BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Size perception is known to influence our usual interactions with environment. Numerous studies highlighted that during the visual presentation of an object, the properties of manual actions vary as a function of this object's size. In order to better understand the dynamic variations of relationships between size perception and action, we used an experimental paradigm consisting in two phases. During a previous implicit learning phase, a manual response (right or left) was specifically associated with the appearance of a large or small stimulus. During further test phase, participants were required to prepare a response while discriminating the color of a stimulus (GO/No GO task). We observed that the response execution was faster when the size of the stimulus was congruent with the size that had been associated to this response (during implicit learning phase). These results suggest that when a response usually co-occurs with visual stimuli characterized by a specific size pattern, the response and the size pattern become integrated. Any subsequent preparation and execution of this action are therefore influenced by the reactivation of this visual pattern. This result brings out new insights on how sensorimotor interactions may modulate the ability to anticipate perceptive size variations in the environment.

背景与目标： ：众所周知，尺寸感知会影响我们通常与环境的互动。大量研究强调，在对象的视觉呈现过程中，手动操作的属性随对象大小的变化而变化。为了更好地理解尺寸感知与动作之间关系的动态变化，我们使用了一个包含两个阶段的实验范式。在先前的隐式学习阶段中，手动响应（向右或向左）与大或小刺激的出现特别相关。在进一步的测试阶段中，要求参与者准备响应，同时区分刺激的颜色（执行/不执行任务）。我们观察到，当刺激的大小与与此响应相关的大小一致时（在隐式学习阶段），响应执行速度更快。这些结果表明，当反应通常与以特定大小模式为特征的视觉刺激同时发生时，反应和大小模式将整合在一起。因此，此动作的任何后续准备和执行都会受到此视觉图案重新激活的影响。该结果带来了关于感觉运动相互作用如何调节环境中感知尺寸变化的能力的新见解。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:Descriptive studies have indicated a rising trend in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) incidence in young adults, especially females. Increasing evidence has suggested that some risk factors associated with HL may vary by age or gender. Recent studies have reported an increased risk of HL associated with increasing body mass index (BMI), but the results have been inconsistent. The objectives of this study were to examine whether the associations between measures of body size (height, weight, and BMI) and HL risk vary by age and/or gender. METHODS:A population-based case-control study was conducted in Connecticut and Massachusetts. A total of 567 HL cases and 679 controls were recruited in 1997-2000. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS:Among younger women <35 years old, being overweight (25-29.9 kg/m(2)) versus normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)) was significantly associated with an increased risk of HL (OR = 2.1, 95 % CI = 1.1-4.0). The risk increased with increasing weight and BMI (p trends <0.01). Among women ≥35 years old, by contrast, higher weight and BMI were associated with a reduced risk of HL (p trends <0.01). Conversely, there was no significant association between BMI and risk of HL in younger or older males. CONCLUSIONS:These findings show that the associations between body size and risk of HL vary by gender and age, and require confirmation in other populations.

