cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Going meta”: Definition and political applications

Among the most memorable encounters in recent history are those in which one political actor “went meta” to another during a high stakes, high visibility political confrontation. Maneuvers of this sort break with routines by making prior communications the subject of communication. They are thus reflexive reframings. While the potential gains from going meta may be enormous, they may also be quite risky, hence requiring a delicate sense of rhetorical balance. This essay first explicates a general conception of “going meta,” applicable to a wide variety of communicative interactions, and then brings it to bear exclusively upon political confrontations.
Predictors of 2-year mortality among older male veterans on a geriatric rehabilitation unit.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if nutritional parameters and discharge setting are associated with mortality in older male veterans on a Geriatric rehabilitation unit (GRU). DESIGN: Two-year follow-up of sequential admissions to the GRU who had laboratory studies completed on admission to the acute hospital and on transfer to and discharge from the GRU. SETTING: University-affiliated VA medical center. PATIENTS: Eighty-three consecutive older male veterans admitted to the GRU. MEASUREMENT: Mortality during a period of 2 years post-discharge. MAIN RESULTS: In a univariate analysis, predictors of mortality were serum albumin level ≤ 3.5g/dL on admission to the GRU (P = .01), moderate or severe Nutritional Status Score (P = .03), discharge to a place other than home (P = .01), and use of antibiotics while on the GRU (P = .05). Discharge albumin remained the single significant predictor of mortality in a multivariate analysis (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Serum albumin is the strongest predictor of 2-year post-hospitalization mortality of older patients cared for on a GRU. Other predictors were presence of infection, Nutritional Status Score of moderate or severe compromise, and discharge to a place other than home.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and the Elderly

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a common disorder in all patients but a particular problem in the elderly, for whom the disease often presents with advanced mucosal damage and other complications. Symptoms are also not as reliable an indication of disease severity in older patients. Likewise, therapy is more difficult because of potential side effects and drug interactions.
Amorphous alloy formation by solid state reaction

Abstract A brief review of amorphous alloy formation by solid state reaction is presented from a kinetic viewpoint. We emphasize the kinetic barriers which govern the formation process. Specifically, the barrier to atomic diffusion and the barrier to nucleation are examined by using diffusion couples of amorphous NiZr alloys. Substantial interdiffusion can occur in the couple without crystallization, indicating that the barrier to nucleation of crystalline compounds is large so the amorphous alloy can be formed by a slow reaction. Submicron size voids in the amorphous alloy have been observed as a consequence of interdiffusion. The mechanism of diffusion in the amorphous alloy is discussed.
Recollection of a Transitional Object and Needs for Intimacy and Affiliation in Adolescents

A number of researchers have shown that the absence or misuse of a transitional object, e.g., a soft toy or blanket, with special meaning to a small child, is associated with later cognitive or character disorders. This paper shows that recall of a transitional object is related to personality characteristics of normal adolescents. These characteristics, the need for intimacy and need for affiliation, were measured by the Thematic Apperception Test administered to 102 11th graders. As expected, results indicated that need for intimacy was related both to recall of a special toy or object and to its softness, while need for affiliation was weakly related.
HCl Chemical lasers with SOCl2, SO2Cl2, Cl2CNCl and ClCN

Abstract Hydrogen chloride laser emission has been produced by electric discharge initiation of mixtures of H 2 and He with SOCl 2 , SO 2 Cl 2 , Cl 2 CNCl or ClCN. Three steps in the chain mechanisms proposed for these systems are considered as possible paths for the formation of HCl † .
MnDPDP-enhanced MR imaging of the liver. Correlation with surgical findings.

Purpose: To compare lesion detection and characterisation predicted by MnDPDP-enhanced MR imaging with surgical excision and pathological examination.Material and Methods: Ninety patients were intravenously infused at a rate of 2 to 3 ml/min with 5 μmol/kg mangafodipir trisodium (MnDPDP, Teslascan). The patients were examined with spin-echo and gradient-echo T1-weighted MR imaging at 1 h and 24 h after the end of infusion. The results were compared with identical pre-contrast sequences. In 20 of these patients, the pre-operative MR findings were compared with intra-operative ultrasonography and histology of the resected liver specimens.Results: In those with liver metastases, there was a good correlation between MR and the hepatic disease in 11 out of 14 cases. In the group with primary liver tumours, MR findings correlated with hepatic disease in 5 out of 6 cases.Conclusion: Liver lesion characterisation is possible with MnDPDP, and MR contrast enhancement with this agent is considered to be an important...
Path analysis of psychophysiological data.

