cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is fibroblast growth factor 23 a harbinger of mortality in CKD

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a novel hormone produced by bone with known functions to regulate urinary phosphate excretion, as well as vitamin D and PTH production. The discovery of this hormone roughly a decade ago has revolutionized the traditional theories regarding the mechanisms responsible for the mineral metabolism abnormalities that are commonly observed in patients with chronic kidney disease. Circulating FGF23 levels begin to rise in the early stages of kidney injury and become markedly elevated as kidney disease progresses. Recent reports have emerged which link these elevations in circulating FGF23 to multiple adverse outcomes. Most notably, a strong association between increments in FGF23 and cardiovascular pathology has been suggested in patients with both normal and abnormal renal function. Despite a growing body of evidence to suggest FGF23 as a contributor to morbidity and mortality in CKD, a cause–effect relationship for this association has not been established. This review highlights our current understanding of the regulation and function of FGF23 and examines the existing literature linking FGF23 with adverse outcomes.
Light cone quark model analysis of radially excited pseudoscalar and vector mesons

We present a relativistic constituent quark model to analyze the mass spectrum and hadronic properties of radially excited {ital u} and {ital d} quark sector mesons. Using a simple Gaussian function as a trial wave function for the variational principle of a QCD motivated Hamiltonian, we obtain a mass spectrum consistent with the experimental data. To do the same for several observables such as decay constants and form factors, it seems necessary to include both Dirac and Pauli form factors on the level of constituent quarks. Taking into account the quark form factors, we thus present the generalized formulas for the rho meson decay constant and form factors as well as the {pi}{gamma} transition form factor. We also predict several hadronic properties for the radially excited states. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Early experience in establishing and evaluating an ACGME-approved international general surgery rotation.

Background In 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Surgery Residency Review Committee first provided guidelines for elective international general surgery rotations. The Vanderbilt general surgery residency program received Surgery Residency Review Committee approval for a fourth-year elective in Kenya beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year. Because this rotation would break ground culturally and geographically, and as an educational partnership, a briefing and debriefing process was developed for this ground-breaking year. Objectives Our objectives were to prepare residents to maximize the experience without competing for cases with local trainees or overburdening the host institution and to perform continuous quality assessment and improvement as each resident returned back. Methods Briefing included health protection strategies, a procedures manual containing step-by-step preparation activities, and cultural-sensitivity training. Institutional Review Board exemption approval was obtained to administer a questionnaire created for returning residents concerning educational value, relations with local trainees, physical environment, and personal perceptions that would provide the scaffold for the debriefing conference. Results The questionnaire coupled with the debriefing discussion for the first 9 participants revealed overall satisfaction with the rotation and the briefing process, good health, and no duty hours or days-off issues. Other findings include the following: (1) emotional effect of observing African families weigh cost in medical decision making; (2) satisfactory access to educational resources; (3) significant exposure to specialties such as urology and radiology; and (4) toleration of 4 weeks as a single and expressed need for leisure activity materials such as books, DVDs, or games. The responses triggered adjustments in the briefing sessions and travel preparation. The host institution invited the residents to return for the 2012-2013 year as well as 2013-2014. Conclusion Detailed preparation and the follow-up evaluation for assessment and improvement of this nascent international surgery experience are associated with resident satisfaction and the host institution has agreed to continue the rotation.
Benign clear cell tumor of lung with necrosis

A case of benign clear cell tumor ("sugar tumor") of the lund with extensive necrosis is reported. Electron microscopic study established the diagnosis by virtue of the characteristic cytoplasmic membrane-bound glycogen. Ultrastructural study may be necessary in cases containing necrosis to differentiate this lesion decisively from metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
Geography Lessons for Researchers: A Look into the Research Space for Humanity Lost or Gained.

Hannah Arendt has stated that humanity is gained when the differences of power that constitute the public realm are acknowledged in relational interac-tions. It is the argument of this article that research relationships are not private relationships but are part of the public realm. Relations of power may be unacknowledged, but where knowledge is being generated, they are especially operative. Research relationships are reconceptualized dynamically as a research space in which two subjectivities, differently situated in terms of power, interact like two borders intersecting. Via a review of some classic research literature, including work by Rosaldo, Behar, Patai, Oakley, Heath, and Peshkin, this article goes on to explore how these researchers attend and do not attend to differences of power between themselves and their participants.
Incorporation dynamic aspects and uncertainty in 1‐median location problems

In this paper we present several 1-median formulations on a tree network which incorporate dynamic evolution and/or uncertainty of node demands and transportation costs over a planning horizon. Dynamic evolution is modeled using linear demand functions for the nodes and linear length functions for the edges. Uncertainty is modeled with the use of multiple scenarios, where a scenario is a complete specification of the uncertain node demands and/or edge lengths. We formulate our objective using minimax regret like criteria. We use two different criteria, namely, robust deviation and relative robustness. We discuss what motivated the introduction of these objectives, as well as their relation to existing literature and decision making practices. For all of the models presented, we provide low-order polynomial time algorithms.
Present status of BCG immunotherapy of malignant melanoma

