cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Being hot-tempered: Autonomic, emotional, and behavioral distinctions between childhood reactive and proactive aggression

Reactive aggression (RA) is an angry response to perceived provocation. Proactive aggression (PA) is a pre-meditated act used to achieve some goal. This study test hypotheses that (1) individuals high in RA and PA will differ in resting levels of autonomic arousal and (2) RA will be related to emotional and behavioral problems, while PA only to behavioral problems. Parents of 68 children (age 6-13) reported on child symptoms, reactive/proactive aggression, and behavior problems. Resting heart rate (HR), skin conductance (SC), and HR variability (HRV) were measured in 42 of the children. RA was significantly related to decreased HRV and a trend for decreased SC, while PA was significantly related to increased SC and HRV. RA was significantly related to increased internalizing behaviors and attention deficits, while PA was significantly related to increased hyperactivity/impulsivity and delinquent behavior problems. Findings support a distinction between child reactive (hot-tempered) and proactive (cold-tempered) aggression in autonomic, emotional (i.e., internalizing problems), and behavioral (i.e., attention deficits, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and delinquent behavior) functioning, and are discussed in relation to theories of antisocial behavior.
An occurrence of orbicular gabbro in Fiji

Abstract A boulder consisting of orbicular and layered gabbro was found in central Viti Levu. The orbs, rnostly up to 5 cm in diameter, consist of plagioclase, augite, hornblende, biotite, and minor magnetite and hypersthene. The plagioc1ase near the centres is bytownite, but the outer zones have oligoc1ase, which also occurs in the matrix between the orbs. Radial orientation of the crystals is well deve1oped. Nuc1ei of gabbro or plagioc1ase were noted in some orbs. The matrix consists of plagioc1ase with epidote, chlorite, hornblende, and calcite, plus pseudomorphs possibly after sphene, This is the first orbicular rock found in Fiji.
Joint spatiotemporal modes of surface temperature and sea level pressure variability in the Northern Hemisphere during the last century

Abstract Coherent spatiotemporal modes of climatic variability are isolated based on a multivariate frequency domain singular value decomposition (SVD) of nearly a century of monthly Northern Hemisphere sea level pressure (SLP) and surface temperature data. Insight into the underlying physical processes associated with potential climatic signals is obtained by examining the relationship between surface temperature and inferred atmospheric circulation patterns as they evolve over the a typical cycle, taking potential seasonal distinctions into account. Our analysis provides evidence for two significant independent secular variations describing a secular warming trend (and accompanying changes in circulation patterns) and a century timescale “oscillation” marked by high-amplitude variations in temperature and SLP in the North Atlantic that are similar to those observed in recent model simulations. Quasi-oscillatory interdecadal (16–18 yr timescale) variability also displays a pattern similar to those predic...
SIBLING DEVIANCE: IN THE SHADOWS OF MUTUAL AND UNIQUE FRIENDSHIP EFFECTS?*

Drawing on a large sample of genetically related pairs of adolescents from the Add Health, we examine the influence of sibling deviance on adolescents' participation in minor deviance compared to the influence received from mutual friends (i.e., friends shared between siblings) and influence from unique friends (i.e., friends unique to each sibling). Multivariate analyses that control for genetic relatedness using DeFries-Fulker regression (1985) indicate that after aspects of the shared and non-shared environment of siblings are accounted for, the heritability effect, capturing genetic relatedness in sibling deviance, is no longer significantly associated with deviance. The deviance of siblings' unique friends accounts for a large portion of the heritability effect of sibling deviance.
Use of Alkaline Degradation for the Analysis of Dihydrotriazines via High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

Abstract An HPLC method is described for the determination of 4,6-diamino-1,2-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-1-(3′,4′-dichlorobenzyloxy)-1,3,5-triazine hydrochloride (WR 38839). The procedure required the isomerization of the drug sample by alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide, as the parent compound was retained by the column. The reaction product of the drug was analyzed by HPLC using a strong cation exchange resin as the stationary phase and glycine buffer, pH 10.4 as the mobile phase. The product was isolated and identified by TLC, UV, IR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The postulated mechanism indicates that this would be a general analytical method for dihydrotriazine compounds. This technique, developed for the assay of the dihydrotriazine in an aqueous system, was successfully applied to rat urine samples spiked with the drug.
Elastic properties of a van der Waals solid: C60.

