cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Chronology for the Identification and Disclosure of Adverse Effects of Succinylcholine

Abstract Background New therapies are created to address specific problems and enjoy popularity as they enter widespread clinical use. Broader use can reveal unknown adverse effects and impact the life cycle significantly. Succinylcholine, a depolarizing neuromuscular blocker, was the product of decades of research surrounding the ancient compound, curare. It was introduced into practice in the 1950s by Burroughs Wellcome and Company (BW Co) and was welcomed due to its rapidly acting muscle relaxation effects. Global clinical use revealed adverse effects, both minor and major, in particular, hyperkalemia and malignant hyperthermia. We investigated when practitioners and the manufacturer became aware of these adverse effects, how information about these side effects was disseminated, and whether the manufacturer met the regulatory requirements of the time, specifically regarding the timely reporting of adverse effects. Sources Primary literature search using online and archived documents was conducted at the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, IL. We consulted documents submitted by BW Co to federal authorities, through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports, promotional advertisements, package inserts, published articles, and textbooks. Results Initial clinical testing in humans in 1952 found no adverse effects on cardiovascular or respiratory systems. Fasciculations and myalgia were early side effects described in case reports in 1952. Large-scale clinical trials in 1953 found abnormally long recovery times among some patients; the discovery of abnormal pseudocholinesterase enzyme activity was not fully demonstrated until the early 1960s. Bradycardia was first reported in 1957 in children, and in 1959 in adults. In 1960, animal studies reported a transient increase in plasma potassium; further experiments in 1969 clearly demonstrated succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia in burn patients. Malignant hyperthermia was first described in 1966. Similar cases of elevated temperatures and muscle rigidity were described globally but the underlying mechanism was not elucidated until the 1990s. Standard anesthesia textbooks did not report major side effects of succinylcholine until 1960 and included newly documented side effects with each edition. BW Co's packaging contained warnings as early as the 1950s but were later updated in 1962 and beyond to reflect the newly discovered hyperkalemia and malignant hyperthermia. Conclusion Particularly given the regulatory environment of the time, BW Co appropriately reported the adverse effects of succinylcholine after market entry; it updated promotional and packaging material in a timely manner to reflect newly discovered adverse effects. The toxicity, though alarming and put clinicians on alert, did not seem to heavily impact succinylcholine's use, given its various desirable properties. It is still a choice muscle relaxant used today, although there are efforts to develop superior agents to replace succinylcholine.
Mushrooms of the Georgia Piedmont and Southern Appalachians: A Reference

While a number of guides treat the fungi of the Eastern and Southeastern United States, Mushrooms of the Georgia Piedmont and Southern Appalachians is exceptional in its geographic specificity. At ...
3D Printing and Heart Failure: The Present and the Future

Advanced imaging modalities provide essential anatomic and spatial information in patients with complex heart disease. Two-dimensional imaging can be limited in the extent to which true 3-dimensional (3D) relationships are represented. The application of 3D printing technology has increased the creation of physical models that overcomes the limitations of a 2D screen. Many groups have reported the use of 3D printing for preprocedural planning in patients with different causes of heart failure. This paper reviews the innovative applications of this technique to provide patient-specific models to improve patient care.
Abstract WP202: Race/ethnicity Matters: Differences in Stroke Inpatient Medical Rehabilitation Outcomes for Communities of Color

Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death in the United States. Racial/ethnic people with stroke demonstrate lower functional independence measure (FIM) scores before and afte...
Controversies: Extended Endoscopic vs. Open Transcranial Approaches

Abstract Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery approaches for resecting craniopharyngiomas have expanded to include pathological conditions that would have not been contemplated through a transsphenoidal route a few years ago. Early results from many case series seem to confirm the safety and efficacy of endoscopic surgery and extended endoscopic surgery. Meanwhile, the continued use of the microscopic transsphenoidal technique with the assistance of the endoscope remains a viable method for addressing ventral midline craniopharyngiomas. Endoscopy may one day become the gold standard for addressing midline craniopharyngiomas, but this will require improvements in technique and instrumentation as well as dedication on the part of skull base trainees to become acquainted with the endoscope and develop their skills early in their careers. Although the transcranial approach is becoming less popular for the resection of craniopharyngiomas, it will always have a role to play in tackling larger lesions with lateral extensions, and recurrent lesions previously resected via the transsphenoidal route.
Multi-scale Modeling of the Heart Valve Interstitial Cell