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the use of path analysis with multivariate psychophysiological data. Path analysis is a simple descriptive multivariate technique which, given a matrix of intercorrelations and a hypothetical model of the direction of relationships among the variables, can produce estimates of the magnitude of the direct and indirect influences which together produce the observed intercorrelations.
Temporal and Vertical Distribution of Nonstructural Carbohydrate, Fiber, Protein, and Digestibility Levels in Orchardgrass Swards

Herbage nonstructural carbohydrates (NC) contribute to livestock performance and silage fermentation. Knowledge of the distribution patterns of NC and other nutritional constituents in orchardgrass (Dactylic glomerata L.) swards could support harvest management decisions. Our objective was to determine diurnal and vertical patterns of total NC (TNC), crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations, and in vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTDMD) and NDF digestibility (NDFD) in orchardgrass swards in October, June, and August. Herbage was sampled at 6-h intervals between 0100 and 1900 h from horizons positioned 40 to 27, 27 to 18, 18 to 12, and 12 to 8 cm above soil surface. Herbage composition varied among horizons in all months, and diurnally only in June and August. In June and August, only TNC with maxima of 109 to 123 g kg-1 at 1900 h exhibited consistent diurnal patterns. Swards harvested to residual heights of 18, 12, or 8 cm exhibited little spatial variation in TNC during June and August, but CP, NDF, and IVTDMD varied with harvest depth on all dates. As swards were harvested to successively greater depths, TNC increased in October, but not in June and August. In contrast, CP and IVTDMD decreased, and NDF increased, for harvests to successively greater depths in all months. For harvests in June and August, manipulation of depth would capture more variation in CP, NDF, and IVTDMD, but manipulation of time of day of harvest would capture more variation in TNC to meet animal performance and silage fermentation requirements.
Effects of phencyclidine and stress on plasma creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and aldolase activities in man.

Phencyclidine (Sernyl, Phen) is a potent psychotomimetic drug in man. In conjunction with restraint stress, Phen produces increased plasma creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and aldolase (Ald) activities and skeletal muscle pathology in rats. Increased plasma CPK and Ald activities and skeletal muscle pathology are found in some acutely psychotic patients. It was therefore of interest to determine if Phen increased plasma CPK or Ald levels in man. Four of seven subjects had no elevations of plasma CPK or Ald activity either before or after Phen, 0.1 mg/kg, i.v. One subject had increased CPK levels which began 1 h after Phen. Two subjects had increased Ald and/or CPK levels which began within 24 h before Phen administration and which persisted or increased for at least 24 h after Phen. The plasma enzyme changes occurred in those subjects who showed the most pronounced cognitive disruption after Phen. The effects of stress and Phen on plasma CPK and Ald levels and its implications for the study of muscle abnormalities in psychotic patients are discussed.
Large solid angle tracking of monte carlo events of heavy ion collisions in tpc magnetic spectrometers

The collision of 15 GeV/nucleon sulfur and carbon or oxygen ions with various fixed targets such as carbon, sulfur, and gold is to be observed in the MPS magnetic spectrometer with a time projection chamber (TPC) module. This TPC will be placed just downstream of the target and be able to track approximately 50% of all charged particles. The design and construction of the TPC is proceeding, and prototypes of the TPC readout system have been tested and production devices are to be delivered. A TPC track reconstruction program has been developed. Monte Carlo events have been generated and tracked. The track reconstruction program consists of three parts: a local pattern recognition which associates contiguous readouts on adjacent readout wires to form a single hit; a subroutine which positions the hits into slices in the vertical plane; and the track reconstruction section. (LEW)
Subthalamic nucleus lesion regularizes firing patterns in globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons in rats.

Abstract Subthalamic nucleus lesion altered the statistical properties of the firing patterns of globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons recorded in urethane anesthetized rats by increasing the proportion of cells in both structures that fired with a very highly regular pattern (from∼ 25%to∼ 50%). In all cases, the most regularly firing neurons fired at a higher mean rate than did more slowly firing neurons. In contrast, globus pallidus lesion shifted the pattern of substantia nigra neurons towards more irregular firing and induced a bursty pattern in two neurons.
Exploring the reduction in myocardial infarctions in the PLATO trial: Which patients benefited on ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel?

Abstract Context Ticagrelor showed significant reductions in myocardial infarctions (MIs) compared to clopidogrel in the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. However, there was no explanation as to whether there was an equal distribution of benefit throughout acute coronary syndrome (ACS) types. Objective To ascertain the safety and efficacy of ticagrelor compared to clopidogrel based on the type of ACS index event (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI], non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI] and unstable angina [UA]). Results The FDA Complete Response Review (CRR) indicates that when MIs were broken down by index event type, ticagrelor fared better than clopidogrel only in patients with STEMI (136/3496 [4.2%] vs. 184/3530 [5.7%], hazard ratio (HR) 0.74 [0.59–0.93]), whereas patients with NSTEMI and UA showed no significant difference (288/4005 [7.9%] vs. 324/950 [8.9%], HR 0.87 [0.74–1.02] and 76/1549 [5.2%] vs. 75/1563 [5.1%], HR 1.02 [0.75–1.42]). Moreover, STEMI patients receiving early ( Conclusions Ticagrelor significantly reduced MIs compared to clopidogrel only in STEMI patients, with those receiving early PCI having worse outcomes with ticagrelor. Despite, NSTEMI patients showing no significant reduction in MI with ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel, CV mortality was significantly reduced. In summary, we cannot be sure what is driving the STEMI-MI benefit, the NSTEMI-CV mortality benefit, nor the overall mortality benefit for ticagrelor-treated patients compared to clopidogrel treated patients.
Parasites and the conservation of small populations: The case of Baylisascaris procyonis.

