cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental studies on a lethal gene (I) in the Mexican axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum

1. Gene l is a recessive lethal factor found in the white strain of axolotls. Animals heterozygous for the gene are phenotypically normal. When mated with each other they give offspring 25% of which exhibit the lethal effects of the gene. 2. The l/l homozygotes develop normally to an advanced embryonic stage (Harrison stage 40) before the effects of the gene are first manifested. They then come to display a characteristic combination of abnormalities, including a disproportionately small head, small and poorly developed eyes, abnormal poorly developed gills, undifferentiated limb buds, and reduced overall growth rate. They may feed briefly, but soon stop and invariably die within a few weeks of the time of hatching. 3. The action of gene l has been analyzed by parabiosing mutant and normal embryos, and by grafting various organ primordia reciprocally between mutant and normal embryos. Parabiosis to normal embryos fails to correct the abnormalities of the mutants, although their survival may be somewhat prolonged. Grafts of mutant organ primordia (eye, limb, gill, pronephros, gonad, head) also invariably fail to show improved development or to survive on normal hosts; normal organ primordia develop normally on mutant hosts so long as the mutant survives. These experiments indicate that gene l is a recessive autonomous cell lethal affecting all of the organ systems during late embryonic and early larval development.
The Nonfinancial Value of Financial Firms

I propose that the nonfinancial component of financial firms' assets, in particular the growth opportunities associated with business operations, drives most of the variation in their equity valuation. I document this fact for a large class of intermediaries: life insurance companies. In particular, I decompose insurers' market equity returns into net financial asset returns and net business asset returns and show that these two components have very different risk exposures and are negatively correlated outside of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The variation in life insurers' net business asset returns drives 81% of the aggregate time-series variation and 100% of the cross-sectional variation in their market equity returns. For this reason, the current intense regulation on life insurers' net financial assets may be insufficient as a great deal of risk is derived from their net business assets, which are comparatively under-regulated.
A Simple Sovereign Default Model

A very influential model in the determination of capital requirements for credit exposures is Vacisek’s model. This model underpins the Basel framework for credit exposures of financial institutions. Vacisek’s model uses information on asset correlation and the unconditional mean of the probability of default to derive the conditional probability of default under stress. However, the concept of asset values applies best to corporations rather than to sovereign exposures. We adapt Vacisek’s model to capture the event of a sovereign default that results from a country hitting certain thresholds of economic distress. A reasonable assumption is that a significant drop in foreign reserve assets triggers the default event in a developing country as observed during the 1980s debt crisis, in which highly indebted Latin American countries and other developing regions were unable to repay the debt.
EMPIRICAL INJURY PREDICTION OF THE PEDESTRIAN THORAX

The development of injury predictive models for pedestrian thoracic impact based on experimental data obtained in a previous study is presented. The data consists of ten cadaveric test subjects including eight side and two frontal impacts. A ten accelerometer array was mounted on the thorax to define thoracic kinematics. Three types of parameters, Q, B, and PSD, are developed to summarize each acceleration signal. A statistical regression is performed to generate empirical models for predicting the injury level (number of rib fractures) from these parameters. Coefficients of determination for these models range from 0.8 to 0.99 with the new PSD parameter showing exciting promise. Success of these parameters in predicting thoracic injury implies a relationship with frequency, particularly in the neighborhood of 60 Hz.
Testing and optical modeling of novel concentrating solar receiver geometries to increase light trapping and effective solar absorptance

Concentrating solar power receivers are comprised of panels of tubes arranged in a cylindrical or cubical shape on top of a tower. The tubes contain heat-transfer fluid that absorbs energy from the concentrated sunlight incident on the tubes. To increase the solar absorptance, black paint or a solar selective coating is applied to the surface of the tubes. However, these coatings degrade over time and must be reapplied, which reduces the system performance and increases costs. This paper presents an evaluation of novel receiver shapes and geometries that create a light-trapping effect, thereby increasing the effective solar absorptance and efficiency of the solar receiver. Several prototype shapes were fabricated from Inconel 718 and tested in Sandia’s solar furnace at an irradiance of ~30 W/cm2. Photographic methods were used to capture the irradiance distribution on the receiver surfaces. The irradiance profiles were compared to results from raytracing models. The effective solar absorptance was also evaluated using the ray-tracing models. Results showed that relative to a flat plate, the new geometries could increase the effective solar absorptance from 86% to 92% for an intrinsic material absorptance of 86%, and from 60% to 73% for an intrinsic material absorptance of 60%.
Characterization of environmental cues for initiation of reproductive cycling and spawning in shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the Lower Missouri River, USA

