cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Angiotensin-II mediates nonmuscle myosin II activation and expression and contributes to human keloid disease progression.

Aberrant fibroblast migration in response to fibrogenic peptides plays a significant role in keloid pathogenesis. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is an octapeptide hormone recently implicated as a mediator of organ fibrosis and cutaneous repair. Ang II promotes cell migration but its role in keloid fibroblast phenotypic behavior has not been studied. We investigated Ang II signaling in keloid fibroblast behavior as a potential mechanism of disease. Primary human keloid fibroblasts were stimulated to migrate in the presence of Ang II and Ang II receptor 1 (AT1), Ang II receptor 2 (AT2) or nonmuscle myosin II (NMM II) antagonists. Keloid and the surrounding normal dermis were immunostained for NMM IIA, NMM IIB, AT2 and AT1, expression. Primary human keloid fibroblasts were stimulated to migrate with Ang II and the increased migration was inhibited by the AT1, antagonist EMD66684, but not the AT2 antagonist PD123319. Inhibition of the promigratory motor protein NMM II by addition of the specific NMM II antagonist blebbistatin inhibited Ang II-stimulated migration. Ang II stimulation of NMM II protein expression was prevented by AT1 blockade but not by AT2 antagonists. Immunostaining demonstrated increased NMM IIA, NMM IIB and AT1 expression in keloid fibroblasts compared with scant staining in normal surrounding dermis. AT2 immunostaining was absent in keloid and normal human dermal fibroblasts. These results indicate that Ang II mediates keloid fibroblast migration and possibly pathogenesis through AT1, activation and upregulation of NMM II.
Spectra of Two- and Three-Body van der Waals Complexes

Spectra of all interacting pairs, triples, … of molecules that are in excess of the simple sum of the spectra of the non-interacting, individual molecules are called interaction-induced spectra. These occur in absorption, emission and light scattering (Raman) spectra. If reliable intermolecular potential and induced dipole or polarizability surfaces are known, such spectra can be computed. Close agreement of computed spectra and laboratory measurement is then observed. When those surfaces are not available from the fundamental theory, reason-able empirical induced dipole surfaces can be obtained from labora-tory measurements so that reliable temperature interpolation (and even extrapolation) of such spectra for the applications is often possible. We review the existing cases of such spectra.
The CADASIL Syndrome and Other Genetic Causes of Stroke and Vascular Dementia

Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of stroke and vascular dementia (VaD). Genetic influences are primarily polygenic, although several monogenic disorders causing stroke have recently been identified. The clearest example of a monogenic disorder causing small artery stroke and vascular dementia is the cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) syndrome. CADASIL is a useful model for studying the pathogenesis of small artery disease and the correlation between imaging changes and the evolution of clinical symptoms in VaD. CADASIL is a nonatherosclerotic, nonamyloid angiopathy caused by mutations in the Notch-3 gene on chromosome 19. Affected individuals develop subcortical strokes, cognitive deficits, migraines with aura, mood disorders, pseudobulbar palsy, and physical disability in their 50s and 60s (1). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals large areas of leukoencephalopathy and multiple subcortical lacunar infarctions. More than 500 families have been identified worldwide (2), but the disease is underdiagnosed and its prevalence is unknown. The first transgenic model expressing a notch3 mutation has been developed and considerable progress has been made in understanding the physiology of notch3 signaling and the sequence of arterial degeneration in CADASIL. This chapter concludes with a review of the recent advances in identifying gene candidates of other monogenic and polygenic disorders associated with stroke.
To pump or not to pump when proving non-regularity

The pumping lemma is straightforward to prove and is usually presented in introductory theory classes as the first or even the primary approach for proving non-regularity. However, using the pumping lemma to prove non-regularity is a task that many beginning students of computing theory find daunting, as the task requires a level of sophistication in mathematics that many students in introductory theory classes may not have attained yet. Moreover, a connection between a pumping lemma-based non-regularity proof and the claim that no finite state machine recognizes the language under consideration is usually indirect and unintuitive to see. An alternative is to use the Myhill-Nerode theorem. Since only a result of the Myhill-Nerode theorem is necessary for proving non-regularity, we derive a result of the theorem as a standalone lemma appropriate for use in proofs of non-regularity, in the hope that this standalone lemma would be a viable alternative to the pumping lemma in introductory theory classes. This standalone lemma is called the minimum state lemma in this paper. Like the pumping lemma, the minimum state lemma is simple to prove. However, in contrast to the pumping lemma, the minimum state lemma appears conceptually simpler to use for proving non-regularity, and there is an intuitive and obvious connection between a minimum state lemma-based non-regularity proof and the claim that no finite state machine recognizes the language under consideration.
Abstract 122: Deletion of Gstm1 Results in Poor Survival and Exaggerated Kidney Injury Associated With Increased Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in a Mouse Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

In humans, a common deletion variant of the GSTM1 gene, the GSTM1(0) null allele, results in decreased GSTM1 enzymatic activity and is associated with higher levels of oxidative stress. We reported...
LIGHTAWE—case studies of LIGHT spreAd in poWder materials: a montE carlo simulation tool for research and educational purposes

