cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic repair of gastro-duodenal fistula secondary to band erosion

Laparoscopic gastric banding is one of the most common surgical treatments for morbid obesity performed worldwide. The procedure, however, has many well-documented risks and complications, including band erosion. We present here a gastric banding patient who was referred to our tertiary care centre after secondarily forming an entero-enteric fistula with complaints of pain, nausea, vomiting and severe reflux. She was successfully treated with laparoscopic dissection and due to her existing anatomy, and the patient's desire for continued weight loss, she was converted to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
Comparing and combining test-suite reduction and regression test selection

Regression testing is widely used to check that changes made to software do not break existing functionality, but regression test suites grow, and running them fully can become costly. Researchers have proposed test-suite reduction and regression test selection as two approaches to reduce this cost by not running some of the tests from the test suite. However, previous research has not empirically evaluated how the two approaches compare to each other, and how well a combination of these approaches performs. We present the first extensive study that compares test-suite reduction and regression test selection approaches individually, and also evaluates a combination of the two approaches. We also propose a new criterion to measure the quality of tests with respect to software changes. Our experiments on 4,793 commits from 17 open-source projects show that regression test selection runs on average fewer tests (by 40.15pp) than test-suite reduction. However, test-suite reduction can have a high loss in fault-detection capability with respect to the changes, whereas a (safe) regression test selection has no loss. The experiments also show that a combination of the two approaches runs even fewer tests (on average 5.34pp) than regression test selection, but these tests still have a loss in fault-detection capability with respect to the changes.
The peroxidase activity of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is an integral mitochondrial protein known as a first-line antioxidant defense against superoxide radical anions produced as by-products of the electron transport chain. Recent studies have shaped the idea that by regulating the mitochondrial redox status and H2O2 outflow, MnSOD acts as a fundamental regulator of cellular proliferation, metabolism, and apoptosis, thereby assuming roles that extend far beyond its proposed antioxidant functions. Accordingly, allelic variations of MnSOD that have been shown to augment levels of MnSOD in mitochondria result in a 10-fold increase in prostate cancer risk. In addition, epidemiologic studies indicate that reduced glutathione peroxidase activity along with increases in H2O2 further increase cancer risk in the face of MnSOD overexpression. These facts led us to hypothesize that, like its Cu,ZnSOD counterpart, MnSOD may work as a peroxidase, utilizing H2O2 to promote mitochondrial damage, a known cancer risk factor. Here we report that MnSOD indeed possesses peroxidase activity that manifests in mitochondria when the enzyme is overexpressed.
Nonlinear stability of the Boussinesq equations by the method of energy

Energy method applied to stability of flows governed by nonlinear Boussinesq equations, establishing universal stability region in Reynolds-Rayleigh number plane
Including all children in standards-based physical education

(2002). Including All Children in Standards-Based Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 42-46.
Polyacetylenes from a Red Sea Sponge Callyspongia Species

From the methanolic extract of the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia sp. six new polyacetylenic compounds, aikupikanynes A−F, together with octahydrosiphonochalyne, were isolated and identified. Their structures, which comprise four hydrocarbons, two alcohols, and one unprecedented α-hydroxy carboxylic acid, were determined by extensive 1D and 2D NMR studies and mass spectral determinations.
Hospital IT Sophistication Profiles and Patient Safety Outcomes: A Comparison of Three States

Information technology (IT) sophistication of acute care hospitals in Texas was measured to explore the relationships between IT infrastructure and patient outcomes using Donabedianâ€™s framework. The sample was acute care hospitals (n=175) with an IT profile using HIMSS, demographic and operations data. Three dimensions of hospital IT sophistication were measured and related to patient care outcomes using the AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSI). Significant relationships (p
Factors affecting the rate of protein synthesis in lysate systems from reticulocytes.

Abstract The addition of hemin to a reticulocyte lysate system stimulates protein synthesis under a variety of incubation conditions. When an optimal concentration of Mg2+ (2mm) is employed and creatine phosphate and creatine phosphokinase are used as the ATP regenerating system, incorporation of valine occurs at better than 60% of the rate in the intact cell for 30 minutes at 28 ° in the presence of added hemin. The main effect of hemin is to sustain the activity of the system rather than to increase the rate of incorporation. The concentration of hemin that produces maximal stimulation of protein synthesis is between 5 × 10−5 and 1 × 10−4 m . Deuterohemin stimulates incorporation to a lesser extent than hemin but in the same concentration range. After 10 minutes preincubation at 28 ° the capacity of the lysate to respond to hemin is lost, whereas the capacity to synthesize protein is reduced by less than 50%. Exogenous hemin increases the extent of de novo synthesis of hemoglobin and, at 28 °, greatly retards disaggregation of polysomes that accompanies protein synthesis in the lysate. The effect of hemin is similar to that observed in the intact cell.
Chondrogenesis and cell proliferation in limb bud cell cultures treated with cytosine arabinoside and vitamin A