Summary We presume that the shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) has evolved to spawn in the springtime when environmental conditions are at some optimum, but this state has not yet been defined. In this study physiological readiness to spawn in shovelnose sturgeon was examined to define more closely when spawning could occur and thus identify and evaluate prevailing environmental conditions that could cue spawning during that period. Reproductive assessments of Lower Missouri River shovelnose during 4 years (2005–2008) and at two locations (Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota and Boonville, Missouri) were used to identify shovelnose sturgeon spawning periods. Initiation of the spawning period, as defined by the presence of reproductively ready fish, was a highly predictable yearly event and extended over several weeks at each reach. The spawning period occurred earlier in the lower reach than in the upper reach and environmental conditions during the periods varied between locations and among years. Shovelnose sturgeon collected during the presumed spawning periods were at varying degrees of readiness to spawn as indicated by oocyte polarization index and blood reproductive hormones. Evaluation of the influence of environmental factors on readiness to spawn using stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated photoperiod followed by temperature were the best candidate variables overall to explain the trend. However, within geographically distinct populations gravid females are not all reproductively synchronized. Assuming that this apparent asynchrony in readiness is normal and not an artifact of the disturbed Missouri River system, we infer that individual sturgeon can persist in a reproductively ready state until conditions appropriate for spawning occur. Taken together, our results lead us to hypothesize that gravid females early in the reproductive cycle (post-vitellogenesis) respond to day length, a reliable annual cue, become increasingly more ready to spawn in response to temperature, and that another set of cues, short-term and specific for localized environmental conditions or events, serve to signal ovulation and release of gametes.
Patient and Physician Determinants of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Use in the Heart Failure Population

Recent studies report surprisingly low rates of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement for primary prevention against sudden cardiac death among patients with heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Reasons for the low rates of utilization are not well understood. The authors examined ICD implantation rates at a university-based tertiary care center and used multivariable analysis to identify independent factors associated with ICD utilization. The ICD implantation rate for 850 eligible patients was 70%. Forty-seven (18%) patients refused implantation; women were twice as likely to refuse compared to men (8% vs 4%, P=.013). Race was not associated with utilization. On multivariable analysis, independent predictors of implantation included having a heart failure specialist (odds ratio [OR], 8.13; P<.001) or general cardiologist (OR, 2.23; P=.13) managing care, age range 70 to 79 (OR, 0.55; P<.001) or 80 and older (OR, 0.26; P<.001), female sex (OR, 0.49; P<.001), QRS interval (OR, 1.016; P<.001), diastolic blood pressure (OR, 0.979; P=.011), cerebrovascular disease (OR, 0.44; P=.007), and dementia (OR, 0.13; P=.002). Our registry of patients with cardiomyopathy and heart failure reveals that high rates of utilization are possible. Factors closely associated with ICD utilization include type of physician coordinating care, age, and comorbidities. Congest Heart Fail. 2010;16:141–146. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Host Factors in Nuclear Plasmid Maintenance in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

In yeast, the initiation of DNA replication on chromosomes is believed to occur at specific sequences known as autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs). We previously isolated a number of mutants that are defective in the maintenance of minichromosomes. Analysis of these mutants suggests that although ARSs differ greatly from one another in their primary sequences, they appear to share a common enzyme complex for the initiation of DNA replication. However, this initiation enzyme complex probably binds with differential affinity to different ARSs. This idea is corroborated by our identification of an ARS-binding protein that binds to different ARSs with different efficiencies.
Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Dialysis-Dependent Myeloma Patients.

Abstract Background We retrospectively analyzed our transplant database from July 2000 to June 2012 to identify myeloma patients who received autologous stem cell transplantation while dialysis-dependent. Patients 2091 patients underwent autologous high-dose therapy during this period. Twenty-four patients were dialysis-dependent. Results The 100-day and the 6, and 12-month treatment-related mortality was 0%. Overall response rate was 92%. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 1.9 years and 3.8 years, respectively. A multivariate analysis was not performed because of the small sample size. Only 3 patients became dialysis-independent after transplantation. Cardiac, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, infectious, neurologic, and pulmonary "all grade" toxicities were all higher in the melphalan 200 group versus Conclusion Because of a lack of clear survival benefit with higher-dose melphalan and potential higher toxicity in this group, it is reasonable to use lower-dose melphalan in dialysis-dependent myeloma patients.
One mechanism, many models: a distributed theory of mechanistic explanation

There have been recent disagreements in the philosophy of neuroscience regarding which sorts of scientific models provide mechanistic explanations, and which do not (e.g. computational models, dynamical models, topological models). These disagreements often hinge on two commonly adopted, but conflicting, ways of understanding mechanistic explanations: what I call the “representation-as” account, and the “representation-of” account. In this paper, I argue that neither account does justice to neuroscientific practice. In their place, I offer a new alternative that can defuse some of these disagreements. I argue that individual models do not provide mechanistic explanations by themselves (regardless of what type of model they are). Instead, individual models are always used to complement a huge body of background information and pre-existing models about the target system. With this in mind, I argue that mechanistic explanations are distributed across sets of different, and sometimes contradictory, scientific models. Each of these models contributes limited, but essential, information to the same mechanistic explanation, but none can be considered a mechanistic explanation in isolation of the others.
3D Workload Subsetting for GPU Architecture Pathfinding

