were less effective. Xenobiotics such as the heavy metal mercury can elicit a spectrum of immunological responses ranging from imuunosuppression to autoimmunity. The most common response, in vivo and in vitro, is lymphoproliferation, which may be a prelude to immune activation. Although a number of the requirements for mercury-induced T cell proliferation in vitro have been described, the role that adherent cells play remains to be explained. The studies described here show that interaction between co-stimulatory molecules of adherent cells and mature T cells contributes to HgCl 2 -induced T cell proliferation. Among these co-stimulatory molecules, IL-1 appears to play an important role. The requirement for mature T cells, adherent cells, and co-stimulatory molecules argues that HgCl 2 -induced T cell proliferation possesses the properties of an antigen-induced response.
Predicting In-Home Respite Utilization by Family Caregivers of Older Adults: Results of a Community Study

This longitudinal study applies the behavioral model of health services use (Andersen, 1995) to the prediction of in-home respite utilization within the naturalistic context of ongoing respite services. Participants (N = 74) were family caregivers who provided informal care for a physically and/or cognitively impaired older adult. All participants resided in the Midwest and received in-home respite services managed by an Area Agency on Aging and funded through the National Family Caregiver Support Program. The primary significant predictor of 3-month in-home respite utilization was the caregiving dyad's past in- home respite usage. Contrary to prior research, demographic predisposing variables (relationship type, household income) and objective need variables (behavioral dysfunction, functional impairment) were not associated with hours of respite use over 3 months, nor was level of caregiver depressive symptoms. Implications of these data for case management, the provision of in-home respite services, and future research are discussed.
Phenological Aspects of Male and Female Function in Hermaphroditic Plants

We present a model of plant sexual allocation that takes account of the timing of male and female function when resources take the form of a rate-limited photosynthetic "income" rather than a resource "pool." The model suggests that investment in male function imposes an opportunity cost with respect to female allocation by diverting resources from further vegetative growth that could have fueled later fruit and seed maturation. The optimal sex allocation predicted by the model is more female biased than the allocation expected if a plant instantaneously divides a common pool of reproductive resources. If fruiting tissue is photosynthetic, the optimal allocation is even more female biased. Temporal factors may help account for the frequently observed female bias in carbon allocation. Although the phenological factors that affect reproduction are certain to vary among species depending on their morphology, physiology, and habitat, such factors may frequently be important, and future studies of plant sex al...
Multiorgan failure related to human monocytic ehrlichiosis

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is a tick-born disease that presents predominantly as a mild to moderate acute illness. Severe life-threatening disease has been reported with a case death rate of approximately 3%, often in immunosuppressed persons. A delay in therapy initiation has been proven to increase the morbidity of the disease. We report a case of an elderly immunocompetent man with severe HME disease and multiorgan failure to emphasise on the severity of this disease in the elderly, as well as the importance of early therapy for overall favourable prognosis.
Micro-electro-mechanical deformable mirrors for advanced adaptive optics applications

Adaptive optics technology is critical for many current and developing applications at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In particular, most large laser systems, including those being developed for Inertial Confinement Fusion and Laser Isotope Separation, require adaptive optics to correct for internal aberrations in these high-power systems. In addition, adaptive optics can provide capability for both high-resolution imaging and beam propagation through the atmosphere. Requirements for laser systems, imaging and propagation applications are currently driving wavefront control technology toward increased spatial and temporal frequency capability, as well as reduced system costs. We will present recent progress in the development of micro-electro-mechanical deformable mirrors for adaptive optics applications.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Biopolymer Conformational Distributions from Solid-State NMR: α-Helix and 310-Helix Contents of a Helical Peptide

A new approach to the quantitative experimental analysis of conformational distributions in partially ordered biopolymers is described and used to determine the fractional contents of α-helical, 31...
Prospective evaluation of unexplained chronic liver transaminase abnormalities in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.

Prospective evaluation of unexplained chronic liver transaminase abnormalities in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients
Alfalfa weevil control in Idaho by early treatment of the first crop.