BCG systemic adjuvant immunotherapy may be effective for improving both the recurrence and survival rates in patients with regional metastases from malignant melanoma. Clinical trials show that many of the principles derived from the study of animal tumor systems are applicable to human cancer in that immunotherapy is most effective for a small residual number of tumor cells. BCG treatment fulfills many of the ideal criteria for adjuvant treatment following surgery when disease burden is lowest. It is relatively nontoxic; it is effective for disseminated melanoma; it has systemic activity in the adjuvant treatment of subclinical metastases. However, until clinical trials are complete, BCG adjuvant therapy must be considered investigational.
Shells and spheres: an n -dimensional framework for medial-based image segmentation

We have developed a method for extracting anatomical shape models from n-dimensional images using an image analysis framework we call Shells and Spheres. This framework utilizes a set of spherical operators centered at each image pixel, grown to reach, but not cross, the nearest object boundary by incorporating "shells" of pixel intensity values while analyzing intensity mean, variance, and first-order moment. Pairs of spheres on opposite sides of putative boundaries are then analyzed to determine boundary reflectance which is used to further constrain sphere size, establishing a consensus as to boundary location. The centers of a subset of spheres identified as medial (touching at least two boundaries) are connected to identify the interior of a particular anatomical structure. For the automated 3D algorithm, the only manual interaction consists of tracing a single contour on a 2D slice to optimize parameters, and identifying an initial point within the target structure.
Favorable Outcome of Juvenile Dermatomyositis Treated without Systemic Corticosteroids

Objective To describe the course of patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) treated effectively without systemic corticosteroids. Study design A retrospective study of 38 patients with JDM treated at a tertiary care children's hospital identified 8 patients who had never received corticosteroids. Disease presentation and course, pharmacologic, and ancillary treatments were recorded. Results Patients in the no corticosteroid group were followed for a median of 2.8 years (range, 2.1 to 9.5 years). Treatment was primarily with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (75%) and methotrexate (50%), with favorable response in all. No serious treatment complications were observed; headaches were reported by 3 patients receiving IVIG. Two patients had a myositis flare after discontinuing all medications for more than 1 year; complete resolution of symptoms was observed after either 1 or 2 further doses of IVIG. Two patients had calcinosis (at 1 and 9 years of disease); however, no patient had joint contractures, muscle atrophy, lipodystrophy, or functional limitations. Conclusions Systemic corticosteroids can be avoided in a select group of patients with JDM. Alternative agents such as methotrexate and IVIG may be prescribed to effectively treat JDM and prevent complications.
Solving time‐dependent PDEs using the material point method, a case study from gas dynamics

The material point method (MPM) developed by Sulsky and colleagues is currently being used to solve many challenging problems involving large deformations and/or fragementations with some success. In order to understand the properties of this method, an analysis of the considerable computational properties of MPM is undertaken in the context of model problems from gas dynamics. The MPM method in the form used here is shown both theoretically and computationally to have first-order accuracy for a standard gas dynamics test problem.
Interferon-α Signaling Promotes Nucleus-to-Cytoplasmic Redistribution of p95Vav, and Formation of a Multisubunit Complex Involving Vav, Ku80, and Tyk2

Abstract Interferons (IFNs) are a family of hormone-like secretory proteins with multiple phenotypical changes, including gene expression and morphological alterations. Earlier studies have shown that IFN-activated Tyk2 kinase physical associates with p95Vav (Vav), a proto-oncogene gene product expressed in hematopoietic cells. Since Tyk2 is a cytoplasmic kinase and Vav is believed to be localized in the nuclear compartment, here we explored the possibility of Vav redistribution in IFN-α-activated cells, using the U266 human myeloma cell line as a model system. Using biochemical assays and in situ confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that IFN-α treatment triggers a rapid (10 min) translocation of Vav from the nuclear compartment to the cytoplasm. In addition, we also show the existence of IFN-α-induced physical interaction between Vav and Ku80, Ku80, and Tyk2, and among Vav, Ku80, and Tyk2 in the cytoplasmic compartment of IFN-stimulated cells. The observed IFN-α-induced association among Vav, Ku80, and Tyk2 was dependent on cellular tyrosine kinase activity. Since recently Vav has been shown to promote the GDP/GTP exchange activity of the cytoskeleton signaling molecule small GTPase Rac1 and activates its downstream signaling, our present findings raise the possibility of involvement of the small GTPase in IFN signaling leading to its biological effects, including cytoskeleton reorganization.
Characterization of intrauterine mobility of the early equine conceptus.