The elastic response (Young's modulus and internal friction) of solid ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ has been measured in single-crystal specimens as a function of temperature. We determine a Debye temperature of \ensuremath{\sim}100 K and a room-temperature Young's modulus of 2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{11}$ dyn/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. The elastic properties are strongly anharmonic and indicate phase transitions at \ensuremath{\sim}150 and \ensuremath{\sim}269 K.
Long term treatment at gastric electrical stimulation is associated with changes in neuro enteric function

Long term treatment at gastric electrical stimulation is associated with changes in neuro enteric function
Sympathetic dysregulation in heart failure: Mechanisms and therapy

Heart failure is accompanied by sympathetic over-activity, which contributes to the pathophysiology and to poor prognosis. This paper reviews the mechanisms and potential therapy for sympathetic dysregulation in heart failure (HF). Several points are emphasized: (1) There is increased sympathetic activity to skeletal muscle, kidney, and heart, but not to skin, in HF. This information challenges the concept of generalized sympathetic activation in HF and suggests that the factors responsible for sympathetic activation result in a partitioning of excess sympathetic outflow to some but not all tissues and organs. (2) The sympathetic dysregulation appears to result from impairment in cardiac and arterial baroreceptor restraint on sympathetic activity, but this abnormality in baroreceptor function may result from abnormal humoral and/or ionic influences acting on baroreceptor endings or in the central nervous system and not from intrinsic structural abnormalities in baroreceptors. This distinction has potential therapeutic importance because abnormalities in humoral or ionic mechanisms would more likely lend themselves to therapeutic modulation. (3) Digitalis sensitizes cardiac and arterial baroreceptors and inhibits sympathetic nerve activity in patients with HF. This sympathoihibitory influence of digitalis is maintained during chronic therapy. These observations support the concept that the therapeutic effects of digitalis include autonomic modulation in addition to positive inotropism. In a broader concept, these observations suggest that sympathetic modulation may represent an important target for drugs for treatment of heart failure
Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in a Composite Trapezoidal Microchannel

The study considered the analysis of heat transfer in a composite channel of trapezoidal cross-section fabricated by etching a silicon wafer and bonding that with a slab of gadolinium. Gadolinium is a magnetic material that exhibits high temperature rise during adiabatic magnetization around its transition temperature of 295K. Heat was generated in the substrate by the application of magnetic field. The conjugate heat transfer scenario where part of generated heat is directly dissipated to the working fluid from gadolinium whereas part is conducted through the silicon structure and reaches the working fluid was studied. Water, ammonia, and FC-77 were studied as the possible working fluids. This kind of heat exchanger is being developed for a micro-scale refrigeration system that works with magnetic heating and cooling principle. Equations governing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy were solved in the fluid region. In the solid region, heat conduction equation was solved. The volumetric heat generation rate due to magnetic heating was included in the gadolinium portion of the composite channel. A grid independence study was carried out to choose the optimum number of elements to mesh the channel geometry and surrounding structure. A thorough investigation for velocity and temperature distribution was performed by varying channel aspect ratio, Reynolds number, and the magnetic field. The thickness of gadolinium slab, spacing between channels in the heat exchanger, and fluid flow rate were varied. To check the validity of simulation, the results were compared with existing results for single material channels. It was found that the peripheral average heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number is larger near the entrance and decreases downstream because of the development of the thermal boundary layer. With the increase in Reynolds number, the outlet temperature decreased and the average heat transfer coefficient increased.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Single-dose cefuroxime axetil versus multiple-dose cefaclor in the treatment of acute urinary tract infections.

Eighty-nine college women with acute urinary tract infections were treated orally with either 1,000 mg of cefuroxime axetil in a single dose (n = 59) or 250 mg of cefaclor three times a day for 7 days (n = 30). At 1 week posttherapy, 88% of the patients in the cefuroxime axetil group and 97% in the cefaclor group were clinically and bacteriologically cured (P greater than 0.10). There was no statistically significant difference between the cure rates of the two treatment groups. However, this study has only a 50% power to detect a 10% difference. Therefore, there is a substantial possibility of a type II error, i.e., failing to find a difference that is actually present. At 4 weeks posttherapy, 78% of the patients in the cefuroxime group and 80% in the cefaclor group remained cured. By 36 weeks posttherapy, the cumulative rate of recurrence in both treatment groups was 60%. Of the patients with a positive antibody-coated bacteria test, fewer achieved a short-term cure after single-dose treatment with cefuroxime axetil than those with a negative antibody-coated bacteria test (67 versus 96%; P less than 0.01).
Finite element modelling of stress relaxation in glass lens moulding using measured, temperature-dependent elastic modulus and viscosity data of glass

Cylindrical compression experiments were performed on two different grades of optical glasses to measure their stress response to the applied strain at lens moulding temperatures. The temperature dependence of elastic (Young's) modulus of the two glasses was measured using the technique of Brillouin light-scattering, from ambient temperature to approximately 250 °C above the glass transition temperature. The measured high temperature material data were used as input to finite element method simulation of cylindrical compression as well as to the precision lens moulding process.Good agreement was obtained between stress relaxation patterns predicted from cylinder compression simulations and analytical models. The close agreement between predicted and experimental loads during lens moulding validates the viscoelastic material model.
Muscling In on PGC-1α for Improved Quality of Life in ALS