Abstract Mesenchyme cells derived from limb buds of day 10 mouse embryos were plated out at confluent and sub-confluent cell densities. Cells in confluent cultures multiplied and differentiated into chondrocytes. The addition of vitamin A to the culture medium inhibited both cell proliferation and chondrogenesis. However, cytosine arabinoside, which also inhibited growth, did not block chondrogenesis. This indicates that the inhibition of growth in the vitamin A-treated cultures did not necessarily contribute to the inhibition of chondrogenesis. Cells in sub-confluent cultures multiplied but did not differentiate into chondrocytes. In contrast to confluent cultures, vitamin A did not inhibit growth in sub-confluent cultures. This observation suggests that vitamin A may inhibit growth by causing contact inhibition.
Extraocular Circadian Phototransduction in Humans

Physiological and behavioral rhythms are governed by an endogenous circadian clock. The response of the human circadian clock to extraocular light exposure was monitored by measurement of body temperature and melatonin concentrations throughout the circadian cycle before and after light pulses presented to the popliteal region (behind the knee). A systematic relation was found between the timing of the light pulse and the magnitude and direction of phase shifts, resulting in the generation of a phase response curve. These findings challenge the belief that mammals are incapable of extraretinal circadian phototransduction and have implications for the development of more effective treatments for sleep and circadian rhythm disorders.
Stakeholder engagement in policy development: challenges and opportunities for human genomics

Stakeholder engagement in policy development: challenges and opportunities for human genomics
Influence of Third Harmonic Circulating Currents in Selecting Neutral Grounding Devices

It has long been recognized that third harmonic currents can and often do appear in the neutral of industrial generators. This paper will review the causes of such currents and the effects these currents have in the power system. The common methods of neutral grounding will be discussed with regard to circulating harmonic currents.
Relationship between the inhibition constant (K1) and the concentration of inhibitor which causes 50 per cent inhibition (I50) of an enzymatic reaction.

Abstract A theoretical analysis has been made of the relationship between the inhibition constant ( K I ) of a substance and the ( I 50 ) value which expresses the concentration of inhibitor required to produce 50 per cent inhibition of an enzymic reaction at a specific substrate concentration. A comparison has been made of the relationships between K I and I 50 for monosubstrate reactions when noncompetitive or uncompetitive inhibition kinetics apply, as well as for bisubstrate reactions under conditions of competitive, noncompetitive and uncompetitive inhibition kinetics. Precautions have been indicated against the indiscriminate use of I 50 values in agreement with the admonitions previously described in the literature. The analysis described shows K I does not equal I 50 when competitive inhibition kinetics apply; however, K I is equal to I 50 under conditions of either noncompetitive or uncompetitive kinetics.
Unbounded asymmetry of stretch factors

Abstract A result of Handel–Mosher guarantees that the ratio of logarithms of stretch factors of any fully irreducible automorphism of the free group F N and its inverse is bounded by a constant C N . In this short note, we show that this constant C N cannot be chosen independent of the rank N .
Activities of Various Peptidases in Cotyledons of Germinating Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

The activities of several carboxy- and aminopeptidases were assayed in extracts prepared from the cotyledons of resting and germinating peanut seeds as well as from growing and fully differentiated peanut leaves. Carboxypeptidases acting on two carbobenzoxydipeptides Z-Phe-Ala and Z-Ala-Phe at pH 5.2 showed minimal activities in “resting” cotyledons, and only slight increases occurred during 7-day germination at 28°C. In peanut leaves the corresponding activities were quite high, about 20- and 6-fold compared to “germinating” cotyledons. Peptidases acting on Leu-Tyr at pH 8.6 and on Ala-Gly at pH 7.8 were highly active in resting cotyledons, and the activities remained essentially constant during germination; corresponding activities in leaves were much smaller (about 15–25% of those in cotyledons). “Naphthylamidases” hydrolyzing the β-naphthylamides of Phe, Leu, and Arg at pH 7.2, were also highly active in resting cotyledons; during germination the first activity stayed at a constant level while the other two decreased progressively. Leaves showed relatively high activities on Phe-bT-NA and Leu-β-NA but only minimal activity on Arg-β-NA. It is tentatively concluded that the peptidases acting on Leu-Tyr and on Ala-Gly as well as the naphthylamidases function in the mobilization of the reserve proteins of peanut cotyledons during germination. The carboxypeptidases, in contrast, do not seem to play a major role in this process.
Homomultimeric protease in the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima has structural and amino acid sequence homology to bacteriocins in mesophilic bacteria.

