cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The relationship of pre-corneal to pre-contact lens non-invasive tear breakup time.

Author(s): Graham, Andrew D; Lin, Meng C | Abstract: PurposeTo examine the relationship between pre-corneal and pre-contact lens tear film stability (TFS), and to determine whether pre-corneal TFS is a reliable predictor of subsequent pre-lens TFS after a contact lens is placed on the eye.Methods667 records met inclusion criteria and were extracted from a soft contact lens multi-study database. Multivariable linear mixed effects models were fit to examine the association between pre-corneal and pre-lens TFS, adjusting for potential confounders and accounting for repeated measures. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to assess the predictive performance of pre-corneal TFS for subsequent pre-lens TFS. TFS was quantified for this analysis as the non-invasive tear breakup time (NITBUT).ResultsPre-corneal NITBUT was significantly related to the pre-lens NITBUT at both 10 min (pl0.001) and 2-6 hrs (pl0.001) post-lens insertion. However, the sensitivities of pre-corneal NITBUT for predicting symptom-associated thresholds of pre-lens NITBUT ranged from 50-65%, and specificities ranged from 57-72%, suggesting poor-to-moderate diagnostic performance.ConclusionsDespite the association of pre-corneal and pre-lens TFS, the inherent lability and sensitivity to environmental exposures of the tear film introduce significant variability into NITBUT measurements. Using pre-corneal NITBUT to identify likely successful contact lens candidates prior to fitting is thus not sufficiently accurate to be relied upon in the clinical setting.
Corticotropin releasing factor and norepinephrine related circuitry changes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in stress and alcohol and substance use disorders.

Abstract Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) affects around 14.5 million individuals in the United States, with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) affecting an additional 8.3 million individuals. Relapse is a major barrier to effective long-term treatment of this illness with stress often described as a key trigger for a person with AUD or SUD to relapse during a period of abstinence. Two signaling molecules, norepinephrine (NE) and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), are released during the stress response, and also play important roles in reward behaviors and the addiction process. Within the addiction literature, one brain region in which there has been increasing research focus in recent years is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST is a limbic structure with numerous cytoarchitecturally and functionally different subregions that has been implicated in drug-seeking behaviors and stress responses. This review focuses on drug and stress-related neurocircuitry changes in the BNST, particularly within the CRF and NE systems, with an emphasis on differences and similarities between the major dorsal and ventral BNST subregions.
Identification of Smoke and Sulfuric Acid Aerosol in SAGE III/ISS Extinction Spectra Following the 2019 Raikoke Eruption

Abstract. The 2019 eruption of Raikoke was the largest volcanic eruption since 2011 and it was coincident with 2 major wildfires in the northern hemisphere. The impact of these events was manifest in the SAGE III/ISS extinction coefficient measurements. As the volcanic aerosol layers moved southward, a secondary peak emerged at an altitude higher than that which is expected for sulfuric acid aerosol. It was hypothesized that this secondary plume may contain a non-negligible amount of smoke contribution. We developed a technique to classify the composition of enhanced aerosol layers as either smoke or sulfuric acid aerosol. This method takes advantage of the different spectral properties of smoke and sulfuric acid aerosol, which is manifest in distinctly different spectral slopes in the SAGE III/ISS data. Herein we demonstrate the utility of this method using 4 case-study events (2018 Ambae eruption, 2019 Ulawun eruption, 2017 Canadian pyroCb, and 2020 Australian pyroCb) and provide corroborative data from the CALIOP instrument before applying it to the Raikoke plumes. We determined that, in the time period following the Raikoke eruption, smoke and sulfuric acid aerosol were present throughout the atmosphere and the 2 aerosol types were preferentially partitioned to higher (smoke) and lower (sulfuric acid) altitudes. Herein, we present an evaluation of the performance of this classification scheme within the context of the aforementioned case-study events followed by a brief discussion of this method's applicability to other events as well as its limitations.
Wings of a Feather Stick Together: Morphing Wings with Barbule-Inspired Latching

Birds' feathers are equipped with hook-like structures called friction barbules, which prevent separation and rubbing between feathers under nominal flow conditions. This paper presents a segmented wing prototype that uses controllable dry adhesives to mimic the function of friction barbules. The adhesives latch wing segments together during moderate flight conditions and allow them to separate in extreme conditions. We present the characteristics of adhesive patches and their performance as they are incorporated into a flexible wing prototype. The attachment force is a function of the applied shear stress. We then present results of a wind tunnel test to evaluate the aerodynamic effect of gaps formed as wing segments unlatch and separate. The separation of wing segments delays stall and reduces overall drag, which could improve the ability of an unmanned air vehicle to fly in gusty conditions.
When does web-based personalization really work? The distinction between actual personalization and perceived personalization

