cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationships of Cardiac, Pulmonary, and Muscle Reserves and Frailty to Exercise Capacity in Older Women

IT has been proposed that frailty, a syndrome of old age, results from an impairment across physiological systems (1) that leads to loss of homeostatic resilience. The hallmarks of this loss of integration of physiological function are increased susceptibility to stressors and even death. Because homeostatic resilience is inherently dynamic, losses are more likely to be unmasked as impaired ability to respond to a stressor than as a change in function under resting conditions. Frailty is thought to manifest a loss of physiological complexity as a qualitative change in the manner, not just a diminished amount, of response to stress via several physiological systems (2). However, this theory remains to be evaluated. Few frail older adults have been tested through stress tests, so the loss of function that would be evident from studying interactions among physiological systems under stress remains largely theoretical (3). A clinical phenotypic or operational definition of physical frailty composed of several components among weakness, slowness, low activity, exhaustion, and weight loss has been shown to have construct and predictive validity as evidenced by its association with increased risk of future physical disability and death (4) and discriminant validity as a syndrome (5). Although frailty is thought to result from functional decline in several systems, including immunologic, hormonal, and neural (6,7), a central feature embedded in the frailty criteria is lower extremity exercise capacity (EC). We hypothesized that the systems involved in converting energy into lower extremity EC interact, that is, respond differently to each other in frail adults compared with non-frail adults. Identifying a difference in integrated function according to frailty status would contribute in previously unexplained ways to our current understanding of EC in late life. This study aimed to address these questions by: (a) determining the relationship between key physiological systems and EC in disabled older women, a cohort that provides an opportunity to study frailty but is underrepresented in physiology literature and (b) evaluating for interactions among these systems with frailty status with respect to their association with lower extremity EC obtained through a graded exercise test. More specifically, we sought to determine the degree to which lower extremity EC was a function of measured central cardiovascular limit, a pulmonary mechanical limit, and/or a limit in peripheral oxygen utilization, whether these functions interacted, and, they were conditioned on frailty.
SVM-based generalized multiple-instance learning via approximate box counting

The multiple-instance learning (MIL) model has been very successful in application areas such as drug discovery and content-based image-retrieval. Recently, a generalization of this model and an algorithm for this generalization were introduced, showing significant advantages over the conventional MIL model in certain application areas. Unfortunately, this algorithm is inherently inefficient, preventing scaling to high dimensions. We reformulate this algorithm using a kernel for a support vector machine, reducing its time complexity from exponential to polynomial. Computing the kernel is equivalent to counting the number of axis-parallel boxes in a discrete, bounded space that contain at least one point from each of two multisets P and Q. We show that this problem is #P-complete, but then give a fully polynomial randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) for it. Finally, we empirically evaluate our kernel.
Culex tarsalis Coq. a Proven Vector of St. Louis Encephalitis.

Summary and ConclusionsCulex tarsalis has been demonstrated to be infected in nature with St. Louis encephalitis virus and to be capable of transmitting it. Furthermore, it fits well into the epidemiological picture encountered in the Yakima Valley, Washington. We can therefore safely conclude that this species is a natural vector. This is the first instance in which a mosquito has fulfilled these 3 criteria for incrimination as a vector in respect to St. Louis encephalitis virus. C. pipiens previously has been shown to be capable of transmitting this virus in the laboratory and the same has just been demonstrated for C. coronator. In addition, these experiments demonstrate that the chicken may serve as a satisfactory reservoir of virus. This is undoubtedly shared by other birds for we have previously shown that virus may be isolated from the blood of a dove following the bite of infected C. pipiens5 and unpublished work indicates that ducks may serve as reservoirs.
ML-Flex: a flexible toolbox for performing classification analyses in parallel

Motivated by a need to classify high-dimensional, heterogeneous data from the bioinformatics domain, we developed ML-Flex, a machine-learning toolbox that enables users to perform two-class and multi-class classification analyses in a systematic yet flexible manner. ML-Flex was written in Java but is capable of interfacing with third-party packages written in other programming languages. It can handle multiple input-data formats and supports a variety of customizations. MLFlex provides implementations of various validation strategies, which can be executed in parallel across multiple computing cores, processors, and nodes. Additionally, ML-Flex supports aggregating evidence across multiple algorithms and data sets via ensemble learning. This open-source software package is freely available from http://mlflex.sourceforge.net.
Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation

