cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensations evoked by intraneural microstimulation of C nociceptor fibres in human skin nerves.

1. Seventy-one C polymodal nociceptors supplying glabrous and hairy skin in limbs of awake human volunteers were identified on the basis of cutaneous stimulus-response characteristics recorded intraneurally by microneurography (MNG). The large majority of such units were primarily detected during intraneural microstimulation (INMS) on the basis of subjective quality and cutaneous localization of evoked painful sensation. Electrophysiological studies were supplemented with rigorous psychophysical testing during microstimulation delivered at intraneural C recording sites. 2. The conduction velocity of single C nociceptor units could be shown to become transiently slowed following repetitive INMS at threshold intensity for conscious sensation. Such ‘marking’ witnessed that particular C units, identified by recording, had been effectively activated during INMS and psychophysical testing. 3. Cognitive attributes of sensations evoked from C recording sites by INMS at threshold intensity for perception were estimated psychophysically for subjective quality, temporal attributes and localized projection. There was remarkable matching of physiological unit type (C polymodal nociceptor) with subjective quality of evoked sensation (dull or burning pain). Further, there was remarkable spatial matching of receptive field of given C nociceptors with projected field of the pain sensation evoked from the C recording site by INMS delivered at threshold intensity for conscious sensation. 4. Dissociated A nerve fibre blocks caused by compression-ischaemia did not abolish the sensation of burning pain projected to hairy skin, evoked by INMS delivered at C recording sites. 5. While the double matching of (a) subjective quality and spatial localization with (b) objective physiological unitary type and receptor location, coupled with the results of A blocks, provide evidence that C nociceptor fibres can be fairly selectively activated during INMS, the results also attest that C polymodal nociceptors from human skin evoke delayed dull or burning pain, accurately projected to a defined locus in skin, even after spatial summation is reduced to a minimum.
Increasing impact of training investments: an evaluation strategy for building organizational learning capability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide training and human resources development practitioners with a practical, credible and strategically‐useful training evaluation method.Design/methodology/approach – The suggested evaluation strategy and method are based on the author's experience as a thought leader and consultant with hundreds of organizations world‐wide.Findings – Human resources development practitioners need a more practical, simple, valid and actionable approach to evaluation.Practical implications – Evaluation should focus on the entire training and performance improvement process, not solely on training events. Leverage for making improvements to training impact is found in the performance management system factors in the larger organization outside the boundaries of the training department or function.Originality/value – The paper proposes a new, more simple and valid approach to measurement of training impact that has been tried successfully in several dozen leading companies.
Monooxygenase X, a Member of the Copper-dependent Monooxygenase Family Localized to the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Based on sequence comparisons, MOX (monooxygenase X), is a member of the copper monooxygenase family that includes dopamine β-monooxygenase (DBM) and peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM). MOX has all of the residues expected to be critical for copper binding, and its cysteine residues can yield the intramolecular disulfide bond pattern observed in DBM. Although DBM and PHM function within the lumen of the secretory pathway, the published sequence for human MOX lacks a signal sequence, suggesting that it does not enter this compartment. We identified an upstream exon that encodes the signal sequence of human MOX. A retained intron yields minor amounts of transcript encoding MOX without a signal sequence. MOX transcripts are widely expressed, with the highest levels in the salivary gland and ovary and moderate levels in brain, pituitary, and heart. Despite the presence of a signal sequence, exogenous MOX is not secreted, and it localizes throughout the endoplasmic reticulum in both endocrine or nonendocrine cells. Neither appending green fluorescent protein to its C terminus nor deleting the hydrophobic domain near its C terminus facilitates secretion of MOX. MOX is N-glycosylated, is tightly membrane-associated, and forms oligomers that are not disulfide-linked. Based on its sequence and localization, MOX is predicted to hydroxylate a hydrophobic substrate in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Conduction velocity, size and distribution of optic nerve axons in the turtle,Pseudemys scripta elegans

Electrophysiological and morphological techniques have been used to characterize optic nerve axons in the red-eared turtle. Three distinct groups of axons are identified on the basis of conduction velocity and axon diameter. The first group (T1) is a small population of axons with large diameters (2.8-4.5 microns) and mean conduction velocities of 13 m/sec. The second group (T2) is a large population of axons with medium diameters (0.4-2.8 microns) and mean conduction velocities of 3 m/sec. The third group (T3) is a medium sized population of small diameter (0.2-0.6 micron), mostly unmyelinated axons with mean conduction velocities of 1 m/sec. There is a significant regional variation in the size, density and myelination of axons in the optic nerve. Large axons are found dorsally and ventrally, while smaller axons and the majority of unmyelinated fibers are found along a dorsotemporal to ventronasal axis through the nerve. Fink-Heimer techniques were used to trace the trajectories of axons of different sizes from the retina to the brain. Large diameter axons can be traced along the dorsal and ventral portions of the optic tract, with a dorsal group leaving the tract in the pretectum and a ventral group entering the basal optic tract. These observations suggest that the distribution of axons within the optic nerve reflects in part the distribution of ganglion cell somata in the retina. However, there is also some segregation of axons of different sizes according to their various central targets.
Honest polynomial degrees and P=? NP

