cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The association of plasma resistin with dietary sodium manipulation, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in human hypertension.

Summary Objective Both resistin and vitamin D have been associated with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). We investigated the association between resistin and the RAAS, and resistin and vitamin D under controlled dietary sodium conditions. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study of subjects from the HyperPATH Consortium, who were maintained in high dietary sodium (HS) and low dietary sodium (LS) balance for 1 week each. Patients Caucasian subjects with hypertension (n = 177). Measurements 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were used to assess vitamin D status. Plasma resistin and RAAS measures were evaluated on each dietary intervention. Results Resistin levels were significantly higher in LS, where RAAS activity was high, when compared with HS balance, where RAAS activity was suppressed (6·36 vs 5·86 μg/l, P < 0·0001); however, resistin concentrations were not associated with plasma renin activity or serum aldosterone on either diet. 25(OH)D levels were positively and independently associated with resistin in both dietary conditions (HS: β = 0·400, P-trend = 0·027; LS: β = 0·540, P-trend = 0·014). Conclusions Dietary sodium loading reduced resistin levels, possibly by suppressing the RAAS; however, circulating RAAS components were not related to resistin concentrations within each specific dietary sodium condition. 25(OH)D was positively associated with resistin and may be involved in resistin regulation through an unknown mechanism. Further studies to understand resistin regulation in human hypertension better are warranted.
Situations, interaction, process and affordances: An ecological psychology perspective

From an ecological psychology perspective, afull analysis of any learning context mustacknowledge the complex nonlinear dynamics thatunfold as an intentionally-driven learnerinteracts with a technology-based purposefullydesigned learning environment. Further, a fullanalysis must avoid focusing only on theindividual within the learning context and notaccounting for the intentionality andconstraining influence of the designer and thebroader community. Finally, such an analysismust either pin down how learning anddevelopment can be driven by perception of theenvironment alone (detection of affordances),or alternatively from an ecologicalperspective, by a cyclical interaction ofperception and action. This paperpresents these parameters for any model ofcontext or situation in relationship to theissues raised by Akhras and Self's (this issue)presentation on intelligent learningenvironments. We propose that a full situationmodel would need to incorporate constraints notonly from the environment, but also from theindividual and most precisely from the specificinteraction at the moment of an occasion.
Rights of a Pretermitted Heir in California Community Property--A Need for Clarification

* B.A. 1951, LL.B. 1953, University of Wisconsin; Associate Professor of Law, University of California. The author gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to Professor Edward C. Halbach, Jr. of the University of California School of Law for his many helpful suggestions regarding the material in this article. 1. See Estate of Abate, 166 Cal. App.2d 282, 333 P.2d 200 (2d Dist. 1958); Appellant's Opening Brief 28-29; Respondent's Brief. 2. See Estate of Smith, 86 Cal. App.2d 456, 195 P.2d 842 (lst Dist. 1948); Estate of Rawnsley, 106 Cal. App.2d 500, 503, 235 P.2d 223, 225 (2d Dist. 1951) (dictum). See note 7 infra. 3. See text between notes 21 and 28 infra. 4. CAL. PROB. CODE ? 90. 5. See Estate of Abate, 166 Cal. App.2d 282, 333 P.2d 200 (2d Dist. 1958). 6. See Estate of Stahl, 54 Cal. App.2d 565, 129 P.2d 475 (3d Dist. 1942). 7. See Estate of Rawnsley, 106 Cal. App.2d 500, 235 P.2d 223 (2d Dist. 1951). In an earlier action between the same litigants the attorney for the surviving spouse conceded that the heir was entitled to one-third of the property but argued that she was precluded from taking because she had received advancements. No claim was made that the property was community even though the marriage had been in existence long enough that a daughter was married. The District Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court on the issue of the advancements without any discussion of the nature of the property. Estate of Rawnsley, 94 Cal. App. 2d 384, 210 P.2d 888 (2d Dist. 1949). After this defeat, the spouse retained a new attorney and attempted in effect to relitigate the question by filing a new petition claiming the property to be community. The trial court held the question to be concluded by the prior judgment. On appeal, the spouse asserted that this had never been in issue in the first case. The district court answered this by stating: "Respondent [heir] in her original petition averred that she was entitled to one third of the estate. . . . When by his answer thereto appellant averred the estate consisted of only separate property he in effect conceded the allegation made by respondent as she was not entitled to one-third of all the property inventoried unless all of it was separate property. If all the property had been community property the respondent would not have been entitled to any part of it. Likewise, if only a part was community property she would not have been entitled to any portion of such community property. (Prob. Code, ? 201.)" Estate of Rawnsley, 106 Cal. App.2d 500, 503, 235 P.2d 223, 225 (2d Dist. 1951).
Semantic integration workshop at the second international semantic web conference (ISWC-2003)

