cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of asymptomatic carotid disease: Results of duplex scanning in 348 unselected volunteers

The risk of stroke in patients with asymptomatic carotid disease appears to be related to the presence of a high-grade stenosis. To determine the prevalence of such lesions, duplex scanning was performed on 348 unselected volunteers without symptoms who attended hospital-sponsored health fairs. There were 209 women and 139 men whose ages ranged from 24 to 91 years. Risk factors included hypertension (37%), diabetes (8%), and smoking (23%). One hundred seven subjects (31%) had evidence of extracranial carotid artery disease, 13 (4%) with greater than 50% stenosis, and three (1%) with greater than 80% stenosis of the internal carotid artery. Bilateral disease was present in 50 patients. Disease prevalence and severity were significantly correlated with age (p less than 0.001) and hypertension (p less than 0.01) but not with diabetes or smoking. The incidence of disease was similar in men and women. Although carotid plaques are common in people older than 50 years of age who do not have symptoms, the prevalence of high-grade stenosis--even in the elderly hypertension population--is low, casting doubt on the cost-effectiveness of generalized screening.
Fertilization, embryo development, and clinical outcome of immature oocytes from stimulated intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Objective To evaluate the fertilization and developmental potential of immature oocytes obtained from controlled ovarian hyperstimulated cycles of patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Design Retrospective study. Setting Academic assisted reproductive technology program. Patient(s) Two hundred patients with at least one mature oocyte and one immature oocyte (study 1), and 44 patients with no mature oocytes (study 2) at time of oocyte denudation. Intervention(s) Oocyte denudation was performed immediately after retrieval. Oocytes were cultured in vitro for 4–6 hours before ICSI and then categorized into four groups: group I, metaphase II (MII) oocytes at denudation; group II, in vitro matured MII oocytes; group III, metaphase I (MI) oocytes that did not progress to MII; and group 4, germinal-vesicle (GV) oocytes that converted to MI. Main Outcome Measure(s) Fertilization and embryo development were compared among groups in study 1. Pregnancy and implantation rates were evaluated in study 2. Result(s) Although the fertilization rate in group III was significantly lower than in groups I and II, no significant difference was found between groups I and II. Day 3 embryos in group I had the highest mean number of blastomeres, proportions of good embryos, and blastocyst formation rate when compared with groups II and III. Two clinical pregnancies were achieved from 26 transfer cycles in study 2, resulting in pregnancy and implantation rates of 7.7% and 4% per transfer cycle, respectively. Conclusion(s) Although our results show that immature oocytes from stimulated cycles can be normally fertilized and used to increase the number of embryos available for transfer, the increase in number of embryos derived from immature oocytes cannot be efficiently translated into pregnancies and live births. The clinical significance of using immature oocytes in stimulated cycles needs further investigation.
An Alternative Way of Calculating the X2 Independence or Association Test Statistic for a 2 × k Contingency Table

which, with (7), gives (6). Because they nearly halve the number of summations required, both (5) and (8) are substantially simpler than (2) for obtaining X2T. The result (5) also nicely shows (a) that X2T ' N so that the measure of association X2/N ? 1, (b) that the maximum X2T = N is obtained only when either aj or bj = 0 for each j, and (c) that X2 = 0 if all the aj and bj are equal to their expected values on the hypothesis of no association, for then
α2δ1 Dihydropyridine Receptor Subunit Is a Critical Element for Excitation-Coupled Calcium Entry but Not for Formation of Tetrads in Skeletal Myotubes

It has been shown that small interfering RNA (siRNA) partial knockdown of the α2δ1 dihydropyridine receptor subunits cause a significant increase in the rate of activation of the L-type Ca2+ current in myotubes but have little or no effect on skeletal excitation-contraction coupling. This study used permanent siRNA knockdown of α2δ1 to address two important unaddressed questions. First, does the α2δ1 subunit contribute to the size and/or spacing of tetradic particles? Second, is the α2δ1 subunit important for excitation-coupled calcium entry? We found that the size and spacing of tetradic particles is unaffected by siRNA knockdown of α2δ1, indicating that the visible particle represents the α1s subunit. Strikingly, >97% knockdown of α2δ1 leads to a complete loss of excitation-coupled calcium entry during KCl depolarization and a more rapid decay of Ca2+ transients during bouts of repetitive electrical stimulation like those occurring during normal muscle activation in vivo. Thus, we conclude that the α2δ1 dihydropyridine receptor subunit is physiologically necessary for sustaining Ca2+ transients in response to prolonged depolarization or repeated trains of action potentials.
The synthesis of eucaryotic ribosomal proteins in vitro.