Impaired activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative disorders. In this issue, Da Cruz et al. (2012) show improved muscle function, but not survival, with increased PGC-1α activity in muscle in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Epithelioid/granular Soft Tissue Lesions: Correlation of Cytopathology and Histopathology

Polygonal shaped epithelioid cells are not an infrequent component of soft tissue mass lesions. Such cells exist in association with other cellular shapes (eg, spindle, pleomorphic, stellate, etc) in both tumors and tumor-like conditions. Conversely, only a handful of soft tissue lesions contain either a pure or predominant epithelioid cell population. The cytoplasmic texture of such cells may be finely or coarsely granular, striated, vacuolated, or have combinations of these features. Since a relatively small body of literature on fine needle aspiration cytopathology of soft tissue exists (as compared to other body sites), and there is a lack of using the fine needle aspiration technique for soft tissue tumors in most medical centers, most pathologists are precluded from having the opportunity to correlate the cytopathology and histopathology of epithelioid soft tissue lesions. The aim of this review is to highlight the morphologic features (as seen in both tissue sections and aspiration smears) of this group of soft tissue lesions in order to assist the reader in their recognition, discuss the cytomorphologic and histomorphologic similarities and differences among these lesions, and delineate the limitations in their recognition particularly with the cytologic method.
The Power of Translational Biology: The Anatomical Record Leads the Way with Cutting‐Edge Advances in the Anatomy Underlying Novel Implants to Improve Hearing and Balance

This Special Issue of The Anatomical Record, ‘‘The Anatomy and Biology of Hearing and Balance: Cochlear and Vestibular Implants,’’ (Van De Water, 2012) has two overlapping themes. The first, as elaborated upon below, continues this journals longstanding interest in publishing the finest anatomical research underlying two of our special senses, hearing and balance. The second showcases the direction of anatomy, in particular, and basic biology in general, in moving toward discipline integration and direct implementation of knowledge to medical treatment, what is often called ‘‘translational’’ science. Joining these themes in one issue on the anatomy and biology underlying cutting-edge research and its direct applications via implant intervention is a new direction for our journal.
Effect of dietary protein and fat levels on the utilization of the fat in sunflower seeds by the young pig

Abstract An experiment of 2 × 3 factorial design was used to evaluate the effects of dietary protein level on the utilization of the fat in sunflower seeds by the 10-kg pig. Levels of fat were 10 or 20%; protein levels were low (25% below recommended levels), adequate or high (25% above recommended levels). Twenty-four pigs were used in a 5-day balance trial (Trial 1) and 12 of these were given the diets for a total of 30 days to evaluate dietary effects on gain and whole-body composition (Trial 2). In Trial 1, fat digestibility (corrected for endogenous faecal fat) decreased ( P −1 and ME values (not corrected for excreted nitrogen) of 3023, 3588 and 3984 kcal kg −1 , respectively, for soya-bean meal, cornstarch and sunflower seeds were calculated. In Trial 2, gas—liquid chromatographic analysis of subcutaneous shoulder fat samples taken on Day 1 and on Day 30 of the trial indicated the direct incorporation of the fatty acids in the sunflower-seed fat into body fat stores. As dietary protein level increased, rate of gain and whole-body protein concentration increased, while whole-body fat, DM and energy concentration decreased. There was no significant effect on weights of body fat or total DM or on total energy. As dietary fat level increased, there was an increase in whole-body fat, DM and energy concentration, a decrease in whole-body protein concentration and a tendency toward a decrease in rate of gain and weight of body protein. Neither protein nor fat level significantly affected totals of body fat, DM, or energy. Body composition, as well as gain, needs to be considered when evaluating the utilization of fat added to pig diets.
Biological species concepts in eastern North American populations of Lentinellus

As part of a biosystematic study of the Lentinellus ursinus species complex in eastern North America, field and herbarium specimens from North America, Central America, and Europe were examined. Cr...
Iceland is not a magmatic analog for the Hadean: Evidence from the zircon record

