cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leading order textures for lepton mass matrices

In theories with three light neutrinos, certain simplicity assumptions allow the construction of a complete list of leading order lepton mass matrices. These matrices are consistent with ${m}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}\ensuremath{\ne}0,\ensuremath{\Delta}{m}_{12}^{2}\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\Delta}{m}_{23}^{2},{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{23}\ensuremath{\sim}O(1)$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{13}=0,$ as suggested by measurements of atmospheric and solar neutrino fluxes. The list contains twelve generic cases: two have three degenerate neutrinos, eight have two neutrinos forming a Dirac state, and in only two cases is one neutrino much heavier than the other two. For each of these twelve generic cases the possible forms for the perturbations which yield ${m}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ are given. Ten special textures are also found.
A multiprocessor for power electronic circuit simulation

Power electronic circuit simulation demands substantial improvements in the performance-to-cost of digital processing. Multiprocessors offer one possible method of reducing costs through the application of VLSI technology while increasing performance by exploiting concurrent computation. Multiprocessors suffer from overhead due to process interaction and resource access contention. A loosely coupled multiprocessor architecture is combined with a successive approximation linear equation solution algorithm to minimize process and processor interaction and overhead for high efficiency. A major obstacle occurs in the distribution of the subprocesses among the processors as a consequence of the changing topologies characteristic of power electronic circuits. The problem is resolved by localizing the effects of changing switches to specific subsets of the unreduced Kirchoff equilibrium equations and element v-i constraints through the adoption of a "companion" resistor by eacli switch.
Returns, Volatilities, and Correlations Across Mature, Regional, and Frontier Markets: Evidence from South Asia

We investigate returns, volatilities, and correlations across mature, dominant regional, and frontier equity markets. Standard & Poor's 500 is chosen as a mature equity market; India is chosen as a dominant regional market; and Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are chosen as frontier markets. Our empirical tests show that the frontier markets remain fundamentally decoupled from the mature markets during normal market periods. During turbulent times, the contagion effects from the mature to the frontier markets become more pronounced. The results suggest that the dominant regional market plays a key role in disseminating shocks across the frontier markets during normal periods; during the turbulent recent financial crisis period, a similar contagion is not observed.
Managed Care and Health Care Utilization: Specification of Bivariate Models Using Copulas

This article studies the effect of managed care on health care utilization compared to traditional fee-for-service plans in private health insurance market. To construct our hypothesis, we build a game-theoretic model to study health care utilization under a two-sided moral hazard: of patients and providers. In econometric modeling, we employ a copula regression to jointly examine individuals’ health plan choice and their utilization of medical care services, because of the endogeneity of insurance choice. The dependence parameter in the copula reflects the relation between the two outcomes, based on which the average treatment effects are further derived. We apply the methodology to a survey data set of the U.S. population and consider three types of curative care and three types of preventive care for the measurement of medical care utilization. We find that managed care is in general associated with higher care utilization. Evidence is also found on the underlying incentives of both patients and medica...
The relationship between the amount of adsorbed hydrogen and the potential of the hydrogen electrode

Summary An investigation was made of the relationship between the amount of adsorbed hydrogen and the potential of the hydrogen electrode both in the presence of and in the absence of different types of additives. It was experimentally demonstrated that in the absence of additives or in the presence of additives that blocked the electrode or were hydrogenated by direct addition of hydrogen atoms the relation between potential and θ, the fraction of the surface covered with hydrogen, was E = K − ( R T / F ) 1n [ θ / 1 − θ ] If an additive is hydrogenated by an electron transfer process, it was shown that the relationship was E = E 0 − ( 2 RT / F ) 1n θ + ( 2 RT / F ) 1n 1 2 [ K 2 + { K 2 2 + 4 K 1 θ ( 1 − θ } 1 2 ] where K 1 and K 2 include rate constants and the concentration of the additive.
A Western Pacific Oscillator Paradigm for the El Niño-Southern Oscillation

A data-based hypothesis is presented on the mechanism of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major determinant of interannual global climate variability. The hypothesis emphasizes the importance of off-equator sea surface temperature and sea level pressure variations west of the dateline for initiating equatorial easterly winds over the far western Pacific. These winds compete with westerly winds over the equatorial central Pacific enabling the coupled ocean-atmosphere system to oscillate. Consistent with this hypothesis, an analogical oscillator model is constructed that produces ENSO-like oscillations. The proposed mechanism differs from the delayed oscillator paradigm in that wave reflection at the western boundary is not a necessary condition for the coupled ocean-atmosphere system to oscillate.
Human leptin receptor. Determination of disulfide structure and N-glycosylation sites of the extracellular domain.

