cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fibrinolytic therapy in young women with acute myocardial infarction.

Study objective : Previous studies found that women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) receive less aggressive therapy compared with men. We sought to determine the percentage of young women (≤50 years) with an AMI eligible for fibrinolytic therapy who received it and explore factors resulting in the ineligibility of women for fibrinolytic therapy. Methods : A retrospective chart review was conducted for women 50 years of age or younger who were discharged from a tertiary cardiac care hospital with a diagnosis of AMI during the period 1990 to 1995. Women were included if they met the World Health Organization criteria for AMI. Results : There were 126 women meeting inclusion criteria with 54 (43%) receiving fibrinolytic therapy. Sufficient information to determine eligibility for fibrinolytic therapy was available for 118 (94%) of the women. Forty-one (91%) of the 45 women who met eligibility criteria received fibrinolytic therapy. Of the 73 women who were ineligible for fibrinolytic therapy, 52 (71%) had a nondiagnostic ECG, 28 (38%) presented 12 hours after symptom onset, and 19 (26%) had an absolute or relative contraindication to fibrinolytic therapy. Of the women not meeting eligibility requirements, 15% nonetheless received fibrinolytic therapy. Conclusion : In this study, most young women with AMI who were eligible for fibrinolytic therapy received it. Nondiagnostic ECG and late presentation to the emergency department (>12 hours after symptom onset) were the most common reasons for ineligibility.
SPICA’S Challenge: Probing High-Redshift Universe toward the Epoch of Reionization

In the coming years, we expect to see ALMA and JWST pushing the frontier of extragalactic IR/submm astronomy beyond the current limit of z ~ 4 and probably up to z ~ 10, the epoch of cosmic reionization. The main challenge for SPICA will be whether it can also probe such a high-redshift regime. Here, I discuss such a possibility with various observing strategies, showing that SPICA has a great potential to explore the 4 < 10 Universe.
Ion-scattering analysis of self-assembled monolayers of silanes on organic semiconductors

Abstract We describe new Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) measurements to explore the surface chemistry associated with the growth of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) molecules on conducting organic films. The report includes a description of the optimization of both substrates and RBS scattering parameters to appropriately analyze these novel and damage susceptible structures. Our RBS measurements reveal that the final surface stoichiometry is consistent with a specific model of hydrolyzed and crosslinked trichlorosilanes that form a dense two-dimensional network (a monolayer) at the surface of small-molecule organic semiconductors and a bulk SAM network in the case of conjugated polymer films. Organic semiconductors used in this study are thin films of rubrene (a small molecule semiconductor (C42H28)) and poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT) (a conjugated polymer (C10H18S)n). As a substrate we used a thick (1 μm) film of parylene (a non-conjugated polymer (C8H8)n) deposited on Si (1 0 0) wafers. The SAM molecules used to functionalize the organic semiconductor films are fluoroalkyl trichlorosilane (FTS) (C8(H4F13)SiCl3) and octyltrichlorosilane (OTS) (C8H17SiCl3). Quantitative detection of medium and small-mass elements, such as O, F, Si, S and residual Cl is demonstrated and used to elucidate the surface chemistry in these novel organic systems.
A Pathologic Evaluation of Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) (P05.125)

Objective: To assess for venous abnormalities possibly related to CCSVI in MS and control cadavers. Background Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is a new theory of MS pathogenesis involving alterations in cerebral venous outflow. There has been little pathologic study of venous structures related to CCSVI. Design/Methods: We harvested bilateral internal jugular (IJV), subclavian, brachiocephalic, and azygos (AZY) veins from 7 deceased MS patients and 6 non-MS controls. Veins were flushed, injected with silicone, dissected en bloc, and fixed. All valves and structural abnormalities were characterized and photographed using a stereomicroscope. Results: Valvular and other intraluminal abnormalities with potential hemodynamic consequences were identified in 5 of 7 MS patients (7 abnormalities) and in 1 of 6 controls (1 abnormality). These abnormalities included circumferential membranous structures (1 MS; 1 control), longitudinally-oriented membranous structures (3 MS), single valve flap replacing IJV valve (2 MS), and enlarged and malpositioned valve leaflets (1 MS). Significant stenosis was seen in 2 MS and 1 control. Additionally, several minor anatomic variations without expected hemodynamic consequences were observed similarly in both MS and controls. These included valves with 3 leaflets, the presence of AZY valves, additional (duplicate) normal-appearing IJV valves, and small accessory valve leaflets. Histologic evaluation is underway and will be reported along with additional cases. Conclusions: Post mortem examination of the IJV and AZY veins in MS and non-MS controls demonstrated a variety of structural abnormalities as well as anatomic variations. Vein wall stenosis occurred at similar frequency in both groups. However, the frequency of intraluminal abnormalities with possible hemodynamic consequences appeared higher in MS patients compared to healthy controls, although the current sample size is limited. These results suggest that MRV studies evaluating vein wall stenoses may be less effective than ultrasound in identifying venous abnormalities in CCSVI. In addition, CCSVI ultrasound studies should include focused evaluation of intraluminal abnormalities. Supported by: RC 1004-A-5 from the National MS Society. Disclosure: Dr. Diaconu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Staugaitis has nothing to disclose. Dr. McBride has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schwanger has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rae-Grant has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis, Biogen Idec and Teva Neurosciences as a speaker. Dr. Fox has received personal compensation for activities with Avanir, Biogen Idec, EMD Serono, and Novartis. Dr. Fox has received research support from Biogen Idec and Genentech, Inc.
Disparate effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on sister-chromatid exchanges and chromosomal aberrations in Bloom syndrome fibroblasts.

