cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SOLUBLE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY ANTIGENS (S-HLA) IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 76

The functional significance of soluble-HLA Class I (S-HLA-I) and Class II(S-HLA-II) antigens is unclear. They are thought to have immunomodulatory properties. We, therefore, examined the expression of S-HLA-I and S-HLA-II in sera from patients with bronchial asthma according to their racial background. Using a solid phase ELISA, the levels of S-HLA-I and S-HLA-II were measured in 11 African-American and 13 Caucasian patients with bronchial asthma, as well as in healthy individuals (n = 66 African-Americans and n = 82 Caucasians). The levels of S-HLA-I in asthmatic patients (mean = 363 ng/ml in African-Americans and mean = 287 ng/ml in Caucasians) were close to those found in respective racial population of normal controls (mean = 337 ng/ml in African-Americans and mean = 241 ng/ml in normal Caucasians). In contrast, the concentration of S-HLA-II was statistically increased (p = 0.003) in patients with bronchial asthma. No statistical difference (p = 0.5) in S-HLA-II concentrations was demonstrated between African-American and Caucasian asthmatic patients. Based on the proposed immunomodulatory function of both S-HLA-I and S-HLA-II the increased levels of S-HLA-II identified in patients with bronchial asthma may contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease. Further studies with the presence of selected clinical parameters in multiple ethnic groups will provide more details on the relationship between S-HLA and bronchial asthma.
Cell–Cell Signaling: The ins and outs of receptor tyrosine phosphatases

Receptor tyrosine phosphatases interact with cell adhesion molecules to transduce intracellular signals and alter cell– cell adhesion. Interactions with protein complexes can localize these phosphatases to particular substrates.
Individual Changes in Clozapine Levels After Smoking Cessation: Results and a Predictive Model

Published reports document 20-40% lower mean serum clozapine concentrations in smokers compared with nonsmokers due to enzyme induction. Despite the increase in nonsmoking psychiatric facilities in the United States, previous studies have not tracked individual changes in serum clozapine levels after smoking cessation. Clozapine level changes were analyzed in 11 patients at Oregon State Hospital who were on stable clozapine doses, before and after implementation of a hospital-wide nonsmoking policy. A mean increase in clozapine levels of 71.9% (442.4 ng/ml +/- 598.8 ng/ml) occurred upon smoking cessation (p < .034) from a baseline level of 550.2 ng/ml (+/- 160.18 ng/ml). One serious adverse event, aspiration pneumonia, was associated with a nonsmoking serum clozapine level of 3066 ng/ml. Elimination of statistically extreme results generated a mean increase of 57.4 % or 284.1 ng/ml (+/- 105.2 ng/ml) for the remaining cases (p < .001) and permitted construction of a linear model which explains 80.9% of changes in clozapine levels upon smoking cessation (F = 34.9;p = .001): clozapine level as nonsmoker = 45.3 + 1.474 (clozapine level as smoker). These findings suggest that significant increases in clozapine levels upon smoking cessation may be predicted by use of a model. Those with high baseline levels should be monitored for serious adverse events.
Diets Containing High Oil Corn and Tallow for Dairy Cows During Early Lactation

Abstract Four multiparous Holstein cows averaging 49 DIM and fitted with ruminal cannulas were utilized in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods to determine the effects of diets containing high oil corn grain and tallow. Cows were fed diets of alfalfa haylage and concentrate (37:63, DM basis) for ad libitum intake. Treatments were 1) control, no added fat; 2) high oil corn grain replacing regular corn grain; 3) high oil corn grain and 2.5% tallow; and 4) high oil corn grain and 5% tallow. Intake of DM, milk production, and yields of milk fat, milk protein, milk SNF, and 4% FCM were not affected by dietary fat, although DMI tended to be lower when cows were fed 5% tallow. Percentages of protein and SNF in milk were lower when cows were fed diets containing fat. Percentage of milk fat was lower when cows were fed diets containing tallow. Supplemental fat decreased total VFA concentrations in ruminal fluid. Cows fed high oil corn had a greater molar proportion of acetate and a larger acetate to propionate ratio in ruminal fluid than cows fed high oil corn and tallow. Digestibility of total fatty acids decreased when tallow was added to diets containing high oil corn. No differences were observed among treatments for total tract apparent digestibilities of DM and fiber or utilization of energy and N. Dietary high oil corn and 5% tallow tended to decrease DMI and to alter ruminal fermentation characteristics.
A homogeneous model for gas-liquid flow in horizontal wells

Abstract Radial influx or outflux stands for the major difference between fluid flow in a pipe and fluid flow in a well. A homogeneous model for gas–liquid flow in a horizontal well is presented in this paper. In addition to frictional and gravitational components of total pressure drop, accelerational pressure drops due to fluid expansion and radial influx or outflux are considered. Effect of radial influx or outflux on wall friction is also taken account for. With a segmented approach, the new model and several existing pipe flow models have been applied to predict pressure drop along a wellbore, and predictions are compared with experimental data. It is found that the new homogeneous model outperforms existing models for gas–liquid flow in horizontal wells.
Retrieving talk from the simple past and the present progressive on alternative radio