Abstract Intrauterine mobility patterns of the embryonic vesicle were characterized on Days 9 to 17 after ovulation in pony mares using real-time ultrasonography (n=5 or 7 mares per day). The location of the vesicle was determined by dividing the uterus into right horn, left horn, and body. Each uterine horn was further divided into three approximately equal portions (cranial third, middle third, caudal third), yielding seven segments (body plus three portions of each horn). Location of the vesicle within the uterus was recorded every five minutes for two consecutive hours (25 location determinations per trial). The number of times the vesicle was found in the uterine body versus one of the uterine horns was greater for the body on Day 9 (15.2 vs 9.8; not significant) and Day 10 (17.3 vs 7.7 P 5 7 mares on Day 15 and in 7 7 mares by Day 16. Mobility was present on the earliest day the embryonic vesicle was detected (Day 9), but Days 11 to 14 were characterized as the days of maximum mobility.
Atomization of liquid droplets in a convective gas stream

New experimental results are reported for the atomization of liquid droplets by a high-speed air stream. A series of experiments are described in which water droplets, ranging in diameter from 1000 to 2700 microns, were introduced into the test section of a shock tube and allowed to interact with the convective flow established by the passage of a propagating shock front. A rotating drum camera system was employed to obtain a collection of streak photographs of the atomization process from which the breakup time, the breakup distance, and the ultimate atomized particle size were determined.
The Impact of Items and Anchors on Parent–Child Reports of Problem Behavior

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that parent and child reports of child behavior and emotional functioning often do not agree in terms of symptom severity or even symptom presence. Given the potential clinical impact that discrepant reports may have on the therapeutic process, a significant amount of research has addressed the factors influencing this observed discrepancy. Traditionally, this research has evaluated the impact of demographic factors on mean differences and obtained correlation coefficients between parent and child reports. The current research improves upon previous research in this area in two ways. First, the current research uses parent and child measures with identical rather than similar items as is commonly found in previous research. Second, the current research moves beyond identifying demographic influences on discrepant reports by explaining observed discrepancies in terms of differences in parent and child perceptions of typical child behavior.
TOTAL PARENTERAL NUTRITION IN INFANTS Blood Levels of Glucose, Lactate, Pyruvate, Free Fatty Acids, Glycerol, D‐β‐Hydroxybutyrate, Triglycerides, Free Amino Acids and Insulin

. Two regimens (A and B) for TPN were designed to meet the requirements of newborn infants for calories, amino acids, fatty acids, electrolytes, trace elements and vitamins. Both “A” and “B” included fat emulsion (Intralipid®). “A” contained fructose and glucose, “B” glucose only. “A” provided amino acids (Vamin®) in proportions similar to those of whole egg, “B” similar to those of human milk. All nutrients were given simultaneously into peripheral veins by constant infusion. Nineteen patients (11 newborns, 8 infants) were studied for 1–28 days. Twelve infants recovered, 7 died. In none could TPN be regarded as the cause of death. Treatment was complicated by sepsis in 5 infants. During the course of treatment, blood levels of substrates and insulin were measured before, during and 30 min after discontinuation of TPN. Highly raised concentrations of circulating substrates seen in 3 infants seemed to be related to a poor clinical condition rather than to the regimen used. Infants in good condition tolerated TPN well. Low levels of branch-chained amino acids and tendency to ketonemia, when infusion was stopped, suggested that minimal rather than optimal supply of energy and of amino acids in relation to energy was provided with both regimens. Low insulin levels associated with elevated blood levels of substrates suggested that insulin administration to selected cases might be indicated. Fructose (0.30 g/kg × hour-1) given with regimen A increased blood lactate concentrations. Homocystinaemia appeared in 2 cases; disappearance after excess vitamin B6 administration indicated increased B6 requirement.
Stabilizations of the Trotter-Kato theorem and the Chernoff product formula

This paper concerns versions of the Trotter-Kato Theorem and the Chernoff Product Formula for C0-semigroups in the absence of stability. Applications to \({\mathcal{A}}\)-stable rational approximations of semigroups are presented.
Toxicity to Tetrahymena and abiotic thiol reactivity of aromatic isothiocyanates.

Toxicity (1/IGC50) in the Tetrahymena population growth assay and reactivity (1/EC50) with the thiol moiety of the cysteine residue of glutathione (GSH) were determined for a series of aromatic isothiocyanates (NCSs). Comparison of both toxicity and reactivity between the analogues revealed that derivatives with the NCS-moiety attached directly to an aromatic ring (e.g., phenyl derivatives) are less toxic and less reactive than those with the NCS attached to an aliphatic carbon (e.g., benzyl derivatives). These differences in potency are hypothesized to relate to difference in the ease of the Michael reaction, the proposed molecular mechanism. 1,4-Phenylene diisothiocyanate is more toxic and more reactive than its mono-NCS homologue. While there is good predictivity for the phenyl and naphthyl derivatives with the model log(1/IGC50) = 0.545(log K ow) + 16.21A max – 5.91, based on the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (K ow) and maximum acceptor superdelocalizability (A max), toxicity of the other derivatives, which are outside the structural domain of the model training set, are poorly fitted. Owing to hydrolysis, the benzoyl, and cinnamyl analogues are less toxic than predicted by their thiol reactivity; however, the toxicity of the remaining compounds is modeled by the relationship log(1/IGC50) = 1.77 [log (1/EC50)] + 0.60; n = 12, s = 0.34, r 2 = 0.718, q 2 = 0.629, F = 26.
Other People’S Money: A Visual Technology for Teaching Corporate Restructuring Cross-Functionally

