cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incremental predictive power of B-type natriuretic peptide and tissue Doppler echocardiography in the prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure.

Objectives This study was designed to determine how novel indexes of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure—transmitral early diastolic velocity/tissue Doppler mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/Ea) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)—compare to conventional predictors of outcome in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Background It is known that E/Ea can predict LV filling pressure in patients with cardiac disease, including, in contrast to conventional Doppler indexes, in normal ejection fraction. B-type natriuretic peptide has also been correlated to LV filling pressure, but appears to provide more global cardiac information than E/Ea. It is unknown, however, how these novel indexes compare to conventional predictors of CHF patient outcome. Methods A total of 116 consecutive patients hospitalized with CHF underwent simultaneous clinical assessment, BNP, and comprehensive echo-Doppler study once ready for discharge. The ability of these variables to determine the primary end point (cardiac death or re-hospitalization for CHF) was determined. Results Follow-up was complete on 110 of 116 patients at a mean of 527 days after hospital discharge. There were 54 patients (50%) with the primary end point (37 re-hospitalizations for CHF and 17 cardiac deaths). On Cox univariate analysis, E/Ea (chi-square = 13.6, p = 0.0001) and BNP (chi-square = 17.0, p Conclusions In patients admitted to hospital with CHF, pre-discharge BNP and E/Ea are incremental predictors of outcome, to which conventional predictors do not significantly add.
Membrane guanylyl cyclase complexes shape the photoresponses of retinal rods and cones

In vertebrate rods and cones, photon capture by rhodopsin leads to the destruction of cyclic GMP (cGMP) and the subsequent closure of cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) ion channels in the outer segment plasma membrane. Replenishment of cGMP and reopening of the channels limit the growth of the photon response and are requisite for its recovery. In different vertebrate retinas, there may be as many as four types of membrane guanylyl cyclases (GCs) for cGMP synthesis. Ten neuronal Ca2+ sensor proteins could potentially modulate their activities. The mouse is proving to be an effective model for characterizing the roles of individual components because its relative simplicity can be reduced further by genetic engineering. There are two types of guanylyl cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs) and two types of GCs in mouse rods, whereas cones express one type of GCAP and one type of GC. Mutant mouse rods and cones bereft of both GCAPs have large, long lasting photon responses. Thus, GCAPs normally mediate negative feedback tied to the light-induced decline in intracellular Ca2+ that accelerates GC activity to curtail the growth and duration of the photon response. Rods from other mutant mice that express a single GCAP type reveal how the two GCAPs normally work together as a team. Because of its lower Ca2+ affinity, GCAP1 is the first responder that senses the initial decrease in Ca2+ following photon absorption and acts to limit response amplitude. GCAP2, with a higher Ca2+ affinity, is recruited later during the course of the photon response as Ca2+ levels continue to decline further. The main role of GCAP2 is to provide for a timely response recovery and it is particularly important after exposure to very bright light. The multiplicity of GC isozymes and GCAP homologs in the retinas of other vertebrates confers greater flexibility in shaping the photon responses in order to tune visual sensitivity, dynamic range and frequency response.
The impact of web-based technologies on business organisations: a review and thoughts on the future

Almost all of the published work in the academic and popular press on Web-Based Technologies (WBT) – most notably the internet – emphasises the merits. While WBT have had an extraordinary, and arguably positive net influence on business organisations, they have also created a number of significant challenges for managers. This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the positive and negative influences of WBT, outlining economic, organisational and customer factors that have influenced organisations in far-reaching ways. If organisations are to harness the full benefits of technology, they must become fully aware and minimise the negative 'side effects' of these advances.
Full fault dictionary storage based on labeled tree encoding

The process of fault dictionary compaction can lead to a loss of information that is potentially useful in locating unmodeled failures. The focus of this paper is on developing alternative storage structures that can efficiently represent full fault dictionaries without discarding any information. We present the problem of storing the full fault dictionary storage as a labeled tree encoding problem. Two labeled trees are introduced to represent the diagnostic experiment. For the first tree, the unlabeled tree is stored using a binary string code, while the second tree is constructed so that the unlabeled tree is regular in structure, thus allowing implicit storage. Eight alternative representations based on the three label components are presented and two existing full fault dictionary representations (the matrix and the list dictionaries) are shown to be special cases in our general framework. Experimental results on the ISCAS 85 and ISCAS 89 circuits are used to study and characterize the performance of the proposed storage structures.
Modeling of floating gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure-transistor based sensor

This paper presents an analytical model for the estimation of charge concentration in liquid or gas analyte or of the charges induced by biomolecules detected by an AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) based sensor. The adsorbed molecules on the gate surface change the electrostatic potential of the surface. The change in electrostatic condition has been combined with the threshold and drift current equations to calculate the output current of the sensor. The model predicts the change in sensor current with the changes in the density of target analyte and calculates the concentration for which the output saturates at a certain drain-to-source potential.
Functional health status of adults with achondroplasia.