In numerous distributed environments, including today's World Wide Web, enterprise data management systems, large science projects, and the emerging semantic web, applications will inevitably use the information described by multiple ontologies and schemas. We organized the Workshop on Semantic Integration at the Second International Semantic Web Conference to bring together different communities working on the issues of enabling integration among different resources. The workshop generated a lot of interest and attracted more than 70 participants.
CD11c/CD18 Signals Very Late Antigen-4 Activation To Initiate Foamy Monocyte Recruitment during the Onset of Hypercholesterolemia

Recruitment of foamy monocytes to inflamed endothelium expressing VCAM-1 contributes to the development of plaque during atherogenesis. Foamy CD11c(+) monocytes arise in the circulation during the onset of hypercholesterolemia and recruit to nascent plaque, but the mechanism of CD11c/CD18 and very late Ag-4 (VLA-4) activation and cooperation in shear-resistant cell arrest on VCAM-1 are ill defined. Within 1 wk of the onset of a Western high-fat diet (WD) in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, an inflammatory subset of foamy monocytes emerged that made up one fourth of the circulating population. These cells expressed ∼3-fold more CD11c/CD18 and 50% higher chemokine receptors than nonfoamy monocytes. Recruitment from blood to a VCAM-1 substrate under shear stress was assessed ex vivo using a unique artery-on-a-chip microfluidic assay. It revealed that foamy monocytes from mice on a WD increased their adhesiveness over 5 wk, rising to twice that of mice on a normal diet or CD11c(-/-) mice fed a WD. Shear-resistant capture of foamy human or mouse monocytes was initiated by high-affinity CD11c, which directly activated VLA-4 adhesion via phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase and paxillin within focal adhesion complexes. Lipid uptake and activation of CD11c are early and critical events in signaling VLA-4 adhesive function on foamy monocytes competent to recruit to VCAM-1 on inflamed arterial endothelium.
Improving cross-document knowledge discovery using explicit semantic analysis

Cross-document knowledge discovery is dedicated to exploring meaningful (but maybe unapparent) information from a large volume of textual data. The sparsity and high dimensionality of text data present great challenges for representing the semantics of natural language. Our previously introduced Concept Chain Queries (CCQ) was specifically designed to discover semantic relationships between two concepts across documents where relationships found reveal semantic paths linking two concepts across multiple text units. However, answering such queries only employed the Bag of Words (BOW) representation in our previous solution, and therefore terms not appearing in the text literally are not taken into consideration. Explicit Semantic Analysis (ESA) is a novel method proposed to represent the meaning of texts in a higher dimensional space of concepts which are derived from large-scale human built repositories such as Wikipedia. In this paper, we propose to integrate the ESA technique into our query processing, which is capable of using vast knowledge from Wikipedia to complement existing information from text corpus and alleviate the limitations resulted from the BOW representation. The experiments demonstrate the search quality has been greatly improved when incorporating ESA into answering CCQ, compared with using a BOW-based approach.
FTY720 inhibits tumor growth and enhances the tumor-suppressive effect of topotecan in neuroblastoma by interfering with the sphingolipid signaling pathway.

Background Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor in childhood. Poor outcomes for children with advanced disease underscore the need for novel therapeutic strategies. FTY720, an immunomodulating drug approved for multiple sclerosis, has been investigated in oncology with promising preclinical activities. To date, its effect in NB has not been explored. Herein we describe our preclinical experience with FTY720, alone or in combination with topotecan, and its putative mechanism of action in NB. Procedure MTT assay was performed to assess the effect of FTY720 on cell viability. A NB xenograft model was employed to assess the efficacy of FTY720 on tumor growth. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to determine changes of mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure sphingolipid levels. Results FTY720, but not FTY720-P induced NB cell death. FTY720 inhibited the growth of NB xenografts and enhanced the tumor-suppressive effect of topotecan both in vitro and in vivo. FTY720 significantly inhibited sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2) mRNA and protein expression in NB cells. Pro-apoptotic sphingosine levels were increased in NB cells and NB xenografts treated with FTY720. FTY720-induced cell death was caspase-independent and involved the dephosphorylation of Akt and BAD at Ser136. Conclusions Our data demonstrate that FTY720 has potent preclinical anti-cancer activity in NB. Its unique death signaling mechanism, interference with the sphingolipid pathway, acts cooperatively with that of topotecan, suggesting that FTY720 related molecules may be useful in NB treatment. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:1418–1423. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Highly linear ring modulator from hybrid silicon and lithium niobate

We present a highly linear ring modulator from the bonding of ion-sliced x-cut lithium niobate onto a silicon ring resonator. The third order intermodulation distortion spurious free dynamic range is measured to be 98.1 dB Hz(2/3) and 87.6 dB Hz(2/3) at 1 GHz and 10 GHz, respectively. The linearity is comparable to a reference lithium niobate Mach-Zehnder interferometer modulator operating at quadrature and over an order of magnitude greater than silicon ring modulators based on plasma dispersion effect. Compact modulators for analog optical links that exploit the second order susceptibility of lithium niobate on the silicon platform are envisioned.
Society Against The State: Essays in Political Anthropology

SOCIETY AGAINST THE STATE: ESSAYS IN POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Pierre Clastres. Translated by Robert Hurley in collaboration with Abe Stein. New York: Zone Books, 1987.
Global analysis of tolerance to secretin-induced stress in Yersinia enterocolitica suggests that the phage-shock-protein system may be a remarkably self-contained stress response.