A number of prior studies have suggested that personalization is more efficacious than non-personalization. However, the existing literature is somewhat ambiguous on whether the test of personalization effects should be based on a message sender's actual personalization process or a message recipient's perception of the message. It is argued in this article that an actual personalization process does not automatically yield more favorable effects because people's perceptions of personalized messages tend to be biased. Through three experiments, it is demonstrated that testing personalization effects based on a message sender's actual personalization process can be problematic and produce misleading results. Specifically, a personalized message can be perceived as non-personalized and a non-personalized message can be perceived as personalized. The key finding is that perceived personalization, instead of actual personalization, is the underlying psychological mechanism of message effectiveness. A message will show superior effects when it is perceived to be personalized by a message recipient, regardless of whether it is actually personalized or not. Personalized messages are not always more effective than generic messages.Actual personalization and perceived personalization are two distinct constructs.A personalized message may be accidentally perceived as non-personalized.A non-personalized message may be accidentally perceived as personalized.Perceived personalization is the real driver of favorable personalization effects.
Laser induced formation of adherent interfaces

In this paper the author reports a novel laser-based method to increase the adherence of coatings on high thermal expansion mismatched substrates. This method is based on on morphological modification of the substrate, which results in the creation of a three-dimensional thermal and composition graded interface.
Function revisited: how infants construe functional features in their representation of objects.

Publisher Summary The view of infants' developing understanding of object function has much in common with contemporary dynamic systems views of cognitive development. It is argued that the conceptualization of the function of the object is created in the moment through the interactions of multiple factors. Function has been promoted as a non-obvious or deep-level conceptual property that the members of a category share. The initial work in this area was motivated by a desire to understand how infants integrate non-obvious features into their categorization of objects. However, the conceptual ranking of function has been elevated to the essential status for artifact categories. Infants' functional actions on objects—for example, making animals drink from cups—have been used as evidence that their grouping of objects is not merely perceptual but contains conceptual information.
Introduction to Finite Elements in Engineering

Fundamental concepts matrix algebra and Gaussian elimination one-dimensional problems trusses two-dimensional problems using constant strain triangles axisymmetric solids subjected to axisymmetric loading two-dimensional isoparametric elements and numerical integration beams and frames three-dimensional problems in stress analysis scalar field problems dynamic considerations preprocessing and postprocessing.
Counterfactuals and Causal Inference: Methods and Principles for Social Research

Part I. Causality and Empirical Research in the Social Sciences: 1. Introduction Part II. Counterfactuals, Potential Outcomes, and Causal Graphs: 2. Counterfactuals and the potential-outcome model 3. Causal graphs Part III. Estimating Causal Effects by Conditioning on Observed Variables to Block Backdoor Paths: 4. Models of causal exposure and identification criteria for conditioning estimators 5. Matching estimators of causal effects 6. Regression estimators of causal effects 7. Weighted regression estimators of causal effects Part IV. Estimating Causal Effects When Backdoor Conditioning Is Ineffective: 8. Self-selection, heterogeneity, and causal graphs 9. Instrumental-variable estimators of causal effects 10. Mechanisms and causal explanation 11. Repeated observations and the estimation of causal effects Part V. Estimation When Causal Effects Are Not Point Identified by Observables: 12. Distributional assumptions, set identification, and sensitivity analysis Part VI. Conclusions: 13. Counterfactuals and the future of empirical research in observational social science.
Comparisons of Self-Reported and Chart-Identified Chronic Diseases in Inner-City Seniors

OBJECTIVES: To examine agreement between self-report of chronic disease and medical record data for inner-city seniors, their sensitivity and specificity, and the association between patient characteristics and accuracy of self-reports. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Two hospital-based primary care practices serving a low-income inner-city population. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 65 and older (n=323). MEASURES: Data on self-reported asthma, depression, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were collected through interviewer-administered surveys (in English and Spanish) and chart abstraction. Chart-based disease was defined in two ways: physician documentation and physician documentation plus use of a medication to treat that condition. Sensitivity, specificity, and agreement were calculated. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were used to determine the associations between patient characteristics and patient–chart agreement. RESULTS: Agreement between self-report and chart data was high for diabetes mellitus (kappa=0.94) intermediate for asthma (kappa=0.66), and hypertension (kappa=0.54) and low for depression (kappa=0.4). Sensitivity and specificity were high for diabetes mellitus (0.99 and 0.96, respectively) and low for depression (0.74 and 0.72, respectively). Specificity for hypertension was lowest (0.67). Age, education, health literacy, and other patient characteristics did not have clear associations across conditions. CONCLUSION: Self-reports may be most reliable for diabetes mellitus and least reliable for depression for surveys involving older, inner-city adults. Survey research with older adults should include confirmatory data when assessing presence of depression, hypertension, and asthma.
Blind source separation with possibilistic variables

