cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
914-75 The Role of Estradiol 17βon Free Radical Induced Vascular Myointimal Hyperplasia

Oxygen free radicals may be involved in vascular hyperplasia by promoting smooth muscle cell proliferation, a response potentiated by endothelial damage. Estradiol 17 β protects against vascular injury in experimental arteriosclerosis and inhibits proliferation of primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells. We studied the in vitro effect of estradiol 17 β on vascular smooth muscle cell hyperplasia induced by the superoxide anions ( O 2 - • ). Intact and denuded rat aortic segments were incubated overnight at 37° C in 2 ml Eagle's minimal essential medium supplemented with gentamycin and glutamine, without phenol red. The segments were challenged with either vehicle alone or the O 2 - • generating system (Xanthine and xanthine oxidase) for 4 hrs. We found that O 2 - • significantly enhanced 3 H-thymidine incorporation, an effect potentiated by the absence of the endothelium (Intact vessel 8.3 × 10 5 ± 0.1 × 10 5 vs denuded vessel 2.5 × 10 6 ± 1.3 × 10 5 P l 0.01). This effect was inhibited by superoxide dismutase. Estradiol 17 β (30 nM) significantly inhibited free radical induced 3 H-thymidine uptake in both intact and denuded vessels. We conclude that an intact endothelium may protect against free radical induced smooth muscle cell proliferation. Estradiol 17 β may also protect against free radical induced vascular proliferation by a mechanism independent of the endothelium.
Luminescent quantum dots fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based probes for enzymatic activity and enzyme inhibitors.

The paper describes the development and characterization of analytical properties of quantum dot-based probes for enzymatic activity and for screening enzyme inhibitors. The luminescent probes are based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between luminescent quantum dots that serve as donors and rhodamine acceptors that are immobilized to the surface of the quantum dots through peptide linkers. Peptide-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots were prepared using a one-step ligand exchange process in which RGDC peptide molecules replace trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) molecules as the capping ligands of the quantum dots. The peptide molecules were bound to the surface of the CdSe/ZnS quantum dots through the thiol group of the peptide cysteine residue. The peptide-coated quantum dots were labeled with rhodamine to form the FRET probes. The emission quantum yield of the quantum dot FRET probes was 4-fold lower than the emission quantum yield of TOPO-capped quantum dots. However, the quantum dot FRET probes ...
Single- and two-particle energy gaps across the disorder-driven superconductor-insulator transition

After decades of research, the microscopic details of the superconductor–insulator transition in two-dimensions, which is driven by the presence of disorder, are revealed by simulations. These include a phase transition from a gapped superconductor to a gapped insulator, for example.
Abstract PD2-4: Association between body mass index change during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pathologic complete response and overall survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer or locally advanced non-inflammatory breast cancer

Background: The rate of pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) of patients with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 has been reported to be significantly lower than that of patients with a BMI Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 263 patients with primary IBC and 865 patients with stage III non-IBC who underwent standard NST consisting of anthracyclines and/or taxanes with or without concurrent trastuzumab followed by definitive surgery at our institution between November 1, 2006, and December 31, 2012. Results: The median follow-up time for survivors was 19.8 months (0.1-69.9 months). One hundred forty-five (55.1%) IBC and 566 (65.7%) non-IBC were hormone receptor-positive and 91 (34.6%) IBC and 198 (22.9%) non-IBC were human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2)-positive. One hundred forty-four (54.8%) IBC and 446 (51.9%) non-IBC were postmenopausal. Of the 1128 patients included in the study, 223 (19.8%) achieved pCR, including 42 (16.0%) IBC and 181 (20.9%) non-IBC. The median change in BMI during NST of the patients who achieved pCR (0.1) was significantly higher than that of the patients who did not achieve pCR (-0.1; p = 0.04). The pCR rate of the patients whose BMIs had positive change post NST (23.2%) was higher than that of the patients whose BMIs were lower after NST (18.2%), but this difference was not significant (p = 0.054). Multivariate analysis did not reveal positive change in BMI post NST to be a significant predictor of pCR. Univariate analysis with the log-rank test revealed that higher BMI change from pre NST as a categorical variable (BMI change >0 vs. ≤0) predicted increased OS in all patients (p = 0.005) and in IBC patients (p Conclusion: In patients with stage III breast cancer, a higher BMI after NST than at baseline does not predict lower pCR rate or decreased survival after adjust for other clinical variables. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr PD2-4.
Winding number criterion for existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in linear rational expectations models

Abstract This paper develops a simple geometric criterion for the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in linear rational expectations (LRE) models. The class of models considered is very general and includes models with infinitely many lags and/or leads of endogenous variables. I show that the criterion is tightly related to the familiar Blanchard and Kahn (Econometrica 48(5) (1980) 1305), Hansen and Sargent (Rational Expectations and Econometric Practice, 1981), and Whiteman (Linear Rational Expectations Models: A User's Guide, 1983) conditions for the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in LRE models. The new criterion can be used to extend the policy rule robustness analysis of Onatski and Stock (Macroeconomic Dynamics 6(1) (2002) 85) from purely backward-looking models to forward-looking models.
Inadvertent administration of streptokinase to patients with pericarditis