In this paper, the LIGHTAWE Monte Carlo simulation tool is introduced and presented. LIGHTAWE has been developed to provide case studies of light spread in powder materials for both research and educational purposes. The algorithms of LIGHTAWE are based on Mie scattering theory and Henyey–Greenstein distribution. LIGHTAWE simulates the light ray interactions and encounters the overall optical diffusion, transmission and reflection (amount and distribution) of granular structured layers. Two main options are included: (a) fixed light point sources within the layer (concerning optical diffusion for any structure of spherical particles embedded within a surrounding medium) and (b) light distribution of 62 specific powder phosphor materials under X-ray penetration. The above options make LIGHTAWE an available and useful tool for a variety of scientific fields and applications. The capability to alter a set of parameters and perform a countless number of probable and comparable simulations, can insight and further enlighten the research of light spread performance. Based on the Monte Carlo methodology, LIGHTAWE can overcome cumbersome analytical modelling, and can take advantage of computer science to perform experiments that would be otherwise impossible (i.e., the capability to design, evaluate and optimize “virtual” experimental set-ups of “zero cost” or with “low risk” actions) enhancing curiosity-driven future research. The manuscript demonstrates the physics, the treatment and the capabilities of LIGHTAWE as well as the corresponding advantages, disadvantages, benefits and limitations. Finally, a simulation example is presented in the Appendix section.
Do menopausal status and APOE4 genotype alter the long-term effects of intensive lifestyle intervention on cognitive function in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Abstract In the Look AHEAD trial, randomization to Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) or Diabetes Support and Education (DSE) did not result in differences in cognitive outcomes. However, menopause and APOE genotype are factors that affect the response to this intervention. The effect of this intervention on a single cognitive assessment was examined in 3 groups of women: premenopausal or
Hurricane Risk Assessment of Petroleum Infrastructure in a Changing Climate

Hurricanes threaten the petroleum industry in the United States and are expected to be influenced by climate change. This study presents an integrated framework for hurricane risk assessment of petroleum infrastructure under changing climatic conditions, calculating risk in terms of monetary loss. Variants of two synthetic probabilistic storms and one historical storm (Hurricane Ike) are simulated using the SWAN+ADCIRC model, representing a range of potential scenarios of impacts of a changing climate on hurricane forward speed and sea-level rise given uncertainties in climate projections. Model outputs inform an infrastructure impact and cascading economic loss analysis that incorporates various sources of uncertainty to estimate five types of losses sustained by petroleum facilities in surge events: land value loss, process-unit damage loss, cost of spill clean-up and repair of aboveground storage tanks, productivity loss, and civil fines. The proposed risk assessment framework is applied as a case study to seven refineries along the Houston Ship Channel (HSC), a densely-industrialized corridor in Texas. The results reveal that either an increase in mean sea level or a decrease in storm forward speed increases the maximum water elevations in the HSC for storms that produce maximum wind setup in Galveston Bay (FEMA 33 and FEMA 36), resulting in larger economic loss estimates. The role of refinery features such as storage capacity and average elevation of the refinery and its critical equipment in the refinery response to hurricane hazards is studied, and the probability distribution of refinery total loss and the loss risk profile in different hurricane scenarios are discussed. Loss estimates are presented, demonstrating the effects of hurricane forward speed and sea level on the losses for the refineries as well as the HSC. Such a framework can enable hurricane risk assessment and loss estimation for petroleum infrastructure to inform future policies and risk mitigation strategies. Potential policy implications for a region like the HSC are highlighted herein as an illustration.
Strong Generalization and Efficiency in Neural Programs

We study the problem of learning efficient algorithms that strongly generalize in the framework of neural program induction. By carefully designing the input / output interfaces of the neural model and through imitation, we are able to learn models that produce correct results for arbitrary input sizes, achieving strong generalization. Moreover, by using reinforcement learning, we optimize for program efficiency metrics, and discover new algorithms that surpass the teacher used in imitation. With this, our approach can learn to outperform custom-written solutions for a variety of problems, as we tested it on sorting, searching in ordered lists and the NP-complete 0/1 knapsack problem, which sets a notable milestone in the field of Neural Program Induction. As highlights, our learned model can perform sorting perfectly on any input data size we tested on, with $O(n log n)$ complexity, whilst outperforming hand-coded algorithms, including quick sort, in number of operations even for list sizes far beyond those seen during training.
Closed Form Models to Assess Railroad Technology Investments

Class I railroads in North America collectively invested USUS$11.2 billion to comply with a U.S. federal mandate to deploy positive train control as a form of train protection system. This amount d...
Measuring Transit Signal Recovery in the Kepler Pipeline II: Detection Efficiency as Calculated in One Year of Data