This paper proposes a method for blind source separation (BSS) of observed variables characterized by possibility distributions. Techniques for BSS with probabilistic variables have been developed over the last decade under the general heading of independent component analysis (ICA). This paper proposes an analogous approach for linear mixtures of real sources characterized by possibility distributions. The methodology seeks a linear transformation of the observed variables that minimizes the interaction between sources based on a Hartley-like function proposed by Yuan and Klir for measuring the nonspecificity of real variables.
Functional decline in patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation: Results from the functional assessment in liver transplantation (FrAILT) study

Cirrhosis is characterized by sarcopenia and malnutrition, leading to progressive functional decline. We aimed to objectively measure functional decline in patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation and its association with waiting list mortality. Consecutive adults listed for liver transplantation with laboratory Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) ≥12 at a single center underwent functional status assessments at every outpatient visit using the Short Physical Performance Battery (0 = impaired to 12 = robust), consisting of gait, chair stands, and balance tests. Joint linear time-to-event analyses modeled the simultaneous impact of the longitudinal trajectory of physical function on waiting list mortality (=death or delisted for being too sick for liver transplantation). Included were 309 liver transplantation candidates. Median laboratory MELD was 15, serum albumin was 3.0 g/dL, 28% had ascites, 18% had hepatic encephalopathy, and 83% were Child class B or C. At a median follow-up of 14 months, 15% died or were delisted and 28% underwent liver transplantation. Average physical function worsened per 3 months on the waiting list: −0.38 kg in grip strength, −0.05 meters/second in gait, 0.03 seconds in chair stands, and −0.16 Short Physical Performance Battery points. In joint models of longitudinal trajectories of physical function and waiting list mortality adjusted for MELD-Na, albumin, hepatocellular carcinoma, and baseline physical function, the longitudinal trajectories of each physical function measure were significantly associated with waiting list mortality: grip (hazard ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.95), gait (hazard ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.84), chair stands (hazard ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.25), and Short Physical Performance Battery <10 (hazard ratio = 1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.15-2.20). Conclusion: Liver transplantation candidates experience significant functional decline on the waiting list, despite modest wait time and low baseline MELD; decline in physical function is associated with an increased risk of death or delisting, independent of liver disease severity. (Hepatology 2016;63:574–580)
Psychosocial Aspects of Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy: Donor Impressions

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic donation has become the most common technique for living donor kidney transplantation. Despite claims of greater patient acceptance, Significant increases in living donation, relative to the waiting list, have not been realized. Defining laparoscopic donors′ long-term psychosocial impressions may allow for strategies to increase rates of living donation. METHODS The study method was a retrospective telephone survey inquiring into pre-donation perceptions, hospital experiences, and post-donation psychosocial issues. RESULTS Eighty-one patients who had undergone laparoscopic donation with at least a 1-year follow-up were interviewed. Twenty-one percent first heard about this procedure from sources other than healthcare workers or their recipients. Overall, 99% believed they were adequately informed, and 35% reported pre-operative testing was difficult. Seventy-four percent of patients reported a positive impression of the hospital stay, although 52% reported more post-operative pain then expected. Sixty-one percent of patients returned to work within a month. Nine percent reported financial burden, and 6% reported difficulties with insurance. Eighty-four percent believed the recipient had a good outcome. Ninety-four percent would donate again if possible. CONCLUSION This study confi rms that long-term donor perceptions of laparoscopic nephrectomy remain favorable. Most donors are knowledgeable about this procedure, but perceptions may be erratic because of varied sources. Early contact with the transplant team is essential in providing an educational and streamlined experience to the laparoscopic donor in renal transplant.
Effect of the Wavelength of the Laser Beam on the Response of an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector

Abstract The effects of the wavelength of the laser beam on the response of an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) are discussed. Data characterizing the response of the detector and its dependence on the sample size have been collected for six solutes, using a pulsed dye laser as light source. The experimental results suggest that there is little influence of the wavelength on the intensity of the scattered light. On the other hand, the noise decreases in proportion to the wavelength of the incident light beam. Thus, the detection limit (at constant value of the signal to noise ratio) decreases with decreasing wavelengths. The performance of the ELSD improves when a short wavelength is used.
Academic literacy socialization of first year doctoral students in US: A micro-ethnographic perspective