Heart valve interstitial cells (VIC) are fibroblast–like cells that reside within the interstitium of heart valve leaflets. The biosynthetic activity of VICs is highly dependent upon the the mechanical demands of the extracellular environment. Thus, regular deformation of the leaflets throughout the cardiac cycle provides the mechanical stimulation that is necessary for VICs to maintain homeostasis of the valve and manage normal turnover of extracellular matrix constituents. When the deformation pattern of the VICs is altered during periods of growth or disease, VICs can undergo cellular activation and remodel the ECM of the valve to re-establish homeostasis. In order to better engineer treatments for heart valve diseases, it is of great importance to delineate the underlying mechanisms governing this crucial remodeling process. In this chapter, we present current experimental and computational modeling approaches used to study the complex multi-scale mechanical relationship between the valve leaflets and the underlying VICs. In addition, we discuss future directions toward modeling VIC signaling pathways and developing improved 3D multi-scale models of VICs.
Strain-dependent variations in attachment of E. coli to soil particles of different sizes

Attachment of E. coli to soil particles affects bacteria transport in overland flow and in soil. The objective of this research was to investigate the existence of strain-dependent varia- tions in attachment of manure-borne E. coli to soil particles of different sizes using repetitive sequenced-based PCR techniques. Tyler clay loam soil was fractionated to obtain particles of coarse sand, medium sand, fine sand, silt, and clay sizes. The inoculum for attachment studies was produced by culturing aged manure. Serial dilutions of the fecal coliform suspension (10 2 and 10 3 CFU ml -1 ) were mixed with soil particle fractions. After incubation, soil- bacteria suspensions were centrifuged, and DNA was extracted from supernatants to be used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with ERIC primers. The DNA fingerprint analysis was done with pseudo-gel images from electrophoregrams using BioNumerics. Cluster analysis led to identification of five clusters with the simi- larity level within them higher than 80% and 17 clusters with the similarity level within them higher than 90%. The chi-square test was applied to test the hypothesis that the strain distribution among the clusters does not depend on adsorbent. This hypothesis could be rejected at 0.0001 probability level. The preferential attachment of different strains to particles of different size classes may be attributable to differences in both particle surface and bacteria surface properties. Because the attachment to mineral surfaces for pathogenic E. coli strains may be different from that for non-patho- genic strains, more information on attachment pathogenic E. coli to suspended solids in overland flow attachment needs to be col- lected, as the differences in attachment may result in differences in overland transport of pathogenic and non-pathogenic E. coli.
Production and purification of crystallized levoglucosan from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass

Levoglucosan has significant potential in commercial applications for the synthesis of polymers, solvents and pharmaceuticals. It is currently overlooked for commercial applications due to its high cost of synthesis and purification. We have developed a system to produce pure crystals of levoglucosan based on the fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. A novel bio-oil recovery system concentrated levoglucosan along with other anhydrosugars, sugars and phenolic compounds in a non-aqueous “heavy ends” fraction. Liquid–liquid water extraction separated sugar-rich solubilized carbohydrates from non-soluble phenolic compounds. The solubilized carbohydrate fraction, contaminated with partially soluble phenolic monomers, was filtered through Sepabeads SP207 adsorption resin to produce clarified juice. The composition of the clarified juice on a dry basis after resin filtration and rotary evaporation was 81.2% sugars, 4.45–4.60% volatile non-sugar, 1.71% carboxylic acids and 12.5–12.6% unidentified compounds, which was sufficiently pure to crystallize the sugars by evaporation. A cold solvent rinse of the crystal mass separated and purified levoglucosan from other sugars. Levoglucosan purity was 102.5% ± 3.109% at the 99% confidence level. Techno-economic analysis of a plant pyrolyzing 250 tonne per day of pretreated biomass to produce cellulosic sugars indicated a minimum selling price (MSP) for pure levoglucosan crystals of $1333 per MT, which is less than one-tenth its current average market price. Operating hours of the plant, fermentable syrup yield and fixed capital are the most significant parameters affecting MSP.
A Perturbed System: How Tenured Faculty Responded to the COVID-19 Shift to Remote Instruction

This study investigates six university professors’ reflections on the shift to remote instruction during the Spring 2020 semester in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The rapid shift in ins...
Trade-offs Between Wood and Leaf Production in Arctic Shrubs Along a Temperature and Moisture Gradient in West Greenland

Warming environmental conditions are often credited with increasing Arctic shrub growth and altering abundance and distribution, yet it is unclear whether tundra shrub expansion will continue into future decades. Water availability may begin to limit Arctic shrub growth if increasing air temperatures create drier soil conditions due to increased evapotranspiration and permafrost-thaw-induced soil drainage. However, few studies have effectively considered how dominant tundra shrub species respond to variations in both temperature and moisture. To better understand the key effects of temperature variation and soil moisture on two dominant circumpolar deciduous shrubs, we studied shrub growth along a natural landscape gradient in West Greenland, which is a region observed to be drying due to ongoing warming. We found that the growth forms of both grey willow (Salix glauca) and dwarf birch (Betula nana) were sensitive to warmer and drier conditions. For both species, increases in air temperature positively correlated with greater shrub volume, with the doubling of canopy volume due to increased woody biomass. Leaf biomass was best predicted by edaphic features including extractable ammonium, which was positively related to soil moisture, and bulk density. Warmer soils tended to be drier, suggesting that ongoing warming in the area could lead to significant water limitation. Our findings suggest that drier soil conditions might be limiting foliar production despite warming temperatures for two circumpolar dominant shrubs, Betula nana and Salix glauca, which could have wide-ranging, biome-level consequences about ongoing and predicted shrub growth and expansion.
Stepping back to move forward: Centering capital in discussions of technology and the future of work:

Some researchers have warned that advances in artificial intelligence will increasingly allow employers to substitute human workers with software and robotic systems, heralding an impending wave of...
Web-Based Lifestyle Interventions for Prostate Cancer Survivors: Qualitative Study

Background: Exercise and a healthy diet can improve the quality of life and prognosis of prostate cancer survivors, but there have been limited studies on the feasibility of web-based lifestyle interventions in this population. Objective: This study aims to develop a data-driven grounded theory of web-based engagement by prostate cancer survivors based on their experience in the Community of Wellness, a 12-week randomized clinical trial designed to support healthy diet and exercise habits. Methods: TrueNTH’s Community of Wellness was a four-arm pilot study of men with prostate cancer (N=202) who received progressive levels of behavioral support (level 1: website; level 2: website with individualized diet and exercise recommendations; level 3: website with individualized diet and exercise recommendations, Fitbit, and text messages; and level 4: website with individualized diet and exercise recommendations, Fitbit and text messages, and separate phone calls with an exercise trainer and a registered dietitian). The primary aim of the study is to determine the feasibility and estimate the effects on behaviors (results reported in a separate paper). Following the 12-week intervention, we invited participants to participate in 4 focus groups, one for each intervention level. In this report, we used grounded theory analyses including open, axial, and selective coding to generate codes and themes from the focus group transcripts. Categories were refined across levels using embodied categorization and constant comparative methods. Results: In total, 20 men with prostate cancer participated in the focus groups: 5, 4, 5, and 6 men in levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Participants converged on 5 common factors influencing engagement with the intervention: environment (home environment, competing priorities, and other lifestyle programs), motivation (accountability and discordance experienced within the health care system), preparedness (technology literacy, health literacy, trust, and readiness to change), program design (communication, materials, and customization), and program support (education, ally, and community). Each of these factors influenced the survivors’ long-term impressions and habits. We proposed a grounded theory associating these constructs to describe the components contributing to the intuitiveness of a web-based lifestyle intervention. Conclusions: These analyses suggest that web-based lifestyle interventions are more intuitive when we optimize participants’ technology and health literacy; tailor interface design, content, and feedback; and leverage key motivators (ie, health care providers, family members, web-based coach) and environmental factors (ie, familiarity with other lifestyle programs). Together, these grounded theory–based efforts may improve engagement with web-based interventions designed to support prostate cancer survivorship.
DETECTION OF DEER ATADENOVIRUS A DNA IN DAM AND OFFSPRING PAIRS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN MULE DEER (ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS HEMIONUS) AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK (CERVUS CANADENSIS NELSONI)

Adenovirus hemorrhagic disease affects primarily mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni), and moose (Alces alces) in their first year of life. The method by which the causative virus, Deer atadenovirus A, is maintained in the environment and transmitted to neonates is unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential transmission of the virus from dam to offspring in Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and elk in western Wyoming, US. We sampled dams before parturition during placement of vaginal implant transmitters and at parturition and sampled neonates during capture in their first days of life. We also tested for the virus in mortalities submitted for pathologic examination and laboratory analysis. We detected viral DNA in samples from all time points tested but did not find a connection between positive dams and offspring mortalities associated with adenovirus hemorrhagic disease. Although we did not find direct evidence of transmission events between dams and offspring, asymptomatic animals shedding of Deer atadenovirus A, are a likely source of infection in neonates.
Addressing Racial/Ethnic Equity in Access to COVID-19 Testing Through Drive-Thru And Walk-In Testing Sites in Chicago

Mile Square Health Center (MSHC), a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) run by the University of Illinois Hospital (UIH) in Chicago, established Drive-Thru and Walk-Up COVID-19 testing sites. The primary aim of the UIH/MSHC testing project was to increase testing capacity in the most affected, racial/ethnic minority communities. More than 7,500 tests were performed over a six-month period. Half of those who were tested were Black and Latinx residents. The majority of those tested at the Walk-Up sites were Black, while "Other" race group tended to get tested in Drive Thru testing sites. Latinx residents had the highest positivity rate, followed by Other race group. Younger age groups were more likely to have higher positivity rates. Overall, UH/MSHC testing results reflected the overall Chicago COVID-19 testing results. Our findings substantiate the need to advocate for equitable resource allocation to counter the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection among minority communities. FQHCs were shown to be an effective approach to reduce structural barriers to COVID-19 testing and subsequently reduce disparities. Going forward, FQHCs can be key to ensuring COVID-19 vaccine outreach and dissemination.
Corrections for Lengths of Columns Tested Between Knife Edges