The leptin receptor (OB-R) is a member of the class I cytokine receptor family and mediates the weight regulatory effects of its ligand through interaction with cytoplasmic kinases. The extracellular domain of this receptor is comprised of two immunoglobulin-like and cytokine-receptor homology domains each and type III fibronectin domains. The extracellular domain of human leptin receptor was expressed in and purified from Chinese hamster ovary cells and was found to contain extensive N-glycosylation (approximately 36% of the total protein). The purified protein had a molecular weight of approximately 145,000 and exhibited ligand binding ability as evidenced by formation of ligand-receptor complex, followed by chemical cross-linking. The determined disulfide motif of the soluble leptin receptor contained several distinct cystine knots as well as 10 free cysteines. The N-glycosylation analysis revealed that Asn624 of the WSXWS motif (residues 622–626) within the C-terminal cytokine receptor homology domain was glycosylated, indicating that this region is solvent-exposed. On the other hand, the N-terminal WSXWS motif was not glycosylated.
Reversible Conversion Reactions with Lithium in Bismuth Oxyfluoride Nanocomposites

For the first time, the effect of the oxygen anion substitution on the reversible electrochemical activity of metal fluorides was investigated through the use of bismuth oxyfluorides. We demonstrate that a reversible conversion occurs in BiO x F 3 - 2 - x ( x = 0 , 0 . 5 , 1 , 1 . 5 ) /C nanocomposites with the formation of Bi°, Li 2 O, and/or LiF during lithiation and the reformation of BiO x F 3 - 2 x during subsequent delithiation as opposed to a two-phase mixture of Bi 2 O 3 + BiF 3 . We also show evidence that in BiOF and BiO 0 . 5 F 2 the fluoride component reacts first at higher voltage during lithiation to form Bi°, LiF, and Bi 2 O 3 . The newly formed Bi 2 O 3 is then subsequently reduced into Li 2 O and Bi° on a second plateau at lower voltage. During delithiation the process is reversed, Li 2 O reacting first at low voltage followed by LiF. Although cycling is presently poor, our results show that a relatively low oxygen content can significantly improve the electrochemical activity of the metal fluoride, suggesting that optimized metal oxyfluorides could be an attractive alternative to metal fluorides for applications as positive electrode materials in lithium batteries.
College and university codes of conduct for fund‐raising professionals

Prospective donors and the institutions represented constitute the clients served by college and university fund-raising professionals. This chapter describes nine tenets for a code of conduct for fund-raising professionals that protects the welfare of these clients.
Stimulated desorption of cations from pristine and acidic low-temperature water ice surfaces.

Electron-impact ionization of low-temperature water ice leads to $\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$, and ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}{)}_{n=1--8}$ desorption. The 22 eV ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ desorption threshold is correlated with localized 2-hole 1-electron and 2-hole final states which Coulomb explode, while the 22 eV ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ threshold is due to ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ unimolecular dissociation. The 70 eV primary cluster ion threshold is consistent with holes in the $2{a}_{1}$ level and secondary ionization channels. All cation yields are sensitive to local structural changes and probe surface acidity. The cluster size distribution indicates hole-hole screening distances of 1--2 nm.
Induction failures in childhood acute nonlymphocytic leukemia: etoposide/5-azacytidine for cases refractory to daunorubicin/cytarabine.

Treatment with a combination of daunorubicin (45 mg/m2 IV, days 1–3) and cytarabine (100 mg/m2 continuous IV infusion, days 4–10) failed to induce complete remission in 31 of 87 children (36%) with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). Six patients with monocytic or promyelocytic leukemia died before day 14 of therapy from complications of hyperleu-kocytosis and coagulopathy; an additional 10 failed because of fatal infections associated with drug-induced marrow hypoplasia, and the remaining 15 had residual leukemia despite receiving two courses of daunorubicin and cytarabine. Alternative therapy with eto-poside (250 mg/m2 IV, days 1–3, 7–9) and 5-azacytidine (300 mg/m2 IV, days 4, 5, 9, 10) induced complete remission in nine (60%) of the 15 patients with resistant leukemia. Among the six children who failed to respond to either regimen, three had cytochemical and immunophenotypic features indicative of acute mixed-lineage leukemia, and one had monosomy 7 syndrome. Our findings suggest that the addition of etoposide and 5-azacyti-dine to a basic daunorubicin-cytarabine regimen would increase remission induction rates in childhood ANLL. Careful determination of pretreatment characteristics, including blast cell immunophenotype and cytogenetic properties, are needed to identify unusual cases of ANLL that may require selective therapy.
Mathematical Models to Simultaneously Determine Overtime Requirements and Schedule Cells

The problem studied in this paper was inspired from an actual textile company. The problem is more complex than usual scheduling problems in that we compute overtime requirements and make scheduling decisions simultaneously. Since having tardy jobs is not desirable, we allow overtime to minimize the number of tardy jobs. The overall objective is to maximize profits. We present various mathematical models to solve this problem. Each mathematical model reflects different overtime workforce hiring practices. An experimentation has been carried out using eight different data sets from the samples of real data collected in the above mentioned textile company. Mathematical Model 2 was the best mathematical model with respect to both profit and execution time. This model considered partial overtime periods and also allowed different overtime periods on cells. We could solve problems up to 90 jobs per period. This was much more than what the mentioned textile company had to handle on a weekly basis. As a result, these models can be used to make these decisions in many industrial settings.
Three-Dimensional Computations of Flow and Fuel Injection in an Engine Intake Port

