cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Searching for the Promised Land: Examining Dr Martin Luther King's Concept of the Beloved Community1

Abstract: 4 April 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of Dr King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Since his murder we have seen Dr King's message of social justice, the growing threat of militarism, the threat the USA's burgeoning empire posed, and his goal of ending injustice boiled down to a few words spoken in Washington DC when he declared his dream to see his children grow up in a society free of race prejudice. This paper engages with Dr King's work and presents a more geographically sophisticated understanding of King's legacy than the oft repeated Washington speech. Through an analysis of Dr King's concept of the Beloved Community, I argue that Dr King's work stems from the experiences of the Black Atlantic world. Consequently, we should see Dr King's social theory as part of a larger anti-colonial struggle which sought to integrate African American and Western notions of community, which holds contemporary importance as a counterpoint to current neoliberal conceptions of community.
Resolution of restatement-induced lawsuits after the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

Abstract Using a sample of 185 restating firms that were sued between 1997 and 2005, we examine the role of accounting irregularity, other restatement characteristics and the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the resolution of litigation after the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA). The empirical results indicate that restatement due to an accounting irregularity and investigation of accounting misstatement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are associated with a higher probability of settlement. Furthermore, the more negative the investor reaction to a restatement, the higher the probability that a lawsuit will be settled. Finally, we do not find any evidence that the Sarbanes Oxley Act is associated with the probability of a settled lawsuit. Our findings suggest that restatement-induced lawsuits with strong inference of fraud are settled in the period after the PSLRA. The results also highlight the importance of making a distinction between dismissed and settled restatement-induced lawsuits.
Dermis-Fat Graft in Socket Reconstruction: Theoretical and Experimental Considerations

Seventy-seven dermis-fat graft specimens with cup shapes of varying diameters were removed from nine cadavers, and their volumes were determined by volume displacement. Theoretical volumes were calculated by assuming that the cup shape of the grafts would result in a volume size between that of a cone and that of a cylinder, all of equal diameters and heights. The resulting data demonstrate a close correlation between the measured and the calculated volumes. Graft volume in different-sized orbits can be accurately determined by preplacement of different-sized Mule spheres and testing for adequacy of fit.
Failure of phosphatidic acid to translocate Ca2+ across phosphatidylcholine membranes

The putative role of phosphatidic acid (PA) as a Ca2+ ionophore has offered an attractive explanation for the relationship between Ca2+ influx and the turnover of phosphoinositides in stimulated cells1. The ionophoretic properties of PA are evident in its ability to translocate Ca2+ across a layer of organic solvent2. When added exogenously to some cells, PA produces a physiological response3–6 and in neuroblastoma cells stimulation of Ca2+ uptake can also be detected6. It was later shown that low levels of PA added exogenously to, or incorporated endogenously in liposomes, increase their permeability to Ca2+ (refs 7, 8), indicating a direct effect of PA on lipid bilayer properties. We now report, however, that we have not been able to demonstrate facilitation by PA of Ca2+ fluxes across liposomal membranes. Ascribing such a role to PA does not seem compatible with known features of biological membranes or the properties of ionophores known to translocate ions across membranes.
Public Penetrations: Jesús Rafael Soto’s Entry into Political Art

L’artiste venezuelien Jesus Rafael Soto a dirige le mouvement d’art cinetique des annees 1960 en Amerique latine avec ses sculptures en plexiglas moire et ses installations geometriques. La critique actuelle decrit ses creations essentiellement dans les termes apolitiques du formalisme et de la phenomenologie. Pourtant, ses oeuvres rassemblent des agents sociaux dans des espaces publics, ce qui souleve la question du politique. En utilisant la theorie critique de Hannah Arendt, cet essai presente les sculptures de Soto des annees 1960 et 1970 dites Penetrable comme des interventions politiques a travers lesquelles la sphere publique est reintroduite, alors que le Venezuela se remet difficilement d’un regime totalitaire.
Differential Effects of Methylphenidate and Self-Reinforcement on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Six boys aged 9 to 12 years attended a tutoring class focusing on reading for 30 minutes each morning. The investigators employed a modified Latin-square design in which each child began with a 5-day baseline phase followed by six 10-day treatment phases that used drug placebo, noncontingent reinforcers, 0.3 mg/kg methylphenidate, 0.7 mg/kg methylphenidate, and self-reinforcement in various combinations. Amount of academic performance was the major measure of outcome and the target behavior of self-reinforcement. Drug placebo and noncontingent reinforcers had no systematic impact. Methylphenidate had differential effects across the recorded behaviors. Self-reinforcement improved the target behavior; the mean effect size for self-reinforcement was 2.66. The combined effects of methylphenidate and self-reinforcement on academic performance were greater than either of the treatments given alone (mean effect size = 2.89).
U.S. Federal indebtedness and the conduct of fiscal policy