Abstract We have demonstrated that a wheat germ extract, primed with yeast RNA, synthesizes at least thirty five yeast ribosomal proteins. These proteins are all coded by mRNA molecules which contain poly(A). By quantitative analysis of the products formed under limiting mRNA concentrations, we have measured the level of mRNA for the individual ribosomal proteins under various conditions. In confirmation of studies in vivo (Gorenstein and Warner, 1976), we find that the synthesis of mRNA for the different ribosomal proteins is coordinately regulated. Within 5 min after wild-type cells are shifted from 23°C to 36°C, the synthesis of mRNA for most of the ribosomal proteins ceases. The mRNA for ribosomal proteins that is present decays with a half-life of 8–15 min. The synthesis of mRNA for nonribosomal proteins is relatively unaffected. After 15–20 min, the synthesis of mRNA for ribosomal proteins resumes, and by 60 min, the production of ribosomal components has equilibrated at the increased temperature. In a set of mutants temperature-sensitive ( ts ) for ribosome synthesis, the resumption of synthesis of mRNA for ribosomal proteins never occurs, and the cells are thus unable to form new ribosomes at the restrictive temperature, although transcription of ribosomal precursor RNA continues. We conclude that the synthesis of ribosomal proteins in yeast is coordinately regulated at the level of transcription. Furthermore, transcription of ribosomal precursor RNA can be uncoupled from the transcription of mRNA for ribosomal proteins.
Effects of dietary fat and oxidized cholesterol on gene expression in rat liver as assessed by cDNA expression array analysis.

Background Specific oxysterols acting as ligands for nuclear transcription factors were shown to affect expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. However, the various biological effects of oxysterols such as cytotoxicity, atherogenicity or mutagenicity suggest that other genes may be also affected by oxysterols than lipid metabolism.
Conversion Processes in Leadership Succession: A Case Study

This article explores organization members' experience of leadership succession. According to a model of change as a process of loss and substitution, leadership transition is a conversion process ...
A semi-parametric approach to impute mixed continuous and categorical data

We propose an extension of the method presented in Helenowski and Demirtas (2013) involving imputing mixed continuous and binary data to data involving categorical variables with three or more levels. In a bivariate case, the medians for the continuous variable will be computed by each level of the categorical variable and the categorical variable will be ranked as an ordinal variable with respect to these medians, so that each ordinal level assigned to a categorical level is determined by the rank order of medians of the continuous variable for that category. In a multivariate case, the categorical variables are ordered with respect to the continuous variable for which the range among the medians is the largest. Here, ‘bivariate’ indicates that the data set includes two variables while ‘multivariate’ indicates that the data set includes three or more variables. The pairwise correlation between the continuous and ordinal variable is then computed. Data will then be transformed to normally distributed values, imputed via joint modeling, and back-transformed to the original scale via the Barton and Schruben (1993) technique for the continuous variable and quantiles based on the original probabilities of the categorical variable. The algorithm is re-iterated until the absolute difference of the pairwise correlations from the original and imputed data is less than some constant c chosen to maximize the coverage rate and minimize standardized bias. Results from simulations applied to artificial data and to real data involving 74 colorectal patients indicate that our technique as promising.
Interfacing Small Wind Systems to Rural Power Distribution Systems

The majority of current wind energy conversion systems (WECS) are designed for interconnection to the electric utility grid. Although this type of application performs satisfactorily in most instances when only a few WECS are connected to the electrical distribution system, several problems seem to be of concern as WECS use becomes widespread. For interconnected WECS a number of concepts related to WECS performance and economics must be considered so that safe operation, maximum utilization of WECS energy, and avoidance of interference to normal utility operation may be achieved. Methods and factors that must be considered for interfacing wind turbines to electric utilities are presented in relation to application and performance.
Body Mass Index and Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background— The quality and effectiveness of resuscitation processes may be influenced by the patient's body mass index (BMI); however, the relationship between BMI and survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest has not been previously studied. Methods and Results— We evaluated 21 237 adult patients with an in-hospital cardiac arrest within the National Registry for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (NRCPR). We examined the association between BMI (classified as underweight [<18.5 kg/m2], normal [18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2], overweight [25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2], obese [30.0 to 34.9 kg/m2], and very obese [≥35.0 kg/m2]) and survival to hospital discharge using multivariable logistic regression, after stratifying arrests by rhythm type and adjusting for patient characteristics. Of 4499 patients with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia as initial rhythm, 1825 (40.6%) survived to discharge. After multivariable adjustment, compared with overweight patients, underweight (odds ratio [OR], 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41 to 0.84; P =0.003), normal weight (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.89; P <0.001), and very obese (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.96; P =0.02) had lower rates of survival, whereas obese patients had similar rates of survival (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.06; P =0.17). In contrast, of 16 738 patients with arrests caused by asystole or pulseless electric activity, only 2501 (14.9%) survived. After multivariable adjustment, all BMI groups had similar rates of survival except underweight patients (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.82; P <0.001). Conclusions— For cardiac arrest caused by shockable rhythms, underweight, normal weight, and very obese patients had lower rates of survival to discharge. In contrast, for cardiac arrest caused by nonshockable rhythms, survival to discharge was similar across BMI groups except for underweight patients. Future studies are needed to clarify the extent to which BMI affects the quality and effectiveness of resuscitation measures.
Leaders and the decision‐making process

