cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel cell lines promote the discovery of genes involved in early heart development.

Clonal cell lines representing early cardiomyocytes would provide valuable reagents for the dissection of the genetic program of early cardiogenesis. Here we describe the establishment and characterization of cell lines from the hearts of transgenic mice and embryos with SV40 large T antigen expressed in the heart-forming region. Ultrastructure analysis by transmission electron microscopy showed the primitive, precontractile nature of the resulting cells, with the absence of myofilaments, Z lines, and intercalated disks. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, Northern blots, and oligonucleotide microarrays were used to determine the expression levels of thousands of genes in the 1H and ECL-2 cell lines. The resulting gene-expression profiles showed the transcription of early cardiomyocyte genes such as Nkx2.5, GATA4, Tbx5, dHAND, cardiac troponin C, and SM22-alpha. Furthermore, many genes not previously implicated in early cardiac development were expressed. Two of these genes, Hic-5, a possible negative regulator of muscle differentiation, and the transcription enhancing factor TEF-5 were selected and shown by in situ hybridizations to be expressed in the early developing heart. The results show that the 1H and ECL-2 cell lines can be used to discover novel genes expressed in the early cardiomyocyte.
Vascular Tufts of Pupillary Margin of Iris

A 71-year-old woman complained of "smoky" vision, which was found to be caused by a hyphema with blood dripping from a vascular tuft located in the 12 o'clock meridian of the iris. Fluorescein angiography delineated vascular tufts and argon laser photocoagulation eradicated one of the tufts that bled. Histopathologic studies of iris obtained at the time of cataract extraction showed an aggregate of small vessels at the pupillary margin. Most patients with vascular tufts of the pupillary margin have no systemic disease but they are also observed in diabetes mellitus and myotonic dystrophy.
Generating consensus priority point vectors: a logarithmic goal programming approach

Abstract The analytic hierarchy process (Saaty, The Analytic Hierarchy Process: Planning, Priority Setting, Resource Allocation, NewYork: McGraw-Hill 1980) is a popular technique for addressing multiple-criteria decision-making problems (MCDMs). Various techniques have been proposed for using the AHP in group situations. Fundamental to the AHP is the generation of priority point vectors from matrices of pairwise comparison data. In this paper, we present a logarithmic goal programming model for generating the ‘consensus’ priority point vector from the set of individual priority point vectors. Scope and purpose Within modern organizations, multiple-criteria decision-making problems (MCDMs) often occur within a group context, and individual priorities for decision alternatives must be synthesized into a single set of priorities which represents the consensus opinion for the group. This requires a process for aggregating individual priorities into a set of group priorities. In this paper, we examine the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) MCDM technique for the group situation, and present an approach for aggregating individual priorities into a set of group ‘consensus’ priorities.
Sustainable engineering design at James Madison University

In August 2008, James Madison University will enroll its first engineering students into a unique engineering program focused on sustainable societies. A significant component of this integrated program is the six- semester 10-credit design laboratory sequence that stretches from the sophomore year to graduation. We present a divergence from the generally accepted approach to sustainability (normally referred to as ldquosustainable engineeringrdquo or ldquoenvironmental sustainabilityrdquo) and include instruction in creating sustainable societies. This paper addresses the following topics in the design curriculum in the engineering degree program: 1) Environmental Sustainability; 2) Creative and Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Assessment; 3) Aesthetics of Design; 4) Economic and Social Sustainability; and 5) Design Ethics. The Design Program is interdisciplinary and will utilize faculty from business, art, and social science disciplines; and employ a variety of innovative instructional methodologies from the social sciences and humanities.
Software development for the management of cephalometric radiographic data

This paper presents the details and logic of a set of three IBM System 370 Assembler Language programs designed to manage a data bank, of ever increasing magnitude, which contains coordinate data obtained from cephalometric radiographs. The data from the radiographs, and consequently, the programs, are primarily intended for use by the orthodontist who is engaged in clinical research, and are especially useful in studies related to changes within the facial and dental complexes which occur as a result of growth and orthodontic treatment.
Prevention and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose of reviewRelapse remains a major cause of treatment failure for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Most patients that recur will perish due to low treatment efficacy, toxicity, or frailty issues. This review summa
Selective predation and rapid evolution can jointly dampen effects of virulent parasites on Daphnia populations.