PREFACE-A READER'S GUIDE. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. CONTENTS. PART I: VC BASICS. CHAPTER 1: THE VC INDUSTRY. CHAPTER 2: VC PLAYERS. CHAPTER 3: VC RETURNS. CHAPTER 4: THE COST OF VENTURE CAPITAL. CHAPTER 5: THE BEST VCs. CHAPTER 6: VC AROUND THE WORLD. PART II: TOTAL VALUATION. CHAPTER 7: THE ANALYSIS OF VC INVESTMENTS. CHAPTER 8: TERM SHEETS. CHAPTER 9: PREFERRED STOCK. CHAPTER 10: THE VC METHOD. CHAPTER 11: DISCOUNTED-CASH-FLOW ANALYSIS OF GROWTH COMPANIES. CHAPTER 12: COMPARABLES ANALYSIS. PART III: PARTIAL VALUATION. CHAPTER 13: OPTION PRICING. CHAPTER 14: THE VALUATION OF PREFERRED STOCK. CHAPTER 15: LATER-ROUND INVESTMENTS. CHAPTER 16: PARTICIPATING CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK. CHAPTER 17: IMPLIED VALUATION. CHAPTER 18: COMPLEX STRUCTURES. PART IV: THE FINANCE OF INNOVATION. CHAPTER 19: R&D FINANCE. CHAPTER 20: MONTE CARLO SIMULATION. CHAPTER 21: REAL OPTIONS. CHAPTER 22 BINOMIAL TREES. CHAPTER 23 GAME THEORY. CHAPTER 24 R&D VALUATION. APPENDIX A INFORMATION SOURCES FOR VENTURE CAPITAL. APPENDIX B SAMPLE TERM SHEET. APPENDIX C THE VCFI SPREADSHEETS. APPENDIX D GUIDE TO CRYSTAL BALL. GLOSSARY. INDEX.
Controlling the urge for a Ca2+ surge: all‐or‐none Ca2+ release in neurons

Changes in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) convey signals that are essential to the life and death of neurons. Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+)-release (CICR), a process in which a modest elevation in [Ca2+]i is amplified by a secondary release of Ca2+ from stores within the cell, plays a prominent role in shaping neuronal [Ca2+]i signals. When CICR becomes regenerative, an explosive increase in [Ca2+]i generates a Ca2+ wave that spreads throughout the cell. A discrete threshold controls activation of this all-or-none behavior and cellular context adjusts the threshold. Thus, the store acts as a switch that determines whether a given pattern of electrical activity will produce a local or global Ca2+ signal. This gatekeeper function seems to control some forms of Ca(2+)-triggered plasticity in neurons.
On Criticality: Reply to Smith

charges is genuine, or spurious (the product of a forgivable desire to air a personal synthesis of Marxist scholarship). Whatever the case, Smith implies that my critical stance is due to my being a "Bourgeois social scientist," and, further, to my not having "labored with" (read in its entirety) Krader's book. I stand accused, then, of being a bourgeois book-skimmer: of course, that is true, by definition, of all academics (including my accuser). In point of fact, I did labor with all 454 pages of Krader's book, and, as I said in my review, I do indeed recognize the value of Krader's assemblage of the scattered writings of Marx and Kovalevsky on the Asiatic mode of production. However, any serious student of Marx, while welcoming this assemblage, must also lament the lack of clarity in both Krader's prose and his theory. Also lamentable, I believe (and as I said in my review), is the partisanship of Krader's presentation. In his foreword (1975:xi, xii), Krader says that he will examine, critically, both Marx's theory of the Asiatic mode of production and its sources: in fact, he does only the latter. Krader says (1975:304) that "we have learned the method of criticism from him
EUS compared with CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography and the influence of biliary stenting on staging accuracy of ampullary neoplasms

Abstract Background: Computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and transabdominal ultrasound frequently fail to detect ampullary lesions. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a sensitive modality for detecting and staging ampullary tumors. Accurate staging may be affected by biliary stenting, which is frequently performed in these patients with obstructive jaundice. The present study assessed the accuracy of ampullary tumor staging with multiple imaging modalities in patients with and those without endobiliary stents. Methods: Fifty consecutive patients with ampullary neoplasms from two endosonography centers were preoperatively staged by EUS plus CT (37 patients), MRI (13 patients), or angiography (10 patients) over a 3½ year period. Twenty-five of the 50 patients had a transpapillary endobiliary stent present at the time of endosonographic examination. Accuracy of EUS, CT, MRI, and angiography was assessed with the TNM classification system and compared with surgical-pathologic staging. The influence of an endobiliary stent present at the time of EUS on staging accuracy of EUS was also evaluated. Results: EUS was more accurate than CT and MRI in the overall assessment of the T stage of ampullary neoplasms (EUS 78%, CT 24%, MRI 46%). No significant difference in N stage accuracy was noted between the three imaging modalities (EUS 68%, CT 59%, MRI 77%). EUS T stage accuracy was reduced from 84% to 72% in the presence of a transpapillary endobiliary stent. This was most prominent in the understaging of T2/T3 carcinomas. Conclusions: EUS is superior to CT and MRI in assessing T stage but not N stage of ampullary lesions. The presence of an endobiliary stent at EUS may result in underestimating the need for a Whipple resection because of tumor understaging. (Gastrointest Endosc 1999;50:27-33.)
CcpC-Dependent Regulation of Citrate Synthase Gene Expression in Listeria monocytogenes