The existence of a high frequency of spontaneous sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in Bloom syndrome (BS) has thus far been supported by data on a small number of BS cell lines. To examine the cause of baseline SCEs more broadly, the frequencies of SCEs, as well as chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in 4 additional BS fibroblast strains were compared, under different assay and cell culture conditions, with those of normal cells in the range of approximately 0.9–90% 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) substitution into template DNA. SCEs at low levels of BrdUrd substitution were detected by an extremely sensitive immunofluorescent technique. From approximately 0.9% to 4.5% BrdUrd substitution, the SCE frequency in BS cells remained constant, at a level (40/cell) 8 times higher than that of normal cells. As BrdUrd substitution increased further, the SCE frequency in BS cells increased almost linearly, reaching 70–100 per cell at approximately 90% substitution, while the SCE increment in control fibroblasts was less than 5 per cell. Analysis of SCEs in 3 successive replication cycles similarly revealed that the SCE increment in BS cells depended on BrdUrd only at a high BrdUrd substitution level. In contrast to data SCEs, CA induction by incorporated BrdUrd in BS cells was only slightly higher than that in normal cells. Thus, BS cells are extremely sensitive to BrdUrd for SCE induction, but much less so for CA induction.
Comparison of cytopathic changes in oral hairy leukoplakia with in situ hybridization for EBV DNA.

OBJECTIVE: It has been observed that the cytopathic changes in hairy leukoplakia (HL) correlate with ultra-structural evidence of intra-keratinocyte herpes-type viral particles. In situ hybridization is considered to be the definitive confirmation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced HL. This study evaluated the consistency of histopathological findings, which many believe to be diagnostic, with in situ hybridization for EBV-DNA in 60 patients with lesions clinically suggestive of HL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections were reviewed independently by three oral pathologists who did not know the hybridization results. The presence in keratinocytes of nuclear inclusions and/or homogenization, believed to be specific for EBV in these lesions, was used as an indicator for infection. Cytoplasmic changes were evaluated separately. RESULTS: With in situ hybridization, 48 cases were positive and 12 were negative. When the two methods were compared, pathologist concurrence ranged from 83% to 92%. False negatives ranged from 6% to 19%, and false positives ranged from 8% to 25%. Cytoplasmic ballooning, homogenization, and perinuclear clearing were evident in all cases of hybridization-confirmed HL; however, these changes were also noted in 75% (9/12) of the cases with negative hybridization results. Most confirmed HL cases exhibited both nuclear homogenization and inclusions, although the former was more consistently seen. CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic changes did not agree well with EBV-DNA hybridization results, whereas nuclear changes demonstrated good, but not complete, agreement. In appropriate clinical settings, the finding of nuclear inclusions and/or homogenization may be of diagnostic value. However, because the potential for false positives and negatives is high, H&E cytopathology should not be used as a substitute for in situ hybridization in the definitive diagnosis of oral hairy leukoplakia.
Da Zhangfu: The Gendered Rhetoric of Heroism and Equality in Seventeenth-Century Chan Buddhist Discourse Records

This article looks at some of the different ways in which the use of the term “ da zhangfu ” or “great gentleman” is exercised in the writings of seventeenth-century Buddhist monks and laymen in reference to religious women. These uses reflect a wide range of opinion on the question of whether or not women had the strength and determination to embark on the chan Buddhist path of spiritual training The attitudes expressed by these male writers range from undisguised disapproval to qualified skepticism to wholehearted support and admiration, regarded as a whole, they reflect the ongoing ambivalence towards religious women as well as the unquestionable changes in attitude, that marked the seventeenth-century.
Further-investigation on the radiosynthesis of α-[11C]methyl-tryptophan

Improved procedures for the radiosynthesis of α-[11C]methyltryptophan and α-[11C]methyl-tryptophan methyl ester were studied. Following α-deprotonation of tryptophan methyl ester benzaldimine with LDA, 60 – 80% of no carrier added [11C]iodomethane was incorporated in 5 minutes at 27 – 30°C. After HPLC purification, radiochemically pure α-[11C]methyl-tryptophan or its methyl ester was produced with minimum chemical contamination from tryptophan. The [11C]methyl-tryptophan synthesized, however, was found to be a racemate.
Focus on lifestyle change and the metabolic syndrome.