背景与目标： 目的：描述性研究表明，霍奇金淋巴瘤（HL）的发病率在年轻人中，尤其是女性中呈上升趋势。越来越多的证据表明，与HL相关的某些危险因素可能随年龄或性别而变化。最近的研究报告了与体重指数（BMI）增加相关的HL风险增加，但结果不一致。这项研究的目的是检查身体大小（身高，体重和BMI）与HL风险之间的关系是否随年龄和/或性别而变化。
方法：在康涅狄格州和马萨诸塞州进行了一项基于人群的病例对照研究。在1997-2000年间，共招募了567例HL病例和679例对照。使用无条件逻辑回归来计算比值比（OR）和95％置信区间（CIs）。
结果：<35岁的年轻女性中，超重（25-29.9 kg / m（2））与正常体重（18.5-24.9 kg / m（2））与HL风险增加显着相关（OR = 2.1 ，95％CI = 1.1-4.0）。风险随着体重和BMI的增加而增加（p趋势<0.01）。相比之下，≥35岁的女性中，体重增加和BMI升高与HL风险降低相关（p趋势<0.01）。相反，年轻或老年男性的BMI与HL风险之间没有显着相关性。
结论：这些发现表明，体型与HL风险之间的关联因性别和年龄而异，需要在其他人群中进行确认。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Postnatal developmental stages of lung parenchyma in rhesus monkeys is about one-third that of humans. Alveoli in humans are reported to be formed up to 8 yr of age. We used design-based stereological methods to estimate the number of alveoli (N(alv)) in male and female rhesus monkeys over the first 7 yr of life. Twenty-six rhesus monkeys (13 males ranging in age from 4 to 1,920 days and lung volumes from 41.7 to 602 cm(3), 13 females ranging in age from 22 to 2,675 days and lung volumes from 43.5 to 380 cm(3)) were necropsied and lungs fixed, isotropically oriented, fractionated, sampled, embedded, and sectioned for alveolar counting. Parenchymal, alveolar, alveolar duct core air, and interalveolar septal tissue volumes increased rapidly during the first 2 yr with slowed growth from 2 to 7 yr. The rate of change was greater in males than females. N(alv) also showed consistent growth throughout the study, with increases in N(alv) best predicted by increases in lung volume. However, mean alveolar volume showed little relationship with age, lung volume, or body weight but was larger in females and showed a greater size distribution than in males. Alveoli increase in number but not volume throughout postnatal development in rhesus monkeys.

背景与目标： ：恒河猴的肺实质的产后发育阶段约为人类的三分之一。据报道，人类肺泡的形成年龄高达8岁。我们使用基于设计的立体方法来估计生命的前7年中雄性和雌性恒河猴的肺泡（N（alv））数量。 26只恒河猴（13只雄性，年龄从4到1,920天不等，肺活量从41.7到602 cm（3），13只雌性，年龄从22到2,675天不等，肺活量从43.5到380 cm（3））进行尸检并固定肺，各向同性，分馏，取样，包埋和切片，以进行肺泡计数。在最初的2年中，实质，肺泡，肺泡导管核心空气和肺泡间隔组织的体积迅速增加，而从2到7年的生长缓慢。男性的变化率大于女性。在整个研究过程中，N（alv）也显示出持续的增长，其中N（alv）的增加最好通过肺体积的增加来预测。但是，平均肺泡容量与年龄，肺活量或体重关系不大，但女性比男性更大，并且大小分布比男性更大。在猕猴的整个产后发育过程中，肺泡的数量增加，但体积没有增加。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :We have constructed all single base substitutions in almost all of the highly conserved residues of the Tetrahymena self-splicing intron. Mutation of highly conserved residues almost invariably leads to loss of enzymatic activity. In many cases, activity could be regained by making additional mutations that restored predicted base-pairings; these second site suppressors in general confirm the secondary structure derived from phylogenetic data. At several positions, our suppression data can be most readily explained by assuming non-Watson-Crick base-pairings. In addition to the requirements imposed by the secondary structure, the sequence of the intron is constrained by "negative interactions", the exclusion of particular nucleotide sequences that would form undesirable secondary structures. A comparison of genetic and phylogenetic data suggests sites that may be involved in tertiary structural interactions.

背景与目标： ：我们已经在四膜虫自剪接内含子的几乎所有高度保守的残基中构建了所有单碱基取代。高度保守的残基的突变几乎总是导致酶活性的丧失。在许多情况下，可以通过进行其他突变恢复预测的碱基配对来恢复活性。这些第二位点抑制剂通常证实了从系统发育数据得出的二级结构。在几个位置，我们的抑制数据可以很容易地通过假设非沃森克里克碱基配对来解释。除了二级结构所施加的要求外，内含子的序列还受“负性相互作用”的约束，“负性相互作用”排除了会形成不良二级结构的特定核苷酸序列。遗传和系统发育数据的比较表明可能与三级结构相互作用有关的位点。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Genotypes at five previously described polymorphic sites at the apolipoprotein(a) gene locus have been determined for the members of 27 families as well as for unrelated white Caucasian and Asian-Indian subjects, and their relationship with isoform size and plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations investigated. There was strong linkage disequilibrium between sites at the 5'-region of the gene and also between this region and a site in the coding sequence for Kringle 4-37 on the other side of the polymorphic Kringle 4 repeat region. There was no evidence that changes at any of the sites had any direct effect upon lipoprotein(a) concentration. However, certain haplotypes were present almost exclusively on apolipoprotein(a) alleles within a restricted range of sizes and associated lipoprotein(a) concentrations. After correcting for the effect of allele size, there were clear differences between the lipoprotein(a) concentrations associated with alleles of different haplotypes, suggesting that there may be genetically distinct groups of apolipoprotein alleles of different size and different levels of expression. Factors that regulate expression apparently exchange at a rate similar to the rate of change of Kringle 4 repeat number.