Two patients with acute pericarditis who received intravenous streptokinase for presumed acute myocardial infarction are described. Although the administration of streptokinase did not cause an immediate increase in pericardial effusion, delayed nonhemorrhagic pericardial tamponade developed in both. Since pericarditis and other disease entities may mimic the pain and early electrocardiographic manifestations of acute myocardial infarction, precautions should be taken if thrombolytic therapy is given when there are no angiographic data to confirm the myocardial infarction. Pericarditis should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with chest pain and ST segment elevation for the sake of diagnostic accuracy to avoid inappropriate therapy that may have some inherent risk.
Stability and variability may respond differently to changes in walking speed

In gait research it has often been assumed that variability and stability are negatively correlated, where increases in variability are assumed to equate with increases in instability. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that variability does not always equate with stability. To proof this point, a method was developed to directly assess stability and variability during the application of a visual perturbation at different walking speeds. Walking variability was measured by using the average standard deviation of the knee joint angle across the gait cycle. Walking stability was measured by the recovery time of the knee joint angle trajectory from the distortion induced by a visual perturbation that was delivered at the beginning of the stance phase. Five participants were required to walk at six different velocities on a treadmill (0.67, 0.80, 0.94, 1.07, 1.21, and 1.34 m/s). The coefficients of intraclass correlations for the experiment were 83% and 80% for the calculated stability and variability, respectively. The calculated stabilities were not sensitive to changes in walking speed (p>0.98). The calculated variability however decreased with increases in walking speed (p=0.004). No significant correlation between variability and stability was observed (r=-0.002). We suggest that gait stability is independent of variability during locomotion and should thus be measured independently.
Insights on rock abrasion and ventifact formation from laboratory and field analog studies with applications to Mars

Abstract Wind tunnel studies are integrated with field observations to better understand the processes and rates of rock abrasion on Earth and Mars and how these factors affect ventifact morphology. The wind tunnel work consists of controlled experiments at terrestrial and Martian pressures in which known fluxes of sand are blown onto abradable targets of various geometric shapes. Mass loss and dimensional changes are measured and shape evolution observed as a function of total sand flux, wind speed, target shape, and target composition. To provide ground truth to these experiments, the same types of targets were placed in a field plot at a Mojave Desert ventifact locality for 6 months and measurements and observations like those in the wind tunnel were made. Weather data recorded by a co-located station provided wind speed and direction during this time. These data and results from the abraded field targets were compared to flute directions of local ventifacts. Initial results from this work are: (1) initial rock shape controls the rate of abrasion, with steeper faces abrading faster than shallower ones, (2) targets also abrade via slope retreat, with intermediate angled faces becoming shallower (flatter) at a greater rate than initially flat or steep faces, (3) the direction of maximum velocity winds exerts a greater control on ventifact flute orientations than the direction of average velocity winds, (4) irregular targets with pits or grooves abrade at greater rates than targets with smooth surfaces, with indentations generally enlarging and faces becoming rougher with time, and (5) there are many similarities between the experimental and terrestrial ventifacts, as well as rocks interpreted as ventifacts on Mars. The pitted and faceted appearance of many Martian rocks is easily attributable to aeolian abrasion. Many Martian rocks appear pitted or vesicular, characteristics which our laboratory experiments show enhance abrasion. Although measured Martian wind speeds are generally below those necessary to induce saltation, occasional gusts above threshold may be sufficient for some rock abrasion. Ventifact formation is potentially a common geomorphic process on Mars provided there are sufficient supplies of sand and high velocity winds needed for saltation.
Influence of oxygen stoichiometry on the structure and superconducting transition temperature of YBa2Cu3Ox

A detailed study of the superconducting properties and the crystal symmetry of YBa2Cu3Ox as a function of oxygen content (x) is presented. We correlate the oxygen content, structure and superconducting transition temperature for YBa2Cu3Ox (6<×<7) series of materials formed by the topotactic intercalation/deintercalation of oxygen. It is shown that the orthorhombic to tetragonal phase transition coincides with a loss in superconductivity for samples prepared both by quenching from high temperature and samples prepared by deoxygenation at low temperature. For the orthorhombic phase, Tc monotonically decreases as x goes from 7.0 to 6.4 along with a complementary decrease in the extent of orthorhombic distortion. The decrease in Tc, however, is not uniform. For quenched samples it shows a plateau for x ∼ 6.75 to 6.55 and then a rather abrupt drop around x ∼ 6.5. Comparison of our data with the literature indicates that the dependence of superconducting properties and crystal structure on the oxygen content can be a complex function of sample processing history. Samples with the same oxygen content but prepared in different ways may have x-ray powder patterns that are indistinguishable, but significantly different electrical properties.
An application of coconditional simulation for petroleum exploration