Abstract This paper examines whether the conduct of U.S. fiscal policy since the 1920s has been influenced by constraints on the accumulated stock of outstanding Federal debt. The evidence is affirmative: during most of the inter- and post-war period, policy in effect stabilized the Federal debt relative to GNP. But after 1981, large debt and debt service costs failed to produce deficit reductions consistent with the pattern of previous decades.
CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM IN THE MACROPHAGE : II. ALTERATION OF SUBCELLULAR EXCHANGEABLE CHOLESTEROL COMPARTMENTS AND EXCHANGE IN OTHER CELL TYPES

Macrophage membrane cholesterol is present in two subcellular cholesterol pools, a rapidly exchanging compartment comprising about two-thirds of the total cholesterol, and a slowly exchanging compartment comprising one-third of the total. The morphological identification of the kinetically distinguishable pools proceeded by alteration of each compartment. Trypsin treatment markedly decreased the rate of cholesterol exchange without removing cholesterol from the membrane. Recovery of normal exchange rates took more than 7 hr and required protein synthesis. This suggested that a plasma membrane receptor is involved in positioning of lipoproteins for exchange, and is consistent with the plasma membrane localization of the rapidly exchanging compartment. Extensive pinocytosis by nondegradable dextran, dextran sulfate, or sucrose resulted in the accumulation of many secondary lysosomes, thus increasing the relative proportion of intracellular membranes. The measurable granule membrane area, cholesterol content, phospholipid content, and the relative size of the slowly exchanging cholesterol compartment all increased. The amount of intracellular membrane altered by extensive phagocytosis of latex particles also increased the size of the slowly exchanging cholesterol compartment. This suggested that the slowly exchanging pool of cholesterol represented the intracellular membranes primarily of lysosomal origin. Rabbit alveolar macrophages and thioglycollate-stimulated peritoneal macrophages contain many secondary lysosomes as a result of multiple bouts of in vivo phagocytosis and pinocytosis. In both of these cells the fast and slow pools are equal in size. The increased cholesterol content was attributable to the increase in the relative size of the slowly exchanging compartment. L-cells and melanoma cells also exchange their cholesterol with that of serum lipoproteins. Both cells contain few cholesterol-rich intracellular membranes, and had lower cellular cholesterol contents. In these cells the slowly exchanging pool was a minor contribution to cell cholesterol. Studies with these cells provided further evidence for the lysosomal membrane and plasma membrane localization of the slowly and rapidly exchanging cholesterol compartments.
Prisões na África: uma avaliação da perspectiva dos direitos humanos

Embora as prisoes na Africa sejam consideradas as piores do mundo, muitos outros sistemas carcerarios sao ainda piores no que concerne a violencia, superlotacao e varios outros problemas. Com isso, nao se pretende afirmar que as prisoes africanas sejam exemplos de direitos humanos. Muitas estao em condicoes deficientes e suas praticas estao em conflito com os padroes de direitos humanos. No entanto, as prisoes em diferentes partes do mundo estao em crise. Nunca antes houve tantos problemas nos sistemas penais e uma populacao tao grande nas instituicoes carcerarias. Este artigo analisa o desenvolvimento historico das prisoes africanas desde os tempos coloniais e avalia o legado que o colonialismo deixou nas prisoes do continente. Analisa tambem um conjunto de questoes referentes a situacao das prisoes na Africa, como detencoes preventivas, superlotacao, recursos e governanca, aprisionamento de mulheres e criancas, e reabilitacao. Um espaco substancial e dedicado as reformas que estao ocorrendo em todo o continente, e a recomendacoes em relacao a necessidade de mais reformas. Examinam-se tambem os papeis da Comissao Africana de Direitos Humanos e dos Povos e do Relator Especial sobre Prisoes e Condicoes de Detencao na Africa.
Predicted Structures and Dynamics for Agonists and Antagonists Bound to Serotonin 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C Receptors

Subtype 2 serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors are major drug targets for schizophrenia, feeding disorders, perception, depression, migraines, hypertension, anxiety, hallucinogens, and gastrointestinal dysfunctions.' We report here the predicted structure of 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptors bound to highly potent and selective 5-HT2B antagonist PRX-08066 3, (pKi: 30 nM), including the key binding residues [V103 (2.53), L132 (3.29), V190 (4.60), and L347 (6.58)] determining the selectivity of binding to 5-HT2B over 5-HT2A. We also report structures of the endogenous agonist (5 HT) and a HT2B selective antagonist 2 (1-methyl-1-1,6,7,8-tetrahydro-pyrrolo [2,3-g]quinoline-5-carboxylic acid pyridine-3-ylamide). We examine the dynamics for the agonist-and antagonist-bound HT2B receptors in explicit membrane and water finding dramatically different patterns of water migration into the NPxxY motif and the binding site that correlates with the stability of ionic locks in the D(E)RY region.
Microparticle ratiometric oxygen sensors utilizing near-infrared emitting quantum dots