Citrate synthase, the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid branch of the Krebs cycle, was shown to be required for de novo synthesis of glutamate and glutamine in Listeria monocytogenes. The citrate synthase (citZ) gene was found to be part of a complex operon with the upstream genes lmo1569 and lmo1568. The downstream isocitrate dehydrogenase (citC) gene appears to be part of the same operon as well. Two promoters were shown to drive citZ expression, a distal promoter located upstream of lmo1569 and a proximal promoter located upstream of the lmo1568 gene. Transcription of citZ from both promoters was regulated by CcpC by interaction with a single site; assays of transcription in vivo and assays of CcpC binding in vitro revealed that CcpC interacts with and represses the proximal promoter that drives expression of the lmo1568, citZ, and citC genes and, by binding to the same site, prevents read-through transcription from the distal, lmo1569 promoter. Expression of the lmo1568 operon was not affected by the carbon source but was repressed during growth in complex medium by addition of glutamine.
Comparison of computational methods applied to oxazole, thiazole, and other heterocyclic compounds

Abstract : A variety of computational methods, including the semiempirical techniques AM1, PM3, and MNDO, and the thermochemical basis sets of Benson and Stine, was used to calculate and compare heats of formation data for optimized geometries of a variety of aromatic and nonaromatic heterocycles. Detailed analyses, including 6-31G* and MP2/6-31G* ab initio calculations, were performed for the oxazole and thiazole heterocycles. The results indicate a scatter among the methods sensitive to the nature of the heterocycle. This was in particular evident in the oxazole molecule, where AM1 gave a singularly high value of Delta(H sub f) (sup degree) consistent with longer calculated bond lengths, particularly about the oxygen atom. Aromatic stabilization energy appears to be addressed differently among the employed methods. Implications of this contrast applied to calculation of macromolecular systems containing Heterocyclic units are discussed.
Developing a shortened measure of negative thinking for use in patients with heart failure.

Abstract Objective Negative thinking is a target for treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF). A brief instrument is needed to measure negative thinking in these patients. The study objective was to shorten the Crandell Cognitions Inventory (CCI) for use in patients with HF. Methods Baseline data from outpatients with HF (N = 179, 30% were female, age 60 ± 13 years) were used to evaluate psychometrics of the CCI. Internal consistency reliability was measured with Cronbach’s alpha construct validity with hypothesis testing. Principal components analysis was used in shortening. A separate sample of hospitalized patients with HF (N = 77, 49% were female, age 66 ± 11years) was used to validate the shortened CCI (CCI-SF). Results The CCI showed evidence of reliability and validity, but there was item redundancy in outpatients with HF. The 12-item CCI-SF showed good evidence of reliability and validity in inpatients with HF. Conclusion The results support the reliability and validity of the CCI-SF to measure negative thinking in hospitalized patients with HF.
IgM-PRODUCING TUMORS IN THE BALB/c MOUSE A MODEL FOR B-CELL MATURATION

Five adjuvant induced BALB/c tumors producing IgM—McPc 1748, W 3469, TEPC 183, McPc 774, and Y 5781—were characterized morphologically by electron microscopy, analysis of the distribution of surface-bound and intracytoplasmic IgM using immunofluorescence, and by biochemical study of IgM synthesis, turnover, and secretion. The cells of different tumors appear to represent different stages in B-cell maturation when compared to normal, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated B cells. Thus, McPc 1748 tumor cells resemble 10–25-h stimulated normal B cells, 3469 cells resemble 20–35-h stimulated B cells, TEPC 183 cells resemble 45–65-h stimulated B cells, Y 5781 cells resemble 80–110-h stimulated B cells, and McPc 774 cells resemble 100–130-h stimulated B cells.
Compliance: Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Explaining Adherence to Judicial Rulings

Public authorities' compliance with judicial dictates is central to legality and constitutionality, may influence broader policy and political outcomes, and can have powerful feedback effects on judicial decision making, independence, and power. As such, it has crucial implications for interbranch relations and the rule of law. Effectively measuring compliance with judicial rulings and clearly explaining when and why elected leaders adhere to courts' mandates present a range of inferential challenges. Building on the groundwork laid in the burgeoning literature on the topic, this article advances two analytic frameworks (one for measuring and one for explaining compliance), offers strategies for grappling with the problems of descriptive and causal inference that arise in studying compliance, and advocates the use of multiple analytic methods to generate and test hypotheses regarding compliance.
Risk management solutions for new product technologies in the semiconductor industry

New product introduction (NPI) is critical for the success of semiconductor and other industrial companies. Multiple risks are involved that span from integrated circuit design to actual reliability of product used by consumers. Risk management is integrated with project management to control schedule, scope and cost concerns that effect project success. This presentation discusses how risk management is used in the NPI process starting with risk identification, quantification, response development and control.
Deciphering the Origins and Tracking the Evolution of Cholera Epidemics with Whole-Genome-Based Molecular Epidemiology