Abstract This study reports findings from a micro-ethnographic analysis of the academic literacy socialization of six multilingual students in the field of education as they progressed through their first-year of doctoral education. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the academic socialization processes that these multilingual students underwent while building academic knowledge and social relationships, and to gain an understanding of disciplinary knowledge in a second language. Data came from videotaped outside class discussions and student interviews over 1 year. This study’s results suggest that socializing into the practices of academic discourse is a complex and multilayered process in which students collaboratively construct meaning and engage in interactive dialogs outside of their classrooms in order to learn how to become legitimate participants in their academic disciplines. The findings suggest that academic socialization in the first-year of a doctoral degree occurs in multiple spaces: in initial contact frames and institutional academic spaces, and within an academic culture of collaboration. These socialization spaces, in this study, provided students a ‘safe house’ in which they were empowered to challenge the academic practices they encountered in their first year and attempted to become reflective participants of the doctoral communities of their disciplines.
Comparing statistical packages: SPSS, Biomed, and SAS

Abstract SPSS, Biomed, and SAS are three statistical packages widely available to social scientists. Although similar, each has different capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Beside their use on mainframe computers, each is available for personal computers.
Retinal ganglion cell projections to individual layers of the lateral geniculate body in Galago crassicaudatus

The genus Galago provides an unique opportunity to study the relation between layers of the lateral geniculate body and classes of retinal ganglion cells. In the present experiments HRP was restricted to individual layers of the lateral geniculate body with the following results: After injections of the magnocellular layers, layers 1 and 2, labeled retinal ganglion cells ranged in size from 8 to 20 micrometers. After injections of the parvocellular layers, layers 3 and 6, labeled retinal ganglion cells ranged in size from 6 to 12 micrometers. After injections involving layers 4 and 5, which layers contain only very small, pale cells, labeled retinal ganglion cells ranged in size from 5 to 14 micrometers. Thus, the very largest ganglion cells were labeled only after injections of magnocellular layers 1 and 2, while small and medium retinal ganglion cells were labeled after HRP injections in every layers of the lateral geniculate body. Because the magnocellular layers actually contain a mixture of large, medium, and small-sized cells, we suggest that retinal ganglion cells of different size-classes project to geniculate relay cells of the corresponding size-class.
Dancers in flames

Ballet history is replete with tales of horror, of tender maidens engulfed in flames that charred their milk-white flesh. It was not war, passion, or arson that burnt their beautiful young bodies to the point where death was welcomed after days of suffering. Though it is not widely known, a series of unfortunate brushes of ballet tutus too close to open flames sent at least a dozen young ballerinas to ghastly deaths in America between 1850 and 1870.
Whole-system estimation of denitrification in a plains river : a comparison of two methods

Whole-system denitrification in the South Platte River was measured over a 13-month period using an open-channel N2 method and mass-balance measurements. Concentrations of dissolved N2 were measured with high precision by membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and estimates of denitrification were based on the mass flux of N2, after correction for reaeration and groundwater flux. Open-channel estimates of denitrification ranged from 0 to 3.08 g N m−2 d−1 and the mean annual rate was 1.62 g N m−2 d−1, which corresponds to removal of approximately 34% of the nitrate transported by the river over a distance of 18.5 km. Over the same period of time, estimates of denitrification based on mass-balance measurements ranged from 0.29 to 5.25 g N m−2 d−1 and the mean annual rate was 2.11 g N m−2 d−1. The two methods revealed similar seasonal patterns of denitrification the highest rates were measured from late April to August and the lowest rates were in winter. Both methods provide whole-system estimates of denitrification in running waters; where reaeration rate coefficients are low and flux of groundwater is well quantified, the open-channel method has fewer sources of uncertainty and is easier to implement.
The Effects of Variable Entry for a Bayesian Adaptive Test.

A comparison was made of the effects of a fixed and variable entry procedure on bias and information of a Bayesian adaptive test. It was found that neither the fixed nor the variable entry procedure produced biased ability estimates on the average. Both procedures did, however, offer biased ability estimates at the extremes of the ability distribution. Both procedures yielded peaked and asymmetric information curves, rather than ideal flat curves. Relative efficiency curves indicated that at no point along the ability continuum was one procedure more efficient than the other. The two procedures generate different item subsets for administration. In almost half the cases, the variable, in comparison with the fixed entry procedure, required more items to reach termination.
An optimization technique for the transient response of passively stable satellites

The principal result of this paper is an analytical technique for optimizing the transient response characteristics for a class of passively stabilized satellites in the presence of practical design parameter constraints. The technique developed is directed at linearized models and is treated in detail only for quartic characteristic equations. The results, even for the special case treated, are sufficiently broad to provide a generalization of some techniques which have appeared in the literature. Briefly, it is shown that certain coalescent root configuration represent a hierarchy of transient optima, and conditions are derived which give the optimum transient characteristics as functions of the available variable system parameters.
Vortex research facility improvements and preliminary density stratification effects on vortex wakes