Luminescent sensors incorporating two luminophores, an indicator and a reference, offer many advantages over intensity measurements from sensors made with one indicator dye. Quantum dots have yet to be widely employed as insensitive reference luminophores in such systems. This work describes the use of near-infrared emitting quantum dots in conjunction with a long-lifetime platinum(II) porphyrin phosphor in a microsphere-based, ratiometric oxygen sensor. The process for self-assembly of the nanocomposite system was developed, and the response and photostability of the prototypes were investigated. Results indicate the sensors possess excellent sensitivity (KSV = 0.00826 µM−1) at oxygen concentrations below 300 µM and were resistant to photobleaching. The sensor luminophores displayed minimal spectral overlap and little interference from excitation light, preventing the need for optical filters. A reversible photoenhancement of the quantum dot signal was also observed when exposed for extended periods of time. This work demonstrates the advantages of incorporating long-wavelength quantum dots into ratiometric intensity sensing schemes and highlights some key limitations that must be considered in their use.
Studies on the effect of aflatoxin B1 on the development of the chick embryo.

SummarySurviving embryos of fertile hens' eggs injected with an effective dose (approximately LD70 of aflatoxin B1 showed a marked depression in growth only after day 12 of development. Surviving embroys did not show any gross morphological abnormalities. The pattern of development of several enzymes (acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and GOT) in the aflatoxin-treated eggs showed only minor differences from that of the controls. An effective dose (approximately LD70 of aflatoxin B1 does not affect the early stages of differentiation and growth, but does depress growth after day 12 of development.
ON CURVES OF GROWTH, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO TEMPERATURE

The velocity of growth, taken as the reciprocal of the time required to attain a given size or stage of development, obeys with some exactness the Arrhenius equation for relation to temperature. The values of µ, and the type of "breaks" found in the curves connecting velocity and temperature, are similar to those found in the case of various other vital activities. More precise data, particularly from experiments in which parts of the given developmental stadium are passed at different temperatures, may strengthen present indications that this relationship is not absolute. It is pointed out that the equation for an autocatalytic process, taken as descriptive for growth, predicts particular sorts of deviation under these conditions, which have in one instance been obtained experimentally; and may at the same time nevertheless permit the apparent temperature characteristic for (average) growth velocity to agree rather closely with that for one of the two velocity constants present in the correct autocatalytic equation.
Effects of cumulative loading level, as fish weight per unit flow, on water quality and growth of lake trout

Lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, were cultured in a series of five rearing units (in triplicate). The fish removed available oxygen in each unit, from about 10.5 to 7.0 mg/L. Oxygen was replaced, through aeration, between rearing units. Effects of cumulative loading, as fish weight/flow rate, are described in terms of water quality and fish growth. In fish reared at the highest loading level, mean growth during the 2-month cumulative loading period was depressed by more than half. However, the growth rate progressively increased in those fish reared under high loading levels, indicating acclimation of the fish to high metabolite concentrations. After two months of series-reuse rearing, cumulative loading was removed through introduction of fresh water (noreuse) to each unit, and fish recovery was monitored. During recovery, mean growth of fish that had been reared under the highest cumulative loading level was equal to or greater than that of fish that had been reared under the low loading levels.
Design of optimal pump-and-treat strategies for contaminated groundwater remediation using the simulated annealing algorithm

Abstract The problem of the placement of pumps and the selection of pumping rates are the most important issues in designing contaminated groundwater remediation systems using a pump-and-treat strategy. Three nonlinear optimization formulations are proposed to address these problems. The first problem formulation considers hydraulic constraints and reduces the plume concentration to a specified regulation standard value within a given planning time while minimizing capital cost. The second formulation minimizes residual contaminant in a fixed period under hydraulic contraints only. The third formulation is similar to the second formulation; however, in this formulation the number of pumps is prespecified by using the results from the first formulation. The inclusion of well installation costs in the first problem formulation results in a nonsmooth objective function. For such problems, only local optimum solutions can be expected by the use of conventional nonlinear optimization techniques. In the present paper, the simulated annealing algorithm is used to overcome these difficulties. Specific simulation studies indicate that the method advanced herein is promising and involves acceptable computation times.
Instrumentation for angular dependence measurements of light scattering

A filtration-type light scattering cell effectively sealed against contamination by a liquid trap and by a long helical impingement filter is described. Very low stray light levels are achieved by means of large cell diameter and a narrow light beam. Modifications in the Brice-Phoenix light scattering instrument necessary for the proper application of the cell are discussed. The intensities and angular dependence for water observed in this cell are in very good agreement with those obtained after multiple distillation. The excess scattering curve for 3% phosphotungstic acid in 0.3M NaCl and 1M HCl is that of a Rayleigh scatterer in the range observed (25.8 to 135°).
Vestibular pneumolabyrinth: why assessment with temporal bone computed tomography utilizing dynamic focal spot mode is important for the diagnosis

