cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BMP treatment of C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells induces both chondrogenesis and osteogenesis

The molecular mechanisms by which bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) promote skeletal cell differentiation were investigated in the murine mesenchymal stem cell line C3H10T1/2. Both BMP-7 and BMP-2 induced C3H10T1/2 cells to undergo a sequential pattern of chondrogenic followed by osteogenic differentiation that was dependent on both the concentration and the continuous presence of BMP in the growth media. Differentiation was determined by the expression of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis associated matrix genes. Subsequent experiments using BMP-7 demonstrated that withdrawal of BMP from the growth media led to a complete loss of skeletal cell differentiation accompanied by adipogenic differentiation of these cells. Continuous treatment with BMP-7 increased the expression of Sox9, Msx 2, and c-fos during the periods of chondrogenic differentiation after which point their expression decreased. In contrast, Dlx 5 expression was induced by BMP-7 treatment and remained elevated throughout the time-course of skeletal cell differentiation. Runx2/Cbfa1 was not detected by ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) and did not appear to be induced by BMP-7. The sequential nature of differentiation of chondrocytic and osteoblastic cells and the necessity for continuous BMP treatment to maintain skeletal cell differentiation suggests that the maintenance of selective differentiation of the two skeletal cell lineages might be dependent on BMP-7-regulated expression of other morphogenetic factors. An examination of the expression of Wnt, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and the hedgehog family of morphogens showed that Wnt 5b, Wnt 11, BMP-4, growth and differentiation factor-1 (GDF-1), Sonic hedgehog (Shh), and Indian hedgehog (Ihh) were endogenously expressed by C3H10T1/2 cells. Wnt 11, BMP-4, and GDF-1 expression were inhibited by BMP-7 treatment in a dose-dependent manner while Wnt 5b and Shh were selectively induced by BMP-7 during the period of chondrogenic differentiation. Ihh expression also showed induction by BMP-7 treatment, however, the period of maximal expression was during the later time-points, corresponding to osteogenic differentiation. An interesting phenomenon was that BMP-7 activity could be further enhanced twofold by growing the cells in a more nutrient-rich media. In summary, the murine mesenchymal stem cell line C3H10T1/2 was induced to follow an endochondral sequence of chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation dependent on both dose and continual presence of BMP-7 and enhanced by a nutrient-rich media. Our preliminary results suggest that the induction of osteogenesis is dependent on the secondary regulation of factors that control osteogenesis through an autocrine mechanism.
Excitation of Molecular Rotation-Vibration by Electron Impact

The integral equation for the scattering of an electron from a symmetric diatomic molecule is solved approximately to obtain the effective interaction integral between the electron and the molecular vibrationrotation, neglecting polarization and exchange. This interaction depends on the difference of phase of the incident wave function between the two nuclear centers and thus on the momentary direction and magnitude of the internuclear radius vector. From this interaction function the effective cross sections for rotation-vibration excitation are computed and, by various sum rules, a closed formula for mean loss of energy of the electron to molecular rotation-vibration is obtained. This is compared with the corresponding loss of energy of the rebounding electron to the motion of the center of gravity of the molecule. These two quantities are shown to be the same order of magnitude, their ratio changing from $\frac{1}{3}$, for very small equilibrium internuclear distance, to 1, for very large internuclear distance.
Children and adults' distance estimations in a large-scale environment: Effects of time and clutter

Abstract In two experiments adults (mean age = 19-5), sixth graders (mean age = 11-8), fourth graders (mean age = 9-8), and second graders (mean age = 7–8) walked a straight line distance through a large-scale environment. Subjects were then asked to estimate the time taken to traverse each half of the walk and to estimate the distance between objects seen along the walk. In Experiment 1 each half of the walk was traversed in the same amount of time but contained a different number of objects (clutter). Time and distance estimates were related, but were not affected by the number of intervening objects encountered between locations. In Experiment 2 subjects again encountered a different number of objects along each half of the walk but each half was traversed in varying amounts of time. Again, time and distance estimates were related, and there was no clutter effect. There were no consistent developmental differences across the two experiments. It was concluded that (1) Thorndyke's clutter effect does not occur across all types of spatial cognition tasks, and (2) children and adults tend to relate time and distance across a variety of distance estimation tasks.
Age-related increase in aneuploidy and alteration of gene expression in mouse first polar bodies.

Purpose To confirm that aneuploidy candidate genes are detectable in the first polar body (PB1) of MII oocytes and to investigate the age-dependent molecular changes in PB1.
Melatonin day-night rhythms in subjects with Turner Syndrome