The Kepler planet sample can only be used to reconstruct the underlying planet occurrence rate if the detection efficiency of the Kepler pipeline is known; here we present the results of a second experiment aimed at characterizing this detection efficiency. We inject simulated transiting planet signals into the pixel data of ~10,000 targets, spanning one year of observations, and process the pixels as normal. We compare the set of detections made by the pipeline with the expectation from the set of simulated planets, and construct a sensitivity curve of signal recovery as a function of the signal-to-noise of the simulated transit signal train. The sensitivity curve does not meet the hypothetical maximum detection efficiency; however, it is not as pessimistic as some of the published estimates of the detection efficiency. For the FGK stars in our sample, the sensitivity curve is well fit by a gamma function with the coefficients a = 4.35 and b = 1.05. We also find that the pipeline algorithms recover the depths and periods of the injected signals with very high fidelity, especially for periods longer than 10 days. We perform a simplified occurrence rate calculation using the measured detection efficiency compared to previous assumptions of the detection efficiency found in the literature to demonstrate the systematic error introduced into the resulting occurrence rates. The discrepancies in the calculated occurrence rates may go some way toward reconciling some of the inconsistencies found in the literature.
Pediatric bleeding disorders

Abstract Diseases that result in an increased risk of excessive bleeding or altered hemostasis are commonly seen during childhood. These range from common inherited conditions such as von Willebrand disease (vWD) to acquired diseases such as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, the most common cause of severe thrombocytopenia in children. Because these diseases pose significant morbidity and mortality, laboratory evaluation for the diagnosis and management of these diseases is often critically important. This chapter will describe the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and laboratory evaluation of these diseases after a brief discussion of normal hemostasis and the developmental changes in children. Management will be described only briefly, and the reader is encouraged to refer to current guidelines and publications for more details.
Dynamic driving and routing games for autonomous vehicles on networks: A mean field game approach

Abstract This paper aims to answer the research question as to optimal design of decision-making processes for autonomous vehicles (AVs), including dynamical selection of driving velocity and route choices on a transportation network. Dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) has been widely used to model travelers’ route choice or/and departure-time choice and predict dynamic traffic flow evolution in the short term. However, the existing DTA models do not explicitly describe one’s selection of driving velocity on a road link. Driving velocity choice may not be crucial for modeling the movement of human drivers but it is a must-have control to maneuver AVs. In this paper, we aim to develop a game-theoretic model to solve for AVs’ optimal driving strategies of velocity control in the interior of a road link and route choice at a junction node. To this end, we will first reinterpret the DTA problem as an N-car differential game and show that this game can be tackled with a general mean field game-theoretic framework. The developed mean field game is challenging to solve because of the forward and backward structure for velocity control and the complementarity conditions for route choice. An efficient algorithm is developed to address these challenges. The model and the algorithm are illustrated on the Braess network and the OW network with a single destination. On the Braess network, we first compare the LWR based DTA model with the proposed game and find that the driving and routing control navigates AVs with overall lower costs. We then compare the total travel cost without and with the middle link and find that the Braess paradox may still arise under certain conditions. We also test our proposed model and solution algorithm on the OW network.
Running with United States v. Totaro: Should Divorce Law Preserve Innocent Non-owner Spouses' Rights in Property Subject to Criminal Forfeiture?

In United States v. Totaro, the Eighth Circuit called for an application of New York divorce law in dividing between the government's interest and that of the innocent Adrienne Totaro in property subjected to forfeiture by her husband's RICO offenses. Adrienne owned legal title to a portion of the property. But shouldn't the law also protect innocent spouses who do not hold title? By requiring judges to give weight to the marital contributions of the homemaker spouse and not just the breadwinner, equitable distribution and community property regimes in most states address the hardship historically imposed on women by division of property according to title. This worthy policy objective should also find expression in federal criminal forfeiture law. This paper examines the merits and difficulties of the analogy at which the Totaro court only hinted: putting the government in the defendant’s shoes and treating the RICO conviction as a divorce, upon which the court must divide any forfeit portion of the marital estate between the government and its "former spouse."
Insights Into Systemic Sclerosis from Gene Expression Profiling

The emergence of genomic data science stands poised to revolutionize our molecular understanding of the heterogeneity of complex diseases including systemic autoimmune diseases. In systemic sclerosis (SSc), bulk and single-cell transcriptomics have provided a new lens into the heterogeneity of this complex condition, both in terms of molecular heterogeneity, treatment response, and cell types important for the disease. Transcriptomics has revealed reproducible patterns of gene expression among SSc patients. These conserved patterns of gene expression provide insights into SSc etiology, and evidence suggests that these groups may have important implications for treatment decisions by targeting specific patients. Integration and analyses of publicly available data are providing new insights into the disease. Single-cell technologies are illuminating cell types that may be important in pathogenesis. The disease trajectory for SSc remains difficult to predict, but the interactions between adaptive and innate immune cells with tissue-resident stromal cells may play an important role. The heterogeneity in SSc can be broken down and quantified using molecular methods that range from bulk analysis to single cells. Further study of cellular and molecular dynamics in end-target tissues is likely to result in better disease management through personalized, data-driven treatment decisions.
Physiological management of dietary deficiency in n-3 fatty acids by spawning Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis)