Abstract The paper focuses on the interplay of grammatical forms and interaction. A host on a radio call-in show engages in various social actions such as agreement, disagreement, topic shift, and topic continuity. As he communicates these actions, the host re-formulates prior talk using the attributive verb in the simple past and present progressive tense. The choice of tense correlates closely with the type of action the host conveys. Hence the host treats tense as a social tool rather than to mark temporal events. This study argues that a study of linguistic form should include an analysis of pragmatic function in interactional practices.
A Class of Statistics with Asymptotically Normal Distribution

Let X 1 …, X n be n independent random vectors, X v = , and Φ(x 1 …, x m ) a function of m(≤n) vectors . A statistic of the form , where the sum ∑″ is extended over all permutations (α1 …, α m ) of different integers, 1 α≤ (αi≤ n, is called a U-statistic. If X 1, …, X n have the same (cumulative) distribution function (d.f.) F(x), U is an unbiased estimate of the population characteristic θ(F) = f … f Φ(x 1,…, x m ) dF(x 1) … dF(x m ). θ(F) is called a regular functional of the d.f. F(x). Certain optimal properties of U-statistics as unbiased estimates of regular functionals have been established by Halmos [9] (cf. Section 4)
A bridge between cultures: Linked ethnographic-empirical methodology for culture anchored research

Relatively little research in community psychology has explicitly focused on groups whose world views, values, and practices diverge from mainstream North American and social science culture. Furthermore, when research does include members of subcultural groups, the same research methodologies used to stydy mainstream populations tend to be employed. In the current article, it is proposed that a linked ethnographic—empirical methodology is critical for culturally anchored research of rarely studied subcultures which differ markedly form the dominant culture. The use of a linked ethnographic—empirical methodology in the study of a nontraditional religious subculture is described, and the study's primary findings summarized. Respective and combined contributions of the ethnographic and empirical (i.e., quantitative) research components in seven key areas are discussed: (a) selection of phenomenon to study; (b) generation of hypotheses; (c) culturally anchored measure development; (d) sampling; (e) analyses; (f) interpretation of findings; and (g) social action. Limitations of the linked methodology are discussed.
Does Neighborhood Really Matter?: Comparing Historically Defined Neighborhood Boundaries with Housing Submarkets

Theory suggests that it is important to consider the housing-market response to policy in terms of adjustments among housing submarkets. Defining areas as housing submarkets may be better for choosing, analyzing, and predicting the effects of revitalization policies than defining them as historically recognized neighborhoods if these neighborhoods do not reflect consumer behavior. The first key step in the submarket approach is to ascertain whether current definitions of neighborhoods adequately represent submarkets defined by consumer assessments of housing quality. This article uses the neighborhood planning of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to illustrate how quality-leveldefined housing submarkets compare to planners' administrative boundaries and historically recognized neighborhoods. The housing submarkets of the city diverge substantially from planner-defined geographic areas of analysis. This finding suggests that predefined neighborhoods, while valid for some purposes, do not define areas for predict...
Persistent pupillary membrane associated with aniridia

Familial aniridia is an autosomal dominant condition in which only a small iris remnant is present. A controversy exists as to whether the pathogenetic, embryologic origin of this condition is neuroectodermal or mesodermal. We examined a male infant with bilateral congenital aniridia associated with persistent pupillary membranes. This child had a prominent arcade of vessels extending onto the anterior lens surface for 360 degrees from small iris remnants in both eyes. The presence of a mesodermal pupillary membrane despite absence of the iris suggested a primary neuroectodermal defect as the pathogenetic factor in this case of aniridia.
Spectral analysis of the dissipation of the residual-based variational multiscale method

Abstract We analyze the application of the residual-based variational multiscale (VMS) method to the solution of a generic partial differential equation. We prove that the model terms introduced by this method are dissipative under certain restrictions that are likely to be satisfied by spectral approximations of conservation laws. In particular, we demonstrate that the Fourier-spectral approximations of Burgers equation and the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations satisfy these conditions. Hence we show that the residual-based VMS model for these equations is dissipative, even though the form of the model term does not resemble an eddy viscosity. We analyze the scale dependence of this dissipation using fully resolved numerical solutions and conclude that the VMS model accurately captures the scale dependence of the cross-stress terms ( u ¯ u ′ ) and under-predicts the contribution from the Reynolds-stress terms ( u ′ u ′ ) . These observations have implications on the use of the residual-based VMS method in spectral approximations of nonlinear conservation laws.
Improved Algorithms for Matching r-Separated Sets with Applications to Protein Structure Alignment