Abstract Tangible evidence of Earth's earliest (Hadean; >4.0 Ga) crust, and the processes and materials that contributed to its formation, exists almost entirely in a record of detrital zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia, and a few other locations. Iceland, with its thick, juvenile, basaltic crust and relatively abundant silicic rocks, is considered a potential modern analog for the Hadean magmatic environment where >4 Ga zircon formed. We present the first extensive dataset for Icelandic zircon, with trace element and oxygen isotope compositions from samples that span the island's history and full range of tectonic settings. This statistically robust zircon-based comparison between Iceland and the early Earth reveals distinctions in chemistry that suggest fundamental differences in magmatic environments. Whereas the δ18O signature of Hadean zircons generally exceed that of zircons equilibrated with mantle-derived magma ( 85 % ≥ 5.3 ‰ ; median 6‰), almost all Icelandic zircons are characterized by a “light” oxygen signature ( 98 % ≤ 5.3 ‰ ; median 3‰). Deviations from “juvenile” oxygen values indicate that many Hadean zircons and almost all Icelandic zircons grew from magmas with substantial contributions from materials that had interacted with surface waters. In the Hadean case, the interaction occurred at low temperatures, while in Iceland, it was a high-temperature interaction. Icelandic and Hadean zircons are also distinct in their Ti concentrations (Icelandic median concentration 12 ppm, Hadean median 5 ppm). Titanium in zircon correlates positively with temperature of crystallization, and this difference in median Ti concentration suggests a temperature difference of at least 50 °C. Other differences in trace elements compositions are consistent with the interpretation that Icelandic and Hadean zircons grew in magmas with very different origins and histories (e.g., the heavy rare earth element Yb is almost an order of magnitude higher in Icelandic zircon). A comparison with elemental data for Phanerozoic zircon from different environments demonstrates that the Hadean population is unusually depleted in Ti, but otherwise similar to zircons from continental arc settings. Zircons from Iceland, and from modern evolving rift environments where oceanic lithosphere and upwelling asthenosphere are replacing continental lithosphere, are compositionally intermediate between mid-ocean ridge and continental arc zircon populations. The elemental distinctions are consistent with fractionation of zircon-bearing magmas under hotter and drier conditions in Icelandic, mid-ocean ridge, and evolving rift environments and cooler and wetter conditions in arc and, especially, Hadean environments.
Synthesis of aberrant decay-accelerating factor proteins by affected paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria leukocytes

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) leukocytes fail to express decay-accelerating factor (DAF) but contain DAF mRNA transcripts resembling those in normal cells. To further investigate the nature of the DAF defect in affected cells, patients' polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocytes (PMN and MNC) were biosynthetically labeled and newly synthesized DAF proteins examined. Analyses of greater than 98% surface DAF-negative PMN and MNC from a patient with PNH III erythrocytes showed precursor DAF protein approximately 3 kD smaller in each cell type than in normal cells. The proportion of precursor to mature (O-glycosylated) DAF protein was increased and soluble DAF protein was detected in the medium. Studies of 70-80% surface DAF-negative PMN and MNC from four patients with type II erythrocytes showed mixtures of the 3 kD smaller and normal DAF precursors. Partitioning with Triton X-114 detergent and biosynthetic labeling with the anchor precursor [3H]ethanolamine indicated that the abnormal peptides lacked glycosyl-inositolphospholipid membrane-anchoring structures. Thus, in PNH cells nascent DAF polypeptides are synthesized. Some of the abnormal pro-DAF molecules are processed in the Golgi and some are released extracellularly.
Self-routing interconnection structures using coincident pulse techniques

We present several optical interconnection structures for multiprocessor applications. In general the communication paradigms used in multiprocessor systems can be classified as either broadcast or or switched point-to-point systems. It has been suggested that it is desirable to additionally support multicasting and simulcasting modes of communication. These modes are not widely implemented in electronics due to the complexity of their implementation. Using a self routing technique called coincident pulse addressing such structures can be realized efficiently in optics. In this paper we address two issues. First we demonstrate that the technique can be implemented with sufficient reliability and scale in technologies which are appropriate for computing applications. Second we discuss the application of these networks to multiprocessor systems. Using linear structures we demonstrate broadcasting multicasting and simulcasting communication networks. By using two dimensional structures we demonstrate multi-port memory access permutation networks and multiple sender versions of the linear networks.
Flight of the FALCON (ATM)

The fabric-based ATM oriented local connectivity (FALCON), an ATM-based customer premises network (CPN), is described. FALCON supports access using traditional local area networks (LANs) such as Ethernet and token rings and supports a LAN emulation mode for its native ATM interface. This service allows a set of terminals, workstations, and servers to connect to the switch-based network and to interact as if they were attached to a traditional LAN. FALCON's backbone structure is based exclusively on ATM technology, all following CCITT or industry standards wherever they apply. The FALCON control structure is outlined. >
Applications for Preclinical PET/MRI

Currently, the combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a hybrid imaging modality is receiving great attention not only in its emerging clinical applications but also in the preclinical field. Several prototypes based on several different types of PET detector technology have been developed in recent years, some of which have been used for first preclinical studies. This article provides an overview of currently available PET systems and considerations for combined PET/MRI workflows, and summarizes the results of the first studies performed on dedicated preclinical PET/MRI systems. The article also highlights other research using PET and MRI in combination and highlights potential benefits for integrated systems.
Measurements of off-axis energy deposition form 100 MeV electrons traversing water and liquid nitrogen

