cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sunitinib objective response in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: analysis of 1059 patients treated on clinical trials.

Abstract Background Retrospective analyses were performed in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) to characterise the objective response (OR) rate to sunitinib and differentiate pretreatment features and outcomes of patients with early (response by ⩽12 weeks) versus late response, and responders versus non-responders. Methods Data were pooled from 1059 patients in six trials. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by Brookmeyer and Crowley method and compared between groups by log-rank test. Baseline characteristics were compared by Fisher-exact, t -, or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Associations between characteristics and survival were investigated by Cox proportional regression analysis. Results 398 patients (38%) had confirmed OR (12 complete responses); 26%, 61%, 79% and 86% responded by 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks, respectively. Median (range) time to tumour response (TTR) was 10.6 (2.7–94.4) weeks and was similar in treatment-naive and cytokine-refractory patients. Median response duration in early and late responders was 52.0 and 55.0 weeks, respectively. Median PFS in early versus late responders was 13.8 versus 20.2 months ( P = 0.001); however, median OS did not significantly differ (37.8 versus 40.8 months; P = 0.144). Early responders had more lung metastases ( P P Conclusions OR occurred in 38% of sunitinib-treated mRCC patients. Sixty-one percent of responses occurred by 12 weeks of therapy, and responders had favourable pretreatment features and significantly longer survival.
User-perceived quality assessment of streaming media using reduced feature sets

While subjective measurements are the most natural for assessing the user-perceived quality of a media stream, there are issues with their scalability and their context accuracy. We explore techniques to select application-layer measurements, collected by an instrumented media player, that most accurately predict the subjective quality rating that a user would assign to a stream. We consider three feature subset selection techniques that reduce the number of features (measurements) under consideration to ones most relevant to user-perceived stream quality. Two of the three techniques mathematically consider stream characteristics when selecting measurements, while the third is based on observation. We apply the reduced feature sets to two nearest-neighbor algorithms for predicting user-perceived stream quality. Our results demonstrate that there are clear strategies for estimating the quality rating that work well in specific circumstances such as video-on-demand services. The results also demonstrate that neither of the mathematically-based feature subset selection techniques identify a single set of features that is unambiguously influential on user-perceived stream quality, but that ultimately a combination of retransmitted and/or lost application-layer packets is most accurate for predicting stream quality.
Load distribution on highway bridges using ICES-STRUDL finite element analysis

Abstract The development of refined finite element models for the analysis of a concrete slab on steel beam highway bridges is presented in this paper. This paper summarizes the process by which a refined finite element analysis was applied to bridge superstructures using ICES-STRUDL. This process will assist bridge engineers and researchers in predicting the actual stress distribution and evaluating the load transfer to beams from designed vehicle loads on highway bridges.
Exact effective action and spacetime geometry in gauged WZW models.

We present an effective quantum action for the gauged WZW model ${\mathit{G}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{k}}$/${\mathit{H}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{k}}$. It is conjectured that it is valid to all orders of the central extension (-k) on the basis that it reproduces the exact spacetime geometry of the zero modes that was previously derived in the algebraic Hamiltonian formalism. In addition to the metric and dilaton, the new results that follow from this approach include the exact axion field and the solution of the geodesics in the exact geometry. It is found that the axion field is generally nonzero at higher orders of 1/k even if it vanishes at large k. We work out the details in two specific coset models: one non-Abelian, i.e., SO(2,2)/SO(2,1), and one Abelian, i.e., SL(2,openR)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}SO(1,1${)}^{\mathit{d}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$/SO(1,1). The simplest case SL(2,openR)/openR corresponds to a limit.
Photometric measurements of H-beta in the aurora

Abstract Measurements of auroral H-beta at high temporal and spatial resolution obtained by means of an interference filter scanning photometer have been subjected to a detailed analysis regarding possible sources of signal contamination. Two general categories of potential contamination were investigated: (1) strong spectral emmisions within the 'wings' of the filter passband and (2) weak molecular bands, atomic lines continuumunderlying the H-beta line and therefore contributing to the light passed by the filter. Calculation of the apparent intensity resulting from contamination in the first category yielded an upper limit of 10 R false H-beta signal for the brightest auroral conditions when H-beta intensities are on the order of 1 kR. Estimates of intensities resulting from contamination of the second category were calculated from two points of view: (a) examination of spectral morphology, with a result that 60–70 per cent of the signal recorded is true H-beta and (b) estimation of individual contaminating emssions with a result that at least 65 per cent of the recorded signal is auroral H-beta.
Plan and Intent Recognition in a Multi-agent System for Collective Box Pushing

In a distributed multi-agent system, an idle agent may be available to assist other agents in the system. An agent architecture called intent recognition is proposed in this article to accomplish this with minimal communication. To assist other agents in the system, an agent performing recognition observes the tasks other agents are performing. Unlike the much-studied field of plan recognition, the overall intent of an agent is recognized instead of a specific plan. The observing agent may use capabilities that it has not observed. In this study, the key research question is: What are intent-recognition systems and how can these be used to have agents autonomously assist each other effectively and efficiently? A conceptual framework is proposed to address this question. An implementation of the conceptual framework is tested and evaluated. A set of metrics, including task time and number of communications, is used to compare the performance of plan recognition and intent recognition. This research shows that under certain conditions, an intent- recognition system is more efficient than a plan recognition system.
X-ray investigation of charge-density-wave pinning in blue bronze.