Little is known regarding the functional health status of individuals with achondroplasia. This cross-sectional survey of adults with achondroplasia was undertaken to assess the functional health status of this population and its determinants. The study sample consisted of members of the Little People of America (LPA) who completed a mailed questionnaire consisting of a demographics component, a general and disease-specific comorbidities component, and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health status questionnaire. Univariate analyses and multivariate linear regression models were used for data analysis. Four hundred thirty-seven individuals with a mean age of 38 years completed the survey. The age- and gender-adjusted Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores did not significantly differ from those of the general population. In contrast, the age- and gender-adjusted Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores were significantly lower than the general population starting in the fourth decade of life. Musculoskeletal diseases were most prevalent and had the greatest impact on the PCS scores. Two-thirds of this cohort had undergone at least one operation. Only musculoskeletal procedures were significantly associated with PCS and MCS scores. The functional health status of adults with achondroplasia, as measured by the SF-36, is not drastically reduced in comparison with that of the general U.S. population.
Epistemology and Possibility

Dernierement, le debat sur la these de la concevabilite a peu porte sur le lien entre la concevabilite et la possibilite per se et s'est plutot interesse aux conditions requises pour la realisation du programme physicaliste. Toutefois, avant d'entrer dans ce debat, il est necessaire de se demander si la concevabilite offre une justification meme elementaire des croyances modales. Je soutiens que deux methodes de concevoir - imaginer que p et raconter une histoire a propos de p - sont susceptibles de nous fournir cette justification, mais seulement dans la limite de certaines conditions. A l'appui de mon propos, j'envisage la position de Paul Tidman, qui me sert de repoussoir.
Differential Attraction of Heliothis subflexa Males to Synthetic Pheromone Lures in Eastern US and Western Mexico

The mate attraction signal of Heliothis subflexa (Hs) females consists of a multicomponent sex pheromone blend. In this study, we assessed the intraspecific importance of three groups of compounds found in Hs pheromone glands: three acetate esters (Z7-16:OAc, Z9-16:OAc, and Z11-16:OAc), two 14-carbon aldehydes (14:Ald and Z9-14:Ald), and one 16-carbon alcohol (Z11-16:OH). Because the relative importance of pheromone components may vary in different regions, we conducted experiments in Eastern US (North Carolina) and Western Mexico (Jalisco). Our experiments in Eastern US showed that when the acetates were omitted from a 7-component blend in rubber septa, fewer males were caught in cone traps. Subsequent experiments conducted both in Eastern US and Western Mexico indicated that the addition of Z9-16:OAc alone does not increase attraction of male Hs, while Z11-16:OAc does. The Hs male response to Z7-16:OAc differed between the two regions. In Eastern US, significantly more males were attracted to a minimal three-component blend to which Z7-16:OAc was added, but this was not the case in Western Mexico. The two 14-carbon aldehydes also showed differential attraction between the two regions. 14:Ald and Z9-14:Ald appeared not to play any role in the sexual communication of Hs in Eastern US, but reduced trap catches in Western Mexico. The alcohol Z11-16:OH was tested in two concurrent dose-response studies with Hs males in Western Mexico, one using a minimal blend and one using a complete blend. The minimal three-component blend provided a more discriminating tool for delineating dose-response effects of Z11-16:OH than the seven-component blend. In the minimal blend, the optimal dose of Z11-16:OH was 1%, while in the complete blend similar numbers of males were caught when the alcohol ranged from 1 to 25%.
Statewide Assessment of Injury and Death Rates among Riders of Off-Road Vehicles Treated at Trauma Centers

Background Injuries and deaths among riders of off-road motorized all-terrain vehicles are increasing in the US. We hypothesized that serious injuries in Oregon have increased among riders of both four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles. Study design We analyzed the Oregon Trauma Registry. Seriously injured patients treated in the state's designated urban and rural trauma centers were identified using E-codes (821.0 to 821.9), which indicate whether patients were riding either an off-road all-terrain four-wheel vehicle (ATV) or off-road two-wheeled motorcycle (ORMC). Second, we performed a supplemental analysis of similar patients in the trauma registry of Oregon's University-based tertiary care trauma center. Patients in earlier time periods were compared with those in later time periods. Results Patients injured riding off-road vehicles and needing treatment in Oregon's trauma centers increased 76%. Sixty percent of patients were injured riding an ATV, and 35% were injured riding an ORMC. Children (aged younger than 15 years) were 20% and 23% of patients in the earlier and later years. At Oregon's University-based Level I trauma center, in the years 2002 to 2005, more than twice as many patients needed tertiary care for severe injuries caused by off-road vehicle crashes compared with the previous 4 years. Conclusions There has been an alarming increase in the number of both ATV and ORMC riders requiring treatment in Oregon's trauma centers. Surgeons need to join a coalition of health care providers, citizens and public officials to implement a comprehensive injury-prevention response to this epidemic.
Generalized Jacobi weights, Christoffel functions, and zeros of orthogonal polynomials

Abstract We study generalized Jacobi weight functions in terms of their (generalized) degree. We obtain sharp lower and upper bounds for the corresponding Christoffel functions, and for the distance of the consecutive zeros of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. The novelty of our results is that our constants depend only on the degree of the weight function but not on the weight itself.
FLORIAN COULMAS , The Blackwell encyclopedia of writing systems . Oxford (UK) & Cambridge (Mass.): Blackwell, 1996. Pp. xxvii, 603. Hb £65.00, $74.95.