The Largest Common Point-set (LCP) and the Pattern Matching (PM) problems have received much attention in the fields of pattern matching, computer vision and computational biology. Perhaps, the most important application of these problems is the protein structural alignment, which seeks to find a superposition of a pair of input proteins that maximizes a given protein structure similarity metric. Although it has been shown that LCP and PM are both tractable problems, the running times of existing algorithms are high-degree polynomials. Here, we present novel methods for finding approximate and exact threshold-LCP and threshold-PM for r-separated sets, in general, and protein 3D structures, in particular. Improved running times of our methods are achieved by building upon several different, previously published techniques.
Nanocarrier Cross-Linking Density and pH Sensitivity Regulate Intracellular Gene Transfer

Treatment of diseases on the molecular level by genetic material is limited by effective delivery mechanisms. We focused on the synthesis of a pH-sensitive gene delivery vehicle based on dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with tunable swelling, cross-linking density, and DNA release kinetics within the endosomal pH range. Our strategy, which utilized a single step for DNA encapsulation, enhanced gene transfection efficiency and reduced cytotoxicity relative to polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly-L-lysine (PLL).
ESR of bimetallic transition-metal molecules: Mo and W with Cu, Ag, and Au

Abstract Earlier ESR spectroscopy of CrCu, CrAg, and CrAu molecules in argon matrices at 4 K has been extended to Mo and W. MoCu, MoAg, MoAu, WCu, WAg, and WAu are all found to have 6 Σ ground states with zero-field splitting parameters, D , greater than about 2 cm −1 . Hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole (in molecules containing 197 Au) interactions were observed.
Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation, cryopreservation and culture

Testis cells of a fertile male mouse can be transplanted to the seminiferous tubules of an infertile male, where the donor spermatogonial stem cells will establish spermatogenesis and produce spermatozoa that transmit the donor haplotype to progeny. In addition, stem cells can be cryopreserved for long periods, thereby making male germ lines immortal. Recently, mouse testis cells have been cultured for longer than 3 months and, following transplantation, produced spermatogenesis. These techniques are likely to be applicable to many species, since rat testis cells can be cryopreserved and generate spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules of immunodeficient mice.
Tannins and saponin: Interaction in herbivore diets

Abstract Mice allowed to choose between diets containing tannin or saponin did not experience food intake depression, weight loss or high faeces weight to food weight ratios. Diets containing tannin produced all these effects and saponin diets resulted in weight losses and high faeces to food ratios. Mice provided with diets containing both tannin and saponin in predetermined proportions experienced weight losses similar to, or greater than, those of mice fed diets containing either toxin alone. Urinary glucuronide production by mice provided with a choice of tannin and saponin diets was less than that of mice feeding on diets containing either tannin or saponin alone. Simultaneous consumption of tannin and saponin (in the right proportions) may promote chemical interactions that inhibit the toxins' absorption from the intestinal tract. This type of interaction is likely to have influenced the evolution of herbivore feeding behaviour.
Simulation and visualization of velocity fields in simple electrokinetic devices

Capillary electrophoresis and similar techniques which use an electrified contracting-flow interface (gradient elution moving boundary electrophoresis, electrophoretic exclusion, for examples) are widely used, but the detailed flow dynamics and local electric field effects within this zone have only recently been quantitatively investigated. The motivating force behind this work is establishing particle flow based visualization tools enabling advances for arbitrary interfacial designs beyond this traditional flow/electric field interface. These tools work with pre-computed 2-dimensional fundamental interacting fields which govern particle and(or) fluid flow and can now be obtained from various computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software packages. The particle-flow visualization calculations implemented in the tool and are built upon a solid foundation in fluid dynamics. The module developed in here provides a simulated video particle observation tool which generates a fast check for legitimacy. Further, estimating the accuracy and precision of full 2-D and 3-D simulation is notoriously difficult and a centerline estimation is used to quickly and easily quantitate behaviors in support of decision points. This tool and the recent quantitative assessment of particle behavior within the interfacial area have set the stage for new designs which can emphasize advantageous behaviors not offered by the traditional configuration.
Graph ranking for exploratory gene data analysis

Microarray technology has made it possible to simultaneously monitor the expression levels of thousands of genes in a single experiment. However, the large number of genes greatly increases the challenges of analyzing, comprehending and interpreting the resulting mass of data. Selecting a subset of important genes is inevitable to address the challenge. Gene selection has been investigated extensively over the last decade. Most selection procedures, however, are not sufficient for accurate inference of underlying biology, because biological significance does not necessarily have to be statistically significant. Additional biological knowledge needs to be integrated into the gene selection procedure. We propose a general framework for gene ranking. We construct a bipartite graph from the Gene Ontology (GO) and gene expression data. The graph describes the relationship between genes and their associated molecular functions. Under a species condition, edge weights of the graph are assigned to be gene expression level. Such a graph provides a mathematical means to represent both species-independent and species-dependent biological information. We also develop a new ranking algorithm to analyze the weighted graph via a kernelized spatial depth (KSD) approach. Consequently, the importance of gene and molecular function can be simultaneously ranked by a real-valued measure, KSD, which incorporates the global and local structure of the graph. Over-expressed and under-regulated genes also can be separately ranked. The gene-function bigraph integrates molecular function annotations into gene expression data. The relevance of genes is described in the graph (through a common function). The proposed method provides an exploratory framework for gene data analysis.
ELIAS: Every Location Is A Storage