Abstract We present a relatively simple proof of a result from Homer (1986) showing that if nonrecursive sets cannot be minimal for honest polynomial-time Turing reducibility (⩽hT-minimal), then P ≠ NP. As a corollary to our proof, we strengthen Homer's result by showing, without assuming that P ≠ NP, that there are ⩽hT-minimal sets for all tally sets. We also consider the converse of Homer's result, providing some evidence that the nonexistence of ⩽hT-minimal sets may folow from P ≠ NP in an interesting way. Finally, we consider structural and/or computability properties of sets that cannot be ⩽hT-minimal.
Examiner errors on the WAIS-R : a source of concern

Etude portant sur la frequence et les types d'erreur observes chez des etudiants lors de la notation de protocoles de la WAIS-R
On Lyapunov Inequalities and Subsolutions for Efficient Importance Sampling

In this article we explain some connections between Lyapunov methods and subsolutions of an associated Isaacs equation for the design of efficient importance sampling schemes. As we shall see, subsolutions can be derived by taking an appropriate limit of an associated Lyapunov inequality. They have been recently proposed in several works of Dupuis, Wang, and others and applied to address several important problems in rare-event simulation. Lyapunov inequalities have been used for testing the efficiency of state-dependent importance sampling schemes in heavy-tailed or discrete settings in a variety of works by Blanchet, Glynn, and others. While subsolutions provide an analytic criterion for the construction of efficient samplers, Lyapunov inequalities are useful for finding more precise information, in the form of bounds, for the behavior of the coefficient of variation of the associated importance sampling estimator in the prelimit. In addition, Lyapunov inequalities provide insight into the various mollification procedures that are often required in constructing associated subsolutions. Our aim is to demonstrate that applying Lyapunov inequalities for verification of efficiency can help both guide the selection of various mollification parameters and sharpen the information on the efficiency gain induced by the sampler.
Omnivory in Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Müller) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea): predation on subtidal mussels

Abstract Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Muller) has long been recognized as the dominant subtidal herbivore of the Gulf of Maine. Gut contents of urchins collected from subtidal rock walls indicate that invertebrates, such as sponges, hydrozoans, bryozoans, and tunicates, are also part of its diet. However, the importance of nonalgal food resources is poorly understood. We first observed specialized predation in the field when urchins grazing a subtidal Mytilus edulis L. bed were seen with mussels in their buccal opening. Gut analysis revealed that bits of mussel shell packed the pharynx and the esophagus. Laboratory experiments were performed using several size classes of S. droebachiensis to examine mussel size preference and feeding technique. Food preference tests for the kelp Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamouroux and M. edulis were carried out in the laboratory on urchins collected from a kelp bed and from a subtidal M. edulis bed to see if previous diet affects food choice and ability to utilize plant or animal material. A final resource quality experiment, based on weight and test diameter changes, was performed using the two diets of L. saccharina and M. edulis for a period of 3 months. The results demonstrate that S. droebachiensis selectively feeds on small mussels $ 7 mm in the field and in the laboratory, yet has the ability to consume mussels ≤ 16 mm. Urchins exhibit a temporary conditioning effect in the laboratory where they specialize on the food resource from which they came, yet within 1 month will consume either kelp or mussels effectively. Urchins effectively utilize either food resource until ambient water temperature drops to a level such that it becomes too difficult to ingest or digest M. edulis or not energetically beneficial since mussel body weight probably decreases with colder water temperatures. Mussel predation by urchins has been observed most frequently in areas otherwise dominated by coralline algal pavement. It is most likely a preferred and beneficial resource in such areas, although still inferior to the optimal macroalgal diet.
Characterizing outage rates for space-time communication over wideband channels

We provide a compact characterization of outage rates for a wideband wireless communication system whose parameters are chosen to model an outdoor cellular downlink. The base station transmitter is equipped with an antenna array, while the mobile receiver has a single antenna. Our analysis quantifies the effects of frequency and spatial diversity for measurement-based channel models available in the literature. Design prescriptions based on our framework would apply, for example, to fourth-generation cellular systems using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing. Our information-theoretic computations yield the following findings. Complex models typically employed in simulations can be replaced by simple, bandwidth-dependent, tap-delay-line models without loss of accuracy. The spectral efficiency (i.e., the achievable rate, divided by the bandwidth) is well approximated as a Gaussian random variable, so that it is only necessary to specify its mean and variance in order to compute the outage rates. We provide analytical formulas for the mean and variance as a function of the space-time channel model, and verify that the resulting outage rates match closely with simulation. For a wide class of outdoor channels, the mean spectral efficiency depends only on the spatial diversity, while the variance depends on the spatial and frequency diversity via a product. Our definitions of frequency and spatial diversity have physically motivated interpretations, and do not rely on high signal-to-noise ratio asymptotics, as in prior work.
Mechanics of failure of plastics by thermal imaging examination of a thermoplastic polypropylene + EPDM blend