What is alloglottography? A diaeresis? A digamma? Whose writing system has kanamajiri writing and kokuji? How would you start to find any of these in a conventional writing system text/reference, unless you knew where (in the world) to start? What about opisthograph, ostracon, quoc-ngu, and tugra? None are in the index of Daniels & Bright 1996, which I consider the best book to date on the world's writing systems. But all are entries, cross-referenced to other entries, in Coulmas's Encyclopedia . The reader can also look up Bamum writing, Djuka syllabic writing, the Hatrene script, Hsi-hsia writing, the Loma syllabary, Peguan script, Tifinagh, Urartian writing, and the Wolof alphabet directly, without having first to know what set of writing systems, geographical or typological, they belong to. My personal favorite is Sogdian writing (471–74), an Aramaic-derived script used by Persian colonists in Chinese Turkestan; the cursive form of this writing system is attributed to Ahriman the devil, because it is so hard to distinguish the letters. What a pleasant surprise, for one satiated with discussions of the weaknesses and unnecessary complexities of Japanese writing!
Neural network models and their application to handwritten digit recognition

Several neural network paradigms are discussed, and their application to the recognition of handwritten digits is considered. In particular, linear autoassociative systems, threshold logic networks, background error propagation models, Hopfield networks, and Boltzmann machines are considered. An explanation of each technique is presented and its application to digit recognition is discussed. The tradeoffs of time and space complexity versus recognition accuracy are considered. The objective is to determine the applicability of these techniques to the real-world need of the United States Postal Service (USPS) for a high-accuracy handwritten digit recognition algorithm. Recognition experiments are presented that were performed on a database of over 10000 handwritten digits that were extracted from live mail in a USPS mail-processing facility. The time required by each method and the recognition rates of the methods are discussed. >
Précis of Merleau-Ponty on Metajournalism

Attica is a political memory. On September 13th of this year, 1981, we mark the tenth anniversary of a ten minute period at the New York State Correctional Facility at Attica, New York in which forty-three inmates and employees died, thirty-nine under gunfire by police and National Guard troops. There are in comparison to the Attica prison rebellion worse examples of property damage to a penal institution. For example, the twenty million dollars worth of physical damage during the eight days of rioting at the state prison in McAlester, Oklahoma in 1973. There are worse examples of bloody mayhem, such as the riot at the maximum-security prison in Santa Fe, New Mexico during 1980 in which thirty-three persons died. “Yet Attica remains the yardstick (Associated Press, 1981).”
New Heuristic Methods for Joint Species Delimitation and Species Tree Inference

Species delimitation and species tree inference are difficult problems in cases of recent divergence, especially when different loci have different histories. This paper quantifies the difficulty of jointly finding the division of samples to species and estimating a species tree without constraining the possible assignments a priori. It introduces a parametric and a nonparametric method, including new heuristic search strategies, to do this delimitation and tree inference using individual gene trees as input. The new methods were evaluated using thousands of simulations and 4 empirical data sets. These analyses suggest that the new methods, especially the nonparametric one, may provide useful insights for systematists working at the species level with molecular data. However, they still often return incorrect results.
A Measure of Functional Impairment in Youth with Tourette's Syndrome

Objective Tourette's Syndrome (TS) during childhood is linked to varied behavioral and psychological difficulties and functional impairment. The current study was undertaken to examine both tic-related impairment and impairment from other psychological problems in 59 youth (mean age 11.4 years, 69% male) with TS. Methods Caretakers completed a checklist about the impact of tics and other psychological difficulties on family, school, and social functioning. In addition, a clinician administered a measure of tic severity to families. Results Over half of the sample reported one significant problem area due to the presence of tics, with over a third reporting two or more problem areas. Problems were heterogeneous in nature, with no report of a particular problem area in more than 25% of the children. The rate of nontic-related impairment was very high, with 70% of parents reporting at least one problem area. Conclusions Treating both tic and nontic-related impairments concurrently may improve functioning more so than treating the symptoms separately.
TUMOR BED EFFECT-INDUCED REDUCTION OF TUMOR RADIOCURABILITY THROUGH THE INCREASE IN HYPOXIC CELL FRACTION