We present an interesting and relatively uncommon case of vestibular pneumolabyrinth in a young child post-trauma. His initial clinical exam and imaging studies of the head and cervical spine were negative. He subsequently developed nystagmus and a dedicated temporal bone study demonstrated a subtle fracture and vestibular pneumolabyrinth. Temporal bone fractures can be difficult to appreciate, and therefore, associated findings of fluid in the middle ear, stapes dislocation, or vestibular pneumolabyrinth must be carefully evaluated. Temporal bone computed tomography is a high resolution study, utilizing dynamic focal spot mode which leads to increased sampling and resolution, thereby reducing aliasing artifacts but a longer scan time and increased radiation dose. CT head and cervical spine normally obtained without using this technique leads to aliasing artifacts where even the normal endolymph in the inner ear structures appear hypodense mimicking pneumolabyrinth, thereby obscuring true pneumolabyrinth. It is important to be aware of this finding and technique-related artifact, if a temporal bone injury is suspected, to ensure an earlier diagnosis and optimum management.
The Affordable Care Act and Its Potential to Improve the Health of African-American Women

A complex set of historical and contemporary factors (such as racism, poverty and segregation) shape the life experiences, and health outcomes of African-American women. Their place in society and literally the places where they live both determine their health. This article considers whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111–148), as amended, signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2010, can become a viable tool to help address the health needs of African-American women.
β-Lactamase inhibition by 7-alkylidenecephalosporin sulfones: allylic transposition and formation of an unprecedented stabilized acyl-enzyme.

The inhibition of the class A SHV-1 β-lactamase by 7-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)methylidenecephalosporin sulfone was examined kinetically, spectroscopically, and crystallographically. An 1.14 A X-ray crystal structure shows that the stable acyl-enzyme, which incorporates an eight-membered ring, is a covalent derivative of Ser70 linked to the 7-carboxy group of 2-H-5,8-dihydro-1,1-dioxo-1,5-thiazocine-4,7-dicarboxylic acid. A cephalosporin-derived enzyme complex of this type is unprecedented, and the rearrangement leading to its formation may offer new possibilities for inhibitor design. The observed acyl-enzyme derives its stability from the resonance stabilization conveyed by the β-aminoacrylate (i.e., vinylogous urethane) functionality as there is relatively little interaction of the eight-membered ring with active site residues. Two mechanistic schemes are proposed, differing in whether, subsequent to acylation of the active site serine and opening of the β-lactam, the resultant dihydrothiazine fragments on its own or is assisted by an adjacent nucleophilic atom, in the form of the carbonyl oxygen of the C7 tert-butyloxycarbonyl group. This compound was also found to be a submicromolar inhibitor of the class C ADC-7 and PDC-3 β-lactamases.
Photoemission Study of the Electronic Structure of Copper Oxide Superconductors

We report the photoemission spectra from a high quality thin film sample of Y1Ba2Cu3C7-δ at room temperature and bulk samples of Y1Ba2Cu3C7-δ at different temperatures. The experimental data are interpreted within the configuration interaction model of Anderson Hamiltonian. The experimental values for Δ, U and T are determined. We also give the reasons why we think PES data reflect the intrinsic property of the superconductors. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of the presence of a 3d8-like satellite which signals the strong correlation among 3d electrons.
Chromatin structure of the developmentally regulated early histone genes of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Chromatin organization of the early histone gene repeat was studied at the early embryonic stages of the sea urchin S. purpuratus. Micrococcal nuclease digestion showed a highly irregular packaging of the whole repeat at the period of transcriptional activity, which was progressively replaced by more regular nucleosomal arrays upon developmentally programmed inactivation. No evidence for unique positioning of the nucleosomes was found. Regions upstream of each of the genes were hypersensitive to DNAase I digestion in the active state. These regions contained one (H2A and H2B), or two (H3 and H4) well-defined DNAase I cutting sites, or two poorly-defined sites (H1). They mapped within DNA sequences shown previously to be required for proper expression of the genes. Hypersensitivity continued in the hatching blastula, which have a conventional nucleosomal structure and a much reduced transcriptional activity. Hypersensitivity of these regions during morula and early blastula was not dependent on the torsional strain in chromatin, as it was not influenced by extensive gamma ray-induced nicking of the DNA in nuclei. By late blastula no hypersensitive regions were present.
The effects of alcohol and sexual arousal on determinants of sexual risk in men who have sex with men.

