cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The prognostic impact of pre-implantation hyponatremia on morbidity and mortality among patients with left ventricular dysfunction and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

Aims Hyponatremia is commonly observed among patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and is a marker for adverse outcomes. We aimed to determine the prognostic significance of pre-implant hyponatremia on the outcomes of death, acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy for ventricular arrhythmias among patients with ICDs. Methods and results The study population consisted of patients with an ejection fraction ≤40% undergoing ICD implantation ( n = 911) for the primary or secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death from 1997 to 2007. The predictive value of the severity of pre-implantation hyponatremia stratified into mild hyponatremia ( n = 268, sodium 134–136 mmol/L), moderate hyponatremia ( n = 105, sodium 131–133 mmol/L), and severe hyponatremia ( n = 31, sodium ≤130 mmol/L) on the risk of death, ADHF, and appropriate ICD therapy for ventricular arrhythmias as compared with patients a normal serum sodium ( n = 507, sodium ≥ 137 mmol/L), was calculated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. During a mean follow-up of 775 ± 750 days as the severity of hyponatremia (from a normal sodium to severe hyponatremia) increased an incremental incidence of death (25% to 61%, P < 0.001) and ADHF (11% to 26%, P = 0.004) was observed with a reduced incidence of ICD therapy for ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (37–29%, P = 0.037). Compared with the normal sodium cohort, patients with severe hyponatremia demonstrated an increased risk of death [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 2.69 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.57–4.59), P = 0.004] and ADHF [AHR 2.98 (95% CI 1.41–6.30), P = 0.004], with a lower probability of appropriate ICD therapy [AHR 0.68 (95% CI 0.27–0.88), P = 0.031]. Conclusion Hyponatremia is commonly observed among ICD recipients with LV dysfunction. Patients with an increasing severity of hyponatremia are at increased risk of death and HF related morbidity with a reduced incidence of appropriate ICD therapy particularly among patients with severe hyponatremia.
Analyzing performance tradeoffs for the delivery of concurrent channel change streams to enable fast channel change in IPTV networks

In this paper, we propose a realistic analytical framework to evaluate the performance of concurrent channel change stream delivery techniques. Our analysis utilizes the results from the latest statistical research on user distributions and channel switching activities in IPTV networks to improve the accuracy of performance evaluations. We discuss in detail the proposed framework and examine the critical performance measures based on the derived analysis. Comparisons with the earlier studies suggests improved accuracy in the decision making process that can optimize the resource allocation in the network to effectively support the concurrent delivery techniques.
MEDIATIONAL EFFECTS IN ORIGINALITY, CREATIVITY, AND LETTER-FREQUENCY HIERARCHY

Summary.-To a group of 36 male and 24 female college students without previous experience with the Skeleton Word Test, Alternate Uses Test, and Remote Associates Test, each test was administered on separate occasions. Correlations indicated that letter-frequency hierarchy as measured by the Skeleton Word Test was significantly related to hierarchical feamres explored by the Alternate Uses Test and Remote Associates Test. Differences in magnimde of relation indicated thac the Alternate Uses Test explored hierarchical features more like the Skeleton Word Test than the Remote Associates Test. A basic feature of human learning is inventiveness: human beings discover new rules, make new generalizations, and invent new principles. Most theories of thinking have their roots in learning theory due to the nearly universal assumption that people actually learn what and how to think. There would be no thinking without antecedent experience, practice, and memory. Two theoretical orientations which evaluate and describe the processes involved in human thinking are the associative and the mediational. This paper is devoted to some aspects of the mediational approach. Some investigators have been concerned primarily with the mediation theory of human thinking. This theory differs mainly from associative theory in the following manner. Associative theories attempt to characterize behavior in terms of a person's performance (responses) and his circumstances (stimuli). On the other hand, while mediational theories also have their roots in the same assumptions accepted by associative theorists, rnediational theories are elaborated to include associacive relations between implicit, or hypothetical, stimuli and responses. Mayzner and Tresselt ( 11965) in their work on solving words as anagrams have been especially interested in modifying, expanding, and testing the theoretical positions of Kendler and Kendler ( 1962 ) on problem-solving processes, while Mednick (1962) and Maltman (1955) have investigated originality and creativity from within the mediational framework. All of these researchers have drawn on a number of implicit and/or hypothetical characteristics of thinking to describe various intellectual activities. Theoretically and experimentally, the researchers have relied heavily on the examination of internal mediating hierarchies. These are successive series of ideational forms of ascending rank that develop over time within an individual and eventually are critical in problem solving. This study explores the relationship between internal mediating hierarchies, creativity, and the letter-frequency hierarchy.
Differential alterations in opioid analgesia following neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment.

