cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
26Al, 10Be and U–Th isotopes in Blake Outer Ridge sediments: implications for past changes in boundary scavenging

We have investigated the distributions of 26 Al, 10 Be, U^Th isotopes, and stable 27 Al and 9 Be in core CH88-11P (30‡40PN, 74‡41PW; 3337 m) from the Blake Outer Ridge (BOR) in the western North Atlantic, an area that is characterized by high terrigenous input. Results show authigenic 26 Al/ 27 Al of 6 2^8U10 314 (atom/atom), authigenic 10 Be/ 9 Be of 0.5^2.6U10 38 (atom/atom), 6 0.2^1.8U10 6 atoms/g of 26 Al, and 5.3^15.1U10 8 atoms/g of 10 Be in the core over the last glacial/interglacial cycle. These values, as well as total 230 Thex/ 232 Th and 10 Be/ 9 Be ratios, were all at their minima during the last glacial maximum (LGM), reflecting intensified terrestrial influx to the area. Aluminosilicate material (clays) in this influx preferentially scavenged 230 Th over the two other particle-reactive nuclides, 26 Al and 10 Be, such that their boundary scavenging during LGM followed the order 230 Ths 10 Bes 26 Al, as opposed to 10 Bev 230 Ths 26 Al in the Holocene. They appear at variance with the order 10 Bes 26 AlW 230 Th as would be predicted from the relative particle reactivities of the three species. These scavenging characteristics point to 10 Be/ 26 Al as a potentially more suitable proxy for paleoproductivity than 10 Be/ 230 Thex. Mass-balance considerations for 26 Al and 10 Be show a five-fold LGM-to-Holocene increase in deep-water circulation in the study area, with little change in ocean productivity except during the deglaciation when it increased noticeably. fl 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Academic background and admissions to American universities

International students who apply to U.S. institutions of higher education need to understand how their academic credentials will be evaluated, and both international students and American students who study abroad need to be aware of how credits from a foreign university are evaluated if they are to be transferred.
The Chinese coronary artery bypass grafting registry study: how well does the EuroSCORE predict operative risk for Chinese population?

Objective:TheEuropeanSystemfor CardiacOperativeRiskEvaluation(EuroSCORE) modelis a widelyusedriskprediction algorithmfor cardiac surgery in China due to lack of a local model, although its validation has never been tested. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the logistic EuroSCORE when applied in the Chinese Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Registry database, which is representative of adult cardiac surgeryin China.Methods:ThelogisticEuroSCOREmodelwasappliedto all patientsundergoingcoronaryarterybypass grafting(CABG)surgery at 35 centres in China between January 2004 and December 2005. The entire cohort and a subgroup of patients undergoing isolated CABG were analysed. The calibration of the EuroSCORE model was assessed by comparing observed and predicted in-hospital mortalities. Discrimination was testedbydeterminingtheareaunder thereceiveroperatingcharacteristic (ROC)curve.Results:TheChineseCABG RegistryStudyrecruited9248 patients. There were significant differences in the prevalence of risk factors between the Chinese population and European cardiac surgical populations. For the entire cohort, the predicted mortality was 5.51% and observed mortality was 3.27%. Of the isolated CABG subset of 8120 patients, the predicted mortality was 4.21% and the observed mortality was 2.22%. The logistic EuroSCORE overpredicted observed mortality for the entire cohortand the isolated CABG subsetat all risktertiles to differentdegrees. The discriminative powerof EuroSCOREwas acceptablebut not very satisfactory, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.72 for the entire cohort and 0.71 for the isolated CABG subset. Conclusion: EuroSCORE model does not accurately predict outcomes in this group of Chinese CABG patients. Therefore, caution should be exercised when using it for risk prediction in China. Creation of a new model, which accurately predicts outcomes in Chinese CABG patients, is warranted. # 2008 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Reduction of torque ripple in Switched Reluctance Motor drives using Field Reconstruction Method

High grade torque control in Switched Reluctance Motors (SRM) is a key element in successful integration of this family of adjustable speed motor drives in automotive applications. Mitigation of torque pulsation in SRM drives using optimization of phase currents which are obtained from Finite Element (FE) analysis has been attempted in the past. However, long computation time of FE analysis prohibits an efficient optimization in real time. This paper incorporates an extended Field Reconstruction Method (FRM) which provides a quick and precise numerical tool for optimization purposes. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the claims.
DSM shareholder incentives: recent designs and economic theory