The National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment, Panel III identifies persons with multiple metabolic risk factors or metabolic syndrome as candidates for intensified therapeutic lifestyle changes. This article reviews the important role of weight reduction, diet, and exercise in improving the metabolic syndrome and its risk factors of abdominal obesity, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, and coagulation/inflammatory factors. The article also provides practical strategies.
Papillary muscle calcification after inferoposterior myocardial infarction

Extensive papillary muscle calcification is quite a rare finding in echocardiographic examinations. A case of a 71 year old man with isolated calcification of the papillary muscles, detected by fluoroscopy and confirmed by echocardiography, is presented. Intracardiac calcifications in patients with prior right coronary artery occlusion and mitral regurgitation should suggest the possibility of posteromedial papillary muscle calcification and dysfunction.
PDGF-C Induces Maturation of Blood Vessels in a Model of Glioblastoma and Attenuates the Response to Anti-VEGF Treatment

Background: Recent clinical trials of VEGF inhibitors have shown promise in the treatment of recurrent glioblastomas (GBM). However, the survival benefit is usually short-lived as tumors escape anti-VEGF therapies. Here we tested the hypothesis that Platelet Derived Growth Factor-C (PDGF-C), an isoform of the PDGF family, affects GBM progression independent of VEGF pathway and hinders anti-VEGF therapy. Principal Findings: We first showed that PDGF-C is present in human GBMs. Then, we overexpressed or downregulated PDGF-C in a human GBM cell line, U87MG, and grew them in cranial windows in nude mice to assess vessel structure and function using intravital microscopy. PDGF-C overexpressing tumors had smaller vessel diameters and lower vascular permeability compared to the parental or siRNA-transfected tumors. Furthermore, vessels in PDGF-C overexpressing tumors had more extensive coverage with NG2 positive perivascular cells and a thicker collagen IV basement membrane than the controls. Treatment with DC101, an anti-VEGFR-2 antibody, induced decreases in vessel density in the parental tumors, but had no effect on the PDGF-C overexpressing tumors. Conclusion: These results suggest that PDGF-C plays an important role in glioma vessel maturation and stabilization, and that it can attenuate the response to anti-VEGF therapy, potentially contributing to escape from vascular normalization.
Onset of oscillatory instabilities under stochastic modulation

We study the effect of external stochastic modulation on a system with O(2) symmetry that exhibits a Hopf or oscillatory instability in the absence of modulation. The study includes a random component in both the control parameter of the bifurcation and in the modulation amplitude. Stability boundaries are computed by either solving the stationary Fokker-Planck equation on the center manifold of the underlying deterministic system whenever possible, or by direct numerical solution otherwise. If the modulation amplitude has a stochastic component, the primary bifurcation is always to standing waves at a value of the control parameter that depends on the intensity of the fluctuations. More precisely, and to contrast our results with the case of a deterministic periodic forcing, the onset of instability in the standing-wave regime is shifted from its deterministic location, and the region of primary bifurcation to traveling waves disappears, yielding instead standing waves at negative values of the control parameter. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Influence of Lysine on Cimetidine Uptake and on Excretion of Cimetidine by the Rat Mammary Gland

Cimetidine is actively transported into human and rat milk However, the transporters involved have not been characterized. It is possible that xenobiotics may be actively transported into milk by an amino acid transport system. The objective of these studies was to determine the influence of lysine on the uptake of cimetidine into rat mammary explants (study 1), and on the excretion of cimetidine into rat milk (study 2). In study 1, excised lactating rat mammary epithelial tissue fragments were exposed to3H-cimetidine and14C-lysine in the presence of 10 µM, 1 mM, or 1 M cold lysine, and the uptake of3H-cimetidine and14C-lysine were measured by liquid scintillation counting after 5 or 20 minutes of incubation. After 5 minutes of incubation, 1 M lysine inhibited3H-cimetidine uptake by 47.7% (SD ± 6.5%), compared with 101.1M lysine (P < 0.05), and14C-lysine uptake was also inhibited by 54.1% (SD ± 6.4%)(P < 0.05). Similar results were seen after 20 minutes of incubation. In a randomized crossover study (study 2), 6 lactating female rats were infused to steady state with cimetidine (0.5mg/h) in the presence or absence of lysine (360mg/h). Cimetidine concentrations in serum and milk were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Cimetidine systemic clearance (28.6 ± 15 OmL/kg/min vs. 38.9 ± 3.9 mL/kg/min, mean ± SD) and milk to serum cimetidine ratio (M/S) (28.0 ± 16.1 vs. 28.9 ± 6.7), respectively, were not significantly altered by the presence or absence of lysine. Although 1 M lysine inhibited uptake of cimetidine in rat mammary explants, the concentrations of lysine used in this study, which approached toxicity in vivo, produced no significant effects on cimetidine transport into milk or the systemic clearance of cimetidine.
SHIFTS IN ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL COMMUNITIES ALONG AN ANTHROPOGENIC NITROGEN DEPOSITION GRADIENT