Hypera postica (Cyllenhal) has caused extensive injury to alfalfa in Idaho since the chlorinated hydrocarbon registrations for weevil control were rescinded. Three years of field evaluations at Aberdeen, Idaho, have demonstrated that economic injury by the weevil can be prevented by application of selected systemic insecticides shortly after growth of the 1st crop has begun. Both propoxur and carbofuran prevented injury when applied at this time. Phorate when applied early gave less control of the weevil than that obtained with the 2 other insecticides, but not significantly less.
J-Q and toughness scaling model solutions for M(T), DE(T), SE(B), SE(T) and C(T) specimens

This report provides J-Q trajectories and TSM curves derived from plane strain analyses of M(T), DE(T), SE(T) and C(T) specimens for a range of a/W ratios, E/σ ratios and hardening exponent (n)
Regional and climatic controls on seasonal dust deposition in the southwestern U.S.

Vertical dust deposition rates (dust flux) are a complex response to the interaction of seasonal precipitation, wind, changes in plant cover and land use, dust source type, and local vs. distant dust emission in the southwestern U.S. Seasonal dust flux in the Mojave–southern Great Basin (MSGB) deserts, measured from 1999 to 2008, is similar in summer–fall and winter–spring, and antecedent precipitation tends to suppress dust flux in winter–spring. In contrast, dust flux in the eastern Colorado Plateau (ECP) region is much larger in summer–fall than in winter–spring, and twice as large as in the MSGB. ECP dust is related to wind speed, and in the winter–spring to antecedent moisture. Higher summer dust flux in the ECP is likely due to gustier winds and runoff during monsoonal storms when temperature is also higher. Source types in the MSGB and land use in the ECP have important effects on seasonal dust flux. In the MSGB, wet playas produce salt-rich dust during wetter seasons, whereas antecedent and current moisture suppress dust emission from alluvial and dry-playa sources during winter–spring. In the ECP under drought conditions, dust flux at a grazed-and-plowed site increased greatly, and also increased at three annualized, previously grazed sites. Dust fluxes remained relatively consistent at ungrazed and currently grazed sites that have maintained perennial vegetation cover. Under predicted scenarios of future climate change, these results suggest that an increase in summer storms may increase dust flux in both areas, but resultant effects will depend on source type, land use, and vegetation cover.
Diazoxide potentiates mesenchymal stem cell survival via NF-κB-dependent miR-146a expression by targeting Fas

We have previously reported that preconditioning of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with diazoxide (DZ) significantly improved cell survival via NF-κB signaling. Since micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of a wide variety of biological events, including apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation, it is likely that DZ-induced survival is mediated by miRNAs. Here we show that miR-146a expressed during preconditioning with DZ is a key regulator of stem cell survival. Treatment of MSCs with DZ (200 μM) markedly increased miR-146a expression and promoted cell survival, as evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase release and transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining. Interestingly, blocking NF-κB by IKK-γ NEMO binding domain inhibitor peptide did not induce miR-146a expression, indicating NF-κB regulates miR-146a expression. Moreover, blockade of miR-146a expression by antisense miR-146a inhibitor abolished DZ-induced cytoprotective effects, suggesting a critical role of miR-146a in MSC survival. Computational analysis found a consensus putative target site of miR-146a relevant to apoptosis in the 3′ untranslated region of Fas mRNA. The role of Fas as a target gene was substantiated by abrogation of miR-146a, which markedly increased Fas protein expression. This was verified by luciferase reporter assay, which showed that forced expression of miR-146a downregulated Fas expression via targeting its 3′-UTR of this gene. Taken together, these data demonstrated that cytoprotection afforded by preconditioning of MSCs with DZ was regulated by miR-146a induction, which may be a novel therapeutic target in cardiac ischemic diseases.
The diagnosis of health.

Abstract The disease-oriented perspective of modern medicine is described and the need for greater emphasis on health is discussed. The expansion of medical practice from its current concentration on sick-care to include preventive and promotive care is dependent upon the recognition of health as a diagnosis. A new approach to the evaluation of medical data from a health-oriented perspective is presented. The technique was tested in a Multiphasic Health Screening (MPHS) environment by attempting to identify those individuals with a high likelihood of health. The results show that 88 to 98% of a healthy population could be identified. The ways in which this approach can improve the function of MPHS are discussed. It will be shown that the diagnosis of health can provide a pivotal point of entry into curative, preventive, and promotive health care programs.
Fully-integrated Gm-C anti-aliasing filter for sense system of implantable cardiac devices

Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers, internal cardi-ac defibrillator (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices have conducting leads that are used to sense the heart signals and to pace into the heart muscle in order to artificially stimulate it. The sensing system in these devices monitor patient's heart signals continually; therefore, it must always remain powered-up. As a result lower power consumption for this block is very critical. Additionally device sense systems have bandpass anti-aliasing filters with lower-pole frequency at sub-Hz to be able to attenuate unwanted heart-repolarization signal. To be able to implement such a low-frequency pole, today's medical devices use off-chip microfarad-range hybrid capacitors along-with internal integrated circuit resistors. Depending on the device type, often nine to twelve medically-graded off-chip capacitors are placed on the hybrid substrate. These capacitors are major source of four drawbacks: (1) critical reliability, (2) precious real-estate space area (limiting the device size), (3) external spurious noise pickup, and (4) additional cost. This paper presents a continu-ous Gm-C filter that realizes the identical cardiac sense-system anti-aliasing filter transfer function in a fully integrated form with no external capacitors. To realize sub-HZ pole-frequency using pico-Farad (pF) range integrated-circuit capacitors, the circuit combines three techniques to reduce the transconductance of the operational amplifier into pico-Siemens (pS or pA/V) regime: active lineariza-tion, current cancellation, and series-parallel active load. Further-more, because current consumption is a critical performance parame-ter for implantable cardiac device, each filter is designed to consume less than 20nA. Finally effects of amplifier non-idealities such as linearity, noise, offset, and leakage in the filter are addressed. The filter can be fabricated in any mixed-signal 0.18µm process.
KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED FROM LEARNING: NEW EVIDENCE OF HIERARCHICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION

Following successful inductive acquisition of procedural cognition of a discrimination-reversal learning task, 50 female and 50 male undergraduates articulated declarative cognizance of knowledge acquired from learning. Tests of four hypotheses showed that (1) increasingly higher levels of declarative cognizance were associated with faster learning rates, (2) six new cases of cognition-without-cognizance were observed, (3) students presumably using secondary signalization learned faster than those presumably using primary signalization, and (4) no sex differences in learning rates or declarative cognizance were observed. The notion that explicit levels of declarative cognizance may represent implicit hierarchical conceptualization comprised of four systems of knowledge acquisition led to the conclusions that primary signalization may account for inductive senscept formation at Level 1 and for inductive percept formation at Level 2, whereas emergent secondary signalization may account for inductive precept...
Thermomechanical modeling of a wet shape memory alloy actuator

This paper presents combined thermal and mechanical models of a wet shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuator. The actuator consists of a SMA wire suspended concentrically in a compliant tube. Actuation occurs as hot and cold water are alternately pumped through the tube to contract and extend the wire, respectively. Although other constitutive models of the behavior of SMA's exist, they generally assume uniform temperature change throughout the SMA actuator. The thermomechanical model presented in this paper accounts for the non-uniform temperature change of the SMA wire due to alternating the temperature of the flow along the wire. The thermal model consists of analysis of the heat transfer between the fluid and the SMA wire. Heat loss to the environment and the temperature change of the fluid through the actuator are taken into account. Based on this analysis the temperature of the wire at segments along its length can be determined as a function of time. The mechanical model approximates the strain-martensite fraction and martensite fraction-temperature relationships. By combining the thermal and mechanical models the strain of the wire can be determined as a function of time. The combined thermomechanical model will be used to model applications in which a wet SMA actuator is desired.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Floor of the North Pacific Ocean

During the last few years, ships of the United States Navy have taken a huge number of sonic soundings on lines crossing the North Pacific Ocean. As a result of these it was possible for the Hydrographic Office to publish a new bathymetric chart of this area last year, which was a great improvement over previously existing bathymetric charts. Using the same data as employed by the Hydrographic Office, the writers recontoured the area with the special purpose of locating and delineating structural trends on the floor of the Nortn Pacific.
A view about ‘vision’

Abstract ‘Vision’, as a term and a concept is not at all well-understood by business leaders. There are many differing interpretations. Neal Thornberry describes the key components of vision, and argues that much of the ability to be visionary can be taught in business schools and training sessions. Vision is not a passing fad; it will become an increasingly important part of an organization's struggle to be fast, flexible and competitive. Seven conclusions are made which will enable senior managers to participate in and better manage the visionary process.
Dating Business-Cycle turning points

This paper presents a logit model for dating business-cycle turning points. The regressors are monthly series from the Business Cycle Indicators database of the Conference Board. Dividing the sample period into a subset for model initialization (1959∶9–1970∶12) and a subset for testing (1971∶1–2003∶12) yields a chronology that is nearly identical to that established by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). However, the recognition lag is less than four months, in contrast to an average of more than eleven months for the official chronology. (JEL E320)
The use of vitamin B12 in the syndrome of non-specific hepatic fatigue, a common condition simulating psychoneurosis.