Thermal wave imaging combined with stress pattern analysis by measurement of thermal emission (SPATE) is used to study the failure behavior of a polypropylene (PP) + ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) polymer blend. Images corresponding to a propagating crack in a single edge-notched specimen were measured at three rates of testing : 4 mm/min, 8 mm/min, and 20 mm/min. Conversion to stress values is made through use of a thermoelastic function. It is found that in a 4 mm/min test the crack tip radii blunt rather than propagate with little initiation. Large-scale necking precedes fracture. At 8 mm/min, some blunting occurs, followed by fast crack propagation. At 20 mm/min, fast crack propagation occurs. The images are digitized to obtain the values of the temperatures at every point in the sample. Data corresponding to the plane of the propagating crack over the span of the test are presented.
The association of statin therapy with clinicopathologic outcomes and survival among patients with localized renal cell carcinoma undergoing nephrectomy.

Abstract Objectives Although statins have been found to induce apoptosis and demonstrate antimetastases activity both in vitro and in vivo for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), clinical evidence of a role for these medications is limited. We evaluated the association of statin therapy with outcomes among patients with surgically treated localized RCC. Methods and materials We reviewed 2,357 patients who underwent nephrectomy between 1995 and 2009 for pNx/0, M0 RCC. Of these, 630 (27%) were taking statins within 3 months of surgery. Progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The associations of statin use with clinicopathologic outcomes were evaluated with multivariable logistic and proportional hazards regression models. Results Statin therapy at the time of nephrectomy was not significantly associated with the risks of locally advanced (pT3–4) pathologic tumor stage (odds ratio = 0.96; P = 0.80) or high (3–4) tumor grade (odds ratio = 1.11; P = 0.30). Median postoperative follow-up was 7.8 years. Compared with patients not on statin therapy, patients taking statins at surgery had similar 10-year progression-free survival (80% vs. 79%; P = 0.56), cancer-specific survival (85% vs. 84%; P = 0.71), and overall survival (59% vs. 64%; P = 0.11). On multivariable analysis, statin use was not significantly associated with the risks of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.22; P = 0.10), death from RCC (HR = 1.02; P = 0.90), or all-cause mortality (HR = 0.84; P = 0.05). Conclusions We found no independent association between preoperative statin therapy and oncologic outcomes among patients with surgically treated localized RCC. Our data thus do not support an anticancer role for statin therapy in this setting.
Ligand-dependent Interaction of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor With a Novel Immunophilin Homolog in Vivo

In an effort to identify regulators of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling, we have employed the yeast two-hybrid system to screen for human proteins that interact in a ligand-dependent manner with the AHR. After screening 1.4 x 10(6) clones from a human B cell library, two distinct clones were identified that associated specifically with the liganded receptor. No clones were identified that interacted preferentially with the unliganded AHR. One of the ligand-dependent clones, ARA9, encodes a novel 330-amino acid protein with regions of amino acid sequence similarity to the 52-kDa FK506-binding protein known to be associated with the glucocorticoid receptor. Yeast two-hybrid experiments with ARA9 demonstrated a strong interaction with the AHR that is enhanced 11-fold in the presence of the ligand beta-naphthoflavone. In vitro experiments using proteins generated in reticulocyte lysates confirmed this interaction and indicated that ARA9 can be co-immunoprecipitated with the AHR using antisera raised specifically for either the AHR or the 90-kDa heat shock protein. The observation that ARA9 has a high affinity for both the 90-kDa heat shock protein-associated and ligand-activated forms of the AHR suggests that ARA9 is a component of the AHR-signaling pathway in vivo.
ARE LIFE HISTORY CHARACTERISTICS GOOD PREDICTORS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE? A CASE STUDY OF THE INTERTIDAL ALGA FUCUS SPIRALIS (HETEROKONTOPHYTA; PHAEOPHYCEAE)1