U.S. utility DSM shareholder incentives represent a unique form of targeted incentive regulation designed to motivate utilities to achieve specific energy-efficiency objectives. Through a review of recent DSM shareholder incentive designs and earnings for 10 U.S. utilities, we conclude that the mechanisms could be improved by harnessing their incentive powers more deliberately to ensure better alignment of regulatory objectives and utility financial self-interest. Better alignment reduces adversarial confrontation and eliminates the need for regulatory micro-management. We make five specific recommendations: (1) apply shared-savings incentives to DSM resource programs (2) use markup incentives for individual programs only when net benefits are difficult to measure, but are known to be positive (3) set expected incentive payments based on covering a utility’s ‘hidden costs,’ which include some transitional management and risk-adjusted opportunity costs (4) use higher marginal incentives rates than are currently found in practice, but limit total incentive payments by adding a fixed charge (5) mitigate risks to regulators and utilities by lowering marginal incentive rates at high and low performance levels. As regulators and utilities contemplate new forms of regulation for a restructured electricity industry, the lessons from the U.S. experience with DSM shareholder incentives are readily generalizable: Be explicit about the regulatory objective when considering multiple objectives, look broadly at alternatives that have the potential to meet these objectives without compromising the incentive properties of the mechanisms. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Spinal cord protection for thoracic aortic surgery.

The elements of a successful descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair are: 1) preoperative cardiac and pulmonary evaluation and correction of risk factors; 2) aortic suture lines that are hemostatic; 3) spinal cord and abdominal visceral protection; and 4) postoperative thoracotomy pain control and pulmonary care. There is no greater catastrophe for the patient and the surgeon than paraplegia complicating an otherwise successful aortic repair. Fortunately, in recent years, major progress has been made in understanding the causes of spinal cord injury and preventing its occurrence. The preferred methods of spinal cord protection should be as simple as possible, not interfere with hemostasis, and be equally available for elective and emergency cases.
Wsh3/Tea4 is a novel cell-end factor essential for bipolar distribution of Tea1 and protects cell polarity under environmental stress in S. pombe

Summary Background: The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has a cylindrical cell shape, for which growth is strictly limited to both ends, and serves as an excellent model system for genetic analysis of cell-polarity determination. Previous studies identified a cell-end marker protein, Tea1, that is transported by cytoplasmic microtubules to cell tips and recruits other cell-end factors, including the Dyrk-family Pom1 kinase. The Δ tea1 mutant cells cannot grow in a bipolar fashion and show T-shaped morphology after heat shock. Results: We identified Wsh3/Tea4 as a novel protein that interacts with Win1 MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) of the stress-activated MAP kinase cascade. Wsh3 forms a complex with Tea1 and is transported to cell tips by growing microtubules. The Δ wsh3 mutant shows monopolar growth with abnormal Tea1 aggregate at the non-growing cell end; this abnormal aggregate fails to recruit Pom1 kinase. Consistent with the observed interaction between Win1 and Wsh3, cells lacking Wsh3 or Tea1 show more severe cell-polarity defects under osmolarity and heat-stress stimuli that are known to activate the stress MAPK cascade. Furthermore, mutants of the stress MAPK also exhibit cell-polarity defects when exposed to the same stress. Conclusions: Wsh3/Tea4 is an essential component of the Tea1 cell-end complex. In addition to its role in bipolar growth during the normal cell cycle, the Wsh3-Tea1 complex, together with the stress-signaling MAPK cascade, contributes to cell-polarity maintenance under stress conditions.
Costs and Net Returns in Producing Turkey Hatching Eggs

Published August 1952. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
A scanning and sampling scheme for computationally efficient algorithms of computer tomography

A scanning and sampling scheme for computerized tomography that reduces the number of required interpolations in the reconstruction algorithm is presented. Hence, the computational load associated with interpolation is also reduced. For the case in which no restriction are placed on the sampling rates of the scanner, a set of projection angles along with their corresponding sampling rates are derived such that no interpolation is required to calculate the final image points for the display grid. From this result a reduced interpolation scheme is developed for the case when upper and lower bounds exist on the sampling rates. The choice of an optimal set of projection that will maintain an image quality comparable to a sampling scheme of regular measurement geometry, while minimizing the computational load is discussed. The Cartesian-grid scanning and sampling (CGSS) scheme developed is compared to a sampling scheme of regular measurement geometry through a computer simulation. The results demonstrate that for higher sampling rates and images of limited pixel dimension, the CGSS scheme can reduce the computational load of the reconstruction process and maintain comparable image quality. >
Integrin-mediated adhesion regulates ERK nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of Elk-1.