Growth of high-end 3D gaming, expansion of gaming to new devices like tablets and phones, and evolution of multiple Graphics APIs like Direct3D 10+, and OpenGL 3.0+ have led to an explosion in the number of workloads that need to be evaluated for GPU architecture path-finding. To decide on the optimal architecture configuration, the workloads need to be simulated on a wide range of architecture designs which incurs huge cost, both in terms of time and resources. In order to reduce the simulation cost of path-finding, extracting workload subsets from 3D workloads is essential. This paper presents a methodology to find representative workload subsets from 3D workloads by combining clustering and phase detection. In the first part, this paper presents a methodology to group draw-calls based on performance similarity by clustering on their micro architecture independent characteristics. Across 717 frames encompassing 828K draw-calls, the clustering solution obtained an average performance prediction error per frame of 1.0% at an average clustering efficiency of 65.8%. The clustering quality is additionally evaluated by calculating cluster outliers, which are clusters with intra cluster prediction error greater than 20%. The clustering quality, measured using cluster outliers, is an indication of the performance similarity of the individual clusters. Across the spectrum of frames, we found that on an average only 3.0% of the clusters are outliers which indicates a high clustering quality. In order to detect repetitive behavior in 3D workloads, we propose characterization of frame intervals using shader vectors and then using shader vector equality to extract the repeating patterns. We show that phases exist in each game in the Bio shock series enabling extraction of small representative subsets from the workloads. Performance improvement of the workload subsets, which are less than one percent of parent workload, with GPU frequency scaling has high correlation (correlation coefficient=99.7%+) to the performance improvement of its parent workload.
Quantifying the possible existence of undocumented Atlantic warm-core cyclones in NOAA/CIRES 20th Century Reanalysis data

[1] Prior to 1966, the lack of satellite imagery led to an unknown number of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the Atlantic Basin remaining undetected by traditional surface observational networks. Previous research has shown that this historical undersampling has led to difficulties in interpreting long-term trends in TC activity. In this study, advances in global reanalysis methods are used to further guide existing TC Best-Track revision efforts, specifically for the pre-satellite era. First, a series of atmospheric proxies of TC passage in the NOAA/CIRES 20th Century Reanalysis dataset are constructed for the satellite-era. Next, similar magnitude signatures (not corresponding to known Best-Track TCs) are identified in the pre-satellite era and subjected to further synoptic verification. Surface observations are used to categorize candidate events into three confidence bins. A small but significant number of the candidate events are cases that warrant further examination by ongoing reanalysis efforts. As this method shows promise for use in other TC basins around the world, preliminary results suggest that this technique may potentially lead to a more complete climatological record of global TC incidence and an improved understanding of long-term trends in activity.
Near-Field Study of Double-Layered Gold Nanorods

An optical negative-index material, double-layered gold nanorods, is studied in the near-field for reflection and transmission modes at different near-field probes, wavelengths and polarizations of light. The enhanced transmission is observed under certain parameters.
Distribution and biomass of aquatic macrophytes in an abandoned nuclear cooling reservoir

Abstract Pond B is an 87-ha abandoned reactor cooling reservoir on the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Since abandonment in 1964, the reservoir has reverted to a low conductivity and slightly acidic water chemistry, and has also been colonized by abundant macrophyte vegetation. To determine dominant species and their depth distributions, and to estimate seasonal changes in standing crop, above-sediment biomass of macrophyte vegetation was sampled at four water depths three times during the 1986 growing season. Three floating-leaved species, Nymphaea odorata Ait., Brasenia schreberi Gmel and Nymphoides cordata (Ell.) Fern., comprised 51.8% of biomass harvested, with greatest biomass at 1.5 m and in the October sampling. Free-floating Utricularia spp. (mostly U. floridana Nash) contributed 32% of harvest biomass, were abundant at all sampling depths and had greatest standing crop in May. Submersed rooted species comprised 15.4% of biomass harvest, dominated by Cobomba caroliniana var. pulcherrima Harper in deeper portions of the littoral zone. The species composition found in Pond B was similar to that of aquatic plant communities in other softwater Coastal Plain habitats (such as Carolina Bay ponds and rain-fed swamps), and differed from species composition reported for Par Pond, a neighboring reservoir with higher conductivity. These comparison suggested that differences in water chemistry may have been important in determining establishment of macrophytes species in these two reservoirs.
The evolution of the assessment and treatment of paralytic dysphonia.