ABSTRACT The devastating Haitian cholera outbreak that began in October 2010 is the first known cholera epidemic in this island nation. Epidemiological and genomic data have provided strong evidence that United Nations security forces from Nepal introduced toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, the cause of epidemic cholera, to Haiti shortly before the outbreak arose. However, some have contended that indigenous V. cholerae contributed to the outbreak. In a recent paper ( mBio 4 :e00398-13, 2013), L. S. Katz et al. explored the nature and rate of changes in this ancient pathogen’s genome during an outbreak, based on whole-genome sequencing of 23 Haitian V. cholerae clinical isolates obtained over a 20-month period. Notably, they detected point mutations, deletions, and inversions but found no insertion of horizontally transmitted DNA, arguing strongly against the idea that autochthonous V. cholerae donated DNA to the outbreak strain. Furthermore, they found that Haitian epidemic V. cholerae isolates were virtually untransformable. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that the Haitian isolates were nearly identical to isolates from Nepal and that the Nepalese-Haitian isolates were distinguishable from isolates circulating elsewhere in the world. Reconstruction of the phylogeny of the Haitian isolates was consistent with a single introduction of V. cholerae to Haiti sometime between late July and late October 2010, dates remarkably concordant with epidemiological observations. In aggregate, this paper provides additional compelling evidence that the V. cholerae strain responsible for the Haitian cholera epidemic came from Nepal and illustrates the power of whole-genome-based analyses for epidemiology, pathogen evolution, and forensics.
Single-strand recombination signal sequence nicks in vivo: evidence for a capture model of synapsis.

Variable (diversity) joining (V(D)J) recombination is initiated by the introduction of single-strand DNA breaks (nicks) at recombination signal sequences (RSSs). The importance and fate of these RSS nicks for the regulation of the V(D)J rearrangement and their potential contribution to genomic instability are poorly understood. Using two new methodologies, we were able to detect and quantify specific RSS nicks introduced into genomic DNA by incubation with recombination-activating gene proteins in vitro. In vivo, however, we found that nicks mediated by recombination-activating gene (RAG) proteins were detectable only in gene segments associated with RSSs containing 12–base pair spacers but not in those containing 23–base pair spacers. These data support a model of capture rather than synapsis for pairwise RSS cleavage during V(D)J recombination.
Topics in Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

This is the second of six articles based on presentations at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions held 6–10 June 2008 in San Francisco, California. Frederick Brancati (Baltimore, MD) discussed diabetes screening. Approaches using age, sex, BMI, family history, hypertension, and lifestyle as predictive measures have shown good performance in cross-sectional and prospective studies, and capillary glucose measurement adds further value, although the public health impact of such approaches has not been determined. In the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), 158,177 individuals were screened, with 3,819 randomized. Those whose fasting capillary glucose was 90–115 mg/dl had increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT); levels ≥130 mg/dl were 250 times as likely as levels <90 mg/dl to be associated with IGT. Patrick O'Connor (Minneapolis, MN) pointed out that health plans have become very interested in identifying and treating diabetes and addressed the question of whether systematic identification of pre-diabetes by screening leads to better health outcomes than would occur without screening. Developing an approach to identification and subsequent interventions that would be cost-effective is an important priority. O'Connor reviewed responses to a survey of medical directors of 35 plans, caring for a total of 47 million individuals, focused on awareness of cardiometabolic risk. At-risk enrollees can be identified by age, BMI, sex, race, laboratory test results, physician diagnoses, smoking history, and prescription data based on pharmacy claims, although lack of electronic medical records is “a weak link.” Duration of treatment and of illnesses (including diabetes) and other aspects of medical history are not readily available. Nonetheless, using all the available information, it certainly is possible to identify individuals at increased diabetes risk. Two approaches are taken: 1 ) direct outreach to large numbers of people for prevention of adverse outcome or 2 ) case management of smaller numbers of people at much higher risk. …
Long-term follow-up and the role of surgery in adolescents with morbid obesity.

Abstract Purpose Obesity has become a health-care crisis in the United States. Adolescent obesity is now one of the most common childhood disorders, with 4.7 million American adolescents having a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile. Most patients do not respond to diet modification or exercise programs and attention is now turning toward surgery as a source of weight loss in adolescents. Few studies have looked at the overall morbidity and mortality of weight loss surgery in this patient population. Methods This is a retrospective study of medical charts of 15 bariatric surgical procedures performed on 14 adolescents without known genetic syndromes associated with severe childhood obesity from 1971 to 2001 at the University of Minnesota. Procedures performed on these patients included vertical banded gastroplasty (n = 7), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 5), and jejunoileal bypass (n = 3). Jejunoileal bypass procedures were performed from 1971 to 1977, after which time this procedure was abandoned. Patient age ranged from 13 to 17 years (mean, 15.7 years). Mean follow-up time was 6 years, with 9 patients available for long-term follow-up. Results All procedures were performed using an open technique by 1 surgeon. There were no perioperative deaths; complications included 1 case of wound infection, 2 episodes of dumping syndrome that resolved without revision, 1 episode of hypoglycemia, and 1 case of short-term electrolyte imbalance in a patient who underwent jejunoileal bypass. The average BMI dropped from 58.5 ± 13.7 to 32.1 ± 9.7 kg/m 2 ( P Conclusions Surgery for morbid obesity is safe and results in significant weight loss in adolescents who fail medical therapy.
Adsorption to goethite of extracellular polymeric substances from Bacillus subtilis