Characteristics of an organism's life history are often good predictors of genetic diversity and genetic structure. We tested hypotheses about genetic structure and diversity in an intertidal alga based on life history and life form. Fucus spiralis L. is a perennial monoecious alga that is abundant on the shores of Maine. Reproduction in fucoids is highly sensitive to water motion, resulting in fertilization success close to 100%. Given these life history characteristics, we predicted genetic structure among populations to be high and genetic diversity within populations to be low. We used five microsatellite loci to analyze genetic structure and diversity in F. spiralis from four sites on each of two coastal points, Maine, USA. Observed heterozygosities were relatively low (0.23 to 0.56), and F I S estimates were usually significantly large, ranging from 0.021 to 0.476. This suggests that selfing and/or inbreeding may occur. Contrary to predictions, genetic differentiation between the two coastal points was insignificant. Moreover, few sites were genetically different from one another. Pairwise tests revealed complex patterns among sites. Genetic differentiation was not correlated with distance (P>0.05). Life history characteristics are good predictors of genetic diversity but not of population genetic structure in F. spiralis. We suggest that long distance dispersal of E spiralis via drifting algal rafts increases gene flow. In addition, low levels of genetic structure may arise due to episodic recruitment or recent recolonization events. We discuss the implications of our results in terms of using life history characteristics as predictors of genetic diversity and structure in algae.
The Myth of Objectivity OR Why Science Needs a New Psychology of Science

For the past two years I have been studying a group of over forty eminent physical scientists. I have repeatedly interviewed there are over 220 hours of tape-recorded interviews and questioned them about their methodology and attitudes towards science and scientists. The purpose of my study has been to find out how practicing scientists actually do science and what they think about the nature of science.
Visual Field Defects in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumor Cerebri)

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) produces loss of visual field and visual acuity. We conducted a retrospective study of 12 patients (all female, ranging in age from 6 to 44 years) using computerized visual field analysis. In seven of the 12 patients, the visual field loss appeared to be permanent, and follow-up was too short for the final outcome to be determined in two others. The visual field defects were those known to be associated with optic disk lesions. The most common were blind spot enlargement (all 12 cases), isopter constriction (nine cases), and loss on the nasal side of the visual field (seven cases), especially in the inferonasal quadrant. Four patients had diminished visual acuities. The reversibility of the visual field defects was correlated with the presence (nonreversible) or absence (reversible) of ophthalmoscopic signs of chronic papilledema. Because visual loss is reversible if treatment is begun before the onset of the optic disk changes associated with chronic papilledema, patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension should be monitored carefully with frequent perimetric and visual acuity testing.
MARKETING AND QUALITY OF LIFE: A MODEL FOR IMPROVING PERINATAL HEALTH STATUS

Introduction: A marketing/business model using non-traditional Quality of Life measures was developed to assess perinatal health status on a micro-geographic level. This perinatal health status needs assessment study for Georgia South Central Region was conducted for the years 1994–1999. The model may be applied to any geographic unit in the U.S. — from a block group level to a state or a region. Methodology: An Infant Health Risk Score was created for each county and census tract by calculating the Z-scores of various Medical, Lifestyle, and Access variables so as to construct a Quality of Life Index. The scores identified the areas in the region that were at high risk for certain medical, lifestyle, and access variables (i.e., high risk for preterm births, low education levels, and poor access to perinatal services). A marketing tool, Claritas PRIZM Clusters, was used to identify a specific cluster and associated marketing information for each census tract within the region. Results: The Infant Health Quality of Life Risk Scores were linked with the PRIZM cluster marketing data to target areas in the region that exhibit high risk medical, lifestyle, and access scores. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies were developed using a marketing/business model. Specifically, media usage and consumer behavior purchasing patterns were identified and processed for every high risk area in the region. The categories for media usage were television, radio, and magazines and the categories for consumer behavior included restaurants, food items, and shopping locations. Discussion: The Perinatal Region is developing strategies to implement the media usage and consumer behavior marketing information to focus their prevention efforts to the high risk areas in the region based on the Quality of Life Measurements. Linking marketing business tools with a Quality of Life health status needs assessment has significant potential for improving the planning, the evaluation, and the focus of prevention efforts.
Novel Schemes for Repeatable Runout Compensation Using Adaptive Feedforward Cancellation

In this paper, new methods to estimate repeatable runout (RRO) in hard disk drives are proposed. The techniques are based on adaptive feedforward cancellation (AFC). To enhance the performance, the modified filtered-X LMS (MFX-LMS) adaptive algorithm is combined with Kalman filtering. The estimated data are used in real-time control to generate the compensation signal which cancels RRO disturbances. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes and the resulting reduction of position errors in the track following mode.
The role of the microglia in acute CNS injury