Human demands on natural resources result in landscape changes that facilitate the emergence of disease. Most emerging diseases are zoonotic, and some of these pathogens play a role in the decline of vulnerable wildlife species. Baylisascaris procyonis, the common roundworm parasite of raccoons (Procyon lotor), is a well recognized zoonotic infection that has many of the properties associated with a pathogen capable of driving extinction. It is highly non-specific and frequently pathogenic with regard to paratenic hosts, which contact eggs of B. procyonis at raccoon latrines. Eggs accumulate at latrines and remain viable for many years. Transmission of B. procyonis is sensitive to changes in land-use, and fragmented habitats increase contact rates between raccoons, potential paratenic hosts, and the parasite. Raccoons, and subsequently B. procyonis, have been introduced to Europe and Japan, where naive vertebrates may be exposed to the parasite. Finally, domestic animals and exotic pets can carry patent infections with B. procyonis, thus increasing environmental contamination beyond raccoon latrines, and expanding the area of risk to potential paratenic hosts. This parasite can potentially contribute to extinctions of vulnerable species, as exemplified by the case of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister), a species that has experienced local declines and extinctions that are linked to B. procyonis. Conservation strategies for vulnerable species should consider the transmission ecology of parasitic pathogens, like B. procyonis.
Copyright terms in online creative communities

A key usability problem for websites is the complexity of their terms and conditions. Within the HCI community, attention to this issue to date has primarily focused on privacy policies. We begin to build on this work, extending it to copyright terms. With so many people posting everything from status updates to digital art online, intellectual property rights are increasingly important to the end user. We conducted a content analysis of 30 different websites where users can share creative work, focusing on the licenses and usage rights that users grant to those websites. Due to difficult readability, legalese, and a lack of plain language explanations, it is likely that users may not know what rights they are granting. Next steps include a user survey to determine whether this is the case, and further exploration of the impact on usability.
Mediator interactions in macrophage/particulate bone resorption

The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanism by which mediators released from macrophages exposed to cement particles may interact with cells in bone to ultimately lead to bone resorption. Macrophages were exposed to cement particles, and then this conditioned medium was exposed to rat calvarial bones in vitro. The macrophage conditioned medium contained increased levels of tumor necrosis factor, but not interleukin 1 or prostaglandin E2. Exposure of this medium to the calvaria led to release of prostaglandin E2 by the calvaria, but not tumor necrosis factor or interleukin 1. Bone resorption was assessed by measuring the release of calcium 45 from the newborn rat calvarial bones. At 48, 72, and 96 h of incubation, the macrophage/cement particle-conditioned medium led to the release of both prostaglandin E2 and calcium 45 from the calvaria. To determine whether the release of calcium 45 was dependent on prostaglandin E2 production by the cells in bone, the calvaria were incubated with 600 ng/ml of indomethancin in addition to the macrophage-conditioned medium. The addition of indomethacin was effective in inhibiting both prostaglandin E2 and calcium 45 release from the calvaria, even after 96 h of exposure to the macrophage-conditioned medium. This study suggests that tumor necrosis factor produced in association with macrophage/cement particle osteolysis arises from macrophages and not cells in bone, and that prostaglandin E2 originates from cells in bone and not from macrophages. Interleukin 1 was not found to be produced by macrophages or bone, and appears to have a lesser role. This study also suggests that the production of prostaglandin E2 by cells in bone plays an important role in the bone resorption which accompanies aseptic loosening. Macrophage exposure to bone-cement particles leads to the release of mediators which stimulates bone resorption, at least in part, through a prostaglandin E2-dependent mechanism. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
NET ACCUMULATION OF TIMBER RESOURCES

National accounting issues related to forest resources have attracted much attention recently. The net-depletion method, the most popular method for estimating aggregate changes in the value of timber stocks, tends to overstate both the depreciation of mature forests due to harvests and the appreciation of immature forests due to growth. Alternative, correct methods, which I term the net-price and El Serafy variations, can be derived from an asset valuation model that takes forest age into account. An empirical example indicates that estimates from the net-depletion method can deviate from actual values by up to 40 percent for some age classes.
Cultural alliance: opening spaces for Latino ethos in early teaching

Problems continue to pervade the educational experiences of many minority students, especially Latinos. Through a sociocultural framework, this ethnographic study closely examines the experiences of a Puerto Rican family at home and in an English‐dominant school. The study focuses on the school experiences of the family’s kindergarten son. The analysis reveals ways this family can broaden Eurocentric world views. Early educators will realise the extent to which they alter a child’s cultural identity, thus empowering or disempowering them as an individual. Implications for early childhood education include valuing funds of knowledge, code‐switching, and challenging assumptions.
Science, politics, and radiation.