High-resolution x-ray diffraction has resolved the phase-coherence volume of the charge-density wave in electron-irradiated blue bronze. The coherence volume is 3.7{times}10{sup 8} A {sup 3} for defect density {ital n}=0.034 at. %. The coherence lengths decrease roughly as {ital n}{sup {minus}0.4}. Results are contrasted with various theories of pinning.
Vibration analysis of rotating turbomachinery blades by an improved finite difference method

The problem of calculating the natural frequencies and mode shapes of rotating blades is solved by an improved finite difference procedure based on second-order central differences. Lead-lag, flapping and coupled bending-torsional vibration cases of untwisted blades are considered. Results obtained by using the present improved theory have been observed to be close lower bound solutions. The convergence has been found to be rapid in comparison with the classical first-order finite difference method. While the computational space and time required by the present approach is observed to be almost the same as that required by the first-order theory for a given mesh size, accuracies of practical interest can be obtained by using the improved finite difference procedure with a relatively smaller matrix size, in contrast to the classical finite difference procedure which requires either a larger matrix or an extrapolation procedure for improvement in accuracy.
Developing a Capability Maturity Model for Enterprise Intelligence

Abstract Capability maturity models have become popular for outlining the key processes from which methodological flows are created. In this article, we define the topical framework of a capability maturity model for Enterprise Intelligence. Of special concern are the integration of systems engineering, process management, and data analytics to support robust knowledge management practices through the organization.
Corporate social responsibility: Another view

Abstract Numerous individuals, discussing the topic of corporate social responsibility, have exhorted the business community to demonstrate increased concern for social welfare. However, some observers [1,8,12] believe that executives have become less interested in social responsibilities and more disillusioned by the results of the social-responsibility era. The apparent change in executives' attitudes leads to several questions that need answering: Has corporate experimentation with social programs convinced managers that the pursuit of social responsibility is basically inimical to the quest for profits? Is the business community's commitment to the philosophy of corporate social responsibility moribund? Is the idea destined to die of benign neglect? Conclusions pertaining to these questions are developed in this article. The analysis includes the formulation of a theoretical basis for evaluating and resolving the central issues which confound executive decision making as it relates to corporate social responsibility.
Amphetamine administration improves neurochemical outcome of lateral fluid percussion brain injury in the rat.

This study examined the effects of the administration of D-amphetamine on the regional accumulation of lactate and free fatty acids (FFAs) after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury in the rat. Rats were subjected to either FP brain injury of moderate severity (1.9 to 2.0 atm) or sham operation. At 5 min after injury, rats were treated with either d-amphetamine (4 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline. At 30 min and 60 min after brain injury, brains were frozen in situ, and cortices and hippocampi were excised at 0 degrees C. In the saline-treated brain injured rats, levels of lactate were increased in the ipsilateral left cortex and hippocampus at 30 min and 60 min after injury. These increases were attenuated by the administration of D-amphetamine at 5 min after lateral FP brain injury. At 30 and 60 min after FP brain injury, increases in the levels of all individual FFAs (palmitic, stearic, oleic and arachidonic acids) and of total FFAs were also observed in the ipsilateral cortex of the saline-treated injured rats. These increases in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus were also attenuated by the administration of d-amphetamine. Neither levels of lactate nor levels of FFAs were increased in the contralateral cortex in the saline-treated injured rats at 30 min or 60 min after FP brain injury. The levels of lactate and FFAs in the contralateral cortex were also unaffected by the administration of D-amphetamine. These results suggest that the attenuation of increases in the levels of lactate and FFAs in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus may be involved in the amphetamine-induced improvement in behavioral outcome after lateral FP brain injury.
Facies control on lower Cambrian wrinkle structure development and paleoenvironmental distribution, southern Great Basin, United States