Recent modernization of NASA's Vortex Research Facility is described. The facility has a 300-ft test section, scheduled for a 300-ft extension, with constant test speeds of the model up to 100 ft/sec. The data acquisition hardware and software improvements included the installation of a 24-channel PCM system onboard the research vehicle, and a large dedicated 16-bit minicomputer. Flow visualization of the vortex wake in the test section is by particle seeding, and a thin sheet of argon laser light perpendicular to the line of flight; detailed flow field measurements are made with a laser velocimeter optics system. The improved experimental capabilities of the facility were used in a study of atmospheric stratification effects on wake vortex decay, showing that the effects of temperature gradient must be taken into account to avoid misleading conclusions in wake vortex research.
Real-time fMRI search for the visual components of object perception

Acknowledgments NSF IGERT, R.K. Mellon Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program, NIH EUREKA Award #1R01MH084195A01, and the Temporal Dynamic of Learning Center at UCSD (NSF Science of Learning Center #SMA-1041755) Cortical perception of complex visual properties • The visual features encoded by midand high-level cortical visual regions are not obvious • Very limited number of stimuli can be shown in neuroimaging study, compared to diversity of potentially cortically-relevant features • We used realtime fMRI to explore cortical responses to specific features within restricted visual feature spaces for complex real-world or novel objects
Two new pre-trilobite faunas from western North America

Perhaps the greatest puzzle in the history of life is the nature and cause of events comprising the Precambrian–Cambrian evolutionary radiation of Metazoa, The major stumbling blocks to resolving this puzzle are a scarcity of late Precambrian and earliest Cambrian faunas in the fossil record and difficulties in correlating the few faunas that are known. The most diverse and best-known basal Cambrian (Tommotian) faunas are from Siberia1–3, and other pre-trilobite shelly faunas are known from the UK4,5, Newfoundland6,7, Mongolia8, China9–11, Scandinavia12 and northwestern Canada13. Here we report the discovery of two new early Cambrian shelly faunas from western North America, one from Nevada and the other from Sonora, Mexico. These faunas consist of small calcitic tubes and cones, some of which are closely related to previously known fossils from other areas. Both faunas are found hundreds of metres below the first trilobite occurrences, below the first presumed trilobite trace fossils, and seem to be earliest Cambrian in age. This is the first discovery of a diverse pre-trilobite shelly fauna in the classic Precambrian–Cambrian sequence of western Nevada and the White-Inyo Mountains of California, and the first report of pre-trilobite small shelly fossils from Mexico. These new finds may lead to an understanding of the pattern and dynamics of the Precambrian–Cambrian metazoan radiation, and to improved biostratigraphical correlations of the strata recording that event.
Planar Lens Antennas of Subwavelength Thickness: Collimating Leaky-Waves With Metasurfaces

High-gain lens antennas with a subwavelength thickness that radiate linearly and circularly polarized waves are reported. The lens antennas are fed with a planar, leaky radial waveguide that generates a TM-polarized Bessel beam (Bessel beam launcher). Two different metasurface lenses are placed a subwavelength distance from the Bessel beam launcher to collimate the radiation with minimal reflection loss. The unit cells of the two metasurface lenses are designed to act as inhomogenous wave plates to convert the polarization from radial to linear and circular, respectively. The lens antennas are fabricated using standard printed circuit board processes, and their performance is experimentally characterized. The antennas achieve an order of magnitude thickness reduction over previously reported lens antennas since the metasurface lenses are directly integrated with the antenna feed.
Fate of the verde: Water, environmental conflict, and the politics of scale in Arizona’s central highlands

Abstract This paper engages recent discussions about the politics of scale to examine emerging place-based conflicts over water resources in Arizona. Our focus is on the 14,247 sq km Verde River watershed in Arizona’s Central Highlands, a region that contains the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA), one of five zones in the state in which groundwater is regulated by state law. Residents in the watershed depend almost exclusively on groundwater, a resource now being mined at rates in excess of recharge. A host of environmental issues – including threats to local water security and to the baseflow of one of the few remaining perennial streams in Arizona – have catalyzed a variety of civil society groups across the region in seeking to stop, control, or mitigate scaled impacts of rapid exurbanization and groundwater exploitation in the PrAMA. Based on in-depth interviews, public fora transcripts, government and civil society group documents, media accounts, and scientific reports, we examine competing discourses about water and scalar politics of key citizen groups, government actors, and development interests. Through this analysis, we examine the socio-spatial construction of claims and counter-claims of environmental harms of groundwater development. The paper contributes to recent discussions of scalar politics in geography by highlighting the importance of environmental governance disputes over water resources using a First World case study.
Mate guarding in a Caribbean village