Vocal fold paralysis has been an omnipresent disorder throughout the annals of laryngologic history since the origin of the specialty in 1858. Infectious aerodigestive tract diseases dominated 19th century literature, cancer was the primary focus of the 20th Century investigations, and vocal fold paralysis has been the laryngologist's nemesis through both centuries. The attendant complexity of laryngoscopic presentation, physiologic dysfunction, and surgical rehabilitation has led to a rich heritage of scientific investigations that can be traced through the past 140 years. The following historical summary provides the reader with a working knowledge of past experiences that connects to current initiatives and portends future progress.
Scan line display of algebraic surfaces

A robust algorithm is presented for scan line display of algebraic surfaces of arbitrary degree and topology. The algorithm correctly displays singularities of any complexity, even those missed by ray tracing or polygonization, and (for surfaces of degree less than eight) offers a significant speed improvement over ray tracing. Antialiasing can generally be accomplished very quickly. In addition to its typical function of shaded raster display, the algorithm is particularly adept at quickly plotting silhouette and intersection curves. A practical use for the algorithm is to display boolean combinations of algebraic half spaces, including blend surfaces.A new polynomial basis is introduced, referred to as the Bernstein pyramid polynomial basis, which enhances numerical stability and which simplifies several computations such as scan planesurface intersection and silhouette detection.
Base–compositional biases and the bat problem. I. DNA–hybridization melting curves based on AT– and GC–enriched tracers

We explored the interordinal relationships of mammals using DNA-DNA hybridization, with particular reference to the much-debated problem of whether the megabats and microbats are more closely related to each other than the megabats are to primates. To try to improve resolution when taxa are distantly related and the melting points of hybrids are low and difficult to distinguish, we increased the GC content of DNA by a fractionation method that used the same melting-point apparatus used in the hybridization studies. When we used GC-rich DNA as the tracer to make hybrids, the melting point of the self-hybrid shifted to a higher temperature as expected, but the behaviour of heterologous hybrids varied with the taxa being compared. When the melting point of the heterologous hybrid also shifted to a higher temperature so that the two compared taxa maintained the same or proportional distance, we called this 'following behaviour', because the heterologous hybrid made with GC-rich tracer 'followed' the GC-rich self-hybrid to higher temperatures. We also commonly saw anomalous behaviour, where the melting point of the heterologous hybrid shifted to a lower temperature when compared with an AT-rich hybrid. In these anomalous cases, the distance measured between the taxa increased markedly as a result of GC-enrichment, indicating that an underestimate of distance may have resulted from AT bias in DNA. This inference was supported by the finding that it was rare to observe a decrease in measured distance between taxa using GC-rich DNA, but very common to find an increase as would be expected from the generally higher AT contents of eutherian DNAs. Moreover, the most extreme cases, where distances changed most using GC-rich DNA, were usually those involving comparisons between taxa known to have the most extreme AT-biases among mammals, such as the megabats and rhinolophoid (including megadermatid) microbats. Our results show consistent underestimates of measured differences between eutherian taxa with extreme AT-biases.
The effect of altered hepatic function on the toxicity, plasma disappearance and biliary excretion of diethylstilbestrol.

The present investigation was prompted by the observation that the toxicity of diethylstilbestrol (DES) was about 140 times greater in bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats than in control rats when dimethylsulfoxide was the vehicle (24-hr LD50: 0.75 vs 100 mg/kg, respectively). The DES was also more toxic (about 70 times) in the BDL rats when ethyl alcohol was the solvent (0.47 vs 34 mg/kg), and was 5 times more toxic in the BDL rats when administered in propylene glycol (100 vs 530 mg/kg). Since it appeared that altered hepatic function markedly alters the acute toxicity of DES, the plasma disappearance and biliary excretion of DES (0.118 mg/kg, iv) were measured in control rats and in rats with altered hepatic function (produced by surgical removal of two-thirds of the liver, ip injection of 1 ml CCl4/kg, or bile duct ligation). All three procedures of altering hepatic function decreased the plasma disappearance of DES. In the BDL rats, the total plasma concentration of DES did not decrease over the 2-hr period, suggesting that even when the biliary route of excretion is blocked, other routes are not efficent for the excretion of DES. During the furst 15 min after DES administration, the biliary excretory rate of DES was 2.1 μg/min/kg in control rats and 1.2 μg/min/kg in the rats that had a 23 hepatectomy or CCl4. Therefore, impaired hepatic function increased the plasma concentration and toxicity of DES as it decreased its conjugation and biliary excretion.
Comparison of norepinephrine release in hypertensive rats: I. Hypothalamic and brainstem tissues.