Integrin-mediated adhesion to the extracellular matrix permits efficient growth factor-mediated activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinases (ERKs). Points of regulation have been localized to the level of receptor phosphorylation or to activation of the downstream components, Raf and MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase). However, it is also well established that ERK translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus is required for G1 phase cell cycle progression. Here we show that phosphorylation of the nuclear ERK substrate, Elk-1 at serine 383, is anchorage dependent in response to growth factor treatment of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Furthermore, when we activated ERK in nonadherent cells by expression of active components of the ERK cascade, subsequent phosphorylation of Elk-1 at serine 383 and Elk-1–mediated transactivation were still impaired compared with adherent cells. Elk-1 phosphorylation was dependent on an intact actin cytoskeleton, as discerned by treatment with cytochalasin D (CCD). Finally, expression of active MEK failed to predominantly localize ERK to the nucleus in suspended cells or adherent cells treated with CCD. These data show that integrin-mediated organization of the actin cytoskeleton regulates localization of activated ERK, and in turn the ability of ERK to efficiently phosphorylate nuclear substrates.
Mechanical Models of Low-Gravity Sloshing Taking Into Account Viscous Damping

Mechanical models of damped low-gravity sloshing are developed using a proposed analytical method for arbitrary axisymmetric tanks. It is shown that (a) the complex amplitudes of the force and moment caused by the conventional mechanical model do not coincide with the complex amplitudes of the force and moment calculated from the modal equation of sloshing and (b) these differences arise not only from the damping ratio but also from the surface tension although the surface tension does not cause energy dissipation. A mechanical model for correcting these differences is developed. The mass of this correction model is found to be equal to the mass of the liquid that fills the domain bounded by the meniscus and the plane that includes the contact line of the meniscus with the tank wall. With decreasing Bond number, the correction model mass as well as the damping ratio increase and, therefore, the correction becomes important. The force and moment caused by the conventional uncorrected mechanical model have phase lag with respect to the force and moment calculated from the modal equation of sloshing near the resonant frequency. Therefore, the correction is important for the dynamics and control analysis of a space vehicle.
Divergence measures based on the Shannon entropy

A novel class of information-theoretic divergence measures based on the Shannon entropy is introduced. Unlike the well-known Kullback divergences, the new measures do not require the condition of absolute continuity to be satisfied by the probability distributions involved. More importantly, their close relationship with the variational distance and the probability of misclassification error are established in terms of bounds. These bounds are crucial in many applications of divergence measures. The measures are also well characterized by the properties of nonnegativity, finiteness, semiboundedness, and boundedness. >
Environmental Factors That Control Microbial Perchlorate Reduction

As part of a study to elucidate the environmental parameters that control microbial perchlorate respiration, we investigated the reduction of perchlorate by the dissimilatory perchlorate reducer Dechlorosoma suillum under a diverse set of environmental conditions. Our results demonstrated that perchlorate reduction by D. suillum only occurred under anaerobic conditions in the presence of perchlorate and was dependent on the presence of molybdenum. Perchlorate reduction was dependent on the presence of the enzyme chlorite dismutase, which was induced during metabolism of perchlorate. Anaerobic conditions alone were not enough to induce expression of this enzyme. Dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg liter−1 were enough to inhibit perchlorate reduction by D. suillum. Similarly to oxygen, nitrate also regulated chlorite dismutase expression and repressed perchlorate reduction by D. suillum. Perchlorate-grown cultures of D. suillum preferentially reduced nitrate in media with equimolar amounts of perchlorate and nitrate. In contrast, an extended (40 h) lag phase was observed if a similar nitrate-perchlorate medium was inoculated with a nitrate-grown culture. Perchlorate reduction commenced only when nitrate was completely removed in either of these experiments. In contrast to D. suillum, nitrate had no inhibitory effects on perchlorate reduction by the perchlorate reducer Dechloromonas agitata strain CKB. Nitrate was reduced to nitrite concomitant with perchlorate reduction to chloride. These studies demonstrate that microbial respiration of perchlorate is significantly affected by environmental conditions and perchlorate reduction is directly dependent on bioavailable molybdenum and the presence or absence of competing electron acceptors. A microbial treatment strategy can achieve and maintain perchlorate concentrations below the recommended regulatory level, but only in environments in which the variables described above can be controlled.
Does Diversification Create Value in the Presence of External Financing Constraints? Evidence from the 2008–2009 Financial Crisis

We examine whether and why the value of diversification changed during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. We find that diversified firms increased in value relative to single-segment firms during the crisis, a result that is not driven by the endogeneity of either financing constraints or firms’ diversification choices. We also find that the increase did not simply reflect changes in investor perceptions but real differences in corporate finance and investment, through two different channels: a “more money” effect arising from the debt coinsurance feature of conglomerates, and a “smarter money” effect arising from more efficient internal capital allocation.
Dexamethasone effect on the inflammatory response of the central nervous system in bacterial meningitis