Assessing the role that physical processes play in restricting microbial mat distribution has been difficult due to the primary control of bioturbation in the modern ocean. To isolate and determine the physical controls on microbial mat distribution and preservation, a time in Earth’s history must be examined when bioturbation was not the primary control. This restricts the window of observation primarily to the Precambrian and Cambrian, which precede the development of typical Phanerozoic and modern levels of bioturbation. Lower Cambrian strata of the southern Great Basin, United States, record the widespread development of seafloor microbial mats in shallow shelf and nearshore settings. These microbial mats are recorded by wrinkle structures, which consist of millimeter-scale ridges and sinuous troughs that represent the former presence of a surface microbial mat. Wrinkle structures within these strata occur exclusively within heterolithic deposits of the offshore transition, i.e., between fair-weather wave base and storm wave base, and within heterolithic tidal-flat deposits. Wrinkle structures are not preserved in siltstone-dominated offshore deposits or amalgamated shoreface sandstones. The preservation of wrinkle structures within these environments is due to: (1) the development of microbial mats atop clean quartz-rich sands for growth and casting of the structures; and (2) the draping of the microbial mat by finer-grained sediment to inhibit erosion. The exclusion from offshore deposits may be due to a lack of sufficient sunlight, whereas the restriction from the shoreface is likely due to the amalgamation of proximal tempestites, resulting in the erosion of any incipient microbial mat development.
A note on the reliability of redundant systems

This paper attempts to study the effect of the order of redundancy of a system on its instantaneous failure rate, and its life expectancy. Closed form solutions are presented for types of systems which are commonly met with in engineering practice. Both subsystem redundancy and component redundancy are investigated and the latter is shown to be, in general, superior.
Assessing the Usefulness of Software Tools for Aiding Meaningful Access of Internet Health Information by Older Users

Consumers are increasingly using the Internet as a source of health information. Older users in particular, who generally have more health-related issues to contend with, can stand to benefit greatly from the vast resources of health information that the Internet can provide. However, finding, integrating, and making sense of such information in support of health management can be challenging for these users, especially in the face of age-related declines in cognitive abilities that are critical for Internet health information seeking. In this study, data from three focus groups comprised of 23 Internet users 65 years of age or older were collected to investigate the potential usefulness of four software tools that, in principle, offer the capability for aiding such users in their Internet health information search and decision-making activities. The data revealed both positive features and concerns with these tools. Overall, these data provided valuable guidance for an initial phase of design interventio...
Tracing the timing of human analysis of motion and chromatic signals from occipital to temporo-parieto-occipital cortex: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

Abstract In human visual analysis, the initial processing of motion and chromatic signals may be mediated by feed-forward pathways from striate cortex to segregated areas of extrastriate cortex. The time-course of occipital to temporo-parieto-occipital motion processing was unknown, as was the selectivity of the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on motion processing. TMS delivered over occipital cortex degraded the discrimination of motion-defined form (MDF) in a discrete time window beginning 100–120 ms from the onset of the visual stimulus. Bilateral focal TMS delivered over the temporo-parieto-occipital junction (TPO) disrupted the discrimination of MDF in a time window beginning 20–40 ms later than the effect of TMS delivered over occipital cortex. Bilateral focal TMS delivered over TPO also degraded the discrimination of CDF, motion direction, and color.
Run by run process control: combining SPC and feedback control

The run by run controller provides a framework for controlling a process which is subject to disturbances such as shifts and drifts as a normal part of its operation. The run by run controller combines the advantages of both statistical process control (SPC) and feedback control. It has three components: rapid mode, gradual mode, and generalized SPC. Rapid mode adapts to sudden shifts in the process such as those caused by maintenance operations. Gradual mode adapts to gradual drifts in the process such as those caused by build-up of deposition inside a reactor. The choice between the two modes is determined by the outcome from generalized SPC which allows SPC to be applied to a process while it is being tuned. The run by run controller has been applied to the control of a silicon epitaxy process in a barrel reactor. Rapid mode recovered the process within 3 runs after a disturbance. Gradual mode reduced the variation of the process by a factor of 2.7 as compared to historical data. >
Automated Sequential Degradation of Ribonucleic Acids

An instrument has been constructed that can automatically and selectively remove the terminal nucleotide residue from a ribonucleic acid. The instrument is designed to repeat the degradation cycle. This process involves two steps: (1) The base and sugar fragments are removed by the combined action of periodate and amine. (2) The phosphate residue, attached to the originally penultimate residue, is removed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Various techniques have been studied to establish the optimal methods for separating the residual polynucleotide chain from the various reagents and reaction products. In the most efficient and reproducible system, a membrane is used to separate the residual polynucleotide from the reaction products. The enzyme is bound in an active state to a plastic bead, so that simple filtration separates it from the dephosphorylated polynucleotide. All of the chemical and separation steps are quantitative (greater than 99% yield). The analyses are performed automatically by sampling the diffusate, and they are complete before the enzyme hydrolysis begins. The overall efficiency (number of cycles successfully completed) depends upon the stability of the instrument. We have performed up to six cycles with an average yield of 98%.
Degradable polymers: The role of the degradation environment