Summary The phage-shock-protein (Psp) system is essential for Yersinia enterocolitica virulence. Mislocalized secretins induce psp gene expression, and kill psp null strains. We used transposon mutagenesis to investigate whether other genes are required to tolerate secretin-induced stress. Our motivation included the possibility of identifying signal transducers required to activate psp gene expression. Besides Psp, only defects in the RpoE system and the TrkA potassium transporter caused secretin sensitivity. These mutations did not cause the same specific/severe sensitivity as defects in the Psp system, nor did they affect psp gene expression. The Escherichia coli Psp system was reported to be induced via the ArcB redox sensor and to activate anaerobic metabolism. Our screen did not identify arcB, or any genes involved in anaerobic metabolism/regulation. Therefore, we investigated the role of ArcB in Y. enterocolitica and E. coli. ArcB was not required for secretin-dependent induction of psp gene expression. Furthermore, microarray analysis uncovered a restricted transcriptional response to prolonged secretin stress in Y. enterocolitica. Taken together, these data do not support the proposal that the Psp system is induced via ArcB and activates anaerobic metabolism. Rather, they suggest that Psp proteins may sense an inducing trigger and mediate their physiological output(s) directly.
Coalescence-induced jumping of droplet: Inertia and viscosity effects

The problem of coalescence-induced self-propelled jumping of droplet is studied using three-dimensional numerical simulation. The focus is on the effect of inertia and in particular the effect of air density on the behavior of the merged droplet during jumping. A lattice Boltzmann method is used for two identical, static micro-droplets coalescing on a homogeneous substrate with contact angle ranging from 0∘ to 180∘. The results reveal that the effect of air density is significant on detachment of the merged droplet from the substrate at the later stage of the jumping process; the larger the air density, the larger the jumping height of the droplet. Analysis of streamlines and vorticity contours is performed for density ratios ranging from 60 to 800. These show a generation of vortical structures inside and around the droplet. The intensity of these structures gets weaker after droplet departure as the air inertia is decreased. The results are also presented in terms of phase diagrams of the merged droplet jumping for different Ohnesorge numbers (Oh) and surface wettabilities for both small and large density ratios. The critical value of contact angle where the merged droplet jumps away from the substrate is independent of density ratio and has a value around 150∘. However, the critical value of Oh depends on both density ratio and wettability of the surface for contact angles greater than 150∘. In this range of contact angle, the diagrams show two distinct dynamical regimes for different density ratios, namely, inertial and viscous regimes.
Erratum to: The effect of implantation on scaffoldless three-dimensional engineered bone constructs

E. M. ArrudaMechanical Engineering, University of Michigan,2250 GG Brown, 2350 Hayward,Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAE. M. ArrudaProgram in Macromolecular Science and Engineering,University of Michigan,2250 GG Brown, 2350 Hayward,Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAT. KostrominovaDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology,Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest,Gary, IN 46409-1008, USAIn Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.—Animal (2010) 46:82DOI 10.1007/s11626-009-9251-0
Constructional strategies on complex figure drawings after unilateral brain damage

The strategy used in drawing a complex geometric design was compared in right-brain-damaged (RBD) and left-brain-damaged (LBD) stroke patients and normals. A record of the sequence of line segments used to copy the design was obtained. Normals drew elements of the figure as one unit, while LBD patients broke these elements into more than one unit. The unusual sequencing and fragmented, piecemeal approach of the LBD group was sometimes associated with a delay in attention to the right side, but did not necessarily lead to an impaired finished copy. As expected, the RBD distortions were more severe. It is concluded that an intact right hemisphere does not ensure a holistic approach to copying complex geometric figures.
Filtering in Urban Housing: A Graphical Analysis of a Quality-Segmented Market:

This paper theoretically investigates filtering in urban housing markets: how the process occurs and the degree to which its outcomes are beneficial. Central to the framework presented is the parti...
Computational study of the aerodynamics and control by blowing of asymmetric vortical flows over delta wings

The complicated flowfield around a rounded leading-edge delta wing was calculated at angles of attack and yaw with and without tangential leading-edge blowing, using thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations. The effectiveness of blowing for providing roll control at high angle of attack was illustrated, and the saturation effect of increased blowing was captured well. The effect of sideslip was shown to be analogous to asymmetric blowing.
The production of carbon monoxide by the homogeneous NO x -induced photooxidation of volatile organic compounds in the troposphere