Abstract In northern Europe, Canada, and the United States, the incidence of invasive infection by Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB) in the pediatric population has been reported to be 40 to 70 per 100,000 children. In Costa Rica, the incidence of meningitis caused by HIB has been estimated to be 40 to 60 per 100,000 in children younger than age 5 years, and the incidence of other invasive infection such as epiglottitis, septicemia, pneumonia, arthritis, and pericarditis has been estimated to be 20 per 100,000 in children under 5 years of age. In bacterial meningitis, the bacteria that have invaded the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proliferate, undergo degradation, and release toxins, or teichoic acid. The inflammatory response of the central nervous system is activated and the principal mediators have been shown to be interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), platelet aggregation factor (PAF), polymorphonuclear cells, and macrophages. After encouraging results in animal models, dexamethasone was used in infants and children with purulent meningitis, to modulate the inflammatory response. When dexamethasone was administered 15 to 20 minutes before the first dose of cefotaxime, the mean CSF pressure, and the estimated cerebral perfusion pressure 12 hours after initiating therapy improved significantly in the patients who received dexamethasone. Twelve hours after dexamethasone the signs of meningeal inflammation and the concentrations of 1L-1β, TNF-α, and PAF had significantly decreased compared with the control patients. At the 15-month follow-up visit, 7 (14%) of the 51 survivors who received dexamethasone and 43 (90%) of the 48 controls who survived had one or more audiologic or neurologic sequelae ( P = 0.007). To achieve beneficial effects in the treatment of purulent meningitis, dexamethasone should be administered at a dosage of 0.15 mg/kg, 15 to 20 minutes before the first dose of parenteral antibiotics, and every 6 to 8 hours thereafter, for a total of 2 to 4 days. Dexamethasone should not be administered to patients with suspected or documented viral meningitis. The accumulated data in the literature regarding the benefits of dexamethasone pertain mainly to meningitis caused by HIB; however, there are experimental reports, as well as studies in infants and children, that show its effectiveness in the treatment of bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae . Further studies, as well as a meta-analysis of past and more recent studies, are needed.
The Response of a Weakly Stratified Layer to Buoyancy Forcing

Abstract The response of a weakly stratified layer of fluid to a surface cooling distribution is investigated with linear theory in an attempt to clarify recent numerical results concerning the sinking of cooled water in polar ocean boundary currents. A channel of fluid is forced at the surface by a cooling distribution that varies in the down-channel as well as the cross-channel directions. The resulting geostrophic flow in the central region of the channel impinges on its boundaries, and regions of strong downwelling are observed. For the parameters of the problem investigated, the downwelling occurs in a classical Stewartson layer but the forcing of the layer leads to an unusual relation with the interior flow, which is forced to satisfy the thermal condition on the boundary while the geostrophic normal flow in the interior is brought to rest in the boundary layer. As a consequence of the layer’s dynamics, the resulting long-channel flow exhibits a nonmonotonic approach to the interior flow, and the st...
The Effects of Childbirth Self‐Efficacy and Anxiety During Pregnancy on Prehospitalization Labor

Objective To describe levels of anxiety and self‐efficacy for childbirth in nulliparous women during the late third trimester and to identify relationships among those variables, prehospitalization labor pain, management strategies, and hospital admission status. Design A longitudinal, descriptive study. Participants Thirty‐five English‐speaking nulliparous women, 18 to 40 years of age, more than or equal to 38 week’s gestation, with uncomplicated pregnancies. All participants had a significant other (husband or partner) and attended childbirth education programs. Main Outcome Measures Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, Prenatal Self‐Evaluation Questionnaire, Childbirth Self‐Efficacy Inventory, McGill Pain Questionnaire‐Short Form, postpartum interviews, and medical records review. Results Prenatal anxiety was significantly related to self‐efficacy for childbirth in late pregnancy, labor pain, number of hours at home in labor, and admitting cervical dilation. The number of management strategies used was related to pain scores during labor before hospital admission. Women who spent longer periods of time at home in labor arrived at the hospital with a greater cervical dilation. Conclusions Antenatal characteristics influence intrapartal outcomes in nulliparas. Labor environment, at home and in the hospital, is recognized as an important component of the first childbirth experience.
A systematic overview of the incidence of posterior capsule opacification