Microglia are considered the brain's resident immune cell involved in immune defense, immunocompetence, and phagocytosis. They maintain tissue homeostasis within the brain and spinal cord under normal condition and serves as its initial host defense system. However, when the central nervous system (CNS) faces injury, microglia respond through signaling molecules expressed or released by neighboring cells. Microglial responses are dual in nature. They induce a nonspecific immune response that may exacerbate CNS injury, especially in the acute stages, but are also essential to CNS recovery and repair. The full range of microglial mechanisms have yet to be clarified, but there is accumulating knowledge about microglial activation in acute CNS injury. Microglial responses require hours to days to fully develop, and may present a therapeutic target for intervention with a much longer window of opportunity compare to other neurological treatments. The challenge will be to find ways to selectively suppress the deleterious effects of microglial activation without compromising its beneficial functions. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent progress relating on the deleterious and beneficial effect of microglia in the setting of acute CNS injury and the potential therapeutic intervention against microglial activation to CNS injury.
Germination of Panicum virgatum cultivars in a NaCl gradient

Abstract. With increased interest in biofuel production, the conversion of agricultural lands (known to concentrate salts) as well as other marginal lands will be critical in establishing a switchgrass-based renewable biofuel industry. In this study three cultivars (Trailblazer, Cave-in-Rock, and Blackwell) of Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) were germinated in a NaCl gradient of 0.0, 0.0504, 0.1002, and 0.1546 molar solutions. Three replicates were run, lasting 20 days each, from September 2010 to November 2010. Each replicate consisted of six samples for each cultivar:concentration combination, for a total of 72 samples per replicate. A two-way ANOVA indicated that for all three replicates percent germination was significantly affected by salinity concentration, cultivar type, and salinity concentration x cultivar type (p<0.05). Furthermore, post hoc results showed that nearly every combination of cultivars and concentrations with respect to percent germination was significant. In all, the data from all t...
Private and Public Responses to Market Failure in the U.S. Electric Power Industry, 1882–1942

The electric utility industry, long viewed as one of the nation's most stable and predictable business sectors, has been characterized by increasing uncertainty and controversy since the cost and rate increases of the early 1970s. In terms of industry structure, questions have been raised regarding the costs and benefits of wider competition in an industry typified by vertically integrated monopolists. The relative impact of holding company structures on the industry as well as the relative merits of public ownership and management have been major areas of contention. Finally, the effects and proper role of federal, state, and local regulation with respect to the electric utility industry continue to be debated widely. Although such controversies may appear to be relatively new, they were in fact commonplace during the first half century of the electric utility industry's existence in the United States. Technological advances in the generation and transmission of electricity led to rapid growth and consolidation of the industry from 1882 to 1930. Over time, the industry came to be dominated by monopoly, privately owned operating companies controlled by interstate public utility holding companies and regulated by state public utility commissions. However, competition, public ownership, independent ownership, and (exclusive) local regulation each continued to exist in some markets.
Competitors' Resource-Oriented Strategies: Acting on Competitors' Resources Through Interventions in Factor Markets and Political Markets

We argue that we can reach a better understanding of the relationships between firm resources and competitive advantage by considering actions that firms take against their rivals' resources in factor markets and political markets. We outline market and firm characteristics that facilitate the deployment of competitors' resource-oriented strategies. We then argue that the effectiveness of the firm's actions on its competitors' resources depends on the competitive responses of the rivals being attacked.
A method for skew-free distribution of digital signals using matched variable delay lines

We have presented a novel technique that allows skew-free distribution of digital signals with known and controllable arrival times. The technique requires adjustments and measurements only at the sender. Our method is based on measuring the round trip delay of a signal and then adjusting it with a pair of matched delay lines. This technique can be modified to work without extra wiring, and is effective for receivers along as well as at the end of a wire. This method can be readily implemented using well-known circuit forms in ECL and CMOS technologies, and incorporates well into the boundary scan logic of a custom VLSI chip.
Measuring Legume Content in Pastures Using Digital Photographs

Quantifying botanical composition is important for evaluating management effect on legume content and legume content on pasture yield and quality. The standard for measuring botanical composition is hand separation of clipped samples. An alternative is taking point counts of botanical components on photographs of the pasture. This was tested on a rotationally stocked pasture, taking photos at 24 random sample areas, clipping areas at ground level and hand separating samples into grass, legume and forb fractions. Photos were evaluated using a grid in Microsoft PowerPoint. Point counts were calibrated to hand separated values using linear regression. Grass and legume point count components were not significantly different from hand separated values (P=0.05) but underestimated the forb fraction. Calibration regressions had R 2 values ranging from 0.45 to 0.98. Precision of this technique is dependent on the number of photos/pasture, number of points counted/photo and the number of paired samples taken for calibration. In cool-season grass-clover pastures 12 or more photos/pasture and 100 or more points/photo are a good balance between photo number and points per photo. For calibration 12 or more paired samples should be used. Photo point counts appear to be a practical method of measuring grass, legume and forb components in rotationally grazed pastures.
Calcite Cement Stratigraphy and Cementation History of the Burlington-Keokuk Formation (Mississippian), Illinois and Missouri