1. The clinical features of the syndrome of non-specific hepatic fatigue are presented. 2. The etiology of the syndrome is considered with special emphasis on resemblances to chronic infectious mononucleosis, chronic viral hepatitis and psychosomatic disease. It is suggested that it may represent a chronic hepatic reaction to a wide variety of toxic agents which may ultimately lead to cirrhosis or pernicious anemia. 3. Treatment of the syndrome is discussed, with special reference to vitamin B12, which appears to be a valuable therapeutic agent when used carefully. It is also shown to have potential toxic effects which may lead to serious consequences if used haphazardly. The beneficial effect of vitamin B12 in optimum dosage on allergic manifestations is described.
A novel element and feed configuration for a dipole very closely spaced to a PEC ground plane

A novel element and feed design are presented that allow a dipole to exhibit high radiation efficiency and gain when it is very closely spaced (< 0.05/spl lambda/) to a PEC ground plane. The dipole element configuration has impedance matching and a balanced feed built within the antenna structure so that external matching and balun are not required. It is shown that high Q and correspondingly narrow bandwidth are the fundamental performance limitations when a dipole is very closely spaced to a PEC ground.
Increased hepatic stiffness as consequence of high hepatic afterload in the fontan circulation: A vascular doppler and elastography study

Hepatic dysfunction is a recognized complication after Fontan palliation of congenital heart disease. We sought to quantitatively measure hepatic stiffness and vascular Doppler indices using ultrasound (US) and shear wave elastography (SWE) in a Fontan cohort. Subjects were prospectively recruited for echocardiography and real-time hepatic duplex US with SWE for hepatic stiffness (kPa). Doppler peak velocities, velocity time integral, resistive, pulsatility, acceleration indices (RI, PI, AI), and flow volume were measured in celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery, and main portal vein (MPV). A subset underwent cardiac catheterizations with liver biopsy. Correlations were explored between SWE, duplex, hemodynamic, and histopathologic data. In all, 106 subjects were studied including 41 patients with Fontan physiology (age 13.8 ± 6 years, weight 45.4 ± 23 kg) and 65 controls (age 15.0 ± 8.4 years, weight 47.9 ± 22 kg). Patients with Fontan physiology had significantly higher hepatic stiffness (15.6 versus 5.5 kPa, P < 0.0001), higher celiac RI (0.78 versus 0.73, P = 0.04) superior mesenteric artery RI (0.89 versus 0.84, P = 0.005), and celiac PI (1.87 versus 1.6, P = 0.034); while MPV flow volume (287 versus 420 mL/min in controls, P = 0.007) and SMA AI (829 versus 1100, P = 0.002) were lower. Significant correlation was seen for stiffness with ventricular end-diastolic pressure (P = 0.001) and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (P = 0.009). Greater stiffness correlated with greater degrees of histopathologic fibrosis. No significant change was seen in stiffness or other duplex indices with age, gender, time since Fontan, or ventricular morphology. Conclusion: Elevated hepatic afterload in Fontan, manifested by high ventricular end-diastolic pressures and pulmonary arterial wedge pressures, is associated with remarkably increased hepatic stiffness, abnormal vascular flow patterns, and fibrotic histologic changes. The MPV is dilated and carries decreased flow volume, while the celiac and superior mesenteric arterial RI is increased. SWE is feasible in this population and shows promise as a means for predicting disease severity on liver biopsy. (Hepatology 2014;58:251–260)
Searches for New Physics in Multijet Final States

A variety of new physics models predict heavy resonances that decay to multiple hadronic jets. These models include axigluons, colorons, diquarks, excited quarks, Randall-Sundrum gravitons, string resonances, and Z' models, among others. Other models make the prediction that high-pT jets will be suppressed, resulting in jet extinction. Using the data collected in 2012 at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, the CMS collaboration has made a baseline inclusive jet cross section measurement for comparison with new-physics searches, and then performed searches for jet extinction and resonances that decay to two hadronic jets. The results of these searches will be presented. No evidence of new physics has been observed, and these results set new limits on the parameters of these models.
Age-Specific Skin Blood Flow Responses to Acute Capsaicin