When a question involves radiation, science and politics meet. This has been true for some time in the United States and Europe, but activism is on the rise in other parts of the world as well. Now, intense debate about the siting of a low-level radioactive waste disposal site in Malaysia may force the closure of the Asian Rare Earth Company (ARE), which operates a plant that extracts rare earths from monazite sand, a residue of tin mining. A trial now under way in the high court of Ipoh has involved radiation experts and activists from all over the world, representing both (or all) sides of the nuclear issue. The ARE started operation in May 1982 as a joint venture between the Malaysians and the Japanese. The rare earths are shipped to Japan and eventually yield yttrium and other rareearth elements used in making televisions, computers, and steel. One of
Retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst masquerading clinically and radiologically as a phaeochromocytoma

Bronchogenic cysts are relatively rare congenital anomalies that represent malformations of the embryonic foregut and are morphologically expressed as maldevelopments of the respiratory system. Anatomically, they can be positioned at any location along the central axis of the respiratory system, but are more commonly discovered in the thorax. Infradiaphragmatic bronchogenic cysts are rare and retroperitoneal ones distinctly unusual. We report a retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst clinically masquerading as a phaeochromocytoma.
Photon- and electron-impact ionization and ejected-electron angular distributions from molecules including retardation effects: Nonrelativistic theory

The nonrelativistic first-Born-approximation matrix element for the photoionization and electron impact of a single electron from a molecule with no restriction on its shape, including retardation effects and with rotational energy resolution, is evaluated within the framework of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Angular distributions of ejected electrons are cylindrically symmetric about the propagation direction of the photon or electron source if the light is circularly polarized or if no attempt is made to simultaneously measure the scattered and ejected electrons in electron-impact ionization. If plane polarized light is used, retardation effects destroy the cylindrical symmetry about the light propagation direction. If the scattered electron in electron-impact ionization is detected in coincidence with the ejected electron then the angular distribution of ejected electrons shows cylindrical symmetry about the momentum-transfer direction. Use of an LCAO-MO (linear combination of atomic orbitals representation of molecular orbitals) basis for both bound and continuum one-electron orbitals leads to selection and propensity rules for rotational excitation.
How to select stimuli for environmental sound research and where to find them.

A major methodological challenge in environmental sound research is to select appropriate stimuli. When an experiment involves a large number of sound sources, making custom recordings or producing sounds live is frequently impractical or, for certain sounds, impossible. Existing databases of environmental sound recordings provide a researcher with a useful alternative. However, finding and selecting suitable sounds in such databases can be difficult because of the great variety of sounds present, poor documentation, questionable recording quality, and required purchasing costs. This article describes a number of practical issues to consider during the stimulus selection process, offers a preliminary compilation of existing resources for obtaining environmental sound recordings, provides some normative perceptual data that can be used as a reference for selecting stimuli and evaluating performance, and lists required characteristics and structural aspects of a research-oriented environmental sound database.
Automated flexible robotic circuit board assembler

The FLAIR (flexible assembly intelligent robot) workcell loads both through-hole and surface-mount odd-shaped components onto printed circuit boards. The workcell is completely data-driven, handles diverse boards in arbitrary batch sizes, and uses computer vision to examine components and boards. It incorporates sensor-based error detection and recovery, generic parts feeders, general-purpose lead straightening, and lead clinching. Cameras and robot are calibrated automatically. Although constituting a significant advance in functionality, the workcell requires trained engineering support. >
Familism Values as a Protective Factor for Mexican-Origin Adolescents Exposed to Deviant Peers

This study examined interactive relations between adolescent, maternal and paternal familism values and deviant peer affiliations in predicting adolescent externalizing problems within low-income, Mexican-origin families (N = 598). Adolescent, maternal and paternal familism values interacted protectively with deviant peer affiliations to predict lower levels of externalizing problems according to two independent teacher reports. These relations were not found with parent reports of adolescent externalizing problems although these models showed a direct, protective effect of maternal familism values. Consistent with the view that traditional cultural values are protective for Latino adolescents, these results suggest that supporting familism values among Mexican-origin groups is a useful avenue for improving adolescent conduct problems, particularly in a school context.
Multifunctional and Low-Density Inorganic Nanocomposites