A novel homomultimeric protease (>669 kDa), based on 31 kDa subunits, was purified from cell extracts of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima. This protease exhibits activity toward chymotrypsin and trypsin substrates, optimally at 90°C and pH 7.1, and has a half-life of 36 min at 95°C. Transmission electron microscopy established that the protease consists of a large globular assembly which appears circular from the front view. The function of this protease in T. maritima remains unclear, although putative homologs include a 29 kDa antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a 31 kDa monomer of a high molecular weight bacteriocin produced by Brevibacterium linens [Valdes-Stauber, N. and Scherer, S. (1996) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62, 1283–1286]. The relationship of these mesophilic proteins to the T. maritima protease suggests that their antibacterial activity may involve elements of proteolysis, and raises the prospect for anti-microbial ecological strategies in hyperthermophilic niches.
Race is not an independent predictor of positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy

Abstract Objectives. To determine whether race is an independent predictor of positive surgical margins in patients who undergo radical prostatectomy. Methods. Radical prostatectomies were performed on 750 patients at five Veterans Affairs hospitals: Shreveport, Louisiana (n = 451), Houston, Texas (n = 92), Jackson, Mississippi (n = 83), New Orleans, Louisiana (n = 69), and Little Rock, Arkansas (n = 55). All men who did not receive neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and for whom complete follow-up data were available were included in the analysis (of 607, 260 were African-American and 347 were white). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significance of race as an independent predictor of surgical margin status after radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer. Results. After controlling for clinical stage, Gleason grade, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA), multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that race was not an independent predictor of positive surgical margins ( P = 0.9). Of the variables evaluated, both preoperative PSA ( P = 0.0005) and biopsy Gleason grade ( P = 0.047) were significant predictors of an increased risk of a positive surgical margin. Conclusions. Positive surgical margins are a widely accepted surrogate marker of increased biologic potential in patients with prostate cancer. In our study population, race was not an independent predictor of surgical margin status. Coupled with observations that survival is not related to race, this finding suggests that the biology of prostate cancer in African-American and white men is similar and that observed racial differences more likely are due to ethnic factors that influence tumorigenicity.
Living in an ACD world

After a recent ACD Implementation at Princeton University’s CIT Help Desk, we reached many of the goals we had hoped for from an ACD world. We noticed our consultants were actually talking to customers instead of voice mail boxes, customers like seeing statisticss about how busy the Help Desk is, and they even liked our hold music!
Low dose electron microscopy of the crotoxin complex thin crystal.

The crotoxin complex from Crotalus d. terrificus rattlesnake venom was crystallized in the form of thin platelets. These crystals were prepared by the glucose embedding technique and examined by low dose electron microscopy. Electron diffraction patterns and images have been recorded to 2·2 and 4·5 A, respectively. By a combination of electron and X-ray diffraction techniques, the space group of this crystal was determined to be P4222 with eight crotoxin complex molecules in one unit cell with dimensions of 38·8 A × 38·8 A × 256·8 A. The Patterson maps and the symmetry reliability factors calculated from the electron diffraction intensities clearly showed the existence of three types of electron diffraction patterns in different crystals. The phases in the computer-calculated transform of the low dose images also show the variation in symmetry among crystals. These phenomena are explained by the presence of crystals consisting of one-half, three-quarter and one unit cell in thickness. The interpretation of the computer reconstructed twodimensional density map was limited, partly because of the similarity in density between the protein and the embedding glucose and partly because of the nonuniqueness in relating projected structure to the three-dimensional structure.
Spectrally selective heating of nanosized particles by surface plasmon resonance

Abstract We present a series of computer simulations of 10 nm particles optically excited at their surface plasmon resonance. These simulations are focused on gold and silver nanocylinders, resting on either on a thin metallic film or on a glass surface. The results indicate that excitation is highly dependent on both the material and the proximity of other particles. These findings suggest that manipulation and assembly of nanoparticles is feasible. This study also underlines the importance of computational radiation transfer research for the successful implementation of novel nanomachining processes.
Knightian self uncertainty in the vcg mechanism for unrestricted combinatorial auctions

We study the social welfare performance of the VCG mechanism in the well-known and challenging model of self uncertainty initially put forward by Frank H. Knight and later formalized by Truman F. Bewley. Namely, the only information that each player i has about his own true valuation consists of a set of distributions, from one of which i's valuation has been drawn. We assume that each player knows his true valuation up to an additive inaccuracy δ, and study the social welfare performance of the VCG mechanism relative to δ > 0. Denoting by MSW the maximum social welfare, we have already shown in [Chiesa, Micali and Zhu 2012] that, even in single-good auctions, no mechanism can guarantee any social welfare greater than MSW / n in dominant strategies or ex-post Nash equilibrium strategies, where n is the number of players. In a separate paper [CMZ14], we have proved that for multi-unit auctions, where it coincides with the Vickrey mechanism, the VCG mechanism performs very well in (Knightian) undominated strategies. Namely, in an n-player m-unit auction, the Vickrey mechanism guarantees a social welfare ≥ - MSW - 2mδ, when each Knightian player chooses an arbitrary undominated strategy to bid in the auction. In this paper we focus on the social welfare performance of the VCG mechanism in unrestricted combinatorial auctions, both in undominated strategies and regret-minimizing strategies. (Indeed, both solution concepts naturally extend to the Knightian setting with player self uncertainty.) Our first theorem proves that, in an n-player m-good combinatorial auction, the VCG mechanism may produce outcomes whose social welfare is ≤ - MSW - ω(2m δ), even when n=2 and each player chooses an undominated strategy. We also geometrically characterize the set of undominated strategies in this setting. Our second theorem shows that the VCG mechanism performs well in regret-minimizing strategies: the guaranteed social welfare is ≥-MSW - 2min{m,n}δ if each player chooses a pure regret-minimizing strategy, and ≥- MSW - O(n2 δ) if mixed strategies are allowed. Finally, we prove a lemma bridging two standard models of rationality: utility maximization and regret minimization. A special case of our lemma implies that, in any game (Knightian or not), every implementation for regret-minimizing players also applies to utility-maximizing players who use regret ONLY to break ties among their undominated strategies. This bridging lemma thus implies that the VCG mechanism continues to perform very well also for the latter players.
Exploring new avenues to assess the sharp end of patient safety: an analysis of nationally aggregated peer review data