MORE OFTEN THAN NOT when a column tested between knife edges is supported on carriers between the knife edges and the ends of the column, the length of the column is taken as the distance between knife edges. When this is done, only a small error is introduced if the column specimen is long relative to the distance between knife edges, b u t the error may amount to several per cent for short columns. There are two practical ways of avoiding this error in tests made under eccentrically applied loads when it is desired to obtain column curves corresponding to a series of cons tan t eccentricities.
Gravitational Lensing Extends SETI Range

Microwave SETI (The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) focuses on two primary strategies, the “Targeted Search” and the “All-Sky Survey.” Although the goal of both strategies is the unequivocal discovery of a signal transmitted by intelligent species outside our solar system, they pursue the strategies in very different manners and have vastly different requirements. This chapter introduces Gravitational Lensing SETI (GL-SETI), a third strategy. Its goal is the unequivocal discovery of an extraterrestrial signal, with equipment and data processing requirements that are substantially different from the commonly-used strategies. This strategy is particularly suitable for use with smaller radio telescopes and has budgetary requirements suitable for individual researchers.
Islam in Britain 1558–1685: “Baptizing the Turk”: conversion to Christianity in English writings

Whether in the coffee-house or in the pages of The Christian Astrologer and Hai , early modern English society perceived an Islamic world that was powerful, culturally different and non-Christian. Although some Britons adopted customs, texts and ideas from the Muslims, others reacted with a pride that inspired poets and theologians to think of God as English and to see the nation as an “English Zion.” This pride sometimes extended to notions of religio-racial superiority as can be seen in the popular saying that one Protestant Englishman was worth three Catholic Portuguese, and one Portuguese was worth three Muslim Moors. Such pride had informed the medieval romances against the Muslims. After Western Christians had lost the military encounter with the Muslims in the Holy Land, writers from France and England and elsewhere in Europe turned to defeat them in literature. In the romances and chansons de geste, Christians so overpowered the Muslims religiously that the latter were frequently portrayed as eager to convert in order to join the higher society of Christendom: indeed, “a converted Saracen giant and a defeated Sultan provided a happy dream of triumph when the Crusades were failing.” A similar sense of powerlessness against the military expansion of the Ottoman Empire occurred in the early modern period: unable to “dominate” the “Turks” – after all, Istanbul was the biggest city in Europe in the seventeenth century – English writers turned to the only option left for them in confronting Islam: to fantasize in drama and sermon about Christian victory and Muslim defeat. One sphere in which English society particularly felt the need to defeat Islam was evangelization.
SS433 — Observing Evolution in a Precessing, Relativistic Jet

We commonly refer to the central “object” in extra-galactic radio sources as the “engine” that is the root cause of many radio source characteristics. We frequently ask, COULD “engines” at the cores of extra-galactic sources: (1) be compact objects with accretion disks; (2) eject well-collimated supersonic jets; (3) show relativistic effects in ejected material; (4) produce twin-jets; (5) produce onesided jets; and (6) initiate highly polarized synchrotron radiation sources? SS433 is a binary star system with radio and optical jets that is relevant because it is a “little engine that could”, and does, do all of these things. Further, we can observe changes in SS433 on time scales from hours to several months, and these data allow one to study evolution of jets in a more thorough fashion than is possible for extra-galactic sources.
Clamp Shimming Optimization for Minimizing Assembly Deformation

EAVS is a GM in-house software package to simulate dimensional variations of manufacturing process in vehicle body assembly involving flexible parts. Methods used in EAVS for clamping and its shimming optimization are described in this paper. Two application examples, a reinforcement panel and a U-ring subassembly, are given to show the implementation and performance of the methods.
Behavioral determinants of successful early melanoma detection: role of self and physician skin examination.

BACKGROUND. Reduced melanoma mortality should result from an improved understanding of modifiable factors related to early detection. The authors of this report surveyed newly diagnosed patients to identify differences in prediagnosis behavioral and medical care factors associated with thinner versus thicker melanoma. METHODS. In total, 566 adults with invasive melanoma completed questionnaires within 3 months of diagnosis on demographics, health care access, skin self-examination (SSE), and physician skin examination (PSE) practices in the year before diagnosis. SSE was measured by us e of a melanoma picture aid and routine examination of some/all body sites versus none. Patient-reported partial or full-body PSE also was assessed. Melanoma thickness was dichotomized at 1 mm. RESULTS. Patient ranged in age from 18 years to 99 years, and 61% were men. The median tumor thickness was 1.25 mm, and 321 tumors (57%) were >1 mm thick. Thinner tumors (≤1 mm) were associated with age ≤60 years (P = .0002), women (P = .0127), higher education level (P = .0122), and physician discovery (P ≤ .0001). Patients who used a melanoma picture aid and performed routine SSE were more likely to have thinner tumors than those who did not (odds ratio [OR], 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48-4.80). Full-body PSE was associated with thinner tumors (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.62-3.87), largely because of the effect of PSE in men aged >60 years (OR, 4.09 95% CI, 1.88-8.89). CONCLUSIONS. SSE and PSE were identified as complementary early detection strategies, particularly in men aged >60 years, in whom both partial and full-body PSE were associated with thinner tumors. Given the high rates of physician access, PSE may be a more practical approach for successful early detection in this subgroup with highest mortality. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Cytochemical and physiological evidence for cholinergic, neurogenic vasodilation of amphibian arterioles and precapillary sphincters: I. Light microscopy