Abstract Neonatal administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG) produces necrosis of circumventricular structures, including perikarya in the medial-basal hypothalamus that contain beta-endorphin (BEND) and met-enkephalin. Since neonatal MSG treatment alters morphine analgesia, the present study examined neonatal MSG effects upon opioid analgesia observed following either BEND or d-ala d-leu enkephalin (DADL). Rats treated with either MSG or vehicle over the first ten post-natal days, were surgically prepared with a lateral ventricle cannula at 100 days of age. Respective groups received central injections of either BEND (0,0.1,0.5 or 1.0 μg) or DADL (0, 4, 20 or 40 μg), and jump thresholds were assessed 15, 30, 45 and 60 min thereafter. Following testing, selected MSG-treated and control animals were prepared for BEND immunocytochemistry. While the magnitude, duration and sensitivity of BEND analgesia on the jump test failed to differ between groups, MSG-treated rats displayed a 10-fold leftward shift in sensitivity and a 200–300% increase in the magnitude of DADL analgesia. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that MSG treatment depleted perikarya in the medial-basal hypothalamus, periventricular thalamic fibers and periaqueductal gray terminal fields that contained BEND. The differential effects of MSG treatment upon opiate and opioid analgesia are discussed in terms of possible alterations in opiate receptor subpopulations.
Solar Sail Scalability and a "Truly Scalable" Architecture: The Space Tow

Solar sail scalability is often understood to be the quality that renders a structural architecture applicable to (or efficient under) ever larger global dimensions. At the heart of this definition is the impact of extreme or, rather, extremely large, dimensions on structural performance. Scalability, however, can also be interpreted as a much broader issue with far more critical importance to solar sail engineering, as the dimensional indifference of technologies and engineering steps that (will one day)make solar sailing a reality. Scalability, in fact, the lack thereof, in this comprehensive sense which is implied in the present work is the single most serious challenge to sailcraft engineering, hindering all major steps of development: design, fabrication, and component and system verification. The systematic review of the dimensional issues for these steps presented in this paper, therefore, offers valuable insight into engineering bottlenecks and helps to identify desirable structural and design qualities to mitigate them. These qualities are consecutively combined into an architecture, the space tow, which consists of a sequence of like sail elements linkedwith filaments. Some of the performancemetrics and unique features of this design, scalable inmany more ways than most alternatives, are reviewed.
Rotationally mediated selective adsorption, physisorption and dissociative chemisorption of HD on W(110)

Abstract Dissociative chemisorption probabilities, rotationally mediated selective adsorption resonances and scattering angular distributions are reported for HD incident on W(110). No correlations is found between chemisorption and selective adsorption resonances although molecules which undergo rotationally mediated selective adsorption apparently are trapped in a physisorbed state on the surface.
Specific and Effective T‐Cell Recognition of Cells Transfected with a Truncated Human Mucin cDNA

Epithelial cell mucin has been characterized as a tumor-specific antigen in patients with pancreatic and breast cancer. Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins consisting of a heavily glycosylated tandemly repeating 20-amino acid sequence. Aberrant glycosylation of mucins on carcinomatous epithelial cells leads to the exposure of novel core epitopes that are recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). We previously reported the establishment of mucin-specific CTL clones that recognize mucin expressed on the surface of EBV-immortalized B cells transfected with the mucin cDNA (MUC1). This recognition was characterized as major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted, because of the multivalent nature of mucin. The transfectants had to be incubated with an inhibitor of O-linked glycosylation, phenyl-N-acetyl-alpha-galactosaminide (phenyl-GalNAc) in order to unmask the tandem repeat core epitope recognized by CTLs. In the present study, we examined whether mucin molecules with fewer tandem repeats are capable of MHC-unrestricted recognition by mucin-specific CTL clones. A mucin cDNA expression vector expressing a "truncated" mucin molecule that contains only two tandem repeats was constructed. We found that mucin-specific CTL clones recognize the "truncated" mucin on allogeneic target cells, showing that recognition in this case was MHC-unrestricted as well. In addition, CTL clones lysed "truncated" mucin transfectants significantly better than full-length mucin transfectants treated with phenyl-GalNAc, and controls. The "truncated" construct may represent an effective means of immunizing patients with breast and pancreatic cancer, enabling them to mount a strong and efficient immune response against mucin-bearing tumor cells.
Remarks on rate constitutive equations for finite deformation problems: computational implications

It is explicitly shown that if the (spatial) elasticity tensor of an elastic material is taken as isotropic for all possible configurations, then its coefficients cannot be constants; they must depend nontrivially on the Jacobian determinant of the deformation gradient. Moreover, the assumption typically made for computational purposes that its coefficients remain constant for all possible configurations is incompatible with elasticity. It is further shown that an assumption widely used in the computational literature in the context of finite deformation plasticity, namely, relating an objective stress rate to the rate of deformation tensor through a fourth-rank constant isotropic tensor, is also incompatible with elasticity, thus furnishing an example of an hypoelastic material which is not elastic.
Environmental Organic Chemistry, 2nd Edition

This book targets professionals or advanced students in any field of environmental science where understanding and predicting the environmental fate of organic chemicals is desired. The authors have successfully compiled a comprehensive set of fundamental concepts that provides the quantitative
Effect of Milk Consumption on Endurance Performance