Stimulation induced 3H-norepinephrine release was measured in hypothalamus and brainstem of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rats. Age dependent changes in 3H-norepinephrine release were shown to occur in the anterior and posterior hypothalamus and the A2 region of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). In an attempt to determine whether these changes in 3H-trasmitter release were causal or merely secondary to the increase in blood pressure, similar release studies were carried out in DOCA-salt and one kidney-one clip hypertensive animals with similar levels of systolic blood pressure. The changes in stimulus-induced 3H-norepinephrine release seen in the SHR were not observed in the other two models of hypertension, suggesting that one: they were not secondary to an increase in systolic blood pressure; and two that the changes observed in the SHR may possibly play a role in the development and/or maintenance of the hypertension.
Quantitative requirements for tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan by the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover).

1. 1. The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover) requires a dietary source of tryptophan and phenylalanine. 2. 2. Optimum concentrations are: tryptophan 4mg/ml and phenylalanine 2 mg/ml, but higher concentrations of both are tolerated quite well. 3. 3. Tyrosine is not required.
Abscess in Crohn's disease--the knife may not be necessary (an American view).

Abdominal and pelvic abscess complicate the clinical ourse of Crohn’s disease in 10–30% of patients [1]. In some atients it may be the presenting symptom while in others bscess may develop late in the clinical course. The classical pproach to the treatment of an abscess in Crohn’s is surical drainage. However, this is an invasive procedure and f combined with bowel resection, often complicated. Over he past two decades, medical therapy with percutaneous rainage under radiological guidance has become increasngly utilised, either as a temporising measure before surgery allowing optimisation of the general condition of the patient nd ensuring a relatively sterile field of operation). However, here are few large studies formally evaluating the outcome f this approach. The study published by Lee et al. [2] evaluates the outcome f nonsurgical treatment (medical or medical plus percutaeous catheter drainage) in the management of abdominal nd pelvic abscess associated with Crohn’s disease and the actors related to the failure of such an approach. Data from 24 onsecutive patients with abdominal and pelvic abscess were etrospectively analysed. These patients were from a single entre in Korea, a country with a low prevalence of Crohn’s isease [3]. An abscess was defined as an extraluminal fluid ollection with the characteristic radiologic features on CT r US or by aspiration of pus. Barium studies were done o evaluate for fistula. All patients received intravenous 3rd eneration cephalosporine and metronidazole for 4 weeks. t the end of the antibiotic treatment, radiologic evaluation as repeated. After a follow-up period of 47.5 months (range –79), the authors report their approach to be successful in wo-thirds of the cases, with a recurrence rate of only about 6%. Only one patient with recurrence required surgical treatent and other two responded to medical retreatment. Surgial therapy was also required for intractable abscesses (four n medical treatment and one on percutaneous drainage). he authors concluded that nonsurgical treatment should be onsidered as the initial management strategy for Crohn’s isease-related abdominal and pelvic abscess in the absence f relevant fistula and concurrent steroid use. In this regard it
Experimental Methods for Computer Science Research

Experimental methods comprise the set of skills and techniques for minimizing error in acquiring and communicating measurements. One undervalued aspect of experimental research is the importance of communicating experimental outcomes clearly to readers. The way in which an experiment is done can affect what is written about it, and the way the results are described can affect the way an experiment is done. It’s a two-way street, and each direction counts. The first part of the tutorial will cover a range of methodological details that are critical to good experimentation. This will be done in the context of writing a conference or journal paper that includes such details. This part of the tutorial is geared particularly toward students, but professionals may benefit from the different perspective that the tutorial offers. The second part of the tutorial considers the mechanics of actually running a complicated experiment. It deals with a number of practical aspects of the design, construction, and conduct of experiments in computer science research. The goal will be to see how a particular experiment in keystroke forensics was designed, how the design was extended into a plan of action, how the action was executed in the laboratory, and how the data were wrapped up at the end. Students will see the consequences of poor design decisions, and how to mitigate them. Students will learn by example how to design and conduct rigorous experiments whose results are dependable.
Air pollution and depressive symptomatology: Exploratory analyses of intervening psychosocial factors

Exploratory modelling revealed associations of individual perceptions, social factors, and physical components of air pollution with depressive symptomatology. Residents of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area who have experienced a recent, undesirable life event and who perceive poor air quality in their neighborhood have greater symptoms of depression. These effects control for socioeconomic status and prior psychological status. In addition we show that perceived air quality is a function of both toxic components of ambient air as well as individual psychosocial experiences.
A new method for quantitative determination of BHA

A qualitative test developed by Laszlo has been adapted to the quantitative determination of BHA. The determination is based on measurement of the specific and sensitive color resulting from reaction of BHA with diazotized sulfanilic acid in alkaline solution. The red-purple color, which is stable for long periods, has an absorption maximum at 535 mμ. Beer’s law is obeyed, and a concentration range of 0.0001% to 0.01% BHA may be measured. The method requires careful adjustment of antioxidant-reagent ratios for rapid and maximum color development, The optimum ratios, the effect of alcohol, and interfering substances are diseussed.
Response Surface Modeling Tolerance and Inference Error Risk Specifications: Proposed Industry Standards