The day-night rhythms of serum melatonin (MEL) were investigated in 10 subjects with Turner syndrome,aged 2-17 years.Five had karyotype 45 XO,4 had 45 XO/46 XX and one 45 XO/46XX/47XXX mosaicism.Serum MEL concentrations were determined according to the RIA procedure of Rollag and Niswander,using the antibody kindly donated by Dr. Niswander.Serum LH,FSH and PRL were measured by routine RIAs.MEL patterns were abnormal in all subjects. 1.Day-time values were higher than normal (135±88 vs. 55±26,p < 0.05), as already observed in a previous study (Gupta et al, 1983).2.Night peak MEL values were in the prepubertal range irrespective of the age and developmental stage of the subject. 3.Desynchronized ultradian rhythms were present in all subjects except one,a 17-yrs. old XO/XX girl who had spontaneous menstruations. 4.No relationship between MEL serum levels and gonadotrophin concentrations were found. 5.In some of the patients the night elevation in serum PRL levels was very pronounced. These data illustrate the principle that chromosomal abnormality may be antecedent to the development of aberrations in relation to the pineal biorhythm.However,this is simply a hypothesis which should be examined further.
Mechanical stability of a strongly interacting Fermi gas of atoms

A strongly attractive, two-component Fermi gas of atoms exhibits universal behavior and should be mechanically stable as a consequence of the quantum-mechanical requirement of unitarity. This requirement limits the maximum attractive force to a value smaller than that of the outward Fermi pressure. To experimentally demonstrate this stability, we use all-optical methods to produce a highly degenerate, two-component gas of 6 Li atoms in an applied magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance, where strong interactions are observed. We find that gas is stable at densities far exceeding that predicted previously for the onset of mechanical instability. Further, we provide a temperature-corrected measurement of an important, universal, many-body parameter, which determines the stability—the mean-field contribution to the chemical potential in units of the local Fermi
Effect of Complex Formation on Drug Absorption XII: Enhancement of Intestinal Absorption of Prednisone and Prednisolone by Dialkylpropionamides in Rats

The effect of N,N-dimethyl-, N,N-diethyl-, N,N-di-n-propyl-, and N,N-di-n-butylpropionamide on the absorption of prednisone and prednisolone in aqueous solution from the rat small intestine was studied. The propyl and butyl compounds (initial concentration 28 mM) enhanced significantly the absorption of both steroids (initial concentration 0.5 mM). The ethyl compound had a less pronounced effect, while the methyl derivative did not significantly affect the absorption of the two steroids. The absorption-enhancing effect of the amides is concentration dependent and is rapidly and completely reversible. It appears to be due to the formation of a steroid-amide complex within the intestinal barrier.
Variability of aerosol and spectral lidar and backscatter and extinction ratios of key aerosol types derived from selected Aerosol Robotic Network locations

Received 13 June 2004; revised 1 February 2005; accepted 3 March 2005; published 3 May 2005. [1] The lidar (extinction-to-backscatter) ratios at 0.55 and 1.02 mm and the spectral lidar, extinction, and backscatter ratios of climatically relevant aerosol species are computed on the basis of selected retrievals of aerosol properties from 26 Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites across the globe. The values, obtained indirectly from sky radiance and solar transmittance measurements, agree very well with values from direct observations. Low mean values of the lidar ratio, Sa, at 0.55 mm for maritime (27 sr) aerosols and desert dust (42 sr) are clearly distinguishable from biomass burning (60 sr) and urban/industrial pollution (71 sr). The effects of nonsphericity of mineral dust are shown, demonstrating that particle shape must be taken into account in any spaceborne lidar inversion scheme. A new aerosol model representing pollution over Southeast Asia is introduced since lidar (58 sr), color lidar, and extinction ratios in this region are distinct from those over other urban/industrial centers, owing to a greater number of large particles relative to fine particles. This discrimination promises improved estimates of regional climate forcing by aerosols containing black carbon and is expected to be of utility to climate modeling and remote sensing communities. The observed variability of the lidar parameters, combined with current validated aerosol data products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), will afford improved accuracy in the inversion of spaceborne lidar data over both land and ocean.
Changes in knee cartilage T2 values over 24 months in subjects with and without risk factors for knee osteoarthritis and their association with focal knee lesions at baseline: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative

Purpose—To examine the changes in knee cartilage T2 values over 24 months in subjects with and without risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and their association with focal knee lesions at baseline. Materials and Methods—Forty-one subjects without, and 101 subjects with OA risk factors (such as history of knee injury or surgery) were selected from the Osteoarthritis Initiative database (age: 45-55 years, no radiographic OA in the right knee). Baseline MR images of the right knee were assessed for prevalence and grade of focal knee lesions. Right knee cartilage T2 measurements were performed in five compartments (patella, medial/lateral femur/tibia) at baseline and 24 month follow-up. Results—Compared to subjects without OA risk factors, those with OA risk factors showed no significant differences in baseline prevalence and grade of focal knee lesions (p>0.05), but had significantly higher T2 values in the medial femur compartment at both time points (p 0.05). Conclusion—Cartilage T2 values significantly increased over 24 months in subjects with and without OA risk factors, but neither the presence of OA risk factors nor the presence of cartilage lesions at baseline were associated with these T2 increases.
Effect of hydrogen sulfide on isosynthesis over 7 wt.-% cerium zirconia catalyst