Abstract Nine trained trackmen were divided into experimental (nonmilk) and control (milk) groups. Both groups participated in eight weeks of training. The experimental group was not permitted any milk, cheese, or ice cream except in those dishes in which milk was used in cooking. The controls consumed a minimum of three pints of milk daily and about two pints of ice cream each week. Steady state and all-out treadmill measures were obtained as well as diet recall records. During the period of this investigation no significant effects which might be attributed to milk were observed on performance. With exclusion of milk from the diet the intake of calcium, vitamin A, and riboflavin dropped significantly and below the recommended minimum allowances.
Mapping of RFLP and qualitative trait loci in Brassica rapa and comparison to the linkage maps of B. napus, B. oleracea, and Arabidopsis thaliana

A linkage map of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) was constructed for oilseed, Brassica rapa, using anonymous genomic DNA and cDNA clones from Brassica and cloned genes from the crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana. We also mapped genes controlling the simply inherited traits, yellow seeds, low seed erucic acid, and pubescence. The map included 139 RFLP loci organized into ten linkage groups (LGs) and one small group covering 1785 cM. Each of the three traits mapped to a single locus on three different LGs. Many of the RFLP loci were detected with the same set of probes used to construct maps in the diploid B. oleracea and the amphidiploid B. napus. Comparisons of the linkage arrangements between the diploid species B. rapa and B. oleracea revealed six LGs with at least two loci in common. Nine of the B. rapa LGs had conserved linkage arrangements with B. napus LGs. The majority of loci in common were in the same order among the three species, although the distances between loci were largest on the B. rapa map. We also compared the genome organization between B. rapa and A. thaliana using RFLP loci detected with 12 cloned genes in the two species and found some evidence for a conservation of the linkage arrangements. This B. rapa map will be used to test for associations between segregation of RFLPs, detected by cloned genes of known function, and traits of interest.
THE GIANT HUMMINGBIRD PATAGONA GIGAS IN ECUADOR

Summary The Giant Hummingbird Patagona gigas was studied in highland Ecuador in 1968–70. The northern and southern limits of its known distribution were extended, but east-west range and altitudinal limits were as restricted as noted by other authors. Its distribution elsewhere in South America is also reviewed, as are the taxonomy of various populations and breeding records. It is concluded that northern Ecuador is not reached by migrants from central Chile. Locally, Agave americana was the principal source of nectar, and the Ecuadorian range of the bird corresponds with the distribution of this plant. Further south, where the birds occur over a wider range of elevations, other plants are visited. It is suggested that the availability of nectar and the presence of competitors in combination determine the distribution of the Giant Hummingbird. The Ecuadorian population is probably prevented from northward extension by conditions unsuitable for Agave americana. There is evidence that this plant is exotic to Ecuador; its introduction may have permitted the Giant Hummingbird to expand its range from Peru.
Psychosocial assistance after environmental accidents: a policy perspective.

There is a substantial body of literature on psychosocial impacts of chemical and nuclear accidents. Less attention, however, has been focused on the program and policy issues that are connected wi...
Protection against diabetes by MHC heterozygosity and reversal by cyclophosphamide.

Abstract In type I diabetes in both rodents and humans, genetic susceptibility to disease is strongly linked to MHC class II alleles. In some cases, however, certain class II alleles provide resistance to disease. To examine this effect in a well-defined system, we studied double transgenic mice expressing influenza hemagglutinin (HA) on pancreatic islet β cells and an HA-specific TCR on CD4 T cells. On a susceptible B10.D2 background, 70% of double transgenic mice develop an early-onset spontaneous autoimmune diabetes. MHC heterozygosity induced variable protection from diabetes, depending on the specific nonpermissive allele, but insulitis was invariably present. Autoreactive T cells retained the ability to induce diabetes because cyclophosphamide treatment induced diabetes in 81% of young MHC(d/b) transgenic mice, although the effect was diminished in older mice. Most importantly, treatment induced higher IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios among CD4 T cells, suggesting a strong shift toward Th1 development, perhaps through direct effects on patterns of gene expression in CD4 T cells.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging: emerging clinical applications.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a relatively new and noninvasive method of functional brain mapping. Functional MRI is increasingly being applied to the study of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and others. Particularly noteworthy are findings related to plasticity in the adult human brain. Despite the promise of fMRI for improving the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, important technical and scientific issues remain. Future research will address integrating fMRI with other emerging neuroimaging techniques.
General conditions for the existence of non-standard Lagrangians for dissipative dynamical systems

Abstract Equations of motion describing dissipative dynamical systems with coefficients varying either in time or in space are considered. To identify the equations that admit a Lagrangian description, two classes of non-standard Lagrangians are introduced and general conditions required for the existence of these Lagrangians are determined. The conditions are used to obtain some non-standard Lagrangians and derive equations of motion resulting from these Lagrangians.
Characterization of cobalt doped ZnSe and ZnS crystals as saturable absorbers for alexandrite lasers