We evaluated arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) species diversity and abundance in nine locations along an anthropogenic nitrogen deposition gradient in coastal sage scrub (CSS) vegetation in southern California. The primary pollutants were nitrogen oxides derived from vehicular emissions. Extractable soil N on the gradient ranged from 5 to 87 μg/g during the summer months. For comparative purposes, we also assessed AM communities in nitrogen-fertilized (60 kg N·ha−1·yr−1) and unfertilized plots. Nitrogen enrichment induced a shift in AM community composition. In particular, an increasing input of nitrogen was associated with the displacement of the larger-spored species of Scutellospora and Gigaspora (due to a failure to sporulate) with a concomitant proliferation of small-spored Glomus species (e.g., Glomus aggregatum, Glomus leptotichum). A subsequent reduction in species richness and diversity (as measured by Shannon–Wiener index) accompanied eutrophication. Nitrogen enrichment also significantly reduced spo...
Peer Relationships of Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants: Predictors of Peer Entry and Peer Interaction Success

This study investigated factors that affect the development of positive peer relationships among deaf children with cochlear implants. Ten 5- to 6-year-old deaf children with implants were observed under conditions varying peer context difficulty in a Peer Entry task. Results revealed better outcomes for deaf children interacting in one-on-one situations compared to interactions including two other hearing children and better performance among girls than boys. In addition, longer duration of implant use and higher self-esteem were associated with better performance on the Peer Task, which was in turn related to parental reports of children's social functioning outside the experimental situation. These findings contribute to the growing literature describing the benefits of cochlear implantation in the areas of communication and socialization, while pointing to interventions that may enhance deaf children's social competence.
Energy-Optimal Path Planning for Solar-Powered Aircraft in Level Flight

[Abstract] Motivated by long-endurance requirements in surveillance, reconnaissance and exploration, this paper considers level flight path planning for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with solar cells on the upper surface of the wings. These solar cells collect energy that is stored in a battery and used to drive a propeller. The mission of the UAV is to travel from a given initial position to a given final position, in less than an allowed duration, using energy from the battery. The subsequent problem of energy-optimal path planning features the interaction between the aircraft kinematics, the energy collection model, and the energy loss model. All three models are coupled by the bank angle of the UAV. Within this framework, the problem is formulated as an optimal path planning problem, with the aircraft bank angle and speed serving as control inputs. Necessary conditions for optimality are given, whose solution yields extremal paths. These necessary conditions are utilized to study analytically the properties of extremal paths. An ecient numerical procedure is also given. It is shown that optimal paths belong to one of two regimes: solar or drag. The Power Ratio, a non-dimensional number that can be computed before flight, is identified. It is shown that this ratio predicts the regime of the optimal path, which facilitates the solution. Implications of the power ratio for UAV design are discussed. Several illustrations are given.
Droplet size distribution effects on aircraft ice accretion

The impinging mass flux distribution which determines aircraft ice accretion rate is shown to be related to the atmospheric droplet size distribution through the droplet collection efficiency of the body. Collection efficiency is studied by means of a two-dimensional droplet trajectory code which includes the effect of nonspherical droplet shape due to hydrodynamic deformation. The simulation was found to agree with wind tunnel photographic studies of droplet kinematics. The results of the simulation are used to generate impinging mass flux distributions for typical cloud and precipitation size distributions. The impinging mass approach is also used to determine relative icing rates from several supercooled cloud characterizations including the intermittent maximum icing envelope of Federal Aviation Regulation, Part 25.
Synthetic neural networks for process control

Abstract Synthetic neural networks offer great promise for process control. A performance comparison is drawn between traditional statistical process control methods and neural networks. Specifically, a series of simulation experiments in which back propagation networks are contrasted with control charts is described. The basis for comparison is average run length (both predicted and observed) and accuracy. The Monte Carlo simulations are derived from plausible production process data. Neural networks were found to perform reasonably well under most conditions.
NORMALITY OF DISTRIBUTION OF RESTING PALMAR SKIN POTENTIAL

Resting skin potential level scores from three samples, two of undergraduates and one of housewives, were analyzed for normality of distribution. The first two samples showed no significant departure from normality. The third showed some significant positive skewness. In general, it was concluded that resting level scores were sufficiently normal not to require transformation for statistical analyses.
Software Project Planning Associate (SPPA): a knowledge-based approach for dynamic software project planning and tracking