Abstract One of the primary drawbacks in the isosynthesis reaction (synthesis gas to iso-C 4 hydrocarbons) is the reduced selectivity to the iso-C 4 hydrocarbons because of methane production. The effectiveness of sulfur as a catalyst poison ( especially for methanation) is well documented. Sulfur reduces catalytic activity in almost every case, but selectivity to a desired product can sometimes increase because reactions that form undesired products are selectively poisoned. This paper reports on the effect of co-feeding a one percent hydrogen sulfide in hydrogen mixture in a one to one ratio with carbon monoxide over a precipitated 7 wt.-% cerium zirconia in an attempt to reduce methane formation. When hydrogen sulfide is included in the feed a dramatic shift in product selectivity occurs with no loss in catalytic activity. The C 2 + C 3 fraction is reduced by about half while the C 5 fraction is increased by a factor of two and a half. This increase is realized in the formation of 3-methyl-1-butene, the second least thermodynamically favored C 5 hydrocarbon, which shows an eighteen fold increase. Perhaps a suppression of chain growth to higher (C 10+ ) hydrocarbons, a reduction in the amount of C 5 cracking to C 2 's and C 3 's, or possibly a steric (or surface) effect favoring the formation of 3-methyl-1-butene over the more thermodynamically favorable 2-methyl C 5 alkenes is responsible for this phenomenon. Temperature cycling deactivates the catalysts and shifts the product distribution toward the alkanes. However, hydrogen sulfide seems to negate the effects of temperature cycling on the product distribution.
Noncompliance and the limits of coercion: The problematic enforcement of unpopular laws

This paper constructs a mathematical representation of the dynamic logic tying together coercion and noncompliance within political systems. Several concepts are central to the effort: system legitimacy; the long-term institutionalized investment of the political system in coercive resources; the vulnerability of political systems to mass noncompliance; and the short-term response of the political system to noncompliance. The analysis addresses a number of issues. What are the dynamic consequences of system legitimacy and of the political system's institutionalized investment in coercive resources? What are the consequences of its short-term coercive response to noncompliance? Under what circumstances will noncompliance be eliminated? Under what circumstances will it be controlled? Under what circumstances will political systems become overwhelmed by noncompliance? A central argument of this paper is that aggressive short-term responses to noncompliance are likely to be ineffective in controlling noncompliance, and they are likely to aggravate the vulnerability of political systems to mass noncompliance.
Mechanistic aspects of cromolyn sodium action on the alveolar macrophage: Inhibition of stimulation by soluble agonists

Despite wide use of the drug cromolyn sodium, its mechanism of action remains unknown. The alveolar macrophage plays a major role in the regulation of the inflammatory responses of the lung which may contribute to asthma. Since the biochemical mechanism by which agonists stimulate the alveolar macrophage to produce superoxide anion has been described, the effects of cromolyn sodium on this process were examined. Cromolyn sodium (0.5–4 mM) reversibly blocked macrophage stimulation by formyl peptide and leukotriene B4, but not by phorbol diester and concanavalin A. Cromolyn sodium inhibition was not calcium dependent and could be reversed by increasing the dose of agonist. Cromolyn sodium did not elevate intracellular cAMP, nor did the characteristics of inhibition resemble those observed using cAMP to inhibit agonist stimulation. However, cromolyn sodium did block agonist-mediated stimulation of the phosphatidylinositol (PI) pathway. Taken together, the present results suggest that one site of action of cromolyn sodium may be at the GTP-binding protein of the PI pathway.
Quantitation of total mercury vapor released during dental procedures.

Abstract An in vitro method is described in which measurements were made of the total amount of mercury vapor released from three types of amalgam during routine dental procedures. It was found that the greatest amount of mercury was released during dry polishing of one amalgam (44 μg). Removal of amalgam from a Class I cavity under water spray and high volume evacuation also generated large amounts of mercury as expected (15–20 μg). However, under the more clinically relevant conditions of extending evacuation for one minute to remove residual amalgam and mercury after cutting, this value was reduced by approximately 90%. The total amount of mercury generated during placement (6–8 μg), wet polishing (2–4 μg) and trituration (1–2 μg) were also measured. The study showed that dental procedures associated with amalgam do potentially expose the patient and operator to mercury vapor. However, the total amount of mercury released during any procedure was far below the total exposure level calculated from the daily threshold limits established by regulatory agencies for occupational exposure.
A new pinaceous seed‐cone from the Miocene of Idaho

MENTE, R. F. & BRACK-HANES, S. D., 1992. A new pinaceous seed-cone from the Miocene of Idaho. Conifers are especially scarce in the Lower Miocene Carmen Formation in east-central Idaho. Only two now monotypic genera, Sequoia and Glyptostrobus, are represented. Another conifer is described from the sediment based on a medium-sized, mature, two-year seed-cone cast/ compression/impression with scales distinguished by abaxial apophyses without umbos. This new seed-cone, Pityostrobus jonhalus sp. nov. Mente & Brack-Hanes, most closely resembles Picea and Pinus (Haploxylon) of extant conifers and Pityostrobus argonnensis (Fliche) Creber of extinct conifers. Summary The new seed cone supports earlier evidence of Tertiary Pityostrobus in the western United States (Crabtree, 1987) and extends the geological range for Pityostrobus into the Miocene. By far, though, the most significant contribution of this new case/compression/impression cone is to open up possibilities for reconsidering or even reincorporating into the present literature, a considerable record of pinaceous seed cones, largely neglected because of their preservation type. Although anatomical details have been used recently as a basis for assigning fossil pinaceous cones to existing Pityostrobus species, and those features are mostly unknown for compressions, many other features can be used that are employed for extant conifer systematics, i.e. cone morphology (viz. Alvin, 1988). Consequently, comparisons of cone features regardless of preservation type, establish new potential for insight into pinaceous ancestry and the Pityostrobus complex.
On the mechanism of ion exchange in zirconium phosphates—XXVII: Dehydration behavior of Cu(II) ion exchanged phases☆