Abstract Coconditional simulation can be used to model regions potentially containing economical hydrocarbon reserves. This technique was applied as an exploration tool by studying a hydrocarbon indicator function and a normalized elevation value for the known reservoir formation in Onondaga Township, Michigan. The coconditional simulation of hydrocarbon occurrence in Onondaga Township had a correlation of 70–75% to actual production. The coconditional simulation of the normalized elevation surface delineated areas containing potential reservoir traps. This simulation was determined to be consistent with 60–65% of the known reservoir traps. Coconditional simulation yields an accurate reservoir model, at least for the region encompassing Onondaga Township, Michigan.
Revelations of an ecological perspective: Issues, inertia, and the public opinion environment of organizational populations

Abstract Many public relations scholars identify the importance of environment. Contentions about the role of public relations in helping organizations to continuously adapt to their social environment underpin mainstream research and theoretic literature. However, the field has paid limited attention to specifying, testing, and explicating such complex and problematic presuppositions. This article responds to the resulting opportunity for theory building by applying the untried and underutilized ecological lens to conceptualize and explore a primary sector of organizational social environments, the public opinion environment, at the population level of analysis. Four dimensions of the organizational population's public opinion environment are proposed: stability, complexity, intensity, and direction (favorability). Using macro-level variations in the public opinion environment to explain micro-level responses — specifically, the emergence of activist publics — the article explores four theoretic propositions longitudinally, using three case studies of the same organizational population, Australia's major banks from 1981 to 2001. It lays the foundation for contesting much vaunted but unproved presuppositions about the place of public relations in helping organizations to adapt continuously to their changing environments.
Inhibitory Potential of Subpopulations of CD8+ T Cells in HIV-1 Infected Elite Suppressors

Elite controllers or suppressors (ES) are HIV-1-infected individuals who suppress viral replication to clinically undetectable levels without antiretroviral therapy. Understanding the mechanisms by which ES control viral replication may prove informative for the design of a therapeutic vaccine. Qualitative differences in the CD8(+) T cell response have been implicated in control. Therefore, we isolated CD8(+) T cells from ES and characterized the ability of sorted memory and activation subpopulations to control viral replication at various effector-to-target cell ratios using a novel modification of a CD8(+) T cell suppression assay. The effector memory and terminal effector subpopulations of memory CD8(+) T cells had the highest inhibitory potential over the course of a 3-day in vitro infection. Interestingly, after 5 days of infection, central memory CD8(+) T cells were also very effective at suppressing viral replication. No significant correlation between the suppression of viral replication and the number of HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cells was observed. HLA-DR(-) CD38(+) CD8(+) T cells possessed the lowest inhibitory potential of the activation subpopulations. Taken together, our data suggest that there are key differences in the magnitude and kinetics of the suppression of HIV-1 replication by different CD8(+) T cell subsets. These data should guide the development of an effective, cellular therapeutic vaccine that has the potential to elicit similar CD8(+) T cell responses.
Delayed fluorescence ODMR as a probe of triplet-triplet fusion probability

A kinetic scheme is presented to rationalize recent observations of delayed fluorescence ODMR in isotopically mixed naphthalene crystals, in which the sign of the signal changes from negative to positive as the critical concentration for triplet-triplet transport among the perprotonated traps is approached. The effects of chopped optical excitation, prolonged microwave pumping, temperature and light intensity are considered. The observation of positive DF-ODMR in the high concentration case is used to obtain a lower limit for the ratio of the annihilation constantk 2 to the pair dissociation constantk −1.
Sensing Locality in Yura: Rituals of Carnival and of the Bolivian State

In this article, I discuss how an indigenous population in highland Bolivia established a sense of locality through participation in two different rituals: the musically based rituals of carnival and the bureaucratic practices or rituals of state that resulted from the initial implementation of a decentralizing law. Through a privileging of visually perceived representations, the logic behind the new law assumed populations were attached to contiguous territories within a national grid. In contrast, carnival rituals—through a focus on centerpoints, musical sonorities, and perceiving subjects—emphasized a relationship to locality through a sounding- off through space, [nation-state, space, music performance, sense experience, Bolivia, Popular Participation, Yura]
Relation of personality characteristics and color preferences

150 students responded to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and ranked color plates from the Luscher Color Test. Regression analysis yielded no relationship of predictive significance between the two sets of variables. An ancillary analysis using sets of random numbers in place of the color preference data yielded results basically similar to those produced in the earlier analysis. Males and females rank ordered the colors identically except for yellow, which was significantly more preferred by males than females.
Mutations in CR1 of E1A 12S Yield Dominant Negative Suppressors of Immortalization and the Lytic Cycle