Two murine tumors, designated FSA and SA-NH, that exhibit strong tumor bed effect (TBE), were found to be less radiocurable if they grew in the preirradiated s.c. tissue. Tumors were transplanted into the right thighs irradiated with 30 Gy one day earlier, and were irradiated when they grew to 6 mm. The TBE-caused reduction in tumor radiocurability was manifested by the increase in TCD50 values. Tumor irradiation under hypoxic conditions increased TCD50 values less, and the hypoxic cell radiosensitizer misonidazole reduced TCD50 values more, when tumors grew in preirradiated than when they grew in unirradiated legs. This implies that TBE-induced increase in TCD50 was due to increase in hypoxic fraction of tumor cells. For 6 mm SA-NH tumor the estimated increase in hypoxic cell fraction was from the control value of 3% to 12%. Thus, TBE causes the reduction in tumor radiocurability through the increase in hypoxic fraction of tumor cells.
Prostate-specific antigen modulates genes involved in bone remodeling and induces osteoblast differentiation of human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2.

Purpose: The high prevalence of osteoblastic bone metastases in prostate cancer involves the production of osteoblast-stimulating factors by prostate cancer cells. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease uniquely produced by prostate cancer cells and is an important serologic marker for prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the role of PSA in the induction of osteoblast differentiation. Experimental Design: Human cDNA containing a coding region for PSA was transfected into human osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells. SaOS-2 cells were also treated with exogenously added PSA. We evaluated changes in global gene expression using cDNA arrays and Northern blot analysis resulting from expression of PSA in human osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells. Results: SaOS-2 cells expressing PSA had markedly up-regulated expression of genes associated with osteoblast differentiation including runx-2 and osteocalcin compared with the controls. Consistent with these results, the stable clones expressing PSA showed increased mineralization and increased activity of alkaline phosphatase in vitro compared with controls, suggesting that these cells undergo osteoblast differentiation. We also found that osteoprotegerin expression was down-regulated and that the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand expression was up-regulated in cells expressing PSA compared with controls. Conclusions: Modulation of the expression of osteogenic genes and alteration of the balance between osteoprotegerin–receptor activator of NF-κB ligand by PSA suggests that PSA produced by metastatic prostate cancer cells may participate in bone remodeling in favor of the development of osteoblastic metastases in the heterogeneous mixture of osteolytic and osteoblastic lesions. These findings provide a molecular basis for understanding the high prevalence of osteoblastic bone metastases in prostate cancer.
Modular verification of a fault-tolerant active structure controller: an example

The decomposition of a system into modular components, together with abstractions of the components, can allow a computationally difficult global verification task to be broken into a number of smaller, more manageable verification subtasks. We provide the first known nontrivial application of modular verification in conjunction with the model-checking paradigm for verifying hybrid systems. We verify a fault-tolerant active structure control system. The control system is a version of one originally presented and analyzed by Elseaidy et al. (1994, 1997). While the minimization method of given by Elseaidy et al. is automated, it also requires the abstractions to have exactly the same behaviors as their implementations. Our verification methodology differs in that we must provide explicit abstractions of the system components. However, we allow abstractions that are more abstract than the components themselves. General guidelines are given for the development of suitable abstractions.
Event Timing and age deficits in higher-order sequence learning.

ABSTRACT Recent studies have reported age deficits in learning sequences that contain subtle sequential regularities [e.g., Curran (1997) Psychological Research, 60(1–2), 24; D. V. Howard et al. (2004) Psychology and Aging, 19(1), 79; Howard, J. H. Jr, & Howard, D. V. (1997). Psychololgy and Aging, 12(4), 634]. This finding is of potential theoretical interest, but the contribution of sequence event timing to this deficit has not been investigated. This study used an alternating serial reaction time task to examine implicit sequence learning in young adults when event timing mimicked that experienced by older adults in previous research. We varied the response-to-stimulus interval directly in Experiment 1 and indirectly by degrading the stimuli to influence response time in Experiment 2. Results indicate that these “aged” young adults learned the higher-order sequence structure implicitly, but they learned less than young controls and more than old adults on some measures of implicit learning in both expe...
Seismic Fragility of Retrofitted Multispan Continuous Steel Bridges in New York

Various retrofit measures, such as elastomeric bearings, lead-rubber bearings, viscous dampers, and jacketing with carbon fibers, are commonly used to improve the seismic performance of multispan continuous steel highway bridges. In this paper, we have investigated the effectiveness of these retrofit measures through comparisons of seismic fragility of as-built and retrofitted multispan continuous steel bridges. Both elastomeric and lead-rubber bearings reduce the fragility of bridge piers significantly through isolation effects. Wrapping of piers with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) increases the effective ductility of piers through confinement and shifts the failure mode of a FRP wrapped pier to rupture of the FRP at much higher peak ground acceleration. The use of viscous dampers in combination with elastomeric bearings is effective in reducing fragilities because of both pier ductilities and bearing displacements. Hence, all four seismic retrofit strategies are effective in improving the safety of bridge components during earthquakes.
Equilibria of Large Games with Imperfect Observability