This paper reviews the derivation of an equation for scaling response surface modeling experiments. The equation represents the smallest number of data points required to fit a linear regression polynomial so as to achieve certain specified model adequacy criteria. Specific criteria are proposed which simplify an otherwise rather complex equation, generating a practical rule of thumb for the minimum volume of data required to adequately fit a polynomial with a specified number of terms in the model. This equation and the simplified rule of thumb it produces can be applied to minimize the cost of wind tunnel testing.
Localization of a putative liver tumor suppressor locus to a 950-kb region of human 11p11.2-p12 using rat liver tumor microcell hybrid cell lines

We previously demonstrated that a locus (or loci) linked to the D11S436 marker, which is within the approximately 6-Mb cen-p12 region of human chromosome 11, suppresses the tumorigenic potential of some rat liver epithelial tumor microcell hybrid (MCH) cell lines. To more precisely map this putative liver tumor suppressor locus, we examined 25 loci from human chromosome 11 in suppressed MCH cell lines. Detailed analysis of these markers revealed a minimal area of overlap among the suppressed MCH cell lines corresponding to the chromosomal region bounded by (but not including) microsatellite markers D11S1319 and D11S1958E and containing microsatellite markers D11S436, D11S554, and D11S1344. Direct examination of the kang ai 1 (KAI1) prostatic adenocarcinoma metastasis suppressor gene (which is closely linked to D11S1344) produced evidence suggesting that this locus was not responsible for tumor suppression in this model system. In addition, our data strongly suggested that the putative liver tumor suppressor locus was distinct from other known 11p tumor suppressor loci, including the multiple exotoses 2 locus (at 11p11.2-p12), Wilms' tumor 1 locus (at 11p13), and Wilms' tumor 2 locus (at 11p15.5). The results of this study significantly narrowed the chromosomal location of the putative liver tumor suppressor locus to a region of human 11p11.2-p12 that is approximately 950 kb. This advance forms the basis for positional cloning of candidate genes from this region and, in addition, identified a number of chromosomal markers that will be useful for determining the involvement of this locus in the pathogenesis of human liver cancer. Mol. Carcinog. 19:267–272, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Influence of Menopause on the Auditory Brainstem Response

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave latency, interpeak interval and amplitude as a function of intensity were measured in 40 subjects divided into equal groups of postmenopausal females, age-matched males and young adults of both sexes. The results illustrate that age and gender play a significant role in ABR wave latency and amplitude. A larger age effect occurred for the female subjects. While this does not dispute an anatomical explanation for the gender effect in ABR, hormonal changes accompanying menopause may also account for some of the gender differences noted in ABR.
Shape and Stability of Electrostatically Levitated Drops

An electrically conducting drop held together by surface tension is statically levitated in an insulating medium by accumulating a net charge on its surface and applying a d.c. field in the direction of gravity. Asymptotic analysis for small electric fields shows the coupling at $O(E^3\_0)$ between the second and third Legendre functions that describe the characteristic three-lobed drop shapes. Drops with large deformations are calculated by a Galerkin finite element scheme that leads to simultaneous determination of shape stability. The locus of $\tilde{Q}$ and $\tilde{E}\_0$ marking the loss of existence of static drops is determined; end points corresponding to no field $(\tilde{E}\_0 = 0)$ and no charge $(\tilde{Q} = 0)$ agree well with calculations of Rayleigh and Taylor, respectively. Shapes predicted by the perturbation analysis are within two percent of the finite element calculations for almost the entire accessible ranges of $\tilde{Q}$ and $\tilde{E}\_0$.
Structure and Magnetic Anisotropy of Electrodeposited Co on n-GaAs(001)

Co thin films have been electrodeposited on n-type (001) GaAs. The structure and texture of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) while the magnetic properties wereexamined using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Structural evolution was found to be a function of the growth rate. A strong hexagonal close packed (hcp) Co (1120)[0001]∥GaAs(001)[110] texture was observed for films grown at lower deposition rates. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the hcp Co lattice summed over the two in-plane variants resulted in fourfold anisotropic in-plane magnetization. Films grown at faster rates had decreased magnetic anisotropy due to increased structural dispersion. TEM analysis of several films (8.5-15 nm) revealed a thin body centered cubic (bcc) Co layer between the GaAs (001) and the hcp Co (1120) overlayer. The bcc layer formed with a cube-on-cube relationship to the GaAs (001) substrate. The structural evolution was similar to that reported for films grown by other methods, such as molecular beam epitaxy, although the thicknesses at which the various magnetic transitions occurred differed significantly, most likely due to the different growth rates employed.
Pediatric Amblyopia Risk Investigation Study (PARIS)