背景与目标： 已经确定了载脂蛋白（a）基因位点五个先前描述的多态性位点的基因型，涉及27个家庭的成员以及无关的白人高加索人和亚裔印度人，及其与同工型大小和血浆脂蛋白（a）浓度的关系调查。在基因的5'区域的位点之间以及在该区域与多态性Kringle 4重复区域另一侧的Kringle 4-37的编码序列中的位点之间也存在强烈的连锁不平衡。没有证据表明任何位点的变化都对脂蛋白（a）的浓度有任何直接影响。但是，某些单倍型几乎完全存在于载脂蛋白（a）等位基因上，且大小和相关脂蛋白（a）的浓度范围有限。校正等位基因大小的影响后，与不同单倍型等位基因相关的脂蛋白（a）浓度之间存在明显差异，这表明可能存在遗传上不同的不同大小和表达水平的载脂蛋白等位基因组。调节表达的因子显然以类似于Kringle 4重复数变化率的速率交换。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:Inflammatory mechanisms are involved in atherosclerotic plaque rupture and subsequent thrombin formation. Thrombin not only plays a central role in thrombus formation and platelet activation, but also in the induction of inflammatory processes. We assessed the hypothesis that melagatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor, attenuates plaque progression and promotes stability of advanced atherosclerotic lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS:Melagatran (500 micromol/kg/d) or control diet was administered to apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (n=54) with advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Treatment reduced lesion progression in brachiocephalic arteries (P<0.005). Morphometric analysis confirmed that thrombin inhibition promoted plaque stability and resulted in thicker fibrous caps (28.4+/-14.2 microm versus 20.8+/-12.0 microm; P<0.05), increased media thickness (29.3+/-9.6 microm versus 24.4+/-6.7 microm; P<0.05), and smaller necrotic cores (73,537+/-41,301 microm2 versus 126,819+/-51,730 microm2; P<0.0005). Electro mobility shift assays revealed reduced binding activity of nuclear factor kappaB (P<0.05) and activator protein-1 (P<0.05) in aortas of treated mice. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry demonstrated reduced staining for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 (P<0.05). Melagatran had no significant effect on early lesion formation in C57BL/6J mice. CONCLUSIONS:The direct thrombin inhibitor melagatran reduces lesion size and may promote plaque stability in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, possibly through reduced activation of proinflammatory transcription factors and reduced synthesis of MMP-9.