Behavioral observation, economic, and genealogical data collected in a rural Trinidadian village indicate: (1) males courting the same females have higher rates of agonistic interactions (e.g., arguing, fighting) with each other than they do with other males; (2) females courting the same males do not have higher rates of agonistic interactions with each other than they do with other females; (3) exclusive (monogamous) mating relationships have lower rates of agonistic interactions than nonexclusive (polygamous) mating relationships; (4) coresident mates interact more frequently when the female is fecund; (5) coresident mates have higher rates of agonistic interactions when the female is fecund; (6) males with fecund mates have higher rates of agonistic interactions with other unrelated males than do males with infecund mates; (7) fecund females do not have higher rates of agonistic interactions with other females than do infecund females; and (8) females do not guard prosperous males (those from households with 6 or more acres of land) more intensely than poorer males. These results suggest that mate guarding is an important aspect of reproductive competition, and that there are significant male/female differences in mate guarding strategies in this human population.
The relation of fasting insulin to blood pressure in a multiethnic population: the Miami Community Health Study.

Abstract PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the associations among fasting insulin, adiposity, waist girth, and blood pressure among a nondiabetic multiethnic population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 25–44-year-old African-Americans ( n = 159), Cuban-Americans ( n = 128), and non-Hispanic whites ( n = 207) selected from Date County, Florida. Fasting insulin levels were correlated with resting blood pressure level within each ethnic group. The separate effects of percentage body fat and waist girth on the association between blood pressure and insulin were analyzed in multiple linear regression and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Fasting insulin was positively associated with systolic ( r = 0.26–0.39; P r = 0.19–0.30; P = 0.10 to P r = 0.27; P P P = 0.02). Among Cuban-Americans, sex and percentage body fat were the main correlates of blood pressure level. Analysis of covariance revealed a relationship between insulin and blood pressure that was independent of waist girth among men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Fasting insulin level and blood pressure were positively associated among African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites. This association was not entirely due to the common association with percentage body fat or waist girth.
Model Presentation for Displacements Between Western North America, Eastern Eurasia, and Adjacent Oceanic Plates for the Past 180 Million Years: ABSTRACT

A model is presented for the displacements between western North America, eastern Eurasia, and adjacent oceanic plates (Pacific, Farallon, and Kula) for the past 180 million years. The model is based on the assumption that the hot spots in the Atlantic region have remained fixed relative to the hot spots in the Pacific basin (although not necessarily relative to the spin axis) and uses a new determination for relative motion between the Kula, Pacific, and Farallon plates. Reconstructions of the major elements of the Pacific basin are derived. The results indicate that between 180 and 53 m.y.B.P. the Kula plate moved in a general south to north motion through the Pacific basin, implying rapid subduction beneath Eurasia and right lateral oblique subduction with respect to North America. In contrast, the Farallon plate swept from west to east across the basin and allowed for rapid subduction beneath North America, with a left lateral oblique component and predominantly left lateral strike slip in Eurasia. The motion of the Farallon plate relative to North America after 53 m.y.B.P. changed to right lateral oblique subduction. The oceanic-continental linear velocities are given as diagrams showing at selected points around the Pacific margin the azimuth and speed of the relative motion as a function of time. End_of_Article - Last_Page 966------------
A Clinical Commentary on the Article “Injectable Acellular Hydrogels for Cardiac Repair”

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling caused by a myocardial infarction (MI) is responsible for almost 70% of the five million cases of heart failure in the USA [1]. Over the past 50 years, the establishment of intensive care units, antiarrhythmic drugs, and reperfusion therapy has improved early survival after acute MI. This success has paradoxically contributed to the increased incidence in heart failure. While the use of optimal pharmacologic therapy can slow the progression to heart failure after MI, the incidence of the disease continues to grow, and survival rates, once clinical symptoms appear, have not increased appreciably since the 1970s [2]. The outlook for patients with end-stage heart failure remains particularly poor. Dissatisfaction with the treatment options for end-stage heart failure has resulted in an increased interest in developing interventions that can be implemented early after MI with the intent of slowing or arresting the progression to heart failure. Cellular therapy with any number of cell lines has been championed by many investigators as a possible means of regenerating myocardium and ameliorating adverse LV remodeling after MI. In spite of extensive enthusiasm for this therapeutic approach, regeneration of electromechanically integrated myocardium in the infarct zone has never been demonstrated to occur in patients or in large animal infarct models.
microRNAs in mycobacterial disease: friend or foe?