The degradability of several degradable polymers was examined using three types of degradation environments. These include exposure in a laboratory-scale composting test system containing material representative of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), exposure in a thermal hydrolytic environment consisting of water at 60‡C, and exposure in a thermal-oxidative, dry oven environment of 60‡C. The results of the investigation clearly indicate that, in addition to chemical and biological activity which can lead to polymer degradation, physical restructuring and reorganization of the macromolecular structure may also occur at temperatures typically found in a compost environment, resulting in changes in the mechanical properties of the polymer films. In the case of the polyethylene-modified polymers evaluated in this study, all behaved similarly, but differently from the other polymer types. The polyethylene-based films appeared to be susceptible to oxidative degradation and should degrade in a composting environment providing that there is sufficient air in contact with the film for a sufficient period of time. However, when exposed in a laboratory composter, it appears that although ideal temperature-time curves may be obtained, the test time period was insufficient in comparison to the induction period required to achieve the desired thermal oxidative degradation.
Properties of crosslinked protein matrices for tissue engineering applications synthesized by multiphoton excitation

We demonstrate the fabrication of model scaffolds and extracellular matrices using multiphoton excited photochemistry. This method is three-dimensional in nature and has excellent biocompatibility. Crosslinked matrices were fabricated from the proteins fibrinogen, fibronectin, and concanavalin A using two-photon rose bengal photoactivation and the relatives rates were determined. Immunofluorescence labeling of fibrinogen and fibronectin indicated retention of bioactivity following the multiphoton crosslinking process. Using the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching method, we measured the lateral mobility of fluorescent dyes of different mass and chemistry in order to model the behavior of therapeutic agents and bioactive molecules and found diffusion coefficients within these fabricated structures to be on the order of 10(-9)-10(-10) cm(2)/s, or approximately three to four orders of magnitude slower than in free solution. The precise diffusion coefficients can be smoothly tuned by varying the laser exposure during the fabrication of the matrix, which results in both an increase in crosslink density as well as protein concentration in the matrix. Terminal crosslink density is achieved at integrated high exposure dose and the relative fabrication rates were determined for these proteins. For all the proteins, the range of diffusion coefficients between the threshold for fabrication and the terminal limit is correlated with the change in matrix mesh size as determined by Flory-Rehner swelling analysis. Both normal Fickian as well as hindered anomalous diffusion is observed depending on specific molecular interactions of the tracer dyes and protein host. (c) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 71A: 359-368, 2004.
Recipes for Success: Lessons Learned From Successful Hospitality Companies

After a decade of over-expansion, the hotel industry began the '90s with excess capacity and decreased demand. Since 1993, the U.S. hotel industry has experienced a turnaround which continued into 19941995 with good performance by most firms. However; competition will continue to be fierce and many challenges are awaiting hotel companies in a more global environment. This article examines the key elements for achieving success in a challenging hospitality industry environment while focusing on the strategies and techniques employed by some successful hotel companies during difficult times.
Synergistic effects of spring temperatures and land cover on nest survival of urban birds

ABSTRACT Climate change has the potential to influence avian population dynamics through nest-fate sensitivity to temperatures during the breeding season. Nest fate also varies across spatially heterogeneous habitat, and changing land uses may independently introduce stressors on reproductive outcome. Identifying the individual and synergistic effects of climate change and land-use change is necessary for understanding the impact of global change on native species. We studied the nest fate of 3 sympatric species breeding in urban habitat in an arid region of the western United States. We monitored nests (n = 371) of American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), and Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) over 4 yr on an urban-to-rural gradient and analyzed nest fate in relation to temperatures at the time of egg laying and after eggs hatched. Habitat measurements included nest height and the amounts of canopy cover and impervious surfaces at 3 spatial scales of 20-m, 100...
NUTRITION SCREENING IN OLD PEOPLE: Its Place in a Coherent Practice of Preventive Health Care

The central demographic reality of our times is the rapid aging of our society. Preventive nutritional and preventive health care of older people, therefore, are pressing issues that must be contended with. Several strategies for this are possible, including the broadcasting of general nutritional and health messages to the population, the inclusion of preventive nutrition and health as part of routine primary care, and nutrition screening: a process of self-identification by the older population in which they judge for themselves whether they are at nutritional risk and, if so, seek the care of professionals. This review focuses on some of the necessities for screening: sensitive, specific, and inexpensively applied screening devices; and explicit interventions that do not have major public health benefit for those who screen negative. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that screening is beneficial, nor have the benefits of this strategy been compared with its alternatives. Thus, the ethical imperative of screening has not been met: that because the activity is being promoted (it is not initiated by the public), its benefit must be conclusive.
Factors Associated with the Presentation of Moyamoya in Childhood