Background Many healthcare organisations (HCOs) use peer review to evaluate clinical performance, but it is unclear whether these data provide useful insights for assessing the sharp end of patient safety. Objective To describe outcomes of peer review within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system and identify opportunities to leverage peer review data for measurement and improvement of safety. Design We partnered with the VA’s Risk Management Program Office to perform descriptive analyses of aggregated peer review data collected from 135 VA facilities between October 2011 and September 2012. We determined the frequency of screening factors used to initiate peer review and processes contributing to substandard care. We also evaluated peer review data for diagnosis-related performance concerns, an emerging area of interest in the patient safety field. Results During the study period, 23 287 cases were peer reviewed; 15 739 (68%) were sent to local peer review committees for final outcome determination after an initial review and 2320 cases were ultimately designated as substandard care (mean 17 cases/facility). In 20% of cases, the screening source was unspecified. The most common process contributing to substandard care was ‘timing and appropriateness of treatment’. Approximately 16% of committee reviewed cases had diagnosis-related performance concerns, which were estimated to occur in approximately 0.5% of total hospital admissions. Conclusions Peer review may be a useful tool for HCOs to assess their sharp end clinical performance, particularly safety events related to diagnostic and treatment errors. To address these emerging and largely preventable events, HCOs could consider revamping their existing peer review programmes to enable self-assessment, feedback and improvement.
BSeQC: quality control of bisulfite sequencing experiments

Motivation: Bisulfite sequencing (BS-seq) has emerged as the gold standard to study genome-wide DNA methylation at single-nucleotide resolution. Quality control (QC) is a critical step in the analysis pipeline to ensure that BS-seq data are of high quality and suitable for subsequent analysis. Although several QC tools are available for next-generation sequencing data, most of them were not designed to handle QC issues specific to BS-seq protocols. Therefore, there is a strong need for a dedicated QC tool to evaluate and remove potential technical biases in BS-seq experiments. Results: We developed a package named BSeQC to comprehensively evaluate the quality of BS-seq experiments and automatically trim nucleotides with potential technical biases that may result in inaccurate methylation estimation. BSeQC takes standard SAM/BAM files as input and generates bias-free SAM/BAM files for downstream analysis. Evaluation based on real BS-seq data indicates that the use of the bias-free SAM/BAM file substantially improves the quantification of methylation level. Availability and implementation: BSeQC is freely available at: http://code.google.com/p/bseqc/. Contact: ude.mcb@1lw Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Pollution Resilience for DNS Resolvers

The DNS is a cornerstone of the Internet. Unfortunately, no matter how securely an organization provisions and guards its own DNS infrastructure, it is at the mercy of others' provisioning when it comes to resolutions its resolvers perform on behalf of its clients - even one compromised DNS server in the Internet can mislead an organization's clients to fake look-alike phishing Web sites or malware-serving sites, among other things. In this paper, we propose a self-defense mechanism where the DNS resolvers collect a small amount of additional information for the DNS responses they receive and maintain a history of previous responses to guard their clients against misleading information from compromised DNS servers in the Internet. Any organization can choose to enhance its resolvers with our mechanism unilaterally, unlike DNSSEC, which can ensure correctness of information only if the remote DNS server deploys it.
A software architecture for intelligent synthesis environments

NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) program is a grand attempt to develop a system to transform the way complex artifacts are engineered. This paper discusses a "middleware" architecture for enabling the development of ISE. Desirable elements of such an Intelligent Synthesis Architecture (ISA) include remote invocation; plug-and-play applications; scripting of applications; management of design artifacts, tools, and artifact and tool attributes; common system services; system management; and systematic enforcement of policies. A typical middleware foundation for an ISA is a distributed object technology such as CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture). I argue that such an architecture can be profitably extended by enabling "plug-and-play" insertion of new policies into the system. I describe the Object Infrastructure Framework, an Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP) environment for developing distributed systems that provides policy insertion. This technology can be used to enforce policies such as maintaining the annotations of artifacts, particularly the provenance and access control rules of artifacts; performing automatic datatype transformations between representations; supplying alternative servers of the same service; reporting on the status of jobs and of the system; conveying privileges throughout an application; supporting long-lived transactions; maintaining version consistency; and providing software redundancy and mobility.
Towards fault tolerance pervasive computing