Cobalt doped ZnSe and ZnS crystals have been studied to determine their effectiveness for passive Q-switching for 700-800nm spectral range (Alexandrite laser). Samples were prepared using Bridgeman technique for single-step growth of Co doped crystals as well as after growth thermal diffusion of Co in undoped crystals. ZnS:Co:Cr crystals, which have been produced using the Bridgeman technique, show maximum initial absorption coefficients of 17 cm -1 at 725nm. Experimental results are reported on effective thermal diffusion of Co 2+ in ZnSe and ZnS polycrystals and thermal diffusion constants of cobalt ions in ZnSe and ZnS are estimated. The nonlinear saturation properties of cobalt doped ZnSe and ZnS crystals have been investigated experimentally. The induced transparency measurements were performed using electro-optically Q-switched, alexandrite laser radiation at 731, 741, and 778 nm with a pulse duration of about 70 ns. The induced transmission measurements were analyzed using a four-level absorber model and the absorption cross sections have been estimated at both 731nm and 741nm to be 9.5 × 10 -18 cm 2 and 8.2 x 10 -18 cm 2 , respectively. Absorption cross sections calculated from saturation measurements at 4 A 2 → 4 T 1 (4P) transition are in agreement with results earlier reported for mid-infrared spectral region 4 A 2 → 4 T 1 of Co 2+ ions. The described Co-doped crystals are very promising as passive Q-switches for alexandrite laser resonators. Co 2+ centers feature high cross section of saturation and their absorption bands are nicely matched to the spectral emission of the tunable alexandrite laser. An efficient ZnS:Co:Cr passive Q-switching of the alexandrite laser cavity was realized with output energy of 15 mJ and 50 ns pulse duration.
Dynamics of photosystem II heterogeneity in Dunaliella salina(green algae)

Based on the electron-transport properties on the reducing side of the reaction center, photosystem II (PS II) in green plants and algae occurs in two distinct forms. Centers with efficient electron-transport from QA to plastoquinone (QB-reducing) account for 75% of the total PS II in the thylakoid membrane. Centers that are photochemically competent but unable to transfer electrons from QA to QB (QB-nonreducing) account for the remaining 25% of total PS II and do not participate in plastoquinone reduction. In Dunaliella salina, the pool size of QB-nonreducing centers changes transiently when the light regime is perturbed during cell growth. In cells grown under moderate illumination intensity (500 μE m(-2)s(-1)), dark incubation induces an increase (half-time 45 min) in the QB-nonreducing pool size from 25% to 35% of the total PS II. Subsequent illumination of these cells restores the steady-state concentration of QB-nonreducing centers to 25%. In cells grown under low illumination intensity (30 µE m(-2)s(-1)), dark incubation elicits no change in the relative concentration of QB-nonreducing centers. However, a transfer of low-light grown cells to moderate light induces a rapid (half-time 10 min) decrease in the QB-nonreducing pool size and a concomitant increase in the QB-reducing pool size. These and other results are explained in terms of a pool of QB-nonreducing centers existing in a steady-state relationship with QB-reducing centers and with a photochemically silent form of PS II in the thylakoid membrane of D. salina. It is proposed that QB-nonreducing centers are an intermediate stage in the process of damage and repair of PS II. It is further proposed that cells regulate the inflow and outflow of centers from the QB-nonreducing pool to maintain a constant pool size of QB-nonreducing centers in the thylakoid membrane.
Variable-speed drive for the mechanical stage of a microscope used as the optical component in a microdensitometer.

Abstract An inexpensive yet versatile device for driving the mechanical stage of a microscope is described. The device provides for continuous variable-speed control and positively monitors the distance traversed at short and known increments of stage travel. This device was attached to the horizontal stage of a microscope used as the optical component of a microdensitometer in order to facilitate the accurate and precise determination of migration distances when scanning developed electrophoresis patterns.
Effect of triton X-100 on sweet potato β-amylase

Abstract The inactivation of sweet potato β-amylase (α-1,4-glucan maltohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.2) by high dilution of the enzyme solution was prevented and most of the inactivated enzyme was restored by the addition of Triton X-100 above the critical micelle concentration. Triton X-100 also protected the enzyme from denaturation by heat and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Various proteins and synthetic polymers, such as polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl alcohol, had a similar stabilizing effect as Triton X-100, but the synthetic polymers of low polymerized products were less or not effective. These facts suggest that Triton X-100 is effective in maintaining and restoring the native folded structure of the enzyme and that the effect is due to its macromolecular behavior.
Role of tip electronic structure in scanning tunneling microscope images.