Abstract The Adenovirus 5 E1A 12S gene is responsible for the establishment of immortalization of primary cells by Adenovirus. We have identified two mutants of 12S (30K and NTdl814), which, when coexpressed with wild-type 12S in primary baby rat kidney cells, were capable of suppressing the immortalizing function of the wild-type 12S gene, even when the mutant proteins were expressed at levels lower than wild type. 30K and NTdl814 did not affect the ability of the coexpressed 12S to activate the cell cycle, but have a suppressive effect on 12S-induced DNA synthesis and proliferation at late times in the immortalization pathway. Both the dominant negative mutants have a deletion in conserved region (CR)1 in the first exon of E1A, which encompasses one of the pRb-family binding regions. However, the mutants did not affect the binding of cellular proteins to full-length 12S. A suppressive effect on wild-type 12S was not observed with mutants that have lost any other region or function. In addition, expression of 30K, which is equivalent to the protein encoded by the 10S mRNA of E1A, inhibited E1A function in lytic cycle. Thus, loss of the CR1 seems to be a prerequisite for a mutant to have a dominant negative effect on E1A functions.
Stability of virginiamycin and penicillin during alcohol fermentation

Abstract Studies were conducted to examine the stabilities of virginiamycin (Vm) and penicillin-G (PG) during incubation at 25 or 35°C in sterile malt-glucose-yeast-extract (MGYE) fermentation broth and during alcohol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Davis 522 strain. A 5×2 (five pH levels and two temperatures) factorial design was used to evaluate the stabilities of these two antibiotics. The pH of MGYE used were: 3.8, 4.0, 4.2, 4.5, and 4.8, to which standard concentration of Vm and PG was each added to yield 0.6 μg Vm ml−1 and/or 0.5 unit PG ml−1. Each antibiotic was assayed during incubation at intervals (0–72 h) using Micrococcus luteus. Only Vm (0.6 μg ml−1 at pH 4.8) was used during the alcohol fermentation at 35°C. The concentration of Vm in the fermentation broth was not significantly altered at both incubation temperatures as a function of time and at all pH values, whereas PG was rapidly inactivated. The inactivation of PG was significantly pronounced at 35°C compared to 25°C and in direct proportions to the pH. At pH 4.8, the biological half-life of PG in the fermentation broth was 24 and 4 h at 25 and 35°C, respectively, whereas at pH 3.8, it was
1,25(OH)2D3-mediated phosphate uptake in isolated chick intestinal cells: effect of 24,25(OH)2D3, signal transduction activators, and age.

We have previously reported an absence of a 1,25(OH)2D3-mediated effect on 45Ca handling by intestinal epithelial cells isolated from normal chicks (Nemere and Campbell [2000] Steroids 65:451–457). In the current work, we provide evidence that in similar cell preparations, 1,25(OH)2D3 increased 32P uptake within 5 min of addition, and reached 150% of controls after 10 min (P < 0.05). Both isolated enterocytes and the perfused duodenal loop system exhibited apparent biphasic dose–response curves for 1,25(OH)2D3-stimulated 32P uptake and transport, and inhibition of stimulation by 24,25(OH)2D3. A comparison of signal transduction activators demonstrated the following parallels in both isolated intestinal cells and perfused duodena: lack of effect of forskolin (a protein kinase (PK) A activator) on 32P handling, but simulation by BAY K8644 (a calcium channel activator) and phorbol ester (a PKC activator). Finally, we tested the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on phosphate uptake in epithelial cells isolated from birds of increasing ages (7, 14, and 28 wk). In contrast to the robust response of cells from young, growing chicks, 1,25(OH)2D3 had no effect on enterocytes from 14 or 28 wk birds. Western analyses with Ab 099 against the 1,25(OH)2D3 (1,25D3)-Membrane-Associated Rapid Response Steroid (MARRS) binding protein revealed a decrease in average density of the immunoreactive band with age. PKC activity determined in isolated epithelial cells exhibited a decrease in average basal (control) activity with age, as well as a decrease in response to 1,25(OH)2D3 activation. In enterocytes from 7–14- or 28-week birds, PKC was enhanced 170, 120, and 105% of controls, respectively. The combined data validate 32P uptake in isolated enterocytes as a model system to study 1,25D3-MARRS protein function, and indicate that for phosphate transport, the rapid actions of 1,25(OH)2D3 are physiologically more important in growing animals than immature ones. J. Cell. Biochem. 86: 497–508, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Shifts in Attention Demands and Motor Program Utilization During Motor Learning

The relationship between changes in the level of motor program utilization and attention demand during the learning of a motor task was examined. The primary task involved an 86-cm horizontal arm movement which subjects attempted to complete coincident with the end of a 360 degrees sweep of a clock hand. A secondary task performed with the opposite limb required a rapid button press to an auditory probe stimulus presented at various temporal locations within each trial. Control subjects performed either the primary task or the secondary task alone, while experimental subjects performed both tasks in combination. Schmidt's (1972) index of preprogramming was used to measure the level of motor program utilization, while probe reaction time reflected the attention demand of the primary task. There was a stable level of motor programming over four consecutive days of practice (100 trials a day), but a general decrease in attention demand. Implications for an expansion of the concept of the motor program were discussed.
Aging and immunity to tuberculosis: Prolonged survival of old mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis by adoptive immunization with memory-immune T lymphocytes