Abstract Arterioles and precapillary sphincters of the frog retrolingual membrane exhibit pronounced vasodilation after microelectrode stimulation of associated terminal nerves. To establish if these vasomotor nerves are cholinergic, the thiocholine method of Karnovsky and the selective methylene blue (pH 6.5–7.0) technique of Richardson were applied to retrolingual membranes. With both methods, the identical nerves which were found to evoke vasodilation stained markedly. In general, both methods also stain scattered motor nerves and vasomotor nerves not immediately associated with blood vessels, and a fine tight-meshed perivascular plexus surrounding all arterioles and precapillary sphincters. With the thiocholine method, motor end-plates on striated muscle, precapillary sphincters, and occasional short segments of arteriolar walls stain most intensely for acetylcholinesterase. Methylene blue did not stain these areas, and preservation of the methylene blue staining product in nerves was much more capricious than the thiocholine stain. Destruction of adrenergic nerves by chronic treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine did not alter the staining of neuronal structures in retrolingual membranes stained by thiocholine or methylene blue techniques. These light microscopic findings supplement previous pharmacological and ultrastructural studies indicating a direct cholinergic innervation of arterioles and precapillary sphincters in the retrolingual membrane, and further establish the value of this membrane as a model for cholinergic innervation of the microvascular system.
Electronic fetal monitoring in association with paracervical blocks

Abstract Three hundred and twenty-six patients in labor were monitored electronically during the administration of paracervical blocks. There were 129 primigravidas and 197 multigravidas in the study. Variable deceleration patterns during labor were observed in 128 patients. Of these, 109 cord problems such as overt and occult prolapse and nuchal entanglement were present. Sixty-five of these babies exhibited an Apgar score of 6 or less at one minute. There were 38 late deceleration patterns, 24 of which had placentas of 400 grams or less. Apgar scores of 6 or less were found in 20 of these infants. One hundred and nineteen infants or 36 per cent had a bradycardia episode after a paracervical block. The low Apgar scores appear to be related to other factors rather than to the paracervical block.
Brief Motivational Interventions Are Associated With Reductions in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among College Drinkers.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol-impaired (AI) driving among college students remains a significant public health concern and may be the single most risky drinking outcome among young adults. Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) have been shown to reduce alcohol use and problems, but their specific efficacy for decreasing AI driving among college students is unknown. The present study analyzed data from three randomized controlled trials of BMI (Murphy et al., 2010: n = 74; Borsari et al., 2012: n = 530; and Martens et al., 2013: n = 365) to evaluate whether BMIs are associated with reductions in AI driving among college student drinkers. METHOD: Participants in all three studies were randomized to BMI or control conditions. Participants reported whether they had driven under the influence (yes/no) following the BMI over the follow-up period. RESULTS: Separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted for each study. For Studies 1 and 2, these analyses revealed that a BMI was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving at the final (6-month and 9-month, respectively) follow-up compared with the control condition. For Study 3, analyses revealed that a single-component BMI focused on the correction of misperceptions of descriptive norms was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving compared with the control group at the final (6-month) followup, whereas a single-component BMI focused on the use of protective behavioral strategies was not. Change in drinking level did not mediate the relationship between the condition and the change in AI driving. CONCLUSIONS: Counselor-administered BMIs that include descriptive normative feedback are associated with significant reductions in AI driving compared with control. Language: en
Manufacturing Integration Framework: A SOA Perspective on Manufacturing

Abstract Today's society, driven by aggressive marketing campaigns, shows an appetite for everything new and state of the art. The life span of a given product type, in these conditions, becomes shorter and shorter. To remain competitive, manufacturing enterprises need to keep up with these dynamic market variations, by always adjusting the offer according to competition. On top of this, the poor economic conditions add additional pressure on optimization and efficiency in order to cut costs and maximize profit. Enterprises have understood that the “time to market” becomes a decisive factor that separates successful enterprises from lagers. This time to market can be shortened only by increasing flexibility in the manufacturing process. The purpose of this paper is to present IBM's framework for manufacturing integration, which matches plant floor solutions with business systems and suppliers. IBM's manufacturing integration framework focuses mainly on achieving flexibility by enabling a low coupling design of the entire enterprise system through leveraging of Service Oriented Architecture and Manufacturing Service Bus as best practices.
Synthesis and Photophysics of a Copper-Porphyrin-Styrene-C60Hybrid†