Background Moyamoya accounts for approximately one fifth of cerebral arteriopathies in children presenting with acute stroke; however, often is not diagnosed until stroke occurs, even in higher risk populations and often despite a history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). This study was undertaken to better define which groups of children are at risk for moyamoya and how they present. Methods With institutional review board approval, the charts of all patients with a diagnosis of moyamoya were reviewed. Results Fifty-four patients were identified. Mean age at presentation was 7.5 years; 56% were female; 32 (59%) had predisposing medical conditions associated with moyamoya; and 17 (31%) were of Asian descent. Only 11 children (20%) had no underlying predisposing condition identified, of whom, 4 had underlying conditions not previously reported in association with moyamoya. Eight patients (15%) were Native American; 38 (70%) had a history of TIAs; and 26 (48%) presented with acute stroke, of whom, three fourth had left and one fourth had right hemisphere strokes. Fifty-two percent had a history of headache. Conclusions Most children with moyamoya in this series had an underlying predisposing condition, compared with other US series, where almost half had no predisposing condition identified. In this series, fewer children (48% versus 68%) presented with stroke, many (70% versus 43%) had a history of TIAs, and many (52% versus 22%) had a history of headaches than in previous reports. In addition, the Native American population may be at higher risk of moyamoya than previously recognized.
Prenatal presentation and postnatal management of congenital thoracic malformations.

Abstract The antenatal finding of a congenital thoracic malformation (CTM) leads to anxiety in the parents and uncertainty as to the optimal management. The antenatal spectrum of CTM includes congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, sequestration, congenital lobar emphysema, enteric and bronchogenic cysts, and bronchial atresia. Most lesions require no antenatal intervention, and shrink substantially in the third trimester, but if fetal hydrops develops, then antenatal intervention is required, occasionally medical but more usually surgical, because mortality is high. If the baby is symptomatic in the newborn period, then some form of surgical intervention is clearly required. The asymptomatic baby presents a therapeutic dilemma. Advocates of early surgery point to the complications of CTM, which include infection, pneumothorax, bleeding and malignant transformation. Those who are proponents of conservative management retort that some CTM disappear postnatally, and that the complication rate is unknown; many children appear never to need surgery. Furthermore, there is clearcut evidence that excision of a CTM does not totally eliminate the risk of a subsequent malignancy. It is clear that, both antenatally and postnanatally, counselling of the family on a case by case basis is needed. The limitations of present evidence should be stressed. Different families will make different decisions about postnatal surgery in an asymptomatic baby. If surgery is performed, morbidity is low, particularly with a video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) procedure.
Nanoscale quantitative phase imaging using XOR-based X-ray differential interference contrast microscopy

Abstract We propose a quantitative x-ray phase imaging technique using previously demonstrated XOR objectives. The fabrication process of XOR is identical to that of a Fresnel zone-plate and as a result the same finest outermost zone width, thus spatial resolution, can be achieved. A series of phase shifts from 0 to 2 π is implemented by shifting the relative position of the grating with respect to the zone-plate. Both qualitative differential interference contrast imaging and quantitative phase reconstruction are demonstrated. We expect this high-resolution quantitative x-ray phase imaging capability to further enhance the utility of existing x-ray microscopy facilities.
Online Bibliographic Sources in Hydrology

Traditional commercial bibliographic databases and indexes provide some access to hydrology materials produced by the government; however, these sources do not provide comprehensive coverage of relevant hydrologic publications. This paper discusses bibliographic information available from the federal government and state geological surveys, water resources agencies, and depositories. In addition to information in these databases, the paper describes the scope, styles of citing, subject terminology, and the ways these information sources are currently being searched, formally and informally, by hydrologists. Information available from the federal and state agencies and from the state depositories might be missed by limiting searches to commercially distributed databases.
Prediction of ESD robustness in a process using 2D device simulations

The use of 2D device simulations in predicting the ESD robustness of MOS devices is discussed. The merits of using the peak power density, JE, and the second breakdown trigger current, I/sub t2/, as a measure of the relative robustness of MOS devices with varying drain/source profiles, contact to gate spacing, and gate bias conditions, is studied. It is shown that the peak JE correlates with the peak temperature in the device, but it is strongly influenced by variations in the grid. Hence, its applicability is limited to comparing the relative robustness of devices with simulations where the grid does not change drastically. I/sub t2/ is less sensitive to grid variations and is more widely applicable for analyzing the effect of technology variations on ESD robustness. >
Complications associated with perineal urethrotomy in 27 equids.

