cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When Fragile Become Friable: Endemic Control Fraud as a Cause of Economic Stagnation and Collapse

Individual “control frauds” cause greater losses than all other property crime combined. They are financial super-predators. Control frauds are crimes by the head of state or CEO that use the nation or company as a “weapon.” Waves of “control fraud” can cause economic collapses, discredit institutions vital to governance, and erode trust. Fraud’s defining element is deceit – the criminal creates and then betrays trust. Fraud erodes trust. Endemic control fraud causes institutions and trust to crumble and produces economic stagnation. Economic theory about fraud is underdeveloped, economists are not taught about fraud mechanisms, and economists minimize the incidence and importance of fraud for reasons of self-interest, class and ideology. Economists’ understanding of fraud is so weak that its policies produce criminogenic environments that cause waves of control fraud. Thus the paradox: neo-classical economic triumphs produce tragedy. Perverse policies led to four recent crises: the deregulation of the savings & loan (S&L) industry produced the S&L debacle, “shock therapy” caused Russian economy to collapse, the “Washington consensus” produced a wave of control fraud in Latin America, and the desupervision of the U.S. economy in the 1980s and 1990s led to a wave of control fraud that contributed to the $9 trillion loss in U.S. stock market capitalization. Globalization transmits these crises through “contagion.” The economics canon must incorporate criminological fraud theories. If it is bad criminology it is bad economics. If neo-classical economics predicts something that criminologists have falsified the economic theory is incorrect. Criminologists have found that neo-classical policies erode the institutions that constrain control fraud and make markets more efficient. These policies damage markets and aid the financial super-predators who harm markets and democracy.
Ideas and Policy Change

Peter Hall's 1993 article came at the same time as a parallel body of literature was developing, some building explicitly, some only implicitly, on similar ideas. I review some literature on policy communities, ideas, and the nature of policy change before exploring the statistical distribution of budget changes at three levels of aggregation. The similarity of these results suggests that a single process may be at work rather than different processes for first-, second-, and third-order change, as Hall's original formulation has it. As Hall suggests, these processes typically generate only marginal adjustments but occasionally create fundamental change. The degree of discredit to the status quo may be an important unexplored variable in explaining the ability of policy reformers to enact marginal, substantial, or fundamental policy changes. In sum, this article shows the similarities and mutual value of Hall's approach with others that would appear to be starkly contrasting.
N200 and P300 as orthogonal and integrable indicators of distinct awareness and recognition processes in memory detection.

In an event-related potential (ERP)-based concealed information test (CIT), we investigated the effect of manipulated awareness of concealed information on the ERPs. Participants either committed a mock crime or not (guilty vs. innocent) before the CIT, and received feedback regarding either specific (high awareness) or general (low awareness) task performance during the CIT. We found that awareness and recognition of the crime-relevant information differentially influenced the frontal-central N200 and parietal P300: Probe elicited a larger N200 than irrelevant only when guilty participants were in the high awareness condition, whereas the P300 was mainly responsive to information recognition. No N200-P300 correlation was found, allowing for a combined measure of both yielding the highest detection efficiency in the high awareness group (AUC = .91). Finally, a color-naming Stroop task following the CIT revealed that guilty participants showed larger interference effects than innocent participants, suggesting that the former expended more attentional resources during the CIT.
Towards building an interactive argumentation system

This research aims to apply agent models and user-adapted interaction techniques to construct a computational model of argumentation that would enable a system to process utterances (even if agents make claims with which the system disagrees), and to generate appropriate responses. The study is expected to cover issues in areas that include natural language processing, argumentation theory, user modeling, knowledge representation, and commonsense and non-monotonic reasoning.
Food habits, feeding behaviour and impact of triploid bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, in experimental ponds

Food of sterile triploid bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, was examined in ponds receiving water from a hypereutrophic take in Florida. No distinctive seasonal changes in food composition were found. The fish fed selectively on Botryococcus braunii Kuetzing, a large nuisance algal species, which constituted 61% of the volume and 50% of the dry weight of the food. Zooplankton was highly selected, but constituted only 3% of the food volume because of the low zooplankton density in the ponds. The remaining proportion of food consisted mainly of blue-green algae. Final fish biomass was low, ranging from 60 to 97 kg ha−1 in individual ponds. Low biomass was due to slow fish growth and high fish mortality. Despite low biomass, the fish lowered the ratio of blue-green/green algae in the ponds and tended to lower phyto- and zooplankton abundance.
Brief paper: Optimal distributed linear averaging