This study shows that memory immune T lymphocytes, harvested from young (3-month-old) mice infected intravenously with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and then exposed to protracted chemotherapy with isoniazid, are capable of adoptively protecting old (24 month) mice from a subsequent fatal challenge infection. Survival of such adoptively protected animals was prolonged, but did not extend beyond the mean survival time of uninfected old control mice. During this time the passively transferred memory T cell population retained their functional capacity to protect against subsequent tuberculosis infection. These data indicate, therefore, that reconstitution of decayed cell-mediated antimicrobial immunity in old mice in vivo with memory T cells is technically feasible, although the life span of the animal is not extended over that of control animals. They indicate, moreover, that the memory T cells remain functional in what some reports have considered a suppressive environment and show further that the macrophages with which the infused T cells interact in the aged host remain functionally able to express acquired resistance.
Probing the environment of tubulin-bound paclitaxel using fluorescent paclitaxel analogues

To determine the environment of different positions in the paclitaxel molecule when bound to tubulin, we have synthesized six fluorescent analogues in which a (dimethylamino)benzoyl group has been introduced into the 7- and 10-positions, and the benzoyl groups at the 2- and N- as well as the 3'-phenyl ring have been modified with dimethylamino functions. In a tubulin assembly assay, the N-m- and N-p-(dimethylamino)benzoyl derivatives had activities comparable to the activity of paclitaxel. The 2-, 3'-, and 10-analogues had slightly reduced activity, and the 7-derivative was about 5% as active as paclitaxel. On the basis of the results of studies of the effect of solvents on the fluorescence emission spectra, it is proposed that the unbound analogues form hydrogen bonds with protic solvents. But the 7- and 10-substituted analogues appear to be more affected by protic solvents than the other analogues. Previously, we studied the binding of the N-meta derivative to tubulin and microtubules [Sengupta, S., et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 11889-11894]. In this study, we extended the studies to include the 2-, 7-, and 10-derivatives. Similar to the N-substituted analogue, binding of the 2-derivative to tubulin was accompanied by a large blue shift, whereas a very small shift occurred when the 7- and 10-substituted derivatives bound. The 2- and N-substituted analogues bind to microtubules with an increase in fluorescence intensity over that which was observed with tubulin, whereas binding of the 7- and 10-substituted analogues was accompanied by a large quenching in fluorescence. This quenching may be due to the presence of charged residues in the protein near the 7- and 10-(dimethylamino)benzoyl groups or to pi stacking of the groups with an aromatic side chain. The presence of paclitaxel with microtubules prevented the fluorescence increase of the 2- and N-derivatives and quenching of the 7- and 10-derivatives. The difference in behavior of the fluorescent analogues upon binding to polymerized tubulin, coupled with the solvent studies on the free drugs, suggests that the 2- and N-benzoyl groups of paclitaxel bind in a hydrophobic pocket of tubulin but could participate in hydrogen bonding, and the 7- and 10-positions are in a more hydrophilic environment.
Variability and Function among Gravette Points from Southwestern France

A number of morphological and metric variables were recorded for a sample of 1,451 Gravette points deriving from ten sites in southwestern France. Size, macrowear, and base treatment covaried in a manner suggesting that some Gravette “points” in fact functioned as knives. The sample artifacts, however, did not segregate neatly into two distinct morphological-functional types of knives and points, but rather formed a continuum from more knife-like to more point-like pieces. Some probably functioned in both ways during their use lives. Considerable differences in size and other attributes between collections suggest different activity emphases at different sites. Some stylistic variation is apparent, but the bulk of the variation observed seems to be functional.
Electron-beam–deposited distributed polarization rotator for high-power laser applications

Electron-beam deposition of silica and alumina is used to fabricate distributed polarization rotators suitable for smoothing the intensity of large-aperture, high-peak-power lasers. Low-modulation, low-loss transmittance with a high 351-nm laser-damage threshold is achieved.
Habituation of the GSR and digital vasomotor components of the orienting reflex as a consequence of task instructions and sex differences

Two studies are reported in which the effects of task instructions and sex differences on the GSR and digital vasomotor measures of the orienting reflex induced by innocuous words are examined. Instructions to perform an overt response to a tone significantly enhanced the GSR-OR to words preceding the occurrence of the tone, the task signal. No such effect was evident in the digital vasomotor response. A characteristic decline in responsivity to words was evident in the GSR but not in the vasomotor response which was relatively unresponsive. A sex difference, with males manifesting greater GSR responsivity, was found in most phases of the experiments. Less consistent sex differences were observed in the digital vasomotor response.
A proto-type design of a real-tissue phantom for the validation of deformation algorithms and 4D dose calculations