Lipid dynamics of spawning fish are critical to the production of viable embryos and larvae. The present study utilized manipulation of dietary fatty acid (FA) profiles to examine the ability of spawning Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) to mobilize critical lipid components from somatic reserves or synthesize long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC-PUFAs) de novo from shorter-chain C18 precursors. An egg and multi-tissue evaluation of changes in FA concentrations across time after fish were switched from LC-PUFA-rich to LC-PUFA-deficient experimental diets was employed. The two experimental diets contained lipid sources which differed drastically in n-3 C18 FA content but had similar levels of n-6 C18 FAs. Discrete effects of dietary n-3 FAs can be analyzed because n-3 and n-6 represent distinct metabolic families which cannot be exchanged in vivo. Results indicate that a combination of mobilization and de novo synthesis is likely utilized to maintain physiologically required FA levels in critical tissues and embryos. Mobilization was supported by decreases in LC-PUFAs in somatic tissues and decreases in intraperitoneal fat content and liver mass. Evidence for biosynthesis was provided by a higher level of n-3 LC-PUFAs in the liver and ova of fish fed diets containing n-3 C18 precursors versus those fed diets with low levels of precursor FAs. The characteristic physiological plasticity of Gulf killifish is exemplified in the nutritional domain by its management of dietary FA deficiency.
The Accidental Postmodernists: A New Era of Skepticism in Environmental Policy

Environmental law and policy conflicts seem to have entered a new phase. The emergence of complex problems such as climate change and of complex technologies such as hydraulic fracturing and genetic modification have created new political and legal schisms that no longer break down predictably along "pro-environment" versus "pro-business" lines. Rather, a new era of skepticism seems to be taking hold in which antagonists spar over the epistemic legitimacy of certain claims made in support of a policy position. Environmental law and policy conflicts thus divide antagonists into two camps: self-styled positivists – scientists (physical, chemical, biological, and social) and environmental postmodernists, who seek to undermine the legitimacy of the positivists.Environmental postmodernists urge us to take a skeptical look at the claims of self-styled positivists, because they suspect their epistemic claims are part of an attempt to gerrymander environmental law. Some environmental postmodernists challenge the use of cost-benefit analysis, and others are climate skeptics, who contest the prevailing concern over global climate change. These new schisms produce strange bedfellows, but environmental postmodernists share a common objective of creating doubt and skepticism.I argue that environmental postmodernism can make a contribution: it can highlight dangerous policy situations in which a concentration of esoteric information can generate a power imbalance, and it can highlight the usefulness of transparency measures aimed only making information more publicly accessible and otherwise broadening process inputs. If this is the upshot of environmental postmodernism, it will have articulated a policy means of power diffusion, and therefore gone beyond the failures of Twentieth-century, post-structuralist postmodernism.
Human Evolution: The View From Saturn

The evolution of bipedalism is considered a critical step in human evolution. To discover how it occurred, and whether it could have occurred elsewhere in the universe, scientists must study the structure of their theories as well as fossils. In particular, they must determine whether such critical steps are a function of the “data” or of the (often unwitting) use of narrative for, it will be shown, scientists tend to make sense of the past by telling stories in which everything leads up to or away from being human.
Data Breaches Top the Agenda at RSA Conference

Data breaches remain a significant problem for any company that manages personally identifying information. In recent weeks, widely publicized data breaches have hit Lending Tree, Hannaford Brother’s grocery company, and the Bank of Ireland. Data breaches at Choice Point, TJX Companies, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have resulted in large, class-action lawsuits with claims for – or in some cases settlements in – the millions of dollars.At the April 2008, RSA Conference in San Francisco, a number of speakers addressed both technical and legal aspects of the data breach problem. The Conference, sponsored by data security company RSA, was attended by over 17,000 people and featured over 200 sessions on information security issues, including data security technology, strategies and compliance challenges, and legal and governmental issues. It was in this latter context that a number of speakers addressed the data breach challenge.
Groupware Goes to School

Groupware for cooperative work (CSCW) and for collaborative learning (CSCL) have many important commonalities as well as different requirements. By transforming a generic CSCW platform into an environment to support a particular vision of education as collaborative knowledge building, we saw how functionality had to be adopted, transformed and refined to meet the specific educational social setting. By "taking groupware to school," we discovered the need to extend the original system into a CSCL application that could facilitate collaborative learning, knowledge building, perspective intertwining, knowledge negotiation, portfolio sharing and knowledge artifacts in active, structured virtual learning places. In the paper, we describe the resulting system and reflect on issues of design and implementation that differentiate our CSCL approach from its closely related CSCW basis.
A controlled comparison of thermal biofeedback and relaxation training in the treatment of essential hypertension