Purpose – The author has the objective of demonstrating how decision‐making conversations that are not guided by a process can lead to misunderstandings, wasted time, and a lack of results. These undisciplined exchanges will be contrasted with communications between and among people who use a common language and follow an agreed‐on, step‐by‐step approach to the decision at hand.Design/methodology approach – The author uses a partially hypothetical example of a leader who failed to involve her team in a major decision as a starting point for discussion of who should be involved in decisions, why, how, and when.Findings – Decision making happens through conversations that people have, either one‐on‐one, with teams, or in cross‐functional groups. Unfortunately, many decision‐making conversations end up as free‐for‐alls, with people talking at cross‐purposes, sharing information haphazardly, and covering the same ground over and over without coming to any conclusions. Decision makers are far more successful w...
Angular distributions of ejected electrons from autoionizing 3pnd states of magnesium

We have measured the angular distributions of electrons ejected from doubly excited autoionizing Rydberg 3{ital pnd} {ital J}=1 and 3 states of magnesium, where {ital n}=10--18. To excite the aligned 3{ital snd} {sup 1}{ital D}{sub 2} states of Mg, we used two dye lasers crossed with an atomic beam. A third laser, linearly polarized in the same direction as the other two, excited the atoms in the 3{ital snd} states to the 3{ital pnd} states. The angular distributions of ejected electrons are given by {ital d}{sigma}/{ital d}{Omega}={ital tsum}{sub {ital k}a{ital k}P{ital k}}(cos{theta}), where {ital k}=0,2,4,6. We measured the angular distribution parameters {ital a}{sub {ital k}} as a function of the energy of the third laser photon using an electron detector and a Mg{sup +} ion detector. We compare our results with the predictions of an {ital R}-matrix multichannel quantum-defect theory. We find good agreement between experiment and theory.
Alteration in osteoblast cell number and cell activity in the presence of invading malignant fibrous histiocytoma.

Correct prediction of tumor behavior and interpretation of local factors in the tumor microenvironment rely in part upon accurate determination of tissue changes after tumor invasion. The authors examined local bone changes in primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of bone in a 59-year-old woman. Three noninvolved and three tumor-involved sites were evaluated by quantitative determinations of bone structural and dynamic features. Compared to noninvolved sites, tumor-involved bone was characterized by significantly increased osteoblast index (89.4 ± 15.6 [mean ± SEM] versus 7.3 ± 6.0, P = 0.008), percent osteoid area (12.1 ± 2.7 versus 1.2 ± 0.5, P = 0.02), percent of trabecular surface covered by osteoid (70.0 ± 6.0 versus 14.5 ± 4.8, P = 0.002), and percent osteoid lined by osteoblasts (36.4 ± 3.6 versus 3.7 ± 3.0, P = 0.002). Bone 7.8 mm distant from invading tumor cells showed features characteristic of noninvolved sites, whereas bone completely surrounded by tumor showed markedly decreased osteoblast features. Osteoblast function also was affected by tumor; the amount of matrix laid down per day bore a significant positive correlation with the osteoblast index. These data indicate the following: (1) distinctive bone morphologic changes occur in situ during invasion by MFH; (2) changes affect aspects of bone formation but not resorption during invasion; (3) both osteoblast number and osteoblast activity are significantly altered; and (4) changes are local in nature and probably reflect the osteoblast response to local tumor factor(s) and are dependent upon the extent of tumor invasion. Cancer 59:755-760, 1987.
Theory of strong intrinsic mixing of particle suspensions in vortex magnetic fields

Recent experiments have shown that a type of triaxial magnetic field we call a vortex field can induce strong mixing in a magnetic particle suspension. A vortex triaxial field consists of a rotating magnetic field in a horizontal plane, with a dc field applied normal to this. The mixing torque is found to be independent of the field frequency and fluid viscosity over a broad range; scales as the square of the applied field; and is strongest for a balanced triaxial field-one in which the root-mean-square amplitudes of the three field components are equal. In this paper we show that these anomalous effects are consistent with the formation of volatile particle chains that have a precessionlike motion. Theoretical results are given for both particle chains and magnetic rods for arbitrary vortex field angles. A key conclusion is that the mixing torque is independent of particle size, making this mixing technique scale adaptive, and thus suitable for microfluidics applications.
Emotion Dysregulation as a Risk Factor for Child Psychopathology

This article reviews research on the construct of emotion regulation in young children. The lack of consensus with regard to a definition of emotion regulation notwithstanding, it appears that biological and behavioral processes involved in emotion regulation can be reliably measured early in life. Such indices of reactivity may be useful in identifying children at risk for developmental psychopathology, but the predictive utility of these indices has yet to be established. Measurement issues and factors hypothesized to affect an infant's risk for dysregulation, such as care-giving factors, are presented. The implications of continued programmatic research on emotion dysregulation early in life are discussed.
Thermal barrier coating toughness: Measurement and identification of a bridging mechanism enabled by segmented microstructure