The reaction mechanisms of products, along with their rates of reaction with hydroxyl radicals and their rates of photolysis, have been used to obtain carbon monoxide, CO, yields from the products of the homogenous atmospheric photooxidation from emissions of hydrocarbons and other volatile organic compounds, VOCs. Seasonally averaged CO yields are estimated for a number of types of VOCs. The annual production of CO is estimated for the contiguous United States from combustion sources of CO and from the atmospheric photooxidation of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds. Limitations on estimates of CO yields and of CO production from various heterogeneous processes are discussed.
Clinical value of longitudinal free-to-total prostate specific antigen ratio slope to diagnosis of prostate cancer.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Free and total serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels are frequently used for early prostate cancer detection in men with a total PSA in the 2.6 to 10 ng/ml range. Results from a longitudinal study suggested that the free-to-total PSA ratio (F/T PSA), declining the decade before prostate cancer diagnosis, is the earliest serum marker predicting a subsequent diagnosis of prostate cancer. Other than this study, there are limited data on the predictive value of longitudinal F/T PSA measurements for subsequent cancer. To evaluate the clinical importance of a decreasing F/T PSA, we compared longitudinal F/T PSA in volunteers in a prostate cancer screening study.Materials and Methods: We evaluated 657 volunteers in a screening study with a total PSA of 2.6 to 10 ng/ml but whose initial biopsies were either negative for cancer or were waived. To obtain meaningful F/T PSA slopes, the patients have been followed with at least 3 F/T PSA levels measured for 3 or greater years (mean 3.5, median...
The influence of reproductive status on foraging by hoary marmots (Marmota caligata)

Predictions were made and tested, comparing the foraging behavior of reproductive (rf) and nonreproductive (nrf) female hoary marmots, with the following findings: In June, no differences occur between rf's and nrf's, regarding daytime foraging. However, rf's forage more in the evening and during inclement weather, suggesting that greater nutritional needs and higher reproductive value select for the assumption of more risk while foraging. These differences disappear by August, when nutritional needs and reproductive values of rf's and nrf's are comparable. Finally, rf's reduce their near-burrow foraging relative to nrf's, which minimizes competition with their own young.
Clinical trial data sharing: what do we do now?

This commentary discusses the Institute of Medicine report on sharing clinical trial data and envisions a world with realigned incentives so that the maximum benefits can be derived from making mor...
Contact geometry of the Pontryagin maximum principle

This paper gives a brief contact-geometric account of the Pontryagin maximum principle. We show that key notions in the Pontryagin maximum principle — such as the separating hyperplanes, costate, necessary condition, and normal/abnormal minimizers — have natural contact-geometric interpretations. We then exploit the contact-geometric formulation to give a simple derivation of the transversality condition for optimal control with terminal cost.
Permissive dynamic information flow analysis

A key challenge in dynamic information flow analysis is handling implicit flows, where code conditional on a private variable updates a public variable x. The naive approach of upgrading x to private results in x being partially leaked, where its value contains private data but its label might remain public on an alternative execution (where the conditional update was not performed). Prior work proposed the no-sensitive-upgrade check, which handles implicit flows by prohibiting partially leaked data, but attempts to update a public variable from a private context causes execution to get stuck.To overcome this limitation, we develop a sound yet flexible permissive-upgrade strategy. To prevent information leaks, partially leaked data is permitted but carefully tracked to ensure that it is never totally leaked. This permissive-upgrade strategy is more flexible than the prior approaches such as the no-sensitive-upgrade check.Under the permissive-upgrade strategy, partially leaked data must be marked as private before being used in a conditional test, thereby ensuring that it is private for both the current execution as well as alternate execution paths. This paper also presents a dynamic analysis technique for inferring these privatization operations and inserting them into the program source code. The combination of these techniques allows more programs to run to completion, while still guaranteeing termination-insensitive non-interference in a purely dynamic manner.
The generalized discrete fractional fourier transforms

In this paper, we develop the generalized discrete fractional Fourier transform (GDFRFT) by factorizing the generalized discrete Fourier transform (GDFT) matrix. Specifically, the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are presented and then used to define the GDFRFT. It is shown that the GDFRFT may be obtained by simple similarity transformations of the conventional DFRFT if the time and frequency shifting indexes are integers. Fast and efficient structures are presented and integer structures are also discussed.
Do Higher Hospital-wide Nurse Staffing Levels Reduce In-hospital Mortality in Elderly Patients with Hip Fractures: A Pilot Study

Background There is increasing recognition that lower nurse staffing levels are associated with higher morbidity and mortality among medical and surgical patients. The degree to which this applies to elderly patients with hip fractures is unclear.
Photoexcitation and photodissociation lasers - Part I: Nitric oxide laser emissions resulting from C( 2 &#960;) &#8594; A( 2 &#931; + ) and D( 2 &#931; + ) &#8594; A( 2 &#931; + ) transitions

-1-μm laser emission was detected when NO or NO 2 was flash-photolyzed, with or without dilution, in the vacuum UV above 165 nm. The emission was identified as the C (2π) \rightarrow A (2 \Sigma+ )
A region of the rat N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2A subunit that is sufficient for potentiation by phorbol esters