This article presents a detailed plan for using the movie Other People's Money as an integrative technology to teach organizational behavior and finance concepts crossfunctionally. The movie depicts corporate restructuring issues in a comic manner, while still conveying a message. It incorporates topics such as differing organizational models and perpectives, leadership, managerial goals, and stakeholder needs/wants. It also helps students learn about mergers and acquisitions including topics like takeovers, tender offers, and greenmail while stimulating thinking aout complex ethical issues. This teaching tool can be incorporated in undergraduate or graduate business classes, or as a module for management education in corporate settings. The teaching notes include a vocabulary list, suggested stopping points with discussion questions, and a set of postmovie questions to reinforce related concepts and motivate further study.
Interfacial mechanics of cellulose nanocrystals

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are naturally occurring, structural material building blocks, which exhibit great potential for future multifunctional nanocomposites due to their high bioavailability, low cost, and impressive mechanical properties. Recent research on CNCs has focused on isolation techniques, crystal morphology, mechanical property characterization, and development of hierarchical materials, including CNC thin films and CNC-based nanocomposites. These studies have revealed that the unique conformation, structure, and surface chemistry of CNCs contribute directly to their outstanding mechanical performance and anisotropic features. To better facilitate their applications in hierarchical, bioinspired materials and exploit the inherent benefits of these biological building blocks, interfacial interactions and mechanics of CNCs with various materials, including other nanocrystals, polymer matrices, and small-molecule solvents, must be explored. This review highlights recent work focusing on the interfacial mechanics of CNCs. We discuss the current progress that has advanced our understanding of their behavior, and future challenges that must be addressed in order to fully exploit the potential of CNCs in engineered materials.
The role of wave-induced density-driven fluid mud flows for cross-shelf transport on the Eel River continental shelf

Abstract Observations of cross-shelf sediment transport conducted in the winter of 1997–1998 as part of the STRATAFORM program reveal that gravitationally forced density flows of fluid mud trapped within the thin wave bottom boundary layer provide a mechanism for forming flood deposits on the Eel river continental shelf. The data from two moored tripods located on the 20 and 60 m isobaths combined with “rapid response” hydrographic surveys, indicate a process whereby the Eel River delivers sediment on to the inner shelf faster than dispersal and transport processes are able to move it offshore. The river does not deliver sediment beyond the inner shelf because the plume is trapped along the coast due to onshore surface flow associated with downwelling favorable winds. However, the final flood deposition region is located seaward of the 50-m isobath. Acoustic backscattering data taken on the 60-m isobath (in the historic flood deposit region) show two depositional events of 6 and 13 cm during a period of high river discharge and high waves in January of 1998. These depositional events are associated with fluid mud layers that scale in thickness with the wave boundary layer. Velocity profiles from a vertical array of current meters spanning the bottom 2 m of the water column show that the current meter closest to the seafloor has the largest offshore velocity during the depositional events, indicating an offshore flow of the fluid mud from the inner shelf to the flood deposit region. During periods of low concentration suspended sediment transport without fluid mud layers present, either no deposition or erosion was found indicating that the offshore flow of the fluid mud is the dominant depositional mechanism.
Metal-organic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) and laser-modified MOMBE of III-V semiconductors

Abstract We shall first describe some unique features of metal-organic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE), then focus on the use of safer alternative precursors to arsine, and finally report on the effect of argon ion laser irradiation on the MOMBE of GaAs and GaAs InGaAs quantum well structures.
Selective Functionalization of Alkanes by Transition-Metal Boryl Complexes

Simple transition-metal complexes of the formula Cp*M(CO)nBR2 [Cp* = C5(CH3)5] containing an electrophilic, covalently bound main-group ligand react with alkanes and release products resulting from selective functionalization of an alkane at the terminal position. These reactions produce alkylboronate esters, which are common reagents in organic synthesis. Thus, the boryl complexes are rare chemical reagents that react selectivity at the terminal position of an alkane to provide simple functionalized products. Mechanistic analysis shows that ligand dissociation is induced photochemically and that thermal reaction of the resulting intermediate occurs with alkanes.
The molecular biology of Euglena gracilis. 8. Glycitols and monosaccharides.