In this paper we present two formulations of an equilibrium notion for large games in which each player cannot observe precisely the moves of the other players in the game. In the context of large anonymous games where the moves of the other players are summarized by a probability measure on the action space, imperfect observability is formulated as a map from the space of such measures to the space of probability measures on this space. In the context of large non-anonymous games where the moves of the other players are summarized by a measurable function from the space of players to the action space, imperfect observability is formulated as a conditional expectation of such a function with respect to a σ-subalgebra of the measure space of players. We report results both on the existence and upper hemicontinuity of equilibrium.
A common founding clone with TP53 and PTEN mutations gives rise to a concurrent germ cell tumor and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia

We report the findings from a patient who presented with a concurrent mediastinal germ cell tumor (GCT) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Bone marrow pathology was consistent with a diagnosis of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML M7), and biopsy of an anterior mediastinal mass was consistent with a nonseminomatous GCT. Prior studies have described associations between hematological malignancies, including AML M7 and nonseminomatous GCTs, and it was recently suggested that a common founding clone initiated both cancers. We performed enhanced exome sequencing on the GCT and the AML M7 from our patient to define the clonal relationship between the two cancers. We found that both samples contained somatic mutations in PTEN (C136R missense) and TP53 (R213 frameshift). The mutations in PTEN and TP53 were present at ∼100% variant allele frequency (VAF) in both tumors. In addition, we detected and validated five other shared somatic mutations. The copy-number analysis of the AML exome data revealed an amplification of Chromosome 12p. We also identified a heterozygous germline variant in FANCA (S858R), which is known to be associated with Fanconi anemia but is of uncertain significance here. In summary, our data not only support a common founding clone for these cancers but also suggest that a specific set of distinct genomic alterations (in PTEN and TP53) underlies the rare association between GCT and AML. This association is likely linked to the treatment resistance and extremely poor outcome of these patients. We cannot resolve the clonal evolution of these tumors given limitations of our data.
Voltage Gated Potassium Channels: Structure and Function of Kv1 to Kv9 Subfamilies

The nervous system contains a large diversity of potassium channels, the membrane proteins that regulate the movement of potassium ions across the cell membrane. All potassium channels have a similar ionic selectivity for potassium ions but vary in how, when, and for how long their pore is open. K+ channel diversity is one of the main factors contributing to the dynamic, electrophysiological identity of neurons and to the functional specificity of the modulatory actions of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. This article reviews the K+ channels for which the opening of the pore is controlled by the electrical membrane potential and discusses what has been learned about the contribution of each channel type to neuronal function.
Step-Refined On-the-Fly Convergence Diagnostics of Monte Carlo Fission Source Distribution

Step-refined on-the-fly convergence diagnostics have been studied for Monte Carlo fission source distribution. The diagnostics consist of progressive relative entropy, its differenced series, and t...
Genetic and pharmacological evidence for low-abundance TRPV3 expression in primary vagal afferent neurons.

Primary vagal afferent neurons express a multitude of thermosensitive ion channels. Within this family of ion channels, the heat-sensitive capsaicin receptor (TRPV1) greatly influences vagal affere...
A selective polarity DC-DC converter with infinite output voltage levels

This paper presents a new DC-DC converter that is designed to provided selected polarities at desired voltage levels. With the new switching converter topology, the converter can boost and buck the input voltage and theoretically achieve infinite levels for either positive or negative polarities. This converter can provide a wide range of output voltage and use only one switch to perform the power conversion which simplifies the design of the gate drive. This configuration can basically satisfy the need of those applications which require voltage polarity selection Simulations results demonstrate the operation of the proposed circuit. Experimental data validate the simulation and effectiveness of the polarity and amplitude generation. Circuit mathematical models and state variables are demonstrated in each voltage polarity.
Evaluation of tolerability, safety, and pharmacokinetics of INO-1001 plus temozolomide (TMZ) in patients with unresectable stage III/IV melanoma

12015 Background: TMZ, an orally bioavailable cytotoxic agent with the same active metabolite as DTIC, is a commonly used for treatment (Rx) of metastatic melanoma (MM). It causes methylation of the O6 position of guanine. Unrepaired O6-methylguanine pairs with thymine rather than guanine and activates DNA mismatch repair. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a nuclear protein that functions as DNA damage sensor. PARP inhibitors increase TMZ cytotoxicity by causing interruption of the repair process of N-methylpurines generated by TMZ. INO-1001 (INO), an ultrapotent PARP inhibitor has been tested in combination of TMZ and found to be safe and well tolerated. Here we report the initial results of Phase Ib clinical trial. Methods: Patients (pts) with unresectable stage III/IV MM with no prior Rx with TMZ or DTIC were treated with INO given IV q 12 hours for 10 doses at the starting dose of 100mg/dose. The doses of INO are planned to escalate from 100 to 200mg/dose and then to the maximum dose of 400 mg/...
Reaction mechanism and reaction coordinates from the viewpoint of energy flow