Abstract Failure mechanisms in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) often involve the propagation of delamination cracks within the top coating. The work presented in this paper makes two principal contributions: first, the development of a straightforward testing geometry and analysis approach enables the accurate determination of the mode I fracture toughness of these coatings and second, the application of the approach to technologically relevant coatings produces new insights into the impact of the dense vertically cracked (DVC) microstructure on the toughness. Mode I toughness of air plasma-sprayed 8 wt% yttria-stabilized zirconia DVC TBCs is measured by sandwiching the freestanding coatings in a modified double cantilever beam configuration. Digital image correlation measurements and finite element analysis provide a pathway to quickly and accurately extract toughness values from displacement data alone. Results show R-curve behavior and unexpectedly high steady-state toughness values of G ss ≈ 300 – 400 J / m 2 . The observation of this elevated toughness can be rationalized by a crack bridging model that is consistent with the TBC's starting microstructure and features of the fracture surfaces.
Aging impairs PI3K/Akt signaling and NO-mediated dilation in soleus muscle feed arteries

We tested the hypothesis that impaired nitric oxide (NO)-mediated, endothelium-dependent dilation in aged soleus muscle feed arteries (SFA) is due to an age-related decline in the potential for PI3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)-dependent phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) on serine residue 1177 (p-eNOS(ser1177)). SFA from young (4 months) and old (24 months) Fischer 344 rats were cannulated for examination of endothelium-dependent [flow or acetylcholine (ACh)] and endothelium-independent [sodium nitroprusside (SNP)] vasodilator function. To determine the mechanism by which aging affected vasodilation to flow and ACh, vasodilator responses were assessed in the presence of N (ω)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, to inhibit NOS), LY-294002 (to inhibit PI3K), or 1L6-hydroxymethyl-chiro-inositol-2-(R)-2-O-methyl-3-O-octadecyl-sn-glycerocarbonate (AktI, to inhibit Akt). Flow- and ACh-induced vasodilator responses were significantly impaired in old SFA, whereas endothelium-independent dilation to SNP was not compromised. Age-group differences in flow- and ACh-induced dilations were abolished in the presence of L-NNA, LY-294002, or AktI. In a separate experiment, SFA were cannulated and stimulated with ACh (10(-4) M, 3 min), flow (60 μl/min, 5 min), or remained unstimulated (3 min). SFA were removed from the pipettes and immunoblot analysis was used to assess ACh- and flow-stimulated phosphorylation of eNOS on ser(1177). Stimulation with ACh or flow increased phosphorylation of eNOS on ser(1177) in young (not old) SFA. Preincubation of young SFA with LY-294002, abolished the ACh-induced phosphorylation of eNOS in young SFA. Collectively, these results indicate that impaired NO-mediated, endothelium-dependent dilation in old SFA is due, in part, to an impaired potential for PI3K/Akt-dependent phosphorylation of eNOS on ser(1177).
FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION OF THE LOS ANGELES SMART CARD FIELD OPERATIONAL TEST

Abstract This paper summarizes the functional evaluation of an Advanced Fare Payment System deployed in Los Angeles in the summer of 1994. The functional evaluation is part of a larger Field Operational Test evaluation (Chira-Chavala, T., and Coifman, B., 1996. Impacts of Smart Cards on Transit Operators: Evaluation of I–110 Corridor Smart Card Demonstration Project. UCB-ITS-PRR-96-17, Institute of Transportation Studies, California PATH Research Report, University of California, Berkeley, CA; Guliano, G. and Moore II, J. E. 1996. Evaluation of the I-110 Corridor Smart Card Demonstration Project. UCB-ITS-PRR-96-20, Institute of Transportation Studies, California PATH Research Report, University of California, Berkeley, CA) managed by the Partnership for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The demonstration project fielded two types of advanced fare cards incorporating very different technologies on three separate transit properties as part of a relatively low cost system constructed from components manufactured to commercial rather than industrial specifications. Overall, the system performed well. Radio Frequency (RF) Cards demonstrated extremely high reliability. Smart Cards performed less well then the RF Cards, but both systems greatly surpassed the standards for magnetic stripe cards. ©
A blueprint for success in the US film industry

This article analyses motion picture box-office gross revenue using a cross-section of films from 1997 to 2001. The dependent variable is total domestic box-office revenue. The independent variables investigated include: production budget; peak number of screens that the film was shown on in theaters; Consumer price index for movie tickets; personal income; season and year of the release in theaters; a measure of pre-existing audience; aggregate critic rating; MPAA rating; genre; word-of-mouth recommendation; the presence of popular stars and the award nominations. A distinction is made in the analysis between information available to the public prior to the release of the film in theaters (ex ante) and information available to the public after the film opens in theaters (ex post). Results for the ex ante ordinary least squares (OLS) regression reveal positive impacts of budget, summer and holiday release dates, critical reviews, sequels and several genres on gross revenue. Significant, positive determina...
Prenatal cytogenetic abnormalities: Correlations of structural rearrangements and ultrasonographically detected fetal anomalies