Abstract The dehydration behavior and phase changes of crystalline α-zirconium phosphate exchanged to increasing levels of Cu(II) content have been determined by thermal and X-ray methods. The fully exchanged compound is ZrCu(PO 4 ) 2 ·4H 2 O which loses 1 mole of water below 100°C and this phase in turn loses another 1.5 moles below 200°C forming ZrCu(PO 4 ) 2 ·1.5H 2 O. Additional mole of water is lost between 200 and 300°C yielding a solid with a poorly defined X-ray pattern. However, annealing in this temperature range produces a well crystallized phase (termed phase G). This phase has a variable water content ranging from 0.5 to zero moles and long heating times at 400–450°C are required to achieve the anhydrous state. In the region of low copper contents the phases formed are solid solutions which resemble α-zirconium phosphate phases.
Blind full reference quality assessment of poisson image denoising

The distribution of real camera sensor is well approximated by Poisson, and the estimation of the light intensity signal from the Poisson count data plays a prominent role in digital imaging. It is highly desirable for imaging devices to carry the ability to assess the performance of Poisson image restoration. Drawing on a new category of image quality assessment called corrupted reference image quality assessment (CR-QA), we develop a computational technique for predicting the quality score of the popular structural similarity index (SSIM) without having the direct access to the ideal reference image. We verified via simulation that the CR-SSIM scores indeed agrees with the full reference scores; and the visually optimal denoising experiments performed on real camera sensor data give credibility to the impact CR-QA has on real imaging systems.
Increasing alcohol yield by selected yeast fermentation of sweet sorghum. II. Isolation and evaluation of mutants and wild types for ethanol production

Abstract Three yeast strains, which gave over 93% sugar conversion efficiency (SCE) in sweet sorghum juice containing 20% total sugar in a previous study, were submitted to 3 and 6% ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS) to induce mutations. Several mutants produced by the EMS treatment and their respective wild types grew well in media containing up to 40% sugar. Some mutants tolerated 2·5% more alcohol than their respective wild types. Saccharomyces cerevisiae IZ 1716 Mutant 10 produced a significantly greater yield of ethanol from sweet sorghum juice containing 26% sugar than the wild type. Under large-scale fermentation, this mutant had an SCE of 89·4% after 36h in sweet sorghum juice containing 28% sugar. The final alcohol concentration reached 13·28% (w/v) after 48h, corresponding to an SCE of 93·57%.
Endothelial cardiac cell therapy: large-animal studies and the elephant in the room.

Cell-based therapies represent a promising strategy for regeneration of myocardial tissue, and it is clear that impaired contractile function can be improved even when transplanted cells do not persist in the myocardium.1 Many cell types and mechanisms have been proposed for the benefits of cardiac cell therapy, including the formation of new myocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as through paracrine effects.2 In part because we do not yet understand these mechanisms, the ideal cell type and delivery approach for cardiac cell therapy has not yet emerged. Article, see p 882 Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a subset of hematopoietic cells found in the bone marrow that have the potential to differentiate into endothelial cells and have a role in promoting angiogenesis and prosurvival signals to cardiomyocytes.3,4 EPCs are readily isolated from the blood and the bone marrow, and clinical studies suggest that cell-based therapy with EPCs can improve myocardial function.5 A subset of mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into cardiomyocytes under specific conditions in vitro.6,7 Bone marrow–derived cell therapy can stimulate endogenous cardiomyocyte progenitors and promotes cardiac repair.8 Methods to limit teratoma formation include genetic selection of differentiated embryonic stem (ES) cells, or differentiation of ES cells in vitro into cardiomyocytes or endothelial cells before injection.9,10 An inherent difficulty in controlling the growth and differentiation of ES cells and other pluripotent stem cells is that the timing with which …
Molecular dynamics simulation of reorientational motion of SF6 in porous sol-gel glass

Molecular dynamics of reorientational motion of SF6 is simulated inside the porous structure representing amorphous sol-gel glass. Simulations are run for different densities of adsorbed SF6. By comparing the theoretical results with available experimental data, it is shown that the model well characterizes molecular properties of sulphur hexafluoride in porous silica. It is found that reorientational relaxation of SF6 inside small pores is dependent on the density of adsorbent. It is concluded that, at elevated pressures, there are less molecules inside the pores than in the same volume on the outside of the sample. The difference in the densities inside the pores and the pure phase may be as high as 30%. Simulations are also run for two different surface potentials, and it is found that reorientational relaxation depends only slightly on potential depth, which can be attributed to the lack of specific interactions between adsorbent and the silica surface.
Association of N- and C-terminal Domains of Phospholipase D Is Required for Catalytic Activity