背景与目标： 目的：炎症机制与动脉粥样硬化斑块破裂及随后的凝血酶形成有关。凝血酶不仅在血栓形成和血小板活化中起核心作用，而且在炎症过程的诱导中也起着重要作用。我们评估了一种假设，即直接凝血酶抑制剂melagatran会减轻斑块进程并促进晚期动脉粥样硬化病变的稳定性。
方法和结果：对患有晚期动脉粥样硬化病变的载脂蛋白E缺乏症小鼠（n = 54）给予美拉加群（500 micromol / kg / d）或对照饮食。治疗降低了头臂动脉的病变进展（P <0.005）。形态计量学分析证实，凝血酶抑制促进了斑块稳定性并导致较厚的纤维帽（28.4 /-14.2微米对20.8 /-12.0微米； P <0.05），介质厚度增加（29.3 /-9.6微米对24.4 /-6.7微米； P <0.05）和较小的坏死芯（73,537 / -41,301 microm2与126,819 / -51,730 microm2； P <0.0005）。电迁移率变化分析显示，在处理过的小鼠主动脉中核因子κB（P <0.05）和激活蛋白-1（P <0.05）的结合活性降低。此外，免疫组化显示基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）-9染色减少（P <0.05）。 Melagatran对C57BL / 6J小鼠的早期病变形成没有明显影响。
结论：直接凝血酶抑制剂美拉加群减少了载脂蛋白E缺乏症小鼠的病变大小，并可能增强了斑块稳定性，可能是通过减少促炎转录因子的激活和减少MMP-9的合成来实现的。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The environmental mobility of newly deposited radionuclides in surface soil is driven by complex biogeochemical relationships, which have significant impacts on transport pathways. The partition coefficient (Kd) is useful for characterizing the soil-solution exchange kinetics and is an important factor for predicting relative amounts of a radionuclide transported to groundwater compared to that remaining on soil surfaces and thus available for transport through erosion processes. Measurements of Kd for 238U are particularly useful because of the extensive use of 238U in military applications and associated testing, such as done at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Site-specific measurements of Kd for 238U are needed because Kd is highly dependent on local soil conditions and also on the fine soil fraction because 238U concentrates onto smaller soil particles, such as clays and soil organic material, which are most susceptible to wind erosion and contribute to inhalation exposure in off-site populations. We measured Kd for uranium in soils from two neighboring semiarid forest sites at LANL using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-based protocol for both whole soil and the fine soil fraction (diameters<45 microm). The 7-d Kd values, which are those specified in the EPA protocol, ranged from 276-508 mL g-1 for whole soil and from 615-2249 mL g-1 for the fine soil fraction. Unexpectedly, the 30-d Kd values, measured to test for soil-solution exchange equilibrium, were more than two times the 7-d values. Rates of adsorption of 238U to soil from solution were derived using a 2-component (FAST and SLOW) exponential model. We found significant differences in Kd values among LANL sampling sites, between whole and fine soils, and between 7-d and 30-d Kd measurements. The significant variation in soil-solution exchange kinetics among the soils and soil sizes promotes the use of site-specific data for estimates of environmental transport rates and suggests possible differences in desorption rates from soil to solution (e.g., into groundwater or lung fluid). We also explore potential relationships between wind erosion, soil characteristics, and Kd values. Combined, our results highlight the need for a better mechanistic understanding of soil-solution partitioning kinetics for accurate risk assessment.

背景与目标： ：表层土壤中新沉积的放射性核素的环境迁移是由复杂的生物地球化学关系驱动的，这对运输途径有重大影响。分配系数（Kd）可用于表征土壤-溶液交换动力学，并且是预测与土壤表面上剩余的放射性核素相比相对放射性量的重要因素，因此可用于整个侵蚀过程。 238U的Kd测量特别有用，因为238U在军事应用和相关测试中得到了广泛使用，例如在洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室（LANL）进行的测试。需要对238U的Kd进行特定地点的测量，因为Kd高度依赖于当地土壤条件，还取决于土壤的细碎度，因为238U集中在较小的土壤颗粒（如粘土和土壤有机材料）上，这些颗粒最容易受到风蚀和风蚀的影响。导致异地人群的吸入暴露。我们使用基于美国环境保护局（EPA）的协议对全土壤和细土壤部分（直径<45微米）进行了测量，测量了LANL两个相邻半干旱森林站点土壤中铀的Kd。 7-d Kd值（在EPA协议中指定）对于整个土壤而言为276-508 mL g-1，对于精细土壤馏分而言为615-2249 mL g-1。出乎意料的是，为测试土壤溶液交换平衡而测量的30 d Kd值是7 d值的两倍以上。使用2成分（FAST和SLOW）指数模型，得出溶液中238U对土壤的吸附速率。我们发现在LANL采样点之间，整个土壤和细土壤之间以及在7天至30天的Kd测量值之间，Kd值存在显着差异。土壤之间和土壤大小之间土壤溶液交换动力学的显着变化促进了使用特定地点的数据来估算环境传输速率，并暗示了从土壤到溶液（例如，进入地下水或肺液）的解吸速率可能存在差异。我们还探讨了风蚀，土壤特性和Kd值之间的潜在关系。综合起来，我们的结果强调需要对土壤溶液分配动力学有更好的机械理解，以便进行准确的风险评估。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:Bone loss and periosteal expansion is found after menopause. The accelerated early postmenopausal bone loss is not permanent but if the same accounts for the periosteal expansion is unknown. METHODS:Bone mineral density (BMD) and skeletal structure of the distal forearm were followed from menopause and on average 24 years (range 18-28) by single-photon absorptiometry at 12 occasions in a population-based sample of 81 Caucasian women with no medication or disease affecting bone metabolism. A Strength Index based on areal BMD and bone structure was calculated. Postmenopausal serum-estradiol levels and incident distal radius fractures were registered. Data are presented as means with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS:The annual BMD loss in three periods, 0-8, 8-16 and 16-28 years after menopause, was 2.0% (1.6, 2.4), 1.0% (0.6, 1.4) and 1.0% (0.7, 1.3), respectively. The annual periosteal expansion was 1.0% (0.8, 1.3), 0.0% (-0.3, 0.3) and 0.0% (-0.2, 0.2), respectively. Mean post-menopausal oestrogen levels correlated moderately with annual loss in aBMD (r=0.51, p<0.001) but less with the annual changes in bone width (r= -0.22, p=0.06). CONCLUSION:Postmenopausal periosteal expansion in the distal forearm seems to occur only in the first postmenopausal decade.