Primary prevention efforts aimed at sexual risk behaviors are critical. This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of alcohol intoxication and sexual arousal, as well as person variables of alcohol sex expectancies and attitudes toward condom use, on hypothesized determinants of sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM). The participants were 117 MSM aged 21–50 years who were randomly assigned to one of six separate experimental conditions created by the combination of beverage administration (water control, placebo or alcohol designed to raise blood alcohol level to .07%) and sexual arousal (low or high, manipulated by participants’ viewing non-erotic or mildly erotic film clips). Participants attended two experimental sessions. The first session included completing questionnaires about beliefs about alcohol’s effects on sex and attitudes toward condoms’ effect on sexual pleasure. The second session involved the beverage condition and arousal manipulations. Following these, participants viewed and responded to two interactive videos depicting high sexual risk scenarios. Participants also completed the CARE, a measure of risk perceptions. The dependent variables were behavioral skills, intentions to have unsafe sex, and “risk exposure,” derived from responses to the videos. The results of both planned and exploratory analyses showed general support for the hypothesized enhancement of alcohol’s effects on sexual risk by both sexual arousal and expectancies. Also as predicted, condom attitudes showed direct relationships to risk exposure and intentions. Implications of the findings for models of alcohol’s effects on sexual risk and for the development of HIV prevention interventions were discussed.
Livedo reticularis and migraine: a marker for stroke risk?

Background and Purpose.—Livedo reticularis is a dermatopathy characterized by an irregular, violaceous, netlike pattern which spares the face. Associated with a variety of conditions, it occurs consequent to pathological or physiological narrowing of small and medium arteries at the dermis-subcutis border. Sneddon syndrome refers to the idiopathic coupling of livedo reticularis and stroke in the absence of traditional vascular risk factors. Over 50% of persons with Sneddon syndrome describe a history of headache. We undertook this study to determine the frequency of livedo reticularis in our headache clinic. Methods.—We performed a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients attending a headache clinic over a period of 6 months. The patients had all been seen by one physician (G.E.T.) who noted the presence or absence of livedo reticularis. The charts were reviewed for age, sex, and vascular risk factors, including current use of oral contraceptives, and history of smoking, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, or arthritis. Results.—Charts from 133 patients with headache were reviewed (24 men [18%], 109 women [82%]; mean age, 42 ± 13 years). Livedo reticularis was observed in 29 patients (22%) and in a similar proportion in men (25%) and women (21%). When we stratified the migraine population by presence or absence of livedo, we found no significant difference in age (44.5 versus 41.7 years, P = .16). There was a higher frequency of stroke diagnosis in the cohort with livedo reticularis (28%[8 of 29] versus 7%[7 of 104], P = .005), but we found no significant differences in frequency of hypertension, oral contraceptive use, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, arthritis, or cigarette smoking. Conclusions.—In our headache clinic, livedo reticularis is present in more than one fifth of patients. A history of stroke is more frequent in this subset of migraineurs, raising the possibility that livedo reticularis can be used as a clinical marker to identify those migraineurs with an increased risk of stroke.
For cost-reducing technologies, knowing markets is to change them

Benefiting from an understanding of economic and political markets includes recognition that engineers themselves can change these environments. Understanding healthcare and other technology markets includes an understanding that the markets sometimes don't just exist-they are altered and sometimes created by the technology. A less expensive and more effective means to monitor a disease such as PKU enhances the likelihood that insurers will cover costs of such monitoring. Recognizing the complexity of economics and policy recognizes that understanding sometimes comes in a burst of insight but more usually, and surely, builds in steps. Since improvements in quality of life are inadequately captured by the market, will political "markets" develop subsidies or regulations to encourage technology?.
How should sociologists treat Becker'sTreatise on the Family?

Gary Becker's recent receipt of the Nobel Prize in Economics and the timely reissuing of Treatise on the Family (1991, enlarged edition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts) provide a useful opportunity to reflect on the contribution of Gary Becker to our understanding of the family and on the link between economics and sociology. Becker's Treatise is interesting and full of provocative ideas. However, the noneconomist would benefit from some helpful advice from someone stradling the fence between economics and sociology-advice that hopefully will allow him or her to cull essential ideas from the Treatise with limited effort.
Methylprednisolone reduces the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass in neonatal piglets: Timing of dose is important