Our physical environment is a natural storage where we are used to store and share information. A stop sign, for instance, is such a piece of information that is stored on a particular location. In this paper, we assume a fully distributed mobile networking system and investigate the challenges of enabling the system to treat its underlying geographic environment as a virtual storage disk. Specifically, our research aims at developing a platform that allows one to conceptually save/retrieve a data item to/from a location. Since this capability can be used in a broad range of applications, the proposed platform can serve as a common underlay for developing and running these applications. We propose a cost-effective implementation of this platform. For the purpose of performance evaluation, we develop a detailed analytical model and verify its accuracy using simulation.
Velocities of southern Basin and Range xenoliths: Insights on the nature of lower crustal reflectivity and composition

To reconcile differences between the assessments of crustal compositioninthesouthernBasinandRangeprovinceonthebasis of seismic refraction and reflection data and lower-crustal xenoliths, we measured velocities of xenoliths from the Cima volcanic field in southern California. Lower-crustal samples studied includedgabbro,microgabbro,andpyroxenite.Wefindthatthemafic xenolith velocities are compatible with regional in situ measurements from seismic refraction studies, provided that a mixture of gabbro and pyroxenite is present in the lower crust. Supporting thismodelareobservationsthatmanyofthelower-crustalxenoliths from the Cima volcanic field are composites of these rock types, with igneous contacts. Vertical incidence synthetic seismograms show that a gabbroic lower crust with occasional pyroxenite layering can produce a reflective lower crust that is similar in texture to that shown by seismic reflection data recorded nearby.
Internal‐rotation and inversion potential energy surfaces for methylamine and methylphosphine

Using the HF, MP2, and DFT methods with a 6-311G** basis set, we examine the internal-rotation and inversion of the amino and phosphino groups in methylamine and methylphosphine. The resulting energy surfaces are reported as a function of rotation and inversion descriptors. Both surfaces are characterized by several special points: three minimum energy states, three first-order internal-rotation transition states, six first-order inversion transition states, and six second-order inversion transition states. The MP2 method gave better agreement with experiment. For methylamine, the MP2 energy barrier for internal-rotation is 8.73 kJ/mol; for first-order inversion it is 22.80 kJ/mol and for second-order inversion it is 22.41 kJ/mol. For methylphosphine, the MP2 energy barriers are 7.53, 149.88, and 149.65 kJ/mol, respectively. The energy barriers include ZPE correction contributions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008
New Efficient Attacks on Statistical Disclosure Control Mechanisms

The goal of a statistical database is to provide statistics about a population while simultaneously protecting the privacy of the individual records in the database. The tension between privacy and usability of statistical databases has attracted much attention in statistics, theoretical computer science, security, and database communities in recent years. A line of research initiated by Dinur and Nissim investigates for a particular type of queries, lower bounds on the distortion needed in order to prevent gross violations of privacy. The first result in the current paper simplifies and sharpens the Dinur and Nissim result. The Dinur-Nissim style results are strong because they demonstrate insecurity of all low-distortion privacy mechanisms. The attacks have an all-or-nothing flavor: letting ndenote the size of the database, i¾?(n) queries are made before anything is learned, at which point i¾?(n) secret bits are revealed. Restricting attention to a wide and realistic subset of possible low-distortion mechanisms, our second result is a more acute attack, requiring only a fixed number of queries for each bit revealed.
The Detection of Cracks in Ceramic Packages by Vapor Condensation

This paper details a novel approach to the detection of cracks in ceramic semiconductor packages. The technique is extremely fast and has been designed to be a cost effective method of performing crack detection for high volume production applications as well as for traditional failure analysis. The test does not require any special lighting nor any optical magnification. It is capable of detecting cracks as fine as one-tenth of a micron in width. Although developed for a specific situation, the test may be useful for a wide variety of other applications.
Efficient Partial-Parallel Decoder Architecture for Quasi-Cyclic Nonbinary LDPC Codes

Nonbinary low-density parity-check (NB-LDPC) codes constructed over GF(q) (q >; 2) can achieve higher coding gain than binary LDPC codes when the code length is moderate. A complete partial-parallel decoder architecture based on the Min-max algorithm is proposed for quasi-cyclic NB-LDPC codes in this paper. A novel scheme and corresponding architecture are developed to implement the elementary step of the check node processing. In our design, layered decoding is applied and only nm <; q messages are kept on each edge of the associated Tanner graph. The computation units and the scheduling of the computations are optimized in the context of layered decoding to reduce the area requirement and increase the speed. This paper also introduces an overlapped method for the check node processing among different layers to further speed up the decoding. From complexity and latency analysis, our design is much more efficient than any previous design. Our proposed decoder for a (744, 653) code over GF(25) has also been synthesized on a Xilinx Virtex-2 Pro FPGA device. It can achieve a throughput of 9.30 Mbps when 15 decoding iterations are carried out.
Nursing Model of Hospitalization Events