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the distribution of karyotypic abnormalities detected at prenatal diagnosis, fetal anomalies, and ability for fluorescent in situ hybridization detection. STUDY DESIGN: Our cytogenetic database from January 1988 to April 1994 was categorized according to type and potential detection by current standard fluorescent in situ hybridization probes. Fetal anomalies and cytogenetic aberrations were compared. RESULTS: A total of 664 cases of abnormal fetal karyotypes were identified from 12,454 prenatal cytogenetic cases (7529 amniocenteses and 4925 chorionic villus sampling) and were classified as autosomal aneuploidy (331), sex aneuploidy (103), polyploidy (38), marker aneuploidy (19) and structural rearrangements (173). Standard fluorescent in situ hybridization probes would have missed 31% of the abnormal cases: 90 aneuploidy, 14 de novo marker aneuploidy, and 65 de novo structural aberrant cases. The 134 cases of structural chromosomal rearrangements with complete ultrasonographic records were further classified as polymorphism (42), familial (43), or de novo (49). Frequency of fetal anomaly detection by ultrasonography in de novo cases (2249) was higher than other rearrangements (χ 2 7.4, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The contribution of unusual aneuploides (16%) and structural chromosomal rearrangements (26%) in prenatal diagnostic practice is significant. Fetal anomalies were detected by ultrasonography in 45% of the de novo rearrangement cases. Fluorescent in situ hybridization would miss 31% of the abnormal cases.
Anullmann Ether Reaction Involving an Alkynyl Substrate: A Convergent Route to a Combretastatin Intermediate

Abstract We found that we could employ a disubstituted alkynyl halide in an Ullmann ether reaction to produce the cis-alkene intermediate 3 of the combretastatin natural products.
OPHTHALMIC DISORDERS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of ophthalmic disorders in a group of young children with Down syndrome who were unselected for ophthalmic abnormalities, and to determine whether examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist should become standard practice. Of 77 children referred to a Down syndrome clinic at a teaching hospital and evaluated by a pediatric ophthalmologist, 61 per cent had ophthalmic disorders needing treatment and monitoring. Furthermore, the percentage of children with ophthalmic disorders increased with age, from 38 per cent in the two- to 12-month-old group to 80 per cent in the five- to 12-year-old group. The authors conclude that children with Down syndrome should be evaluated by a pediatric ophthalmologist in the first six months of life and annually thereafter.
Recent Developments in Photoelectron Dynamics Using Synchrotron Radiation

Through a collaborative effort of members of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Universities of Wisconsin and Tennessee, a comprehensive study of atoms and molecules using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation is underway at the Synchrotron Radiation Center, Stoughton, Wisconsin. Over 50 molecules and atoms have been investigated. These results, coupled with theory, aim at a better understanding of the dynamics of photoionization and of the wave functions that control these processes. In particular, attention is given to the following topics: metal atomic vapors, generalization of molecular orbital types, autoionization, shape resonances, core shell effects, satellite structure and the Cooper minimum.
Hypertonic Environment Prevents Depolarization and Improves Functional Recovery from Hypoxia in Hippocampal Slices

Treatments that postpone hypoxic spreading depression (SD)-like depolarization (also called anoxic depolarization) facilitate recovery of function after transient cerebral hypoxia. Hypertonia reduc...
Seoul Virus-Infected Rat Lung Endothelial Cells and Alveolar Macrophages Differ in Their Ability To Support Virus Replication and Induce Regulatory T Cell Phenotypes

Hantaviruses cause a persistent infection in reservoir hosts that is attributed to the upregulation of regulatory responses and downregulation of proinflammatory responses. To determine whether rat alveolar macrophages (AMs) and lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMVECs) support Seoul virus (SEOV) replication and contribute to the induction of an environment that polarizes CD4(+) T cell differentiation toward a regulatory T (Treg) cell phenotype, cultured primary rat AMs and LMVECs were mock infected or infected with SEOV and analyzed for viral replication, cytokine and chemokine responses, and expression of cell surface markers that are related to T cell activation. Allogeneic CD4(+) T cells were cocultured with SEOV-infected or mock-infected AMs or LMVECs and analyzed for helper T cell (i.e., Treg, Th17, Th1, and Th2) marker expression and Treg cell frequency. SEOV RNA and infectious particles in culture media were detected in both cell types, but at higher levels in LMVECs than in AMs postinfection. Expression of Ifnβ, Ccl5, and Cxcl10 and surface major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) and MHC-I was not altered by SEOV infection in either cell type. SEOV infection significantly increased Tgfβ mRNA in AMs and the amount of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in LMVECs. SEOV-infected LMVECs, but not AMs, induced a significant increase in Foxp3 expression and Treg cell frequency in allogeneic CD4(+) T cells, which was virus replication and cell contact dependent. These data suggest that in addition to supporting viral replication, AMs and LMVECs play distinct roles in hantavirus persistence by creating a regulatory environment through increased Tgfβ, PD-L1, and Treg cell activity.
Hysterectomy surgical trends: a more accurate depiction of the last decade?