Pervasive computing exists in the user's environment, the technology is sustainable if it is invisible to the user and does not intrude the user's consciousness. This requires that functioning of the multitude of devices in the environment be oblivious to the user. Therefore, the system has to be resilient to various kinds of faults and should be able to function despite faults. In addition, pervasive computing provides a platform for context-aware computing that enables automatic configuration of a pervasive system based on the environment context. The aim of this article is to highlight the various challenges and issues that confront fault tolerance pervasive computing, discuss their implications, prevent some solutions to these problems, and describe how some of these solutions are implemented in our system.
Tensor completion for on-board compression of hyperspectral images

We present a new image compression scheme for hyperspectral images based on the newly-emerged matrix/tensor completion theory. Unlike typical transform-coding based methods, the proposed approach does not require any transform to be performed by the imaging sensor when doing on-board compression. Only a small set of pixels on a sparse set of locations on the imaging sensor needs to be captured and transmitted for each image. The decoder side relies on matrix/tensor completion for reconstructing the original images. Hence the scheme can drastically reduce the computation and bandwidth requirements on the on-board imaging sensors. Experiments show that the proposed method is able to obtain compression performance close to JPEG2000 while enjoying the afore-mentioned unique benefits.
The immersive artistic experience and the exploitation of space

Over the past fifty years, artists have explored the computer's potential to create both virtual and physical art forms that embrace the concept of space. Through the use of immersion, interaction, and manipulation of both virtual and physical space, computer artists have created powerful aesthetic environments that enable audiences to experience alternative realities. Immersive installations that respond the human body and online multi-user virtual environments such as Second Life satisfy the viewer's inherent desire to escape physical reality and become part of the art experience itself.
Can anti-inflammatory agents protect against Parkinson’s disease?

Beate Ritz†, Angelika D Wahner, Yvette Bordelon & Jeff M Bronstein †Author for correspondence UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, 650 Charles E Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA Tel.: +1 310 206 7458; Fax: +1 310 206 6039; britz@ucla.edu ‘...inflammation in brain tissue contributes to the pathogenesis of PD, and anti-inflammatory drugs may be capable of preventing or reducing neuronal degeneration caused by neuroinflammation.’
MS2 coat proteins bound to yeast mRNAs block 5′ to 3′ degradation and trap mRNA decay products: implications for the localization of mRNAs by MS2-MCP system

Arrays of MS2 binding sites are placed into mRNAs and are commonly used to visualize the localization of mRNAs in vivo by the expression of an MS2-GFP fusion protein. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we observed that arrays of MS2 binding sites inhibit 5' to 3' degradation of the mRNA in yeast cells and lead to the accumulation of a 3' mRNA fragment containing the MS2 binding sites. This accumulation can be dependent on the binding of the MS2 stem loops (MS2-SL) by MS2 coat proteins (MCPs). Since such decay fragments can still bind MCP-GFP, the localization of such mRNA fragments can complicate the interpretation of the localization of full-length mRNA in vivo.
Study of the seismic velocity ratio for several regions of the South Island, New Zealand: evaluation of regional ts/tp and near source Vp/Vs values

Summary. The regional variations in space and time of the travel—time ratio ts/tp over a 600-km long section of the Alpine fault zone in the South Island, New Zealand, are discussed. The analyses are based on readings from micro-earthquakes. A significant difference in this ratio with depth between shallow and intermediate focus earthquakes in Fiordland was found, the former having a value of 1.72 and the latter 1.68. A 7 per cent decrease in ts/tp preceded a magnitude 3.5 earthquake in the Arthur's Pass region by about 10 day. The entire region studied was found to be characterized by regional ts/tp values of 1.74–1.70 except a 75-km long region near Arthur's Pass at the junction of the Alpine and Hope faults which had a value of about 1.63. This low value was observed in both 1972 and 1973. Near-source Vp/Vs ratios of about 1.55 were estimated for two earthquake zones (sub-regions) within the Arthur's Pass region. Computed estimates of the acoustic velocities Vp and Vs for the Arthur's Pass region yielded values of about 5.48 and 3.40 km/s, respectively. When compared to ts/tp values from other parts of the world and with ultrasonic data on rock types similar to those present in the South Island, the regional ts/tp study indicates that the Arthur's Pass region possesses a significantly low value of ts/tp. This low ratio for the Arthur's Pass region may be interpreted in two different ways. Since the ts/tp values are higher in the regions to the north and south of the Arthur's Pass region, with all three regions having the same lithologic unit exposed on the surface, it may reflect the depth to the crystalline basement. In particular, it may be suggestive of a greater thickness of sediments existing within the Arthur's Pass region. Alternatively, this low ratio may be indicative of a temporal effect precursory to a future earthquake. On this assumption, a quantitative estimate of the size, location and time of occurrence of a possible future earthquake is deduced. Such an event would have a minimum magnitude of 6.5 and would occur in the next few years. Whatever the explanation, which from this analysis cannot be definitely decided, this study, by attempting to define lateral heterogeneities in the crust, warns that in earthquake prediction studies involving the interpretation of ts/tp anomalies, considerable lateral variations in this parameter may result from local variations in geology.
Spinal Cord Penetration of Intrathecally Administered Cytarabine and Methotrexate: A Quantitative Autoradiographic Study