Seventy-seven hypertensive patients, whose blood pressure [BP] on entry into the study was controlled on a regimen of two drugs (diuretic plus sympatholytic), participated in either progressive muscle relaxation or thermal biofeedback prior to attempting to discontinue the second stage drug. Although a discriminant function, containing 9 predictors, correctly classified 78% of short-term (6 weeks) successes and failures, no variables from standard psychological tests, several biochemical assays (plasma nor-epinephrine), or baseline home BPs entered the final equation. Overall, the value of prediction from the variables studied seems weak.
Circulating Tumor Cells After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage I-III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Background. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by a lack of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression and HER-2 gene amplification. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be identified in 25 % of nonmetastatic breast cancer patients, and the identification of C1 CTC predicts outcome. This study was designed to determine whether CTCs present after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) predicted worse outcome in nonmetastatic TNBC patients. Methods. CTCs were assessed in 57 TNBC patients with nonmetastatic TNBC after the completion of NACT. CTCs (per 7.5 ml blood) were identified using the Cell Search System (Janssen). Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis were applied to establish the association of CTCs with relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Results. Median follow-up was 30 months, and mean age was 53 years. Fifty-four patients (95 %) had [2-cm tumors, 42 (84 %) were nuclear grade 3, and 42 (74 %) had positive axillary lymph nodes. One or more CTC was identified in 30 % of patients. CTC presence was not associated with primary tumor size, high grade, or lymph node positivity. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that detection of C1 CTC predicted decreased RFS (log-rank P = 0.03, HR 5.25, 95 % CI 1.34–20.56) and OS (log-rank P = 0.03, HR 7.04, 95 % CI 1.26–39.35). Conclusions. One or more CTCs present after NACT predicted relapse and survival in nonmetastatic TNBC patients. This information would be helpful in future clinical trial design of adjuvant treatments for TNBC patients who are at risk for relapse after completing NACT.
An acoustic study of Georgian stop consonants

This study investigates the acoustic properties of ejective, voiced and voiceless aspirated stops in Georgian, a Caucasian language, and seeks to answer two questions: (i) Which acoustic features discriminate the three stop types? and (ii) Do Georgian stops undergo initial strengthening, and if so, is it syntagmatic or paradigmatic strengthening? Five female speakers were recorded reading words embedded in carrier phrases and stories. Acoustic measures include closure duration, voicing during the closure, voicing lag, relative burst intensity, spectral moment of bursts, phonation (H1-H2) and F0. Of these, voicing lag, voicing during the closure, mean burst frequency, H1-H2 and F0 could all be used to discriminate stop type, but stop types did not differ in closure duration or relative burst intensity. Georgian stops did show initial strengthening and showed only syntagmatic enhancement, not paradigmatic enhancement. Stops showed longer closure durations, longer voicing lags, and higher H1-H2 values in higher prosodic positions.
Hydroboration. 97. Synthesis of new exceptional chloroborane--Lewis base adducts for hydroboration. Dioxane--monochloroborane as a superior reagent for the selective hydroboration of terminal alkenes.

Several less volatile oxygen-containing Lewis bases, such as tert-butyl methyl ether, dioxane, anisole, ethyl acetate, β-chloroethyl ether, and monoglyme, were examined as prospective mono- and dichloroborane carriers. Dioxane, ethyl acetate, and β-chloroethyl ether form relatively stable boron trichloride adducts, but the boron trichloride adduct of monoglyme is not very stable and must be used immediately. On the other hand, tert-butyl methyl ether and anisole fail to form stable boron trichloride adducts and the corresponding ether-cleaved products are obtained. Among the selected oxygen-containing Lewis bases, only dioxane forms stable and reactive mono- and dichloroborane adducts. Monoglyme and β-chloroethyl ether give stable dichloroborane adducts requiring excess of diborane. Convenient methods for the preparation of mono- and dichloroborane adducts of dioxane from dioxane−BCl3 and NaBH4 in the presence of catalytic amounts of tri- or tetraglyme were developed. The dioxane−monochloroborane adduct h...
Mapping Functional Activity in Rodent Cortex Using Optical Intrinsic Signals

We have investigated the dynamic response of rodent posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF) cortex to mechanical whisker deflection, using optical intrinsic signal imaging. While electrophysiologic response in barrel cortex has been well studied, dynamic metabolic changes affecting activity-related perfusion or oxidative enzymes are not well understood. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized. Contralateral single and multiple vibrissae were deflected while images of somatosensory cortex were acquired with a charge-coupled-device camera. Intrinsic signals were observed over PMBSF as stimulus-related reflectance decreases (10(-3) of baseline) comprising two distinct spatiotemporal components. At 610 nm the first, diffuse, component begins 0.5-1 sec after stimulus onset, peaks at 2.5-3 sec, and returns to baseline by 4-5 sec. The second component is macrovascular, beginning at 1-1.5 sec, peaking at 3 sec, and dissipating by 5-6 sec. Similar patterns were observed at 550 nm and 850 nm. Signal size and location varied with the stimulus. Evoked potentials were found to have maximal amplitude in the region of maximal optical signals, diminishing toward the optical periphery. We have demonstrated PMBSF response to vibrissal deflection using optical reflectance methods. These intrinsic signals overlie regions of maximal electrophysiologic response, but commence, peak, and extinguish over a time scale of seconds from stimulus onset. They most likely indicate activity-related microvascular recruitment and chromophore redox changes.
Signal Transduction Pathways Mediating Parathyroid Hormone Stimulation of Bone Sialoprotein Gene Expression in Osteoblasts