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are modulated by protein kinase C (PKC) in vivo and in heterologous expression systems. In heterologous expression systems, PKC-mediated modulation is subunit specific with NR2A-containing receptors being potentiated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), while NR2C-containing receptors are inhibited or unaffected. In the present study we have produced chimeric receptors containing NR2A and NR2C to define the components of NR2A which are sufficient for potentiation by PMA. Amino acids 1105-1400 of NR2A placed onto the C-terminus of NR2C at amino acid 1102 was the minimum region sufficient for producing a PMA-stimulated receptor. This suggests that this region contains structural determinants for PKC-mediated potentiation of NR2A receptors.
Hypolipidemic effects of clofibrate and selected chroman analogs in fasted rats: I. Chow-fed animals

The hypolipidemic properties of ethyl 6-chlorochroman-2-carboxylate (II), ethyl 6-phenylchroman-2-carboxylate (III) and ethyl 6-cyclohexylchroman-2-carboxylate (IV) were compared to clofibrate (I) in fasted normolipidemic rats. The chroman analog II, like its parent compound, clofibrate, reduced serum and alpha-lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. Although analog III had no effect on serum cholesterol, it caused a slight elevation of alpha-lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. Serum free cholesterol was increased and LCAT activity was reduced in clofibrate-treated rats. The hypolipidemic agents had no consistent effect on liver lipid concentrations and liver microsomal HMG-CoA reductase activity. In addition, we have shown that drug efficacies varied directly with seasonal variations in serum lipid concentrations.
Weak Singularities of Planar Vector Fields Under Weak Perturbation

We characterize the elements of the set Hn of degree n homogeneous polynomial vector fields that are structurally stable with respect to perturbation in Hn, both on the plane and on the Poincare sphere. We use this information to characterize elements of the set Wn of smooth vector fields on ĝ2 beginning with terms of order n at (0, 0) that are structurally stable in a neighborhood of (0, 0) under perturbation in Wn. We also determine the set of elements of Hn that are determining for topological equivalence at (0, 0), in the sense that the topological type of the singularity at (0, 0) is invariant under the addition of higher order terms.
Finite Element Mesh Refinement for Discontinuous Fiber Reinforced Composites

Knowledge of internal stress development during mechanical and/or thermo-mechanical loading in discontinuous fiber or whisker reinforced composites is crucial to the design, manufacturing and applications of composites. For example, thermal residual stresses developed during processing as well as the composite stress-strain behavior are closely governed by the development of these internal stresses in the matrix and the reinforcement. Finite element analysis (FEA) offers a rigorous and versatile approach to studying these problems. While FEA can give good results for composite analysis, its application to composites requires careful attention to the geometry of the optimum mesh used in the analysis. This paper is concerned with the development of a generalized approach for mesh refinement in a short fiber reinforced composite. Mesh refinement procedures are based on the calculation of the error in energy norm for global convergence and the traction differential approach at the fiber/matrix interface for local convergence. The mesh refinement strategy is based on the use of elongated elements at the fiber/matrix interface, yielding significantly different mesh patterns than obtained by conventional mesh refinement approaches. This difference may have a critical bearing on the subsequent thermo-mechanical properties predicted by finite element analysis (FEA). It is found that the usemore » of elongated (i.e., high aspect ratio) elements for mesh refinement results in a much more rapid computational convergence rate than obtained by conventional meshes. Converged local solutions are obtained with significantly less degrees-of-freedom (DOF) than by conventional mesh refinement methods.« less
DNA gene vaccination for HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) is a retrovirus which preferentially infects and kills CD4+ T cells and macrophages, ultimately resulting in immune system failure and multi-pathogen infections. Recent breakthroughs in combination therapy using three different anti-retroviral agents have generated optimism regarding the ability to control viral replication in vivo [46]. However, this therapeutic regimen is costly, and it is too early to tell whether this approach can eradicate established infection [26, 46]. The costs and the stringent administration regimen requirements of these pharmaceutical agents make it clear that these drugs will only be effectively utilized in a limited part of the world population. Therefore, to address the worldwide problem of HIV-1 infection, there remains a need for a prophylactic vaccination strategy designed to control the epidemic through mass immunization campaigns [115].
Impact of Physician Specialty on Quality Care for Patients Hospitalized with Decompensated Cirrhosis