An existing multidimensional in-cylinder flow code, KIVA, was modified to calculate gas flow and fuel injection in a simplified (no valve stem and simplified valve-head geometry) engine intake port. A single-cylinder engine simulation program was used to specify the initial and boundary conditions for flow calculations. A previously developed spray model was also used to simulate pressure-atomized spray with isooctane as the fuel. Three cases with increasing degrees of complexity were considered: (1) an impulsively started port flow with both port ends open (the inlet-boundary velocity was changed from zero to a finite value at the start of computation), (2) an impulsively started port flow with one port end partially blocked to simulate gas flow through the valve annulus, and (3) port flow driven by the time-varying gas flow rate through the valve annulus calculated using a single-cylinder engine simulation program. A spray calculation was also made for each case. The calculations indicate that the KIVA code can be modified to conduct computations with complicated port geometries and open flow boundary conditions. The results also indicate that both gas flow and fuel-injection processes and port geometry have a strong influence on the details of fuel induction into the cylinder. This confirms that consideration of both gas flow and fuel-injection processes is necessary in order to understand the mechanisms of fuel-air mixing in an engine intake port employing port fuel injection.
Receptive Field Mechanism in the Vertebrate Retina

In the catfish retina there are two types of ganglion cells: in one type (type A cell) a spot of light at the center of its receptive field gives rise to a sustained discharge whereas an annulus gives rise to a transient response, and in the other type (type B cell) the response pattern is reversed for a spot and an annulus. Current injected into the horizontal cell induces spike discharges of the ganglion cell very similar to that elicited by a spot of light or by an annulus. In both types of receptive fields, depolarization of the horizontal cell gives rise to a response of the ganglion cell similar to that elicited by a spot of light, whereas hyperpolarization of the cell gives rise to a response of the ganglion cell similar to that elicited by an annulus. Current through a single injecting electrode could drive two types of cells simultaneously. Interaction between a spot of light and an annulus can also be simulated by replacing one light stimulus by current of the proper polarization injected into the horizontal cells. Results suggest that interactions among three neuronal structures, the receptor, the horizontal cell, and the bipolar cell, produce the basic receptive field organization in the channel catfish.
Optical tomographic imaging of tumor hemodynamics during anti-VEGF treatment in mice

We use dynamic optical tomographic imaging to monitor immediate effects of an injectable anti-VEGF treatment. As early as 8 minutes after the drug is administered, measurable changes can be observed, which herald long-term vascular destruction.
Isothermal nature of martensite formation in Pt-modified β-NiAl alloys

Numerous experimental and modeling efforts to describe the cyclic behavior of b-NiAl-based coatings have recognized and considered the propensity of Ni-rich b compositions to exhibit a reversible martensitic transformation upon cooling. However, until now it has not been clear whether this martensite forms by an athermal process or if the transformation is isothermal in nature, exhibiting time-dependent kinetics. In this study model Ni–37Al–xPt (x = 5, 10 and 30) alloys (all at.%) were examined primarily using thermal analysis, which showed that the martensite transformation is isothermal in nature with a single activation energy. In addition, the temperature range where this reversible transformation occurs increases with higher Pt contents. The autocatalytic behavior of this transformation was further illustrated during slow cooling in the differential scanning calorimeter, whereupon a series of ‘bursts’ corresponding to a sequence of individual exothermic peaks were observed. The potential implications of the isothermal martensite transformation in the b-based coatings is discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.
Age- and Gender-Related Differences in Ischemia/ Reperfusion Injury and Cardioprotection: Effects of Diazoxide

Background Recent studies have demonstrated that aging is associated with reduced tolerance to ischemia and that the aged (not senescent) female heart has greater susceptibility to ischemia as compared with the aged male heart. Previously, we have shown that ischemia can be modulated with cardioplegia in the male heart; however, efficacy in the female heart was unknown. Methods In this study, male and female mature (15 to 20 weeks) aged (>32 months) rabbit hearts (n = 134) were subjected to Langendorff perfusion. Control hearts were perfused for 180 minutes. Global ischemia hearts received 30 minutes of equilibrium, 30 minutes of global ischemia, and 120 minutes of reperfusion. Cardioplegia ± diazoxide was infused separately, 5 minutes before global ischemia. Results Global ischemia significantly decreased postischemic functional recovery and significantly increased infarct size in the mature and aged male and female heart ( p p p Conclusions Postischemic functional recovery and infarct size are affected by age but not by gender. The cardioprotection afforded by cardioplegia is affected by age and gender with a strong age-by-gender interaction for end-diastolic pressure and infarct size. Our results indicate that currently optimized cardioplegia protocols effective in the male heart are not as efficacious in the aged female heart.
FURTHER EXPERIMENTS IN TYPHUS FEVER : IV. INFECTION WITH WASHED MEXICAN RICKETTSIAE AND IMMUNITY TO EUROPEAN TYPHUS.