Abstract Objective Reported rates of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) vary widely and are based on various definitions of PCO, varying lengths and intervals of follow-up, and the use of different surgical techniques, intraocular lens (IOL) designs, and methods of IOL implantation. This study was designed to obtain a more precise overall estimate of the incidence of PCO and to explore factors that might influence the rate of PCO development. Design A meta-analysis. Methods Published articles were selected for study based on a computerized MEDLINE search of the literature and a manual search of the bibliographies of relevant articles. Articles meeting selected inclusion criteria were reviewed systematically, and the reported data were abstracted and synthesized using the statistical techniques of meta-analysis. Main outcome measure Pooled estimates of the proportion of eyes developing PCO at three postoperative timepoints—1 year, 3 years, and 5 years—were measured. Results There is significant heterogeneity among published rates of PCO. The overall pooled estimates (95% confidence limits) of the incidence of PCO were 11.8% (9.3%–14.3%) at 1 year, 20.7% (16.6%–24.9%) at 3 years, and 28.4% (18.4%–38.4%) at 5 years after surgery. There is no evidence of a significant decline in PCO incidence during the study period. Conclusions Visually significant PCO develops in more than 25% of patients undergoing standard extracapsular cataract extraction or phacoemulsification with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation over the first 5 years after surgery. Patient characteristics, surgical techniques, and differences in research design and reporting may account for some of the variability in reported rates. However, no specific factors were identified in the authors' analysis. More precise estimates of incidence and identification of risk factors for PCO will depend on the development of a standardized measurement of PCO and wider adoption of more rigorous study methodology.
Liver kinase B1 inhibits the expression of inflammation-related genes postcontraction in skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle-specific liver kinase B1 (LKB1) knockout mice (skmLKB1-KO) exhibit elevated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling after treadmill running. MAPK activation is also associated with inflammation-related signaling in skeletal muscle. Since exercise can induce muscle damage, and inflammation is a response triggered by damaged tissue, we therefore hypothesized that LKB1 plays an important role in dampening the inflammatory response to muscle contraction, and that this may be due in part to increased susceptibility to muscle damage with contractions in LKB1-deficient muscle. Here we studied the inflammatory response and muscle damage with in situ muscle contraction or downhill running. After in situ muscle contractions, the phosphorylation of both NF-κB and STAT3 was increased more in skmLKB1-KO vs. wild-type (WT) muscles. Analysis of gene expression via microarray and RT-PCR shows that expression of many inflammation-related genes increased after contraction only in skmLKB1-KO muscles. This was associated with mild skeletal muscle fiber membrane damage in skmLKB1-KO muscles. Gene markers of oxidative stress were also elevated in skmLKB1-KO muscles after contraction. Using the downhill running model, we observed significantly more muscle damage after running in skmLKB1-KO mice, and this was associated with greater phosphorylation of both Jnk and STAT3 and increased expression of SOCS3 and Fos. In conclusion, we have shown that the lack of LKB1 in skeletal muscle leads to an increased inflammatory state in skeletal muscle that is exacerbated by muscle contraction. Increased susceptibility of the muscle to damage may underlie part of this response.
Microclimate modification by riparian vegetation affects the structure and resource limitation of arthropod communities

Ground and surface water hydrology often governs the abundance and type of vegetation present in dryland riparian ecosystems, particularly along rivers that have both perennial and intermittent reaches. But how these differences in riparian vegetation affect riparian arthropod communities is not well understood. I conducted a replicated field experiment at three sites along the San Pedro River in central Arizona, United States, which varied in ground and surface water hydrology and in riparian vegetation. The most mesic site was comprised of cottonwood-willow gallery forest and had more canopy cover, higher absolute humidity, and lower maximum air temperature than the most arid site, which was comprised of mesquite and saltcedar scrubland. Experimental treatments added resources (water, sugar, and a no resource control) to assess water and energy limitation of ground-dwelling arthropods over a 4-week period. I found that arthropod community structure differed between the three study sites, and that these changes were strongly associated with differences in microclimate. The most mesic site had 5.5 times greater arthropod biomass than the most arid site. I also found that the effect size of water supplementation on cricket abundance and the effect size of sugar supplementation on ant abundance were related to microclimate variables. Water effects on cricket abundance were larger, and sugar effects on ant abundance smaller, as general aridity increased. However, I found no relationship between the magnitude of water or sugar effects on total arthropod community abundance and microclimate variables. Nevertheless, these results indicate that groundwater depth can indirectly affect the abundance, community structure, and water vs. energy limitation of riparian arthropod communities via groundwater effects on riparian vegetation, and riparian vegetation effects on microclimate. Increases in river drying events due to climate change and increased water withdrawals will likely lead to changes in riparian vegetation in arid systems, and here I show that these changes could affect riparian animal communities as well.
A Note on Censorship

In Toward a Mathematics of Politics I presented a model of reciprocal interaction between information media and the opinions held by members of the community. It is the purpose of this note to apply a somewhat simplified version of this model to the specific problem of censorship. Testable hypotheses will be deduced and implications which may be of importance for policy will be suggested.Suppose the population of the country are arrayed on some issue dimension. It makes little difference for our present purposes what the dimension itself represents. It might, for example, indicate the degree of nudity of pictures of women in men's magazines or the strength with which the views of Castro are supported. Let us suppose that the distribution along this issue dimension declines at one, end, as shown in Figure 1. Note that the remainder of the distribution can be any shape; in fact, I have drawn in three dashed lines for three possible distributions. If we assume, not unreasonably, that most people who are in the business of producing public information seek to maximize readership, then we would anticipate that in a competitive market the information media would be spread over the possible positions in this line in much the same pattern as the population. Put more bluntly, the managers of such organizations as Time, Newsweek, and CBS go where the customers are.
Abstract P5-07-03: Gallotannins and Gallic acid From Mango Fruit (Mangifera Indica L) Suppress Breast Cancer Tumor Growth by Targeting Phosphatidylinositol3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-NF-kB Pathway and Associated microRNAs

The cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenolics have been demonstrated in numerous types of cancer and the objective of this research was to understand the post-transcriptional targets involved in anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic pathways in the breast cancer cell line BT474, treated with a polyphenolic extract (2.5–40µg/ml) rich in gallotannins and gallic acid from mango fruit in vitro and in athymic nude mice bearing BT474 cells as xenografts. Results show that cell proliferation as well as tumor size and weight in vivo was decreased by polyphenolics 60% and 70% in vitro and vivo, respectively. NF-kB protein and mRNA expression as well as activation were decreased in a dose-dependent manner (0.6 fold). The extract also inhibited PI3K-dependent phosphorylation of AKT and expression and this was accompanied by down-regulation of miRNA 126 of BT474 (2.25 fold) and in vivo. NFκB-dependent genes involved in apoptosis-inhibition, metastasis and angiogenesis, such as survivin, VCAM-1, and VEGF were also decreased, in vitro and in vivo. A microRNA-array was also used to investigate whether microRNAs with target regions within affected genes were affected by the polyphenolic extract and results show that in addition to miR-126, miR-let-7a and miR-let-7b among others were significantly increased by the extract. In summary the anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory activity of mango polyphenolics in breast cancer cells were at least in part due to targeting miR-126 -Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-NF-kB which plays an important role in the proliferative/ inflammatory phenotype exhibited in this breast cancer cell line. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-03.
Isolation of chondroitinsulfuric acid from the cock's comb.

Summary1. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitinsulfuric acid (CSA) were isolated from the combs of roosters in a ratio of 15 to 1. 2. The CSA fraction from combs appears to be similar to that isolated from rabbit skin.
Evaluation of Measuring Devices Packaged With Prescription Oral Liquid Medications

OBJECTIVES: The US Food and Drug Administration industry guidelines for manufacturers of oral, over-the-counter, liquid medications recommend that these products be packaged with dosage-delivery devices. This study describes the prevalence of these devices and instructions packaged with prescription, oral, liquid medications. METHODS: This was a descriptive study of prescription oral-liquid medications dispensed during a 6-month period at a community pharmacy. Product information was obtained from the National Library of Medicine's DailyMed database and from the products themselves. Endpoints included provision of a measuring device, the type of device, the maximum dose measurable and intervals on the provided device, and inclusion of instructions to the pharmacist. RESULTS: A total of 382 liquid prescription medications were included in the study. Forty-nine of the 382 products (12.8%) were packaged with a measuring device. The most commonly provided device was a calibrated dropper (n = 18; 36.7%), follo...
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: molecularly contaminated, but not defined

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal, hematopoietic stem cell disorder, with overlapping features of both myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN).[1] Ad...
The information trail

The ability of a wild baboon to acquire and exploit social information depends on its individual characteristics and its position within various social networks.
Pushing the Planetary Boundaries—Response

Erb et al. do not challenge my assertion that global NPP may be a constant boundary. Rather, they argue that partitioning the 38% of global NPP appropriated for human use will be complex and that the efficiency of agricultural crop production is variable. The fraction of agricultural NPP consumable
Drugs affecting phospholipase C-mediated signal transduction block the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated current of adult zebrafish.

Ma, Li and William C. Michel. Drugs affecting phospholipaseC-mediated signal transduction block the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated current of adult zebrafish. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1183–1192, 199...
Not as Straight(forward) as an Arrow: Ultrasound Use to Detect a Carbon-Fiber Foreign Body: A Case Report.

Case: A fifteen-year-old boy sustained an archery injury when a carbon-fiber arrow shaft embedded in the volar aspect of his left forearm. The shaft was removed, but at a follow-up visit he still felt the sensation of a retained foreign body in the tissue. Although radiographs were negative, ultrasound examination found three foreign bodies of various lengths still located in the soft tissue. Further surgery removed the objects without difficulty. Conclusion: Ultrasound examination can be a valuable diagnostic tool when radiographs yield inconclusive results after penetrating wounds due to radiolucent foreign bodies.
Quality of life and outcomes for femoral hernia repair: does laparoscopy have an advantage?