Using the US Naval Postgraduate School 100 MeV linear electron accelerator, the authors measured the dose delivered in water and liquid nitrogen near the axis of an electron beam with calcium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters. The measurements show that calculations can predict dose near an electron beam. Calculations were done with CYLTRAN, a Monte Carlo electron/photon transport code, but, as the physical basis for this and other members of the Integrated Tiger Series is the same, the use of other codes is not expected to provide significant differences. The uncertainties in the physical arrangement of dosimeters do not readily lend themselves to precision measurements, but data and calculation agree adequately over many orders of magnitude. A prescription is presented to extend results obtained in one medium (H/sub 2/O or LN/sub 2/) to another (air), where geometry considerations make experiments difficult. >
Contributions to the Earth's Obliquity Rate, Precession, and Nutation

The precession and nutation of the Earth's equator arise from solar, lunar, and planetary torques on the oblate Earth. The mean lunar orbit plane is nearly coincident with the ecliptic plane. A small tilt out of the ecliptic is caused by planetary perturbations and the Earth's gravitational harmonic J(sub 2). These planetary perturbations on the lunar orbit result in torques on the oblate Earth which contribute to precession, obliquity rate, and nutation while the J(sub 2) perturbations contribute to precession and nutation. Small additional contributions to the secular rates arise from tidal effects and planetary torques on the Earth's bulge. The total correction to the obliquity rate is -0.024 sec/century, it is an observable motion in space (the much larger conventional obliquity rate is wholly from the motion of the ecliptic, not the equator), and it is not present in the IAU-adopted expressions for the orientation of the Earth's equator. The effects have generally been allowed for in past nutation theories and some precession theories. For the planetary effect, the contributions to the 18.6 yr nutation are -0.03 mas (milliarcseconds) for the in-phase Delta(psi) plus out-of-phase contributions of 0.14 mas in Delta(psi) and -0.03 mas in Delta(sub epsilon). The latter terms demonstrate that out-of-phase contributions can arise by means other than dissipation. The sum of the contributions to the precession rate is considered and the inferred value of the moment of inertia combination (C-A)/C, which is used to scale the coefficients in the nutation series, is evaluated. Using an updated value for the precession rate, the rigid body (C-A)/C =0.003 273 763 4 which, in combination with a satellite-derived J(sub 2), gives a normalized polar moment of inertia C/MR(exp 2) = 0.330 700 7. The planetary contributions to the precession and obliquity rates are not constant for long times causing accelerations in both quantities. Acceleration in precession also arises from tides and changing J(sub 2) Contributions from the improved theory, masses, ecliptic motion, and measured values of the precession rate and obliquity are combined to give expressions (polynomials in time) for precession, obliquity, and Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time.
Employment in the Great Depression: New data and hypotheses

Abstract The traditional source of information on employment during the Great Depression is the BLS establishment sample, the foundation of Lebergott's employment and unemployment estimates. The sample was collected in detail sufficient to estimate total nonagricultural, manufacturing, and nonmanufacturing employment series at the state level for every year between 1930 and 1940. The resulting series have several features of interest: a marked variation in the employment experience of different regions that is not attributable to differences in the industrial composition of employment across regions; a southern economy which suffered smaller employment declines during the Great Crash and more rapid recovery after 1933 than the rest of the nation; and indications that several New Deal programs may have significantly affected private employment.
Recombination of human papillomavirus‐16 and host DNA in exfoliated cervical cells: A pilot study of L1 gene methylation and chromosomal integration as biomarkers of carcinogenic progression

Human papillomavirus-16 DNA replicates in productive infections in circular form, but is found in most carcinomas integrated into the host cell DNA. Because this transition is essential for carcinogenesis, detailed research is desirable and may help to triage patients with abnormal Pap smears. Previous studies addressed the chromosomal integration of HPV-16 DNA in biopsies of tumors by an indirect biomarker, methylation of the viral L1 gene and by reverse ligation polymerase chain reaction (rliPCR). The pilot study reported here asked whether these techniques can be targeted successfully at DNA prepared from exfoliated cervical cells. Abnormal Pap smears of 21 patients that were positive for HPV-16 were analyzed for (i and ii) methylation of the L1 gene after bisulfite modification and PCR amplification by direct sequencing and indirectly in cloned DNA and (iii) recombination with chromosomal DNA by rliPCR. Four of these 21 patients contained highly methylated L1 DNA, which was integrated in three of the samples with sufficient DNA for rliPCR analysis. Seven patients contained sporadically methylated L1 DNA, which was integrated in two and episomal in three samples with sufficient DNA. Ten patients contained only unmethylated DNA, which was episomal in six but possibly integrated in two samples. It is concluded that HPV-16 is found integrated chromosomally in a fraction of precancerous infections, and with higher frequency in methylated than in low or unmethylated samples. Since L1 gene methylation indicates integration, it has the potential to be used as a clinical marker of cancer progression.
Abstract 3376: Targeting metabolic flux of tumor cells to prevent pancreatic cancer associated cachexia