ABSTRACT Iron content and cathodoluminescence define six regionally extensive calcite cement zones over 100,000 sq. km of study area in the Burlington-Keokuk Formation of Illinois and Missouri. The regional cement stratigraphy is composed of mappable zones, analogous to lithostratigraphic units, which represent diagenetic episodes during which calcite with distinct cathodoluminescent properties precipitated in a given time interval relative to other diagenetic events such as cement fracturing and calcite dissolution. Individual cement zones may not be strictly isochronous throughout the study area but are not strongly diachronous. Two different, but related, cathodoluminescent sequences have been identified within pre-Pennsylvanian cements in the Burlington-Keokuk Formation: 1) within lower strata, early, nonferroan cement consists of both nonluminescent and luminescent calcite (zones II-IV); 2) within upper strata, early, nonferroan cement consists of entirely luminescent calcite (zone II). Petrographic relationships indicate that zone II is time equivalent with zones II-IV in lower Burlington-Keokuk strata. The occurrence of cement zones II-IV encased in Pennsylvanian shale and quartz sand within pre-Pennsylvanian karst cavities constrains the age of early, nonferroan calcite as pre-Pennsylvanian. In ll cases, pre-Pennsylvanian cements are followed by ferroan, dull to moderately luminescing calcite (zone V) which, in turn, is overgrown by nonferroan, moderate to brightly luminescing calcite (zone VI). Cross-cutting relations of Burlington-Keokuk syntaxial calcite with Mississippi Valley-type mineralization phases constrains the minimum age of cement zones V and VI as Early Permian. Pre-Pennsylvanian cements formed in a shallow, meteoric aquifer characterized by vertically segregated chemical facies. Pre-Pennsylvanian cements within lower strata precipitated from waters of varying Eh, while those in upper strata formed from reduced waters. Post-Mississippian/pre-Early Permian cements precipitated under less than 1 km of overburden from reducing meteoric waters or subsurface brines.
Alterations in Immunoreactive Proinsulin and Insulin Clearance Induced by Weight Loss in NIDDM

Subjects with overt non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were studied in comparison to obese nondiabetic control subjects and patients with subclinical diabetes. Pancreatic insulin secretion rates were measured by deconvolution of peripheral C-peptide over a 24-h period while subjects consumed an isocaloric mixed diet. Subjects were then placed on caloric restriction for at least 6 weeks, during which time body weight fell by at least 10%. Refeeding with solid mixed meals was then resumed for at least 2 weeks until isocaloric intake was attained, and then the meal profiles were repeated. Before weight loss, insulin, C-peptide, and insulin secretion rates were significantly higher in subjects with subclinical diabetes than in the other two groups. Proinsulin concentrations were significantly greater in the two diabetic groups than in control subjects, but, when expressed as a percentage of the total insulin immunoreactivity, the differences were significant only in the group with overt diabetes. Weight loss because of hypocaloric feeding resulted in a significant increase in the rate of clearance of endogenously secreted insulin but did not affect the clearance of C-peptide. In obese subjects and those with subclinical diabetes, weight loss was associated with a reduction in insulin secretion rates, presumably as a result of improvements in insulin sensitivity. In patients with overt diabetes and hyperglycemia, weight loss improved beta-cell responsiveness to glucose and was associated with an increase in insulin clearance and a reduction in proinsulin immunoreactivity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Extending assembly of short DNA sequences to handle error

Inexpensive de novo genome sequencing, particularly in organisms with small genomes, is now possible using several new sequencing technologies. Some of these technologies such as that from Illumina's Solexa Sequencing, produce high genomic coverage by generating a very large number of small reads (~30 bp). While prior work shows that partial assembly can be performed by k-mer extension in error-free reads, this algorithm is unsuccessful with the sequencing error rates found in practice. We present VCAKE (Verified Consensus Assembly by K-mer Extension), a modification of simple k-mer extension that overcomes error by using high depth coverage. Though it is a simple modification of a previous approach, we show significant improvements in assembly results on simulated and experimental datasets that include error. Availability: http://152.2.15.114/~labweb/VCAKE Contact: william.jeck@gmail.com
Histologic analysis of transmyocardial channels: comparison of CO2 and holmium: YAG lasers