Precise interpretation of our experiments seems to impose the following conclusions: Guinea pigs inoculated with washed Rickettsiae from Mexican typhus fever develop a disease identical with that resulting from inoculations with whole tunica scrapings, blood or other virulent material, and become thereby immunized to European typhus fever. The etiological agent of Mexican typhus fever is the Rickettsia body of the type described by Mooser (5) in the tunica vaginalis of infected guinea pigs; and it is likely that the etiological agent of European typhus fever is an organism similar to this, but not identical with it in some of its minor biological characteristics.
New spectral linear placement and clustering approach

This paper addresses the linear placement problem by using a spectral approach. It has been demonstrated that, by giving a more accurate representation of the linear placement problem, a linear objective function yields better placement quality in terms of wire length than a quadratic objective function as in the eigenvector approach [4][11][6]. On the other hand, the quadratic objective function has an advantage in that it tends to place components more sparsely than the linear objective function, resulting in a continuous solution closer to a physically feasible discrete solution. In this paper, we propose an /spl alpha/-order objective function to capture the strengths of both the linear and quadratic objective functions. We demonstrate that our approach yields improved spectral placements. We also present a bottom-up clustering algorithm which iteratively collapses pairs of nodes in a graph using local and global connectivity information, where the global connectivity information is derived from the clustering property of the eigenvector approach. The effect of our new spectral linear placement and clustering approach is demonstrated on benchmark circuits from MCNC.
ASPHYXIA NEONATORUM: A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY

Consecutive liveborn deliveries (19,295) during 1970-72 were reviewed to establish the incidence, risk factors, and mortality rate associated with severe asphyxia. 214 infants (1.1%) were severely asphyxiated; mortality was 48%. A strong inverse correlation existed between both incidence of and mortality for asphyxia, and gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW), Table. Other predisposing factors were low socioeconomic status, history of fetal wastage, and complications of pregnancy or labor. Asphyxia occurred 4 times more commonly with both breech presentation and with non-elective cesarean section, regardless of GA. Neurological and intellectual assessments were performed at a mean age of 4.9 yr on 69/77 survivors of yrs 1970-71. Mean IQ was 106; 49 (71%) of the survivors were completely normal. Severe handicapping defects were present in 13/69 (19%) and were equally frequent in term and preterm survivors. 8 had cerebral palsy (CP) with mental retardation (MR), 2 had CP alone, 2 had MR alone, and 1 was deaf. In this series, asphyxia greatly increased mortality, especially in the mid and high weight groups. The incidence of severe sequelae was high but did not vary with BW or GA.
QUANTITATIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID COMPONENTS.

Abstract In studying the various parameters of normal and malignant mammalian tissues, it became apparent that there was a need for a rapid quantitative procedure for the determination of deoxyribosides and deoxyribotides. A new technique, thin-layer chromatography (1), has shown great versatility in the separation of different types of chemical compounds. Application of this technique for the separation of various ribonucleosides and ribonucleotides has been recently reported by Randerath (2, 3), but his procedure does not give sufficient resolution for quantitative determination. We wish to report a two-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of deoxyribosides and their 5′-phosphates.
Petrology of the unbrecciated eucrites

Abstract Twenty-nine unbrecciated eucrites have been thoroughly characterized in terms of the petrologic factors that affect their spectra, such as mineral chemistry, modal adundances, grain sizes, and textures. We have conducted a combined petrologic and spectral study designed to provide insight into the petrogenesis of the basaltic crust of Vesta and the variety of rock-types that exist within it, as well as aid in the petrologic interpretation of spectra to be collected by the Dawn orbiting spacecraft. This paper details the petrology part of the study. Unbrecciated eucrite samples were selected to avoid the complications of lithologic mixing in the accompanying spectral study. A wide variety of textural types are seen within the basaltic eucrites, encompassing quenched, coarse-grained, and granoblastic samples. Zoned pyroxenes in eucrites and those that preserve a history of initial rapid cooling are rare. Nearly all eucrite samples have been thermally metamorphosed and would commonly be classified as equilibrated; however, this term reflects only the quadrilateral (Mg, Fe, and Ca) compositions of pyroxenes, and considerable variations are seen within the minor elements (Al, Ti, and Cr) in pyroxenes as well as plagioclase compositions. Determination of both pyroxene and plagioclase compositions together with pyroxene geothermometry provides a better estimate for the relative degree of thermal metamorphism a eucrite has experienced. The petrologic differences observed here might allow different eucrites to be distinguished spectrally. This is especially true for the varying pyroxene compositions as the spectra of eucrites are dominated by absorption features attributed to pyroxene.
Nanoparticulate alumina, silica and aluminosilicate membranes