Objective To report the clinical findings, incidence of complications, and outcome associated with perineal urethrotomy in equids. Study Design Retrospective case series. Animals Equids (n = 27). Methods Medical records (January 2000 to December 2010) of equids that had a perineal urethrotomy were reviewed. Data retrieved and evaluated were breed, age, surgical technique, use of general anesthesia, complications, time from surgery to development of complications and their management, and outcome. Results Perineal urethrotomy was performed for urolithiasis (n = 22), for treatment of urethral rents (3), severe balanoposthitis (1), and bladder atony caused by equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (1). The incidence of complications was 52%, including recurrence of urolithiasis in 5 (23%) equids. Horses that had postoperative cystoscopy and bladder lavage were significantly less like likely to have recurrence of urolithiasis (P = .039). Of equids that had postoperative indwelling urinary catheters, 75% developed complications. Conclusions Perineal urethrotomy can be an effective for treatment of urolithiasis, hematuria, and urethral trauma. Postoperative cystoscopy and bladder lavage significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative recurrence of urolithiasis.
Vino, fibrinolisis y salud

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in bothmen and women in the world. Epidemiological and experimental studies have associatedmoderate wine consumption (1 to 2 glasses/day) with a decrease in cardiovascular diseases.This decrease is probably due to the effect of ethanol and polyphenols present in the wine. Thecardioprotective benefit of wine may be due, in part, to a modulation of the expression ofproteins involved in fibrinolysis. Endothelial cells (ECs) play a major role in maintainingnormal hemostasis, regulating the balance between the synthesis and interaction of proteinsthat promote clot formation (thrombosis) and fibrinolytic proteins that facilitate clot lysis. Thesecells are a major site of synthesis of fibrinolytic proteins, such as tissue type plasminogenactivator (t-PA), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and the major inhibitor/regulatorof fibrinolysis, PAI-1. EC-mediated fibrinolysis is regulated and localized to the EC surfacethrough specific receptors for u-PA, t-PA and plasminogen. Evidence indicates that ethanol andpolyphenols present in wine increase EC localized fibrinolisis. Upregulation of t-PA and u-PAactivity and downregulation of PAI-1 may account, at least in part, for this net increase infibrinolytic activity. The purpose of this review is to cover the main molecular and physiologicalaspects of moderate wine consumption mediated increase in fibrinolysis and reduction incardiovascular risk (Rev Med Chile. 2006; 134: 1040-8).(
Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in High School Baseball Players Clinical Results and Injury Risk Factors

BackgroundThe incidence of ulnar collateral ligament injury has increased in baseball, especially at the high school level.HypothesisUlnar collateral ligament injury in high school baseball players is associated with overuse, high-velocity throwing, early throwing of breaking pitches, and improper warm-ups.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.MethodsFollow-up physical examination and questionnaire data were collected at an average of 35 months after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction from 27 former high school baseball players. Six potential risk factors were evaluated: year-round throwing, seasonal overuse, event overuse, throwing velocity more than 80 mph, throwing breaking pitches before age 14, and inadequate warm-ups.ResultsOverall, 74% returned to baseball at the same or higher level. Patients averaged 3 potential risk factors, and 85% demonstrated at least one overuse category. Of the pitchers, the average self-reported fastball velocity was 83 mph, and 67% threw breaking pitches before age...
A 5 μW/channel 9b-ENOB BioADC array for electrocortical recording

We present a 4-channel integrated biopotential analog-to-digital converter (bioADC) for electrocortical recording in 180nm CMOS. The bioADC directly transduces microvolt biopotentials into a digital representation without a voltage-amplification stage. Each channel comprises a continuous-time first-order ΔΣ modulator with OTA input and current feedback, followed by a second-order comb-filter decimator. Powered from a 1.5V supply, the analog and digital circuits in each channel draw 2.1uA and 1.4uA of supply current, respectively. The bioADCs achieve an SNR of 57dB and a SFDR or 63.5dB, for 9-b ENOB. Intracranial EEG recordings from an anesthetized rat are shown and compared to simultaneous recordings from a commercial reference system to validate performance in-vivo. The micropower operation and direct digital readout make this circuit ideally suited for closed-loop neuromodulation applications.
Titchener's Relativistic View of Observation and Psychological Processes

Hunt makes some very significant points on earlier introspective psychologies which have been either missed, ignored, or misinterpreted by earlier writers on the subject. This is particularly true of the introspective psychology of Edward Bradford Titchener. The nature of Titchener’s psychology was widely misinterpreted and misconstrued even in his own lifetime and has fared even worse since his death. E. G. Boring (1927) called Titchener’s psychology a “cardinal point in the national scientific orientation”: The clear-cut opposition between behaviorism and its allies, on the one hand, and something else, on the other, remains clear only when the opposition is between behaviorism and Titchener, mental tests and Titchener, or applied psychology and Titchener. (p. 489)
Activation of MMP-2 by endometrial cancer cells in vitro is enhanced by LPA