Objective The objective of the study was to describe trends in hysterectomy route at a large tertiary center. Study Design We reviewed all hysterectomies performed at Magee-Womens Hospital from 2000 to 2010. This database was chosen over larger national surveys because it has been tracking laparoscopic procedures since 2000, well before laparoscopic hysterectomy International Classification of Diseases , ninth revision (ICD-9) procedure codes were developed. Results There were 13,973 patients included who underwent hysterectomy at Magee-Womens Hospital. In 2000, 3.3% were laparoscopic (LH), 74.5% abdominal (AH), and 22.2% vaginal hysterectomy (VH). By 2010, LH represented 43.5%, AH 36.3%, VH 17.2%, and 3.0% laparoscopic converted to open (LH→AH). Hysterectomies performed for gynecological malignancy represented 24.4% of cases. The average length of stay for benign LH and VH, 1.0 ± 1.0 and 1.6 ± 1.0 days respectively, was significantly shorter than the average 3.1 ± 2.3 day stay associated with AH ( P P Conclusion The percentage of LH increased over the last decade and by 2010 had surpassed AH. The 43.4% LH rate in 2010 is much higher than previously reported in national surveys. This likely is due to an increase in the number of laparoscopic procedures being performed over the last few years as well as the ability of our study to capture LH prior to development of appropriate ICD-9 procedure codes. Our unique ability to determine hysterectomy route, which predates appropriate coding, may provide a more accurate characterization of hysterectomy trends.
Tales of retinogenesis told by human stem cells

Vision begins when light enters the eye and falls onto the neural retina, a thin tissue in the back of the eye. In the neural retina, photoreceptor cells (cones for high visual acuity; rods for night vision) capture and transform the light into electrophysiological signals, which are relayed by retinal ganglion cells to the brain. Lining the neural retina is a single-layered, often darkly pigmented, transporting epithelium—the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)—that forms the outer blood–retinal barrier and regulates retinal physiology. The RPE interacts intimately with cones and rods, and together they constitute the outer retina. Atrophy of the RPE or photoreceptors leads to vision loss, as in age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people age 65 and older in developed countries (1). How the humanretina forms is both scientifically fascinating and clinically important because such knowledge may lead to better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of visual impairment. However, direct examinations of the molecular events unfolding as a cell begins its journey to becoming a retinal cell in our own species have been limited; current knowledge is mostly extrapolated from studies of other mammals, mice in particular, as well as a range of nonmammalian vertebrates. This landscape is changing, as a study by Meyer et al. (2) in this issue of PNAS offers a way to look into early events in human retinogenesis.
Off-nadir radar altimetry

The characteristics of nadir versus off-nadir altimetry are reviewed and contrasted and a potentially serious problem has been pointed out that has been overlooked by earlier investigators, who focused on the nongeophysical error sources in off-nadir altimetry. Spatial gradients of radar cross section on the sea surface, caused by wind or current gradients or the variation of radar cross section with incidence angle, could introduce significant range errors in off-nadir altimeter. This potentially crippling effect can be overcome by leaving the traditional 13-GHz frequency and implementing the multibeam altimeter at 36 GHz. A multibeam altimeter proposed for the Eos (Earth Observing System) is described as well as a multimode airborne radar altimeter being developed to study problems inherent in off-nadir altimetry. >
Development of speech-like vocalizations in a child with congenital absence of cochleas: The case of total deafness

In order to assess the effect of total deafness on vocalization development, tape recorded utterances of a 3-year-old child who was born without cochleas were examined. In the beginning of the study, the subject's speech consisted almost exclusively of small numbers of sounds characteristic of early infancy. Across the study, the subject participated in extensive vocal stimulation activities. He also initially received intermittent exposure to tactile speech information via a 16-channel vocoder and, subsequently, a 2-channel tactile aid. Following introduction of the 2-channel aid, the subject made rapid improvement in the quality of his vocalizations, which consisted increasingly of speech-like utterances, including well-formed or canonical syllables. These results suggest that, although hearing impairment slows the onset of canonical babbling, even total deafness does not preclude its eventual appearance.
Identification of real-time diagnostic measures of visual distraction with an automatic eye-tracking system.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to identify eye glance measures that are diagnostic of visual distraction. BACKGROUND: Visual distraction degrades performance, but real-time diagnostic measures have not been identified. METHOD: In a driving simulator, 14 participants responded to a lead vehicle braking at -2 or -2.7 m/s2 periodically while reading a varying number of words (6-15 words every 13 s) on peripheral displays (with diagonal eccentricities of 24 degrees, 43 degrees, and 75 degrees). RESULTS: As the number of words and display eccentricity increased, total glance duration and reaction time increased and driving performance suffered. CONCLUSION: Correlation coefficients between several glance measures and reaction time or performance variables were reliably high, indicating that these glance measures are diagnostic of visual distraction. It is predicted that for every 25% increase in total glance duration, reaction time is increased by 0.39 s and standard deviation of lane position is increased by 0.06 m. APPLICATION: Potential applications of this research include assessing visual distraction in real time, delivering advisories to distracted drivers to reorient their attention to driving, and using distraction information to adapt forward collision and lane departure warning systems to enhance system effectiveness. Keywords: Driver distraction Language: en
USING SOLAR ARRAYS FOR ORBITAL CONTROL NEAR SMALL BODIES TRADE-OFFS CHARACTERIZATION