Abstract: Parasites are ubiquitous and often highly virulent, yet clear examples of parasite‐driven changes in host density in natural populations are surprisingly scarce. Here, we illustrate an example of this phenomenon and offer a theoretically reasonable resolution. We document the effects of two parasites, the bacterium Spirobacillus cienkowskii and the yeast Metschnikowia bicuspidata, on a common freshwater invertebrate, Daphnia dentifera. We show that while both parasites were quite virulent to individual hosts, only bacterial epidemics were associated with significant changes in host population dynamics and density. Our theoretical results may help explain why yeast epidemics did not significantly affect population dynamics. Using a model parameterized with data we collected, we argue that two prominent features of this system, rapid evolution of host resistance to the parasite and selective predation on infected hosts, both decrease peak infection prevalence and can minimize decline in host densi...
Kinetics of the reaction of 1,3‐Dihyro‐l‐hydroxy‐3‐oxo‐1,2‐benziodoxole with cysteine

The kinetics of the oxidation of cysteine by 1,3-dihydro-1-hydroxy-3-oxo-1,2-benziodoxole were studied in buffered solutions at pH 6.8, 7.2, 7.6, and 8.0 by means of a rapid stop flow system. The second-order rate constants obtained were 50 moles/1. sec, 150 moles/1. sec., 835 moles/1. sec., and 1175 moles/1. sec., respectively. One or more reactive intermediates are postulated and their possible structure and the mechanisms involved are discussed, involving the intermediate formation of an (unstable) iodine-sulfur bond.
Centrifugally driven diffusion of iogenic plasma

The plasma distribution around Io as measured by Voyager 1 displays an asymmetric discontinuity at Io's orbit that has been suggested to be the signature of centrifugally driven interchange diffusion fed by plasma derived from Io. This hypothesis is explored further and found to be valid. The particular form for the diffusion coefficient appropriate to centrifugally driven turbulence is derived. The nonlinear character of this kind of diffusion is thereby made explicit. Solutions to the nonlinear, time-independent and linearized, time-dependent diffusion equations are given. These display a markedly conservative behavior. The nonlinear, steady state solutions are identical in form to the solutions of the previously studied equation of linear, atmospherically driven diffusion. The linearized, time-dependent solutions exhibit a negative feed-back quality that buffers the response of the density to changes in the source strength. Estimates of the source strength, the diffusion coefficient, and the signal propagation speed are also given.
Identification of microRNA-98 as a therapeutic target inhibiting prostate cancer growth and a biomarker induced by vitamin D.

The anti-tumor effect of vitamin D has been well recognized but its translational application is hindered by side effects induced by supra-physiological concentration of vitamin D required for cancer treatment. Thus, exploring the vitamin D tumor suppressive functional mechanism can facilitate improvement of its clinical application. We screened miRNA profiles in response to vitamin D and found that a tumor suppressive miRNA, miR-98, is transcriptionally induced by 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD) in LNCaP. Mechanistic dissection revealed that 1,25-VD-induced miR-98 is mediated through both a direct mechanism, enhancing the VDR binding response element in the promoter region of miR-98, and an indirect mechanism, down-regulating LIN-28 expression. Knockdown of miR-98 led to a reduction of 1,25-VD anti-growth effect and overexpression of miR-98 suppressed the LNCaP cells growth via inducing G2/M arrest. And CCNJ, a protein controlling cell mitosis, is down-regulated by miR-98 via targeting 3′-untranslated region of CCNJ. Interestingly, miR-98 levels in blood are increased upon 1,25-VD treatment in mice suggesting the biomarker potential of miR-98 in predicting 1,25-VD response. Together, the finding that growth inhibitive miR-98 is induced by 1,25-VD provides a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer and a potential biomarker for 1,25-VD anti-tumor action.
A room-temperature molecular/organic-based magnet

The reaction of bis(benzene)vanadium with tetracyanoethylene, TCNE, affords an insoluble amorphous black solid that exhibits field-dependent magnetization and hysteresis at room temperature. The critical temperature could not be estimated as it exceeds 350 kelvin, the thermal decomposition temperature of the sample. The empirical composition of the reported material is V(TCNE)x.Y(CH(2)Cl(2)) with x approximately 2 and Y approximately 1/2. On the basis of the available magnetic and infrared data, threedimensional antiferromagnetic exchange of the donor and acceptor spins resulting in ferrimagnetic behavior appears to be the mode of magnetic coupling.
Designed Technologies for Healthy Aging

Abstract Download Free Sample Designed Technologies for Healthy Aging identifies and presents a variety of contemporary technologies to support older adults’ abilities to perform everyday activitie...
Samcalc: A Computer Program for Fish Culturists

Abstract Computer program SAMCALC can help fish culturists with calculations for fish transport, chemical treatments, weight–length relations, injections, and oxygen solubility. The program also has several statistical modules, including a contingency table, analysis of variance, and experimental design.
Firearms and suicides in US states

This study investigates the relationship between firearm prevalence and suicide in a sample of all US states over the years 2000-2009. We find strong, positive effects of gun prevalence on suicide using OLS estimation, across a variety of measures for gun possession, and with several sets of controls. When using instrumental variable estimation, the effect remains significant, despite also finding significant evidence that gun ownership causes substitution towards gun-suicide rather than other methods of suicide. There is also evidence for non-linearities in the effects of guns on suicide. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Language: en
Ad hoc categories

People construct ad hoc categories to achieve goals. For example, constructing the category of “things to sell at a garage sale” can be instrumental to achieving the goal of selling unwanted possessions. These categories differ from common categories (e.g., “fruit,” “furniture”) in that ad hoc categories violate the correlational structure of the environment and are not well established in memory. Regarding the latter property, the category concepts, concept-to-instance associations, and instance-to-concept associations structuring ad hoc categories are shown to be much less established in memory than those of common categories. Regardless of these differences, however, ad hoc categories possess graded structures (i.e., typicality gradients) as salient as those structuring common categories. This appears to be the result of a similarity comparison process that imposes graded structure on any category regardless of type.
Medical fallibility and the autopsy in the USA.