We summarize our recent studies on the use of low-density nanoporous silica structures prepared through templating of a self-assembling disordered liquid-crystalline L 3 phase, as a matrix for use in numerous applications, including sensing, optical data storage, drug release, and structural. The silica matrix exhibits low density (0.5 g cm−3 to 0.8 g cm−3 for monoliths, 0.6 g cm−3 to 0.99 g cm−3 for fibers) coupled with high surface areas (up 1400 m2 g−1) and void volumes (65% or higher). High-surface-area coatings are used to increase the sensitivity of mass-detecting quartz crystal microbalances to over 4000 times that of uncoated crystals. Monoliths, films, and fibers are produced using the templated silica gel. Once dried and converted to silica, the nanostructured material exhibits high fracture strength (up to 35 MPa in fibers) and Young’s modulus (30 GPa to 40 GPa in fibers). These values are, respectively, two orders of magnitude and twice those of nanostructured silicas having comparable densities.
Johns Hopkins APL paradigm in smallsat management

Abstract The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has designed, built, flown, and operated 57 satellites over the past 40 years, utilizing the methodology currently captured by the phrase “better, faster, smaller, cheaper” for all but one of these missions. In so doing, a management culture evolved that resulted in successful meeting of technical requirements within short schedules, often below originally estimated costs. The basic guidelines used in this approach are presented and illustrated with examples from recent or ongoing programs. The practical implementation of these guidelines varies from one program to another. A case in point is the recent trend to minimize mission operations costs. A good example of innovative architecture is the one employed on TIMED. It combines a Global Positioning System (GPS)-linked transponder, to enable time, velocity, and position for data tagging and autonomous orbit determination and propagation, with a ground system that enables separate operation of instruments from any of the spacecraft subsystems.
Determinants of Graduation Rate of Public Alternative Schools

In this study we investigated determinants of the graduation rate of public alternative schools by analyzing the most recent, nationally representative data from Schools and Staffing Survey 2007-20...
Dna sequence and conformation specificity of lupus autoantibodies. preferential binding to the left-handed z-dna form of synthetic polynucleotides

The binding specificity of 16 sera from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients was studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using 4 native DNAs of different guanine-cytosine (G-C) content and a group of synthetic polynucleotides. All the SLE sera showed increased binding to poly(dA-dC).poly(dG-dT), compared with calf thymus DNA in the right-handed B conformation. No significant differences were noted in binding of selected SLE sera to the native DNAs that differed in G-C content or superhelicity of DNA. With poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) and poly(dG-m5dC).poly(dG-m5dC), the majority of SLE sera showed a preferential binding to the salt-induced Z form, compared with the B form. In addition, an average twelve-fold increase was found in binding to Z-form brominated poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) compared with B-form poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC), when the polymers were coated on the plates in 0.15M NaCl. The preferential binding of SLE sera to poly(dA-dC).poly(dG-dT) and to Z-DNA may be important in the formation of circulating immune complexes and subsequent vascular damage, or may provide a clue to the mechanism of production of anti-DNA antibodies in this disease.
Photoinactivation of Latent Herpes Simplex Virus in Rabbit Kidney Cells

The photoinactivation of actively and nonactively growing herpes simplex virus by neutral red and proflavine was studied in rabbit kidney cells. Active virus growth was inhibited by both dyes under conditions which did not destroy the cells. Neutral red caused a much greater inhibition than proflavine. Neutral red also caused a reduction in the reactivation rate of latent virus when the infected cells were treated during the latent period. In the treated cultures that did reactivate virus, the average length of the latent period was increased over the control value. Proflavine treatment did not reduce the rate of reactivation of latent virus and did not increase the average latent period of the treated cultures.
Using EPIC's Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model to Support Process Improvement at Texas Instruments Incorporated

This paper describes the use of EPIC's Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SE-CMM) within the Systems Group (SG) of Texas Instruments Incorporated. TI's SG has used the SE-CMM in several ways, some of which have had more utility than others. The utility of each of these uses is discussed in the context of the model's intended use. Additionally, a brief description of the new SE-CMM Version 1.1 is provided.
Role of the transverse-axial tubule system in generating calcium sparks and calcium transients in rat atrial myocytes

Cardiac atrial cells lack a regular system of transverse tubules like that in cardiac ventricular cells. Nevertheless, many atrial cells do possess an irregular internal transverse-axial tubular system (TATS). To investigate the possible role of the TATS in excitation-contraction coupling in atrial myocytes, we visualized the TATS (labelled with the fluorescent indicator, Di-8-ANEPPS) simultaneously with Ca2+ transients and/or Ca2+ sparks (fluo-4). In confocal transverse linescan images of field-stimulated cells, whole-cell Ca2+ transients had two morphologies: ‘U-shaped’ transients and irregular or ‘W-shaped’ transients with a varying number of points of origin of the Ca2+ transient. About half (54 %, n=289 cells, 13 animals) of the cells had a TATS. Cells with TATS had a larger mean diameter (13.2 ± 2.8 μm) than cells without TATS (11.7 ± 2.0 μm) and were more common in the left atrium (n= 206 cells; left atrium: 76 with TATS, 30 without TATS; right atrium: 42 with TATS, 58 without TATS). Simultaneous measurement of Ca2+ sparks and sarcolemmal structures showed that cells without TATS had U-shaped transients that started at the cell periphery, and cells with TATS had W-shaped transients that began simultaneously at the cell periphery and the TATS. Most (82 out of 102 from 31 cells) ‘spontaneous’ (non-depolarized) Ca2+ sparks occurred within 1 μm of a sarcolemmal structure (cell periphery or TATS), and 33 % occurred within 1 pixel (0.125 μm). We conclude that the presence of a sarcolemmal membrane either at the cell periphery or in the TATS in close apposition to the sarcoplasmic reticulum is required for the initiation of an evoked Ca2+ transient and for spontaneous Ca2+ sparks.
The problem with threads