Software project planning can be one of the most critical activities in the modern software development process. Without a realistic and objective software project plan, the software development process cannot be managed in an effective way. Over-runs of 100-200% are common. Some software projects never deliver anything. Managers have difficulty understanding and visualizing the software development process defined in a software project plan. The Software Project Planning Associate (SPPA), developed in the Java programming language, is accessed through standard World Wide Web browsers and designed to assist a software project manager in objectively initializing a software project plan, refining/improving a plan, organizing, staffing, scheduling, measuring, visualizing, controlling, tracking, predicting and data collecting. The resources, tasks, schedules and milestones of the software project are described in the plan. As software development process evolves, measurements are unobtrusively gathered and compliance to the software project plan is reported. Software process effectiveness predictions are made and recommendations are dynamically reported suggesting the software development that should be executed to best comply with the software project plan. The SPPA was developed according to a knowledge-base plan model to allow the manager to keep track of the software plan component. SPPA, with the assistance of a software project planning agent, reports problems and suggests problem solutions to the manager. SPPA helps managers assure that a project is within budget, on time and to customer satisfaction.
The Nef-Like Effect of Murine Leukemia Virus Glycosylated Gag on HIV-1 Infectivity Is Mediated by Its Cytoplasmic Domain and Depends on the AP-2 Adaptor Complex

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Nef enhances the infectivity of progeny virions. However, Nef is dispensable for the production of HIV-1 virions of optimal infectivity if the producer cells are superinfected with certain gammaretroviruses. In the case of the ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MLV), the Nef-like effect is mediated by the glycosylated Gag (glycoGag) protein. We now show that the N-terminal intracellular domain of the type II transmembrane protein glycoGag is responsible for its effect on HIV-1 infectivity. In the context of a fully active minimal M-MLV glycoGag construct, truncations of the cytoplasmic domain led to a near total loss of activity. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic domain of M-MLV glycoGag was fully sufficient to transfer the activity to an unrelated type II transmembrane protein. Although the intracellular region of glycoGag is relatively poorly conserved even among ecotropic and xenotropic MLVs, it was also fully sufficient for the rescue of nef -deficient HIV-1 when derived from a xenotropic virus. A mutagenic analysis showed that only a core region of the intracellular domain that exhibits at least some conservation between murine and feline leukemia viruses is crucial for activity. In particular, a conserved YXXL motif in the center of this core region was critical. In addition, expression of the μ2 subunit of the AP-2 adaptor complex in virus producer cells was essential for activity. We conclude that the ability to enhance HIV-1 infectivity is a conserved property of the MLV glycoGag cytoplasmic domain and involves AP-2-mediated endocytosis. IMPORTANCE The Nef protein of HIV-1 and the entirely unrelated glycosylated Gag (glycoGag) protein of a murine leukemia virus (MLV) similarly enhance the infectiousness of HIV-1 particles by an unknown mechanism. MLV glycoGag is an alternative version of the structural viral Gag protein with an extra upstream region that provides a cytosolic domain and a plasma membrane anchor. We now show for the first time that the cytosolic domain of MLV glycoGag contains all the information needed to enhance HIV-1 infectivity and that this function of the cytosolic domain is conserved despite limited sequence conservation. Within the cytosolic domain, a motif that resembles a cellular sorting signal is critical for activity. Furthermore, the enhancement of HIV-1 infectivity depends on an endocytic cellular protein that is known to interact with such sorting signals. Together, our findings implicate the endocytic machinery in the enhancement of HIV-1 infectivity by MLV glycoGag.
Fluid-rock interactions in CO2-saturated, granite-hosted geothermal systems: Implications for natural and engineered systems from geochemical experiments and models

Abstract Hydrothermal experiments were conducted and geochemical models constructed to evaluate the geochemical and mineralogical response of fractured granite and granite + epidote in contact with thermal water, with and without supercritical CO 2 , at 250 °C and 25–45 MPa. Illite ± smectite ± zeolite(?) precipitate as secondary minerals at the expense of K-feldspar, oligoclase, and epidote. Illite precipitates in experiments reacting granite and granite + epidote with water; metastable smectite forms in the experiments injected with supercritical CO 2 . Waters are supersaturated with respect to quartz and saturated with respect to chalcedony in CO 2 -charged experiments, but neither mineral formed. Carbonate formation is predicted for experiments injected with supercritical CO 2 , but carbonate only formed during cooling and degassing of the granite + epidote + CO 2 experiment. Experimental results provide insight into the buffering capacity of granites as well as the drivers of clay formation. Metastable smectite in the experiments is attributed to high water–rock ratios, high silica activities, and high CO 2 and magnesium–iron concentrations. Smectite precipitation in supercritical CO 2 -bearing geothermal systems may affect reservoir permeability. Silicate formation may create or thicken caps within or on the edges of geothermal reservoirs. Carbonate formation, as desired for carbon sequestration projects coinciding with geothermal systems, may require extended periods of time; cooling and degassing of CO 2 -saturated waters leads to carbonate precipitation, potentially plugging near-surface production pathways.
Linear predictive coding of marine seismic data