The purpose of this study is to design a real-tissue phantom for use in the validation of deformation algorithms. A phantom motion controller that runs sinusoidal and non-regular patient-based breathing pattern, via a piston, was applied to porcine liver tissue. It was regulated to simulate movement ranges similar to recorded implanted liver markers from patients. 4D CT was applied to analyze deformation. The suitability of various markers in the liver and the position reproducibility of markers and of reference points were studied. The similarity of marker motion pattern in the liver phantom and in real patients was evaluated. The viability of the phantom over time and its use with electro-magnetic tracking devices were also assessed. High contrast markers, such as carbon markers, implanted in the porcine liver produced less image artifacts on CT and were well visualized compared to metallic ones. The repositionability of markers was within a measurement accuracy of ±2 mm. Similar anatomical patient motions were reproducible up to elongations of 3 cm for a time period of at least 90 min. The phantom is compatible with electro-magnetic tracking devices and 4D CT. The phantom motion is reproducible and simulates realistic patient motion and deformation. The ability to carry out voxel-based tracking allows for the evaluation of deformation algorithms in a controlled environment with recorded patient traces. The phantom is compatible with all therapy devices clinically encountered in our department.
Meter‐scale slopes of candidate MER landing sites from point photoclinometry

[1] Photoclinometry was used to analyze the small-scale roughness of areas that fall within the proposed Mars Exploration Rover (MER) 2003 landing ellipses. The landing ellipses presented in this study were those in Athabasca Valles, Elysium Planitia, Eos Chasma, Gusev Crater, Isidis Planitia, Melas Chasma, and Meridiani Planum. We were able to constrain surface slopes on length scales comparable to the image resolution (1.5 to 12 m/pixel). The MER 2003 mission has various engineering constraints that each candidate landing ellipse must satisfy. These constraints indicate that the statistical slope values at 5 m baselines are an important criterion. We used our technique to constrain maximum surface slopes across large swaths of each image, and built up slope statistics for the images in each landing ellipse. We are confident that all MER 2003 landing site ellipses in this study, with the exception of the Melas Chasma ellipse, are within the small-scale roughness constraints. Our results have provided input into the landing hazard assessment process. In addition to evaluating the safety of the landing sites, our mapping of small-scale roughnesses can also be used to better define and map morphologic units. The morphology of a surface is characterized by the slope distribution and magnitude of slopes. In looking at how slopes are distributed, we can better define landforms and determine the boundaries of morphologic units.
Mirror Therapy for Facial Paralysis in Traditional South Asian Islamic Medicine

Mirror therapy has stimulated a dynamic clinical and research agenda for the treatment of poststroke hemiparesis and phantom pain. The origins of mirror therapy are thought to lie with the end of the twentieth century. This article translates key sections on the use of mirror therapy for facial paralysis from Muhammad Akbar Arzānī, an influential practitioner of South Asian Islamic medicine. Given that his text appeared over a quarter millennium before Western accounts of mirror therapy, this article calls for an amendment to the historical record so that Arzānī is recognized.
A sample-path approach to optimal position liquidation

We consider the problem of optimal position liquidation where the expected cash flow stream due to transactions is maximized in the presence of temporary or permanent market impact. A stochastic programming approach is used to construct trading strategies that differentiate decisions with respect to the observed market conditions, and can accommodate various types of trading constraints. As a scenario model, we use a collection of sample paths representing possible future realizations of state variable processes (price, trading volume etc.), and employ a heuristical technique of sample-path grouping, which can be viewed as a generalization of the standard nonanticipativity constraints.
Effects of team cognition and constraint on new product ideation

Abstract Idea generation is a critical activity in new product development. This study investigates the effects of ideation team's cognitive depth (specialization) and breadth (diverse expertise) as well as goal constraint on the generation of new product ideas. Focusing on the determinants of new product idea development helps articulate the mechanisms to generate more useful and novel product ideas. The findings indicate that specialization and diverse expertise affect idea novelty directly, albeit differently. Goal constraint helps enhance the usefulness dimension of new product ideas, but has little effect on the newness dimension of the ideas. Finally, goal constraint helps harness the diverse expertise of the team toward a more useful idea.
Predictors of anticoagulation prescription in nursing home residents with atrial fibrillation

Objectives To determine predictors of oral anticoagulation (OAC) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in long-term care (LTC). Design Chart review. Setting Six LTC facilities in a metropolitan area. Participants One hundred seventeen residents with AF identified from 934 total residents. Measurements Data was obtained from the medical chart, pharmacy record, and Minimum Data Set (MDS) regarding demographics, medical conditions, falls, fractures, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), peptic ulcer disease, dementia, anemia, and physical/cognitive function scales. The recursive partition algorithm was used to construct a model reflecting physician decision patterns that predict prescription of OAC. Results Among those 117 residents (12.5% of 934) who had AF (age, 84.6 ± 8 years), OAC was prescribed for 54 (46%); aspirin or clopidogrel: 47 (40%); neither OAC nor any antithrombotic treatment (ATT): 25 (21%). Prior stroke was the primary determinant of OAC. Residents with prior stroke were less likely to be prescribed OAC if they had prior GIB, were non-Caucasian, or had no history of coronary artery disease (CAD). Those without a stroke were less likely to be prescribed OAC if they were younger, had dementia or lower functional status. Conclusion Prior stroke was the primary predictor of OAC use. Our model suggests that physicians may also incorporate concerns of age, bleeding, cognitive and physical function, and ethnicity into the decision-making process. Further study is needed to explore the reasons why 21% of the residents receive neither OAC nor ATT, and why OAC may be less likely to be prescribed to non-Caucasian LTC residents.
Primer testing set