A new optimal distributed linear averaging (ODLA) problem is presented in this paper. This problem is motivated by the distributed averaging problem which arises in the context of distributed algorithms in computer science and coordination of groups of autonomous agents in engineering. The aim of the ODLA problem is to compute the average of the initial values at nodes of a graph through an optimal distributed algorithm in which the nodes in the graph can only communicate with their neighbors. Optimality is given by a minimization problem of a quadratic cost functional under infinite horizon. We show that this problem has a very close relationship with the notion of semistability. By developing new necessary and sufficient conditions for semistability of linear discrete-time systems, we convert the proposed ODLA problem into an equivalent, constrained optimization problem and then derive a solvable, fixed-structure convex optimization problem.
Visual Diagnostic Skills Development and College Students' Acquisition of Basic Conducting Skills

This study is an investigation of the effects of visual diagnostic skills development as a pedagogical tool in the acquisition of basic conducting techniques. Treatment and testing materials included: a conducting pretest-posttest, measuring mastery of conducting skills; a written pretest-posttest, measuring mastery of visual diagnostic skills; and two sets of instructional videotapes, serving as the treatment, one consisting of instruction and demonstration of the conducting techniques under investigation, the other consisting of an identical section, with an additional diagnostic section providing opportunities for detection of errors in the conducting techniques in question. Both groups showed significant improvement on written posttests; however, conducting posttest scores of the experimental group declined as conducting pretest scores increased. Conducting skills improved most in conductors with little prior experience.
Optimization of eddy current transducers (surround coil)

This paper provides a rational approach to the design of surround coil transducers for eddy current testing by maximizing the product of filling factor and empty coil Q. It is shown that reasonable criteria for coils whose inner diameter lies in the range from .1 cm to 11. cm are (assuming operation at a frequency below self resonance): coil length to ID ratio should be in the range of 1.5-2.5, wall thickness to ID ratio should be in the range .13-.20, and the wire size should be selected so that the coil losses at operating frequency are only a few percent above the dc resistance.
On the block structure of proper block designs

Abstract In this paper we consider proper block designs and derive an upper bound for the number of blocks which can have a fixed number of symbols common with a given block of the design. To arrive at the desired bound, a generalization of an integer programming theorem due to Bush (1976) is first obtained. The integer programming theorem is then used to derive the main result of this paper. The bound given here is then compared with a similar bound obtained by Kageyama and Tsuji (1977).
Cloud resiliency and security via diversified replica execution and monitoring

The Information Technology industry heavily relies on the cloud computing paradigm for large-scale infrastructures, and more military and critical infrastructure systems are moving towards cloud platforms as well. Leveraging the cloud can reduce the total cost of ownership and allocates resources on demand in order to cope with load. Two key expectations when shifting to cloud-based services are availability and security. However, recent outages with major Platform as a Service (PaaS) providers reportedly widely in the press have proven that even a cloud platform cannot provide perfect availability. In addition, a 2013 Defense Science Board report on “Cyber Security and Reliability in a Digital Cloud” finds that while some security practices can be improved in a cloud environment, some threats are different or exacerbated. In this paper we present an approach to leverage the elasticity and on-demand provisioning features of the cloud to improve resilience to availability concerns and common attacks. Our approach utilizes diversification of lightweight virtualized application servers for redundancy and protection against both application errors and network-based attacks.
Money, Drugs, and Bodies: Examining Exchange Sex from Multiple Perspectives

Research on men who sell sex has primarily focused on psychological profiles and HIV risk factors. Substantially less literature examines the consumers in the male-to-male exchange sex dyad. This article examines the perspectives of venders and consumers. Data come from a qualitative study of a group of 26 men who recently exchanged sex for money or drugs in New York City. Findings indicate that a complex set of interactions between motivation, communication, medium of exchange, and access to capital—financial, drug, or sexual—shapes risks. This article includes discussion of the potential implications of these findings for practitioners, and future research.
Geometry for trochoidal-type machines with conjugate envelopes

Abstract This paper presents unified and compact equations describing the geometry and the geometric properties of the different types of trochoid. For the first time, the double-generation theorem is expressed in an explicit manner and a complete classification of all trochoids is documented. Unified and compact equations describing the geometric properties of a conjugate envelope are also presented in the paper. A new type of conjugate envelope for a given trochoid is discovered. An important contribution to the existing literature on trochoidal-type machines is the derivation of closed-form parametric equations for nine types of conjugate envelope. These equations provide significant geometrical insight into the design and analysis of trochoidal-type machines. The paper also presents the necessary and sufficient conditions for a closed type 1 conjugate envelope. Finally, the paper includes a detailed discussion of the characteristics and the relationships of the different types of trochoid and conjugate envelope.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: the standard of care for chronic and acute cholecystitis.