Bone sialoprotein is a major noncollagenous protein of bone. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was shown to cause a 2-4-fold increase in the steady-state levels of bone sialoprotein mRNAs within primary cultures of embryonic osteoblasts. The induction could be mimicked by both forskolin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and was not inhibited by cycloheximide. Transient expression of a ∼1200-base pair avian 5′ bsp promoter/reporter construct demonstrated similar inductions as mRNA levels. Co-transfection of an expression plasmid encoding heat-stable inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, a peptide inhibitor of PKA, decreased both the basal and PTH-induced bsp transcription, while co-expression of the catalytic subunit of PKA-induced bsp expression 3-fold. Protein kinase C activation, on the other hand, did not appear to work through its activation of c-fos, since co-transfection of an expression clone for c-fos had no effect. Interestingly, heat-stable inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase also inhibited the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induction, suggesting that the protein kinase C acts through some form of interaction with the cAMP/PKA pathway. A half-cAMP response element site in the bsp promoter was identified as the cis-acting element that mediated the PTH response by the transient transfections with reporter constructs containing nested deletions of the promoter or a heterologous promoter containing the cAMP response element. In conclusion, these data indicate that PTH stimulation of bsp gene expression is specific to osteoblasts and mediated by changing cellular cAMP/PKA levels. They further suggest that although protein kinase C is capable of stimulating the gene by itself, it plays a minimal role in mediating the PTH induction of bone sialoprotein.
State dependent models of stock returns

Abstract We analyze the nonlinear time series properties of weekly stock returns using a state dependent model. The data exhibit little evidence of state dependency or even time dependency. They do, however, have some temporal movement in their autoregressive coefficients in the period 1962 through 1975 and fit linear autoregressive models from 1975 through 1987. We conclude that previous findings of nonlinearities in stock returns are not due to nonlinearities in the conditional mean process.
Risk factors for hypoglycemia-related hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes: a nested case-control study.

Abstract Background Hypoglycemia requiring hospitalization remains a serious and costly limitation to treatment of type 2 diabetes with antidiabetic medications. Objective We identified risk factors for hypoglycemia hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs). Methods In the 2004 to 2008 MarketScan database, we identified patients with type 2 diabetes taking OADs with >12 months of enrollment. We conducted a nested case–control study, selecting cases with an inpatient admission for hypoglycemia (first event). Using the index date of the cases, we conducted incidence density sampling to identify controls (10:1 matching) with continued eligibility during that month, further matching on date of cohort entry (±1 month). The final sample was 1339 cases and 13,390 controls. We assessed patterns of OAD availability (creating 3 groups: continuous, intermittent, and nonavailability), other medication availability, previous visits for hypoglycemia, complications of diabetes, and other comorbidities in the previous 180 days. A conditional logistic regression model identified predictors of hypoglycemia hospitalization. Results Mean (SD) age of cases was 56.4 (7.0) years compared with 54.6 (7.8) years in the controls. Overall, cases had more comorbidities than controls. In multivariable modeling, previous emergency department hypoglycemia visits (odds ratio [OR] = 9.48; 95% CI, 4.95–18.15) and previous outpatient hypoglycemia visits (OR = 7.88; 95% CI, 5.68–10.93) were strongly predictive of inpatient hypoglycemia admission. Continuous metformin availability had a 38% lower rate of inpatient hypoglycemia admission (OR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.53–0.73) and intermittent metformin availability a 24% lower rate (OR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64–0.92) than nonavailability of metformin. Relative to nonavailability, continuous (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.93–2.63) and intermittent sulfonylurea availability (OR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.90–2.74) had increased rates of hypoglycemia hospitalization. Intermittent thiazolidinedione availability had a slightly increased rate of hypoglycemia hospitalization (OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01–1.47). Continuous availability of thiazolidinediones and continuous or intermittent use of other OADs were not predictive of hypoglycemia admission. Conclusions Previous outpatient or emergency department visits for hypoglycemia and continuous or intermittent sulfonylurea availability were found to be predictive of costly inpatient hypoglycemia admissions. Although this observational study may not be generalizable to all patients with type 2 diabetes and assessed medication availability rather than actual consumption, previous outpatient visits and prescription for OADs should serve as points of intervention and patient education.
Possibilities for Migration Anthropology