Rat brain phospholipase D1 (rPLD1) belongs to a superfamily defined by the highly conserved catalytic motif (H(X)K(X)4D, denoted HKD. RPLD1 contains two HKD domains, located in the N- and C-terminal regions. Deletion mutants of rPLD1 that contained only an N- or C-terminal HKD domain exhibited no catalytic activity when expressed in COS 7 cells. However, when N-terminal fragments containing one of the HKD domains were cotransfected with a C-terminal fragment containing the other HKD domain, PLD activity was restored. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation assays showed that the N- and C-terminal halves of rPLD1 were physically associated when expressed in COS 7 cells. In addition, deletion of 168 amino acids from the N terminus of rPLD1 significantly enhanced basal PLD activity while inhibiting the response to phorbol ester. Likewise, the coexpression of this truncated N-terminal half with the C-terminal half resulted in increased PLD activity. In summary, this study provides direct evidence that the enzymatic activity of rPLD1 requires the presence of the HKD domains in both the N- and C-terminal regions of the molecule. More importantly, the two halves of rPLD1 can associate, and this may be essential to bring the two HKD domains together to form an active catalytic center. These findings provide new insights into the catalytic mechanism of enzymes of the PLD superfamily.
Effect of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB's) on Survival and Reproduction of Daphnia, Gammarus, and Tanytarsus

Abstract Continuous-flow and static bioassays were conducted at 18 C, with survival and reproduction as measures of relative toxicity of eight PCB's, Aroclor 1221 (A-1221), A-1232, A-1242, A-1248, A-1254, A-1260, A-1262, and A-1268. Three PCB-mixture bioassays were also conducted. Aroclor 1248 was the most toxic to Daphnia magna of the eight Aroclors tested in static tests; the 3-wk LC50 was 25 μg/liter. Aroclor 1254 was the most toxic PCB to Daphnia under continuous-flow conditions with a 3-wk LC50 of 1.3 μg/liter. Ninety-six-hr LC50 values for A-1242, and A-1248 on Gammarus pseudolimnaeus in continuous-flow tests were 73 and 20 μg/liter. Survival after 60 days was 52% at 8.7 μg/liter 1242 and 53% at 5.1 μg/liter A-1248. Reproduction and survival of young were good at 2.8 μg/liter A-1242 and 2.2 μg/liter A-1248. The midge Tanytarsus dissimilis, in continuous-flow tests, did not emerge in abundance above 5.1 μg/liter A-1248 or 3.5 μg/liter A-1254. The 3-wk LC50 for Aroclor 1254 was 0.65 μg/liter for larva...
Palliative Care and the Quality of Life

Catherine is a 27-year-old woman who was waitressing to savemoneyforgraduateschool.Shehadnoinsuranceandwashopingthatherfatigueandnosebleedswereattributabletostressanddryairinhercity apartment. Her roommate found her collapsed on the ﬂoor andcalled 911. A complete blood count in the emergency departmentrevealed50,000blastsintheperiphery,andCatherinewasdiagnosedwithleukemia.Symptomsincludedseverebonepain,dyspnea,anxi-ety, and panic attacks associated with isolation. Catherine’s brotherhad a history of substance abuse, and her parents were opposed tousingopioidsforherpain.Housestaffprescribedacetaminophenwithcodeineevery6hoursasneededwithoutbeneﬁt.Catherinewouldcryoutinpainandkeptpushingthecallbellforrelief,butthenursestoldher she must wait until 6 hours were up. The palliative medicineconsult team was called for “help with a manipulative, drug-seekingpatient.”Afterchangesinheropioidregimen,Catherine’ssymptomsandpsychologicaldistressweremarkedlyimproved.Bothsheandherfamilyrequiredextensivecounselingandsupportnotonlyabouttheharmsofuntreatedpainandthesafeuseofopioidsbutalsoabouttheexistential,spiritual,economic,andemotionalconsequencesofCath-erine’s illness. The palliative care team worked side by side with thehematologiststhroughCatherine’sbonemarrowtransplant.Sixyearslater, she had ﬁnished graduate school and married. She and herfamily send an annual holiday card and contribution thanking thehospitalfortheexpertscientiﬁcandcompassionatecaretheyreceived.Catherine’s story exempliﬁes the beneﬁts of palliative care andoncology comanagement. The goal of her oncology care was cure,yet her palliative care needs posed signiﬁcant—but remediable—burdensonthepatient,herfamily,andthemedicalcareteam.Despitethe logic of a simultaneous palliative and disease management ap-proach for patients with cancer, the medical profession persists inthinking about palliative care as being synonymous with end-of-lifecareorasbeingwhatwedowhenthereisnothingmorethatwecando.Medical care is falsely but widely understood to have two mutuallyexclusivegoals:tocurediseaseandprolonglifeortoprovidecomfortcare.Consequently,thedecisiontofocusonthereductionofsufferingistypicallymadeonlyafterlife-prolongingtreatmentbecomesineffec-tive or too burdensome and death is imminent. This problem wasrecognized in February 2011 by important new American Society ofClinical Oncology guidelines
Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Background: Laboratory studies suggest that vitamin D may inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth. However, epidemiologic studies of vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk have been conflicting. Methods: To determine whether prediagnostic levels of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D; IDS Inc.; enzyme immunoassay) were associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, we conducted a pooled analysis of nested case–control studies with 451 cases and 1,167 controls from five cohorts through 2008. Median follow-up among controls was 14.1 years in Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), 18.3 years in Nurses' Health Study (NHS), 25.3 years in Physicians' Health Study (PHS), 12.2 years in Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study (WHI), and 14.4 years in Women's Health Study (WHS). Logistic regression was used to compare the odds of pancreatic cancer by plasma level of 25(OH)D. Results: Mean plasma 25(OH)D was lower in cases versus controls (61.3 vs. 64.5 nmol/L, P = 0.005). In logistic regression models, plasma 25(OH)D was inversely associated with odds of pancreatic cancer. Participants in quintiles two through five had multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) of 0.79 (0.56–1.10), 0.75 (0.53–1.06), 0.68 (0.48–0.97), and 0.67 (0.46–0.97; P trend = 0.03), respectively, compared with the bottom quintile. Compared with those with insufficient levels [25[OH]D, <50 nmol/L], ORs were 0.75 (0.58–0.98) for subjects with relative insufficiency [25[OH]D, 50 to <75 nmol/L] and 0.71 (0.52–0.97) for those with sufficient levels [25[OH]D, ≥75 nmol/L]. No increased risk was noted in subjects with 25(OH)D ≥100 nmol/L, as suggested in a prior study. In subgroup analyses, ORs for the top versus bottom quartile of 25(OH)D were 0.72 (0.48–1.08) for women, 0.73 (0.40–1.31) for men, and 0.73 (0.51–1.03) for Whites. Conclusions: Among participants in five large prospective cohorts, higher plasma levels of 25(OH)D were associated with a lower risk for pancreatic cancer. Impact: Low circulating 25(OH)D may predispose individuals to the development of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(1); 82–91. ©2011 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 1][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/21/1?iss=1
Control of Serum Cholesterol Homeostasis by Cholesterol in the Milk of the Suckling Rat