背景与目标： 目的：更年期后发现骨丢失和骨膜扩张。绝经后早期加速的骨丢失不是永久性的，但未知是否导致骨膜扩张。
方法：采用单光子吸光光度法，在81例白人女性中，从更年期开始追踪平均绝经后平均24年（18-28岁）的骨矿物质密度（BMD）和平均年龄（18-28）。影响骨骼代谢的药物或疾病。计算出基于面积骨密度和骨骼结构的强度指数。记录绝经后血清雌二醇水平和incident骨远端骨折的发生率。数据以具有95％置信区间（95％CI）的平均值表示。
结果：绝经后0-8、8-16和16-28年这三个时期的年BMD损失分别为2.0％（1.6、2.4），1.0％（0.6、1.4）和1.0％（0.7、1.3），分别。每年的骨膜扩张分别为1.0％（0.8，1.3），0.0％（-0.3，0.3）和0.0％（-0.2，0.2）。绝经后的平均雌激素水平与aBMD的年度损失呈中等程度的相关性（r = 0.51，p <0.001），而与年度骨宽变化的相关性较小（r = -0.22，p = 0.06）。
结论：绝经后前臂远端的骨膜扩张似乎仅发生在绝经后的第一个十年中。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Samples sizes are calculated for case-control studies where 1:1 matching has been employed, and where the goal is the interval estimation of the odds ratio. The optimal sample size is defined to be the smallest value for which a 100(1 - alpha)% confidence interval for the log odds ratio will not exceed a specified width 2 delta with specified probability (1 - gamma). This approach is similar in spirit to the power-based approach for sample size determination when significance testing is the goal. Tables of sample sizes are presented for various choices of parameters. We also find considerable disagreement with a published method based on expected numbers of discordant pairs.

背景与目标： ：样本大小是为个案对照研究计算的，其中采用了1：1匹配，并且目标是比值比的区间估计。最佳样本大小定义为对数优势比的100（1-alpha）％置信区间不会以指定的概率（1- gamma）超过指定的宽度2 delta的最小值。当以显着性测试为目标时，该方法在本质上类似于确定样本大小的基于幂的方法。列出了各种参数选择的样本量表。我们还发现与基于预期的不一致对数的已发布方法存在很大的分歧。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :It is not known how the volume of the cell nucleus is set, nor how the ratio of nuclear volume to cell volume (N/C) is determined. Here, we have measured the size of the nucleus in growing cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of mutant yeast strains spanning a range of cell sizes revealed that the ratio of average nuclear volume to average cell volume was quite consistent, with nuclear volume being approximately 7% that of cell volume. At the single cell level, nuclear and cell size were strongly correlated in growing wild-type cells, as determined by three different microscopic approaches. Even in G1-phase, nuclear volume grew, although it did not grow quite as fast as overall cell volume. DNA content did not appear to have any immediate, direct influence on nuclear size, in that nuclear size did not increase sharply during S-phase. The maintenance of nuclear size did not require continuous growth or ribosome biogenesis, as starvation and rapamycin treatment had little immediate impact on nuclear size. Blocking the nuclear export of new ribosomal subunits, among other proteins and RNAs, with leptomycin B also had no obvious effect on nuclear size. Nuclear expansion must now be factored into conceptual and mathematical models of budding yeast growth and division. These results raise questions as to the unknown force(s) that expand the nucleus as yeast cells grow.