SYNOPSIS Mannitol is identified as the major component of the small molecule pool of Euglena gracilis strain Z. Smaller amounts of glycerol also are found. Results of tracer studies and enzymic measurements indicate that both major mannitol pathways found in bacteria are present in Euglena.
Copyright in a networked world: permissions services

What happens when “fair use”, “fair dealing”, face‐to‐face teaching guidelines and other copyright exceptions do not apply? Only three choices remain: give up plans to use the protected work, make a risk‐assessment about the likelihood of a lawsuit, or seek a permission from the rights holder. This column examines both public and internal library‐based permissions services.
Retrieving dental radiographs for post-mortem identification

Automating the process of postmortem identification of deceased individuals based on dental characteristics is receiving increased attention. With the large number of victims encountered in mass disasters (e.g., Asian tsunami), automating the identification process would enhance the scalability of this biometric. However, archiving and retrieving dental records from large databases is a challenging task and has received inadequate attention in the literature. This paper concerns itself with the task of efficient fast retrieving dental records from a database in order to assist the forensic expert in identifying deceased individuals in a rapid manner. The proposed method is an appearance-based technique that consolidates the evidence presented by individual teeth in a dental record, i.e., it ‘moves’ from tooth-to-tooth in order to render a record-to-record matching score. The proposed method is shown to reduce the searching time of record-to-record matching by a factor of hundred. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach requires significantly less time compared to the other approaches suggested in the literature thereby underscoring its relevance in real-time applications.
SS/TDMA time‐slot assignment with knowledge‐base and prolog implementation

A software production system for the generation of time slot assignment plans for SS/TDMA systems is proposed and implemented. The approach used in this system conveniently combines algorithms derived for ideal configurations with heuristic procedures that are needed to account for conditions present in real systems. Algorithms that produce plans with a minimum number of switchings and minimum traffic transmission duration can now be easily implemented. The assignment plans obtained are as efficient as those previously reported when the assumptions are the same. The proposed production system, however is capable of handling a much larger variety of constraints and heuristic procedures for which no efficient solutions have been reported.
Cost and Profit Efficiency of the Turkish Banking Industry: An Empirical Investigation

By employing a stochastic frontier approach, we examine the effect of bank size, corporate control, and governance, as well as ownership, on the cost (input) and alternative profit (inputoutput) efficiencies of Turkish banks. We find that the average profit efficiency is 84% for Turkish banks. The oligopolistic nature of the Turkish banking industry has contributed to less than optimal competition in the loan market and deposit markets. Our results indicate that the degree of linkage between cost and profit efficiency is significantly low. This suggests that high profit efficiency does not require greater cost efficiency in Turkey, and that cost inefficient banks can continue to survive in this imperfect market, where profit opportunities are abundant for all types and sizes of banks. Accordingly, our results indicate that the different sizes of banks have capitalized these opportunities equivalently.
Who makes engineering knowledge? Changing identities of technical writers in the 20th century United States

At the turn of the 20th century, technical writers in the United States were mostly engineers who both developed technology and wrote about it. During World War II, however, engineers seeking to increase the efficiency of technology development separated their engineering from their communication tasks. This trend opened up a new occupation for non-engineering technical writers who communicated knowledge made by engineers. While this specialization may have allowed engineers to develop technology more efficiently, it also allowed non-scientists to give voice to scientific knowledge and by the 1970s created tensions between practitioners in scientific fields and liberal arts-trained technical writers. How could non-scientists give scientific knowledge its material form through communication? Did this arrangement between engineers and writers too often render engineers mute within their own professions? This paper traces a history of technical writing practice in the United States and explores current trends in the academy which aim to prepare engineers more adequately for communicating about their work. Finally, this paper suggests that technical editors, as distinguished from traditional technical writers, can accommodate both an engineer's need to give voice to technology developments and a writer's contributions to shaping that voice into effective communication.
Poetry as a Social Document: The Social Position of the Arab Woman as Reflected in the Poetry of Nizâr Qabbânî

No other people in the world, perhaps, have given more information in their poetry on their cultural and social life than have the Arabs over the centuries. Many years before the advent of Islam and long before they had any national political organization, the Arabs had developed a highly articulate poetic art, strict in its syntax and metrical schemes and fantastically rich in its vocabulary and observation of detail. The merciless desert, the harsh environment in which the Arabs lived, their ever shifting nomadic life, left almost no traces of their social structure and the cultural aspects of their life. It is only in their poetry – these monuments built of words – that we find such evidence, and it speaks more eloquently than cuneiform on marble statues ever could.
A gene required for the novel activation of a class II DNA photolyase in Chlamydomonas.