Purpose To assess the learning curve, testability, and reliability of vision screening modalities administered by pediatric health extenders. Design Prospective masked clinical trial. Methods Two hundred subjects aged 3 to 6 underwent timed screening for amblyopia by physician extenders, including LEA visual acuity (LEA), stereopsis (RDE), and noncycloplegic autorefraction (NCAR). Patients returned for a comprehensive diagnostic eye examination performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Results Average screening time was 5.4 ± 1.6 minutes (LEA), 1.9 ± 0.9 minutes (RDE), and 1.7 ± 1.0 minutes (NCAR). Test time for NCAR and RDE fell by 40% during the study period. Overall testability was 92% (LEA), 96% (RDE), and 94% (NCAR). Testability among 3-year-olds was 73% (LEA), 96% (RDE), and 89% (NCAR). Reliability of LEA was moderate ( r = .59). Reliability of NCAR was high for astigmatism (Cyl) ( r = .89), moderate for spherical equivalent (SE) ( r = .66), and low for anisometropia (ANISO) ( r = .38). Correlation of cycloplegic autorefraction (CAR) with gold standard cycloplegic retinoscopic refraction (CRR) was very high for SE (.85), CYL (.77), and moderate for ANISO (.48). Conclusions With NCAR, physician extenders can quickly and reliably detect astigmatism and spherical refractive error in one-third the time it takes to obtain visual acuity. LEA has a lower initial cost, but is time consuming, moderately reliable, and more difficult for 3-year-olds. Shorter examination time and higher reliability may make NCAR a more efficient screening tool for refractive amblyopia in younger children. Future study is needed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of NCAR and other screening methods in detecting amblyopia and amblyopia risk factors.
Magnesium sulfate induces translocation of protein kinase C isoenzymes alpha and delta in myometrial cells from pregnant women

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of magnesium sulfate on protein kinase C (PKC) translocation in myometrial cells from pregnant women. Study design Myometrium was obtained at the time of cesarean delivery from women at term before labor. Cultured myometrial cells were treated with magnesium sulfate (3, 5, and 10 mmol/L), oxytocin (0.1 μmol/L), or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA, 0.1 μmol/L). The translocation of PKC isozymes alpha (calcium dependent) and delta (calcium independent) from cytosol to membrane fractions was assessed with use of Western blot analysis. Results In unexposed control cells, the majority of PKC alpha and delta was located in the cytosol fraction. Exposure to magnesium sulfate for 60 minutes induced translocation of both PKC alpha and delta at concentrations as low as 5 and 3 mmol/L, respectively. The magnitude of magnesium sulfate induced translocation for PKC delta is similar to that seen after oxytocin or TPA exposure but less for PKC alpha. Exposure to oxytocin for 30 minutes and 60 minutes induced translocation of PKC alpha and delta, respectively. Exposure to TPA for 5 and 30 minutes induced translocation of PKC alpha and PKC delta, respectively. In calcium-free media, only TPA induced translocation of these two isoenzymes. Conclusion Magnesium sulfate stimulates PKC translocation in cultured myometrial cells from pregnant women. Magnesium sulfate and oxytocin require extracellular calcium to induce translocation of both PKC alpha and delta.
Timing of surgical staging in adult spinal deformity surgery: is later better?

COMMENTARY ON Hassanzadeh H, Gjolaj JP, El Dafrawy MH, et al. The timing of surgical staging has a significant impact on the complications and functional outcomes of adult spinal deformity surgery. Spine J 2013;13:1717–22 ( in this issue ).
ChiroBot: modularrobotic manipulation via spatial hand gestures

We introduce ChiroBot, a cyberphysical construction kit that allows users to create custom robots out of craft material, easily assemble the robots using joint modules and control them using hand gestures. These handcrafted robots are assembled using our modules packaged with actuator, wireless communication and controller electronics. These modules eliminate the need for expertise in electronics and enable a plug and play system that directly encourages users to explore by quick prototyping. We designed a glove embedded with sensors to enable the user to control the robots using hand gestures. We present different usage scenarios to demonstrate the system's versatility such as vehicular robot, humanoid puppet, robotic arm, and other combinations. This paper describes the ChiroBot system, interaction methods, few sample creations, and proposes possible "play value".
Entorhinal/dentate excitation of CA3: A critical variable in hippocampal models

We investigate how the strength of entorhinal cortical inputs during training a!ects learned performance using computer simulations of a minimal computational model of hippocampal region CA3. After the model learns two partially overlapping sequences, it is tested on two contradictory prediction problems * disambiguation and goal-"nding. Relative to total activity, the activity level of entorhinal inputs during learning profoundly a!ects performance on each task. The optimal input levels di!er for the two sequence prediction problems, but a small region of overlap exists where both tasks can usually be performed successfully. This sensitivity to relative input activity suggests critical tests of the model. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The Line and the Animorph or `Travel Is More than Just A to B'