Abstract This testing set is an “unbalanced” Wheatstone bridge for measuring the resistance of cannon primers. It is arranged to make its use perfectly safe on both lock and case primers. Some primers that tested as “good” on a Wheatstone bridge show a high or variable resistance on this testing set due to the lower current that is caused to flow through the primer bridge.
GREP: Guaranteeing Reliability with Enhanced Protection in NFV

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is a promising technique to greatly improve the effectiveness and flexibility of network management through a process called Service Function Chain (SFC) mapping, which can efficiently provision network services over a virtualized and shared middlebox platform. However, such an evolution towards software-defined middlebox introduces new challenges to network services which require high reliability. Sufficient redundancy can protect the network services when physical failures occur, but in doing so, the efficiency of physical resources may be greatly decreased. This paper presents GREP, a novel online algorithm that can minimize the physical resources consumption while guaranteeing the required high reliability with a polynomial time complexity. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm can significantly improve the request acceptance ratio and reduce resource consumption.
Determinants of Venezuelan budgetary patterns: Possible tradeoffs between defense and non-defense expenditures

Abstract Recent research in allocation policy analysis has demonstrated a major concern with two components of government spending-welfare and defense. While the bulk of research in this area has been devoted to the modern industrial nations, it is quite possible that the problem of negative tradeoffs between military spending and economic and social investment is more serious in developing countries such as Venezuela. An analysis of Venezuelan budgets over the 1973–1982 period indicated that both the short-term and longer term relationships between government expenditure and the country's major macroeconomic variables may in fact be susceptible to negative tradeoffs associated with changes in defense expenditures. These tradeoffs were likely to have occurred from either budgetary or financial considerations.
Crystal Structure of the Cytochrome bc1 Complex from Bovine Heart Mitochondria

On the basis of x-ray diffraction data to a resolution of 2.9 angstroms, atomic models of most protein components of the bovine cytochrome bc1 complex were built, including core 1, core 2, cytochrome b, subunit 6, subunit 7, a carboxyl-terminal fragment of cytochrome c1, and an amino-terminal fragment of the iron-sulfur protein. The positions of the four iron centers within the bc1 complex and the binding sites of the two specific respiratory inhibitors antimycin A and myxothiazol were identified. The membrane-spanning region of each bc1 complex monomer consists of 13 transmembrane helices, eight of which belong to cytochrome b. Closely interacting monomers are arranged as symmetric dimers and form cavities through which the inhibitor binding pockets can be accessed. The proteins core 1 and core 2 are structurally similar to each other and consist of two domains of roughly equal size and identical folding topology.
Compiling lambda-expressions using continuations and factorizations

We present a source-level transformation for recursion-removal with several interesting characteristics: 1.(i) the algorithm is simple and provably correct; 2.(ii) the stack utilization regime is chosen by the compiler rather than being fixed by the run-time environment; 3.(iii) the stack is available at the source language level so that further optimizations are possible; 4.(iv) the algorithm arises from ideas in category theory. In addition to its implications for compilers, the transformation algorithm is useful as an implementation technique for advanced LISP-based systems, and one such application is described.
High‐pressure Raman study of SrMoO4 up to 37 GPa and pressure‐induced phase transitions

Pressure-induced phase changes in SrMoO 4 were investigated by high-pressure Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell. The scheelite-type SrMoO 4 transforms in to a monoclinic lattice near 13 GPa and retains this structure up to 37 GPa, the limit of pressure tested. There is no pressure-induced amorphization in this simple molybdate up to this pressure, as in the case of structurally complex molybdate systems. The optical absorption characteristics of SrMoO 4 change considerably with pressure, the sample turning progressively deep orange-brown with increase in pressure. This change is connected with the lowering of the d-state of molybdenum in the MoO 4 ion with increase in pressure.
Frequency of occurrence and characteristics of primary pancreatic lymphoma during endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration: a retrospective study.