Background. Transmyocardial laser revascularization using different lasers is being tested in the treatment of refractory angina. We conducted comparative analysis of the acute and chronic myocardial effects of these different lasers. Methods. Transmyocardial channels were made in normal dog hearts with either a holmium: yttrium-aluminum garnet or a CO 2 laser. Channels were examined histologically 6 to 24 hours, 2 to 3 weeks, and 6 weeks after creation. Results. Regardless of the laser source, the channels were occluded by thrombus within 6 to 24 hours. Subsequently, organization and neovascularization of the channel region occurred. Thermoacoustic damage was initially greater with the holmium: yttrium-aluminum garnet laser, but the channel appearances were indistinguishable from those made with the CO 2 laser by 6 weeks. Conclusions. Histologically, the myocardial effects of the CO 2 and holmium: yttrium-aluminum garnet lasers are similar and differ predominantly in the amount of acute thermoacoustic injury. Channels are rapidly occluded by thrombus and are replaced by neovascularized collagen. This suggests that the physiologic effects of these two lasers may be similar and that mechanisms other than blood flow through chronic patent channels should be considered as contributing to the clinical benefits observed with this procedure.
Maternal high-methyl diet suppresses mammary carcinogenesis in female rat offspring

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy influences the development and metabolism of the fetus. Recent studies suggest that the cancer risk of offspring later in life is associated with maternal diet, but little is known about the effect of a maternal diet high in methyl nutrients on breast cancer risk. Lipotropes are methyl group-containing essential nutrients (methionine, choline, folate and vitamin B(12)) that play key roles in one-carbon metabolism. In this study, we investigated the long-term effects of maternal dietary high-dose lipotropes (five times higher than in the control diet) on the development and progression of mammary tumors in rat offspring using two separate experiments (in utero exposure with and without postnatal supplementation). In both experiments, the female offspring were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose (50 mg/kg body wt) of N-nitroso-N-methylurea during puberty to induce mammary tumors. Tumor growth and development were recorded, and at the end of the study, tissues were collected for analysis. For both experiments, the offspring from dams fed a high-dose lipotropes showed significantly decreased tumor incidence, tumor multiplicity and tumor volume, while also displaying a significant increase in survival rate and tumor latency. Gene transcription analysis, as measured by quantitative real-time PCR, revealed a significant decrease of histone deacetylase 1 (Hdac1) messenger RNA in mammary tumors in both experiments. Our findings provide evidence that maternal dietary high-dose lipotropes reduce mammary carcinogenesis in offspring in association with long-term alterations in gene expression and may be useful in developing maternal dietary strategies to prevent breast cancer.
Surface Loop Motion in FepA

Using a lysine-specific cleavable cross-linking reagent ethylene glycolbis(sulfosuccimidylsuccinate) (Sulfo-EGS), we studied conformational motion in the surface loops of Escherichia coli FepA during its transport of the siderophore ferric enterobactin. Site-directed mutagenesis determined that Sulfo-EGS reacted with two lysines, K332 and K483, and at least two other unidentified Lys residues in the surface loops of the outer membrane protein. The reagent cross-linked K483 in FepA L7 to either K332 in L5, forming a product that we designated band 1, or to the major outer membrane proteins OmpF, OmpC, and OmpA, forming band 2. Ferric enterobactin binding to FepA did not prevent modification of K483 by Sulfo-EGS but blocked its cross-linking to OmpF/C and OmpA and reduced its coupling to K332. These data show that the loops of FepA undergo conformational changes in vivo, with an approximate magnitude of 15 A, from a ligand-free open state to a ligand-bound closed state. The coupling of FepA L7 to OmpF, OmpC, or OmpA was TonB independent and was unaffected by the uncouplers CCCP (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone) and DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol) but completely inhibited by cyanide.
Selective Criteria May Increase Lumbosacral Spine Roentgenogram Use in Acute Low-Back Pain

• Eleven clinical criteria have been proposed to limit use of lumbosacral spine roentgenograms in patients with acute low-back pain who are at risk for vertebral cancer, osteomyelitis, acute fracture, or herniated disk. We retrospectively applied the criteria to 471 patients with acute low-back pain in three teaching hospital walk-in clinics. Roentgenograms were obtained at the initial visit in 99 patients (21.1%); the number would have increased to 217 (46.1%) if the criteria had been used. The following four patient characteristics were associated with actual roentgenogram use: older age, longer duration of symptoms, reflex asymmetry, and point vertebral tenderness. Adoption of the 11 criteria studied herein may inadvertently increase roentgenogram use, thereby raising health care costs and exposing more patients to gonadal irradiation. The standard of practice in these three clinics seemed to entail use of less broad roentgenogram selection criteria. Other published guidelines for roentgenograms emphasize clinical follow-up, reserving further evaluation for patients who fail to improve after a trial of bed rest and analgesics. (Arch Intern Med1989;149:47-50)
Generation and Analysis of Microbial Metatranscriptomes