As the role of microRNA in all aspects of biology continues to be unraveled, the interplay between microRNAs and human disease is becoming clearer. It should come of no surprise that microRNAs play a major part in the outcome of infectious diseases, since early work has implicated microRNAs as regulators of the immune response. Here, we provide a review on how microRNAs influence the course of mycobacterial infections, which cause two of humanity’s most ancient infectious diseases: tuberculosis and leprosy. Evidence derived from profiling and functional experiments suggests that regulation of specific microRNAs during infection can either enhance the immune response or facilitate pathogen immune evasion. Now, it remains to be seen if the manipulation of host cell microRNA profiles can be an opportunity for therapeutic intervention for these difficult-to-treat diseases.
Synthesis and topical delivery of N-alkyl-N-alkyloxycarbonylaminomethyl prodrugs of a model phenolic drug: Acetaminophen

The synthesis, physicochemical characterization and flux of a homologous series of N-alkyl-N-alkyloxycarbonylaminomethyl (NANAOCAM) prodrugs of a model phenolic drug, acetaminophen (APAP), have been investigated. The most water soluble member of the series gave the highest transdermal delivery from isopropyl myristate (IPM) through hairless mouse skin. The flux of NANAOCAM prodrugs of APAP was accurately predicted by the Roberts-Sloan (RS) equation.
Letter to the Editor-An Alternative Proof of a Conservation Law for the Queue G/G/1

Kleinrock first showed that, for a multiclass M/G/1 queue, the expected waiting times for all classes satisfy a simple linear equality constraint that is independent of queue discipline for a large class of disciplines. We generalize here the conditions under which this result holds and give a simpler proof.
The relationship between lymphocyte nuclear morphology and cell cycle stage in lymphoid neoplasia.

A significant percentage of lymphoid cells isolated from three lymphoid neoplasms (nodular lymphoma mixed cell type, mycosis fungoides, and Sezary syndrome) had tetraploid or near-tetraploid DNA content, as determined by flow cytometric analysis. In each case, a morphologically distinct population of cells with large, irregular nuclei was present, the percentage of which corresponded to the percentage of tetraploid cells. In a fourth case (diffuse "histiocytic" lymphoma), cells were sorted on the basis of DNA content from the G0-G1 compartment and compared morphologically to cells sorted from the S-G2(M) compartment. The G0-G1 cells has clumped nuclear chromatin, lacked prominent nucleoli, and had a mean nuclear diameter of 10.18 +/- 1.22 micrometer. The sorted cells with S-G2 (M) DNA content had one to several prominent nucleoli and less clumped nuclear chromatin, and they were significantly larger, with a mean nuclear diameter of 13.76 +/- 1.59 micrometer (p less than 0.00001). These preliminary results suggest that, in lymphoid malignancies, certain morphologic characteristics of individual lymphoid cells are related to their DNA content (level of ploidy) and/or the stage of the cell within its division cycle.
Conserved, Erythropoietin-Responsive VL30 Promoters Isolated from Erythroid Progenitor Cells

Virus-like 30S (VL30) elements are endogenous retro-elements of the mouse retrotransposon family. These elements are transcriptionally responsive in a temporal and tissue-specific manner due to the U3 promoter region of the elements' long terminal repeat (LTR). We have analyzed VL30 promoters from erythroid progenitor cell lines (MEL 585S and ELM-I-1) that contrasted in their response to erythropoietin (epo). Through RT-PCR-generated cDNAs, VL30 promoters were identified and showed homology to the third and fourth U3 subgroups, with GATA-1, Jak2/STAT5, and B10 RRE sites. One clone (ELM5) showed 97% homology to BVL-1, a putative epo-responsive VL30 element. In addition, a novel U3 promoter (MEL/ELM CONSTIT) showed complete sequence homology between both cell lines. Ribonuclease protection confirmed that epo-induced VL30 promoters were activated in ELM-I-1 cells, whereas the conserved VL30 MEL-ELM CONSTIT VL30 promoter showed no enhanced expression in the epo-unresponsive MEL cells. Identification of these U3 promoters suggests that VL30s are conserved and can be transcriptionally activated in an epo-specific manner.
Normalization of neuronal responses in cortical area MT across signal strengths and motion directions

Multiple visual stimuli are common in natural scenes, yet it remains unclear how multiple stimuli interact to influence neuronal responses. We investigated this question by manipulating relative signal strengths of two stimuli moving simultaneously within the receptive fields (RFs) of neurons in the extrastriate middle temporal (MT) cortex. Visual stimuli were overlapping random-dot patterns moving in two directions separated by 90°. We first varied the motion coherence of each random-dot pattern and characterized, across the direction tuning curve, the relationship between neuronal responses elicited by bidirectional stimuli and by the constituent motion components. The tuning curve for bidirectional stimuli showed response normalization and can be accounted for by a weighted sum of the responses to the motion components. Allowing nonlinear, multiplicative interaction between the two component responses significantly improved the data fit for some neurons, and the interaction mainly had a suppressive effect on the neuronal response. The weighting of the component responses was not fixed but dependent on relative signal strengths. When two stimulus components moved at different coherence levels, the response weight for the higher-coherence component was significantly greater than that for the lower-coherence component. We also varied relative luminance levels of two coherently moving stimuli and found that MT response weight for the higher-luminance component was also greater. These results suggest that competition between multiple stimuli within a neuron's RF depends on relative signal strengths of the stimuli and that multiplicative nonlinearity may play an important role in shaping the response tuning for multiple stimuli.
Chronic interferon-alpha administration disrupts sleep continuity and depth in patients with hepatitis C: association with fatigue, motor slowing, and increased evening cortisol