This paper examines the utility of linear predictive coding in reducing the amount of data storage required for signals gathered in ocean bottom seismology. In this study, a set of 12 typical signals were repeatedly encoded with the storage allocated decreasing from an initial 12 bits per datum to 2. The error introduced was then compared to the performance achieved by simply rounding off the lowest bits of the data, and to estimates of the rate distortion limit. It was found that this scheme consistently introduced about 15 times (4 bits) less distortion both in terms of the root-mean-square (rms) error and in terms of the maximum error than rounding the data. Moreover, the rms distortion of the data were within a factor of 4 (2 bits) of the rate distortion bound on optimal encoding. Thus, the scheme was seen to be an effective approach to the problem of data compression in the marine environment.
Relationship of hierarchical structure to mechanical properties

The mechanical properties in complex systems are explained based on the hierarchical structures present in the system. Hierarchical structures designed for specific mechanical responses are best exemplified by examples from biology. Collagen, a main component in soft connective tissues, is organized into hierarchical structures in the form of tendons or intervertebral discs as examples. Understanding these structures is vital in relating the structures to the intended properties. This approach is also used to characterize organic/inorganic natural composites such as human bone, reindeer antler and nacre. Another example of a hierarchical structure in biology with excellent mechanical properties is that of cellulose, when organized into wood. The importance of hierarchical structures also applies to synthetic polymers for a clearer understanding of the structure-property relationships. Solid-state biaxially oriented polypropylene has excellent tensile and impact properties, which are explained by the hierarchical structure induced during the processing. Thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers develop a hierarchical structure during injection molding that influence the final properties. Furthermore, the impact modification of polycarbonate is more easily understood when the system is explained in a hierarchical manner. It is also now possible to create or force hierarchical structures in synthetic polymers by microlayering technology. Several systems are outlined in which a hierarchical structure is created to enhance specific properties. SAN, a brittle polymer, can be microlayered with PC to create tough materials due to the scale, interaction and architecture of the microlayered composite. Another example is the effect of microlayered composite of PC/SAN on the interfacial adhesion mechanisms. Furthermore, toughening mechanisms in filled microlayers are examined based on the hierarchical structure.
Exploiting the pathway structure of metabolism to reveal high-order epistasis

Biological robustness results from redundant pathways that achieve an essential objective, e.g. the production of biomass. As a consequence, the biological roles of many genes can only be revealed through multiple knockouts that identify a set of genes as essential for a given function. The identification of such "epistatic" essential relationships between network components is critical for the understanding and eventual manipulation of robust systems-level phenotypes. We introduce and apply a network-based approach for genome-scale metabolic knockout design. We apply this method to uncover over 11,000 minimal knockouts for biomass production in an in silico genome-scale model of E. coli. A large majority of these "essential sets" contain 5 or more reactions, and thus represent complex epistatic relationships between components of the E. coli metabolic network. The complex minimal biomass knockouts discovered with our approach illuminate robust essential systems-level roles for reactions in the E. coli metabolic network. Unlike previous approaches, our method yields results regarding high-order epistatic relationships and is applicable at the genome-scale.
Energy for water and water for energy on Maui Island, Hawaii

Energy and water systems are interconnected. This work first characterizes 2010 primary energy demand for direct water services and local freshwater demand for energy on Maui Island, Hawaii, then investigates scenarios for future changes in these demands. The goal of this manuscript is to dissect the relationship and trends of energy–water connections to inform policymaking decisions related to water and energy planning. Analysis proceeds by inventorying water and energy flows and adjusting to a 2010 base year, then applying intensity factors for energy or water used at a given stage for a given sector to determine absolute energy and water demands for the isolated system of Maui Island. These bottom-up, intensity-based values are validated against published data where available. Maui consumes about 0.05% of its freshwater for energy (versus >6% for the US on average) and about 32% of its electricity (19% of its on-island primary energy) for direct water services (versus 8% of primary energy for the US on average). These values could change with policy choices like increased instream flows, higher wastewater treatment standards, electricity fuel mix changes, desalination, or increased biofuels production. This letter contributes a granular assessment of both energy for water and water for energy in a single isolated system, highlighting opportunities to address energy–water interdependencies in a context that could be relevant in other communities facing similar choices.
Decreased inhibin tone and increased activin A secretion characterize reproductive aging in women

Abstract Objective: We hypothesized that the increased FSH noted in older reproductive-aged women is due to both decreased inhibin and increased activin A secretion. Design: Comparative clinical study. Setting: An academic research center. Patient(s): Five cycling women, aged 43 to 47, were compared to five midreproductive women, aged 19 to 38. Intervention(s): Specimens taken every 2 to 3 days were assayed for inhibin A and B and activin A. Main Outcome Measure(s): Integrated concentrations of inhibin A, inhibin B, and activin A in the follicular phase, luteal phase, and whole cycle. Result(s): Follicular inhibin B was reduced in older versus younger women (504 ± 82 versus 748 ± 72 total pg). Luteal inhibin A was reduced in older versus younger women (668 ± 72 versus 1152 ± 216 total pg). Activin A was elevated throughout the cycle of older versus younger women, without within-cycle fluctuations (21 ± 2 versus 11 ± 1 total ng). Conclusion(s): Lack of restraint by inhibin A and inhibin B contributes to the FSH rise associated with reproductive aging. This loss of restraint occurs in a tandem fashion, with inhibin B reduction before ovulation and inhibin A reduction after ovulation. Activin A may also play an endocrine role in maintaining elevated FSH in older reproductive-aged women.
Laryngeal granuloma as a complication of the co2 laser