This is a test with rats of both sexes of an hypothesis that cho lesterol in the suckling's milk somehow helps establish a permanent mechanism for maintaining low serum cholesterol concentration in the adult animals during high cholesterol ingestion. It was found that the serum cholesterol concentrations of adult males but not females varied inversely with the concentrations of choles terol in their dams' milks, which could be modified by diet. Serum cholesterol was about 150 mg/100 ml in those males suckled on milk containing 40 to 50 mg/100 ml, about 215 mg/100 ml in those suckled on milk containing around 30 mg/ 100 ml, and about 250 mg/100 ml in those suckled on milk containing 23 mg/ 100 ml. In the first test a simple method was devised to teach 12-day-old rats to drink formula milk from a drinking tube. They grew normally. Groups nursed on two semisyntheA¼cformulas, one containing a residue of 5 mg of cholesterol/ 100 ml and the other containing added crystalline cholesterol dissolved in stripped lard to the normal rat milk concentration of 35 mg/100 ml, were compared to a group nursed on bovine milk fortified with cream to 35 mg cholesterol/ 100 ml, and to a mother-nursed group. In the second test the cholesterol concentrations of dams' milks were varied by diet from 21 mg up to about 50 mg/100 ml. In both tests the young were weaned at 30 days of age and then given a semi- synthetic low cholesterol, 10% stripped lard diet for the second 30 days. From 2 to about 8 months of age lard containing 5% dissolved cholesterol was added to the diet at the 10% level (0.5% cholesterol). The serum cholesterol concen trations of the 8-month-old females of both tests varied from about 400 to 700 mg/100 ml with wide variations within the groups. No significant trends were found relating serum cholesterol to their milk cholesterol as sucklings. The serum cholesterol concentrations of the male rats in the first test also did not differ significantly from the cholesterol concentrations of their semisynthetic post- day-12 suckling milks. However, in the second test, in which the rats were nursed naturally on dams whose milk cholesterol was varied by diet, the serum cholesterol concentrations in the males varied inversely with the cholesterol con centrations of their mothers' milks: Milk cholesterol levels were approximately 40 to 50, 30, and 23 mg/100 ml, and the respective serum cholesterol concentra tions 150, 215 and 250 mg/100 ml. J. Nutr. 102: 1009-1016, 1972.
A formal model for building a social network

A social network is a map of specified ties between the actors being studied. Social network analysis is the mapping and measuring of relationships between entities to provide a visual and mathematical analysis of relationships among actors. Interest in analyzing computer-based social networks has grown as human communication has increasingly moved online. More so, computer logs give the ability to instrument and measure computer-based social network activities. The social network analysis of computer-based networks may reveal ways in which people communicate and this may find the type of products or services users are willing to pay for. In this paper, we extended a high level Petri nets with channels for formally modeling social networks. The formal model provides a solid foundation for rigorously analyze social network activities. We illustrated the idea and demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach through modeling and analyzing a friend suggestion function in a social network.
Recommender system for MIR research community

In this demonstration, we show a recommender system for the Music Information Retrieval (MIR) research community. We extract the key topics and tags by analyzing the ten-year cumulative ISMIR proceedings, and recommend papers and research colleagues to users in an interactive way.
The "independent components" of natural scenes are edge filters.