On analyse l'effet tunnel de la pointe metallique spherique en allant au-dela de l'approximation de l'onde s pour les fonctions d'onde de pointe. Pour les surfaces metalliques, la microscopie a effet tunnel a balayage correspond a un contour de la densite locale de surface constante des etats, sous des hypotheses assez generales. Pour les surfaces semi-metalliques ou semi-conductrices, l'image peut presenter une deviation par rapport a la densite d'etat locale. Presentation pour le cas du graphite
Visceral pseudoaneurysms due to pancreatic pseudocysts: Rare but lethal complications of pancreatitis

Abstract Objective: Erosion of pancreatic pseudocysts into adjacent vessels is a rare but highly lethal cause of intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Percutaneous angiographic embolization (PAE) of the bleeding artery has recently been advocated as the preferred therapy. This study was undertaken to survey the outcome after treatment of this complication and to make recommendations for its management. Methods: An 11-year retrospective analysis was performed of all patients treated at a large tertiary care referral center for visceral artery pseudoaneurysms associated with pancreatic pseudocysts. Results: From 1988 to 1998, 256 patients were admitted for complications of pancreatic pseudocysts. Sixteen patients (11 men and 5 women) were identified in whom a pseudocyst had eroded into a major blood vessel with hemorrhage or development of a false aneurysm. The mean age was 45 years (range, 23-67 years). Active bleeding was present in 13 patients, whereas three had evidence of recent hemorrhage. Ten of 16 patients initially underwent operative therapy, four elective and six emergency, whereas six stable patients were initially treated with PAE. Technical failures of the initial treatment or secondary complications required both therapeutic modalities in six patients, which resulted in 13 total surgical interventions and 10 PAEs. The surgical morbidity rate was 62% (8 of 13), whereas that of PAE was 50% (5 of 10). Three deaths occurred after emergency operations, two of which failed to stop the bleeding, accounting for all of the deaths in the series (3 [19%] of 16). A trend was noted toward increased death with necrotizing pancreatitis ( P =.07) and emergency surgery ( P =.06). Ranson's criteria were not found to be predictive of death in this series. Surgical drainage procedures were required in seven (44%) of 16 patients for infections (n = 3) or mass effect of the pseudoaneurysm (n = 3). The mean size of pseudoaneurysms that required operative intervention for secondary complications was 13.9 cm, compared with 7.7 cm for all others in the series ( P =.046). Long-term follow-up was available in all 13 survivors at a mean of 44 months (range, 1-108 months). Conclusions: The management of pancreatic pseudocyst-associated pseudoaneurysms remains a challenging problem with high morbidity and death rates. Operation and PAE play complementary management roles. PAE is recommended as the initial therapy for hemodynamically stable patients. Surgery should be reserved for actively bleeding, hemodynamically unstable patients; for failed embolization; and for other secondary complications such as infection or extrinsic compression. (J Vasc Surg 2000;32:722-30.)
Haplotype trees and modern human origins

A haplotype is a multisite haploid genotype at two or more polymorphic sites on the same chromosome in a defined DNA region. An evolutionary tree of the haplotypes can be estimated if the DNA region had little to no recombination. Haplotype trees can be used to reconstruct past human gene-flow patterns and historical events, but any single tree captures only a small portion of evolutionary history, and is subject to error. A fuller view of human evolution requires multiple DNA regions, and errors can be minimized by cross-validating inferences across loci. An analysis of 25 DNA regions reveals an out-of-Africa expansion event at 1.9 million years ago. Gene flow with isolation by distance was established between African and Eurasian populations by about 1.5 million years ago, with no detectable interruptions since. A second out-of-Africa expansion occurred about 700,000 years ago, and involved interbreeding with at least some Eurasian populations. A third out-of-Africa event occurred around 100,000 years ago, and was also characterized by interbreeding, with the hypothesis of a total Eurasian replacement strongly rejected (P < 10(-17)). This does not preclude the possibility that some Eurasian populations could have been replaced, and the status of Neanderthals is indecisive. Demographic inferences from haplotype trees have been inconsistent, so few definitive conclusions can be made at this time. Haplotype trees from human parasites offer additional insights into human evolution and raise the possibility of an Asian isolate of humanity, but once again not in a definitive fashion. Haplotype trees can also indicate which genes were subject to positive selection in the lineage leading to modern humans. Genetics provides many insights into human evolution, but those insights need to be integrated with fossil and archaeological data to yield a fuller picture of the origin of modern humans.
High-Resolution Modeling of the Cape Canaveral Area Land-Water Circulations and Associated Features