(1991). Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: the Standard of Care for Chronic and Acute Cholecystitis. Annals of Medicine: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 231-231.
Trophic status of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii influences the impact of iron deficiency on photosynthesis

To investigate the impact of iron deficiency on bioenergetic pathways in Chlamydomonas, we compared growth rates, iron content, and photosynthetic parameters systematically in acetate versus CO(2)-grown cells. Acetate-grown cells have, predictably (2-fold) greater abundance of respiration components but also, counter-intuitively, more chlorophyll on a per cell basis. We found that phototrophic cells are less impacted by iron deficiency and this correlates with their higher iron content on a per cell basis, suggesting a greater capacity/ability for iron assimilation in this metabolic state. Phototrophic cells maintain both photosynthetic and respiratory function and their associated Fe-containing proteins in conditions where heterotrophic cells lose photosynthetic capacity and have reduced oxygen evolution activity. Maintenance of NPQ capacity might contribute to protection of the photosynthetic apparatus in iron-limited phototrophic cells. Acetate-grown iron-limited cells maintain high growth rates by suppressing photosynthesis but increasing instead respiration. These cells are also able to maintain a reduced plastoquinone pool.
A review of the cognitive and behavioral sequelae of Parkinson's disease: relationship to frontostriatal circuitry.

Background Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative hypokinetic movement disorder presenting with subcortical pathology and characterized by motor deficits. However, as is frequently reported in the literature, patients with Parkinson's disease can also exhibit cognitive and behavioral impairments. These impairments may be attributed to dysfunction of multiple systems associated with the disease process in Parkinson's disease that are not necessarily related to motor symptoms. In recent years, considerable attention has addressed the circuits connecting the frontal cortical regions and the basal ganglia (i.e., frontostriatal circuits) and how they mediate cognition and behavior in humans. It has been suggested that these same circuits are disrupted in Parkinson's disease and may be responsible for the frontal/executive deficits predominantly reported in this patient population. Objective The current survey of the literature provides a critique and analysis of the neuropsychological profile of Parkinson's disease, including cognitive impairments, behavioral alterations, and emotional processing deficits. A special feature of this paper is to ascertain how frontostriatal circuitry might provide the substrate for the neuropsychological impairments exhibited in Parkinson's disease. In so doing, studies involving nonhuman subjects, neurologically healthy adults, brain-lesioned individuals, and patients with Parkinson's disease are reviewed to provide a novel perspective in conceptualizing and categorizing the cognitive and behavioral sequelae concomitant to specific frontostriatal circuit dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. Conclusions The current review suggests that the neuropsychological profile of Parkinson's disease, which predominantly reflects frontal/executive dysfunction, may be attributed to disruption of the frontostriatal circuitry. The information generated from this review can serve as a guide in the assessment of frontal/executive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease with suggestions for a clinical neuropsychological test battery.
Heuristics as beliefs and as behaviors: the adaptiveness of the "hot hand".

Abstract Gigerenzer (2000) and Anderson (1990) analyzed reasoning by asking: what are the reasoner’s goals? This emphasizes the adaptiveness of behavior rather than whether a belief is normative. Belief in the “hot hand” in basketball suggests that players experiencing streaks should be given more shots, but this has been seen as a fallacy due to Gilovich, Vallone, and Tversky (1985) failure to find dependencies between players’ shots. Based on their findings, I demonstrate by Markov modeling and simulation that streaks are valid allocation cues for deciding who to give shots to, because this behavior achieves the team goal of scoring more. Empirically I show that this adaptive heuristic is supported by the fallacious belief in dependency, more so as skill level increases. I extend the theoretical analysis to identify general conditions under which following streaks should be beneficial. Overall, this approach illustrates the advantages of analyzing reasoning in terms of adaptiveness.
Using standards to make your case: examples from the medical library community