A new conjugated porphyrin−fullerene dyad featuring a styrene linkage has been prepared in 11% overall yield from previously synthesized starting materials. In contrast to the singlet and triplet excited states commonly observed in analogous systems with zinc and free base porphyrins, the present investigation involves doublet and quartet ground and excited states. The photophysical pathways in the present system include intramolecular electron and energy transfer events, whose outcome depends predominantly on the solvent polarity.
Expertise in Moral Reasoning? Order Effects on Moral Judgment in Professional Philosophers and Non-Philosophers

We examined the effects of order of presentation on the moral judgments of professional philosophers and two comparison groups. All groups showed similar- sized order effects on their judgments about hypothetical moral scenarios targeting the doctrine of the double effect, the action-omission distinction, and the principle of moral luck. Philosophers' endorsements of related general moral principles were also substantially influenced by the order in which the hypothetical scenarios had previously been presented. Thus, philosophical expertise does not appear to enhance the stability of moral judgments against this presumably unwanted source of bias, even given familiar types of cases and principles.
Irrational beliefs and negative life stress: testing a diathesis-stress model of depressive symptoms

Abstract Based on Ellis' (1962, 1995) RET theory, the present study examined the validity of a diathesis (irrational beliefs) × stress (negative life experience) model for predicting depressive symptoms. Results of analysis of variance indicated significant main effects for irrational beliefs and negative life stress. However, no significant diathesis × stress interaction was found. Implications for rational emotive therapy are discussed.
A Model of Financial Incentive Effects in Decision Making

Abstract This paper proposes a model of the mediating processes whereby performance-contingent financial incentives influence decision quality and provides empirical evidence relevant to assessing the model. We hypothesize that performance-contingent incentives impact both cognitions and emotions, and that these cognitive and affective changes mediate the relationship between incentives and decision quality. To test these hypotheses, 84 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to conditions in which financial incentives were either performance contingent or randomly distributed. Participants used software that collected data on their information processing behavior to make choices from multiattribute choice information displays. After completing their choices, participants′ level of negative affect was assessed. Consistent with the predictions of the model, participants offered performance-contingent incentives took longer to choose, examined more information, had higher levels of negative affect, and used decision strategies that led to more accurate choices than participants offered randomly distributed incentives. Path analyses using structural equations modeling indicated that the changes in information processing behavior induced by financial incentives increased decision quality, while the increased levels of negative affect associated with incentives decreased decision quality. The paper concludes that identifying and measuring mediating variables is an important component of a research agenda designed to generate predictive theory of the relationship between financial incentives and decision quality.
Protectionism: Old wine in new bottles

Abstract This paper addresses some new types of arguments that have recently arisen in defense of protectionism in developing and developing countries. The new sources of protectionism in developing countries discussed are: (1) recession-debt-crisis costs; (2) protection in the world economy; (3) wages and labor markets; (4) political requirements. The new arguments for protectionism in developed countries discussed are: (1) shift to the service economy; (2) defense; (3) threat of protection to induce foreign investment.
Automated segmentation of regions of interest on hand radiographs

Most radiologists do not use texture information contained in the trabecular patterns of hand radiographs to diagnose erosive changes and demineralization due to systemic inflammatory diseases that affect the skeletal system. However, high‐resolution digitization achievable by a laser digitizer now makes it possible to access texture information that may not be perceived visually. We are studying the feasibility of computer‐assisted early detection of these processes with particular attention to patients with hyperparathyroidism. In this paper the methods used to extract a region of interest (ROI) for texture analysis are discussed. The techniques include multiresolution sensing, automatic adaptive thresholding, detection of orientation angle, and projection taken perpendicular to the line of least second moment. The methods were tested on a database of 50 pairs of hand radiographs. We segmented the middle and the index fingers with an average success rate of 83% per hand. For the segmented finger strips, we located ROIs on both the middle and the proximal phalanges correctly over 84% of the times. Texture information was collected in the form of a concurrence matrix within the ROI. This study is a prelude to evaluating the correlation between classification based on texture analysis and diagnosis made by experienced radiologists.
Treatment with 5-Fluorouracil and Celecoxib Displays Synergistic Regression of Ultraviolet Light B-Induced Skin Tumors

Standard chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of pre-cancerous skin lesions and non-melanoma skin cancers are not completely effective. Several studies have suggested that repeated inflammatory sunburn reactions, which include the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the subsequent production of prostaglandins, play a role in skin cancer development. COX-2 inhibition has been demonstrated to be a potent means of preventing skin cancer development in mice; however, COX-2 inhibitors alone are not effective as chemotherapeutic agents. Data in a variety of cancer types suggest greater efficacy in treating tumors with combination chemotherapies. Therefore, we hypothesized that a combination of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the COX-2 inhibitor and anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib would act synergistically to regress tumors in a murine model of ultraviolet light B- (UVB-) induced carcinogenesis. We found that topical treatment with 5-FU and celecoxib together was up to 70% more effective in reducing the number of UVB-induced skin tumors than 5-FU treatment alone. Our data suggest that more effective chemotherapy regimens can be developed to treat the millions of pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions that arise every year, which could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in costs and cosmetic defects (scarring) associated with surgical interventions.
Sodium channels in ocular epithelia.