The Advanced Regional Prediction System is used to perform a three-dimensional numerical simulation of land‐water circulations near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Three two-way nested grids having spacings of 1.6, 0.4, and 0.1 km are employed. Results show that the structures of both the sea and river breezes compare well with observation and theory. Horizontal convective rolls (HCRs), Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability (KHI), and their interactions with the sea and river breezes also are investigated. HCRs form over the heated land surface at periodic intervals. The HCRs have two preferred spatial scales: large and small. Inclusion of both the large and small HCRs yields aspect ratios that are smaller than most previous observations. However, when considering only the larger HCRs, agreement is better. The smaller HCRs eventually dissipate or merge with their larger HCR counterparts. These mergers intensify the vertical motion within the larger circulations. The HCRs are observed to tilt upward in advance of the Indian River breeze (IRB), and then advect over and behind the land‐water circulation. There is evidence that an HCR advects 2.5 km behind the surface front. The orientation of the IRB causes its interaction with an HCR to change from an intersection to a merger. This produces positive vertical vorticity that causes the IRB to rotate counterclockwise. The detailed physiography and surface characteristics used in this research allow these complex asymmetric interactions to be simulated. In addition, the configuration of this simulation allows an even smaller-scale feature, KHI, to be observed on top of and behind the Indian River breeze front. It appears as vortices or billows that grow in amplitude and propagate backward relative to the front. The structure of the billows agrees well with previous theoretical and modeling results. Local regions of upward motion associated with the billows may be a preferred area for postfrontal convection.
Verifying correct pipeline implementation for microprocessors

We introduce a general, automatic verification technique for pipelined designs. The technique is based on a scalable, formal methodology for analyzing pipelines. The key advantages to our technique are: it specifically targets pipeline control, making it more efficient; it requires no explicit specification, since it compares hardware against itself; it can be used within the broader framework of hierarchical verification; and, it can be easily extended to handle certain "complex" pipelined structures.
Altered ubiquitin-proteasome signaling in right ventricular hypertrophy and failure.

Alterations in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) have been described in left ventricular hypertrophy and failure, although results have been inconsistent. The role of the UPS in right ventricul...
Computational Methods for Cardiac Electromechanics

Computational modeling provides a potentially powerful way to integrate structural properties measured in vitro to physiological functions measured in vivo. Focusing on the various scales (cell-tissue-organ-system), we give an overview of the importance and applications of numerical models of ventricular anatomy, electrophysiology, mechanics, and circulatory models. The integration of these models in one multiscale model of cardiac electromechanics is discussed in the light of applications to hypothesis generation, diagnosis, surgery(planning, training, and outcome of interventions), and therapies. Special attention is paid to practical use in terms of computational demand. Because of growing computer power and the development of efficient algorithms, we expect that real-time simulations with multiscale models of cardiac electromechanics become feasible in 2008 (despite the increasing complexity of models due to data accumulation on molecular and cellular mechanisms).
The human T cell receptor: Appearance in ontogeny and biochemical relationship of α and β subunits on IL-2 dependent clones and T cell tumors

Abstract The human T cell receptor for antigen (Ti) has recently been identified on IL-2 dependent T cell clones as a 90 kd disulfide-linked heterodimer comprised of one 49–51 kd alpha (α) and one 43 kd beta (β) chain. These subunits are noncovalently associated with a monomorphic 20–25 kd T3 molecule. Here, we produce monoclonal antibodies to a human tumor (REX) derived from an earlier stage of thymic differentiation in order to determine whether clonotypic structures are expressed and to define the ontogeny of Ti. The results of SDS-PAGE and peptide map analyses indicate that an homologous T3-associated heterodimer is synthesized and expressed by REX. This glycoprotein shares several peptides in common with clonotypic structures on an IL-2 dependent T cell clone. In addition, similar Ti related molecules appear during intrathymic ontogeny in parallel with surface T3 expression. The latter findings provide the structural basis for the immunological competence observed exclusively within the T3+ thymocyte compartment.
Characterization of renal masses with harmonic and subharmonic contrast-enhanced ultrasound

The objective of this study was to compare coded harmonic imaging (HI) to pulse-inversion subharmonic imaging (SHI) in the characterization of renal masses. Twelve patients with 13 renal masses provided informed consent for an off-label CEUS exam prior to renal mass biopsy and cryoablation. All scanning was performed on a modified Logiq 9 ultrasound scanner with a 4C probe (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). Following baseline imaging, patients received a 2 ml bolus IV injection of the ultrasound contrast agent Optison (GE Healthcare, Princeton, NJ) and 10 ml flush during simultaneous 2D dual imaging in both grayscale (f = 4.0 MHz) and SHI (f transmit = 2.5 MHz, f recieve = 1.25 MHz). Following a 15 min wait, patients received a 1 ml contrast injection during imaging with the unit's HI package (f transmit = 2.0 MHz, f recieve = 4.0 MHz). A blinded radiologist with experience in CEUS evaluated the heterogeneity, intensity, and wash-in/wash-out kinetics of enhancement in the mass relative to the renal cortex. Additionally, contrast signal time intensity curves (TICs) were constructed from both the renal mass and cortex, fit to a contrast wash-in model, and used to calculate the time to peak, perfusion, maximum intensity, and area under the curve. Finally, the radiologist and TIC findings from each CEUS imaging mode were compared to pathology. Biopsy findings showed the 13 renal masses consisted of 9 renal cell carcinomas, 2 areas of benign renal parenchyma, 1 area of renal necrosis, and 1 oncocytoma. All masses showed heterogeneous enhancement with both SHI and HI. Increased enhancement of the mass relative to the renal cortex was observed during the early contrast wash-in phase in 2/9 malignant and 3/4 benign lesions on SHI, and 3/9 malignant and 1/4 benign lesions on HI. Early contrast wash out in the mass relative to the cortex was observed in 6/9 malignant and 0/4 benign lesions in SHI (sensitivity = 67%, specificity = 100%), and 8/9 malignant and 1/4 benign lesions in HI (sensitivity = 89%, specificity = 75%). Comparison of the TIC parameters obtained from the renal mass and cortex of malignant lesions showed no statistically significant differences when compared to benign lesions (p > 0.2). Thus, visualization of early contrast washout on HI or SHI appears to be a reliable indicator of renal carcinoma on CEUS; albeit based on a limited sample size.
Long-term Radiographic and Functional Outcome of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Induced Perirenal Hematomas