The theory of ‘necessary fallibility’, originated by Gorovitz & MacIntyre (1976, In Science, Ethics and Medicine, Hastings Center, NY), explains a major unfamiliar reason for unavoidable errors in medicine. A brief historical review is presented of autopsy studies assessing the accuracy of clinical diagnoses, and of changing perceptions of the public and physicians leading to the current misconception in the USA that all errors are avoidable. It is suggested that a prospective autopsy study is needed to test the theory of ‘necessary fallibility’. Validation of this theory would benefit an understanding of medical fallibility by the public and physicians, and challenge current practices in the management of malpractice and patient injury.
Optical gain modeling of InP based InGaAs(N)/GaAsSb type-II quantum wells laser for mid-infrared emission

Optical gain performance of InP based “W” structure with InGaAs(N)/GaAsSb type-II quantum wells are investigated theoretically. The band structure was calculated by using k.p model, taking into account the conduction band mixing with N resonant band, valence band mixing, as well as strain effect. Our studies show that these type-II quantum wells are suitable for mid-infrared (2–4 μm) operation at room temperature.
Hearing-Aid Outcome Measures Following One Month of Hearing Aid Use by the Elderly

This study reports the results of a large number of hearing-aid outcome measures obtained from 173 elderly hearing-aid wearers following one month of hearing-aid use. All participants in this study were fit binaurally with identical full-concha in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids having linear Class-D amplifiers with output-limiting compression. Outcome measures included several measures of speech recognition, as well as several self-report measures of hearing-aid performance, benefit, satisfaction, and use. Comparison of mean data from this sample of hearing-aid wearers to other larger sets of data, obtained previously for several of these measures of hearing-aid outcome evaluated in isolation, indicated that the participants in this study were representative of the participants in other larger-scale studies. Subsequent principal-components factor analysis of the data from this study indicated that there were seven distinct dimensions of hearing-aid outcome. Attempts to document the effectiveness and efficacy of hearing aids for elderly persons with impaired hearing will be most complete when assessing performance along all seven dimensions of hearing-aid outcome. Clinically efficient procedures for doing so are discussed.
Intussusception after pancreatic surgery in children: a case series

Abstract Background Postoperative intussusception (POI) has been described after a wide variety of pediatric surgical procedures, but it has not been reported as a complication after pediatric pancreatic resections. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 5 cases of pancreatectomy-related POI observed between October 1998 and July 2009 within a series of 234 pancreatic resections in children. Results The incidence of pancreatectomy-related POI was 2.1%. Postoperative intussusception was observed after either partial or near-total pancreatic resections. There was no sex predisposition. All cases occurred within the first 2 postoperative weeks and involved the small bowel exclusively. The outcome after surgery was uneventful in all cases. The overall clinical course in our cases was similar to that described in the literature for POI associated with other surgical procedures. Conclusions The incidence of POI after pancreatic resections in children is significantly higher than the general incidence reported in the literature (2.1% vs 0.08%-0.25%).
Ionic interaction with bone mineral. I. Evidence for an isoionic calcium exchange with hydroxyapatite.

Abstract Exchange of calcium with hydroxyapatite crystals in aqueous suspension was measured with 45Ca. The results were analyzed by fitting to a curve characterized by four exponential terms, of the form: Isotope uptake (or release) = σ i=I i=4A i e −α i t Total exchange was also calculated from measurements of non-isotopic calcium. Isotopic steady state was reached by 65 h. Uptake and release were characterized by similar A and α values. Release in 1 h was the same whether uptake had been carried out for 1 or 65 h. This, with the high values of α1 and α2, indicates that early exchange is quantitatively accounted for largely by the contribution of two ‘fast’ compartments. As further evidence for exchange, the uptake of isotope by hydroxyapatite was completely reversible by a wash-out procedure. Release was largely prevented by omission of Ca2+ from solution, whether or not they were replaced with Na+; this indicates that calcium uptake is an isoionic exchange process.
Real-time 3-Dimensional Echocardiographic Imaging of Congenital Heart Disease Using Matrix-array Technology: Freehand Real-time Scanning Adds Instant Morphologic Details Not Well Delineated by Conventional 2-Dimensional Imaging