Since the introduction of the carbon dioxide laser by Strong and Jako,1 complications reported in the literature have been limited primarily to those associated with ignition of the endotracheal tube and its resultant sequelae. Many such cases have been reported but are fortunately rare in relation to the frequency of laser use. Other than the associated tissue injury which is minor when the loser is accidently fired at normal tissue, no other tissue complications have been reported in the literature to date. A granuloma appearing clinically as a lesion of the true cord following laser debulking of a paralytic vocal cord is reported herein.
P‐95: 3‐D Simulations on the Tilt Angle Effect of IPS‐LCD

In this paper, the tilt angle effect on the electro-optic properties of IPS-LCD is investigated through our 3-D simulator, which combines the finite element and finite difference methods for fast solutions. As the tilt angle of the electrodes increases, the viewing angle is widened, response time shortened, color dispersion and color shift eliminated.
Pre-Liberal Autonomy and Post-Liberal Finance

Even American Founders whose views diverged as dramatically as those of Jefferson and Hamilton shared a view of finance and of enterprise that one might call “productive republican.” Pursuant to this vision, financial and other forms of market activity are instrumentally rather than intrinsically good — and for that very reason are of interest to the public qua public rather than to the public qua aggregate of “private” individuals. Citizens are best left free to engage in financial and other market activities, per this understanding, only insofar as these are consistent with sustainable collective republic-making. And the republic — the res publica or “thing of the public” — for its part devotes many of its energies to the task of fostering and maintaining a materially independent republican citizenry. State and citizen are thus mutually constituting and mutually supporting, per this vision, and finance is important primarily in its capacity to nurture that symbiosis.The productive republican view of finance can be illuminatingly contrasted with another view of more recent vintage, which one might call “liberal.” The liberal view takes market activity to be an intrinsic good, if not indeed a matter of inherent political-cum-moral right. Markets on this view are as it were natural social outgrowths of and aggregated counterparts to inherently “free” individual choices — choices that all of us, in both our individual and our collective capacities, are ethically bound to respect insofar as they don’t impose illegitimate costs upon others. So-called “public” interventions in “private” markets are accordingly fit subjects of suspicion and scrutiny per the liberal view. They are presumptively problematic unless and until proven otherwise, while “proof otherwise” for its part typically takes the form of proof that the intervention protects putatively pre-political freedom itself. I claim in this article, a solicited symposium contribution, that American financial law, and economic law more generally, were once highly productive-republican in character, and that many financial, economic and, in consequence, political dysfunctions with which we have become familiar in recent decades stem from those laws’ having become steadily more liberal in character over time. I also argue that a number of essays, articles, and monographs published over the last twenty years or so under the rubrics of “banking the poor,” “alternative banking,” or “democratized finance” are, in effect if not self-conscious intention, attempts at partial recovery of the productive republican tradition — at least in the realm of finance. They are in this sense what might be called “post-liberal” in sensibility, if not quite in self-conscious aim. Their project can accordingly be aided, I aim to show, by affording them a form of reflective project-consciousness. That consciousness, however, once attained, will not be satisfied with post-liberal finance alone. It will demand a post-liberal economics.
Non-invasive imaging of oxygen extraction fraction in adults with sickle cell anaemia

Sickle cell anaemia is a monogenetic disorder with a high incidence of stroke. While stroke screening procedures exist for children with sickle cell anaemia, no accepted screening procedures exist for assessing stroke risk in adults. The purpose of this study is to use novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to evaluate physiological relationships between oxygen extraction fraction, cerebral blood flow, and clinical markers of cerebrovascular impairment in adults with sickle cell anaemia. The specific goal is to determine to what extent elevated oxygen extraction fraction may be uniquely present in patients with higher levels of clinical impairment and therefore may represent a candidate biomarker of stroke risk. Neurological evaluation, structural imaging, and the non-invasive T2-relaxation-under-spin-tagging magnetic resonance imaging method were applied in sickle cell anaemia (n = 34) and healthy race-matched control (n = 11) volunteers without sickle cell trait to assess whole-brain oxygen extraction fraction, cerebral blood flow, degree of vasculopathy, severity of anaemia, and presence of prior infarct; findings were interpreted in the context of physiological models. Cerebral blood flow and oxygen extraction fraction were elevated (P < 0.05) in participants with sickle cell anaemia (n = 27) not receiving monthly blood transfusions (interquartile range cerebral blood flow = 46.2-56.8 ml/100 g/min; oxygen extraction fraction = 0.39-0.50) relative to controls (interquartile range cerebral blood flow = 40.8-46.3 ml/100 g/min; oxygen extraction fraction = 0.33-0.38). Oxygen extraction fraction (P < 0.0001) but not cerebral blood flow was increased in participants with higher levels of clinical impairment. These data provide support for T2-relaxation-under-spin-tagging being able to quickly and non-invasively detect elevated oxygen extraction fraction in individuals with sickle cell anaemia with higher levels of clinical impairment. Our results support the premise that magnetic resonance imaging-based assessment of elevated oxygen extraction fraction might be a viable screening tool for evaluating stroke risk in adults with sickle cell anaemia.
Abstract ED01-01: Cell imaging at the nanoscale: Detecting nuclear chromatin alterations in field carcinogenesis