Reaction coordinates are of central importance for correct understanding of reaction dynamics in complex systems, but their counter-intuitive nature made it a daunting challenge to identify them. Starting from an energetic view of a reaction process as stochastic energyflows biased towards preferred channels, which we deemed the reaction coordinates, we developed a rigorous scheme for decomposing energy changes of a system, both potential and kinetic, into pairwise components. The pairwise energyflows between different coordinates provide a concrete statistical mechanical language for depicting reaction mechanisms. Application of this scheme to the C7eq → C7ax transition of the alanine dipeptide in vacuum revealed novel and intriguing mechanisms that eluded previous investigations of this well studied prototype system for biomolecular conformational dynamics. Using a cost function developed from the energy decomposition components by proper averaging over the transition path ensemble, we were able to identify signatures of the reaction coordinates of this system without requiring any input from human intuition.
The Salter Innominate Osteotomy for the Congenital Dislocation of the Hip

Thirty-two Salter innominate osteotomies that were performed in thirty-one patients, 4 boys and 27 girls, between 1974 and 1988 were roentgenologically reviewed. On the plane A-P radiograph the α-angle and the center-edge angle of Wiberg were measured pre- and postoperatively. The preoperative complications were as follows: the acetabular dysplasia (32 hips); the subluxation (11 hips); the lateralization (12 hips); and the dislocated hip (9 hips).At late review, twenty-one hips (20 patients) were assessed by the Severin's criteria. Fifteen of twenty-one hips (71%) were rated as group I or II. In six unsatisfactory hips, the radiological results especially the CE angles were not improved remarkablly. Main purpose of this procedure was to gain the acetabular coverage of the femoral head, however, it was thought to be one of the important factors influencing the end results to increase the CE angle, in other words to sink the femoral head into the joint. We combined the open reduction with this osteotomy to make the femoral head in good position for 11 hips with concomitant subluxation.Thirteen of eighteen hips that developed avascular necrosis preoperatively were followed for at least 5 years, and 8 of 13 hips got the satisfactory results.Though it was difficult to predict their prognosis, the Slater's osteotomy might be useful for these heads because of improvement of the containment.
Polymorph Crystal Selection by n16, an Intrinsically Disordered Nacre Framework Protein

Framework proteins are a subclass of mollusk shell nacre-associated polypeptides that form supramolecular assemblies with β-chitin and other matrix proteins. These macromolecular assemblies manage the energetics of aragonite polymorph nucleation, and thus, there is keen interest in understanding the molecular characteristics of framework proteins. Here, we report the mineralization activity, oligomerization, and structural features of a recombinant framework nacre protein n16, isoform 3 (r-n16.3, Japanese pearl oyster Pinctada fucata). We find that r-n16.3 assembles in mineralization solutions to form spheroidal-fibril and mineralized thin film assemblies, in addition to spherical vaterite mineral deposits and aragonite single crystal deposits that possess unusual texture and layered morphologies. The oligomerization of r-n16.3 is spontaneous over the pH range 5–8.5, and protein particle sizes are observed to increase in radii when Ca(II) is present. Bioinformatics studies reveal that the r-n16.3 molecule...
Global Distribution and Local Impacts of Inadvertently Generated Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Pigments

The non-Aroclor congener 3,3′-dichlorobiphenyl (PCB 11) has been recently detected in air, water, sediment, and biota. It has been known since at least the 1970s that this congener is produced inad...
Control Over Anxiety and Dispositional Coping Tendencies Are Associated With Presleep Arousal Among Children Referred for Anxiety Problems

Anxious youth typically experience sleep-related difficulties, but little is known about the role children's coping and perceived control over anxiety may play in these relations. We examined children's perceived levels of control over external anxiety-provoking events and internal anxious emotional reactions, as well as two dispositional coping tendencies (avoidant, support-seeking), and whether these were associated with anxious children's (N = 86) presleep arousal. Low perceived control over anxiety was significantly associated with high levels of presleep arousal. For children with low perceived control, higher avoidance was associated with greater presleep arousal, whereas lower avoidance was associated with lower presleep arousal levels. Findings suggest that efforts to avoid stressful life events may contribute to presleep arousal, especially under conditions where anxious arousal seems uncontrollable.
Cranial Arteriopathy in Familial Vogt‐KoyanagiHarada Syndrome