Due to their relative scarcity and to limit single-center bias, multi-center data are needed to study femoral hernias. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes and quality of life (QOL) following laparoscopic vs. open repair of femoral hernias. The International Hernia Mesh Registry was queried for femoral hernia repairs. Laparoscopic vs. open techniques were assessed for outcomes and QOL, as quantified by the Carolinas Comfort Scale (CCS), preoperatively and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Outcomes were evaluated using the standard statistical analysis. A total of 80 femoral hernia repairs were performed in 73 patients: 37 laparoscopic and 43 open. There was no difference in mean age (54.7 ± 14.6 years), body mass index (24.2 ± 3.8 kg/m2), gender (60.3 % female), or comorbidities (p > 0.05). The hernias were recurrent in 21 % of the cases with an average of 1.23 ± 0.6 prior repairs (p > 0.1). Preoperative CCS scores were similar for both groups and indicated that 59.7 % of patients reported pain and 46.4 % had movement limitations (p > 0.05). Operative time was equivalent (47.2 ± 21.2 vs. 45.9 ± 14.8 min, p = 0.82). There was no difference in postoperative complications, with an overall 8.2 % abdominal wall complications rate (p > 0.05). The length of stay was shorter in the laparoscopic group (0.5 ± 0.6 vs. 1.3 ± 1.6 days, p = 0.02). Follow-up was somewhat longer in the open group (23.8 ± 10.2 vs. 17.3 ± 10.9 months, p = 0.02). There was one recurrence, which was in the laparoscopic group (3.1 vs. 0 %, p = 0.4). QOL outcomes at all time points demonstrated no difference for pain, movement limitation, or mesh sensation. Postoperative QOL scores improved for both groups when compared to preoperative scores. In this prospective international multi-institution study of 80 femoral hernia repairs, no difference was found for operative times, long-term outcomes, or QOL in the treatment of femoral hernias when comparing laparoscopic vs. open techniques. After repair, QOL at all time-points postoperatively improved compared to QOL scores preoperatively for laparoscopic and open femoral hernia repair. While international data supports improved outcomes with laparoscopic approach for femoral hernia repair, no data had existed prior to this study on the difference of approach impacting QOL. In the setting where recurrence and complication rates are equal after femoral hernia repair for either approach, surgeons should perform the technique with which they are most confident, as the operative approach does not appear to change QOL outcomes after femoral hernia repair.
Design of FIR filters

The term “filter” is used for LTI systems that alter their input signals in a prescribed way. Frequency-selective filters, the subject of this chapter, are designed to pass a set of desired frequency components from a mixture of desired and undesired components or to shape the spectrum of the input signal in a desired way. In this case, the filter design specifications are given in the frequency domain by a desired frequency response. The filter design problem consists of finding a practically realizable filter whose frequency response best approximates the desired ideal magnitude and phase responses within specified tolerances. The design of FIR filters requires finding a polynomial frequency response function that best approximates the design specifications; in contrast, the design of IIR filters requires a rational approximating function. Thus, the algorithms used to design FIR filters are different from those used to design IIR filters. In this chapter we concentrate on FIR filter design techniques while in Chapter 11 we discuss IIR filter design techniques. The design of FIR filters is typically performed either directly in the discrete-time domain using the windowing method or in the frequency domain using the frequency sampling method and the optimum Chebyshev approximation method via the Parks–McClellan algorithm. Study objectives After studying this chapter you should be able to: Understand how to set up specifications for design of discrete-time filters. Understand the conditions required to ensure linear phase in FIR filters and how to use them to design FIR filters by specifying their magnitude response. […] […]
Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Power, and Identity, c. 1300

Introduction: art, risk, and creativity Part I. Art, Risk, and Identity: 1. Art making: artists, subjects, technologies, and media 2. Experiencing art: sight, site, and perspectives of viewing 3. If looks could kill: aesthetics and political expression 4. Embedding identity: marking the Ife body Part II. Politics, Representation, and Regalia: 5. A gallery of portrait heads: political art 6. Animal avatars: art, identity, and the natural world 7. Crowning glory: the art and politics of headgear 8. Battling with symbols: scepters, staffs, and seats Conclusions.
Forbidden M 1 and E 2 transitions in monovalent atoms and ions

We carried out a systematic high-precision relativistic study of the forbidden magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole transitions in ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{+}$, Rb, ${\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}$, Cs, ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}$, Fr, ${\mathrm{Ra}}^{+}, {\mathrm{Ac}}^{2+}$, and ${\mathrm{Th}}^{3+}$. This work is motivated by the importance of these transitions for tests of fundamental physics and precision measurements. The relative importance of the relativistic, correlation, and Breit correction contributions and contributions of negative-energy states is investigated. Recommended values of reduced matrix elements are presented together with their uncertainties. The matrix elements and resulting lifetimes are compared with other theoretical values and with experiment where available.
Person re-identification using a patch-based appearance model

Person re-identification is the process of recognizing a person across a network of cameras with non-overlapping fields of view. In this paper we present an unsupervised multi-shot approach based on a patch-based dynamic appearance model. We use deformable graph matching for person re-identification using histograms of color and texture as features of nodes. Each graph model spans multiple images and each node is a local patch in the shape of a rectangle. We evaluate our proposed method on publicly available PRID 2011 and iLIDS-VID databases.
Chiral resolution of serial potent and selective σ 1 ligands and biological evaluation of (-)-[ 18 F]TZ3108 in rodent and the nonhuman primate brain