Abstract Yoldas' method of preparing γ-alumina membranes has been modified to produce membranes with mean pore radii of 11 A. Silica sols have been synthesized by an interfacial reaction between tetraethyl orthosilicate and alkaline water that does not require the use of alcohol as a cosolvent. After these sols are acidified, membranes prepared from the sols have mean pore radii at or below the limit of resolution of the N2 sorption technique (7 or 8 A). Mixed alumina-silica membranes have been prepared by mixing alumina and silica sols and firing the resulting xerogels. These membranes have mean pore radii of ∼ 18 A. Their specific surface areas are linearly related to their compositions and, for membranes with a mullite composition, to the firing temperature. Attempts have also been made to synthesize molecularly mixed, single-phase aluminosilicate membranes. These materials display behavior similar to the mixed alumina-silica membranes.
Retinoic Acid Differentially Regulates Retinoic Acid Receptor-Mediated Pathways in the HEP3B Cell Line☆

Retinoic acid (RA) up-regulates retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR beta) gene expression in a variety of cell lines. Whether up-regulation of the RAR beta gene reflects increased activity in a RAR beta-mediated biological process is unclear since RAR beta tends to heterodimerize with retinoid x receptor (RXR). In F9 teratocarcinoma cell line, RA-induced differentiation is accompanied by increased expression of the RAR beta, RXR alpha, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) genes. Previously, we have shown that the RA-mediated regulation of the AFP gene is through RXR alpha homodimers. In contrast to F9 cells, Hep3B is unique in that the AFP gene is down-regulated by RA in a manner reminiscent of down-regulation of AFP in postfetal liver. In this paper, we have examined the RA-mediated regulation of the RAR, RXR, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), and AFP genes in Hep3B cells. RA induced the expression of RAR alpha, beta, and gamma mRNA in Hep3B cells. However, the expression of RXR alpha mRNA was down-regulated, and the levels of RXR beta and RXR gamma mRNA remained unchanged after RA treatment. In addition, the expression of the PPAR alpha, beta, and gamma genes was also unchanged. Gel retardation assays demonstrated that RA decreased the overall binding of nuclear receptors to the RA and PPAR response elements. By super-shift assays using specific anti-RAR and -RXR antibodies, RA treatment decreased the amount of RXR alpha while increasing the amount RAR beta bound to retinoic acid response element-DR1 (direct repeat with spacer of one nucleotide), indicating the levels of RAR/RXR heterodimer, RXR/RXR homodimer, or RAR/RAR homodimers were altered upon RA treatment of Hep3B cells. In addition, the RA-mediated reduction of RXR alpha in part results in down-regulation of the AFP gene. Our data indicates that RA exerts its effects by differentially regulating its own receptor gene expression.
Role of Immunoproteasome Catalytic Subunits in the Immune Response to Hepatitis B Virus

Inhibition of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and viral clearance from an infected host requires both the innate and adaptive immune responses. Expression of interferon (IFN)-inducible proteasome catalytic and regulatory subunits correlates with the IFN-α/β- and IFN-γ-mediated noncytopathic inhibition of HBV in transgenic mice and hepatocytes, as well as with clearance of the virus in acutely infected chimpanzees. The immunoproteasome catalytic subunits LMP2 and LMP7 alter proteasome specificity and influence the pool of peptides available for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. We found that these subunits influenced both the magnitude and specificity of the CD8 T-cell response to the HBV polymerase and envelope proteins in immunized HLA-A2-transgenic mice. We also examined the role of LMP2 and LMP7 in the IFN-α/β- and IFN-γ-mediated inhibition of virus replication using HBV transgenic mice and found that they do not play a direct role in this process. These results demonstrate the ability of the IFN-induced proteasome catalytic subunits to shape the HBV-specific CD8 T-cell response and thus potentially influence the progression of infection to acute or chronic disease. In addition, these studies identify a potential key role for IFN in regulating the adaptive immune response to HBV through alterations in viral antigen processing.
Simulation of a MILO with self-consistent plasma formations and comparison to experiment

Summary form only given, as follows. Experimental and computer simulation results on a magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO) have indicated that the large beam current density emitted from each end of the cathode leads to anode plasma formation. This initiates bipolar space-charge flow in the anode-cathode (A-K) gap that severely perturbs the electron flow at the launch point. The result is significant microwave power reduction on a 600-ns time scale. The field-shaper cathode, used previously to extend the MILO RF pulse duration beyond 400 ns, is shown to have several deficiencies concerning anode plasma formation. We report on simulations that explain the power reduction in the MILO and possible ways to minimize anode plasma.
Role of caveolin-1 in EGCG-mediated protection against linoleic acid-induced endothelial cell activation