For concurrent programming to become mainstream, we must discard threads as a programming model. Nondeterminism should be judiciously and carefully introduced where needed, and it should be explicit in programs. In general-purpose software engineering practice, we have reached a point where one approach to concurrent programming dominates all others namely, threads, sequential processes that share memory. They represent a key concurrency model supported by modern computers, programming languages, and operating systems. In scientific computing, where performance requirements have long demanded concurrent programming, data-parallel language extensions and message-passing libraries such as PVM, MPI, and OpenMP dominate over threads for concurrent programming. Computer architectures intended for scientific computing often differ significantly from so-called general-purpose architectures.
Contemporary outcomes after distal vertebral reconstruction.

Introduction Flow-limiting lesions or embolic phenomena can produce vertebrobasilar ischemia. This study aims to differentiate the pathophysiology of vertebral ischemia and examine contemporary outcomes after distal vertebral reconstruction. Methods Between February 2005 and November 2011, 41 consecutive distal vertebral artery (VA) reconstructions were performed in 34 patients, including bypass to the third portion of the VA (V3) at the C1-2 level (n = 24) or the C0-1 level (n = 7); transposition of the external carotid artery or its occipital branch onto V3 (n = 6); transposition of V3 onto the internal carotid artery (n = 3); and bypass from the ipsilateral subclavian artery to V3 (n = 1). Six patients required a concomitant carotid intervention, and nine patients required a partial resection of the C1 transverse process. Symptoms, present in 91% of patients, were attributed to a flow-limiting lesion in 16 (52%), to embolization in nine (29%), and to a mixed etiology in six (19%). Results Intraoperatively, five patients required graft revision or conversion of a transposition to a bypass, and two patients required vertebral ligation. Median blood loss was 260 mL. Median hospital length of stay was 1 day. Postoperatively, one patient (2%) required re-exploration for bleeding, a stroke occurred in one patient (2%), and cranial nerve injury occurred in three patients (7%). There were no perioperative deaths. Survival analysis showed that primary patency at 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively, was 74%, 74%, and 54%. Secondary patency was 80% at 1 year and remained so through the end of follow-up at 80 months. A statistically significant difference in patency was noted favoring arterial transposition over vertebral bypass of 100%, 100%, and 83% at 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively, vs 65%, 65%, and 39% ( P = .018). Considering successful redo bypass grafting for late failure, 97% of patients demonstrated preserved patency at their last follow-up. There were two late deaths of unknown etiology and no late strokes. Conclusions Distal VA reconstruction for flow-limiting or embolic lesions provides excellent stroke protection and symptomatic relief with acceptable perioperative risk in selected patients.
Brain size varies with temperature in vertebrates.

The tremendous variation in brain size among vertebrates has long been thought to be related to differences in species’ metabolic rates. It is thought that species with higher metabolic rates can supply more energy to support the relatively high cost of brain tissue. And yet, while body temperature is known to be a major determinant of metabolic rate, the possible effects of temperature on brain size have scarcely been explored. Thus, here we explore the effects of temperature on brain size among diverse vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). We find that, after controlling for body size, brain size increases exponentially with temperature in much the same way as metabolic rate. These results suggest that temperature-dependent changes in aerobic capacity, which have long been known to affect physical performance, similarly affect brain size. The observed temperature-dependence of brain size may explain observed gradients in brain size among both ectotherms and endotherms across broad spatial and temporal scales.
On the Phase-Type Approximations of General Distributions

Abstract In this paper the approximation of general distributions, with known squared coefficient of variation, by phase-type distributions using the first three moments is studied. The phase-type distributions presented in this paper can be fitted to observed data sets and also can be used to approximate general distributions to be used in analytical models as well as in simulation. Formulas for the approximating distributions are presented and examples are given to show the approximations.
C-Linker of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels controls coupling of ligand binding to channel gating.