Abstract Introduction: Cardiopulmonary bypass produces an inflammatory response that can cause significant postoperative pulmonary dysfunction and total body edema. This study evaluates the efficacy of preoperative methylprednisolone administration in limiting this injury in neonates and compares the effect of giving methylprednisolone 8 hours before an operation to the common practice of adding methylprednisolone to the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit prime. Methods: A control group of neonatal pigs (control; n=6) received no preoperative medication. One experimental group (n = 6) received methylprednisolone sodium succinate (30 mg/kg) both 8 and 1.5 hours before the operation. A second experimental group received no preoperative treatment, but methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) was added to the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit prime. All animals underwent cardiopulmonary bypass and 45 minutes of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. Hemodynamic and pulmonary function data were acquired before cardiopulmonary bypass and at 30 and 60 minutes after bypass. Results: In the control group, pulmonary compliance, alveolar-arterial gradient, and pulmonary vascular resistance were significantly impaired after bypass ( P P = .02), alveolar-arterial gradient ( P = .0003), pulmonary vascular resistance ( P = .007), and extracellular fluid accumulation ( P = .003) were significantly better after bypass when compared with the control group. Results for the group that received no preoperative treatment fell between the control group and the group that received methylprednisolone. Conclusions: When given 8 hours and immediately before the operation, methylprednisolone improves pulmonary compliance after bypass, alveolar-arterial gradient, and pulmonary vascular resistance compared with no treatment. The addition of methylprednisolone to the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit prime is beneficial but inferior to preoperative administration. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:515-22)
THE ESTIMATION OF THE AMOUNT OF EMPIRE MIX CRUDE OIL IN MULLET, SHRIMP, AND OYSTERS BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT The total quantitative hydrocarbon uptake varies considerably among individual biological specimens. Moreover, total uptake varies between samples of the same type of tissue taken from specimens that have undergone identical exposure conditions. Thus, the problem of determining the uptake of oil from the environment by biological organisms under controlled conditions presents a problem that, utilizing present techniques of analysis, requires a large number of specimens for time-consuming analyses. When several different types of analyses (for enzymes, fatty acids, etc.) are required to be conducted on the same tissue sample, obviously even larger amounts of material are required, and thus, pooled samples are required. This paper presents a method for rapidly estimating the amount of oil taken up by small (0.1 g) samples of specific tissues from mullet, shrimp, and oysters that have been subjected to exposure to Empire Mix crude oil under controlled laboratory conditions. The results obtained by u...
Pancreatic polypeptide, microinjected into the dorsal vagal complex, potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the rat

Specific binding sites for circulating pancreatic polypeptide (PP) have been found within the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) in the caudal medulla oblongata. Therefore, the effects of rat PP on pancreatic hormone secretion upon its microinjection into the DVC in halothane-anesthetized rats at doses of 0.4-40 pmol were investigated. At this range of doses, the changes in plasma concentrations of insulin, glucagon and glucose over basal levels did not differ from those after vehicle microinjection. In a separate series of experiments, vehicle and PP at doses of 0.4 and 4 pmol were microinjected into the right DVC 40 min after the continuous infusion of D-glucose had been started. In animals receiving continuous infusion of D-glucose, PP microinjected into the DVC (4 pmol), resulted in markedly higher insulin levels at corresponding time points compared to those with vehicle microinjected into the DVC. These data indicate, for the first time, that microinjection of PP into the DVC may potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in halothane-anesthetized rats.
The Harm from Insider Trading and Informed Speculation

Insider traders and other speculators with private information are able to appropriate some part of the returns to corporate investments made at the expense of other shareholders. As a result, insider trading tends to discourage corporate investment and reduce the efficiency of corporate behavior. In the context of a theoretical model, measures that provide some indication of the sources and extent of the investment reduction are derived.
Quantum entanglement and controlled logical gates using coupled SQUID flux qubits

We present an approach to realize universal two-bit quantum gates using two SQUID flux qubits. In this approach the basic unit consists of two inductively coupled SQUIDs with realistic device parameters. Quantum logical gates are implemented by applying resonant microwave pulse to the qubits. This procedure is demonstrated by realizing a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate and the maximally entangled states of the coupled qubits through highly accurate numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation of the system. This coupling scheme is simple and can be readily extended to many-qubit circuits required for scalable quantum information processing.
The yeast STE12 product is required for expression of two sets of cell-type specific genes.

Abstract Yeast α and a cells transcribe distinct sets of genes involved in mating behavior, α-specific genes and a-specific genes, respectively. The α1 product of the α mating type locus ( MAT α) has been the only known activator of either set of genes; it is required for synthesis of RNA from the α-specific genes, one of which is the major α-factor gene. By screening for mutants that are no longer able to express this gene, we have identified the STE12 gene product as another positive regulator of the α-factor gene, α ste12 cells are also defective in RNA production from the other known α-specific genes. Moreover, a ste12 cells fail to produce wild-type levels of RNA from the a-specific genes. The STE12 gene product is therefore an activator of two sets of genes involved in yeast cell type specialization.
Regulation of the macrophage population in postnatal rat testis

Testicular macrophages increase in concentration during postnatal development in rats. This process may be under hormonal control since administration of hCG stimulates a similar increase to occur precociously. The purpose of the present studies was to determine how the macrophage population is regulated during normal postnatal development and in response to exogenous hCG. We first determined that testicular macrophages proliferate in situ during development and that hCG administration results in an increase in proliferation when given to 10-day-old rats. We next evaluated whether hCG might exert its effects through enhanced secretion of testosterone from Leydig cells. We found that testosterone could not induce a precocious increment in the macrophage concentration when it was administered to newborn pups for 10 days. Finally, the normal increase in macrophage concentration that occurs prior to puberty could not be blocked by treatment with the antiandrogen Casodex. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the macrophage population expands by proliferation, perhaps under gonadotropin control. In addition, neither the precocial expansion that occurs in response to hCG nor the normal expansion that occurs before puberty is mediated by testosterone.
Nicotine effects on prostaglandin-dependent gastric slow wave rhythmicity and antral motility in nonsmokers and smokers