AbstractPurpose: We determined the long-term radiographic and functional outcome of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL† †Dornier Medical Systems, Inc., Marietta, Georgia.) related perirenal hematomas.Materials and Methods: We followed 19 patients with 21 ESWL induced hematomas for 4 to 61 months (mean 19.6) after ESWL with serial ultrasound, blood pressure and serum creatinine determinations.Results: Complete radiographic resolution of the hematoma was evident in 18 cases (85.7 percent), while 2 (9.5 percent) were significantly smaller and 1 (4.8 percent) remained unchanged. Of 10 patients who were normotensive before ESWL none experienced sustained new onset hypertension. Of 9 patients with preexisting hypertension none had a sustained exacerbation. Finally, during followup serum creatinine levels overall remained unchanged from pre-ESWL values.Conclusions: We conclude that, by far, the most likely outcome for patients with ESWL related hematomas is spontaneous radiographic resolution within 2 y...
Homocysteine induces 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase in vascular endothelial cells: a mechanism for development of atherosclerosis?

Background— It has been established that hyperhomocyst(e)inemia (HHCy) is an independent and graded risk factor for atherosclerosis, although the molecular link to the atherosclerotic process remains obscure. Methods and Results— Screening human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with complementary DNA microarray for the gene expression modified by homocysteine (Hcy) revealed that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) was upregulated. This effect was confirmed using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Actinomycin D studies revealed that Hcy stabilized HMGCR mRNA (τ1/2, 9.5±1.0 versus 5.0±0.2 hours). Expression of immunodetectable HMGCR in both HUVECs and renal microvascular endothelial cells was increased in Hcy-treated cells in association with the increased abundance of caveolin. Application of a cell-permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic, Mn-TBAP, reversed the Hcy-induced expression of HMGCR. Additional biochemical analysis of the abundance of total c...
Ultrasonics in liquids: Molecular phenomena

The study of molecular phenomena in liquids using ultrasonic measurements is reviewed. Structural and isomeric relaxation are discussed in reasonable detail to illustrate the methods of research. There are brief discussions of viscoelastic and relaxation theory, techniques of measurement, vibrational relaxation, relaxation caused by molecular association, critical-point phenomena, and acoustic cavitation.
Programmed Downregulation of CCR6 Is Important for Establishment of Epidermal γδT Cells by Regulating Their Thymic Egress and Epidermal Location

The skin as the outmost epithelial tissue is under frequent physical, chemical, and biological assaults. To counter the assaults and maintain the local tissue homeostasis, the skin is stationed with various innate or innate-like lymphocytes such as γδT cells. Increasing evidence suggests that an intrathymically programmed process is involved in coordinated expression of multiple homing molecules on specific γδT cell subsets to direct their localization in different regions of the skin for the protective functions. However, detailed molecular events underlying the programmed skin distribution of specific γδT cell subsets are not fully understood. We report in this study that the temporally and spatially regulated downregulation of chemokine receptor CCR6 on fetal thymic Vγ3(+) epidermal γδT precursors is involved in their thymic egress and proper localization in the epidermis. Failure of downregulation of CCR6 in the mature Vγ3(+) epidermal γδT precursor cells due to the constitutive expression of transgenic CCR6 resulted in their abnormal accumulation in the fetal thymus and reduced numbers of the epidermal γδT cells. In addition, the transgenic expression of CCR6 on the Vγ3(+) γδT cells also improperly increased their distribution in dermis of the skin. Those findings advanced our understanding of the molecular basis regulating the tissue specific distribution of various innate-like γδT cell lymphocytes in the skin.
A fast, accurate and simple critical path monitor for improving energy-delay product in DVS systems