Purpose – The paper seeks to discuss how medical librarians have used library standards, especially benchmark data, in advocating for the medical library and medical librarian to their communities, institutions, and other groups and the Medical Library Association's role in supporting these advocacy efforts.Design/methodology/approach – Broad definitions of standards and benchmarking are cited from the literature and short case studies from medical librarianship are described on how both standards and benchmarking have been used to advocate for increased staff and budgets for medical libraries. Tips for using these tools are also included.Findings – The case studies illustrate that more work should be done by all library associations in promoting the use of standards, including benchmarking, as an important tool for helping their members advocate for the value of libraries and librarians in helping institutions and organizations outside of the library achieve their missions and goals.Research limitations/...
Microencapsulation methods for delivery of protein drugs

Recent advances in recombinant DNA technology have resulted in development of many new protein drugs. Due to the unique properties of protein drugs, they have to be delivered by parenteral injection. Although delivery of protein drugs by other routes, such as pulmonary and nasal routes, has shown some promises, to date most protein drugs are administered by parenteral routs. For long-term delivery of protein drugs by parenteral administration, they have been developed, and the currently used microencapsulation methods are reviewed here. The microencapsulation methods have been divided based on the method used. They are: solvent evaporation/extraction; phase separation (coacervation); spray drying; ionotropic gelation/polyelectrolyte complexation; interfacial polymerization; and supercritical fluid precipitation. Each method is described for its applications, advantages, and limitations.
Fracture Behaviors of Simulated Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Microbumps: Effects of Joint Scale and Aging

Solder microbumps are widely applied in 3D packages using fine-pitch Cu-pillar or Through Silicon Via (TSV) technologies. Due to the small scale of these joints, the volumetric proportion of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed in these joints is typically very high. This renders microbump-joints much more brittle compared to traditional solder joints (flip-chip or BGA). In particular, the reliability of microbumps during a drop, which corresponds to a mixed-mode high strain rate fracture test, is of substantial concern because of the brittleness of these joints. This study reports on the fracture mechanics and mechanisms of simulated microbumps, which have similar thicknesses and IMC contents as actual microbumps, but are laterally scaled up to constitute valid fracture mechanics samples. Compact mixed mode (CMM) specimens with adhesive solder joints (Sn-3.0%Ag-0.5%Cu) between massive Cu substrates were utilized to measure the fracture properties. The fracture behavior was characterized as a function of joint thickness and proportion of IMC, the latter being controlled by adjusting the dwell time and aging time. It was found that the fracture toughness GC decreased monotonically with joint thickness (hJoint) due to increased triaxial constraint imposed by the substrates. With aging, the proportion of IMC thickness relative to the joint thickness (2hIMC/hJoint) increased, as did hJoint. This resulted in lower GC values. The associated mechanisms of fracture that led to these effects are discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Boiling of Water at Sub-Atmospheric Conditions With Enhanced Structures: Effect of Liquid Fill Volume

Liquid cooling with phase change has been demonstrated to be a very efficient technique for thermal management of electronics because it has the potential to achieve high heat transfer coefficients compared to single phase liquid cooling. Previous studies on liquid immersion cooling with fluorocarbons have shown the effectiveness of boiling enhancement structures in lowering boiling incipience, raising the critical heat flux and reducing evaporator size. Two-phase thermosyphons are an alternative to liquid immersion cooling, where phase change liquid cooling can be implemented within a closed loop device. The present study involves a two-phase thermosyphon with boiling enhancement structure in the evaporator, which is subjected to sub-atmospheric pressures for lowering the saturation temperature of the working fluid. The objective of the present research is to provide a detailed understanding of the effect of liquid fill level on boiling of water with enhancement structures at sub-atmospheric pressures. The study will take into account the influence of system pressure and enhancement structure geometry on the boiling heat transfer. Experiments were performed at three different pressures, 9.7 kPa, 15 kPa and 21 kPa using a stacked enhancement structure with three different geometries (1, 4 and 6 layers), corresponding to three different liquid fill levels. The results are compared with a baseline study on sub-atmospheric pressure boiling from a plain surface at similar liquid-fill levels.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Genetic Disorders of Human Growth

Growth in humans is a complex process, controlled at numerous levels and by a myriad of factors. These factors may act centrally or peripherally and may be hormones, receptors, or transcription factors. Many of these probably are still unknown. The factors that are discussed here include those that act on the developing pituitary gland (transcription factors including LHX3, HESX1, PROP1, and PIT-1); those that regulate the normal activity of the pituitary (hypothalamic hormones such as GHRH, Ghrelin [growth hormone secretagoguel and somatostatin); those factors coming from the pituitary (essentially growth hormone [GH]); and the downstream modulators, transducers, and effectors of GH (including the GH receptor/GH binding protein, insulin-like growth factor-I and -II, their receptors, and their binding factors). What is becoming increasingly clear is the role of genetics in determining stature. This review discusses the most clinically relevant factors, with an emphasis on ontogeny, genetic inheritance, and clinical presentation.
A Hybrid MMSE and K-Best Detection Scheme for MIMO Systems