Background Primary pancreatic lymphoma is a rare tumour of the pancreas. Data on the role of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration for its diagnosis are scant.
Effects of a central stimulant substance isolated from the sea anemone Stoichactis kenti on brain monoamines of the mouse

An active substance, polypeptide in chemical nature, causing central stimulant activity in mice has been isolated from a sea anemone. Signs of central nervous stimulatory activity produced by this substance included fighting episodes, increased motor activity and clonic convulsions. The active substance produced significant decreases in brain norepinephrine concentration both at the ED50 (6.4 mg/kg) and the maximum effective dose (9.3 mg/kg) during the stimulation period. Brain dopamine concentration was significantly decreased by the active substance at the ED50 dose whereas brain serotonin concentration was not affected. The ED50 dose of the active substance significantly inhibited the re-uptake of norepinephrine during the stimulation period and elevated hormetanephrine levels. These results suggest that the active substance causes central stimulation by releasing active norepinephrine from functional pools and inhibiting its re-uptake, thus making more norepinephrine available at a adrenoceptors. It is probable that brain dopamine plays a minor role in this stimulant action of the active substance.
Three-dimensional architecture of shelf-building sediment drifts in the offshore Canterbury Basin, New Zealand

Abstract A grid of high-resolution, multichannel seismic profiles from the offshore Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, reveals that at least 11 large (up to 1000 m thick, >50 km long, along-strike, and 20 km wide, down-dip) elongate sediment drifts developed within the lower Miocene to Recent shelf-slope sediment prism. The drifts overlie a condensed section of late Eocene to late Oligocene limestone and cover an area of ∼5000 km2. The drifts were deposited in water depths of 300–750 m, probably by a northward-flowing contour current, and aggraded to shelf depths. The drifts exhibit mounded morphologies with channel-like moats along their landward flanks. Erosion of the landward flanks creates prominent unconformities; these unconformities are diachronous and, therefore, not sequence boundaries. The internal architecture of the drifts defines two end members of elongate drift, which we describe as simple and complex. Early (early to middle Miocene) simple drifts are small ( 50 km long and up to 20 km wide) and occur in the northeastern part of the survey area. These late, simple elongate drifts are subdivided into three parts (base, core, and crest) based on seismic facies. These facies form in response to progressive confinement of current flow within the moat. Complex drifts may be multi-crested or multistage. Multi-crested drifts form in response to rapid lateral shifts in position of the moat, perhaps associated with relative sea-level change, modulated by paleoslope inclination and orientation. Such drifts, together with the observation that several drifts were often active simultaneously, indicate that flow patterns were complex and involved multiple pathways. Multistage drifts comprise superimposed subdrifts whose retrogradational and progradational stacking patterns indicate fluctuations in the rate of sediment supply. Complex drift formation may require intermediate shelf relief: high enough to sustain drift development during changes in sea level and rate of sediment supply, but low enough so that such changes are still able to influence moat position. In addition, coeval climatic cooling may amplify changes in sea level, current intensity and sediment supply, thereby contributing to complex drift formation.
No pure strategy is evolutionarily stable in the repeated Prisoner's Dilemma game

A knowledge of the conditions under which natural selection can favour cooperative behaviour among unrelated individuals is crucial for understanding the evolution of social behaviour, particularly among humans and other social mammals. In an influential1–5 series of works, Axelrod6–10 has argued that reciprocal cooperation is likely to evolve when individual organisms interact repeatedly. This conclusion is based, in part, on an evolutionary analysis of the repeated Prisoner's Dilemma game which indicates that strategies which lead to reciprocal cooperation are evolutionarily stable1,11. In this paper, however, we argue that no pure strategy can be evolutionarily stable in this game. This fact casts doubt on several of Axelrod's conclusions about the evolution of reciprocity.
INTERNAL BREMSSTRAHLUNG ACCOMPANYING THE ORBITAL-ELECTRON CAPTURE IN $sup 7$Be.

The spectrum of the internal bremsstrahlung accompanying the electron-capture decay of $^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ has been measured in coincidence with the 477-keV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays. From the extrapolated endpoint energy of the spectrum, the transition energy to the first excited state of $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ was determined to be 395 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 25 keV. The intensity of the internal bremsstrahlung in the energy range from 120 to 360 keV was determined to be (5.45 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.1) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$ per ordinary nonradiative $1s$ capture (based on a theoretically predicted $\frac{L}{K}$ ratio of 12.4 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$) as compared with the value of 7.86 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$ predicted by the theory of Martin and Glauber.
Manipulation of adsorbed atoms and creation of new structures on room-temperature surfaces with a scanning tunneling microscope

A general method of manipulating adsorbed atoms and molecules on room-temperature surfaces with the use of a scanning tunneling microscope is described. By applying an appropriate voltage pulse between the sample and probe tip, adsorbed atoms can be induced to diffuse into the region beneath the tip. The field-induced diffusion occurs preferentially toward the tip during the voltage pulse because of the local potential energy gradient arising from the interaction of the adsorbate dipole moment with the electric field gradient at the surface. Depending upon the surface and pulse parameters, cesium (Cs) structures from one nanometer to a few tens of nanometers across have been created in this way on the (110) surfaces of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium antimonide (InSb), including structures that do not naturally occur.