Analysis of the collective RNA pool from a microbial community - the metatranscriptome - yields valuable information on microbial gene expression patterns and biogeochemical processes in natural environments. Molecular and analytical tools for analyzing metatranscriptomes using high-throughput sequencing have advanced rapidly in recent years and continue to evolve and expand. The technique is increasingly available to individual research projects, even those with a modest budget or lacking an extensive bioinformatics toolkit. A core set of metatranscriptomic practices can now be identified, with key steps including RNA extraction, messenger RNA (mRNA) enrichment, synthesis of complementary DNA (cDNA), shotgun sequencing of cDNA, and bioinformatic analysis of sequence data. This chapter explores key questions that researchers should consider before beginning a metatranscriptomic study and then describes in detail the major steps of a sequencing-based metatranscriptomic analysis, from RNA isolation to functional and taxonomic analysis of sequence data. The questions and methods described here provide an introductory framework for environmental microbiologists interested in using metatranscriptome sequencing to explore microbial community gene expression.
Equilibrium Points of Non-cooperative Random and Bayesian Games

We provide random equilibrium existence theorems for non-cooperative random games with a countable number of players. Our results yield as corollaries generalized random versions of the ordinary equilibrium existence result of J. Nash [22]. Moreover, they can be used to obtain equilibrium existence results for games with incomplete information, and in particular Bayesian games. In view of recent work on applications of Bayesian games and Bayesian equilibria, the latter results seem to be quite useful since they delineate conditions under which such equilibria exist.
TKSimGPU: A parallel top-K trajectory similarity query processing algorithm for GPGPUs

There exist large datasets containing the sequences of points that moving objects occupy in space as time goes by. Such sequences of moving objects are known as trajectories. Being able to issue queries that allow the extraction of patterns from the movements of these objects is important to many real world applications, such as urban planning in transportation and bird migration tracking in ecology. One example of such queries is the top-K trajectory similarity query. This type of query receives as input arguments two sets P and Q of trajectories and a positive integer k, and seeks to find for every trajectory p in P the set of k trajectories in Q that are the most similar to p. However, querying these trajectory data is both compute and I/O intensive. In this paper we explore the potential of GPGPUs for supporting, in a scalable manner, top-K trajectory similarity queries. To this end, we propose an algorithm, called TKSimGPU, that incorporates parallelization strategies in order to answer this type of trajectory queries. We conducted experiments comparing the throughput of top-K trajectory similarity queries performed on multicore CPUs and GPGPUs using a large scale real world trajectory dataset. The experiments show that TKSimGPU achieved a 3.37x speedup in query processing time over exhaustive search on a GPU, and a 4.9x speedup in query processing time on a 12-core CPU architecture.
Heterologous challenge in the presence of maternally-derived antibodies results in vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease in weaned piglets.

Control of influenza A virus (IAV) in pigs is done by vaccination of females to provide maternally-derived antibodies (MDA) through colostrum. Our aim was to evaluate if MDA interfere with IAV infection, clinical disease, and transmission in non-vaccinated piglets. In the first study, naive sows were vaccinated with H1N2-δ1 whole inactivated virus (WIV) vaccine. In a follow-up study seropositive sows to 2009 pandemic H1N1 (H1N1pdm09) were boosted with H1N1pdm09 WIV or secondary experimental infection (EXP). MDA-positive pigs were challenged with homologous or heterologous virus, and MDA-negative control groups were included. WIV-MDA piglets were protected from homologous infection. However, piglets with WIV-derived MDA subsequently challenged with heterologous virus developed vaccine associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD), regardless of history of natural exposure in the sows. Our data indicates that although high titers of vaccine-derived MDA reduced homologous virus infection, transmission, and disease, MDA alone was sufficient to induce VAERD upon heterologous infection.
Bitumen heavy oil upgrading by cavitation processing: effect on asphaltene separation, rheology, and metal content

Cavitation processing has been proposed as a greener alternative to solvent dilution or heat treatment of bitumen and other heavy oils to reduce viscosity and hence, improve transportability. The effect of acoustic cavitation under different conditions of sonication frequencies (low- to high- frequency range) and power inputs on asphaltene content, rheological changes, and metal content of bitumen was investigated in this study. Ultrasonic treatment resulted in a decrease in asphaltene content in bitumen that lead to lower viscosity and shear stress over a wide range of shear rates. Over the range of sonication frequencies investigated (20 kHz–1.1 MHz), the sonication frequency of 574 kHz with 50 % power input resulted in low asphaltene content and lower viscosity suitable for improved transportability. Further, comparison of different conditions of sonication frequencies and power inputs were carried out to investigate the effect of ultrasound on properties of asphaltene (elemental analysis and metal content). It was observed that the sonication treatment of bitumen under different conditions of frequencies and acoustic power decreased the H/C ratio. These results showed higher content of aromatic hydrogen and lower content of aliphatic hydrogen in bitumen treated under different conditions of sonication frequencies and intensity. Characterization of asphaltene performed using ICP-MS and TXRF, revealed lower metal content (Ni, Fe, and V) in the asphaltene phase of processed (sonicated) bitumen. The lowered metal content can be attributed to the reduced asphaltene formation as a result of sonication treatment of bitumen.