Changing Identities: Vietnamese Americans 1975-1995. JAMES M. FREEMAN. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. ix. 141 pp., references. From the Workers' State to the Golden State: Jews from the Former Soviet Union in California. STEVEN J. GOLD. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. xix. 138 pp., references. New Pioneers in the Heartland: Hmong Life in Wisconsin. JO ANN KOLTYK. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. xiv. 146 pp., notes, photographs, references. From the Ganges to the Hudson: Indian Immigrants in New York City. JOHANNA LESSINIGER. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. 1995. xvi. 166 pp., references. Salvadorans in Suburbia: Symbiosis and Conflict. SARAH J. MAHLER. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. xxix. 137 pp., notes, references. An Invisible Minority: Brazilians in New York City. MAXINE L. MARGOLIS. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. xiii. 140 pp., notes, photographs, postscript, references. Changes and Conflicts: Korean Immigrant Families in New York. PYONG GAP MIN. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. + 133 pp., photographs, references. Visa for. Dream: Dominicans in the United Slates. PATRICIA R. PESSAR. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. xvi. 98 pp., notes, references. Pride against Prejudice: Haitians in the United States. ALEX STEPICK. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. + 134 pp., note, references. Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship: The New Chinese Immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. BERNARD WONG. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. viii. 120 pp., references.
A numerical procedure for calculating stress and deformation near a slit in a three-dimensional elastic-plastic solid

Deformation and stress calculation programs for three dimensional elastic plastic solids with slits
Characterization of a novel lipid-A from Rhizobium species Sin-1. A unique lipid-A structure that is devoid of phosphate and has a glycosyl backbone consisting of glucosamine and 2-aminogluconic acid

The structure of the lipid-A from Rhizobium species Sin-1, a nitrogen-fixing Gram-negative bacterial symbiont of Sesbania, was determined by composition, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic, and mass spectrometric analyses. The lipid-A preparation consisted of a mixture of structures due to differences in fatty acylation and in the glycosyl backbone. There were two different disaccharide backbones. One disaccharide consisted of a distal glucosaminosyl residue beta-linked to position 6 of a proximal 2-aminoglucono-1,5-lactonosyl residue, and in the second disaccharide, the proximal residue was 2-amino-2,3-dideoxy-d-erythro-hex-2-enono-1,5-lactone. For both disaccharides, the distal glucosamine was acylated at C-2' primarily with beta-hydroxypalmitate (beta-OHC16:0) which, in turn, was O-acylated with 27-hydroxyoctacosanoic acid. For some of the lipid-A molecules, the distal glucosaminosyl residue was also acylated at C-3' with beta-hydroxymyristate (beta-OHC14:0), whereas other molecules were devoid of this acyl substituent. Both the 2-aminoglucono-1,5-lactonosyl and 2-amino-2,3-dideoxy-d-erythro-hex-2-enono-1,5-lactonosyl residues were acylated at C-2, primarily with beta-OHC16:0. Minor amounts of lipid-A molecules contained beta-OHC14:0 at C-3 and/or beta-hydroxystearate (beta-OHC18:0) or beta-hydroxyoctadecenoate (beta-OHC18:1) as the C-2 and C-2' N-acyl substituents.
Neutralization theory and online software piracy: An empirical analysis

Accompanying the explosive growth of information technology is the increasing frequency of antisocial and criminal behavior on the Internet. Online software piracy is one such behavior, and this study approaches the phenomenon through the theoretical framework of neutralization theory. The suitability and applicability of nine techniques of neutralization in determining the act is tested via logistic regression analyses on cross-sectional data collected from a sample of university students in the United States. Generally speaking, neutralization was found to be weakly related to experience with online software piracy; other elements which appear more salient are suggested and discussed in conclusion.
Application of IL-2 therapy to target T regulatory cell function

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was originally discovered as a growth factor for activated T cells in vitro. IL-2 promotes CD8+ T cell growth and differentiation in vivo, but has little effect on CD4+ T cell function. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) express all three chains (CD25, CD122, and CD132) of the IL-2 receptor complex and are dependent on IL-2 for survival and function. Exogenous IL-2 can augment Treg cell numbers in vivo and may have therapeutic value in the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Complexes of IL-2 with different IL-2 antibodies can target delivery to cells expressing all three receptor chains (Treg cells and activated T effector cells) or to cells expressing just CD122 and CD132 (NK cells and memory phenotype CD8+ T cells).
Reducing the risk for distal forearm fracture: preserve bone mass, slow down, and don’t fall!

A case-control study of 1,150 female and male distal forearm cases and 2,331 controls of age 45 years and older was undertaken from 1996–2001 in five Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers. Most information on possible risk factors was obtained by an interviewer-administered questionnaire, supplemented by a few tests of lower extremity neurological function. Previous fractures since 45 years of age, a rough marker of osteoporosis, were associated with an increased risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval] =1.48 [1.20–1.84 ] per previous fracture). Several factors thought to protect against low bone mass were associated with a reduced risk, including current use of menopausal hormone therapy (adjusted OR = 0.60 [0.49–0.74]), ever used thiazide diuretics or water pills for at least 1 year (adjusted OR=0.79 [0.64–0.97]), high body mass index (weight in kg/height in m2) (adjusted OR=0.96 [0.89–1.04] per 5 unit increase), and high dietary calcium intake (adjusted OR=0.88 [0.75–1.03] per 500 mg/day). Falls in the past year and conditions associated with falling, such as epilepsy and/or use of seizure medication (adjusted OR=2.07 [1.35–3.17]) and a history of practitioner-diagnosed depression (adjusted OR=1.40 [1.13–1.73]), were associated with increased risks. Having difficulty performing physical functions and all lower-extremity problems measured in this study were associated with reduced risks. The results from this and other studies indicate that distal forearm fractures tend to occur in people with low bone mass who are otherwise in relatively good health and are physically active, but who are somewhat prone to falling (particularly on an outstretched hand), and whose movements are not slowed by lower extremity problems and other debilities. Thus, measures to decrease fall frequency and to slow down the pace of relatively healthy people with low bone mass should lead to a lower frequency of distal forearm fracture.
Fish community size structure of small lakes: the role of lake size, biodiversity and disturbance