背景与目标： ：未知如何设置细胞核的体积，也不知道如何确定核体积与细胞体积的比值（N / C）。在这里，我们测量了芽孢酵母酿酒酵母生长细胞中细胞核的大小。对跨越一系列细胞大小的突变酵母菌株的分析表明，平均核体积与平均细胞体积之比非常一致，核体积约为细胞体积的7％。在单细胞水平上，通过三种不同的显微镜方法确定，在生长的野生型细胞中，核和细胞大小密切相关。即使在G1期，核体积也会增长，尽管它的增长速度不及总细胞体积。 DNA含量似乎对核大小没有任何直接的直接影响，因为在S期核大小没有急剧增加。维持核大小不需要连续生长或核糖体生物发生，因为饥饿和雷帕霉素治疗对核大小几乎没有立即影响。瘦霉素B阻止新的核糖体亚基以及其他蛋白质和RNA的核输出，对核大小也没有明显影响。现在必须将核扩展纳入萌芽的酵母生长和分裂的概念和数学模型中。这些结果引起了关于随着酵母细胞生长而使核膨胀的未知力的疑问。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Previously, expected satiety (ES) has been measured using software and two-dimensional pictures presented on a computer screen. In this context, ES is an excellent predictor of self-selected portions, when quantified using similar images and similar software. In the present study we sought to establish the veracity of ES as a predictor of behaviours associated with real foods. Participants (N=30) used computer software to assess their ES and ideal portion of three familiar foods. A real bowl of one food (pasta and sauce) was then presented and participants self-selected an ideal portion size. They then consumed the portion ad libitum. Additional measures of appetite, expected and actual liking, novelty, and reward, were also taken. Importantly, our screen-based measures of expected satiety and ideal portion size were both significantly related to intake (p<.05). By contrast, measures of liking were relatively poor predictors (p>.05). In addition, consistent with previous studies, the majority (90%) of participants engaged in plate cleaning. Of these, 29.6% consumed more when prompted by the experimenter. Together, these findings further validate the use of screen-based measures to explore determinants of portion-size selection and energy intake in humans.

背景与目标： ：以前，使用软件和在计算机屏幕上显示的二维图片来测量预期的饱腹感（ES）。在这种情况下，当使用相似的图像和相似的软件进行量化时，ES是自我选择部分的极佳预测指标。在本研究中，我们试图将ES的准确性确定为与真实食品相关的行为的预测指标。参与者（N = 30）使用计算机软件评估其ES和三种常见食物的理想部分。然后展示了一个真正的一碗食物（意大利面和酱汁），参与者自行选择了理想的份量。然后，他们随意消费了这部分。还采取了食欲，预期和实际喜好，新颖性和奖励的其他措施。重要的是，我们基于屏幕的预期饱腹感和理想部位大小的测量均与摄入量显着相关（p <.05）。相比之下，喜好的衡量指标相对较差（p> .05）。此外，与以前的研究一致，大多数（90％）参与者进行了印版清洁。其中，有29.6％的人在实验人员的提示下消耗了更多。在一起，这些发现进一步验证了基于屏幕的测量方法的使用，以探索决定人体部分尺寸选择和能量摄入的决定因素。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :There is an unresolved debate in the scientific community about the shape of the quasistatic displacement pulse produced by nonlinear acoustic wave propagation in an elastic solid with quadratic nonlinearity. Early analytical and experimental studies suggested that the quasistatic pulse exhibits a right-triangular shape with the peak displacement of the leading edge being proportional to the length of the tone burst. In contrast, more recent theoretical, analytical, numerical, and experimental studies suggested that the quasistatic displacement pulse has a flat-top shape where the peak displacement is proportional to the propagation distance. This study presents rigorous mathematical analyses and numerical simulations of the quasistatic displacement pulse. In the case of semi-infinite solids, it is confirmed that the time-domain shape of the quasistatic pulse generated by a longitudinal plane wave is not a right-angle triangle. In the case of finite-size solids, the finite axial dimension of the specimen cannot simply be modeled with a linear reflection coefficient that neglects the nonlinear interaction between the combined incident and reflected fields. More profoundly, the quasistatic pulse generated by a transducer of finite aperture suffers more severe divergence than both the fundamental and second order harmonic pulses generated by the same transducer.