Cyclic nucleotide–gated channels are composed of a core transmembrane domain, structurally homologous to the voltage-gated K + channels, and a cytoplasmic ligand-binding domain. These two modules are joined by ∼90 conserved amino acids, the C-linker, whose precise role in the mechanism of channel activation by cyclic nucleotides is poorly understood. We examined cyclic nucleotide–gated channels from bovine photoreceptors and Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons that show marked differences in cyclic nucleotide efficacy and sensitivity. By constructing chimeras from these two channels, we identified a region of 30 amino acids in the C-linker (the L2 region) as an important determinant of activation properties. An increase in both the efficacy of gating and apparent affinity for cGMP and cAMP can be conferred onto the photoreceptor channel by the replacement of its L2 region with that of the C. elegans channel. Three residues within this region largely account for this effect. Despite the profound effect of the C-linker region on ligand gating, the identity of the C-linker does not affect the spontaneous, ligand-independent open probability. Based on a cyclic allosteric model of activation, we propose that the C-linker couples the opening reaction in the transmembrane core region to the enhancement of the affinity of the open channel for agonist, which underlies ligand gating.
Ganglioneuromas in the Adrenal Medulla of F344 Rats

Of 60,048 aging F344 rats, 28 had ganglioneuromas of the adrenal gland. The rats were between 58 and 122 weeks old; 25 of them between 93 and 122 weeks when the tumors were found. The neoplasms were composed of large or small typical ganglion cells with a large pale nucleus and a prominent, often eccentric, nucleolus. The ganglion cells usually were distributed throughout the medullary tumor and surrounded by various numbers of supporting cells, including Schwann's cell types, and capsular or satellite cells. Often there was no clear-cut border between ganglion cells and neoplastic pheochromocytes. Electron microscopy of re-embedded tissues showed neurosecretory granules and cytoplasmic areas with an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum (Nissl substance) in the ganglion cells and axons. The Schwann's cells were surrounded by a basement membrane and formed long cytoplasmic extensions around the axons. Almost all ganglioneuromas were associated with neoplastic pheochromocytes which usually were located at the edge of the tumors.
Role of IGF-1 pathway in lung fibroblast activation

IGF-1 is elevated in pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung injury, where fibroblast activation is a prominent feature. We previously demonstrated that blockade of IGF pathway in murine model of lung fibrosis improved outcome and decreased fibrosis. We now expand that study to examine effects of IGF pathway on lung fibroblast behaviors that could contribute to fibrosis. We first examined mice that express αSMA promoter upstream of GFP reporter treated with A12, a blocking antibody to IGF-1 receptor, after bleomycin induced lung injury. We then examined the effect of IGF-1 alone, or in combination with the pro-fibrotic cytokine TGFβ on expression of markers of myofibroblast activation in vitro, including αSMA, collagen α1, type 1, collagen α1, type III, and TGFβ expression. After bleomycin injury, we found decreased number of αSMA-GFP + cells in A12 treated mice, validated by αSMA immunofluorescent staining. We found that IGF-1, alone or in combination with TGF-β, did not affect αSMA RNA expression, promoter activity, or protein levels when fibroblasts were cultured on stiff substrate. IGF-1 stimulated Col1a1 and Col3a1 expression on stiff substrate. In contrast, IGF-1 treatment on soft substrate resulted in upregulation of αSMA gene and protein expression, as well as Col1a1 and Col3a1 transcripts. In conclusion, IGF-1 stimulates differentiation of fibroblasts into a myofibroblast phenotype in a soft matrix environment and has a modest effect on αSMA stress fiber organization in mouse lung fibroblasts.
Evaluation and Modeling of Repeated Load Test Data of Asphalt Concrete for Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design

The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) made available by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program in 2004 uses a power model that incorporates dynamic modulus (DM) as a factor in predicting rutting performance of asphalt concrete. The rutting model is empirical and the rutting profiles obtained from the model are based largely on the adjustment of calibration constants, not the DM. Various DM values would be capable of producing similar rutting profiles based on the current model. This study evaluates using accumulated strain data obtained from the Repeated Load Test (RLT) as an alternative to using DM. In addition, a model to represent the accumulated strain data obtained from the RLT is developed. The accuracy and behavior of the current model and the model developed in this study in representing a mix from Louisiana are compared. Alternatives for incorporating the RLT data into the MEPDG are also presented.
Protein homeostasis and aging in neurodegeneration

Genetic and environmental factors responsible for numerous neurodegenerative diseases vary between disorders, yet age remains a universal risk factor. Age-associated decline in protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, enables disease-linked proteins to adopt aberrant tertiary structures, accumulate as higher-ordered aggregates, and cause a myriad of cellular dysfunctions and neuronal death. However, recent findings suggest that the assembly of disease proteins into tightly ordered aggregates can significantly delay proteotoxic onset. Furthermore, manipulation of metabolic pathways through key signaling components extends lifespan, bolsters proteostasis networks, and delays the onset of proteotoxicity. Thus, understanding the relationship between proteostasis and aging has provided important insights into neurodegeneration.
A qualitative study of high‐reputation plant managers: Political skill and successful outcomes