Local skin blood flow (SkBF) responses can be modified by vasoactive neurotransmitters released from sensory nerves, notably, capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents (CSPAs). Age-specific CSPA function was examined in this study by assessing the SkBF response to acute capsaicin (CPZ). Eight young (18-30 years), 8 middle-aged (40-55 years), and 9 older (65-80 years) healthy men participated in the study. Treatment patches of varying CPZ concentration (ethanol and 0.001%-10.0% CPZ) were applied to sites on the ventral forearm. SkBF was measured with a laser Doppler imager. There were significant (p or = 0.1% in middle-aged and younger skin, whereas a significant elevation in SkBF was only achieved with 10% CPZ in older skin. The elevated SkBF in the young and middle-aged groups at higher concentrations of CPZ was the result of both an increased area of vasodilation and an increased magnitude of vasodilation within the vasodilated areas. In the older group, the increase in cutaneous vascular conductance at the highest concentration of CPZ was entirely the result of an increased area of vasodilation. These results suggest impaired CSPA function in aged skin and age-specific differences in the ability of sensory nerves to modify local inflammatory SkBF responses.
Subcellular distribution of 5-hydroxytryptamine2A and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors within single neurons in rat motor and limbic striatum.

The dorsolateral caudate-putamen nucleus (CPN) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell, respectively, are involved in many motor and limbic functions that are affected by activation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor (5HT2AR) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptor (NMDAR). We examined the functional sites for 5HT2AR activation and potential interactions involving the NMDAR subunit NR1 (NMDAR1) within these striatal regions. For this examination, sequence-specific antipeptide antisera against these receptors were localized by electron microscopic dual-labeling immunocytochemistry in the rat brain. In the dorsolateral CPN and the NAc shell, the 5HT2AR-labeled profiles were mainly dendrites, but somata and axons were also immunoreactive. The neuronal somata contained round unindented nuclei that are typical of spiny striatal neurons, although few dendritic spines were 5HT2AR immunolabeled. In all neuronal profiles, the 5HT2AR labeling was primarily associated with cytoplasmic organelles and more rarely was localized to synaptic or nonsynaptic plasma membranes. Colocalization of 5HT2AR and NMDAR1 was seen primarily in somata and dendrites. Significantly greater numbers of 5HT2AR- or 5HT2AR- and NMDAR1-containing dendrites were seen in the dorsolateral CPN than in the NAc shell. As compared with 5HT2AR, NMDAR1 labeling was more often observed in dendritic spines, and these were also more numerous in the CPN. These results indicate that 5HT2A and NMDA receptors are coexpressed but differentially targeted in single spiny striatal neurons and are likely to play a major role in control of motor functions involving the dorsolateral CPN. J. Comp. Neurol. 413:219–231, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Combined magnetic X-ray and polarized neutron reflectivity study of the origins of exchange bias in the Co/FeF2 system

Abstract We discuss studies of the magnetic specular reflectivity of neutrons and X-rays from the exchange bias system consisting of a single crystal film of antiferromagnetic FeF2 capped with a ferromagnetic Co film cooled in an applied magnetic field below the T N of the FeF2. This system exhibits a shift of the magnetic hysteresis loop along the direction of the cooling field H c (positive exchange bias) or in the opposite direction (negative exchange bias) depending on the magnitude of the cooling field. The use of neutrons with polarization analysis enables the spatial distribution of different vector components of the magnetization to be determined, and the use of resonant magnetic X-ray scattering enables magnetization in a compound system to be determined element-selectively. Our results show that the coupling across the interface between the relatively few uncompensated Fe spins and the more numerous Co spins is antiferromagnetic. In a large cooling field which overrides this coupling, the Fe spins are oriented along H c and some get pinned in this direction, in turn pinning the Co spins above the interface oppositely and thus creating positive exchange bias. For sall values of H c the Fe spins get locked in the opposite direction producing negative exchange bias. In addition a significant fraction of the Fe spins at the interface are unpinned and always align opposite to the Co magnetization.
Identification of Histoplasma capsulatum transcripts induced in response to reactive nitrogen species.