Background Decompensated cirrhosis is a common precipitant for hospitalization, and there is limited information concerning factors that influence the delivery of quality care in cirrhotic inpatients. We sought to determine the relation between physician specialty and inpatient quality care for decompensated cirrhosis. Design We reviewed 247 hospital admissions for decompensated cirrhosis, managed by hospitalists or intensivists, between 2009 and 2013. The primary outcome was quality care delivery, defined as adherence to all evidence-based specialty society practice guidelines pertaining to each specific complication of cirrhosis. Secondary outcomes included new complications, length-of-stay, and in-hospital death. Results Overall, 147 admissions (59.5%) received quality care. Quality care was given more commonly by intensivists, compared with hospitalists (71.7% vs. 53.1%, P = .006), and specifically for gastrointestinal bleeding (72% vs. 45.8%, P = .03) and hepatic encephalopathy (100% vs. 63%, P = .005). Involvement of gastroenterology consultation was also more common in admissions in which quality care was administered (68.7% vs. 54.0%, P = .023). Timely diagnostic paracentesis was associated with reduced new complications in admissions for refractory ascites (9.5% vs. 46.6%, P = .02), and reduced length-of-stay in admissions for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (5 days vs. 13 days, P = .02). Conclusions Adherence to quality indicators for decompensated cirrhosis is suboptimal among hospitalized patients. Although quality care adherence appears to be higher among cirrhotic patients managed by intensivists than by hospitalists, opportunities for improvement exist in both groups. Rational and cost-effective strategies should be sought to achieve this end.
Short latency induction of estrous behavior with intracerebral gonadal hormones in overiectomized rats.

In an attempt to localize the site of action of progesterone in facilitating sexual receptivity, ovariectomized rats were primed sc with 2 μg estradiol benzoate (EB) for 3 days, and on the fourth day progesterone crystals were applied directly to the brain by inserting a hormone-containing tube into chronic cannulae implanted unilaterally in the lateral and medial preoptic area (MPOA), anterior hypothalamus, ventromedial-arcuate area, or the caudal mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF). Also, in similarly primed animals bearing chronic cannulae in the MPOA or the MRF, EB was applied directly to the brain. Lordosis behavior was quantified 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after progesterone application and compared to pretest values. Progesterone in the MRF significantly increased lordosis behavior in 15 min, while in the other regions progesterone had no effect even after 2 hr. To test the specificity of this response an empty tube, tubes containing cholesterol, procaine, or serotonin were similarly implanted ...
Isolation of primary rat liver fibroblasts.

Introduction One of the major advances in liver research in the past decade was the ability to isolate distinct liver cell populations. Although there are established methods of isolating hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and stellate cells, before this study no technique for liver fibroblast isolation had been devised. Consequently, we developed a technique to isolate primary rat liver fibroblasts. Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from a freshly perfused rat liver with a modification of the procedure for isolation of rat cholangiocytes. Cell markers were assessed with the use of confocal immunofluorescence. Cell morphology was assessed with transmission electron microscopy. Expression of procollagen-1 was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results The appearance of cells with fibroblast morphology was first noted at 48 hours, and almost all cells in culture had fibroblast morphology at 96 hours. Putative fibroblasts stained for vimentin, but not for smooth muscle actin, von Willebrand factor, or cytokeratins. Cell morphology was consistent with that of fibroblasts and showed no features of epithelial, endothelial, or smooth muscle cells. Liver fibroblasts expressed procollagen-1 mRNA. Conclusion Primary isolated rat fibroblasts can be produced from a freshly perfused rat liver with a modification of standard cell culture methods. The role of fibroblasts in liver physiology can now be studied directly.
Cell electroporation is a highly efficient method for introducing restriction endonucleases into cells

Abstract Restriction endonucleases that make either blunt- or cohesive-end DNA double-strand breaks can induce chromosome aberrations. We have used cell electroporation with great success to permeabilize Chinese hamster ovary cells for the introduction of restriction enzymes. The introduction of restriction enzymes by this method resulted in extremely high frequencies (> 90%) of aberrant metaphase cells and also a dramatic decrease in cell survival, as measured by subsequent colony formation. Cell electroporation by itself caused no increase in aberrant chromosomes and had only a slight effect on cell survival.
Cretaceous opine bivalves from the Pacific slope of North America and palaeobiogeography of subfamily Opinae Chavan, 1969

Abstract: Opines constitute a small subfamily of Mesozoic astartid bivalves that lived mostly in the Tethys Sea region. They first appeared in western Europe during the Middle Triassic, became most widespread during the Jurassic and had their first undoubted appearance in the New World during the Late Jurassic. Their Pacific slope of North America record is studied in detail for the first time. The earliest of the Pacific slope opines is Opis californica Stanton of Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian or Barremian) age. The other six opine species in the study area are of Late Cretaceous age (collectively Middle Turonian – early Late Maastrichtian), have hinges bearing two strong cardinal teeth in each valve, and are placed in the new subgenus Hesperopsis, which is the first astartid to have a partially internal ligament. These six species comprise two morphological lineages inferred to have evolved from O. (H.) popenoei sp. nov. The ‘holzana’ lineage includes O. (H.) holzana sp. nov. and O. (H.) rosarioensis Anderson and Hanna. The ‘anae’ lineage includes O. (H.) anae sp. nov., O. (H.) vancouverensis Whiteaves and O. (H.) triangulata (Cooper). Hesperopis lived in warm temperate waters in offshore shelfal areas. It had a vertical commissure and probably lived as an edgewise recliner. Through time, the species of both lineages became larger and either broader or more elongate. Neither Opis shastalis Anderson, of Aptian age, nor Opis virginalis Waring, of late Palaeocene age, are opines. A junior secondary homonym of Opis trigonalis (Sowerby) was detected and is renamed here as Opis tamurai nom nov.
Years cited: An alternative measure of scientific accomplishment