DNA photolyases catalyze the blue light-dependent repair of UV light-induced damage in DNA. DNA photolyases are specific for either cyclobutane-type pyrimidine dimers or (6–4) photoproducts. PHR2 is a gene that in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii encodes a class II DNA photolyase which catalyzes the photorepair of cyclobutane-type pyrimidine dimers. Based on amino acid sequence analysis of PHR2, which indicates the presence of a chloroplast targeting sequence, PHR2 was predicted to encode the chloroplast photolyase of Chlamydomonas. Using a sensitive gene-specific in vivo repair assay, we found that overexpression of PHR2 in Chlamydomonas results in targeting of the protein to not only the chloroplast, but also to the nucleus. Overexpression of PHR2 photolyase in a photoreactivation-deficient mutant, phr1, results in a largely inactive product. The phr1 mutant was found to be deficient in both photorepair of a chloroplast gene, rbcL, and a nuclear gene, rDNA. These results suggest that PHR2 is the structural gene for the photolyase targeted to both the chloroplast and the nucleus, and that the PHR1 gene product is necessary for full activity of PHR2 protein. To our knowledge, the requirement for a second gene for full activity of a DNA photolyase is novel.
Epidermal growth factor decreases the concentration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) receptors and TRH responses in pituitary GH4C1 cells.

Treatment of pituitary GH4C1 cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) caused up to a 60% reduction in the amount of [3H]MeTRH bound to specific TRH receptors. The effects of EGF were first detectable after a 2-h incubation and maximal by 24–72 h. EGF elicited a half-maximal response at 0.03 nM. Equilibrium binding analysis was performed on intact cells that had been incubated with or without 10 nM EGF for 96 h. EGF decreased the apparent number of TRH receptors (maximum binding = 0.36 vs. 0.58 pmol/mg protein for EGF-treated and control cells, respectively) without altering the apparent affinity (dissociation constant = 6.4 vs. 7.4 nM). The effects of EGF on TRH receptors were reversible. When EGF was removed from the medium, TRH receptors returned to control levels within 48 h. To assess whether the reduction of TRH receptors was functionally important, the ability of TRH to stimulate phospholipid turnover was measured in cells with a normal complement of TRH receptors and in cells that had been treated ...
Formal innovation criteria

The paper proposes formal criteria and a visualisation concept to measure relative innovation in a population of design concepts. The main criterion is called the 'Configuration Distance', and is the summation of two sub-criteria called the 'Component Distance' and 'Value Distance'. The visualisation concept is called the 'Design Solution Topography', which allows visualisation of a population of design concepts in terms of their performance, Component and Value Distances. When incorporated into a conceptual designing method, being developed by the first author, the criteria will enable designers to evaluate innovation in selected designs that also satisfy the desired performance objectives at a minimum threshold or greater.
Stimulation of the motor cortex for disabling essential tremor

Abstract Objective To examine the safety and efficacy of targeted stimulation of the motor cortex as a treatment for essential tremor (ET). Patients and methods At the University of Kansas Medical Center, two patients with essential tremor received stimulation of the (contralateral) motor cortex using an investigational implantable pulse generator (IPG). Patients were evaluated with the Fahn Tolosa Marin tremor rating scale (TRS) at baseline, 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery, both with stimulation turned on and turned off. Both patients also received neuropsychological assessments at baseline and again after surgery. Results Patient 1 was a 75-year-old male with tremor for 20 years. His baseline total TRS score was 61 and his TRS 1 month after surgery was 57. His IPG was set at 30 Hz, 3 mA and 250 μs pulse width. Patient 2 was a 60-year-old male with tremor for over 10 years. His baseline total TRS was 47 and it was 43, 1 month after surgery. His IPG was set at 50 Hz, 5 mA and 250 μs pulse width. There were no adverse effects. Conclusion Cortical stimulation of the primary hand motor cortex contralateral to the dominant hand was ineffective for the treatment of ET with the stimulation parameters used in this study. Future research examining other stimulation parameters is necessary to determine if there is a role for cortical stimulation in the treatment of ET.
Ruthenium Doped Gadolinium Titanate: Effects of a Variable Valent Acceptor on Ionic and Electronic Conduction

We have investigated ruthenium doped gadolinium titanate, Gd2(RuxTi1-x)2O7-δ with 0 ≤.r ≤ 0.2, to determine the role of variable valent Ru in influencing the defect structure and transport properties of the pyrochlore host. We have developed a defect chemical model to interpret electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, and thermogravimetry data. We have found that Ru acts as an acceptor compensated in large part by oxygen vacancies, resulting in enhanced ionic conduction at low values of x. For larger values (x ≈ 0.05), electronic conductivity predominates which we attribute to electron migration by hopping through a Ru-derived defect band.
Semi-supervised multimodal classification of alzheimer's disease