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are heterogeneous biopolymers produced by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial cells. Adsorption of EPS to minerals can alter the substrata physico-chemistry and influence initial bacterial adhesion processes via conditioning film formation, but the effects of solution chemistry on uptake of EPS remain poorly understood. In this study, the adsorption to goethite (a-FeOOH) of EPS isolated from the early stationary growth-phase culture of Bacillus subtilis was investigated as a function of pH and ionic strength (I) in NaCl background electrolyte using batch studies coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. Proteins, particularly those of higher molar mass, and phosphorylated macromolecules were adsorbed preferentially. Increasing solution I (1–100 mM NaCl) or pH (3.0–9.0) resulted in a decrease in the mass of EPS adsorbed. Batch studies and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra are consistent with ligand exchange of EPS phosphate groups for surface hydroxyls at Fe metal centers. The data indicate that both electrostatic and chemical bonding interactions contribute to selective fractionation of the EPS solution. Proteins and phosphate groups in phosphodiester bridges of nucleic acids likely play an important role in conditioning film formation at Fe oxide surfaces.
Histone H4 deacetylation plays a critical role in early gene silencing during neuronal apoptosis

Silencing of normal gene expression occurs early in the apoptosis of neurons, well before the cell is committed to the death pathway, and has been extensively characterized in injured retinal ganglion cells. The causative mechanism of this widespread change in gene expression is unknown. We investigated whether an epigenetic change in active chromatin, specifically histone H4 deacetylation, was an underlying mechanism of gene silencing in apoptotic retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) following an acute injury to the optic nerve. Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) translocates to the nuclei of dying cells shortly after lesion of the optic nerve and is associated with an increase in nuclear HDAC activity and widespread histone deacetylation. H4 in promoters of representative genes was rapidly and indiscriminately deacetylated, regardless of the gene examined. As apoptosis progressed, H4 of silenced genes remained deacetylated, while H4 of newly activated genes regained, or even increased, its acetylated state. Inhibition of retinal HDAC activity with trichostatin A (TSA) was able to both preserve the expression of a representative RGC-specific gene and attenuate cell loss in response to optic nerve damage. These data indicate that histone deacetylation plays a central role in transcriptional dysregulation in dying RGCs. The data also suggests that HDAC3, in particular, may feature heavily in apoptotic gene silencing.
Q-switched diode pumped Nd:YAG rod laser with output power of 420W at 532nm and 160W at 355nm

Intra-cavity harmonic generation in diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG rod lasers is a preferred architecture to generate high output power at 532nm and 355nm in multimode operation. We have developed a side-pumped, dual rod Nd:YAG laser with intra-cavity second harmonic generation using Type II LBO in a double-pass configuration. A maximum 532nm output power of 420 W was achieved at 10 kHz with an M^2 of about 24. The pulse duration was 70 ns with a pulse energy stability of less than 0.7% rms. By incorporating a novel birefringence compensation technique and adding a Type II LBO sum frequency generator, we attained 160W of 355nm output at a repetition rate of 8 kHz with an M^2 of 18 and a pulse duration of 45 ns.
On the Professorial Voice

Argument Much recent research has established the importance of visualization in modern science. This essay treats, instead, of the continued importance of the aural and oral: the professorial voice. The professor remains important for science since so many scientists still instantiate this persona and, as is here argued, a “voice” constitutes an essential feature of it. The form of the essay reflects its contents. From the Middle Ages until well into the modern era, the archetypal professorial genre was the disputation, an oral event recast in written form. Apropos of the traditional disputation, this essay begins with a disquisition more or less to the point. It concerns Nietzsche’s first major publication, which violated norms for the proper professorial voice, thus accelerated the destruction of his academic career. The essay then presents six theses on the professorial voice. The theses treat relevant aspects of the professorial voice from the Sophists onward. It is argued, in Weberian terms, that the professorial voice or persona embodies elements of charismatic and traditional authority which coexist with and condition the rational authority or “objectivity” of science.
The Concurrent Accumulation of Intra-Abdominal and Subcutaneous Fat Explains the Association Between Insulin Resistance and Plasma Leptin Concentrations: Distinct Metabolic Effects of Two Fat Compartments

Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, particularly when body fat has a central distribution. However, insulin resistance also frequently occurs in apparently lean individuals. It has been proposed that these lean insulin-resistant individuals have greater amounts of body fat than lean insulin-sensitive subjects. Alternatively, their body fat distribution may be different. Obesity is associated with elevated plasma leptin levels, but some studies have suggested that insulin sensitivity is an additional determinant of circulating leptin concentrations. To examine how body fat distribution contributes to insulin sensitivity and how these variables are related to leptin levels, we studied 174 individuals (73 men, 101 women), a priori classified as lean insulin-sensitive (LIS, n = 56), lean insulin-resistant (LIR, n = 61), and obese insulin-resistant (OIR, n = 57) based on their BMI and insulin sensitivity index (S(I)). Whereas the BMI of the two lean groups did not differ, the S(I) of the LIR subjects was less than half that of the LIS group. The subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat areas, determined by computed tomography, were 45 and 70% greater in the LIR subjects (P < 0.001) and 2.5- and 3-fold greater in the OIR group, as compared with the LIS group. Fasting plasma leptin levels were moderately increased in LIR subjects (10.8 +/- 7.1 vs. 8.1 +/- 6.4 ng/ml in LIS subjects; P < 0.001) and doubled in OIR subjects (21.9 +/- 15.5 ng/ml; P < 0.001). Because of the confounding effect of body fat, we examined the relationships between adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and leptin concentrations by multiple regression analysis. Intra-abdominal fat was the best variable predicting insulin sensitivity in both genders and explained 54% of the variance in S(I). This inverse relationship was nonlinear (r = -0.688). On the other hand, in both genders, fasting leptin levels were strongly associated with subcutaneous fat area (r = 0.760) but not with intra-abdominal fat. In line with these analyses, when LIS and LIR subjects were matched for subcutaneous fat area, age, and gender, they had similar leptin levels, whereas their intra-abdominal fat and insulin sensitivity remained different. Thus, accumulation of intra-abdominal fat correlates with insulin resistance, whereas subcutaneous fat deposition correlates with circulating leptin levels. We conclude that the concurrent increase in these two metabolically distinct fat compartments is a major explanation for the association between insulin resistance and elevated circulating leptin concentrations in lean and obese subjects.
Demonstration of Re-entry within the His-Purkinje System in Man

Re-entry within the His-Purkinje system (HPS) was consistently observed in 15/24 consecutive patients in whom retrograde refractory period studies were performed using His bundle electrograms and the ventricular extrastimulus method. Within a narrow range of ventricular coupling intervals (V1V2), V2 retrogradely conducted to the bundle of His (H2) with significant infra-His bundle conduction delay (V2H2 interval). At critical V2H2 delays another beat of ventricular origin (V3) followed V2 and was associated with H2V3 intervals greater than the H-V intervals of sinus beat. It is postulated that V2 retrogradely blocked within the right bundle branch and activated the bundle of His via the left bundle branch after which antegrade conduction occurred along the right bundle branch producing the V3 response. In support of re-entry within the HPS are the following: 1) V3 occurred in a narrow range of V1V2 intervals and critical V2H2 delays, 2) V3 did not occur when V2 retrogradely blocked below the bundle of His, 3) V3 was independent of retrograde A-V nodal delay, 4) V3 rarely occurred in patients with pre-existing complete right bundle branch block pattern. These results reasonably exclude local re-entry near the site of stimulation.
Factors influencing rate of testicular salvage in acute testicular torsion at a tertiary pediatric center.

Introduction Studies have demonstrated that variables other than duration of symptoms can affect outcomes in children with acute testicular torsion. We examined demographic and logistical factors, including inter-hospital transfer, which may affect outcomes at a tertiary pediatric referral center. Methods We reviewed charts of all pediatric patients with acute testicular torsion during a five-year period. Data were collected regarding age, insurance type, socioeconomic status, duration of symptoms prior to presentation, transfer status, time of day, time to surgical exploration, and testicular salvage. Results Our study included 114 patients. Testicular salvage was possible in 55.3% of patients. Thirty-one percent of patients included in the study were transferred from another facility. Inter-hospital transfer did not affect testicular salvage rate. Time to surgery and duration of pain were higher among patients who underwent orchiectomy versus orchidopexy. Patients older than eight years of age were more likely to undergo orchidopexy than those younger than eight (61.5% vs. 30.4%, p=0.01). Ethnicity, insurance type, or time of day did not affect the testicular salvage rates. On multivariate analysis, only duration of symptoms less than six hours predicted testicular salvage (OR 22.5, p Conclusion Even though inter-hospital transfer delays definitive surgical management, it may not affect testicular salvage rates. Time to presentation is the most important factor in predicting outcomes in children with acute testicular torsion.
Multi-Level Governance and Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems

Belief structures get transformed into society and economic structure by institutions – both formal rules and informal norms of behaviour. The relationship between mental models and institutions is an intimate one. Mental models are the internal representation that individual cognitive systems create to interpret the environment; institutions are the external (to the mind) mechanisms individuals create to structure and order the environment (North 1996: 348).
Human neural crest cells contribute to coat pigmentation in interspecies chimeras after in utero injection into mouse embryos