Objective We sought to investigate whether real-time (RT) 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D) using matrix-array technology could resolve a specific morphologic detail that could not be well resolved during conventional 2-dimensional (2D)/Doppler echocardiographic imaging of congenital heart disease. Background Although 2D echocardiography is currently the primary imaging modality of congenital heart disease, there are still some anatomic details that cannot be well delineated by that modality. Methods In all, 70 patients underwent RT3D examination using matrix-array transducer. Applying the standard sweeping technique as for 2D imaging, freehand RT imaging was used for immediate feedback. The 2D examinations of the last 23 consecutive patients were used to validate the additional value of RT3D by 3 examiners blinded to the findings of RT3D. Results The adequacy of 2D imaging to resolve the morphologic detail in question ranged from 30% to 70%, whereas RT3D imaging was considered successful in delineating the morphologic detail in 80% to 100% of patients instantly. The image resolution was superior or equivalent to that obtained by 2D imaging. Heart valves, septal defects, and volumetric valvular and vascular color flow morphologies were well delineated by RT3D. Conclusion Matrix-array RT3D is a significant breakthrough technology that allowed instant visualization of cardiac anatomic details that could not be well delineated by 2D imaging. Further improvements of some technical limitations should make RT3D matrix-array cardiac imaging a significant modality in the field of echocardiographic imaging of congenital cardiac anomalies.
Information Feedback Schedules, Interpolated Activities, and Retention.

Summary Fifth grade students were administered a reading passage followed by a multiple-choice test based upon that passage. Feedback regarding performance was provided according to a standardized procedure either immediately after the test or with a delay of two and one-half hours. In the two delayed feedback treatments students participated in activities interpolated between the multiple-choice test and feedback which were either similar or dissimilar to the initial reading activity. In all treatments a retention test was administered either immediately after feedback or three days later. Contrary to widespread pedagogic belief, results demonstrated no significant differences among groups who received immediate or delayed feedback with either similar or dissimilar interpolated activities. In addition, no significant difference was demonstrated between retention tests administered either immediately or three days after feedback.
Cement-Sand Based Piezoelectric Smart Composites

In this paper, preliminary investigation of a new cement-sand based piezoelectric composite was conducted for potential structural engineering applications. PZT ceramic powder has been incorporated into cement material to form composite smart materials in earlier studies and showed promising outcome. However, the previous studies were limited to using only PZT and cement. In this study, PZT powder mixed with cement and sand, which is more realistic in civil engineering applications. The compressive strength of the composites with different PZT volume ratios was investigated. The results showed that embed PZTs increased the strength of the composites. Modified Sawyer-Tower circuit was applied to pole the composites in order to obtain the desired electrical properties of the composites. The mechanical and electrical properties of this type of new smart material had been investigated experimentally. Through a series of MTS compression tests, feasibility of using cement-sand based PZT composite materials in civil engineering is evaluated.
Inhibition of protein phosphatase 1 and 2A down-regulates beta-tubulin gene expression in Trypanosoma rhodesiense.

Abstract We studied the effect of okadaic acid, a specific inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase types 1 and 2A, on the expression of β-tubulin and procyclin genes in Trypanosoma rhodesiense . Okadaic acid was found to decrease the steady-state level of β-tubulin mRNA about 5-fold in differentiating bloodstream trypanosomes and about 3-fold in established procyclic trypanosomes. No effect was observed on the expression of the procyclin gene. The down-regulation of β-tubulin gene expression by okadaic acid in procyclic trypanosomes occurs at the post-transcriptional level. These results demonstrate the involvement of protein phosphatase 1 and/or 2A activity in maintaining the steady-state level of β-tubulin mRNA in African trypanosomes.
ESTIMATES OF CHANGES IN COUNTY-LEVEL HOUSING PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES UNDER SCENARIOS OF FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate in a given location influences people's housing decisions, and changes in climate may affect these decisions in ways that alter our understanding of desirable locations. This study examines the potential sensitivity of future housing prices in the United States to changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity by developing a hedonic regression model of the relationship between climate variables and housing prices and exploring implications of different climate futures for the amenity value of climate in these prices. The model shows a significant relationship between housing prices in urban areas and certain climate variables. The study then examines the sensitivity of the amenity value of climate to future climate scenarios. Results suggest that, nationally, climate change represents a disamenity, particularly in central-to-southeastern states. However, detailed housing prices vary spatially and among scenarios. Seasonal variation in temperature, including the relative magnitudes of the change in January and July temperatures, is a key determinant of housing price change, contributing to variation across both climate scenarios and geographic location.
A decision rule for deleting descriptors in naturalistic observational studies of behavior

Recent work in child ethology has emphasized exhaustive descriptive studies of behavior. The concepts used as stimulus sets for counting have explicit reference to movements, postures, gestures, and expressions. These descriptive studies have generated a new set of questions concerning the construction and analysis of descriptive data sets. One of these questions concerns the assessment of interrater reliability. Some descriptors occur with such low frequency that an independent assessment of interrater reliability cannot be made. It is also clear that as the number of descriptors used in a particular study increases it becomes less feasible to independently assess interrater reliability for each descriptor. It is suggested that the average interrater reliability coefficient can be used to generate rules for systematically dealing with these problems.
Local sleep and learning