A new multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection scheme combining minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) detection and the K-best detection algorithm is proposed. The proposed scheme leverages the MMSE detection results to ease the demand of a large $K$ in the conventional K-best algorithm to achieve satisfactory performance. The post-detection SNR obtained after MMSE detection is consulted to determine the symbols upon which a reduced-dimension K-best algorithm (h-best algorithm) is performed to obtain final detection results. Parameters associated with the proposed scheme are empirically chosen to make a fair comparison with the conventional K-best algorithm. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation demonstrates that the hybrid approach exhibits significant performance gain over both MMSE and K-best detection schemes.
The Challenges of Researching African High Court Opinions: Ten Lessons Learned from a Four-Country Retrievability Survey

This article reveals ten lessons learned from a four-country print-versus-Internet resource retrievability survey of African high court opinions from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa for 1990–2010. The lessons draw upon empirical findings about the courts themselves and the challenges of conducting foreign case law research. This article contributes a new perspective to the conversation about how researchers ought to be equipped for evolving foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) work.
The effect of arousal on Stroop color-word task performance

In two experiments, performance on a modified version of the Stroop color-word task varied systematically with level of task-irrelevant arousal. Performance under low response competition was facilitated while performance under high response competition was impaired by arousal manipulated via threat of impending electric shock. The present results were thus consistent with traditional theory relating arousal or drive and response competition and suggest that Stroop task performance may thereby provide a behavioral index of arousal level.
The role of monocytes and perivascular macrophages in HIV and SIV neuropathogenesis: information from non-human primate models.

Perivascular macrophages are located in the perivascular space of cerebral microvessels and thus uniquely situated at the intersection between the brain parenchyma and blood. Connections between the nervous and immune systems are mediated in part through these cells that are ideally located to sense perturbations in the periphery and turnover by cells entering the central nervous system (CNS) from the circulation. It has become clear that unique subsets of brain macrophages exist in normal and SIV- or HIV-infected brains, and perivascular macrophages and similar cells in the meninges and choroid plexus play a central role in lentiviral neuropathogenesis. Common to all these cell populations is their likely replacement within the CNS by monocytes. Studies of SIV-infected non-human primates and HIV-infected humans underscore the importance of virus-infected and activated monocytes, which traffic to the CNS from blood to become perivascular macrophages, potentially drive blood-brain barrier damage and cause neuronal injury. This review summarizes what we know about SIV- and HIV-induced neuropathogenesis focusing on brain perivascular macrophages and their precursors in blood that may mediate HIV infection and injury in the CNS.
Magnetic resonance imaging as a surrogate measure for histological sub-chronic endpoint in a neonatal rat stroke model.

Introduction: It is becoming increasingly recognized that CNS immaturity at birth affects ischemic injury and recovery, and that the consequences of neonatal stroke need to be studied using age-appropriate focal stroke models. The inclusion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a surrogate measure of stroke progression has provided useful information in adult models, but the benefit for neonatal stroke studies is yet to be established. Methods: Postnatal 7-day (P7) rats were subjected to a 3-h transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) which was produced either by inserting a filament via the external carotid artery or via the internal carotid artery. MRI was used to delineate the size and pattern of injury acutely, during MCA occlusion, and 7 days following reperfusion. Results: The size of the diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI-detectable injury during MCA occlusion was similar following both surgical procedures and resulted in histological lesions 7 days later in all animals. The extent of spontaneous recovery in individual animals varied substantially 7 days later within each group, as was depicted by a combination of DW- and T2W-MRI and confirmed by the corresponding histology. Conclusions: The ability of MRI to provide accurate information on the size of histological outcome at 7 days after neonatal focal transient ischemia suggests that MRI is useful as an intermediate surrogate measure of injury progression in long-term neonatal stroke studies.
Inconsistency of supersymmetric dimensional regularization

Abstract We prove that the supersymmetric form of dimensional regularization proposed by us previously is mathematically inconsistent. We also discuss the kinds of modifications which would be necessary to make the regulatization consistent.
A system for mutation measurement in mammalian cells: Application to γ-irradiation