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Cancer associated cachexia is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by excessive loss of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Cancer-induced cachexia accounts for nearly 20% of all cancer-related deaths and is most prevalent in patients with gastric, pancreatic, colon and lung cancer. More than 80% pancreatic cancer patients exhibit cachectic phenotype. Although association of cachexia with cancer is known for a long time, the molecular mechanism of cancer-induced cachexia is still not well understood. Better understanding of the cancer-related cachexia syndrome may provide novel therapeutic targets for enhancing the quality of life of cancer patients. Several studies have demonstrated that multiple cytokines and cachectic factors secreted by tumor cells contribute to cancer associated cachexia. Because most of the cancer cells present metabolic alterations, which may contribute to secretion of cachectic cytokines and metabolites involved in cancer-induced cachexia. By culturing differentiated C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells in the presence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell or immortalized epithelial cell supernatants, we established cell culture-based cachexia model systems to investigate the depletion of muscle mass and fatty acid content. To study the role of metabolic pathways in tumor cells on cachectic factor secretion, we pre-treated pancreatic cancer cells with different metabolic inhibitors like 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), 3-Bromopyruvic acid (3-BrPA) , bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) ethyl sulphide (BPTES) and collected conditioned medium from pre-treated cancer cells at different time points. Further, we accessed the cachectic potential of these conditioned media along with control conditioned medium. Physiological and biochemical alterations during muscle fiber breakdown and adipocyte fat depletion were assayed by performing real-time PCR and cell imaging. We observed that inhibition of glycolysis with 3-BrPA & 2-DG and inhibition of glutaminolysis with BPTES in tumor cells causes decreased muscle fiber breakdown and adipocytes fat depletion. Our results demonstrates crucial role of tumor cell metabolic alterations in cancer-induced cachexia. Citation Format: Surendra K. Shukla, Pankaj K. Singh. Targeting metabolic flux of tumor cells to prevent pancreatic cancer associated cachexia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3376. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3376
Functional impairment of central memory CD4 T cells is a potential early prognostic marker for changing viral load in SHIV-infected rhesus macaques

In HIV infection there is a paucity of literature about the degree of immune dysfunction to potentially correlate and/or predict disease progression relative to CD4+ T cells count or viral load. We assessed functional characteristics of memory T cells subsets as potential prognostic markers for changing viral loads and/or disease progression using the SHIV-infected rhesus macaque model. Relative to long-term non-progressors with low/undetectable viral loads, those with chronic plasma viremia, but clinically healthy, exhibited significantly lower numbers and functional impairment of CD4+ T cells, but not CD8+ T cells, in terms of IL-2 production by central memory subset in response to PMA and ionomycine (PMA+I) stimulation. Highly viremic animals showed impaired cytokine-production by all T cells subsets. These results suggest that functional impairment of CD4+ T cells in general, and of central memory subset in particular, may be a potential indicator/predictor of chronic infection with immune dysfunction, which could be assayed relatively easily using non-specific PMA+I stimulation.
THE KINEMATICS AND PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF THE IONIZED GAS IN MARKARIAN 509. I. CHANDRA HIGH ENERGY GRATING SPECTROSCOPY

We observed the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 for ~59 ks with the Chandra high-energy transmission gratings, simultaneously with HST/STIS and RXTE. Here we present a detailed analysis of the soft X-ray spectrum observed with Chandra. We measure strong absorption lines from He-like Ne and Mg and from H-like N, O, and Ne. Weaker absorption lines may also be present. The lines are unresolved except for Ne X Lyα (λ12.134) and Ne IX 1s2-1s2p (λ13.447), which appear to be marginally resolved. The profiles are blueshifted with respect to the systemic velocity of Mrk 509, indicating an outflow of ~-200 km s-1. There is also a hint that the profiles may have a velocity component near systemic. The soft X-ray spectrum can be described in remarkable detail with a simple, single-zone photoionized absorber having an equivalent neutral hydrogen column density of 2.06 × 1021cm-2 and an ionization parameter of log ξ = 1.76 (or log U = 0.27). Although the photoionized gas almost certainly is comprised of matter in more than one ionization state and may consist of several kinematic components, data with better spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio would be required to justify a more complex model. The UV data, on the other hand, have a velocity resolution of ~10 km s-1 and can easily detect eight kinematic components, covering roughly the same velocities as the X-ray absorption profiles. Even though the X-ray and UV absorbers share the same velocity space, the UV absorbers have a much smaller column density and ionization state. We show that models of the X-ray data do not predict significant UV absorption and are therefore consistent with the UV data. Finally, we do not detect any soft X-ray emission lines.
The influence of age, gender, and having a younger sibling on children's knowledge about babies