Background Consequences of chronic exposure to cytokines of the innate immune system on sleep in humans and the association of cytokine-induced sleep alterations with behavior, motor performance, and cortisol secretion are unknown. Methods Thirty-one patients with hepatitis C without pre-existing sleep disorders underwent nighttime polysomnography, daytime multiple sleep latency testing, behavioral assessments, neuropsychological testing, and serial blood sampling at baseline and after ∼12 weeks of either treatment with the innate immune cytokine interferon (IFN)-alpha ( n = 19) or no treatment ( n = 12). Fatigue and sleepiness were assessed using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Results Interferon-alpha administration led to significant increases in wake after sleep onset and significant decreases in stage 3/4 sleep and sleep efficiency. Rapid eye movement latency and stage 2 sleep were significantly increased during IFN-alpha treatment. Decreases in stage 3/4 sleep and increases in rapid eye movement latency were associated with increases in fatigue, whereas decreases in sleep efficiency were associated with reduced motor speed. Increased wake after sleep onset was associated with increased evening plasma cortisol. Despite IFN-alpha-induced increases in fatigue, daytime sleepiness did not increase. In fact, IFN-alpha-treated patients exhibited decreased propensity to fall asleep during daytime nap opportunities. Conclusions Chronic exposure to an innate immune cytokine reduced sleep continuity and depth and induced a sleep pattern consistent with insomnia and hyperarousal. These data suggest that innate immune cytokines may provide a mechanistic link between disorders associated with chronic inflammation, including medical and/or psychiatric illnesses and insomnia, which, in turn, is associated with fatigue, motor slowing, and altered cortisol.
Optical fiber runs through “In-Unit” with 0.9mm drop, clear clips and epoxy with invisible tracks

Verizon has successfully initiated and deployed an innovative drop cable solution for the installation of FTTh services in existing, residential Multi-Dwelling-Unit applications. The new In-Unit cable consists of 0.9mm drop with G.657.B3 fiber and a field spliceable, mechanical connector.
Transmembrane-deletion Mutants of the Membrane-type Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Process Progelatinase A and Express Intrinsic Matrix-degrading Activity

Abstract Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MT-MMP-1) has been proposed to play a critical role in regulating the expression of tissue-invasive phenotypes in normal and neoplastic cells by directly or indirectly mediating the activation of progelatinase A. To begin characterizing MT-MMP-1 structure-function relationships, transmembrane-deletion mutants were constructed, and the processing of the zymogens as well as the enzymic activity of the mature proteinases was analyzed. We now demonstrate that pro-MT-MMP-1 mutants are efficiently processed to active proteinases following post-translational endoproteolysis immediately downstream of an Arg-Arg-Lys-Arg basic motif by a proprotein convertase-dependent pathway. The secreted form of active MT-MMP-1 not only displays an N terminus identical with that described for the processed wild-type enzyme at Tyr (Strongin, A. Y., Collier, I., Bannikov, G., Marmer, B. L., Grants, G. A., and Goldberg, G. I.(1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 5331-5338), but also directly mediated progelatinase A activation via a two-step proteolytic cascade indistinguishable from that observed with intact cells. Furthermore, although the only function previously ascribed to MT-MMP-1 is its ability to act as a progelatinase A activator, purified transmembrane deletion mutants also expressed proteolytic activities against a wide range of extracellular matrix molecules. Given recent reports that MT-MMP-1 ectodomains may undergo intercellular transfer in vivo (Okada, A., Bellocq, J.-P., Rouyer, N., Chenard, M.-P., Rio, M.-C., Chambon, P., and Basset, P.(1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 2730-2734), our data suggest that soluble forms of the proteinase confer recipient cells with the ability to not only process progelatinase A, but also directly degrade extracellular matrix components.
Ischemic prevention for stent implantation via brachial artery in children.

An 11-year-old boy received stent implantation for peripheral pulmonary stenosis through the left modified Blalock-Taussig shunt from the left brachial approach because of the hairpin-shaped route from a femoral or carotid approach. A temporary bypass between the left radial and the femoral arteries was established to prevent ischemic complication of the left forearm. There was no ischemic change of the left forearm in the physiological monitoring despite the long procedure (more than 4 hr) and brachial arterial spasms. No complications occurred after the procedure. The temporary bypass will support fewer complications in various catheter interventions through a brachial arterial approach in children. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.