It has previously been suggested that neurons with line and edge selectivities found in primary visual cortex of cats and monkeys form a sparse, distributed representation of natural scenes, and it has been reasoned that such responses should emerge from an unsupervised learning algorithm that attempts to find a factorial code of independent visual features. We show here that a new unsupervised learning algorithm based on information maximization, a nonlinear “infomax” network, when applied to an ensemble of natural scenes produces sets of visual filters that are localized and oriented. Some of these filters are Gabor-like and resemble those produced by the sparseness-maximization network. In addition, the outputs of these filters are as independent as possible, since this infomax network performs Independent Components Analysis or ICA, for sparse (super-gaussian) component distributions. We compare the resulting ICA filters and their associated basis functions, with other decorrelating filters produced by Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and zero-phase whitening filters (ZCA). The ICA filters have more sparsely distributed (kurtotic) outputs on natural scenes. They also resemble the receptive fields of simple cells in visual cortex, which suggests that these neurons form a natural, information-theoretic coordinate system for natural images.
Intravenous mesenchymal stem cell therapy early after reperfused acute myocardial infarction improves left ventricular function and alters electrophysiologic properties

Abstract Direct intramyocardial injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) improves left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and may increase ventricular arrhythmia in hearts with myocardial infarction (MI). We hypothesized that intravenous MSCs given early after acute MI would engraft in injured myocardium, improve LV function, and result in pro-arrhythmic electrical remodeling. We created an apical infarction in swine by balloon occlusion/reperfusion, administered diI-labeled allogeneic bone marrow derived MSCs intravenously 30 min post-reperfusion and measured LVEF and wall thickness at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months. Epicardial effective refractory periods (ERPs) were determined before sacrifice. At 3 months, treated pigs [ n =7] had significantly higher LVEF than controls [ n =8] (49±2% vs. 44±3%, P =0.015)and significantly less wall thickening of non-infarcted myocardium. ERPs were significantly shorter than controls at all pacing cycle lengths ( P ≤0.002), suggesting a pro-arrhythmic potential. DiI was found in the lungs, in infarct, and peri-infarct myocardium. Conclusion: IV infusion of MSCs soon after acute MI in swine improves LVEF and limits wall thickening in the remote non-infarcted myocardium, consistent with a beneficial effect on post-MI ventricular remodeling. Since there is no need for immune suppression or clinical expertise, IV infusion of MSCs may expand the potential clinical application of stem cell therapy.
Gastrointestinal bleeding after gastric bypass surgery: nuisance or catastrophe?

Abstract Background Bleeding in the early postoperative period after gastric bypass surgery is a rare complication reported in 1–4% of cases. In most cases, the bleeding will be self-limited, resolving after discontinuation of anticoagulation for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis. Occasionally, however, bleeding can be problematic, resulting in significant postoperative morbidity or even mortality. The purpose of the present study was to review cases of early postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding after gastric bypass to identify possible risk factors and examine outcomes. Methods A prospective weight loss surgery patient database was reviewed to examine the cases occurring from January 2005 to July 2008. Patients with early postoperative bleeding were identified. The demographics and co-morbidities were compared between those with and without postoperative bleeding. The outcomes of interest included the transfusion requirement, postoperative morbidity, need for reoperation, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, and 30-day mortality. Results A total of 776 patients had undergone gastric bypass during the study period. Of these, 26 (3.3%) were identified with early postoperative bleeding. No significant differences were found in the demographics between the patients with early postoperative bleed and those without. Of the patients with early postoperative bleeding, the most common presenting sign or symptom was tachycardia (46%) followed by melena (32%) and hematemesis (18%). The transfusion requirement range was 0–11 U (average 3.2 U/patient). Of the 26 patients, 4 (15%) required intensive care unit admission and 8 (31%) required reoperation. Four gastrointestinal leaks, one stomal ulceration, and one gastrogastric fistula were identified in the early postoperative bleeding group. One patient (3.8%) in the early postoperative bleeding group died. Compared with nonbleeding patients, those with early postoperative bleeding had a significantly longer hospital stay (4.8 versus 3, P P Conclusion Postoperative bleeding is a significant complication after gastric bypass surgery. Although in many cases, the bleeding will be self-limited, it can result in additional notable complications. In the present study, postoperative bleeding contributed to significantly longer hospital stays and resulted in 1 death. A patient with bleeding after gastric bypass should raise due concern, with attention to the potential attendant complications.
Genetic and Environmental Factors Are Associated with Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Older African Americans