Solar radiation pressure has long been recognized as a force to harness for orbital control using a solar sail, but has otherwise been considered as a perturbation to mitigate. In the case of small body orbiters, however, solar radiation pressure can be on the same order of magnitude as the gravitational attraction, even for spacecraft not equipped with solar sails. In this paper, we characterize the expected magnitude of solar radiation pressure on solar panels and its potential use for orbital control of small body orbiters. In particular, we focus on the trade-offs between control authority, electric power generation, and the potential performance of such systems.
Marketing Implementation in Smaller Organizations: Definition, Framework, and Propositional Inventory:

The process by which managers implement marketing plans in smaller industrial organizations has yet to be conceptualized in ways that can spur theoretical development or speak to the practical realities of managers from this growing, important segment of American industry. This article, based on an exploratory study of marketing strategy processes in 50 smaller, entrepreneurial organizations develops a framework to stimulate thinking and an inventory of propositions for future testing. The study finds market planning and implementation inextricably linked. Marketing implementation emerges as an organization’s adaptive response to day-to-day market events that is rarely scripted by plans and as a process that involves purposeful actions and improvisations as much as stopgap actions and firefights. The nature and extent of implementation-related improvisations appear to directly affect a firm’s market orientation, rate of growth, and strategic effectiveness.
Transient Inactivation of Rb and ARF Yields Regenerative Cells from Postmitotic Mammalian Muscle

An outstanding biological question is why tissue regeneration in mammals is limited, whereas urodele amphibians and teleost fish regenerate major structures, largely by cell cycle reentry. Upon inactivation of Rb, proliferation of postmitotic urodele skeletal muscle is induced, whereas in mammalian muscle this mechanism does not exist. We postulated that a tumor suppressor present in mammals but absent in regenerative vertebrates, the Ink4a product ARF (alternative reading frame), is a regeneration suppressor. Concomitant inactivation of Arf and Rb led to mammalian muscle cell cycle reentry, loss of differentiation properties, and upregulation of cytokinetic machinery. Single postmitotic myocytes were isolated by laser micro-dissection-catapulting, and transient suppression of Arf and Rb yielded myoblast colonies that retained the ability to differentiate and fuse into myofibers upon transplantation in vivo. These results show that differentiation of mammalian cells is reversed by inactivation of Arf and Rb and support the hypothesis that Arf evolved at the expense of regeneration.
On Regulatory Arbitrage

This comment supplements and critiques the analytical framework put forth by Victor Fleischer in his recent work, Regulatory Arbitrage. It makes three main points. First, professional constraints on regulatory arbitrage are more valuable than has previously been acknowledged. Second, Fleischer correctly highlights how ongoing relationships allow parties to change the structures of their transactions to avoid regulations, yet still asserts that anti-avoidance legal rules are among the most effective tools to prevent regulatory arbitrage. Surprisingly, Fleischer understates this argument by failing to consider the extent to which such rules prevent family members, who are frequently joined by the tightest bonds of all, from engaging in regulatory arbitrage. Lastly, this comment takes issue with analogizing regulatory arbitrage to financial arbitrage, as well as the proposed categorization of various types of regulatory arbitrage. Each of these approaches diverts attention away from the underlying cause of regulatory arbitrage: legal rules that do not accurately track the economic substance of transactions.
A quantitative trait locus influences coordinated variation in measures of ApoB-containing lipoproteins.

Abstract Lipoprotein phenotypes are known to be strongly intercorrelated. These intercorrelations are due to genetic and environmental effects on common metabolic pathways. The purpose of this study was to determine if we could localize genes that exert pleiotropic effects on multiple related lipoprotein traits in humans. Using data from the San Antonio Family Heart Study, we extracted principal components from a set of 12 intercorrelated lipoprotein traits that included phenotypes reflecting lipid and protein concentrations and size distributions for LDLs and HDLs. Five principal components were extracted from the data and all were significantly heritable ( h 2 = 0.41–0.57). When subjected to linkage analyses, only one, Component 5, returned a LOD score ≥ 3 (LOD score was 3.0 at 38 cM on chromosome 15; genome-wide P -value = 0.039). LDL median diameter (−0.529), non-HDLC (−0.422), and ApoB (−0.403) concentrations were the only traits with loadings (absolute value) >0.4, suggesting Component 5 is related to LDL size or perhaps more generally to β-lipoprotein metabolism. Surprisingly, none of the 12 original lipoprotein traits had a LOD >1 in this region of chromosome 15. These data provide evidence for a novel gene, influencing β-lipoprotein phenotypes, whose effect(s) is detected only when several lipoprotein traits are considered together.
Atmospheric frontogenesis models: Some solutions