Monitoring of mutagenesis by environmental agents for the purpose of preventing genetic disease including cancer must include quantitation of cell killing, sensitive measurement of mutation production by appropriate doses of each agent, and assessment of mutation repair effects in mammalian cells. A four-step procedure, in the presence and absence of a repair suppressor, is proposed: (i) determination of the survival curve; (ii) measurement of the mitotic index in cells collected after treatment with colcemid; (iii) construction of a mutagenesis yield curve in the presence and absence of a repair suppressor, like caffeine; and (iv) assessment of the effect of test agents on the repair of mutations produced by other mutagens. The procedure is quantitative, reproducible, and reasonably rapid. It involves measurement of mutations causing visible chromosomal aberrations. Numerical parameters are proposed defining quantitatively mutation, cell killing, and mutation repair capacity. The procedure is applied to γ-irradiation and can detect the effects of doses as low as 2–5 cGy. Theoretical analysis of the underlying processes is presented, using the concept of DE0, the effective dose of mutagen after repair mechanisms and neutralizing agents have acted. Microscopically visible chromosome aberrations are due to mutations that distort the process of mitotic chromosome condensation, with or without actual chromosome breakage.
Muscularity versus Leanness: An Examination of Body Ideals and Predictors of Disordered Eating in Heterosexual and Gay College Students

The aim of the current study was to add to the growing body of research on men with eating disorders by examining the association between different types of body dissatisfaction (muscularity and body fat) and disordered eating in heterosexual and gay men. Two hundred four participants (over one-third were gay) completed measures assessing disordered eating, muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction, and sexual orientation. Body fat dissatisfaction, but not muscularity dissatisfaction, predicted disordered eating, dietary restraint, and concerns about weight and eating in gay and heterosexual men. These findings were consistent across all measures of body fat and muscularity dissatisfaction, providing stronger evidence that body fat dissatisfaction may be a greater risk factor for disordered eating in both gay and heterosexual college aged men than muscularity dissatisfaction.
Solution structures of chemoenzymatically synthesized heparin and its precursors

We report the first chemoenzymatic synthesis of the stable isotope-enriched heparin from a uniformly labeled [13C,15N]N-acetylheparosan (-GlcA(1,4)GlcNAc-) prepared from E. coli K5. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) precursors and heparin were formed from N-acetylheparosan by the following steps: chemical N-deacetylation and N-sulfonation leading to N-sulfoheparosan (-GlcA(1,4)GlcNS-); enzyme-catalyzed C5-epimerization and 2-O-sulfonation leading to undersulfated heparin (-IdoA2S(1,4)GlcNS-); enzymatic 6-O-sulfonation leading to the heparin backbone (-IdoA2S(1,4)GlcNS6S-); and selective enzymatic 3-O-sulfonation leading to the anticoagulant heparin, containing the GlcNS6S3S residue. Heteronuclear, multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to analyze the chemical composition and solution structure of [13C,15N]N-acetylheparosan, precursors, and heparin. Isotopic enrichment was found to provide well-resolved 13C spectra with the high sensitivity required for conformational studies of these ...
Extracellular carbonic anhydrase mediates hemorrhagic retinal and cerebral vascular permeability through prekallikrein activation

Excessive retinal vascular permeability contributes to the pathogenesis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, leading causes of vision loss in working-age adults. Using mass spectroscopy–based proteomics, we detected 117 proteins in human vitreous and elevated levels of extracellular carbonic anhydrase-I (CA-I) in vitreous from individuals with diabetic retinopathy, suggesting that retinal hemorrhage and erythrocyte lysis contribute to the diabetic vitreous proteome. Intravitreous injection of CA-I in rats increased retinal vessel leakage and caused intraretinal edema. CA-I–induced alkalinization of vitreous increased kallikrein activity and its generation of factor XIIa, revealing a new pathway for contact system activation. CA-I–induced retinal edema was decreased by complement 1 inhibitor, neutralizing antibody to prekallikrein and bradykinin receptor antagonism. Subdural infusion of CA-I in rats induced cerebral vascular permeability, suggesting that extracellular CA-I could have broad relevance to neurovascular edema. Inhibition of extracellular CA-I and kallikrein-mediated innate inflammation could provide new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of hemorrhage-induced retinal and cerebral edema. The effects of diabetes in the eye are characterized by microvascular abnormalities, proliferation of retinal vessels and increased retinal vascular permeability (RVP), which contributes to nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), respectively. Among working-age adults in developed countries, PDR and DME are the leading causes of severe and moderate vision loss 1,2 . Although the incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy can be reduced by intensive glycemic and blood pressure control 3–5 , nearly
Feeding Tube Placement Errors and Complications