This paper introduces a design scheme that improves Energy-Delay Product (EDP) in conventional Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) systems by exploiting timing margins. To achieve this scheme, we designed a high-speed Critical Path Monitor composed of several Critical Path Replicas, a Timing Checker, and a Toggle Flip-Flop. The replicas are implemented based on our proposed algorithm, which considers the following two facts: (a) the voltage scaling behavior of logic and interconnect are fundamentally different; (b) various logic gates show different sensitivity in regard to process, temperature, as well as voltage changes. Because the replicas are connected in parallel by C-elements, the longest delay selection among all of the replica delays is performed automatically, improving the system response time. If the utilizable margin is detected by the Timing Checker, the frequency controller increases system clock frequency in order to improve performance at a given voltage level. In this paper, using 45nm CMOS technology, we implemented a 32-bit MIPS processor and multiple Critical Path Monitors. The simulation results reveal that our scheme can improve EDP of the conventional DVS by up to 62%.
Pursuit-deterrent communication between prey animals and timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus): the response of snakes to harassment displays

A thorough understanding of communication requires an evaluation of both the signaler and receiver. Most analyses of prey–predator communication are incomplete because they examine only the behavior of the prey. Predators in these systems may be understudied because they are perceived as less tractable research subjects, due to their more cryptic hunting behaviors and secretive lifestyles. For example, research on interactions between rodents and rattlesnakes has focused on the behavior of rodent signalers, while responses of snakes have been virtually unexamined. Rattlesnakes are ambush predators, and capture rodents by waiting at foraging sites for long periods of time. In this study, I take advantage of the sedentary nature of this foraging strategy and use fixed videography to record natural encounters between timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and their prey. Three different prey species were found to exhibit conspicuous visual displays to snakes, both when snakes were actively foraging, and when they were basking. After receiving displays, foraging snakes left their ambush sites and moved long distances before locating subsequent ambush sites, indicating that they responded to displays by abandoning attempts to ambush prey in the vicinity of signalers. This study represents the first quantitative analysis of the response of free-ranging snakes to signals from their prey, and elucidates a technique by which such quantitative data can be more easily obtained.
First-principles calculations of the high-temperature phase transformation in yttrium tantalate

The high-temperature phase transition between the tetragonal (scheelite) and monoclinic (fergusonite) forms of yttrium tantalite (${\mathrm{YTaO}}_{4}$ ) has been studied using a combination of first-principles calculations and a Landau free-energy expansion. Calculations of the Gibbs free energies show that the monoclinic phase is stable at room temperature and transforms to the tetragonal phase at 1430 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, close to the experimental value of $1426\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7$ \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. Analysis of the phonon modes as a function of temperature indicate that the transformation is driven by softening of transverse acoustic modes with symmetry ${E}_{u}$ in the Brillouin zone center rather than the Raman-active ${B}_{g}$ mode. Landau free-energy expansions demonstrate that the transition is second order and, based on the fitting to experimental and calculated lattice parameters, it is found that the transition is a proper rather than a pseudoproper type. Together these findings are consistent with the transition being ferroelastic.
Lexical Expectations in Sentence Comprehension.

Verbs, as a syntactic category, accept noun phrase complements (direct objects). Some specific verbs require such complements, others prohibit them, while still others differ in the likelihood that they will be used with direct objects. Two experiments demonstrated that readers use specific lexical information in comprehending sentences to anticipate and prepare for the appearance of lexical noun phrases and to postulate “gaps” that are associated with “fillers.” One experiment used an on-line secondary task to demonstrate the effects of violating a lexically based syntactic expectation, while a second experiment used an end-of-the-sentence grammaticality judgment task to demonstrate a similar effect on gap filling. The experiments demonstrated that lexically based expectations involve the use of information about appropriate syntactic or thematic categories, and provided evidence for the use of pragmatic information as well. The question of how lexical information interacts with other types of information in sentence processing was raised.
Synthesis of 8‐amino‐4‐methylthio‐6‐methyl‐2‐(β‐D‐ribofuranosyl)‐2,6‐dihydro‐1,2,3,5,6,7‐hexaazaacenaphthylene and an unusual reductive ring‐opening of the 1,2,3,5,6,7‐hexaazaacenaphthylene ring system

The tricyclic nucleoside 8-amino-4-methylthio-6-methyl-2-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene (3) was synthesized from 3-cyano-4,6-bis(methylthio)-1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (1). Attempts to synthesize 8-amino-6-methyl-2-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-2,6-dihydro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene (5) ([an aza analog of 6-amino-4-methyl-8-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,3,4,5,8-pentaazaacenaphthylene (TCN)], which is a potent antitumor agent), by the treatment of 3 with Raney nickel did not afford the desired aza analog of TCN. Instead, it was established that a reductive cleavage of the pyridazine moiety of 3 had occurred to give 4-methylamino-6-methylthio-1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine (6). Assuming that solubility was a problem in the reductive step, the isopropylidene derivative of 3, 8-amino-6-methyl-4-methylthio-2-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-2,6-dihydro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene (8), was treated with Raney nickel, only to observe that a similar reductive ring cleavage of 8 had occurred to afford 4-methylamino-6-methylthio-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine (10) and 4-methylamino-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine (11). Structural assignments for all products were established by physico-chemical procedures.