背景与目标： ：关于由非线性声波在具有二次非线性的弹性固体中传播产生的准静态位移脉冲的形状，科学界尚无定论。早期的分析和实验研究表明，准静态脉冲呈现出直角三角形的形状，其前沿的峰值位移与音调脉冲串的长度成正比。相反，最近的理论，分析，数值和实验研究表明，准静态位移脉冲具有平顶形状，其中峰值位移与传播距离成正比。这项研究提出了准静态位移脉冲的严格数学分析和数值模拟。在半无限固体的情况下，已确认由纵向平面波产生的准静态脉冲的时域形状不是直角三角形。对于有限尺寸的固体，不能简单地使用线性反射系数来建模样本的有限轴向尺寸，而线性反射系数会忽略入射场和反射场之间的非线性相互作用。更深刻地讲，与相同的换能器产生的基波和二阶谐波脉冲相比，有限孔径的换能器产生的准静态脉冲遭受更严重的发散。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Intra-group social stability is important for the long-term productivity and health of social organisms. We evaluated the effect of group size on group stability in the face of repeated social perturbations using a cooperatively breeding fish, Neolamprologus pulcher In a laboratory study, we compared both the social and physiological responses of individuals from small versus large groups to the repeated removal and replacement of the most dominant group member (the breeder male), either with a new male (treatment condition) or with the same male (control condition). Individuals living in large groups were overall more resistant to instability but were seemingly slower to recover from perturbation. Members of small groups were more vulnerable to instability but recovered faster. Breeder females in smaller groups also showed greater physiological preparedness for instability following social perturbations. In sum, we discover both behavioral and physiological evidence that living in larger groups helps to dampen the impacts of social instability in this system.

背景与目标： ：群体内部的社会稳定对社会有机体的长期生产力和健康至关重要。我们使用合作繁殖的鱼类Neolamprologus pulcher评估了面对反复的社会动荡时，群体规模对群体稳定性的影响。在一项实验室研究中，我们比较了小型和大型群体个体的社会和生理反应与重复去除和用新的雄性（治疗条件）或相同的雄性（对照条件）替换最主要的组成员（育种雄性）。整体而言，生活在较大群体中的个体对不稳定的抵抗力更大，但从动荡中恢复的速度似乎较慢。小组成员更容易受到不稳定的影响，但恢复得更快。较小群体的母鸡也表现出更大的生理上的准备，以应对社会动荡后的不稳定性。总之，我们发现行为和生理证据都表明，生活在较大的群体中有助于减轻该系统中社会不稳定的影响。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVES:We aimed to establish which of sitting height (SH) and total height (Ht) is most appropriately used in the scaling of adult body mass (BM), waist circumference (WC), and forced vital capacity (FVC), considering likely explanations and proposing a suitable index for each. METHODS:Data were from the US Third National Health and Nutrition Survey for white and black American women and men aged 20 to 50 years. Statistical analysis involved mainly correlation coefficients, the multiple regression of BM, WC, or FVC on SH and leg length (LL), and fitting of allometric regression equations relating each of BM, WC, and FVC to SH or Ht. RESULTS:BM and WC correlated more strongly with SH than with Ht, and FVC correlated more strongly with Ht. Associations with LL were negative for WC, negative or nonsignificant for BM, and positive for FVC. Using round-number exponents for Ht and SH, the allometric relationships indicated that appropriate indices are BM/SH3 , WC/SH, and FVC/Ht2 . CONCLUSIONS:Contrary to usual practice, BM and WC are better scaled in relation to SH than to Ht. FVC is slightly better scaled in relation to Ht, as is conventional. Interpretations involve the small influence of LL on BM and the influence both of gluteo-femoral fatness on measured SH and of childhood health and nutrition on adult LL, WC, and FVC. It is evident that SH should be measured more often for research purposes.