Citation counts often are used to measure scientific accomplishment. It is very difficult, however, to compute accurate citation counts in research where one has a list of scientists but not their complete bibliographies. At the same time, procedures are available that permit informed judgments about whether given scientists were cited at all in given years. The possibility of such judgments suggested that the number of years in which scientists were cited might be used as an alternative measure of scientific accomplishment. This possibility was explored in two studies, one based on 2,713 population scientists and the other on 135 articles published in the journalFertility and Sterility. Years cited was easy to compute, and had good descriptive statistics, satisfactory generalizability coefficients, high correlations with total citation counts, and distributions little influenced by outliers. These results supported the appropriateness of the years cited measure.
Overdetermined Behavior, Unforeseen Consequences

Drawing on his original study about the Sneaky Kid and exploring some of the motives involved, the author reviews how preferable it might be to think about, and sometimes actually employ, the phrase “overdetermined behavior,” to remind each of us that the accounts we provide are always partial and incomplete. This is implied when behavior is described as overdetermined, serving reminder that we can never predict exactly what any one human, including even oneself, will do.
Early Warning Signs of Functional Illiteracy: Predictors in Childhood and Adolescence

Early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence determinants of functional literacy in adulthood are investigated, using 20-year longitudinal data from a sample of black children of teenaged mothers from the Baltimore metropolitan area. Document literacy was assessed by a test that consisted of a subset of items of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) adult literacy test. The Baltimore sample is compared to the NAEP sample. Family environmental factors, early childhood developmental level, and educational career factors were considered as predictors of young adulthood literacy. Preschool cognitive and behavioral functioning is highly predictive of literacy in young adulthood, even when the effects of family environmental characteristics, including living arrangements, the quality of the home environment, maternal education, and income, are controlled. Grade failure in elementary school is also associated with literacy, but this effect disappears when the measure of preschool abilities is controlled. Family environmental factors that are predictive of literacy include maternal education, family size in early childhood, maternal marital status, and income in middle childhood and early adolescence. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Motivating Students to Actively Engage in Reading.

An understanding of human motivation is an essential component of effective reading instruction. Rather than rely totally upon making activities “fun” for students, this paper proposes that the understanding of basic theories of motivation can result in a pervasive concern for motivation in the classroom. Utilizing a balance of intrinsic and extrinsic means of motivation, teachers can set the stage for increased involvement and learning.
Identification of endothelin converting enzyme in bovine lung membranes using a new fluorogenic substrate

An enzyme partially purified from bovine lung membranes appears to be endothelin converting enzyme (ECE). This enzyme specifically cleaves big endothelin-1 (big ET-1) at the proper site, between Trp21 and Val22, with maximum activity at pH 7.5 and with a Km of roughly 3 microM, to produce endothelin-1 (ET-1) and C-terminal peptide (CTP). This same enzyme hydrolyzes the fluorogenic substrate succinyl-Ile-Ile-Trp-methylcoumarinamide to release the highly fluorescent 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin. The peptide derivative has the same amino acid sequence as big ET-1 and is a good substrate with a Km of about 27 microM. This enzyme is a metalloproteinase. It is not inhibited by five common proteinase inhibitors (pepstatin A, PMSF, NEM, E-64 and thiorphan) but it is inhibited by phosphoramidon and chelating compounds. The apoenzyme is restored to nearly full activity by a zinc-EDTA buffer with pZn = 13.
Mercury and the estuarine marsh clam, Rangia cuneata gray. II. uptake, tissue distribution and depuration

Abstract During a two-week period, Rangia rapidly accumulates mercury (as mercuric chloride) from dilute solution (0·03–0·05 ppm) with the majority being located in gill and mantle tissue. Initial depuration (5 h) in clean seawater is rapid in all tissues. From 10–192 h concentrations of mercury in gill, foot and adductor muscles remain stable while mantle, haemolymph and viscera levels continue to fluctuate in a manner suggesting internal redistribution of mercury. After eight days of depuration, the viscera contains the most mercury and appears to be the only tissue to increase its proportionate share of the total tissue mercury. After fifteen weeks of depuration, residual mercury in whole clams is about 20% of initial concentrations. Acute decreases in salinity (15% S to 2% S) enhance Rangia 's ability to depurate mercury.
The Cultural Community: An Husserlian Approach and Reproach

What types of unity and disunity belong to a group of people sharing a culture? Husserl illuminates these communities by helping us trace their origin to two types of interpersonal act—cooperation and influence—though cultural communities are distinguished from both cooperative groups and mere communities of related influences. This analysis has consequences for contemporary concerns about multi- or mono-culturalism and the relationship between culture and politics. It also leads us to critique Husserl’s desire for a new humanity, one that is rational, cooperatively united, and animated by a universal philosophical culture. Reflecting on culture, a spiritually shaped and shared domain of the world, draws us to reflect also on ourselves as social and rational animals, and to ask, what should we reasonably hope for—and aim for—in a human culture that expresses and supports our shared lives of reason? Aristotle is used for occasional comparisons and contrasts.
Quality of life in epilepsy