Human sleep is a global state whose functions remain unclear. During much of sleep, cortical neurons undergo slow oscillations in membrane potential, which appear in electroencephalograms as slow wave activity (SWA) of <4 Hz1. The amount of SWA is homeostatically regulated, increasing after wakefulness and returning to baseline during sleep2. It has been suggested that SWA homeostasis may reflect synaptic changes underlying a cellular need for sleep3. If this were so, inducing local synaptic changes should induce local SWA changes, and these should benefit neural function. Here we show that sleep homeostasis indeed has a local component, which can be triggered by a learning task involving specific brain regions. Furthermore, we show that the local increase in SWA after learning correlates with improved performance of the task after sleep. Thus, sleep homeostasis can be induced on a local level and can benefit performance.
The Impact of Web-scale Discovery on the Use of a Library Collection

Grand Valley State University Libraries implemented Serials Solutions' web-scale discovery tool, Summon, during the fall of 2009. This case study explores whether Summon had an impact on the use of the library's resources during its first semester of implementation. An examination of usage statistics showed a dramatic decrease in the use of traditional abstracting and indexing databases and an equally dramatic increase in the use of full-text resources from full-text database and online journal collections. The author concludes that the increase in full-text use is linked to the implementation of a web-scale discovery tool.
Temperature profiles in packed beds of catalyst during regeneration

Abstract Theoretical equations which predict the temperature as a function of time and position in a catalytic bed during regeneration are presented for the case of adiabatic operation and the case where heat is lost to an isothermal coolant. Experimental temperature profiles for the latter case are compared to those predicted by the theory, and rate constants are derived which are in excellent agreement with those determined by independent kinetic experiments.
Oval Shaped Droplet Solutions in the Saturation Process of Some Pattern Formation Problems

The first stage in the transition from a coarse structure to a fine structure in many pattern formation problems involves the change of a standard geometric object such as a round disc to a less standard geometric object such as an oval shaped set. On a generic domain two small oval shaped sets are found as solutions to a nonlocal geometric problem. This problem arises as the singular limit of both the Ohta–Kawasaki theory for diblock copolymers and the Gierer–Meinhardt theory for morphogenesis in cell development. The two sets have the same center, which is a global minimum of the diagonal of the regular part of a Green's function. This minimum point may be regarded as a kind of center of the domain. Moreover the second derivatives of the regular part of the Green's function define a major axis and a minor axis for the domain. One of the oval shaped solutions is stable and aligns itself along the major axis. The other oval shaped solution is unstable and is parallel to the minor axis.
Evolving Costs of Long-Term Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Background To examine the long-term costs of implanting a left ventricular assist device, we reviewed the initial hospitalization and outpatient costs for 12 patients who received a vented electric left ventricular assist device, and projected the first-year costs. Methods We used the ratio-of-cost-to-charges method to measure hospital costs and payments for physician time. We examined time trends in the resource use of 50 pneumatic left ventricular assist device recipients, using actuarial techniques and regression modeling. Results The average actual cost of left ventricular assist device support is $221,313 over an average of 9.5 months. If there had been no Food and Drug Administration regulatory policy precluding hospital discharge before 30 days, this value would have been $201,148. Based on this latter figure, the average predicted first-year cost is $219,139. The length of the intensive care unit stay, one of the most costly components of care, decreased significantly over time. Conclusions The high costs of left ventricular assist device implantation are similar to those reported for cardiac transplantation. Given their success in supporting survival, we anticipate that these devices will be similarly cost-effective. However, further research is imperative to determine the cost-effectiveness of these devices beyond the introductory phase, when costs, benefits, and Food and Drug Administration requirements have stabilized.
The EPSILON-2 multiprocessor system

Abstract Epsilon -2 is a general purpose parallel computer architecture that addresses the twin goals of high performance and programmability. Epsilon -2 implements a hybrid computation model that combines the fine-grain parallelism of dataflow computing with the sequential efficiency characteristic of von Neumann computing. It provides instruction-level synchronization, single-cycle context switches, and RISC-like sequential execution. The general parallel computing model and the architecture of Epsilon -2 are described. A sample code is also presented to illustrate Epsilon -2's operation.
Adjuvant metoprolol improves efficacy of class I antiarrhythmic drugs in patients with inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia

Abstract Inducible ventricular tachycardia frequently persists despite solitary class I antiarrhythmic drug therapy. To determine the effect of metoprolol as adjuvant therapy, 19 patients with clinical ventricular tachycardia with baseline inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia and persistently inducible ventricular tachycardia despite class I drugs were evaluated. Eight of 19 patients (42%) became noninducible when metoprolol was added to class I drug therapy. Sixteen of 19 patients (84%) were harder to induce or noninducible on a regimen of adjuvant metoprolol therapy. In evaluating the clinical characteristics of the 19 patients, no significant differences were found between patients who were persistently inducible and those rendered noninducible. In evaluating the electrophysiologic characteristics, the group eventually rendered noninducible had a significantly shorter baseline induced cycle length (259 ± 27 vs 305 ± 53 msec). Combination class I drug and metoprolol therapy significantly lengthened the ventricular effective refractory period in both groups compared with baseline. The long-term follow-up was excellent in all patients remaining on metoprolol in the noninducible group. Therefore adjuvant metoprolol therapy creates a significant improvement in a number of patients with persistently inducible ventricular tachycardia despite class I drug therapy.
Somatostatin Acts by Inhibiting the Cyclic 3′,5′-Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP)/Protein Kinase A Pathway, cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein (CREB) Phosphorylation, and CREB Transcription Potency

Somatostatin (SRIF) was discovered as an inhibitor of GH secretion from pituitary somatotroph cells. SRIF analogs are very effective agents used to treat neuroendocrine tumors and are now being used with increasing frequency in clinical trials to treat more aggressive malignancies. However, the cellular components mediating SRIF signal transduction remain largely unknown. We have stably overexpressed the SRIF type 2 receptor (SST2) in GH4 rat somatomammotroph cells, establishing a physiologically relevant model system. In this model, the SRIF analog, BIM23014, inhibited forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation, protein kinase A activation, cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation, and Pit-1/GHF-1 promoter activation in an okadaic acid-insensitive manner. Pertussis toxin inhibited the effects of BIM23014, documenting that SST2 signaling was coupled to Gi. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of BIM23014 were reversed by overexpression of protein kinase A catalytic subunit, indicating that SRIF does not...
CRYSTALLIZATION OF A FE,ZN SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE FROM THE ARCHAEBACTERIUM THERMOPLASMA-ACIDOPHILIUM

The novel Fe,Zn superoxide dismutase from the archaebacterium Thermoplasma acidophilium has been crystallized in space groups P1, P2(1) and P2(1)2(1)2, with 2,4 and 1/2 of an 84,000 Mr tetramer, respectively, estimated to be in the asymmetric unit of the unit cell. The orthorhombic crystals, which have unit cell dimensions a = 84.2 A, b = 72.7 A, c = 67.8 A, diffract X-rays to at least 2.0 A and are suitable for a determination of the three-dimensional structure of the Fe,Zn superoxide dismutase.
Laser-Induced Microstructural Modification of Polycrystalline Cu and Ag Films Encapsulated in SiO2

Excimer-laser-induced rapid lateral solidification was used to produce large grain microstructures in copper and silver thin films. These were multilayer thin film structures consisting of sputter deposited copper and silver thin films encapsulated by silica (SiO2/metal/SiO2/Si substrate). In this process, a single excimer laser pulse and projection imaging optics were used to melt a 60 micron wide line in the metal film. The resolidification of the melted lines is found to occur laterally in the plane of the film, resulting in grains greater than 20 um in length and 1 um wide. Electron diffraction analysis allowed identification of a strong texture in the growth direction along the major axis of the elongated grains as well as similar texture parallel to the film surface. Various dislocation and faulted defect structures are identified and examined in the context of the rapid solidification and potential application to interconnects.
Surface diffusion from a needle source including the effect of volume diffusion into the bulk

The problem of determining the quantity of diffusant to be found on and beneath the surface of a solid at any radial distance from a cylindrical source of constant strength on the surface has been solved using a Laplace transform technique. The movement of diffusant from the surface into the bulk through volume diffusion was taken into account. The integrals in the solution were evaluated numerically for a wide range of experimentally realizable conditions and the results given in a table. Experimental data can be analyzed with the help of this table to yield the product of the surface diffusion coefficient and the thickness of the surface layer. It is shown that, in general, these two quantities cannot be determined separately from data obtained in a conventional experiment because the amount of diffusant in the surface layer is usually only a small fraction of the total measured at any point.
The structure of zapotin

Abstract Spectroscopic evidence is presented which indicates that zapotin, a flavone occurring in seeds of Casimiroa edulis Llave et Lex, is 2′,5,6,6′-tetramethoxyflavone. Zapotin thus has a unique 2′,6′-dimethoxy B-ring which has not previously been reported among naturally occurring flavonoids.
The elegant geometry of fourier analysis

We outline a method that brings the elegant, unifying geometry of orthogonal function expansions to the teaching of Fourier Analysis in our gateway course on Signals and Systems at UC Berkeley. Our approach starts with discrete-time periodic signals. Their straightforward representation as finite-dimensional Cartesian vectors provides a gentle ingress into the more abstract Euclidean vector spaces that inform the Fourier decompositions of richer signal types. As we describe how a signal fragments into its elemental frequencies, we are careful with the mathematics but we do not let rigor eclipse clarity; plausible reasoning often suffices. We sequence the topics and develop the theory to reduce algebraic clutter and promote geometric insight into the progressively nuanced world of frequency decompositions nestled in the beautiful heart of Fourier Analysis.
Mechanosensitivity of an epithelial Na+ channel in planar lipid bilayers: release from Ca2+ block