Purpose: To provide a model of hospitalization events from a nursing perspective. Hospitalization has become an event of highly technical care coupled with intense nursing care requirements. This proposed model is needed to support clinical nursing research among hospitalized patients. Scope: Hospitalization occupying space and time as a discrete event on the health-illness continuum. First developed to provide a framework for a descriptive study, the model shows the factors involved in hospitalization and provides a framework for understanding the nursing care that occurs. Selected results from descriptive research that used patients hospitalized with AIDS as subjects are reported as an example of use of the model. Conclusions: Research about hospitalization events continues to be critical for the advancement of clinical nursing. This model is presented to provide a conceptual framework for future research.
Ixabepilone (epothilone B analogue BMS-247550) is active in chemotherapy-naive patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer: A Southwest Oncology Group Trial S0111

Purpose The epothilones are a new class of tubulin-polymerizing agents with activity in taxane-sensitive and resistant tumor models. We evaluated ixabepilone (BMS-247550) in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Methods Eligible patients had chemotherapy-naive metastatic HRPC, a Zubrod performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate organ function. All patients received BMS-247550 at 40 mg/m2 over 3 hours every 3 weeks. The primary end point was proportion of patients achieving a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response. Results Forty-eight patients with metastatic HRPC were registered. Forty-two patients were eligible, with a median age of 73 years and a median PSA level of 111 ng/mL; 78% had bone-only or bone and soft tissue metastases, and 88% had objective radiologic disease progression at registration. Grade 3 and 4 adverse events (AEs) occurred in 16 and three patients, respectively. All grade 4 toxicities were neutropenia or leukopenia. The most frequent grade 3 AEs were ne...
Algorithms for closed loop control of quantum dynamics

Most quantum systems considered for control by external fields are plagued by a serious lack of complete information about the underlying Hamiltonian. Traditional feedback control techniques are generally not appropriate due to the latter problem, as well as the ultrafast nature of typical quantum dynamics phenomena and the fact that observations of the quantum system will inevitably lead to a disturbance which may often be contradictory to the desired control. In contrast, learning control techniques have a special role to play in the manipulation of quantum dynamics phenomena. The unique capabilities of quantum systems making them amenable to learning control are (a) the ability to have very large numbers of identical systems for submission to control, (b) the high duty cycle of laboratory laser controls, and (c) the ability to observe the impact of trial controls at ultrafast time scales. Various learning algorithms have been proposed to guide this control process. The paper discusses these proposals, as well as some new perspectives.
Slowly progressive systemic mastocytosis with high mast-cell burden and no evidence of a non-mast-cell hematologic disorder: an example of a smoldering case?

Abstract A 43-year-old man with extensive systemic mastocytosis with poor prognostic indicators but no overt hematologic abnormality is described. This patient's clinical presentation and course are consistent with the newly proposed ‘smoldering mastocytosis’ category. Long-term follow-up of patients is needed to determine whether they may be at higher risk for progression into more aggressive categories.
Protein Electrophoresis and Immunofixation for the Diagnosis of Monoclonal Gammopathies

Awoman in her 70s presentedwith numbness in her hands that had progressively worsened over the last 6 months.. She did not have diabetes mellitus and she did not drink alcohol.Onphysical examination, shehadnopallor, lymphadenopathy,ororganomegaly. She had evidence of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (positive Phalen test and Tinel sign bilaterally)andreduceddeeptendonreflexes in theupperand lowerextremitiesbilaterally. Laboratory test results for complete blood cell count, serum calcium, serum creatinine, blood glucose, serum thyroid-stimulatinghormone, and serumB12werewithin normal limits. Becauseofunexplainedneuropathy, aworkup todetect anunderlyingmonoclonal gammopathywasdone, includingserumproteinelectrophoresis, immunofixation, and free light chain assay (see Table).
Regulation of the mesangial cell myofibroblast phenotype by actin polymerization

Mesangial cells in diverse glomerular diseases become myofibroblast-like, characterized by activation of smooth muscle alpha-actin (alpha-SMA) expression. In cultured mesangial cells, serum-deprivation markedly increases alpha-SMA expression, cell size, and stress fiber formation. Since stress fibers are assembled from actin monomers, we investigated the hypothesis that alterations in stress fiber formation regulate alpha-SMA expression and hypertrophy. Human mesangial cells were treated with agents that disrupt or stabilize actin stress fibers. Depolymerization of actin stress fibers in serum-deprived cells with actin-depolymerizing agents, cytochalasin B (CytB) and latrunculin B (LatB), or with inhibitors of Rho-kinase, Y-27632 and HA-1077 decreased alpha-SMA mRNA as judged by Northern blot analysis. Western blot analysis showed that CytB also reduced alpha-SMA protein levels. In serum-fed cells, agents that stabilized actin stress fibers, jasplakinolide (Jas) and phalloidin, increased alpha-SMA mRNA and protein. Treatment of human or rat mesangial cells with CytB, LatB, or Y-27632 decreased alpha-SMA promoter activity. In contrast, Jas increased promoter activity 5.6-fold in rat mesangial cells. The presence of an RNA polymerase inhibitor blocked degradation of alpha-SMA mRNA in cells treated with CytB suggesting that destabilization of this message is dependent on a newly transcribed or rapidly degraded factor. Inhibition of actin polymerization by CytB, LatB, Y-27623, and HA-1077 inhibited incorporation of (3)[H]-leucine into newly synthesized protein. Additionally, CytB and LatB decreased cell volume as determined by flow cytometry. Collectively, these results indicate that the state of polymerization of the actin cytoskeleton regulates alpha-SMA expression, hypertrophy, and myofibroblast differentiation in mesangial cells.
Variant interpretation through Bayesian fusion of frequency and genomic knowledge