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Mechanisms of antral hypomotility with smoking are unknown. Slow wave disruption, which may be prostaglandin dependent, inhibits gastric motility. This study tested if nicotine reproduces motor effects of smoking and assessed the role of slow wave disruption in inducing hypomotility and the prostaglandin dependence of dysrhythmic responses. METHODS: Electrogastrography and antroduodenal manometry were performed in 9 nonsmokers and 9 smokers during transdermal nicotine treatment (14 mg). Studies were repeated after administration of 150 mg indomethacin daily for 3 days to test prostaglandin requirements of nicotine responses. RESULTS: Antral migrating motor complex periodicity and fasting and fed motility indices, not different in the groups under control conditions, decreased similarly in nonsmokers and smokers with nicotine. Tachygastria (> 4.5 cycle/min) increased from 2% +/- 2% to 16% +/- 3% of recording time, and arrhythmias (frequency instability index) increased from 0.5 +/- 0.1 to 1.1 +/- 0.2 cycle/min with nicotine in nonsmokers (P
Silicate‐water systems: The solubility of water in albite‐melt

Investigations concerning the problem of evaluating the stability relations of silicate systems containing volatile components are being carried out by the writer at pressures up to 4000 bars. The determination of the solubility relations of these systems is a necessary and important part of such a research.
Elevated preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of increased long-term survival in minimal invasive coronary artery bypass surgery compared to sternotomy

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a predictor of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Our study explores the value of NLR in predicting long-term mortality after minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery (MICS) via lateral left-thoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. A total of 1126 consecutive patients (729 sternotomy CABG and 397 MICS) from a single tertiary center between 2005 and 2008 were followed until 2011. We stratified the patients into equal tertiles according to preoperative NLR. The primary outcome, all-cause mortality, was compared among the NLR tertiles. Out of the 1126 patients included in the study, 1030 (91%) patients underwent off-pump CABG . The first (NLR <2.3) tertile had a significantly lower 5-year mortality (30/371 =8%) in comparison to the second (NLR =2.3-3.4) and third (NLR ≥3.5) tertiles (49/375 =13% and 75/380 =20%), respectively with p < 0.0001. After multivariate adjustment, NLR was a significant independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio [HR] per each unit increase of NLR was 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.10, p = 0.008). MICS and sternotomy CABG groups with NLR <3 had similar mortality (21/221 =9.5% and 40/403 =9.9%), p = 1. However among patients with NLR ≥3, MICS had a significantly lower mortality (23/176 = 13.1%) compared to the sternotomy CABG (70/326 =21.5%), p = 0.02. According to the multivariate analysis of patients with NLR ≥3, MICS had a significantly lower mortality compared to sternotomy CABG (HR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.24-0.78, p = 0.005). Elevated preoperative NLR is an independent predictor of long-term mortality after CABG. Among the patients with NLR ≥ 3, MICS was associated with a significantly improved survival compared with sternotomy CABG.
Alternative and Complementary Cancer Treatments.

Alternative and complementary therapies differ importantly, and the distinction between the two is crucial for clinical oncologists. “Alternative” or unproven therapies are treatments used independent of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. They can be dangerous directly and also by delaying patients’ receipt of mainstream care. In contrast, complementary therapies typically are adjuncts to mainstream medicine. They can provide symptom control and noninvasive palliation with minimal side effects, improve patients’ well-being and enhance cancer medicine. Complementary therapies represent a desired addition and balance to technologically sophisticated cancer care. The Oncologist 1996;1:173-179
Incidence and Predictors of Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury After Primary Reconstruction and Return to Sport

An estimated 200 000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur annually in the United States,1,2 with as many as 90% of patients electing to undergo ACL reconstruction (ACLR).3 Despite the high prevalence of surgery after ACL injury, outcomes vary widely in the literature. Recent evidence suggests that more than 50% of athletes are unable to return to their preinjury level of function after ACLR4 and between 50% and 100% develop knee osteoarthritis within 5 to 10 years of surgery.5,6 Considering the high rate of poor outcomes after primary ACLR, we must be very concerned that a large proportion of athletes who have undergone ACLR ultimately suffer a second ACL injury. Future directions in the management of ACL injury after ACLR must focus on prevention. Prior success using an injury-prevention model7,8 to decrease the rate of primary ACL injury may have important applications in this population.
Nonspecific resistance to intraocular infection. I. Elicitation of resistance by Neisseria meningitidis.