背景与目标： 目的：考虑到可能的情况，我们旨在确定最适合用于成人体重（BM），腰围（WC）和强迫肺活量（FVC）缩放的坐高（SH）和总身高（Ht）中的哪一个解释并为每个提出合适的索引。
方法：数据来自美国第三次全国健康与营养调查，调查对象为20至50岁的美国白人和黑人。统计分析主要涉及相关系数，BM，WC或FVC在SH和腿长（LL）上的多元回归，以及将BM，WC和FVC分别与SH或Ht相关的异速回归方程的拟合。
结果：BM和WC与SH的相关性比与Ht的相关性强，而FVC与Ht的相关性则更强。与LL的关联对WC呈阴性，对BM呈阴性或不显着，对FVC呈阳性。使用Ht和SH的整数指数，异速关系表明合适的指数是BM / SH3，WC / SH和FVC / Ht2。
结论：与通常的做法相反，相对于SH，BM和WC的缩放比例要好于Ht。与传统技术相比，FVC相对于Ht具有更好的缩放比例。解释涉及LL对BM的影响较小，以及臀股脂肪对测得的SH的影响以及儿童健康和营养对成年LL，WC和FVC的影响。显然，出于研究目的，应更频繁地测量SH。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:Quantitative relationships between treatment-induced changes in tumor size and circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts, and their links to overall survival (OS), are lacking. We present a population modeling framework identifying and quantifying such relationships, based on longitudinal data collected in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) to evaluate the value of tumor size and CTC counts as predictors of OS. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:A pharmacometric approach (i.e., population pharmacodynamic modeling) was used to characterize the changes in tumor size and CTC count and evaluate them as predictors of OS in 451 patients with mCRC treated with chemotherapy and targeted therapy in a prospectively randomized phase III study (CAIRO2). RESULTS:A tumor size model of tumor quiescence and drug resistance was used to characterize the tumor size time-course, and was, in addition to the total normalized dose (i.e., of all administered drugs) in a given cycle, related to the CTC counts through a negative binomial model (CTC model). Tumor size changes did not contribute additional predictive value when the mean CTC count was a predictor of OS. Treatment reduced the typical mean count from 1.43 to 0.477 (HR = 3.94). The modeling framework was applied to explore whether dose modifications (increased and reduced) would result in a CTC count below 1/7.5 mL after 1 to 2 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSIONS:Time-varying CTC counts can be useful for early predicting OS in patients with mCRC, and may therefore have potential for model-based treatment individualization. Although tumor size was connected to CTC, its link to OS was weaker.

背景与目标： 目的：缺乏治疗引起的肿瘤大小变化和循环肿瘤细胞（CTC）计数之间的定量关系，以及它们与总生存期（OS）的联系。我们基于在转移性结直肠癌（mCRC）患者中收集的纵向数据，以鉴定和量化这种关系的人群建模框架，以评估肿瘤大小和CTC计数作为OS预测因子的价值。
实验设计：在一项前瞻性随机III期研究中，使用药理学方法（即群体药效学模型）表征了451名接受化疗和靶向治疗的mCRC患者的肿瘤大小和CTC计数变化，并将其评估为OS的预测指标（CAIRO2）。
结果：使用肿瘤静止和耐药性的肿瘤大小模型来表征肿瘤大小的时程，并且除了给定周期中的总归一化剂量（即所有给药药物）外，还与CTC相关通过负二项式模型（CTC模型）进行计数。当平均CTC计数是OS的预测指标时，肿瘤大小的变化并没有提供其他预测价值。治疗使典型平均计数从1.43降低到0.477（HR = 3.94）。应用该建模框架来研究剂量修改（增加和减少）在治疗1至2周后是否会导致CTC计数低于1 / 7.5 mL。
结论：随时间变化的CTC计数可用于早期预测mCRC患者的OS，因此可能具有基于模型的治疗个体化的潜力。尽管肿瘤大小与CTC相关，但其与OS的联系较弱。