Carcinomatous meningitis is an increasingly common complication of systemic cancer. Treatment usually involves the use of intrathecal methotrexate or cytarabine, which have been reported to be toxic to the spinal cord. This study was performed to determine the penetration and distribution of intrathecally administered chemotherapy within the spinal cord. Tritiated methotrexate and cytarabine were administered intraventricularly and by lumbar puncture to New Zealand White rabbits. The extent and pattern of penetration of drug into the spinal cord were determined using quantitative autoradiographic techniques. The results demonstrate that 1 hour after administration 67%-99% of the total area of the spinal cord sections were exposed to these intrathecally administered agents. The pattern of distribution of the labeled drugs was inhomogeneous and was not dependent on the agent or the route of administration. High drug levels were seen in the area of the substantia gelatinosa and peripheral white matter which correspond to the location of pathological changes seen in the spinal cords of patients with neurotoxicity from intrathecal chemotherapy. This rapid and extensive penetration of intrathecally administered chemotherapy may offer insight into the myelopathy observed with these treatments.
RNA interference-mediated knock-down of Bla g 1 in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica L., implicates this allergen-encoding gene in digestion and nutrient absorption

We used RNA interference (RNAi) to silence the expression of a gene encoding Bla g 1, a human allergen produced by the German cockroach, Blattella germanica L., to study its function in cockroach physiology. Females injected with 1 microg of double-stranded RNA contained 64% less Bla g 1 protein and Bla g 1 mRNA abundance was reduced by 91.4% compared to sham-injected females. Bla g 1 knockdown slowed the pace of weight gain, midgut growth, and colleterial gland and basal oocyte maturation, resulting in delayed egg case formation and lower fecundity. Exogenous juvenile hormone treatments rescued reproduction in RNAi-treated females, suggesting that Bla g 1 silencing lowered endogenous juvenile hormone, probably by reducing food intake and nutrient absorption.
Host Gene Expression Changes Correlating With Anti–HIV-1 Effects in Human Subjects After Treatment With Peginterferon Alfa-2a

We investigated whether interferon-inducible genes (IFIGs) with known anti–human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity in vitro were associated with in vivo virological response in HIV infection. Nine untreated HIV-1–infected volunteers were treated for 12 weeks with peginterferon alfa-2a. A subset of IFIGs (23 of 47) increased compared with baseline through 6 weeks beyond therapy, and 10 of the 23 IFIGs significantly inversely correlated (r = −0.7; P < .05) with virological response. The strength of peginterferon alfa-2a–induced IFIG response significantly correlated with declines in HIV load during treatment (r2 = 0.87, p = .003). This study links HIV virological response to a specific IFIG subset, a potential prognostic indicator in peginterferon alfa-2a–treated patients with HIV infection.
Genomic Estimates of Aneuploid Content in Glioblastoma Multiforme and Improved Classification

Purpose: Accurate classification of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is crucial for understanding its biologic diversity and informing diagnosis and treatment. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project identified four GBM classes using gene expression data and separately identified three classes using methylation data. We sought to integrate multiple data types in GBM classification, understand biologic features of the newly defined subtypes, and reconcile with prior studies. Experimental Design: We used allele-specific copy number data to estimate the aneuploid content of each tumor and incorporated this measure of intratumor heterogeneity in class discovery. We estimated the potential cell of origin of individual subtypes and the euploid and aneuploid fractions using reference datasets of known neuronal cell types. Results: There exists an unexpected correlation between aneuploid content and the observed among-tumor diversity of expression patterns. Joint use of DNA and mRNA data in ab initio class discovery revealed a distinct group that resembles the Proneural subtype described in a separate study and the glioma-CpG island methylator phenotype (G-CIMP+) class based on methylation data. Three additional subtypes, Classical, Proliferative, and Mesenchymal, were also identified and revised the assignment for many samples. The revision showed stronger differences in patient outcome and clearer cell type–specific signatures. Mesenchymal GBMs had higher euploid content, potentially contributed by microglia/macrophage infiltration. Conclusion: We clarified the confusion about the “Proneural” subtype that was defined differently in different prior studies. The ability to infer within-tumor heterogeneity improved class discovery, leading to new subtypes that are closer to the fundamental biology of GBM. Clin Cancer Res; 18(20); 5595–605. ©2012 AACR .
High Performance Numerical Computing in Java: Language and Compiler Issues