Both eyes of rabbits whose right eyes had previously been injected with Neisseria meningitidis were injected with Diplococcus pneumoniae. The pneumococci failed to grow in the right eye of most rabbits challenged 2 and 4 days after the injection of the meningococci, but grew well in all left eyes. The “protective” effect was less pronounced in the rabbits challenged on days 6 and 9 and virtually absent when the interval between the two injections was 14 or 22 days. Pneumococci grew equally well in both eyes of rabbits that had received nitrogen mustard treatment prior to the intravitreal injection of meningococci, indicating a possible role for the polymorphonuclear leukocyte in the protective effect.
Statistical workload shaping for storage systems

Data center computing is gaining popularity due to the cost efficiencies of consolidation, centralized management, and high reliability. The unpredictable bursty nature of typical workloads where the instantaneous arrival rates can significantly exceed the average long-term rate, requires the server to significantly over provision resources in order to meet response-time Service Level Agreements (SLAs), resulting in low resource utilization and higher costs. In this paper we consider a statistical ON-OFF model for bursty workloads to explore the relationship between burst size, frequency, capacity, and response time distribution. We analyze the performance of a workload shaping method to reduce capacity requirements by providing a graduated two-level SLA. Statistics of the request arrival to the overflow queue are characterized in terms of the underlying Markov chain passage times, and used to estimate its capacity.
Economic value of irrigation water: a case of major irrigation scheme in Sri Lanka

It is generally agreed that inefficient use of irrigation-water and poor performance of irrigation systems are critical issues; especially in the light of the apparent lack of water resources. This study attempts to determine the economic value of irrigation-water in a government properly managed irrigation project (GPMIP) by eliciting farmer’s willingness to pay (WTP) using contingent valuation method followed by single bounded dichotomous choices. A stepwise backward binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to measure WTP and to determine the factors that influence the variation in WTP. Primary data were obtained from 367 farmer households in Nagadeepa irrigation schemes in dry zone. The estimated value of irrigation water was Rs. 5,275 ($40) per hectare per season which is 8.6 percent of net income in paddy farming per hectare at present in selected irrigation scheme. Further, if farmers can increase further their household farming income by 5.9%, it is possible to cover additional cost which would be driven due to pricing irrigation water and it is not an unreachable challenge with proper irrigation services. One of the most important policy implications of this study is the possibility of restructuring the existing irrigation pricing system by taking into account the economic value of irrigation water. Such policy reform can encourage farmers to use irrigation resources efficiently by motivating improvement in water management practices and generating revenue for operation, maintenance and capital replacement and irrigation sustainability in the country. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jas.v9i1.6353 The Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2014, vol.9, no1 : 44-57
Piezomagnetism in epitaxial Cr2O3 thin films and spintronic applications

Stress-induced perturbation of the antiferromagnetic long-range order in epitaxially grown (111) Cr2O3 thin films gives rise to pronounced piezomagnetism and a significant reduction of the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature. The temperature dependence of the piezomagnetic moment measured by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry reveals a power law behaviour with a critical exponent 2β = 0.66 in accordance with the Ising anisotropy of a three-dimensional system. The observed shift of the Neel temperature allows estimating the internal lateral stress which is in excellent agreement with an independent estimate based on the elastic properties of Cr2O3 and the lattice mismatch at the interface between the sapphire substrate and the isostructural (111) Cr2O3 thin film. The isothermal freezing field dependence of the piezomoment is interpreted in terms of Zeeman energy arguments. Implications of the piezomagnetic effects for spintronic devices and the investigation of the piezomagnetoelec...
Nonbonded Interactions and the Acoustic Modes of the Double Helix

We have included nonbonded force constant models in our normal vibrational mode calculations of the double helix. These models have been refined to Brillouin observations of the acoustic velocity. Only a long range force model gave reasonable results. The significant range is found to be — 30 base pairs along the helix for B-DNA and — 40 for A-DNA. The calculated vibrational modes which include the long range forces have been used in a number of other calculations. One area discussed in this paper is that of localized vibrations at unique regions of the helix. The other area involves attempts to explicitly separate out contributions to the vibrational mode from water and ions.
A randomized placebo-controlled phase III study of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in adult patients (> 55 to 70 years of age) with acute myelogenous leukemia: a study of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (E1490).

The treatment of adult patients greater than 55 to 70 years of age with acute myelogenous leukemia (AMLI is associated with a treatment-related mortality of approximately 25%. This prospective, double-blind randomized study was designed to see if the use of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF; yeast-derived) could shorten the period of neutropenia and to determine any effect this would have on therapy-related morbidity and mortality. A total of 124 patients entered this study. Induction consisted of standard daunorubicin and cytarabine. A day-l0 bone marrow was examined; if this was aplastic without leukemia, patients received blinded placebo or GM-CSF from day 11 until neutrophil recovery. Patients who entered complete remission received the identical study medication (blinded GM-CSF or placebo) in consolidation that they had received