Voltage-gated, tetrodotoxin(TTX)-blockable sodium channels are found in most excitable cells and are the primary contributors to action potentials generated by many of these cells. To date, there has only been one report of a non-cultured vertebrate epithelial cell type containing TTX-blockable Na+ channels: rabbit non-pigmented ciliary body epithelial cells [Cilluffo MC et al. (1991) Invest Opthalmol Vis Sci 32:1619–1629], and three reports of cultured epithelial cells containing TTX-blockable Na+ channels: rabbit non-pigmented and pigmented ciliary body epithelium [Ciluffo MC et al. (1991) Invest Opthalmol Vis Sci 32:1619–1629; Fain GL, Farahbakhsh (1989) J Physiol (Lond) 417:83–103] and human lens epithelium [Cooper K et al. (1990) J Membr Biol 117:285–298]. We report here the presence of sodium currents in two different non-cultured, freshly dissociated transporting epithelial cell types: the rabbit corneal endothelium and the frog lens epithelium. We also report the occurrence of sodium currents in six additional cultured ocular epithelial cell types from three different species. These currents have a current/voltage (I/V) relationship consistent with traditional voltage-gated Na+ currents, are quinidine- and TTX-blockable (of the low-affinity TTX-sensitive type), and disappear following bath substitution of Na+ with Cs+ or K+.
Agarose Hydrogels Embedded with pH-Responsive Diblock Copolymer Micelles for Triggered Release of Substances

Hybrid agarose hydrogels embedded with pH-responsive diblock copolymers micelles were developed to achieve functional hydrogels capable of stimulus-triggered drug release. Specifically, a well-defined poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based diblock copolymer, PEO-b-poly(2-(N,N-diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PEO113-b-PDPAEMA31, where the subscripts represent the degrees of polymerization of two blocks), was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization. PDPAEMA is a pH-responsive polymer with a pKa value of 6.3. The PEO113-b-PDPAEMA31 micelles were formed by a solvent-switching method, and their pH-dependent dissociation behavior was investigated by dynamic light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy. Both studies indicated that the micelles were completely disassembled at pH = 6.40. The biocompatibility of PEO113-b-PDPAEMA31 micelles was demonstrated by in vitro primary cortical neural culture. Hybrid agarose hydrogels were made by cooling 1.0 wt % agarose solutions that contained various amounts...
Osteoporosis in men: what has changed?

Osteoporosis in men is finally receiving some attention; it has been realized that men are more likely to die after hip fracture. Methods for screening men for osteoporosis include dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and use of fracture risk calculators such as FRAX (World Health Organization) and the Garvan nomogram. Evaluation of men will often identify secondary causes of osteoporosis as well as multiple risk factors. Alendronate, risedronate, zoledronic acid, and teriparatide are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—approved therapy for men. Men on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) are at high risk for bone loss and fracture, and all the bisphosphonates have been shown to increase bone density. The new antiresorptive drug, denosumab, although FDA-approved only for postmenopausal women, has been shown in a study of men on ADT to increase bone density in spine, hip, and forearm and decrease vertebral fractures on x-ray. Thus, there is great progress in osteoporosis in men, and recognition of its importance is increasing.
Seedcorn Maggot (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) Emergence in Conventional and Reduced-Tillage Soybean Systems in Iowa

Absolute population estimates, based on emergence trapping, were made for Hylemya platura (Meigen) during germination in four typical Iowa soybean tillage systems (fall moldboard-plow, fall chisel-plow, till-plant, and no-tillage). The emergence trapping method gave acceptable levels of precision for an intensive sampling program. Although significant differences in emergence were found between tillage systems, numbers of seedcorn maggots present were not a serious problem in any system. Emergence was greatest in the fall chisel-plow system, followed by the till-plant system. Emergence in the no-till and fall moldboard-plow system was similar. Comparisons of emergence between within row and between-row areas in these systems suggested that germinating soybeans were not attractive for oviposition under field conditions. Surface corn residue and soil moisture were not significant factors influencing oviposition and development.
Transient and asymptotic perturbation growth in a simple model