Poor performance on numerical codes has slowed the adoption of Java within the technical computing community. In this paper we describe a prototype array library and a research prototype compiler that support standard Java and deliver near-Fortran performance on numerically intensive codes. We discuss in detai our implementation of: (i) an efficient Java package for true multidimensional arrays; (ii) compiler techniques to generate efficient access to these arrays; and (iii) compiler optimizations that create safe, exception free regions of code that can be aggressively optimized. These techniques work together synergistically to make Java an efficient language for technical computing. In a set of four benchmarks, we achieve between 50 and 90% of the performance of highly optimized Fortran code. This represents a several-fold improvement compared to what can be achieved by the next best Java environment.
THE MARKETING OF ALTRUISTIC CAUSES: UNDERSTANDING WHY PEOPLE HELP

This article proposes that altruistic cause organizations must adopt a new marketing perspective in order to raise funds in an increasingly difficult environment. This new marketing perspective should begin with a basic understanding of motivations and behavior rather than the mere adoption of specific marketing techniques. The article attempts to provide some insight into donor behavior and suggests ways of translating this insight into marketing practice.
Medical and Economic Impact of a Free Student-Run Podiatric Medical Clinic A Preliminary Analysis.

Background: Data from the free student-run podiatric medical clinic at Clinica Tepati at the University of California, Davis, were used to analyze medical and economic impacts on health-care delivery and to extrapolate the economic impact to the national level. Clinica Tepati also provides an excellent teaching environment and services to the uninsured Hispanic population in the Greater Sacramento area. Methods: In this analysis, we retrospectively reviewed patient medical records for podiatric medical encounters during 15 clinic days between November 2010 and February 2012. The economic impact was evaluated by matching diagnoses and treatments with Medicare reimbursement rates using International Classification of Diseases codes, Current Procedural Terminology codes, and the prevailing Medicare reimbursement rates. Results: Sixty-three podiatric medical patients made 101 visits during this period. Twenty patients returned to the clinic for at least one follow-up visit or for a new medical concern. Thirty...
Training Laboratory Personnel To Identify the Agents of Bioterrorism

anthracis from both clinical samples and environmental samples collected during the intentional release of B. anthracis spores in the fall of 2001. The training efforts made during this program, in courses given to Level A laboratories, and ongoing advanced training, will strengthen the na- tional response to bioterrorism. Background
Estimation of magnitudes in central and eastern North America using intensity and felt area

Over 480 earthquakes from central and eastern North America having instrumental mb magnitudes and maximum Modified Mercalli intensities ( I ) were examined using exploratory data analysis techniques and modeled with robust estimation methods (91 of those earthquakes also have felt area data). A previously undocumented distinct offset of magnitudes is observed between Modified Mercalli intensities VI and VII in both the central and eastern North America data set and a separate western North American catalog of earthquakes. The offset is most probably a characteristic of the Modified Mercalli scale and brings into question the often assumed linear relationship between magnitude and intensity. (In particular, linear regression models could not accurately estimate magnitudes for larger, I = VII or VIII, events.) Instead, robust estimates of center and spread for individual intensity interval distributions are recommended. In studies where conversion of intensity to magnitude for groups of earthquakes is required (e.g., studies involving the Gutenberg-Richter recurrence relation), the underlying distribution of magnitudes (or its approximation) for each intensity should be used. Linear regression models using I and/or felt area (and several transformations were tested. The robust linear regression models m b = 2.48 + 0.0769 log 2 ( F A ) and m b = 2.16 + 0.0219 l 0 2 + 0.0596 log 2 ( F A ) (where FA is felt area in square kilometers) proved to be the most accurate magnitude estimation models for central and eastern North America earthquakes. A comparison of regional felt area models indicates that regional differences in attenuation of seismic waves may exist between central and eastern North America that becomes apparent only for events of sufficient magnitude. Those differences appear as larger felt areas for earthquakes of central North America as compared to earthquakes of eastern North America.
The Operations Course at Darden

This note describes the Operations Management course in the core curriculum at the Darden School.
Critical Role of PepT1 in Promoting Colitis-Associated Cancer and Therapeutic Benefits of the Anti-inflammatory PepT1-Mediated Tripeptide KPV in a Murine Model