Flavonoids can protect against inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis by decreasing vascular endothelial cell activation. Plasma microdomains called caveolae may be critical in regulating endothelial activation. Caveolae are particularly abundant in endothelial cells and play a major role in endothelial trafficking and the regulation of signaling pathways associated with the pathology of vascular diseases. We hypothesize that flavonoids can down-regulate endothelial inflammatory parameters by modulating caveolae-regulated cell signaling. We focused on the role of caveolae and its major protein, caveolin-1, in mechanisms of linoleic-acid-induced endothelial cell activation and protection by the catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Exposure to linoleic acid for 6 h induced expression of both caveolin-1 and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. Pretreatment with EGCG blocked fatty-acid-induced caveolin-1 and COX-2 expression in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Similar results were observed with nuclear factor-kappa B DNA binding activity, which was also reduced by caveolin-1 silencing. Exposure to linoleic acid rapidly increased phosphorylation of several kinases, including p38 MAPK, extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and amino kinase terminal (Akt), with maximal induction at about 10 min. Inhibitors of ERK1/2 and Akt down-regulated the linoleic-acid-induced increase in COX-2 protein, which also occurred after pretreatment with EGCG. Caveolin-1 silencing blocked linoleic-acid-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and protein expression of COX-2, suggesting that specific MAPK signaling is caveolae dependent. Our data provide evidence that caveolae may play a critical role in regulating vascular endothelial cell activation and protection by flavonoids such as EGCG.
Discrete/continuous consumer demand choices: An application to the U.S. domestic and imported white wine markets

This study develops a model of domestic and imported white wine demand in the United States that incorporates demographic characteristics, usage rates, income, and price information. James J. Heckman's two-step method is used to model the discrete/continuous nature of consumer demand for white wine in the U.S. market. The own- and cross-price elasticities developed in this study are, with one exception, inelastic and generally agree with estimates derived by other authors. Income elasticities are also found to be inelastic and correspond to the results of most previous studies. Copyright 1991 by Oxford University Press.
Abstract IA10: Overcoming castration-resistant prostate cancer

Abstract Resistance to antiandrogen therapy is associated with increased expression of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA, AR gene amplification or AR mutation. Increased AR levels are necessary and sufficient to promote hormone-refractory growth in models and, paradoxically, alter the cellular response to classic AR antagonists such that they function as weak agonists. Therefore, second generation antiandrogens must overcome these resistance mechanisms. We searched for novel AR antagonists that might retain function in the context of increased AR expression through a cell-based screen. Using the high affinity AR agonist RU59063 as a starting point, we synthesized and screened over 200 compounds to construct a structure/activity profile that defines features of the scaffold essential for receptor binding and for maximal antagonism. We focused our further efforts on a novel compound MDV3100, which retains potent antiandrogen activity in cells expressing increased levels of AR, blocks AR function in mice and impairs the growth of LNCaP and LAPC-4 xenografts engineered to express high levels of AR, whereas bicalutamide had minimal activity. MDV3100 inhibits AR with 10-fold greater affinity than bicalutamide and functions through a novel mechanism of action that impairs nuclear translocation and DNA binding. MDV3100 produced sustained PSA responses (greater than 50% reduction) in about ∼55 percent of men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer in a 140 patient phase I-II clinical trial. In a phase III registration study of 1119 men with castration resistance, chemotherapy refractory prostate cancer, MDV3100 prolonged survival compared to best supportive care (18.4 months versus 13.6 months; hazard ratio 0.631). The heterogeneity of clinical response to anti-androgen therapy suggests additional molecular determinants of drug resistance. By conducting an integrated genomic analysis of 214 prostate cancers, we have defined a common set of molecular lesions and pathways that may define distinct subsets of prostate cancer as well as responder/non-responder populations to antiandrogen therapy. In preclinical models we found that tumors with PTEN loss are relatively insensitive to androgen ablation therapy due to reciprocal negative feedback between the AR and PI3K signaling pathways. PTEN-mediated resistance can be overcome with combined AR + PI3K pathway inhibition. Studies of these and other molecular abnormalities reveal unique features of prostate cancer progression with implications for downstream drug development. Citation Format: Charles L. Sawyers. Overcoming castration-resistant prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA10.
Analysis of field performance using interval-censored incident data

Statistical time-to-failure analysis is a very powerful and versatile tool available to reliability engineers and statisticians for understanding and characterizing the failure risk and reliability of a component, device or system. Commonly applied methods of modeling time-to-failure involve fitting a parametric distribution, such as the Weibull probability function, using serial data on production or sales and incident data on units experiencing field failure since the launch of a product. When both the date of manufacture or sale and the date of incident are available from existing records, or can be easily ascertained by examination, the age of a failed unit can be determined exactly for purposes of analysis. Age censoring occurs, however, when one or both dates are missing—e.g., due to incomplete incident reporting or failure-induced physical damage to the unit. Excluding cases with incomplete date records involves a potentially significant loss of information in the time-to-failure analysis. We present several case studies to demonstrate how, in practice, such incidents can be treated as interval-censored observations in the time-to-failure analysis. Further, we evaluate the sensitivity of inferences to the inclusion of partially documented incidents to assess the value of this approach in practical applications.
Linking fluvial bed sediment transport across scales