The neural crest (NC) represents multipotent cells that arise at the interphase between ectoderm and prospective epidermis of the neurulating embryo. The NC has major clinical relevance because it is involved in both inherited and acquired developmental abnormalities. The aim of this study was to establish an experimental platform that would allow for the integration of human NC cells (hNCCs) into the gastrulating mouse embryo. NCCs were derived from pluripotent mouse, rat, and human cells and microinjected into embryonic-day-8.5 embryos. To facilitate integration of the NCCs, we used recipient embryos that carried a c-Kit mutation (W(sh)/W(sh)), which leads to a loss of melanoblasts and thus eliminates competition from the endogenous host cells. The donor NCCs migrated along the dorsolateral migration routes in the recipient embryos. Postnatal mice derived from injected embryos displayed pigmented hair, demonstrating differentiation of the NCCs into functional melanocytes. Although the contribution of human cells to pigmentation in the host was lower than that of mouse or rat donor cells, our results indicate that hNCCs, injected in utero, can integrate into the embryo and form mature functional cells in the animal. This mouse-human chimeric platform allows for a new approach to study NC development and diseases.
Validity of Information Display Boards: An Assessment Using Longitudinal Data

An experiment was done in which subjects acquired information on, made choices among, and consumed their choices of five health breads once a week for six weeks. Information acquisition was monitor...
Managing Human Resources in Health Care Organizations: an Applied Approach

The article reviews the book “Managing Human Resources in Health Care Organizations: An Applied Approach,” by Irwin M. Rubin, Ronald E. Fry, and Mark S. Plovnick.
Dietary and pharmacological intervention to mitigate the cardiopulmonary effects of air pollution toxicity.

Abstract Background Exposure to air pollution contributes importantly to excess morbidity and mortality. And while regulatory actions under the “Clean Air Act” have saved millions of lives by improving air quality, there are still millions of people in the U.S. who live in areas where particulate air pollution (PM) levels exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Therefore, apart from such localities working to attain such standards the protection of the health of public and in particular those at high risk might benefit from interventional strategies that would ameliorate air pollution's adverse health effects. Because inflammation and oxidative stress appear to mediate the health effects of air pollution, one interventional approach to consider is the use of dietary supplementation or medication with anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties to block the biological responses that initiate the pathophysiological process that culminates in adverse health effects. Scope of review This article reviews the capability of dietary supplementation, such as antioxidant vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and medications as a strategy to mitigate air pollution-induced subclinical cardiopulmonary effects. Major conclusions Antioxidant vitamins C and E protect the lungs against short-term ozone and PM exposure. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as fish oil and olive oil appear to offer protection against short-term air pollution-induced adverse cardiovascular responses. General significance Taking dietary supplements or medications with antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties has the potential to provide at least partial protection against air pollution-induced adverse health effects in those individuals who are known to be most susceptible, namely those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Air Pollution, edited by Wenjun Ding, Andrew J. Ghio and Weidong Wu.
Emerging Critical Meta-Awareness Among Black and Latina/o Youth During Corrective Feedback Practices in Urban English Language Arts Classrooms

This article addresses teachers’ uptake of Black and Latina/o youth linguistic repertoires within the official space of an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom and how youth respond to corrective feedback that is focused on the form of their messages, rather than their function. Corrective feedback offered by one Latina teacher indexed larger standard language ideologies that circulate within urban Black and Latina/o schools. I argue that youth’s responses to corrective feedback point to their emerging critical meta-awareness, given their alignment against narrow conceptions of what counts as language for schooling and learning.
Factors predicting complete remission and subsequent disease-free survival after a second course of induction therapy in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia resistant to the first

Patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with persistent leukemia after their first course (CO1) of induction chemotherapy are generally given a second similar course, although their outcome is known to be worse than CO1 responders even when a complete remission (CR) is achieved. To identify specific patients who should or should not receive a second induction course identical to the first we analyzed outcome in 370 patients with persistent AML after CO1 who received a second identical course. One hundred and forty-two (38%) achieved CR on this course; median subsequent disease-free survival (DFS) in these 142 was 29 weeks and 10% were alive in CR at 5 years. The 5-year DFS of CO2 responders was significantly lower than that of CO1 responders (10 vs 24%, P < 0.001). Logistic regression identified pretreatment cytogenetic abnormalities (except inv 16, t(8;21), or t(15;17)), presence of an antecedent hematologic disorder or secondary AML as each having unfavorable prognostic import similar to the case in untreated patients. Treatment with "high-dose' rather than standard-dose cytarabine increased the probability of 2nd course CR. The occurrence of pneumonia, sepsis, or major hemorrhage were prognostically unfavorable, primarily in the high-dose cytarabine group, and, once in CR, DFS was shorter in this group. Equations predicting probability of 2nd course CR were derived. If validated prospectively these could be used to assign patients to either receive a second course of initial induction therapy or to change to salvage or investigational therapy after the first course. Alternatively, they could be used to stratify patients entering a prospective randomized trial comparing these two strategies.
Stereochemistry of the Threonine Cleavage Complex

The threonine cleavage complex is an octomeric protein of four α and four β subunits catalyzing a NAD+ and CoA dependent reversible cleavage of L-threonine to glycine and acetyl CoA. The α-subunits catalyze the redox reaction and the β-subunits the ligase reaction on the suspected 2-amino 3-oxobutyrate. The stereochemistry of the overall and half reactions is studied and a mechanism is proposed.
Oncotype DX in BRCA-associated vs. sporadic breast cancers: Differences based on germline mutation status and potential implications for adjuvant systemic therapy (AST).