The purpose of this article is to review the concept of quality of life in epilepsy. Quality-of-life issues have garnered considerable interest in the broader health-care literature, and varying models and methods of assessment have been proposed. Concern regarding the impact of epilepsy on patients' psychosocial status has been long-standing, but a systematic examination of the effects of epilepsy in terms of the contemporary quality-of-life literature has not been attempted. It is hypothesized that the outcome of such a review would yield a research agenda of clinical and theoretical relevance. To that end, the health-services literature is first briefly reviewed to examine issues related to the definition and components of quality of life and to identify the pertinent methodological issues relating to its assessment. Next, a brief historical review of previous epilepsy research concerning what would now be called quality-of-life issues is presented, followed by direct comparison of a current model of quality of life to what is known about the effects of epilepsy and its treatment. This comparison results in the identification of: (a) several areas of quality of life in epilepsy that remain to be investigated and clarified, (b) methodological issues and concerns that need to be addressed in future epilepsy research, and (c) issues related to the treatment and prevention of quality-of-life problems in epilepsy.
Microscale heat and mass transfer and non-equilibrium phase change in rapid solidification

Many advanced materials processes such as pulsed-laser surface treatment and thermal spray deposition involve extremely fast heat and mass transfer at very small length scales. Under such extreme conditions, the accompanying phase change processes involve complex non-equilibrium phenomena. As a result, the non-equilibrium kinetics of crystalline growth becomes as important as heat and mass transfer in the determination of the materials microstructure and properties. Several rapid solidification processes that involve non-equilibrium melting and solidification under the conditions of microscale heat and mass transfer are presented. Attention is focused on the processes that can achieve either large melt undercooling prior to solidification as in the case of electromagentic levitation process and thermal spray, or a fast rate of heat transfer and thus high-speed phase change as in pulsed laser surface melting. In both cases, melting and/or solidification are characterized by non-equilibrium behavior at the fast moving solid/liquid interface where microscale and non-Fourier diffusion of heat and mass may take place. Various theoretical treatments and models for microscale heat and mass transfer processes are discussed. Recent progress in rapid solidification modeling that takes into account both the microscale heat and mass transfer and non-equilibrium kinetics is summarized, and some typical results are presented.
Mapping of the genes encoding mouse thromboxane A2 receptor and prostaglandin E receptor subtypes EP2 and EP3.

Abstract Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) are two of the most representative eicosanoids that are formed from arachidonic acid. They produce a broad spectrum of biological effects mediated through specific cell surface receptors. We have mapped genetic loci for TXA2 receptor, Tbxa2r, and for PGE2 receptor subtypes EP2 and EP3, Ptgerep2 and Ptgerep3, respectively, using restriction fragment length variants in interspecific backcross mice. None of the three loci cosegregated with each other. Tbxa2r mapped to Chr 10, Ptgerep2 mapped to the centromeric region of Chr 15, and Ptgerep3 mapped to the distal end of Chr 3. Possible human loci for these receptors are predicted based on the homology between mouse and human chromosomes.
Rapid calculation of a Centroid Moment Tensor and waveheight predictions around the north Pacific for the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

We present the results of a near real-time determination of a Centroid Moment Tensor for the 2011 Tohoku quake and the subsequent rapid prediction of Pacific coast tsunami waveheights based on these CMT parameters. Initial manual CMT results for this event were obtained within 23 minutes of origin time and fully automatic results were distributed by E-mail within 33 minutes. The mechanism, depth and moment magnitude were all well constrained, as was indicated by a bootstrapping analysis. Using an existing library of tsunami Green’s functions, we computed predicted waveheights in the north Pacific for several scenarios of the Tohoku earthquake that are consistent with the CMT solution. Overall, these predicted waveheights correspond well with preliminary observations around the Pacific Rim. The predictions for North America were sent out three and a half hours after the origin time of the earthquake, but this system has the potential to provide these predictions within minutes after receiving the CMT solution.
A generalized Scheil-Pfann equation for a dynamical theory of a mushy zone

Abstract This paper develops a thermodynamically consistent theory of the freezing of a binary alloy in a region of mixed liquid and solid phase, possibly in relative motion. Attention is focussed on the cases when the liquid has the composition of the equilibrium liquidus, but in which the diffusion of one constituent through the other in the solid phase is negligible. An isolated system can then not attain complete thermodynamic equilibrium in a finite time, only a state of quasi-equilibrium in which the composition of the solid phase is not that of the solidus and, in general, is not even uniform in space. The complete theory must admit these quasi-equilibria as the steady final states of isolated systems. This is found to be so stringent a requirement that it almost completely decides the form that the theory must take. A simple physical situation is solved: one-dimensional freezing of a stagnant material. The Scheil-Pfann solution is recovered.