A family of novel epithelial Na+ channels (ENaCs) have recently been cloned from several different tissues. Three homologous subunits (alpha, beta, gamma-ENaCs) from the core conductive unit of Na(+)-selective, amiloride-sensitive channels that are found in epithelia. We here report the results of a study assessing the regulation of alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC by Ca2+ in planar lipid bilayers. Buffering of the bilayer bathing solutions to [Ca2+]
Drug ingestion during pregnancy: infrequent exposure in a contemporary United States sample

Drug ingestion in a cohort of United States women proved consistently lower than in prior United States populations. Participating were 342 insulin-dependent diabetic and 387 control subjects who were enrolled before conception (76%) or no later than 21 days after conception (24%). Drug exposures were then recorded at entry and periodically throughout organogenesis (gestational weeks 6, 8, 10). During gestational weeks 1 to 10, approximately two thirds of the subjects were exposed to no agent other than oral iron, oral vitamins, or insulin (diabetic subjects). The mean exposures in gestational weeks 1 to 10 were 0.72 +/- 1.05 (SD) for diabetic women and 0.54 +/- 0.96 for control subjects; throughout pregnancy, the mean exposures were 1.26 +/- 1.66 and 1.58 +/- 1.78, respectively. The low exposure frequency in this contemporary United States population is highly encouraging. However, it follows that collaborative cohort efforts may be necessary in order to assess teratogenicity of drugs because relatively few women are now exposed.
On-line monitoring of electroosmotic flow for capillary electrophoretic separations

A recently developed technique for monitoring electroosmotic flow (EOF) in capillary electrophoresis by periodic photobleaching of a neutral fluorophore added to the running buffer has been further characterized and optimized and then applied to monitoring EOF during a typical capillary electrophoresis separation. The concentration of neutral fluorophore (rhodamine B) added to the running buffer for monitoring EOF has been decreased by one order of magnitude. The rate at which EOF can be measured has been increased from 0.2 to 1.0 Hz by decreasing the distance between the bleaching beam and the laser-induced fluorescence detector from 6.13 to 0.635 mm. The precision of the measured EOF ranges from 0.2 to 1.8%. Under typical experimental conditions, the dynamic range for flow measurements is 0.066 to 0.73 cm s−1. Experimental factors affecting precision, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and dynamic range for EOF monitoring have been examined. This technique has been applied to measure EOF during a separation of phenolic acids with analyte detection by UV/VIS absorbance. The EOF monitoring method has been shown not to interfere with UV/VIS absorbance detection of analytes.
APOE genotype effects on Alzheimer's disease onset and epidemiology.

The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is tied most closely to age and appears to follow Gompertzian kinetics. However, specific genetic factors are also linked closely to AD, and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype accounts for as much of 50% of the attributable risk for AD in many populations. This paper reviews the onset, diagnosis, and epidemiology of AD, specifically with regard to the APOE genotype and the interaction of the genotype with age.
Pharmacogenetics of second-generation antipsychotics

This review considers pharmacogenetics of the so called 'second-generation' antipsychotics. Findings for polymorphisms replicating in more than one study are emphasized and compared and contrasted with larger-scale candidate gene studies and genome-wide association study analyses. Variants in three types of genes are discussed: pharmacokinetic genes associated with drug metabolism and disposition, pharmacodynamic genes encoding drug targets, and pharmacotypic genes impacting disease presentation and subtype. Among pharmacokinetic markers, CYP2D6 metabolizer phenotype has clear clinical significance, as it impacts dosing considerations for aripiprazole, iloperidone and risperidone, and variants of the ABCB1 gene hold promise as biomarkers for dosing for olanzapine and clozapine. Among pharmacodynamic variants, the TaqIA1 allele of the DRD2 gene, the DRD3 (Ser9Gly) polymorphism, and the HTR2C -759C/T polymorphism have emerged as potential biomarkers for response and/or side effects. However, large-scale candidate gene studies and genome-wide association studies indicate that pharmacotypic genes may ultimately prove to be the richest source of biomarkers for response and side effect profiles for second-generation antipsychotics.
Moving Architectural Description from Under the Technology Lamppost

Software architecture description languages (ADLs) were a particularly active research area in the 1990s. In 2000, the author co-authored an extensive study of existing ADLs, which has served as a useful reference to software architecture researchers and practitioners. However, the field of software architecture and our understanding of it have undergone a number of changes in the past several years. In particular, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) has gained a lot of popularity and wide adoption, and as a result many of the ADLs the author had studied have been pushed into obscurity. In this paper, the author argues that the main reason behind this is that the early ADLs focused almost exclusively on the technological aspects of architecture, and mostly ignored the application domain and business contexts within which software systems, and development organizations, exist. Together, these three concerns - technology, domain, and business -constitute the three "lampposts " needed to appropriately "illuminate" software architecture and architectural description. The author use this new framework to evaluate both the languages from my original study, as well as several more recent ADLs (including UML 2.0)
Increased vulnerability to inducible atrial fibrillation caused by partial cellular uncoupling with heptanol.