Background & Aims The human intestinal peptide transporter 1 (hPepT1), is expressed in the small intestine at low levels in the healthy colon and up-regulated during inflammatory bowel disease. hPepT1 plays a role in mouse colitis and human studies have shown that chronic intestinal inflammation leads to colorectal cancer (colitis-associated cancer; CAC). Hence, we assessed here the role of PepT1 in CAC. Methods Mice with hPepT1 overexpression in intestinal epithelial cells (transgenic [TG]) or PepT1 (PepT1-knockout [KO]) deletion were used and CAC was induced by azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate. Results TG mice had larger tumor sizes, increased tumor burdens, and increased intestinal inflammation compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Conversely, tumor number and size and intestinal inflammation were decreased significantly in PepT1-KO mice. Proliferating crypt cells were increased in TG mice and decreased in PepT1-KO mice. Analysis of human colonic biopsy specimens showed increased expression of PepT1 in patients with colorectal cancer, suggesting that PepT1 might be targeted for the treatment of CAC. The use of an anti-inflammatory tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val (KPV) transported by PepT1 was able to prevent carcinogenesis in WT mice. When administered to PepT1-KO mice, KPV did not trigger any of the inhibitory effect on tumorigenesis observed in WT mice. Conclusions The observations that PepT1 was highly expressed in human colorectal tumor and that its overexpression and deletion in mice increased and decreased colitis-associated tumorigenesis, respectively, suggest that PepT1 is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of colitis-associated tumorigenesis.
Afro-Caribbean Mothers in the U.S.: An Exploratory Study From a Transnational Feminist Perspective

Afro-Caribbean immigrants are a growing and marginalized population in the U.S. Although they have much in common with African Americans and Latino immigrants, they are a unique and diverse group that is often misunderstood and understudied. This exploratory study highlights the struggles of these mothers as they navigate contrasting parenting values and practices as transnational families. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis revealed four themes related to culture, discipline, education, and collectivism. Data were interpreted from a transnational feminist lens. Clinical implications are offered to strengthen cultural sensitivity and effectiveness with Afro-Caribbean immigrant mothers and their families.
Mechanism of NO photodissociation in photolabile manganese-NO complexes with pentadentate N5 ligands.

The Mn-nitrosyl complexes [Mn(PaPy3)(NO)](ClO4) (1; PaPy3– = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-N-ethyl-2-pyridine-2-carboxamide) and [Mn(PaPy2Q)(NO)](ClO4) (2, PaPy2Q– = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-N-ethyl-2-quinoline-2-carboxamide) show a remarkable photolability of the NO ligand upon irradiation of the complexes with UV–vis–NIR light [Eroy-Reveles, A. A.; Leung, Y.; Beavers, C. M.; Olmstead, M. M.; Mascharak, P. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2008, 130, 4447]. Here we report detailed spectroscopic and theoretical studies on complexes 1 and 2 that provide key insight into the mechanism of NO photolabilization in these compounds. IR- and FT-Raman spectroscopy show N–O and Mn–NO stretching frequencies in the 1720–1750 and 630–650 cm–1 range, respectively, for these Mn-nitrosyls. The latter value for ν(Mn–NO) is one of the highest transition-metal–NO stretching frequencies reported to this date, indicating that the Mn–NO bond is very strong in these complexes. The electronic structure of 1 and 2 is best described as Mn(...
Intentions to Purchase Compared with Actual Purchases of Household Durables

If consumer surveys are to provide management with an adequate basis for decision, intention-to-purchase data must be evaluated jointly with opinions, attitudes, financial characteristics, and othe...
Direct-drive implosion physics: Results from OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

Direct-drive-implosion experiments from both OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are critical to gain confidence in ignition predictions on the NIF. Adequate performance of hydrodynamically scaled 1.8-MJ ignition designs must be obtained on OMEGA at 26 kJ. Implosions on the NIF must be used to identify and mitigate the effect of laser-plasma interactions (LPI's) on hydrodynamic parameters at the NIF scale. Results from spherically driven OMEGA cryogenic implosion experiments are described. Mitigation of nonuniformity sources and cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) is important for improving target performance on OMEGA. Initial polar-driven implosion experiments on the NIF have provided valuable measurements of trajectory and symmetry. Simulations that include the effect of CBET more closely reproduce the observed velocity.
Research of Open Numerical Control System Based on μC/OSII

In this paper,we present the motion controller based on μC/OSⅡ,and provide the reference architecture of ONC open mumerical control system composed of the motion controller and PC.Then we introduce the software of open motion controller,and test the availability of the ONC system.
Recent Work on Representation of Current Algebra

Introduction Formulation of the programme. In this first lecture, I would like to review some of the basic facts which were the content of the last year's lectures, to which I will refer for a more detailed discussion, The starting point is the generalization of the notions which are contained in the eighfold way. There one has certain quantities which obey at equal times exact commutation relations, despite the fact they are not constants of motion.
From Imaging to Therapy in Carotid Artery Stenosis: from the Surgical Point of View

Ischemic stroke results from a multitude of causes but more than 30% are due to atherosclerosis of arteries providing blood to the brain. More than 67% of all atherosclerotic carotid lesions are located in the extracranial cerebral circulation with 38% percent of those being found in the region of the carotid bifurcation [9], [38]. Atheromatous plaques in the bifurcation occur frequently as flow characteristics of blood are altered at arterial branching points causing turbulence and shear stress [74]. Less common locations are in the carotid siphon, at the origin of the ophthalmic artery or in both locations (tandem lesions).