ABSTRACT This article reports on two studies designed to measure 4- to 7-year- old children's knowledge about babies and its relationship to gender role development. In Study 1, children were asked several questions about babies and were given the Sex Role Learning Index (SERLI; Edelbrock & Sugawara, 1978). Girls provided more answers to one question, and children with younger siblings provided more answers to another. Overall, however, there were few relationships between knowledge about babies and gender role development. The second study measured knowledge about babies with two measures. The first measure asked children to identify foods that babies could eat and activities babies were capable of doing. The second measure asked children to identify the names and uses of certain objects. Older children scored higher on the foods and activities measure. Children who had younger siblings performed better on the objects measure. Gender and gender role development showed little relationship to knowledge abo...
Automated, Foot-Bone Registration Using Subdivision-Embedded Atlases for Spatial Mapping of Bone Mineral Density

We present an atlas-based registration method for bones segmented from quantitative computed tomography (QCT) scans, with the goal of mapping their interior bone mineral densities (BMDs) volumetrically. We introduce a new type of deformable atlas, called subdivision-embedded atlas, which consists of a control grid represented as a tetrahedral subdivision mesh and a template bone surface embedded within the grid. Compared to a typical lattice-based deformation grid, the subdivision control grid possesses a relatively small degree of freedom tailored to the shape of the bone, which allows efficient fitting onto subjects. Compared with previous subdivision atlases, the novelty of our atlas lies in the addition of the embedded template surface, which further increases the accuracy of the fitting. Using this new atlas representation, we developed an efficient and fully automated pipeline for registering atlases of 12 tarsal and metatarsal bones to a segmented QCT scan of a human foot. Our evaluation shows that the mapping of BMD enabled by the registration is consistent for bones in repeated scans, and the regional BMD automatically computed from the mapping is not significantly different from expert annotations. The results suggest that our improved subdivision-based registration method is a reliable, efficient way to replace manual labor for measuring regional BMD in foot bones in QCT scans.
Changes in the timing of sexual initiation among young Muslim and Christian women in Nigeria.

Sexual initiation during adolescence has important demographic and health consequences for a population, yet no systematic analysis of changes in the timing of sexual initiation has been conducted in Nigeria. Two rounds of national surveys conducted in 1990 and 2003 were used to examine changes in the timing of sexual initiation among female adolescents in Nigeria. Multivariate survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards models was used to assess changes in the risk of sexual initiation and to identify the correlates of first sex. Contrary to what has been reported in several Nigerian studies, there was no decline in age at first sex among Christian adolescents. Age at first sex did not change significantly for Christian adolescents, although premarital sex appears to have increased–primarily due to an increase in the age at marriage. Age at first sex did increase among Muslim women. Premarital sex remained low among Muslim women. A number of socioeconomic variables were associated with the timing of sexual initiation. Weekly exposure to the mass media was associated with earlier sexual initiation. The degree to which an environment was liberal or restrictive was a key determinant of the timing of sexual initiation in Nigeria. The findings also illustrate the important role of socioeconomic factors in determining the timing of sexual initiation in Nigeria. As secondary education increases in Northern Nigeria, additional increases in the age at sexual debut are likely among Muslim women. The study raises concerns about the influence of the mass media on the timing of first sex in Nigeria. The evidence of an absence of changes in the timing of sexual initiation among Christian women in more than a decade implies that programs which aim to delay the timing of sexual initiation in Southern Nigeria may have limited success. With age at marriage already high among Christian women, programs that focus on abstinence until marriage may also be pursuing an approach with limited chances of success.
Optimal Scaling of a Gradient Method for Distributed Resource Allocation

We consider a class of weighted gradient methods for distributed resource allocation over a network. Each node of the network is associated with a local variable and a convex cost function; the sum of the variables (resources) across the network is fixed. Starting with a feasible allocation, each node updates its local variable in proportion to the differences between the marginal costs of itself and its neighbors. We focus on how to choose the proportional weights on the edges (scaling factors for the gradient method) to make this distributed algorithm converge and on how to make the convergence as fast as possible. We give sufficient conditions on the edge weights for the algorithm to converge monotonically to the optimal solution; these conditions have the form of a linear matrix inequality. We give some simple, explicit methods to choose the weights that satisfy these conditions. We derive a guaranteed convergence rate for the algorithm and find the weights that minimize this rate by solving a semidefinite program. Finally, we extend the main results to problems with general equality constraints and problems with block separable objective function.
LEVELS OF PLANNING IN THE NETHERLANDS, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO REGIONAL PLANNING1