Feeding tube placement for enteral nutrition (EN) support is widely used in both critically ill and stable chronically ill patients who are unable to meet their nutrition needs orally. Nasal or oral feeding tubes can be performed blindly at the bedside or with fluoroscopic or endoscopic guidance into the stomach or small bowel. Percutaneous feeding tubes are used when EN support is required for longer periods (>4-6 weeks) and are most commonly placed endoscopically or radiographically. Although generally safe and effective, there is a wide spectrum of known complications associated with feeding tube placement. Errors made at the time of feeding tube placement can result in a number of these procedural and postprocedural complications. In many cases, a single error at the time of placement can result in numerous complications. A thorough knowledge of these errors and avoiding them in practice will decrease iatrogenic complications in a vulnerable population. In addition, early recognition and management of complications will further minimize morbidity and even mortality in enteral feeding tube placement. This article reviews the common errors leading to complications of enteral feeding tube placement and their prevention and management.
High-temperature transuranium organometallic species from laser ablation of actinide–polymer mixtures

Abstract Pulsed laser ablation of dispersions of f-element compounds in polymers produces novel `high-temperature' organometallic complex ions. The M + –L from reactions of metal ions (M + ) with polymer fragments (L) in the ablation plume are identified by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Compositions and abundances of M + –L from ablation of UO 2 and lanthanides in polyimide (PI) reflected distinctive f-element chemistries; we report here on ablation of 237 NpO 2 and 242 PuO 2 in PI. Primary products were Np + -C c H h and Pu + -C c H h with 1≤ c ≲20–the characteristic complex ion compositions and abundances reveal distinctive chemistries; the transuranium results are compared with those for other f elements. Studies of lanthanides in polystyrene rather than PI excluded 14 N (isobaric with 12 CH 2 ) as a potential ligand constituent, clarifying ion compositions.
A Framework for Instructional Communication Theory: The Relationship between Teacher Communication Concerns and Classroom Behavior.

This study provided a framework for the development of instructional communication theory, the relationship between a teacher's concerns about communication and his/her classroom behavior. Our case study of a college/university instructor served as a preliminary test and verification of the framework. We identified three distinct types of teacher concerns about communication—self, task, impact—and established a relationship between the various types of concerns and patterns of behavior in the classroom. We found that the instructor's communication concerns changed in a manner consistent with previous concerns research, thus strengthening the usefulness of the communication concern construct. In addition, we found that changes in behavior also occurred in direct relation to the changes in communication concerns.
Pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence: Rationale and update

Abstract It is now recognized that opiate addiction, primarily heroin addiction, is a worldwide problem. It is also recognized that the second, and in some places the first, risk group for infection with the HIV-1 virus leading to AIDS is parenteral drug abuse. Therefore, there is an increasing concern and demand for effective treatment of opiate dependency. Although for many years in most places the primary approaches to treatment of opiate dependency was either imprisonment, or use of a variety of types of drug free treatment approaches, it has now been well established by careful clinical research studies that for the majority of opiate dependent persons, pharmacotherapy coupled with effective counseling and psychiatric, behavioral, and medical care as needed may provide by far the most effective treatment for opiate dependency. It is also increasingly recognized that such treatment must be carried out on a long-term basis. The most effective pharmacotherapy to date, which has been extremely well studied and applied to over 200,000 patients worldwide, is methadone maintenance treatment. Other pharmacotherapies, approved or experimental, include the opioid agonists LAAM and 1-methadone, the partial agonist buprenorphine, and the antagonist naltrexone.
Epinephrine-Sensitive Adenylyl Cyclase Activity in Rabbit Ovarian Tissues*

Epinephrine-sensitive adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity was investigated in homogenates of rabbit ovarian tissues. Optimal epinephrine-stimulated AC activity in corpora lutea homogenates was achieved with millimolar concentrations of ATP (1–4 HIM) and Mg2+ (2∼12 mM) in the absence of exogenously added Ca2+. Epinephrine stimulated the luteal AC under these conditions in a dose-dependent manner, with an ED50 of 0.45 μg/ml. The AC of preovulatory follicle homogenates was found to be unresponsive to epinephrine stimulation. Epinephrine responsiveness of the AC slowly appeared in late preovulatory and early postovulatory follicles in response to the gonadotropin surge induced by coitus. By 18 h after mating, epinephrine- stimulated AC activity had doubled, and maximal activites in the newly formed corpora lutea were reached within 72 h. Thereafter, epinephrine-stimulated AC activity gradually declined to a relatively stable value that was maintained throughout the remainder of gestation, except for two transient ...
The Book and the Transformation of Britain, c. 550–1050: A Study in Written and Visual Literacy and Orality. By Michelle P. Brown. (London, England: The British Library, 2012. Pp. 184. $70.00.)