A 59-year-old woman with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome presented with transient ischemic attacks. Magnetic resonance angiography showed multiple areas of stenosis affecting the intracranial portions of both internal carotid arteries. Conventional angiography confirmed these abnormalities and also demonstrated tapering stenosis of the extracranial segment of the left internal carotid artery. This patient and her similarly affected daughter represent the first reported association between cranial arteriopathy and intergenerational passage of VKH syndrome.
Quantitative evaluation of receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes assays, experimental procedures, and analyses that are designed to allow a quantitative evaluation of the process of receptor-mediated endocytosis. It emphasizes on both a theoretical and a practical approach to these issues. Receptors generally represent only a very small fraction of the cell's constituent molecules. Therefore, the analysis of ligand-receptor binding and endocytosis almost invariably requires sensitive assays for ligand–receptor interaction, generally achieved by incorporation of radioactive atoms into ligands. Radiolabeling potentially can compromise important ligand parameters—including bioactivity, specificity, and intracellular trafficking. The entire cell complement of receptors for a specific ligand is composed of several distinct but overlapping subpopulations. These populations differ with respect to their location, their functional capacity for binding ligand, and their capability for recycling. Quantitative evaluation of unoccupied functional receptors involves determining the amount of ligand–receptor complex formed as a function both of time and of concentration of ligand added. The Scatchard approach for determining ligand–receptor binding parameters has been used in characterizing the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) on Hep G2 cells.
Potassium currents of neurons isolated from medical nucleus tractus solitarius

Voltage-dependent potassium currents of neurons enzymatically isolated from the medial and dorsal subnuclei of the solitary tract (mNTS) of adult guinea pig have been characterized with respect to their voltage dependence, time dependence, and sensitivity to specific blocking agents. This region of the medulla receives baroreceptor afferent input and is involved in cardiovascular regulation. Our results showed the presence of three types of potassium currents. First, in all neurons studied (n = 58) a slowly developing outward current was present at potentials more positive than -30 mV. The time to half-peak current decreased with depolarization [24.8 ms at 0 mV; 19.2 ms at +10 mV; 12.5 ms at +20 mV; 9.9 ms at +30 mV (n = 4)]. This current required 20 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA) for full block and failed to show significant inactivation for voltage commands up to 300 ms. Second, a rapidly activating, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-sensitive transient outward potassium current was present in 83% of the cells examined (n = 39/47). Threshold for activation was -30 mV. The current relaxation consisted of three components: tau 1 = 14-49 ms; tau 2 = 174-362; tau 3 = 1.1-2.4 s. Finally, in all cells tested calcium activated a large nontransient outward potassium current that was inhibited by charybdotoxin. The studies reported here will be used in conjunction with studies describing sodium and calcium currents to understand the basis for generation of activity in the mNTS in response to baroreceptor input.
A synthesis of space–time variability in multicomponent flood response

Abstract. Catchment flood response consists of multiple components of flow originating from different surface and subsurface layers. This study proposes an extension of Viglione et al. (2010a) analytical framework to represent the dependence of catchment flood response to the different runoff generation processes. The analytical framework is compared to simulations from a distributed hydrologic model. A large number of rainfall–runoff events from three catchments of Tar River basin in North Carolina are used to illustrate the analytical framework. Specifically, the framework is used to estimate three flood event characteristics (cumulative runoff volume, centroid, and spreadness of hydrograph) through three corresponding framework parameters: the rainfall excess and the mean and variance of catchment response time. Results show that, under the smooth topographic setups of the study area, the spatial and/or temporal correlation between rainfall and runoff generation are insignificant to flood response; delay in flood response due to runoff generation and routing are of equal importance; the shape of the flood is mainly controlled by the variability in runoff generation stage but with non-negligible contribution from the runoff routing stage. Sensitivity tests show that the framework's main error source is the systematic underestimation of the flood event's centroid and spreadness, while the random error is relatively low.
Angle error simulation for phased array radar system

The principle contributors to angle error in a phased array are evaluated and formulas are developed for statistical modeling of these error sources. A comprehensive computer program has been developed for determining the angle error of a phased array. Based on the present phased array design, the angle error model includes systematic and random errors in the phased array situated on a turret inside a radome. The turret is trainable in azimuth and elevation: the radome is a fixed, metal space frame design. Using fractal theory, the dynamic system angle error of a phased array over mechanical scan of the turret and electronic scan of the array is obtained. It is noted that these values represent excellent equipment performance in terms of fractional parts of beamwidths, and will contribute to improved estimates of overall system performance in track. phased derived range and in support modes. >
Localization of Binding Sites for Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor in Coagulation Factor VIII.