16047 Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are responsible for the breakdown of extracellular matrix components, and are important in the metastatic phenotype. HEC-1A is an endometrial canc...
Vibrio cholerae FeoA, FeoB, and FeoC Interact To Form a Complex

ABSTRACT Feo is the major ferrous iron transport system in prokaryotes. Despite having been discovered over 25 years ago and found to be widely distributed among bacteria, Feo is poorly understood, as its structure and mechanism of iron transport have not been determined. The feo operon in Vibrio cholerae is made up of three genes, encoding the FeoA, FeoB, and FeoC proteins, which are all required for Feo system function. FeoA and FeoC are both small cytoplasmic proteins, and their function remains unclear. FeoB, which is thought to function as a ferrous iron permease, is a large integral membrane protein made up of an N-terminal GTPase domain and a C-terminal membrane-spanning region. To date, structural studies of FeoB have been carried out using a truncated form of the protein encompassing only the N-terminal GTPase region. In this report, we show that full-length FeoB forms higher-order complexes when cross-linked in vivo in V. cholerae. Our analysis of these complexes revealed that FeoB can simultaneously associate with both FeoA and FeoC to form a large complex, an observation that has not been reported previously. We demonstrate that interactions between FeoB and FeoA, but not between FeoB and FeoC, are required for complex formation. Additionally, we identify amino acid residues in the GTPase region of FeoB that are required for function of the Feo system and for complex formation. These observations suggest that this large Feo complex may be the active form of Feo that is used for ferrous iron transport. IMPORTANCE The Feo system is the major route for ferrous iron transport in bacteria. In this work, the Vibrio cholerae Feo proteins, FeoA, FeoB, and FeoC, are shown to interact to form a large inner membrane complex in vivo . This is the first report showing an interaction among all three Feo proteins. It is also determined that FeoA, but not FeoC, is required for Feo complex assembly.
Quality Information Management System Design based on Access

Used Access2007 to design quality information management system,comprehensive and simple operation by using the Access function,realized the editing management and statistical analysis of quality information data;model structure of the database is analyzed,and flexible application of the two development for readers.
Intel® 5520 chipset: An I / O hub chipset for server, workstation, and high end desktop

• Intel® 5520 is first QPI -based chipset with PCIe* 2.0 • Leadership features - I /O bandwidth with flexible I/O Connectivity (36 or 72 PCIe 2.0* Lanes) for various segments - I/O Virtualization - QuickData for I/O Acceleration - Manageability - I sochrony for Quality of Service • Designed to last multiple CPU generations on the same platform to protect customer investments
Dependence of Vasoconstrictor Responses on Extracellular Calcium

Vascular tone is regulated by metabolic, hormonal, ionic, and neuronal mechanisms. The adrenergic nervous system plays a major role in regulating vascular tone in physiologic and pathophysiologic states. Adrenergic stimulation increases vasoconstrictor tone by stimulating alpha adrenoceptors on the plasma membrane of resistance vessels. Recent studies have provided evidence that postsynaptic receptors with pharmacological properties similar to those of alpha-1 and alpha-2 adrenoceptors are present in the systemic and pulmonary vascular beds (1–6). It has been shown in in vivo studies that pressor responses to exogenous and neurogenically released norepinephrine may be mediated by different alpha adrenoceptor subtypes (2,7,8). In the canine hindlimb and pithed rat, responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation are selectively blocked by alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists whereas responses to exogenous norepinephrine are attenuated by alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonists (2,7–9). It was, therefore, postulated that alpha-1 adrenoceptors are located intrasynaptically and are preferentially activated by neurogenically released norepinephrine whereas exogenous norepinephrine acts mainly on alpha-2 receptors which are located extrasynaptically (2,7,8). There are, however, exceptions to this concept in that neuronally released norepinephrine does not preferentially activate postjunctional alpha-1 adrenoceptors in isolated human blood vessels (10).
A simple system for detecting non-entailment.

In order for a text to entail a hypothesis, the text usually must mention all of the information in the hypothesis. We use this observation as a basis for a simple system for detecting non-entailment. Unlike many previous lexically-based systems, we do not measure the degree of overlap or similarity, and we do no machine learning. This simple system performs well on the Recognizing Textual Entailment (RTE) evaluation.
Effects of phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene on amino acid incorporation into rat liver chromosomal proteins.