In this paper are presented some solutions of analytic models in which large-scale velocity fields act on initially large-scale distributions of temperature. Phenomena very similar to atmospheric fronts both surface and upper tropospheric are described. At the surface front there is a tendency to form discontinuities in velocity and temperature in a finite time. The upper tropospheric front and its jet stream are associated with the descent of a tongue of stratospheric air. The main assumption underlying the models is the justifiable one of geostrophic balance across but not along the front.
Acute L-arginine alpha ketoglutarate supplementation fails to improve muscular performance in resistance trained and untrained men

Dietary supplements containing L-arginine are marketed to improve exercise performance, but the efficacy of such supplements is not clear. Therefore, this study examined the efficacy of acute ingestion of L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG) muscular strength and endurance in resistance trained and untrained men. Eight resistance trained and eight untrained healthy males ingested either 3000mg of AAKG or a placebo 45 minutes prior to a resistance exercise protocol in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. One-repetition maximum (1RM) on the standard barbell bench press and leg press were obtained. Upon determination of 1RM, subjects completed repetitions to failure at 60% 1RM on both the standard barbell bench press and leg press. Heart rate was measured pre and post exercise. One week later, subjects ingested the other supplement and performed the identical resistance exercise protocol. Our data showed statistical significant differences (p 0.05) between supplementation conditions for either resistance trained or untrained men in the bench press or leg press exercises. Heart rate was similar at the end of the upper and lower body bouts of resistance exercise with AAKG vs. placebo. The results from our study indicate that acute AAKG supplementation provides no ergogenic benefit on 1RM or TLV as measured by the standard barbell bench press and leg press, regardless of the subjects training status.
Evidence for phonemic recoding in visual word recognition

Strong evidence was obtained from three experiments to support the hypothesis that the recognition of a visually presented word entails phonemic (auditory/articulatory) recoding. The latencies obtained in a task of deciding whether a visually presented word was English or nonsense supported two additional hypotheses: ( a ) phonemic recoding occurs during the quantization stage; and ( b ) it is the phonemic form of the stimulus and of the representations of the entries in the internal lexicon that are compared to achieve the recognition of a word.
Suppression of insulin aggregation by heparin.

The aggregation of insulin near its isoelectric point and at low ionic strength was suppressed in the presence of heparin. To understand this effect, we used turbidimetry and stopped-flow to study the pH- and ionic strength (I)-dependence of the aggregation of heparin-free insulin. The results supported the role of interprotein electrostatic interactions, contrary to the commonly held view that such forces are minimized at pH = pI. Electrostatic modeling of insulin (DelPhi) revealed that attractive interactions arise from the marked charge anisotropy of insulin near pI. We show how screening of the interprotein attractions by added salt lead to maximum aggregation near I = 0.01 M, corresponding to a Debye length nearly equal to the diameter of the insulin dimer, consistent with a dipole-like protein charge distribution. This analysis is also consistent with suppression of aggregation by heparin, a strong polyanion that by binding to the positive domain of one protein, inhibits its interaction with the neg...
Extremely Low Cost Error Protection with Correctable Parity Protected Cache

Due to shrinking feature sizes, processors are becoming more vulnerable to soft errors. One of the most vulnerable components of a processor is its write-back cache. This paper proposes a new reliable write-back cache called Correctable Parity Protected Cache (CPPC), which adds correction capability to parity protection. In CPPC, parity bits detect faults and the XOR of all data written into the cache is kept to recover from detected faults. The added correction scheme provides a high degree of reliability and corrects both single and spatial multi-bit faults in exchange for very small performance and power overheads. CPPC is compared to competitive schemes. Our simulation data show that CPPC improves reliability significantly while its overheads are very small, especially in the L2 cache.
Wind tunnel experiments on cooling tower plumes: Part 2 - In a nonuniform crossflow of boundary layer type

The basic characteristics of plumes issuing into a boundary layer-type crossflow are reported. The flow can be considered as an interaction between two vorticity fields with different length scales and turbulence intensities. The large eddies of the oncoming boundary layer are responsible for the observed sudden changes in the plume direction. The type of structure emanating from the tower depends on the instantaneous velocity ratio. Mean velocities and normal velocity gradients are smaller than those in the case of uniform crossflow and therefore, the measured turbulence intensities are lower too. The cross-stream turbulence brings high-momentum fluid into the wake region and the velocity defect decays very rapidly. Dilution of the plumes takes place faster in the presence of external turbulence than in the case with uniform crossflow. The spreading rate is increased dramatically by the external turbulence, which causes different effects on the hydrodynamic and thermal fields.