ABSTRACT Planning in the Netherlands is practiced at National, Provincial, and Municipal levels. Regional approach to planning has also been given recognition at the macro- and micro-levels. Industrial stimulation to the less developed areas constitute the main content of macrolevel regional planning, whereas comprehensive approach forms the essence of microlevel regional planning. Mesolevel planning (for the metropolitan areas) has currently gained ground, but it has still to make its headway. In spite of meager natural resources, the material prosperity of the Netherlands is largely owing to its economic and physical planning endeavors at different levels.
Utility of free-breathing, whole-heart, three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of coronary anatomy for congenital heart disease

The incidence of coronary anomalies is increased in congenital heart disease (CHD). Whole-heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed as a robust approach to coronary artery imaging without ionizing radiation. The proximal coronary arteries were imaged in 112 CHD patients (63 males) age 17 ± 13 years (range 11 days–68 years) using a navigator-gated, whole-heart, three-dimensional (3D) technique at 1.5 T. Two observers assessed image quality overall and for left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), left circumflex coronary artery (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA) using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not visible) to 4 (clear margins). Weighted kappa was used to assess interobserver agreement. Coronary artery origins were visible in 99% of the patients. The left main origin was not visualized in one patient, although the LAD, LCX, and RCA were visualized. Eight patients (7%) had anomalies. The overall image quality was 3.3 ± 0.8 for reader 1 and 3.1 ± 1.0 for reader 2. Age had a significant effect on image quality, with younger patients having lower scores. Agreement between readers was moderate (overall kappa, 0.60). Free-breathing, navigator-gated, whole-heart 3D MRI is a useful, robust, and reliable noninvasive technique for assessing coronary artery origins and their proximal course with diagnostic quality in CHD patients.
Infants' Discrimination of Number vs. Continuous Extent

Seven studies explored the empirical basis for claims that infants represent cardinal values of small sets of objects. Many studies investigating numerical ability did not properly control for continuous stimulus properties such as surface area, volume, contour length, or dimensions that correlate with these properties. Experiment 1 extended the standard habituation/dishabituation paradigm to a 1 vs 2 comparison with three-dimensional objects and confirmed that when number and total front surface area are confounded, infants discriminate the arrays. Experiment 2 revealed that infants dishabituated to a change in front surface area but not to a change in number when the two variables were pitted against each other. Experiments 3 through 5 revealed no sensitivity to number when front surface area was controlled, and Experiments 6 and 7 extended this pattern of findings to the Wynn (1992) transformation task. Infants' lack of a response to number, combined with their demonstrated sensitivity to one or more dimensions of continuous extent, supports the hypothesis that the representations subserving object-based attention, rather than those subserving enumeration, underlie performance in the above tasks.
A Layered, Codesign Virtual Machine Approach to Modeling Computer Systems

By using a macro/micro state model we show how assumptions on the resolution or logical and physical timing of computation in computer systems has resulted in design methodologies such as component-based decomposition, where they are completely coupled, and function/architecture separation, where they are completely independent. We discuss why these are inappropriate for emerging programmable, concurrent system design. By contrast, schedulers layered on hardware in concurrent systems already couple logical correctness with physical performance when they make effective resource sharing decisions. This paper lays a foundation for understanding how layered logical and physical sequencing will impact the design process, and provides insight into the problems that must be solved in such a design environment. Our layered approach is that of a virtual machine. We discuss our MESH research project in this context.
A cyclodextrin-based approach for selective detection of catecholamine hormone mixtures

This paper presents an electrochemical sensing approach that enables quantitative detection of three major catecholamine hormones from a mixture by specifically employing a chemically-modified microelectrode array with α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin (CD) ‘catchers’ holding unique physical matching (size and shape) as well as chemical enticing (stereochemistry and surface charge) properties. The developed neurotransmitter sensor has selectively identified L-tyrosine, dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and dopamine in the absence of ascorbic acid. It exhibited the relatively linear sensitivities to each neurotransmitter with logarithmically increasing concentrations range of 5μM-10mM, while demonstrating stability up to 6 hours from the fabrication and the average accuracy of 91.2%.
Filterbank reconstruction of bandlimited signals from nonuniform and generalized samples

This paper introduces a filterbank interpretation of various sampling strategies, which leads to efficient interpolation and reconstruction methods. An identity, which is referred to as the interpolation identity, is developed and is used to obtain particularly efficient discrete-time systems for interpolation of generalized samples as well as a class of nonuniform samples, to uniform Nyquist samples, either for further processing in that form or for conversion to continuous time. The interpolation identity also leads to new sampling strategies including an extension of Papoulis' (1977) generalized sampling expansion.
In Technology We Trust

But for many patients, our intervention-oriented medical culture doesn’t produce humane care.