The pathogenic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum escapes innate immune defenses and colonizes host macrophages during infection. After the onset of adaptive immunity, the production of the antimicrobial effector nitric oxide (.NO) restricts H. capsulatum replication. However, H. capsulatum can establish persistent infections, indicating that it survives in the host despite exposure to reactive nitrogen species (RNS). To understand how H. capsulatum responds to RNS, we determined the transcriptional profile of H. capsulatum to .NO-generating compounds using a shotgun genomic microarray. We identified 695 microarray clones that were induced ≥4-fold upon nitrosative stress. Because our microarray clones were generated from random fragments of genomic DNA, they did not necessarily correspond to H. capsulatum open reading frames. To identify induced genes, we used high-density oligonucleotide tiling arrays to determine the genomic boundaries and coding strand of 153 RNS-induced transcripts. Homologues of these genes in other organisms are involved in iron acquisition, energy production, stress response, protein folding/degradation, DNA repair, and .NO detoxification. Ectopic expression of one of these genes, a P450 nitric oxide reductase homologue, was sufficient to increase resistance of H. capsulatum to RNS in culture. We propose that H. capsulatum uses the pathways identified here to cope with RNS-induced damage during pathogenesis.
Engendering sacrifice: blood, lineage, and infanticide in old French literature

In the twelfth-century Philomena attributed to Chretien de Troyes, one of the changes the author makes to his Ovidian source is his identification of Procne as the murderer of her son.' Whereas Ovid recounts that Procne's sister, Philomena, cuts off Itys's head, in Chretien's rewriting of the story it is the mother, Procne, who kills her son, and the two women then dismember, cook, and feed him to Tereus, Procne's husband, in revenge for his rape of Philomena. This change is part of what has been identified as a demonization of the character of Procne in Chretien's version of the story, where she is a mother who cannot be swayed from murder even by the pleas of her son, but the identification of Procne as the murderer of her child also situates both the crime and the vengeance within the nuclear family-a wife's vengeance against her husband explains her infanticide.2 Revenge explains most examples of maternal murder in medieval literature. Gudrun, in the Scandinavian Edda, is another mother who cooks her son and feeds him to his father in revenge for the murder of her brothers.3 This story is told a little differently in the ThiOrejssaga and in the Nibelungenlied, where Grimhild/Kriemhild sends her son to die at her brother's hands in order to set in motion a battle in which she hopes to take revenge for her brothers' murder of her husband Siegfried, but the mother still arranges the death of her child as part of a vengeance
Inversion of Noise-Free Laplace Transforms: Towards a Standardized Set of Test Problems

The numerical inversion of Laplace transform arises in many applications of science and engineering whenever ordinary and partial differential equations or integral equations are solved. The increasing number of available numerical methods and computer codes has generated a need for well-documented sets of test problems. Using such sets, algorithm developers can evaluate the relative merits and drawbacks of their suggested new methods, and end-users can make judgments on the applicability of an individual method for a specific problem. Many areas in science and engineering, lead to problems that share three important properties: (i) the image function can be evaluated for real arguments, but not necessarily for complex ones; (ii) the original is known to be infinitely differentiable for times t > 0, (iii) the values of the image function can be obtained with any prescribed accuracy. The published test sets do not properly cover these applications, as many included problems are beyond of the specific class...
Physical Environments of Assisted Living: Research Needs and Challenges

Purpose: This article aims to review research measures and findings related to physical environments of assisted living (AL) according to multiple conceptual perspectives—ecological, cultural, and Maslovian hierarchy. Design and Methods: A literature and research review was undertaken with two foci: performance measures for physical environments, and environmental research findings themselves. Results: The research review identified a variety of environmental studies with a broad scope of topics, including post-occupancy design multimethod approaches, homeyness, evolution of AL, services, quality of life as an outcome, aging in place, regulatory influences, and environmental design principles. Most studies were descriptive; few dealt with outcomes linked to the environment, and those that did often focused on dementia settings. Some large scale studies with environmental components suggested that physical designs would affect a resident’s ability to age in place within an AL setting. Overall, the environmental research was sparse and often characterized by small samples, lack of longitudinal data, or lack of depth. Implications: The field needs research studies that show how resident and environmental characteristics interact to generate both quality-of-life and functioning outcomes, and it also needs work on measures to permit such studies. I suggest eight specific studies in targeted areas and recommend full post-occupancy evaluation studies to develop in-depth understanding about how a setting works for its users. Research on AL environments is most likely to be meaningful if it anchors itself in the study of housing rather than hospitals, nursing homes, and other health settings.
Moving towards a syndrome : a review of 20 cases and a new case of non-mosaic tetrasomy 9p with long-term survival