Aquatic community body size distributions are highly predictable with decreasing abundance and increasing body size. This basic relationship has led to significant increases in our understanding of the internal regulation processes of aquatic communities. However, most of our understanding of the patterns of community size structure is derived from large aquatic systems with little known about the dynamics of small lakes. Processes that promote predictable, or deterministic, community size structure likely differ with levels of biodiversity and disturbance patterns, both of which frequently co-vary with ecosystem size. Here we examine the influence of lake size, fish species richness, and natural disturbance regime on fish community size structure in six small lakes (<200 ha) on Beaver Island, Michigan, USA. Fish communities in three of the six lakes exhibited a deterministic size structure and it appears that disturbance regime is the most obvious barrier to developing and/or maintaining stable and predi...
Identification of rate constants by differential quadrature in partly measurable compartmental models

Abstract The differential quadrature method of Bellman is generalized for identifying rate constants in a multicompartment model when one compartment is not measurable. It is found that in this case all rate constants may be expressed in terms of only two of them.
Interaction of pentylenetetrazol and trimethadione on the metabolism of serotonin in brain and its relation to the anticonvulsant action of trimethadione.

Abstract The interaction between the anticonvulsant trimethadione and the convulsant metrazol on the metabolism of brain serotonin, was studied in rats. Trimethadione (400 mg kg ) alone produced a 28–44% increase in the rate of synthesis of brain serotonin. The same dose of trimethadione plus 30 or 50 mg kg of metrazol produced no change in the rate of synthesis of brain serotonin and no Scizures. Trimethadione plus 75 mg kg of metrazol produced a 55% decrease in the rate of synthesis of brain serotonin and a marked increase in locomotor activity, but no clonictonic scizures. Reserpine produced a 62% decrease in the mean convulsive dose of metrazol in rats treated with trimethadione. p-Chlorophenylanine produced a 26% decrease in mean convulsive dose, which was reversed by 5-hydroxytryptophan. Alpha-methyltyrosine and 5-hydroxytryptophan had no effect on mean convulsive dose. A comparison of these results with previous work in which the effect of metrazol alone on metabolism of brain serotonin was studied, suggests a definite correlation between the changes in brain serotonin metabolism seen after metrazol and trimethadione and their convulsive and anticonvulsive action, respectively.
The Influence Analysis of the Soil Base and the Base Stiffness of Highway Asphalt Pavement on Pavement Thickness

Using pavement thickness layered system computational theories and methods that current design criteria proposed, according to the result of the calculating example, this paper analyzed the influence of different soil base and the base stiffness of highway asphalt pavement for base thickness, and pointed out that thickness of pavement base decreased with increase of the soil base and the base stiffness. Therefore, optimum selecting fillers in constructing road bed beside the upper part of the roadbed, strengthening the subgrade and compacting by layer, to improve the mechanical properties of subgrade. Meanwhile, it has important significance in obtaining the obvious economic effect on decreasing thickness of pavement structure by properly using base material of high stiffness. Besides, this result indicate that the base course underside stresses increased with the base stiffness, therefore, the base course underside stresses should be checked, to ensure the corresponding the tensile strength of base material.
Linewidths of HCl broadened by CO2 and N2 and CO broadened by CO2

Abstract High resolution measurement of the linewidths of HCl broadened by CO 2 and N 2 and CO broadened by CO 2 have been performed in both the 1-0 and 2-0 bands of HCl and the 2-0 band of CO. The data were analyzed by the direct and the peak absorption methods. Values of the linewidths obtained by the two methods are in good agreement. For | m | ≤ 3, for the case of HCl + CO 2 , the agreement is good for the values obtained in both bands of HCl. However for | m | > 3, the HCl + CO 2 linewidths in the 1-0 band are smaller than the corresponding lines in the 2-0 band by as much as 11% for | m | = 9. Lines (| m | ≤ 3) of the 1-0 and 2-0 bands of HCl broadened by CO 2 were also analyzed in terms of the super-Lorentzian line profile proposed by Varanasi, S. K. Sarangi, and G. D. T. Tejwani ( J. Quan. Spectr. Radiative Transfer 12 , 857 (1972)) and the Lorentzian profile. The results indicate that near the line center (within 3γ), the shape of HCl + CO 2 lines are Lorentzian.