Variant interpretation is a central challenge in genomic medicine. A recent study demonstrates the power of Bayesian statistical approaches to improve interpretation of variants in the context of specific genes and syndromes. Such Bayesian approaches combine frequency (in the form of observed genetic variation in cases and controls) with biological annotations to determine a probability of pathogenicity. These Bayesian approaches complement other efforts to catalog human variation. See related Research; http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13073-014-0120-4
Perioperative outcomes after open and endovascular repair of intact abdominal aortic aneurysms in the United States during 2001.

Abstract Objective Small patient numbers, mixed data from clinical trials, and longitudinal series representing institutional learning curves have characterized previous studies of early outcomes after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. We compared the perioperative outcomes of endovascular and open surgical AAA repair in an unselected sample of patients in a single calendar year using a national administrative database. Methods The 2001 National Inpatient Sample database was retrospectively reviewed. This database represents 20% of all-payer stratified sample of non-federal US hospitals. Patients older than 49 years were identified by primary diagnostic codes (International Classification of Disease, ninth revision [ICD-9], 441.4, intact, nonruptured AAA) and procedure codes (ICD-9 38.44 for open, 39.71 for endovascular repair). Patient demographic data (age, sex), comorbid conditions (ICD-9 coded), inpatient complications (ICD-9 coded), length of stay, final discharge disposition (home vs institution vs death), and hospital charges were examined with univariate and multivariate analyses. Results In calendar year 2001, 7172 patients underwent either open (64%) or endovascular (36%) repair of intact, nonruptured AAAs. Despite comparable rates of preoperative comorbid conditions and a greater proportion of octogenarians (23% vs 16%%; P = .0001), morbidity (18% vs 29%; P = .0001) and mortality (1.3% vs 3.8%; P = .0001) were significantly lower for endovascular repair than for open repair. The median length of stay (2 vs 7 days; P = .0001) and the rate of discharge to an institutional facility versus home (6% vs 14%; P = .0001) were also much lower in the endovascular group than in the open repair group. At multivariate analysis, open AAA repair and age older than 80 years were strong independent predictors ( P = .0001 for all) for death (open repair: odds ratio [OR], 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-4.9; age: OR, 14.2; 95% CI, 3.5-58.1), complications (open repair: OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.7-2.1; age: OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5-2.5), and not being discharged to home (open repair: OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.9-4.1; age: OR, 12.0; 95% CI, 7.0-20.4). Mean hospital charges were significantly greater (difference, $3337; P = .0009) for endovascular repair than for open repair. Extrapolated to the total number of endovascular AAA repairs performed during the single 2001 calendar year, this resulted in a staggering $50.3 million in additional hospital charges. Conclusions Endovascular repair of intact AAAs results in a significantly lower number of complications and deaths, shorter hospital stay, and improved likelihood of discharge to home, even in older patients, when compared with open surgical repair. These impressive gains in clinical outcome, however, are achieved at similarly impressive increases in health care costs.
A Chinese Popularity Function: Sources of Government Support

The notion of a Chinese popularity function may seem surprising, given its authoritarian nature. However, exploring the possibility of indirect popularity functions in nondemocratic systems, we articulate a model of national government support in China. The model argues that sociodemographics, political attitudes, and performance issues mold central government satisfaction. Drawing on a countrywide 2008 public opinion survey, we conclude that regional differences, national trust, and local policy success are of special importance in shaping national government support. The findings, which exhibit theoretical and statistical appeal, lay the groundwork for further investigation of popularity functions in China.
A neural measure of precision in visual working memory

Recent studies suggest that the temporary storage of visual detail in working memory is mediated by sensory recruitment or sustained patterns of stimulus-specific activation within feature-selective regions of visual cortex. According to a strong version of this hypothesis, the relative "quality" of these patterns should determine the clarity of an individual's memory. Here, we provide a direct test of this claim. We used fMRI and a forward encoding model to characterize population-level orientation-selective responses in visual cortex while human participants held an oriented grating in memory. This analysis, which enables a precise quantitative description of multivoxel, population-level activity measured during working memory storage, revealed graded response profiles whose amplitudes were greatest for the remembered orientation and fell monotonically as the angular distance from this orientation increased. Moreover, interparticipant differences in the dispersion-but not the amplitude-of these response profiles were strongly correlated with performance on a concurrent memory recall task. These findings provide important new evidence linking the precision of sustained population-level responses in visual cortex and memory acuity.
A New Method for Analyzing Thick Walled Shape Memory Alloy Cylinders Subjected to Internal Pressure