[1] We present a new random walk model for bed load sediment transport that explains the scale-dependency generally observed in transport rates and captures the transient anomalous dispersion often seen in rivers. Particles alternate between mobile and resting phases, with a tempered stable probability distribution for both particle step length and resting time. Tempered fractional mobile-immobile differential equations model the ensemble average of particle dynamics. The model is tested against data from three sediment dispersion experiments. Using tempering in both space and time, the new model is able to capture the full range of observed ensemble particle dynamics. The random walk model illuminates the physical meaning of all transport parameters in the mobile-immobile equations and explains transitions between observed super-diffusive, sub-diffusive, and regular diffusive ensemble particle dynamics. By explicitly predicting the effects of spatial and temporal averaging on particle dynamics, this method can be used to link observations of fluvial sediment dynamics across scales. This approach is also generally applicable to a wide variety of geophysical and ecological dynamics, such as ecological dispersal, pathogen transmission in rivers, nutrient export from watersheds, and large-scale geomorphodynamics associated with infrequent phenomena such as avalanches and turbidity currents.
Direct Preparation of N‐Glycosidic Bond‐Linked Nonionic Carbohydrate‐Based Surfactant (NICBS) via Ritter Reaction

The Ritter reaction has been successfully extended to the direct preparation of N-glycosidic bond-linked nonionic carbohydrate-based surfactants from carbohydrates and nitriles in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) and silver perchlorate (AgClO4) on a high-speed mechanical shaker. The new surfactant molecules have the features of low toxicity, environmental compatibility and biodegradability. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Unique and analogous functions of aquaporin 0 for fiber cell architecture and ocular lens transparency

Aquaporin (AQP) 1 and AQP0 water channels are expressed in lens epithelial and fiber cells, respectively, facilitating fluid circulation for nourishing the avascular lens to maintain transparency. Even though AQP0 water permeability is 40-fold less than AQP1, AQP0 is selectively expressed in the fibers. Delimited AQP0 fiber expression is attributed to a unique structural role as an adhesion protein. To validate this notion, we determined if wild type (WT) lens ultrastructure and fiber cell adhesion are different in AQP0(-/-), and TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) mice that transgenically express AQP1 (TgAQP1) in fiber cells without AQP0 (AQP0(-/-)). In WT, lenses were transparent with 'Y' sutures. Fibers contained opposite end curvature, lateral interdigitations, hexagonal shape, and were arranged as concentric growth shells. AQP0(-/-) lenses were cataractous, lacked 'Y' sutures, ordered packing and well-defined lateral interdigitations. TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) lenses showed improvement in transparency and lateral interdigitations in the outer cortex while inner cortex and nuclear fibers were severely disintegrated. Transmission electron micrographs exhibited tightly packed fiber cells in WT whereas AQP0(-/-) and TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) lenses had wide extracellular spaces. Fibers were easily separable by teasing in AQP0(-/-) and TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) lenses compared to WT. Our data suggest that the increased water permeability through AQP1 does not compensate for loss of AQP0 expression in TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) mice. Fiber cell AQP0 expression is required to maintain their organization, which is a requisite for lens transparency. AQP0 appears necessary for cell-to-cell adhesion and thereby to minimize light scattering since in the AQP0(-/-) and TgAQP1(+/+)/AQP0(-/-) lenses, fiber cell disorganization was evident.
Childhood trauma and risk for PTSD: relationship to intergenerational effects of trauma, parental PTSD and cortisol excretion

Among the adverse mental health consequences of childhood trauma is the risk related to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood. Other risk factors for PTSD. including parental trauma exposure and parental PTSD, can also contribute to the experience of child trauma. We examined associations between childhood trauma and PTSD in 51 adult children of Holocaust survivors and 41 comparison subjects. in consideration of parental trauma exposure and parental PTSD. We also examined these variables in relation to 24-hr urinary cortisol levels. Adult offspring of Holocaust survivors showed significantly higher levels of self-reported childhood trauma, particularly emotional abuse and neglect. relative to comparison subjects. The difference was largely attributable to parental PTSD. Self-reported childhood trauma was also related to severity of PTSD in subjects, and emotional abuse was significantly associated with 24-hr mean urinary cortisol secretion. We conclude that the experience of childhood trauma may be an important factor in the transmission of PTSD from parent to child.
Eccentricity estimator for wide-angle fovea sensor by FMI descriptor approach

This paper proposes a method for estimating eccentricity that corresponds to an incident angle to a fovea sensor. The proposed method applies Fourier-Mellin Invariant descriptor for estimating rotation, scale, and translation, by taking both geometrical distortion and non-uniform resolution of a space-variant image by the fovea sensor into account. The following 2 points are focused in this paper. One is to use multi-resolution images computed by Discrete Wavelet Transform for reducing noise caused by foveation properly. Another is to use a variable window function (although the window function is generally used for reducing DFT leakage caused by both ends of a signal.) for changing an effective field of view (FOV) in order not to sacrifice high accuracy. The simulation compares the root mean square (RMS) of the foveation noise between uniform and non-uniform resolutions, when a resolution level and a FOV level are changed, respectively. Experimental results show that the proposed method is consistent with the wide-angle space-variant image by the fovea sensor, i.e., it does not sacrifice high accuracy in the central FOV.
CXCL13 is a Biomarker of Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica, and Other Neurological Conditions