Although compelling evidence suggests that cellular nanoarchitecture and nanoscale environment where molecular interactions take place would be expected to significantly affect macromolecular processes, biological ramifications of cellular nanoscale organization have been largely unexplored. This understanding has been hampered in part by the diffraction limited resolution of optical microscopy. The talk will discuss a novel optical microscopy technique, partial wave spectroscopic (PWS) microscopy that is capable of quantifying statistical properties of cell structure at the nanoscale. Animal and human studies demonstrated that an alteration in the statistical properties of the nanoscale mass density distribution in the cell nucleus (e.g. nuclear nanoarchitecture) is one of the earliest and ubiquitous events in carcinogenesis and precedes any other known morphological changes at larger length scales (e.g. microarchitecture). This appears to be a general event in carcinogenesis, which is supported by our data in five types of cancer: colon, pancreatic, lung, esophageal and ovarian cancers. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):ED01-01.
A Note on the Analysis of Sympatheticomimetic Action

ConclusionIn the intact animal, ergot reversal and cocaine synergy of a blood pressure rise indicate that the impulses eliciting the rise reached the blood vessels by way of the sympathetic nerves; they do not indicate the site of origin of the impulses.
A Pathway to the First Organism

Life is characterized by a collection of molecules that interact in such a way as to self-sustain and regenerate. An important aspect of this is the presence of a catalytic feedback loop linked to an information storage system. The catalytic feedback results in production of life components and replication of the information storage system, implying both “organismal” growth and (re)production of offspring. The DNA-RNA-protein system of extant life satisfies this requirement, but is clearly rather complex. The RNA world, which eliminates DNA by having RNA as the information storage molecule, appears to be an important simplification, but it is still a rather complex system. A further simplification is possible if the key translating molecule(s), transfer RNA, can also serve as the carrier(s) of genetic information. Using polynucleotide and polypeptide databases, and software to search for matches, it is possible to 1) determine possible “ancestral” sequences of tRNA, 2) translate the tRNA sequences into possible small polypeptides, and 3) compare these short (25+ amino acid) polypeptides to sequences of modern proteins. Interestingly, this process leads to several striking matches between the short sequences from tRNA and parts of the much longer sequences in modern proteins. Using the same procedure on randomly generated 75 nucleotide pseudo-tRNA produces no significant matches. This suggests the very real possibility that tRNA was not only the necessary molecule for making polypeptides according to a “recipe”, but that the tRNA itself was the source of the recipe. This is a major simplification of the feedback system since a separate information storage molecule is unnecessary. How an appropriate assemblage of tRNA necessary for translation could be packaged into a coherent cluster is a further vital point.
When pericardial effusion complicates cancer.

Diagnosis of malignant effusion has improved because of increased awareness of this often emergent complication and the availability of better noninvasive techniques.
Listening to Korean American Men Tell Their Lives

The chapter focuses on the narratives of second-generation Korean American men Hearn interviews. They narrate stories of struggle in the workplace and in dating and reveal a limitation imposed by society in their pursuit of their notions of manhood. For some of the men, their desire to become men, as understood in the USA, is severely hampered by existing and unspoken discrimination in the professional and social spheres. They are not able to achieve the normative gender scripts society deems valid on account of the structural and historical scripts society projects onto Asian American men.
Optical methods for quantitative and label-free sensing in living human tissues: principles, techniques, and applications

We present an overview of quantitative and label-free optical methods used to characterize living biological tissues, with an emphasis on emerging applications in clinical tissue diagnostics. Specifically, this review focuses on diffuse optical spectroscopy, imaging, and tomography, optical coherence-based techniques, and non-linear optical methods for molecular imaging. The potential for non- or minimally-invasive assessment, quantitative diagnostics, and continuous monitoring enabled by these tissue-optics technologies provides significant promise for continued clinical translation.
Raising the pressure: Hemodynamic effects of splanchnic nerve stimulation.

Our case series provides the first detailed description of human hemodynamic effects with splanchnic nerve stimulation. Splanchnic nerve stimulation results in profound hemodynamic alteration with ...
Identification of Influencing Factors of Graffiti Occurrence at Nevada State Highway Bridges and Soundwalls

AbstractThis study identifies the factors influencing the occurrence of graffiti on highway infrastructure, specifically bridges and soundwalls in Nevada. Using data from the Las Vegas area, linear...