There has been little systematic study of what plant managers actually do on a day-to-day basis that accounts for their success in achieving organizational outcomes. In our field interviews and observations of high-rep utation plant managers from 11 manufacturing plants, we found that effective political skill enabled them to influence subordinates in ways that contributed positively to organizational outcomes. Political skill is an in terpersonal style that combines social astuteness with the ability to relate well, and otherwise demonstrate situationally appropriate behavior in an engaging way that inspires confidence, trust, and genuiness [Ferris, G.R., Perrewe, P.L., Anthony, W.P., Gilmore, D.C., 2000. Political skill at work. Organizational Dynamics 28 (4), 25– 37]. We observed that effective plant managers possessed a configuration of dispositional traits (self-motiva tion, sense of humility, and affability), systematically employed interpersonal behaviors (creating accountability, leading by example, and developing trust), and focused on managerial processes (stretch goals, influencing and learning from below, and empowering direct reports). By juxtaposing the political skill and power literatures, we propose a theory of plant manager effectiveness as a combination of political skill and the use of unobtrusive and systemic power to achieve both affective and substantive outcomes.
Estimating the posterior probability that genome-wide association findings are true or false

Motivation: A limitation of current methods used to declare significance in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is that they do not provide clear information about the probability that GWAS findings are true of false. This lack of information increases the chance of false discoveries and may result in real effects being missed. Results: We propose a method to estimate the posterior probability that a marker has (no) effect given its test statistic value, also called the local false discovery rate (FDR), in the GWAS. A critical step involves the estimation the parameters of the distribution of the true alternative tests. For this, we derived and implemented the real maximum likelihood function, which turned out to provide us with significantly more accurate estimates than the widely used mixture model likelihood. Actual GWAS data are used to illustrate properties of the posterior probability estimates empirically. In addition to evaluating individual markers, a variety of applications are conceivable. For instance, posterior probability estimates can be used to control the FDR more precisely than Benjamini–Hochberg procedure. Availability: The codes are freely downloadable from the web site http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jbukszar. Contact: jbukszar@vcu.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Auditing, Earnings Management, and International Accounting Issues at the Securities and Exchange Commission

Some have referred to this as the “year of accounting” at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following Chairman Arthur Levitt’s speech, “The Numbers Game,” delivered at the NYU Center for Law and Business in September 1998.1 In that speech, Chairman Levitt called for a cultural change to protect the integrity of numbers in the financial reporting system. Chairman Levitt highlighted a nine-point action plan calling for rule changes by regulators and standard setters to improve the transparency of financial statements and enhance oversight of the financial reporting process by those entrusted as the shareholders’ guardians. The response to Chairman Levitt’s speech has been tremendous. Business leaders, academics, attorneys, analysts, financial executives, and Big 5 CEOs have all commended the Chairman for taking this bold initiative. In particular, Warren Buffett recently criticized executives who engage in various earnings management practices and endorsed Chairman Levitt’s efforts.2 We report on some of the efforts that are underway in the Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) and elsewhere to help achieve objectives laid out in Chairman Levitt’s speech. We also identify potential research projects that could help OCA carry out its responsibilities. Academic accountants have a competitive advantage addressing many of these issues
Reflection by defective diffusion bonds

The reflection of ultrasonic wave motion by planar defect distributions is investigated with a view towards developing a method for detecting and characterizing bond-plane defects and with an ultimate objective of providing information on the bond strength of metal-to-metal bonds. The authors are primarily concerned with an approximate approach to analyzing reflection by cavities and cracks distributed in a bond plane. The results show some of the characteristic features of reflection with variation of such parameters as angle of incidence, frequency, defect size, defect shape, and defect spacing. >
TCR gene usage in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis pathogenesis: Usage of multiple TCRBV genes in the H-2b strains

Experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) is an Ab-mediated autoimmune disease. The pathogenic auto-antibody production depends on the activation of CD4+ cells after their TCR interact with dominant T cell epitopes within acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in the context of the MHC class II molecule. In vitro analysis suggested that the TCRBV6 was the predominant TCR that recognized AChR and one of the dominant epitopes, alpha 146-162, in C57BL6 (B6, H-2b) mice. However, in vivo depletion of TCRBV6 cells in H-2b mice by anti-TCRBV6 mAb neither suppressed the in vitro immune response to AChR nor prevented development of EAMG. Moreover, B10.TCRc (H-2b) strain with a genomic deletion of TCRBV genes including TCRBV6, and B10.V beta 8.2 transgenic mice with a restricted TCRBV8S2 T cell repertoire, responded to AChR, alpha 146-162, and developed EAMG after immunizations with AChR/CFA. These data suggest that more than one TCRBV-bearing cell having the affinity for AChR-dominant peptides is involved in pathogenesis. Therefore, depletion of a single TCRBV (e.g., TCRBV6) with mAb may not be sufficient to completely suppress the response to AChR and development of EAMG. However, if a similar amino acid sequence in the TCR-VDJ (e.g., CDR3) region among different TCRBV gene(s) could be involved in recognizing the dominant AChR epitope(s), then motif-specific mAb reactive to the common motif within the VDJ region of different TCR could be used to eliminate the T cell clones involved in EAMG.