Clearance of coagulation factor VIII (fVIII) is mediated by a hepatic receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), a member of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family. It has been recently discovered that LDLR acts in concert with LRP in regulating fVIII level. FVIII has the domain structure A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2, and to identify the portions providing the interaction with LDLR, in surface plasmon resonance-based assay we studied the binding of fVIII and its fragments to immobilized recombinant ligand-binding domain of LDLR (residues 1-292). The affinity values were determined from the families of binding signals obtained for five concentrations (10–150 nM) of each analyte. The binding signals for full-length fVIII, and its portions A3-C1–C2 (or light chain, LCh) and A1/A3-C1–C2 heterodimer (derived from activated fVIII) were best fitted to a two-site model, with equilibrium dissociation constants K D (1) ~1, 4, 14 nM and K D (2) ~14, 45 and 37 nM, respectively. Noteworthy, we did not observe any significant binding for the isolated C2 domain (at 300 nM). This suggests that the LDLR-binding site within LCh is likely located within the A3 domain, similar to that found previously for LCh-LRP interaction. The binding signals for A1-A2-B (heavy chain, HCh) were best fitted to a one-site model, with K D ~60 nM. We registered a dose-dependent, high-affinity binding of the isolated A2 domain to LDLR, with K D ~14 nM whereas the A1 domain showed no appreciable binding. This suggests that within HCh, A2 domain bears the LDLR-binding site. Von Willebrand factor did not significantly block the binding of fVIII to LDLR as compared to a 3-fold inhibition of fVIII binding to LRP. This indicates that within fVIII/vWf complex, the A2 binding site for LDLR is more available than that for LRP. Anti-A2 monoclonal antibody 413 (epitope 484–509) inhibited the A2 binding to LDLR in a dose-dependent manner, similarly to that demonstrated for fVIII-LRP interaction. A number of A2 point mutants with substitutions of the residues critical for A2 binding to LRP, megalin and VLDL were found to have significantly reduced affinity also for LDLR. The obtained data indicate that fVIII interacts with LDLR preferentially via the binding sites located within the A2 domain of HCh and within the A3 domain of LCh, and that the A2 site is likely to be universal for the interactions with four tested members of LDL receptor family.
Identification of Hepatic Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferase 3 as a Novel Target Gene Regulated by Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor δ.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) regulates many genes involved in lipid metabolism. Hepatic lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3) has critical functions in triglycerides transport and endoplasmic reticulum stress response due to its unique ability to catalyze the incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into phospholipids. Previous studies identified liver X receptor as the transcription factor controlling LPCAT3 expression in mouse liver tissue. Here we show that the hepatic LPCAT3 gene is transcriptionally regulated by PPARδ. Adenovirus-mediated knockdown of PPARδ in cultured hepatic cells and liver tissue reduced LPCAT3 mRNA levels, and exogenous overexpression of PPARδ increased LPCAT3 mRNA expression. Activation of PPARδ in HepG2, Huh7, and Hepa 1-6 cells with its specific agonists increased LPCAT3 mRNA levels in all three hepatic cell lines. Through conducting sequence analysis, LPCAT3 promoter assays, and direct DNA binding assays, we have mapped the functional PPAR-responsive element to a proximal region from −135 to −123 of the LPCAT3 promoter that plays an essential role in mediating PPARδ-induced transactivation of the LPCAT3 gene. Finally, we have provided in vivo evidence showing that activation of PPARδ by agonist L165041 in mice increased hepatic LPCAT3 mRNA abundance and LPCAT enzymatic activity, which is associated with increased incorporations of arachidonate into liver phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Furthermore, transient liver-specific knockdown of LPCAT3 in mice affected PPARδ-mediated activation of several hepatic genes involving in FA metabolism. Altogether, our new findings identify LPCAT3 as a direct PPARδ target gene and suggest a novel function of PPARδ in regulation of phospholipid metabolism through LPCAT3.
High Diffusivity Paths

In the preceding chapters the only defects which aided diffusion through the crystal were vacancies and interstitials. Dislocations, free surfaces, and grain boundaries entered only to help attain the equilibrium defect concentration. However, it is now well established that the mean jump frequency of atoms at dislocations, boundaries, or surfaces is much higher than that of the same atom in the lattice. The diffusivity is therefore higher in these regions. This higher diffusivity is of interest for several reasons. First, there is the question of what error these paths introduce in the measurement of the lattice diffusion coefficient. Also, with properly designed experiments it is possible to determine the diffusion coefficients in each of these high diffusivity regions, allowing one to learn more about the structure of these paths and about how the atoms move in them. Finally, there are a group of kinetic processes which are limited by such diffusion, for example diffusional creep, structural changes in thin films, or the stability of fine catalysts.
Measuring and Managing Customer Profitability

The only value a company will ever create for its shareholders and owners is the value that comes from its customers—current ones and new ones acquired in the future. To remain competitive, companies must determine how to keep customers longer, grow them into bigger customers, make them more profitable, serve them more efficiently, and acquire more profitable customers. But there’s a problem with pursing these ideals. Customers increasingly view suppliers’ products and standard service lines as commodities. This means that suppliers must shift their actions toward differentiating their services, offers, discounts, and deals to different types of existing customers to retain and grow them. Further, they should concentrate their marketing and sales efforts on acquiring new customers who have traits comparable to those of their relatively more profitable customers.