CXCL13, a B-cell chemokine, has been proposed as a biomarker in a variety of conditions, some of which can mimic multiple sclerosis and can have very high levels. In this case-control study, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CXCL13 was elevated in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and other inflammatory neurological controls compared with noninflammatory controls. Levels did not differentiate disease groups. For all subjects taken together, CSF CXCL13 correlated with CSF WBC, oligoclonal band numbers, CSF protein, EDSS, and neurofilament levels. In subgroup analyses, CSF CXCL13 correlated with CSF WBC in neuromyelitis optica and IgG index in multiple sclerosis. Additionally, serum CXCL13 was elevated in neuromyelitis optica.
Knowing Skin in Early Modern Europe, c. 1450–1750

Over the last few decades the human skin has emerged as a distinct site of research for humanists, and specifically for historians of race, art, science, and medicine. In the early modern centuries Europeans at home and in the wider world transformed their understanding of skin. They established an overarching, enduring emphasis on the skin's color as the marker of human difference, but the rise of skin color drew from other critical developments in the history of skin in this period: the discovery of the microanatomy of the skin; intense debates among Christians over skin color as a Scripture problem; and the transformation of the ancient doctrine of the humoral body. Recent research shows that in the early modern centuries questions about the skin and skin color arose from collision of new and old epistemologies, economic forces, and signifying practices, generating a wide range of topics to explore, including the use of cosmetics, tattooing and scarification, and whiteness and race. Research on knowing and marking skin in the early modern period raises vital questions about knowledge and ideology, self and other, and identity and exclusion.
Sleep-facilitating effect of exogenous melatonin in healthy young men and women is circadian-phase dependent.

Study objectives To investigate the effects of a physiologic and a pharmacologic dose of exogenous melatonin on sleep latency and sleep efficiency in sleep episodes initiated across a full range of circadian phases. Design Double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group design in a 27-day forced desynchrony paradigm with a 20-hour scheduled sleep-wake cycle. Setting Private suite of a general clinical research center, in the absence of time-of-day information. Subjects Thirty-six healthy, 18- to 30-year-old, men (n = 21) and women (n = 15). Interventions Oral melatonin (0.3 mg or 5.0 mg) or identical-appearing placebo was administered 30 minutes prior to each 6.67-hour sleep episode during forced desynchrony. Measurements and results Both doses of melatonin improved polysomnographically determined sleep efficiency from 77% in the placebo group to 83% for sleep episodes occurring during circadian phases when endogenous melatonin was absent. However, this remained below the average sleep efficiency of 88% observed during sleep episodes scheduled during the circadian night, when endogenous melatonin was present. Melatonin did not significantly affect sleep initiation or core body temperature. Melatonin appeared to maintain efficacy across the study and did not significantly affect percentages of slow-wave sleep or rapid eye movement sleep. Conclusions Exogenous melatonin administration possesses circadian-phase-dependent hypnotic properties, allowing for improved consolidation of sleep that occurs out of phase with endogenous melatonin secretion during the circadian night. The results support the hypothesis that both exogenous and endogenous melatonin attenuate the wake-promoting drive from the circadian system.
Taxometric Investigation of PTSD: Data From Two Nationally Representative Samples

Current psychiatric nosology depicts posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a discrete diagnostic category. However, only one study has examined the latent structure of PTSD, and this study suggested that PTSD may be more accurately conceptualized as an extreme reaction to traumatic life events rather than a discrete clinical syndrome. To build on the existing literature base, the present research examined the latent structure of posttraumatic stress reactions by applying three taxometric procedures (MAXEIG, MAMBAC, and L-Mode) to data collected from large nationally representative samples of women (ns = 2684 and 3033) and adolescents (n = 3775). Results consistently provided evidence for a dimensional PTSD solution across samples and statistical procedures. These findings have important implications for the theory, assessment, and investigation of posttraumatic stress reactions.
An Abstract Decision Procedure for a Theory of Inductive Data Types

Inductive data types are a valuable modeling tool for software verification. In the past, decision procedures have been proposed for various theories of inductive data types, some focused on the universal fragment, and some focused on handling arbitrary quantifiers. Because of the complexity of the full theory, previous work on the full theory has not focused on strategies for practical implementation. However, even for the universal fragment, previous work has been limited in several significant ways. In this paper, we present a general and practical algorithm for the universal fragment. The algorithm is presented declaratively as a set of abstract rules which we show to be terminating, sound, and complete. We show how other algorithms can be realized as strategies within our general framework, and we propose a new strategy and give experimental results indicating that it performs well in practice. We conclude with a discussion of several useful ways the algorithm can be extended.