One challenge in identification of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is that the number of AD patients and healthy controls (HCs) is generally very small, thus difficult to train a powerful AD classifier. On the other hand, besides AD and HC subjects, we often have MR brain images available from other related subjects such as those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage of AD, or possibly the unrelated subjects whose cognitive statuses may be not known. These images may be helpful for building a powerful AD classifier, although their cognitive status may not belong to AD or HC. Accordingly, in this paper, we investigate the potential of using MCI subjects to aid classification of AD from HC subjects via multimodal imaging data and CSF biomarkers. In particular, a multimodal Laplacian Regularized Least Squares (mLapRLS) method, based on semi-supervised learning, is proposed for achieving this purpose. In the objective function of mLapRLS, there are two terms: a term involving only AD and HC subjects for supervised learning, and another term involving all AD, HC, and MCI subjects for unsupervised estimation of intrinsic geometric structure of the data. Experimental results show that our proposed method can significantly improve AD classification, with aid from MCI subjects.
HIRF penetration through apertures: FDTD versus measurements

The penetration of high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) into conducting enclosures via apertures is an EMI issue that is relevant to all aviation. The stories are numerous, of disrupted communications, disabled navigation equipment, etc., due to the effects of EM sources external to the aircraft. Here, the FDTD method is used to predict the shielding effectiveness of conducting enclosures with apertures, and the numerical results are compared with measurements. Several issues related to the FDTD analysis of highly resonant and high-quality factor (high-Q) structures, such as windowing and acceleration techniques, are examined and discussed.
Clustering microarray gene expression data using weighted Chinese restaurant process

Motivation: Clustering microarray gene expression data is a powerful tool for elucidating co-regulatory relationships among genes. Many different clustering techniques have been successfully applied and the results are promising. However, substantial fluctuation contained in microarray data, lack of knowledge on the number of clusters and complex regulatory mechanisms underlying biological systems make the clustering problems tremendously challenging. Results: We devised an improved model-based Bayesian approach to cluster microarray gene expression data. Cluster assignment is carried out by an iterative weighted Chinese restaurant seating scheme such that the optimal number of clusters can be determined simultaneously with cluster assignment. The predictive updating technique was applied to improve the efficiency of the Gibbs sampler. An additional step is added during reassignment to allow genes that display complex correlation relationships such as time-shifted and/or inverted to be clustered together. Analysis done on a real dataset showed that as much as 30% of significant genes clustered in the same group display complex relationships with the consensus pattern of the cluster. Other notable features including automatic handling of missing data, quantitative measures of cluster strength and assignment confidence. Synthetic and real microarray gene expression datasets were analyzed to demonstrate its performance. Availability: A computer program named Chinese restaurant cluster (CRC) has been developed based on this algorithm. The program can be downloaded at http://www.sph.umich.edu/csg/qin/CRC/ Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: http://www.sph.umich.edu/csg/qin/CRC/
Statin-Induced Cholesterol Lowering and Plaque Regression After 6 Months of Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Monitored Therapy

Background— Statin therapy reduces adverse outcomes, with a minimal decrease in vessel stenosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) noninvasively detects atherosclerotic plaque (AP) reduction. We hyp...
A decision theory perspective on why women do or do not decide to have cancer screening: systematic review

Title. A decision theory perspective on why women do or do not decide to have cancer screening: systematic review. Aim. This paper is a report of a review in which decision theory from economics and psychology was applied to understand why some women with access to care do not seek cancer screening. Background. Mammography and cervical smear testing are effective modes of cancer screening, yet many women choose not to be screened. Nurses need to understand the reasons behind women’s choices to improve adherence. Data sources. Research papers published between January 1994 and November 2008 were identified using the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE and PsycINFO data bases. The search was performed using the following terms: cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, decision, choice, adherence and framing. Forty-seven papers were identified and reviewed for relevance to the search criteria. Methods. Nineteen papers met the search criteria. For each paper, reasons for obtaining or not obtaining cancer screening were recorded, and organized into four relevant decision theory principles: emotions, Prospect Theory, optimism bias and framing. Findings. All women have fears and uncertainty, but the sources of their fears differ, producing two main decision scenarios. Non-adherence results when women fear medical examinations, providers, tests and procedures, do not have/seek knowledge about risk and frame their current health as the status quo. Adherence is achieved when women fear cancer, but trust care providers, seek knowledge, understand risk and frame routine care as the status quo. Conclusion. Nurses need to address proactively women’s perceptions and knowledge about screening by openly and uniformly discussing the importance and benefits.
A meta-analysis of disclosure of one's HIV-positive status, stigma and social support

This study provides an analysis of the relationships among perceived stigma, reported disclosure and perceived social support for those living with HIV. The meta-analytic summary of 21 studies (4,104 participants) showed, as predicted, a positive, heterogeneous correlation between disclosure and social support (ŕ = .159), a negative, heterogeneous correlation between stigma and social support (ŕ = -.344) and a negative, homogenous correlation between stigma and disclosure (ŕ = -.189). The heterogeneity of the first two relationships indicates the presence of moderators, which may include participants' age and publications' year.
Experimental Comparison of Axial Turbine Performance Under Steady and Pulsating Flows