In this paper, a new method is proposed for analyzing thick walled shape memory alloy cylinders subjected to internal pressure. The plane stress condition is assumed for the cylinder and three-dimensional phenomenological macroscopic SMA constitutive model presented by Boyd and Lagoudas is simplified to obtain the required two-dimensional constitutive relations. The cylinder is divided to some narrow annular regions and appropriate assumptions are made in order to find a closed-form solution for the equilibrium equation in terms of radial displacements in each region. Numerical examples are presented for demonstrating the performance of the proposed method and the results are compared with three-dimensional finite element method.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Modeling MPEG VBR video traffic using type-2 fuzzy logic systems

In this chapter, we present a new approach for MPEG variable bit rate (VBR) video modeling using a type-2 fuzzy logic system (FLS). We demonstrate that a type-2 fuzzy membership function, i.e., a Gaussian MF with uncertain variance, is most appropriate to model the log-value of I/P/B frame sizes in MPEG VBR video. We treat the video traffic as a dynamic system, and use a type-2 FLS to model this system. Simulation results show that a type-2 FLS performs much better than a type-1 FLS in video traffic modeling.
Waiting Room Anxiety

Traditionally, hepatic procedures have almost exclusively been done byway of femoral access. Evidence-based practice has shown that radial access is more comfortable and cost-effective for patients and practitioners. Using radial access in hepatic procedures allows patients to position more effectively for comfort, both during and especially post-procedurally; realizes a cost saving for the department as conventional closure devices are not necessary; and decreases the numbers of nursing hours necessary to monitor the patient post-procedurally.
Repeated Self- and Peer-Review Leads to Continuous Improvement in Child Interviewing Performance

The present study examined whether a training model that focuses on consistent exposure to protocol procedure, self-evaluation, and intensive peer-review sessions could improve interviewers' ability to adhere to best practices. Law students (N = 19) interviewed 5- to 10-year-old children on a weekly basis as part of a semester-long forensic child interviewing class. They transcribed their interviews, and participated in one-hour self and peer-reviews. The proportion of each question type was calculated (option-posing, Wh-, and open-invitations) within each interview for each interviewer. Across ten weeks of interviews, interviewers consistently improved their performance, decreasing the proportion of option-posing questions by 31% and increasing the proportion of open-invitations by 47%. All interviewers improved. The present study suggests that with consistent self-evaluation and peer-review, forensic interviewers can incrementally improve their performance.
Making Biology Meaningful: Nature of Science Matters

As another school year begins, we often reflect on what we teach and why we teach it. Students are eager to engage in learning, but they often find the typical content irrelevant. Even skilled instructors with buoyant enthusiasm may fail to inspire them. However, students respond to authentic challenges. They readily invest effort in learning about real, substantive issues related to personal and public decision-making, often characterized as central to scientific literacy. Such cases typically revolve around understanding not just scientific concepts, but how science works. They are gateways into learning about the nature of science, or NOS. First, survey the news. What is going on that matters to a better society, to our daily lives, and to students? Here is a sample list of topics rich with NOS potential from just one week (from the March 29 issue of Science magazine):
The Complete Solution of the Long‐Wave–Short‐Wave Resonance Equations

We give a complete analysis of the long-wave–short-wave resonance equations which appear in fluid mechanics as well as plasma physics. Using the inverse-scattering technique, these equations can be reduced to a pair of linear integral equations (Marchenko equations), with the N-soliton solutions intimately related to the asymptotic state of the evolution equations. The interaction of solitons and the conserved quantities are discussed.
Floor Reaction Force at the Initiation of Gait and the Reproducibility

歩行は日常生活で重要な移動手段である．それ故，歩行開始時の運動学的分析を20名の健常成人男子に床反力計を用いて測定した．方法は床反力計の上に立位となり，信号音を聞いたら，直ちに右下肢を一歩前に踏み出すように指示し，3回試行した．この測定は床反力の経時的な変化を重心の移動が始まった時点，垂直分力の重心の移動が最大になった時点，右下肢が遊脚肢になった時点で，各分力の左・右下肢について調べ，また，その再現性についても検討を加えた． 結果は0.2秒後に重心の移動が始まり，0.5秒後に最大となり，0.7秒後に右下肢は遊脚肢となった．上記の時点で，各試行の各分力の分散分析では有意差は認められなかった(p<005)．Spearmanの順位相関係数も3試行の各比較で多くの時点で一致していた．歩行は前進運動であり，一側下肢を遊脚するため，特に立脚肢の支持性が重要であり，運動療法を行なう時，膝折れによる転倒のリスク管理に注意すべきであると考える.
Genetic Predisposition to Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In 2011, approximately 232,000 American women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 40,000 died from the disease; one in 210 breast cancer cases occur in women under 40. Inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer accounts for 5–10 % of all breast cancer cases. Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are thought to account for the largest proportion of hereditary breast cancers and explain about 10 % of breast cancer cases in women diagnosed under the age of 35. The lifetime risk of breast cancer for BRCA1 or 2 mutation carriers is estimated by several studies to be between 45 % and 80 %.
Stability of BaTiO3 thin films on Si