One of the elements that separates live-action, photoreal cinema from animation is the line, a conceptual meta-object that has no existence other than as an idea or a graphic representation. Lines are not essential to photoreal cinema. Using five animated television advertisements for Hilton Hotels made by German animator Raimund Krumme, the essay raises some of the paradoxes inherent in the single, two-dimensional, animated graphic line as both an abstract geometric construct and an eccentric visualization of energy and entropy. What Krumme's animations emphasize (even if in the service of an advertising campaign) is that, never a `thing', the line in motion intends and marks its own differance and is always more lived and contingent than its geometry would suggest.
The cardiokine story unfolds: ischemic stress-induced protein secretion in the heart

Intercellular communication depends on many factors, including proteins released via the classical or non-classical secretory pathways, many of which must be properly folded to be functional. Owing to their adverse effects on the secretion machinery, stresses such as ischemia can impair the folding of secreted proteins. Paradoxically, cells rely on secreted proteins to mount a response designed to resist stress-induced damage. This review examines this paradox using proteins secreted from the heart, cardiokines, as examples, and focuses on how the ischemic heart maintains or even increases the release of select cardiokines that regulate important cellular processes in the heart, including excitation–contraction coupling, hypertrophic growth, myocardial remodeling and stem cell function, in ways that moderate ischemic damage and enhance cardiac repair.
Beneficial effect of amrinone on myocardial oxygen consumption during acute left ventricular failure in dogs.

In 11 dogs ischemic left ventricular failure characterized by a 30 percent reduction in cardiac output and a left ventricular end-diastolic pressure of 18 mm Hg or more was produced by proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by serial occlusions of the distal left circumflex coronary artery. Administration of amrinone in an intravenous bolus injection followed by a constant infusion produced improvements in cardiac output (from 1.62 +/- 0.50 to 2.19 +/- 0.52 liters/min [mean +/- standard deviation], p less than 0.05), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (from 21.6 +/- 3.5 to 11.0 +/- 5.4 mm Hg, p less than 0.05) and peak positive rate of rise of left ventricular pressure [dP/dt] (from 1,264 +/- 241 to 1,800 +/- 458 mm Hg.s-1, p less than 0.05). These improvements were maintained throughout the 20 minute period of therapy. No significant alteration in heart rate or arterial pressure was noted. In parallel with the hemodynamic improvement myocardial oxygen consumption improved to 0.094 +/- 0.05 and 0.092 +/- 0.04 vol.min-1.g-1 after 2 and 20 minutes, respectively, of amrinone compared with 0.124 +/- 0.05 during left ventricular failure (both p less than 0.05). The effects of amrinone on left ventricular failure are due to augmented contractility and mild systemic vasodilatation. The reduction in myocardial oxygen consumption during amrinone-treated left ventricular failure presumably results from a reduction in ventricular wall tension that more than offsets the effect of an increase in contractility.
Rhythmic firing of medial septum non-cholinergic neurons

The presence of theta rhythm (5-10 Hz) in the hippocampus has been shown to enable long-term potentiation, a synaptic mechanism which has been proposed to underlie learning and memory. Medial septum cholinergic and GABAergic neurons that project to the hippocampus have been hypothesized to play conjointly a major role in the genesis of this rhythm. Building upon previous studies that have established the electrophysiological criteria for distinguishing cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in this area, it is demonstrated here that medial septum non-cholinergic neurons, putatively GABAergic, have the ability to discharge in rhythmic clusters of action potentials occurring at frequencies ranging from 1 to 8 Hz. Within the clusters, the firing frequency of action potentials varied between 13 and 57 Hz in a voltage-dependent manner. In addition, small voltage-dependent subthreshold membrane potential oscillations (16-54 Hz) were observed between clusters. Both subthreshold oscillations and clusters were eliminated by tetrodotoxin at 1 microM. These results indicate that non-cholinergic medial septum neurons could convey to the hippocampus not only theta but also higher frequency rhythmicity in the beta-gamma range (20-60 Hz).
Corrigendum to Changes in work habits of lifeguards in relation to Florida red tide [Harmful Algae 9 (2010) 419―425]

Kate Nierenberg *, Karen Kirner , Porter Hoagland , Steven Ullmann , William G. LeBlanc , Gary Kirkpatrick , Lora E. Fleming , Barbara Kirkpatrick a Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA University of Miami School of Medicine and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, 1801 NW 9th Ave Suite 200 (R-669), Miami, FL 33136, USA Marine Policy Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA University of Miami School of Business Administration, Room 323C Jenkins Building, 5250 University Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
New species of biting midges of the genus Culicoides from Colombia and the first description of the male of C. florenciae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Six new species of biting midges of the genus Culicoides are described and figured: C. santanderi, C. caldasi, C. pancensis, C. Pichindensis, C. pabloi , and C. ameliae . The male of C. florenciae is described for the first time and the female redescribed. Specimens studied are from light-trap and/or biting collections taken in Valle and Cauca, Colombia.