Background: Low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is prevalent in African Americans, but predictors of vitamin D status are understudied compared to Caucasian populations. Objective: We investigated whether certain environmental and genetic factors are predictors of circulating 25(OH)D in 989 elderly African Americans participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. Methods: Regression analysis estimated the cross-sectional association of nongenetic (environmental) factors with 25(OH)D. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with 25(OH)D in Caucasian genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were analyzed for association with serum 25(OH)D, including analyses of all imputed SNPs in identified genomic regions. Genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) evaluated the association of all (genome-wide) genotyped SNPs with serum 25(OH)D in the Health ABC Study with replication in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort. Results: Gender, study site, season of blood draw, body mass index, dietary supplement use, dairy and cereal consumption, Healthy Eating Index score, and walking >180 min/wk were associated with 25(OH)D (P < 0.05), jointly explaining 25% of the variation in circulating 25(OH)D. Multivitamin supplement use was the strongest predictor of circulating 25(OH)D, and supplement users had a 6.3-mg/L higher serum 25(OH)D concentration compared with nonusers. Previous GWAS-identified gene regions were not replicated in African Americans, but the nonsynonymous rs7041 SNP in group-specific component (vitamin D binding protein) was close to significance thresholds (P = 0.08), and there was evidence for an interaction between this SNP and use of multivitamin supplements in relation to serum 25(OH)D concentration (P= 0.04). Twenty-three percent (95% CI: 0%, 52%) of the variation in serum 25(OH)D was explained by total genetic variation in a pooled GCTA of 2087 Health ABC Study and MESA African-American participants, but population substructure effects could not be separated from other genetic influences. Conclusions: Modifiable dietary and lifestyle predictors of serum 25(OH)D were identified in African Americans. GCTA confirms that a proportion of 25(OH)D variability is attributable to genetic variation, but genomic regions associated with the 25(OH)D phenotype identified in prior GWASs of European Americans were not replicated in the Health ABC Study in African Americans. J Nutr doi: 10.3945/jn.114.202093.
Charge Transfer–Mediated Singlet Fission

Singlet fission, the splitting of a singlet exciton into two triplet excitons in molecular materials, is interesting not only as a model many-electron problem, but also as a process with potential applications in solar energy conversion. Here we discuss limitations of the conventional four-electron and molecular dimer model in describing singlet fission in crystalline organic semiconductors, such as pentacene and tetracene. We emphasize the need to consider electronic delocalization, which is responsible for the decisive role played by the Mott-Wannier exciton, also called the charge transfer (CT) exciton, in mediating singlet fission. At the strong electronic coupling limit, the initial excitation creates a quantum superposition of singlet, CT, and triplet-pair states, and we present experimental evidence for this interpretation. We also discuss the most recent attempts at translating this mechanistic understanding into design principles for CT state–mediated intramolecular singlet fission in oligomers a...
Forecasting: Adopting the Methodology of Support Vector Machines to Nursing Research

In nursing studies, linear statistical methods are commonly used to analyze data on subjective perceptions. Most of the collected data include participants’ subjective perceptions and are usually not collected in a controlled environment. For linear regression analyses, there is a common understanding that the distributions of some studied variables might not be close to linear in nature. However, when using the support vector machine (SVM), there is no violation concern for the regression assumption of linearity. SVM, as an artificial intelligence learning method, is based on the structural risk minimization principle that relies on the computational learning theory. It is a powerful technique for nonlinear regression or pattern recognition, which can learn complex patterns or trends from input data (independent variables) and create outputs (dependent variables). A trained learning machine can then generate output for unseen data. The quality of SVM was determined by the machine’s training error rate and generation capability. Choosing the approaches of nonlinear regression or pattern recognition is based on the characteristics of the dependent variable (Cristianini & ShaweTaylor 2000; Figure 1). How does SVM differ from the statistical methods? How could nursing researchers adopt SVM to address nursing issues? In this commentary, these two questions are answered. The process of developing SVM and three example studies using SVM are introduced in the following.
Imaging the neural basis of locomotion.

To investigate the fundamental question of how nervous systems encode, organize, and sequence behaviors, Kato et al. imaged neural activity with cellular resolution across the brain of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Locomotion behavior seems to be continuously represented by cyclical patterns of distributed neural activity that are present even in immobilized animals.
A reconfigurable dual output low power digital PWM power converter

Most work to date on power reduction has focused at the component level, not at the system level. In this paper, we propose a framework for describing the power behavior of system-level designs. The model consists of a set of resources, an environmental workload specification, and a power management policy, which serves as the heart of the system model. We map this model to a simulation-based framework to obtain an estimate of the system's power dissipation. Accompanying this, we propose an algorithm to optimize power management policies. The optimization algorithm can be used in a tight loop with the estimation engine to derive new power-management policy algorithms for a given system-level description. We tested our approach by applying it to a real-life low-power portable design, achieving a power estimation accuracy of ∼10%, and a 23% reduction in power after policy optimization.
SNAP: a market-propagation architecture for knowledge processing

The semantic network array processor (SNAP), a highly parallel architecture targeted to artificial intelligence applications, and in particular natural language understanding, is presented. The knowledge is represented in a form of the semantic network. The knowledge base is distributed among the elements of the SNAP array, and the processing is performed locally where the knowledge is stored. A set of powerful instructions specific to knowledge processing is implemented directly in hardware. SNAP is packaged into 256 custom-designed chips assembled on four printed circuit boards and can store a 16 K node semantic network. SNAP is a marker propagation architecture in which the movement of markers between cells is controlled by propagation rules. Various reasoning mechanisms are implemented with these marker propagation rules. >