Twelve optically pure enantiomers were obtained using either crystallization or chiral high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation methodologies to resolve six racemic sigma-1 (σ1) receptor ligands. The in vitro binding affinities of each enantiomer for σ1, σ2 receptors and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) were determined. Out of the 12 optically pure enantiomers, five displayed very high affinities for σ1 (Ki 100-fold). The minus enantiomer, (-)-14a ((-)-TZ3108) (Ki-σ1=1.8±0.4nM, Ki-σ2=6960±810nM, Ki-VAChT=980±87nM), was chosen for radiolabeling and further in vivo evaluation in rodents and nonhuman primates (NHPs). A biodistribution study in Sprague Dawley rats showed brain uptake (%ID/gram) of (-)-[18F]TZ3108 reached 1.285±0.062 at 5min and 0.802±0.129 at 120min. NHP microPET imaging studies revealed higher brain uptake of (-)-[18F]TZ3108 and more favorable pharmacokinetics compared to its racemic counterpart. Pretreatment of the animal using two structurally different σ1 ligands significantly decreased accumulation of (-)-[18F]TZ3108 in the brain. Together, our in vivo evaluation results suggest that (-)-[18F]TZ3108 is a promising positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for quantifying σ1 receptor in the brain.
Membranous ventricular septal aneurysm in a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus):

Ventricular septal defects are one of the most common congenital cardiac malformations in animals, and most often affect the membranous portion of the septum. These defects may rarely close spontaneously. An adult male black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus) had a smooth shiny botryoid red mass arising from the area of the septal cusp of the right atrioventricular (tricuspid) valve and membranous interventricular septum, and bulging into the right ventricular lumen. Histology and special staining demonstrated a membranous ventricular septal defect closed by the adherence of the septal cusp of the tricuspid valve to the muscular septum (so-called membranous ventricular septal aneurysm or aneurysm of the [peri]membranous ventricular septum). This is a rare finding in animals, and the histologic appearance has not been documented previously, to our knowledge.
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Predicts Restricted Repetitive Behavior Severity

In addition to social communication deficits, restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a key diagnostic feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in ASD has been posited as a mechanism of RRBs; however, most studies investigating ANS activity in ASD have focused on its relation to social functioning. This study used respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) patterns to measure ANS functioning and analyze its relation to RRBs in children with and without an ASD diagnosis. Baseline RSA and RSA reactivity predicted RRB severity and exploratory analyses revealed these measures may be associated with RRB subgroups. These results are discussed in regards to the behavioral literature on RRBs and the benefits of finding biomarkers for these behaviors.
Public School Services for Behaviorally Disordered Students: Program Practices in the 1980s:

In a previous article, a conceptual scheme for describing and evaluating programs in behavioral disorders was presented. Using instrumentation based on that conceptual scheme, 145 special education administrators in 27 states were surveyed about current educational practices in public school programs for children with behavioral disorders. Results of the survey are presented under four broad headings: student identification practices, service delivery, student exit procedures, and program evaluation practices. Findings indicate that student identification procedures appear to be fairly well developed within programs, while student exit and evaluation practices are less formalized. Curriculum and behavior intervention practices vary widely within and across districts, although the emphasis is on changing students' behavior performance. A discussion of the “state of the art” in educational practices is presented.
Tentative Beginnings: Montaigne Rewrites His Early Essays

To read Montaigne's Essais is to challenge radically one's notion of literary beginnings. For those of us concerned with Montaigne's modus scribendi, a view such as Compagnon's that allows for both brevitas and copia in the Essais, casts a helpful light on why the essayist would begin the same essay more than once, as he revised his text in 1588 and thereafter. Two of his early essays, "De la tristesse" (1: 2) and "Comme l'ame descharge ses passions sur des objects faux quand les vrais luy defaillent" (I: 4), provide us with the opportunity to study Montaigne's struggle with structure as he commences to write and prove to be, upon examination, far more than mere ebauches of the lengthier discourse he will entertain in Books II and III. Montaigne's particular brand of stoicism in I: 2 gives way to his broader, almost Erasmian appreciation of man's comical stance vis-a-vis the physical world in I: 4. On the level of composition, Montaigne's Stoic or anti-tristesse comments in essay I: 2 represent revisions to the beginning and end of his 1580 text that stand in sharp relief to his original writings. To the contrary, the changes Montaigne makes in the 1580 text of essay I: 4 vie with and complement the original 1580 writing which remains visible alongside them. In both cases, an examination of the ways in which Montaigne begins his essay, and the subsequent revisions he makes, rewards us with a deeper appreciation for the Renaissance writer's struggle to attain an authentic voice in his work.