A very high quality BaTiO 3 /p-Si interface and BaTiO 3 insulator gates with high dielectric constant and low leakage current were produced by RF magnetron sputtering of BaTiO 3 on (100) p-Si at a substrate temperature of 500°C, followed by in situ annealing at 500°C for 10 min. The reliability of the dielectric, however, plays an important role in determining the practical usage of ferroelectric random access memory applications. Thermal treatment of Au /BaTiO 3 /Si capacitors at 150°C for 800 h showed no change of leakage current and a slight increase in leakage from 1.1 X 10 -9 A/cm 2 for the as-deposited BaTiO 3 to 1.8 X 10 - 9 A /cm 2 for the samples after 1000 h at a field of 1.3 X 10 5 V/cm. The effects of fatigue were also studied and found to not affect the electrical and charge properties of BaTiO 3 on Si for 10 10 cycles of fatigue.
The Impact of Primary Aggressor Laws on Single Versus Dual Arrest in Incidents of Intimate Partner Violence

To combat the concern that mandatory arrest laws have resulted in officers unjustly arresting victims, states have enacted primary aggressor laws. Examining 3,078 incidents of intimate partner violence reported to the police in 25 jurisdictions in four states, the authors assess the impact of primary aggressor laws on the likelihood of both single and dual arrest. While dual arrests were more than twice as likely in a state without a primary arrest statute, an arrest was nearly a third less likely in a state with such a statute. The policy implications are discussed.
N-Heterocyclic Carbenes, Ionic Liquids, and Reactive Small Molecules: A Conversation between a Student and His Professor

Over the last ten years, Professor Jason Clyburne’s research has explored many different topics, but all are linked by the themes of unusual chemistry and interesting material properties. His lab is situated at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and he is the chair of Environmental Science with a cross-appointment in chemistry. Students often drop by to chat, and this review is an example of the type of discussion that occurs when he is trying to recruit them into his group. It is written in the form of a discussion between myself, a B.Sc. student, and Professor Clyburne, and it focuses on his interests in synthetic main group and materials chemistry. The general discussion includes asides and references to other work, to provide context. 1 Introduction 2 N-Heterocyclic Carbenes 3 Ionic Liquids 4 Reactions in Ionic Liquids 5 CO2 Capture with Ionic Liquids 6 Halide and Pseudo-Halide Adducts of CO2 7 Chemical Capture of CO2 8 Conclusion and Closing Remarks
Ned Lebow on the Cold War’s End, and Aftermath

The controversy surrounding what many describe as a new Cold War with Russia—namely, the crisis currently unfolding in Ukraine—is a fitting context for reflection upon Ned Lebow’s contributions to understanding the ending of the last Cold War. By this I mean less his pioneering writings on deterrence, confrontation, and escalation, though these insights too would be welcome in today’s policy debates and punditry dominated by simplistic and superficial arguments (Lebow 1981; Lebow/Gross Stein 1995). Rather I mean Lebow’s rigorous, judicious, and historically informed analyses of how the Cold War’s end came as such a surprise, why our theories failed us, and what new methodological and empirical insights suggest for both better understanding of dramatic change in international relations and for better policy-making in its aftermath. Lebow’s early writings in each of these areas—IR theory and the Cold War’s end, the sources of US-Soviet accommodation, and lessons for US and Western policy going forward—were signal contributions of enduring salutary merit.
Genetic Variability Provides the Biochemical Basis for Our Individuality, Including Differences in Our Susceptibility to Many Common Diseases

The human DNA sequence is highly polymorphic; for a typical gene, different people have different specific sequences (or alleles) for that gene. As a result, for the typical protein, different people have different levels of activity in that protein. If the activity of a protein is significantly greater or less than the level of activity that is seen in the typical person, that individual will have a greater or lesser susceptibility to the diseases the protein’s function influences than the typical person does. Whether a high-activity or low-activity gene allele represents a risk-increasing allele or a risk-decreasing allele depends on the specific function the protein performs. While some risk-increasing alleles are relatively common, and some increase the individual’s risk for the associated disease dramatically, most risk-increasing alleles are relatively rare, and most only increase the individual’s risk for the associated disease by a small amount. This chapter contains a thorough review of the foundational material that the reader must understand in order to understand the aforementioned principles. This includes a review of the process whereby a gene makes a protein, the role of promoter and other regulatory sequences in influencing gene activity, and the role that intronic sequence variants, interfering RNAs and epigenetic factors play in regulating gene activity.
Driver Movement Patterns Indicate Distraction and Engagement.

ObjectiveThis research considers how driver movements in video clips of naturalistic driving are related to observer subjective ratings of distraction and engagement behaviors.BackgroundNaturalisti...