The performance of an axial turbine is studied under close-coupled, out-of-phase, multiple-admission pulsed air flow to approximate turbine behavior under pulsed detonation inflow. The operating range has been mapped for four frequencies and compared using multiple averaging approaches and five formulations of efficiency. Steady performance data for full and partial admission are presented as a basis for comparison to the pulsed flow cases. While time-averaged methods are found to be unsuitable, mass-averaged, work-averaged, and integrated instantaneous methods yield physically meaningful values and comparable trends for all frequencies. Peak work-averaged efficiency for pulsed flow cases is within 5% of the peak steady, full admission values for all frequencies, in contrast to the roughly 15–20% performance deficit experienced under steady, 50% partial admission conditions. Turbine efficiency is found to be a strong function of corrected flow rate and mass-averaged rotor incidence angle, but only weakly dependent on frequency.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Anisotropy of water diffusion in the myocardium of the rat.

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance methods combined with nuclear magnetic resonance imaging were used to determine the water diffusion anisotropy in perfused rat hearts at 37 degrees C. It was found that the observed diffusion coefficient D(app) (apparent diffusion coefficient) depends on the orientation of the applied gradient g. When g is parallel to the epicardial surface, the observed diffusivity is D(app) parallel = 1.8 +/- 0.4 x 10(-9) m2.s-1, whereas when g is perpendicular to it, diffusivity is D(app) perpendicular = 2.5 +/- 0.5 x 10(-9) m2.s-1. To better characterize this directional dependence, images of the second-order diffusion tensor D of the myocardium were obtained. These data demonstrate several essential features of cardiac myoarchitecture, including the helicity of fiber orientation with respect to the ventricular axis and the variation of fiber pitch angle with transmural depth. Diffusion anisotropy may be quantified in a coordinate-independent manner by the eigenvalues of the diffusion tensor. In the myocardial midwall, these eigenvalues were E1 = 3.29 +/- 0.57, E2 = 2.01 +/- 0.42, and E3 = 0.77 +/- 0.58 x 10(-9) m2.s-1 (mean +/- SD). These data suggest that myocardial water diffusion is essentially unrestricted parallel to the myofibers. They further show that failure to measure the complete diffusion tensor may lead to substantial underestimates of diffusion anisotropy in the myocardium.
Flexible Decoupled Transactional Memory Support

A high-concurrency transactional memory (TM) implementation needs to track concurrent accesses, buffer speculative updates, and manage conflicts. We present a system, FlexTM (FLEXible Transactional Memory), that coordinates four decoupled hardware mechanisms: read and write signatures, which summarize per-thread access sets; per-thread conflict summary tables (CSTs), which identify the threads with which conflicts have occurred; Programmable Data Isolation, which maintains speculative updates in the local cache and employs a thread-private buffer (in virtual memory) in the rare event of overflow; and Alert-On-Update, which selectively notifies threads about coherence events. All mechanisms are software-accessible, to enable virtualization and to support transactions of arbitrary length. FlexTM allows software to determine when to manage conflicts (either eagerly or lazily), and to employ a variety of conflict management and commit protocols. We describe an STM-inspired protocol thatuses CSTs to manage conflicts in a distributed manner (no global arbitration) and allows parallel commits. In experiments with a prototype on Simics/GEMS, FlexTM exhibits 5x speedup over high-quality software TM, with no loss in policy flexibility. Its distributed commit protocol is also more efficient than a central hardware manager. Our results highlight the importance of flexibility in determining when to manage conflicts: lazy maximizes concurrency and helps to ensure forward progress while eager provides better overall utilization in a multi-programmed system.
Interrogation of Droplet Configuration During Electrowetting via Impedance Spectroscopy

Several parameters associated with the configuration of a microliter aqueous droplet are determined by the electrical impedance measurements conducted during electrowetting. In each case, the wetted area of a dielectric-coated electrode is first determined from the impedance data, and the known dielectric thickness and permittivity. The wetted area data is then employed in a series of identification problems. In the simplest of these, we demonstrate that the contact angle can be accurately found as a function of applied bias voltage. Thus, the Lippmann–Young (LY) curve of an electrowetting system can be determined from the impedance data alone without the use of any optical measurements. In another test, we show that the volume of a microliter droplet can be estimated from electrical impedance measurements with an error of <1%. A similar algorithm was employed to determine the surface tension of the interface between the droplet and the surrounding oil to an accuracy of 4%. In still another identification experiment, the impedance data from multiple bias voltages were used as a batch to identify several unknown configuration parameters simultaneously (volume, interfacial tension, and zero-voltage contact angle). It is shown that identification accuracy is degraded in this case, because there exists a direction within the parameter space of low error sensitivity. Determining multiple parameters together, therefore, requires that the ideal LY relation fits the electrowetting behavior well over the range of voltages employed and that the dielectric parameters are accurately known. [2015-0133]