Tetrasomy 9p is a rare syndrome that has now been described in nearly a score of cases. We present a new case of i(9p) that presented to us early in infancy with significant dysmorphological features, including growth retardation, psycho-motor delay, hemifacial microsomia, auditory canal atresia, high-arched palate, bulbous nose, strabismus, epicanthic folds, congenital heart disease, dislocated hips, hypoplastic external genitalia, simian palmar creases, dysplastic nails and small digits. Chromosomal analysis revealed a 47,XX,idic(9)(q12) karyotype on GTG- and C-banding studies on peripheral blood lymphocytes. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) studies confirmed the origin of the extra chromosome. A review of the literature and a comparative analysis of the several well-documented cases of i(9p) revealed a pattern of recurring features, including ear malformations, skeletal and joint problems (especially dislocations), hypoplasia of nails and digits, palatal abnormalities, hypertelorism, urogenital anomalies and developmental retardation. In the light of this analysis, we feel that tetrasomy 9p will soon be considered a clinically recognizable syndrome.
Determining Predictor Importance in Hierarchical Linear Models Using Dominance Analysis

Dominance analysis (DA) is a method used to evaluate the relative importance of predictors that was originally proposed for linear regression models. This article proposes an extension of DA that a...
Asymmetric transmitter binding sites of fetal muscle acetylcholine receptors shape their synaptic response

Neuromuscular acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) have two transmitter binding sites: at α−δ and either α−γ (fetal) or α–e (adult) subunit interfaces. The γ-subunit of fetal AChRs is indispensable for the proper development of neuromuscular synapses. We estimated parameters for acetylcholine (ACh) binding and gating from single channel currents of fetal mouse AChRs expressed in tissue-cultured cells. The unliganded gating equilibrium constant is smaller and less voltage-dependent than in adult AChRs. However, the α−γ binding site has a higher affinity for ACh and provides more binding energy for gating compared with α−e; therefore, the diliganded gating equilibrium constant at −100 mV is comparable for both receptor subtypes. The −2.2 kcal/mol extra binding energy from α−γ compared with α−δ and α−e is accompanied by a higher resting affinity for ACh, mainly because of slower transmitter dissociation. End plate current simulations suggest that the higher affinity and increased energy from α−γ are essential for generating synaptic responses at low pulse [ACh].
Alternatives to the discrete cosine transform for irreversible tomographic image compression

Full-frame irreversible compression of medical images is currently being performed using the discrete cosine transform (DCT). Although the DCT is the optimum fast transform for video compression applications, the authors show here that it is outperformed by the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and discrete Hartley transform (DHT) for images obtained using positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and possibly for certain types of digitized radiographs. This difference occurs because PET and MRI images are characterized by a roughly circular region D of non-zero intensity bounded by a region R in which the image intensity is essentially zero. Clipping R to its minimum extent can reduce the number of low-intensity pixels but the practical requirement that images be stored on a rectangular grid means that a significant region of zero intensity must remain an integral part of the image to be compressed. With this constraint imposed, the DCT loses its advantage over the DFT because neither transform introduces significant artificial discontinuities. The DFT and DHT have the further important advantage of requiring less computation time than the DCT. >
Programmed accumulation of LEA-like proteins during desiccation and cold acclimation of overwintering grape buds

Molecular investigation of the process of cold acclimation in woody plants has been limited by the superimposition of dormancy-related events on the process of cold tolerance development. To address this limitation, we have used the grape Vitis labruscana L. cv. Concord to develop a system in which the developmental programme of dormancy can be induced seperately from cold acclimation. Using this system we have characterized differential accumulation of several proteins in grape buds during the normally superimposed endodormancy and cold acclimation programmes, and in buds which have entered only the endodormancy programme. A set of 47 kD proteins accumulated during endodormancy without cold acclimation to a level similar to that found in endodormant and cold-acclimated buds, but without any associated increase in bud cold-acclimation level. However, a 27 kD LEA-like protein accumulated only in cold acclimated buds. We conclude that expression of the 47 kD glycoprotein is endodormancy-related, but is not strictly related to the development of cold acclimation, while the 27 kD protein appears to be more specific to cold acclimation. In addition to strengthening the association of LEA-like proteins with cold acclimation, this system allows more specific assessment of cold acclimation-associated phenomena in overwintering buds.