519 Background: Biological differences between BRCA-associated and sporadic breast cancer (BC) could warrant different recommendations for AST among patients (pts) with phenotypically similar cance...
Autoimmune-related nasal septum perforation: A case report and systematic review.

BackgroundInflammatory injury of nasal respiratory mucosa is a common feature of multisystem autoimmune disease. Certain autoimmune disorders are associated with nasal septum perforation (NSP). We ...
The deflection of the 'Cartwheel' CME: ForeCAT results

We analyze the Cartwheel coronal mass ejection's (CME; 2008 April 9) trajectory in the low corona with the ForeCAT model. This complex event presented a significant rotation in the low corona and a reversal in its original latitude direction. We successfully reproduce the observed CME's trajectory (latitude and longitude deflection) and speed. Through a test, we are able to constrain the CME's mass to (2.3−3.0) × 1014 g and the CME's initial shape. We are able to constrain the expansion of the CME as well: the angular width linearly increases until 2.1 , and is constant afterward. In order to match the observed latitude, we include a non-radial initial speed of −42 km s−1. Despite allowing the CME to rotate in the model, the magnetic forces of the solar background are not able to reproduce the observed rotation. We suggest that the complex reversal in latitude and the significant rotation of the Cartwheel CME can be justified with an asymmetrical reconnection event that ejected the CME non-radially and also initiated its rotation.
Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Structural Model for Above-Core Structures

Three-dimensional finite element models of a fast breeder reactor’s above-core structures have been incorporated in a finite element program SAFE/RAS (Safety Analysis by Finite Elements/Reactor Ana...
Local two-sample testing: a new tool for analysing high-dimensional astronomical data

Modern surveys have provided the astronomical community with a flood of high-dimensional data, but analyses of these data often occur after their projection to lower-dimensional spaces. In this work, we introduce a local two-sample hypothesis test framework that an analyst may directly apply to data in their native space. In this framework, the analyst defines two classes based on a response variable of interest (e.g. higher-mass galaxies versus lower-mass galaxies) and determines at arbitrary points in predictor space whether the local proportions of objects that belong to the two classes significantly differs from the global proportion. Our framework has a potential myriad of uses throughout astronomy; here, we demonstrate its efficacy by applying it to a sample of 2487 i-band-selected galaxies observed by the HST ACS in four of the CANDELS program fields. For each galaxy, we have seven morphological summary statistics along with an estimated stellar mass and star-formation rate. We perform two studies: one in which we determine regions of the seven-dimensional space of morphological statistics where high-mass galaxies are significantly more numerous than low-mass galaxies, and vice-versa, and another study where we use SFR in place of mass. We find that we are able to identify such regions, and show how high-mass/low-SFR regions are associated with concentrated and undisturbed galaxies while galaxies in low-mass/high-SFR regions appear more extended and/or disturbed than their high-mass/low-SFR counterparts.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Characterized by poor prognosis, high mortality, and frequent relapse, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest cancers. People with HCC frequently present with advanced disease. There is a paucity of treatment options for patients once they have reached this stage. Apart from sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor which extends survival of HCC patients by only a few months, there is currently no other effective treatment for advanced HCC. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in HCC development and progression. Consequently, EMT markers may have applications in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. And data from preclinical and clinical trials suggest that there may be potential for success in harnessing EMT markers for the diagnosis of HCC, and specific targeting of EMT markers may have potential usefulness for the treatment of advanced HCC.
The Constitutionality of Design Standards in Planned Community Regulations

This is the fifth chapter in a book, Designing Planned Communities (2010), that reviews the concepts and ideas that go into the design of planned communities, and explores how local governments can encourage and provide for their good design through land-use regulation. Design standards in planned community regulations can raise constitutional problems because a court can hold them unconstitutionally vague or an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power. This problem occurs especially with planned community regulations that contain indeterminate design standards, such as equirements that a planned community’s design be “creative” or “harmonious.” The judicial record on the constitutional issues is mixed. Some courts have struck down stand-alone design standards that are not part of a comprehensive program for regulating planned communities, but some have not. Courts have upheld design standards when they are one element in a program of planned community regulation. Even when the courts have struck down design standards, they have provided drafting guidelines that can avoid constitutional problems. The entire book can be downloaded by going to the author's profile on Washington University Law School's website.
The Use of Succinct Models and Data Summaries

As we do in this chapter, Blumenfeld et al. (1987) describe the advantages of simple models; the opinions expressed in this reference are based on a case study where succinct models based on data summaries proved very effective; the reference is easy to read. Newell (1973) argues that a family of related transportation and location problems can be solved approximately with an approach that ignores “details”; this paper was the “seed” for the continuum approximation method to be presented in Chapter 3.