The effects of phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene on amino acid incorporation into rat liver chromosomal proteins in vivo were studied. Although both drugs stimulated incorporation into histones and non-histone chromosomal proteins, the results of dual-isotope experiments revealed that the increases were not selective for any of the major non-histone chromosomal protein fractions. Rather, incorporation into all these fractions was apparently stimulated uniformly. This nonselective stimulation of incorporation may reflect drug-induced increases in amino acid incorporation preceding mitotic activity and liver growth.
Rezidivierendes Fisher-Syndrom als Differentialdiagnose zur Encephalomyelitis disseminata

Das von Fisher im Jahre 1956 beschriebene Syndrom ist durch die Trias Ophthalmoplegie, Areflexie und Ataxie definiert. Er betonte aufgrund der zytoalbuminaren Dissoziation im Liquor cerebrospinalis die enge Beziehung zur idiopathischen Polyneuritis (Guillain et al. 1916).
Quantification of Synthetic Cathinones in Rat Brain Using HILIC–ESI-MS/MS

The abuse of synthetic cathinones, formerly marketed as "bath salts", has emerged over the last decade. Three common drugs in this class include 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone). An LC-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone in brain tissue. Briefly, MDPV, mephedrone, methylone, and their deuterium-labeled analogs were subjected to solid phase extraction (SPE) and separated using an HILIC Silica Column. The HPLC was coupled to a Shimadzu IT-TOF (ion trap-time of flight) system with the electrospray source running in positive mode (+ESI). The method was validated for precision, accuracy, and extraction efficiency. All inter-day and intra-day % RSD (percent relative standard deviation) and % error values were less than 15% and extraction efficiency exceeded 80%. These conditions allowed for limits of detection of 1ng/mL for MDPV, and 5 ng/mL for both mephedrone and methylone. The limits of quantification were determined to be 5ng/mL for MDPV and 10 ng/mL for mephedrone and methylone. The method was utilized to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of these drugs in adult male rats following administration of a drug cocktail including MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone. All three compounds reached peak concentrations in the brain within 15 min. Although methylone and mephedrone were administered at the same dose, the peak concentration (Cmax) of mephedrone in the brain was significantly higher than that for methylone, as was the area under the curve (AUC). In summary, this quick and sensitive method for measuring synthetic cathinones may be used for future pharmacokinetic investigations of these drugs in target tissue.
Gender, Geography & Rural Justice

This Article argues that a more grounded and nuanced understanding of women’s lived realities requires legal scholars to engage geography. Because spatial aspects of women’s lives implicate inequality and moral agency, they have direct relevance to an array of legal issues. The Article thus deploys the tools of critical geographers—space, place, and scale—to inform law and policymaking about an overlooked population for whom spatiality can be a profoundly influential force: rural women.
Heaven on Earth: Swedenborgian Correspondences in the Plan of Chicago

Daniel Hudson Burnham, the Chicago architect and city planner, is recognized for his work on the development of American tall office building; for the construction of World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893; and for his city plans for Washington, D.C., Cleveland, San Francisco, and Chicago. He is also remembered for the quote “Make no little plans.” What is not recalled is his Swedenborgian faith nor how it influenced his work. Emanuel Swedenborg was a Swedish scientist and engineer who, beginning in the mid 1730s, underwent a spiritual awakening. The focus of his work changed to the mystical aspects of human experience. He believed that all Christian churches were dead and in need of revitalization and the key to revitalization was to be found in a new interpretation of scripture. His followers founded the Church of the New Jerusalem, sometimes referred to as the New Church or the Swedenborgian Church.
Lie Transform Construction of Exponential Normal Form Observers

Abstract Motivated by a class of nonlinear regulator problems associated with systems that experience actuator failure, this work discusses the construction of nonlinear observers in normal form using a systematic and elegant method of transformation, namely Lie Transforms. It is shown how the transformation, which is the solution of a Homological Equation, and the observer gain matrix, which is a series of matrix homogenous polynomials, can be sequentially computed. An illustrative example is given and experience with using these observers is discussed.
Business management, health and safety, and environmental quality: An assessment of trends

Publisher Summary Environmental as well as occupational health and safety regulations have given a progressive emphasis to the identification of personnel having specific responsibilities for the design, implementation, and day-to-day management of regulatory compliance programs. Environmental quality and human health and safety define the basic context in which all other business objectives are to be pursued, and that all corporate employees will be held responsible for the effective and efficient integration of health, safety, and environmental (HSE) policies with all workplace activities. The corporate employee who is assigned programmatic environmental or health and safety responsibility is typically a low-level manager, supervisor, or technician who has little if any discernible authority on key corporate decision-making or over any substantive planning or production-related process. In such a situation, it is not surprising that the safety officer usually becomes preoccupied with actual health and safety incidents and regulatory compliance failures rather than effectively managing a comprehensive health and safety program—or that the workplace continues to be the focus of governmental and social concern about human health and environmental quality. The only practical way to ensure that the authority of corporate safety officials commensurate with their responsibility is to extend that authority to the extent required for the effective managerial control of the sources of health and safety hazards and of all circumstances that may contribute to or is affected by human exposure to those hazards.