We hypothesized that partial cellular uncoupling produced by low concentrations of heptanol increases the vulnerability to inducible atrial fibrillation (AF). The epicardial surface of 12 isolated-...
Integrating Advocacy into Teacher Education Programming

It is critical that preservice teachers (PSTs) in PE learn strategies to help them advocate for the importance of their subject in and around school settings. This article describes curricular and extracurricular activities that teacher educators can draw upon in preparing PSTs to advocate for their subject.
The Spatial and Temporal Constitution of Social Action: A Critical Reading of Giddens

A number of social theorists have attempted to elaborate poststructuralist analytics that capture the dialectics of social structure and human agency. Giddens proposes a ‘general theory’, centered on the notion of ‘structuration’. He is particularly important to geography because he suggests that the spatiality of social practices belongs at the center of social theory and historical analysis. Systems of social practices are defined by their time–space characteristics. There are problems in the corpus of Giddens's work that require attention, however, before such a theory can be fully viable. These include: Giddens's derogation of intentional action in favor of practical knowledge; his notion that structure is ‘instantiated’; his concept of power; his treatment of material resources; and his lack of attention to discursive strategies. From an examination of these areas of Giddens's work, it can be seen that he advances several, inconsistent, theories of social change. In a reinvigorated theoretical human ...
A test controller board for TSS

The design of a test controller board for a test support system is presented in this paper. Driven by the SCANTEST software, the test controller board exercises the boundary-scan and scan-path and built-in-self-test hardware implemented on the device under test via a dedicated test-bus. An analog test feature is also described. >
Survival in Severe Left Ventricular Failure Treated with the New Nonglycosidic, Nonsympathomimetic Oral Inotropic Agents

Survival in severe left ventricular failure is poor but has not been widely assessed since the introduction of several new nonglycosidic, nonsympathomimetic oral inotropic agents for long-term therapy. We examined retrospectively the survival of 82 patients with severe left heart failure during long-term treatment with oral milrinone (17 patients), posicor (12 patients), enoximone (47 patients), and piroximone (6 patients). Sixty-five patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class 4, 15 patients were in class 3, and two patients were in class 2. There were 57 patients with ischemic and 25 patients were in class 2. There were 57 patients with ischemic and 25 patients with nonischemic etiology of left heart failure. Most patients were referred for inotropic therapy after failing to respond to conventional agents, including vasodilators. However, in almost all patients, marked hemodynamic and clinical improvement occurred initially. Overall survival was 36 percent at six months, the majority of deaths occurring during the first three months. Survival in relation to etiology of heart failure showed a trend toward increased mortality in patients associated with ischemic heart disease vs nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Sudden death mortality was also higher in the ischemic group (28 percent at six months vs 5 percent at six months; p
Ultraviolet emitting (Y1−xGdx)2O3 − δ thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering; structure-property-thin film processing relationships

Abstract The effects that the oxygen partial pressure, substrate temperature and annealing temperature have on the cathodoluminescence (CL) efficiency of radio frequency magnetron sputter deposited Gd-doped Y2O3 thin films is investigated. Furthermore these sputtering parameters are correlated to the degree of crystallinity, the phases present (cubic (α) versus monoclinic (β) Y2O3), and the stoichiometry of the thin films. Films deposited at room temperature (RT) did not CL, however, the films were activated by a post-deposition anneal at 1273 K for 6 h. Films deposited at 873 K had a very low CL efficiency which was significantly enhanced by a post-deposition anneal. For RT deposited films the external CL efficiency increased with increasing oxygen partial pressure for the range studied, however the opposite trend was observed for the 873 K deposited films. Examination of the morphology and grain size of the high temperature deposited films revealed that the average grain size increased with decreasing partial pressure and the observed increase in the external CL efficiency was attributed to enhanced anomalous diffraction. An intrinsic CL efficiency term was determined to circumvent the effects of the enhanced anomalous diffraction, and the CL efficiency was correlated to the integrated intensity of the (222) of the cubic α-Y2O3 phase.
What Epidemiologic Studies Tell Us about the Relationship between Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Body Weight

Clinical evidence shows that combining advice to increase fruit and vegetable consumption with caloric restriction is an effective strategy for weight management. The purpose of this review is to evaluate epidemiologic evidence to determine whether it supports an association between fruit and/or vegetable consumption and body weight. Few studies have been designed to specifically address this issue, and those that are available vary in methodology and offer inconsistent results. We make recommendations on how to strengthen future studies so that the influence of fruit and vegetable consumption on body weight in free-living individuals is better understood.