The relationship between asymptotic and finite-interval instabilities in nonlinear, time-dependent flows is examined in the context of a quasi-geostrophic model. For a chosen interval and metric, perturbation growth is related to the singular vectors (SVs) of the linear propagator, while long-term or asymptotic growth is determined by the leading Lyapunov vector (LV), which is independent of metric and grows at the mean rate of the leading Lyapunov exponent. It is shown that the growth rates of the leading LVs vary significantly about their mean values over periods of a few days. For the leading LV, episodes of greater (or lesser) growth correspond to significant variations in vertical structure, and are highly correlated with its projection onto the leading SVs optimized for short (e.g. 24-hour) intervals. The LV exhibits maximum growth over east Asia and the Pacific, where its projection onto rapidly growing SVs in the vicinity of the Pacific storm track is greatest. For a given 24-hour interval, the 30 leading SVs at initial time account for only a few per cent of the total variance of the LV, but account for most of its growth. Filtering these leading SV components from the evolving LV structure over successive intervals reduces its mean (asymptotic) growth rate dramatically in a piecewise continuous sense. The results make clear the importance of transient growth in maintaining the positive mean growth rates of the leading LVs, and in determining the asymptotic stability properties of time-dependent flows. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
The N-terminus of KIR6.2 limits spontaneous bursting and modulates the ATP-inhibition of KATP channels.

KATP channels are heteromultimers of a sulfonylurea receptor SUR and KIR6.2 with the inward rectifier forming the pore which is regulated by SUR. We have examined the contributions of the cytoplasmic domains of KIR6.2 to control of spontaneous bursting and ATP-inhibition in human SUR1/KIR6.2 KATP channels. Truncations of the N-terminus of KIR6.2 nearly eliminate transitions to interburst closed states without affecting the open or intraburst closed states, thus producing SUR1/DeltaNKIR6.2 channels with an extremely high open probability in the absence of nucleotides. These channels have a decrease apparent ATP-sensitivity which is consistent with the involvement of the N-terminus in a transition to an interburst closed state that preferentially binds inhibitory ATP. Mutations in both the N- and proximal C-termini of KIR6.2 can synergistically attenuate the ATP-inhibition. The results identify the N-terminus of KIR6.2 as a determinant of the interburst kinetics of KATP channels and suggest that the two cytoplasmic domains of KIR6.2 participate in ATP-inhibitory gating through distinct mechanisms.
Pit-to-crack transition in pre-corroded 7075-T6 aluminum alloy under cyclic loading

Abstract Pit-to-crack transition experiments were conducted on 1.600 mm and 4.064 mm 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. Specimens were corroded using a 15:1 ratio of 3.5% NaCl solution and H2O2 prior to fatigue loading. Cracks originating from corrosion pits were visually investigated in order to understand how pit-to-crack transitions occur. All prior corroded specimens in the study fractured from cracks associated with pitting. Pit-to-crack transition was successfully acquired visually. Corroded 7075-T6-4.064 mm specimens experienced more of an overall fatigue life reduction than 7075-T6-1.600 mm specimens. Results indicated that quantities such as pit surface area and surrounding pit proximity are as important as pit depth in determining when and where a crack will form.
Binding of [14C] allylamine to isolated mitochondria from rat heart and aorta

This study demonstrates specific and saturable binding of [14C] allylamine to mitochondria derived from rat aorta and heart. Specific binding is linear with respect to mitochondrial concentration and has a pH optimum of 7.0. Saturation isotherms reveal anomalous kinetics of specific binding on heart mitochondria with a high affinity site (KD 16 nM) and a lower affinity site (KD 80 nM); Scatchard plots have a common intercept. Exhaustive flow dialysis in the presence of SDS demonstrates that as much as 23.5% of bound radioactive moieties in aorta mitochondria are covalently bound, and as much as 42.6% are covalently bound in heart mitochondria. Hydrolysis of heart mitochondria with phospholipase C markedly enhances saturation of [14C] allylamine, and greatly increases the quantity of covalently bound radioactive ligand. Phospholipase C hydrolysis of heart mitochondria increased monoamine oxidase B activities and unmasked a small amount of benzylamine oxidase activity, whereas hydrolysis of mitochondria with phospholipases A2 and D diminish MAO-B activity. The monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, deprenyl, significantly reduced both specific and covalent binding of the 14C-activity from [14C] allylamine to phospholipase hydrolyzed mitochondria. The benzylamine oxidase inhibitor, phenelzine, significantly decreased specific binding but had no effect on the degree of covalent binding of [14C] allylamine to phospholipase C hydrolyzed mitochondria. The benzylamine oxidase inhibitor, semicarbazide, had no effect in inhibiting [14C] allylamine binding. Covalent binding of 14C-moiety from [14C] allylamine to mitochondria--which express specific binding sites for the [14C] allylamine--and inhibition of binding by monoamine oxidase inhibitors, suggest the formation of highly reactive intermediates.
Paranoid? Who Says I'm Paranoid?

By focusing all our attention on cybersecurity, have we left the backdoor open for more conventional attacks? Phillip A. Laplante, a member of IT Professional's editorial board, examines this conundrum and advises the reader to up his or her own paranoia level to address the very real security gaps we're leaving open every day our attention is diverted.