How does a people unfamiliar with reading, writing, and books become literate? What does “literate” mean, anyway? And how do changes in the amount and nature of literacy in a society contribute to ...
Satellite-based virtual buoy system to monitor coastal water quality

There is a pressing need to assess coastal and estuarine water quality state and anomaly events to facilitate coastal management, but such a need is hindered by lack of resources to conduct frequent ship-based or buoy-based measurements. Here, we established a virtual buoy system (VBS) to facilitate satellite data visualization and interpretation of water quality assessment. The VBS is based on a virtual antenna system (VAS) that obtains low-level satellite data and generates higher-level data products using both National Aeronautics and Space Administration standard algorithms and regionally customized algorithms in near real time. The VB stations are predefined and carefully chosen to cover water quality gradients in estuaries and coastal waters, where multiyear time series at monthly and weekly intervals are extracted for the following parameters: sea surface temperature (°C), chlorophyll-a concentration (mg m −3 ), turbidity (NTU), diffuse light attenuation at 490 nm [K d (490) , m −1 ] or secchi disk depth (m), absorption coefficient of colored dissolved organic matter (m −1 ), and bottom available light (%). The time-series data are updated routinely and provided in both ASCII and graphical formats via a user-friendly web interface where all information is available to the user through a simple click. The VAS and VBS also provide necessary infrastructure to implement peer-reviewed regional algorithms to generate and share improved water quality data products with the user community.
Interaction of E1 and E3 components with the core proteins of the human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

Abstract The human (h) pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (hPDC) consists of multiple copies of several components: pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2), dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3), E3-binding protein (BP), and specific kinases and phosphatases. Mammalian PDC has a well-organized structure with an icosahedral symmetry of the central E2/BP core to which the other component proteins bind non-covalently. Both hE2 and hBP consist of three well defined domains, namely the lipoyl domain, the subunit-binding domain and the inner domain, connected with flexible linkers. hE1 (α 2 β 2 ) binds to the subunit-binding domain of hE2; whereas hE3 binds to the E3-binding domain of hBP. Among several residues of the C-terminal surface of the hE1β, E1βD289 was found to interact with hE2K276. The C-terminal residue I329 of the hE1β did not participate in binding to hE2. This latter finding shows specificity in the interaction between E1β and E2 in hPDC. The selective binding between hE3 and the E3-binding domain of hBP was investigated using specific mutants. E3R460G and E3340K showed significant reductions in affinity for hBP as determined by surface plasmon resonance. Both residues are involved in the structural organization of the binding site on hE3. Substitution of I157, N137 and R155 of hBP resulted in variable increases in the K D for binding with wild-type hE3, suggesting that the binding results from several weak electrostatic bonds and hydrophobic interactions among residues of hBP with residues at the interface of dimeric hE3. These results provide insight in the mono-specificity of binding of E1 to E2 and E3 to BP in hPDC and showed the differences in the binding of peripheral components (E1 and E3) in human and bacterial PDCs.
Do histocompatibility antigens antigence influence the risk of head and neck carcinoma

Associations were sought between specific histocompatibility antigens (HLA) of the human major histocompatibility complex and the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC). Seventy sequential patients with SqCC and 217 control subjects from the same geographic region were typed for HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR loci. These results were compared. Multivariate statistical analysis using stepwise logistic regression revealed significant associations between the incidence of SqCC and HLA-B14, HLA-DR3, and HLA-DR4 as well as smoking and the sex-smoking interaction. The authors concluded that certain host factors, including genetic constitution, and behavioral characteristics (i.e., smoking) as well as tumor biology, can influence the development of SqCC. The mechanism(s) of these associations may involve as yet undefined relationships between HLA region genes and the immune response.
Strategic Leveraging Total Quality and CRM Initiatives: Case Study of Service-Orientated Firms

While establishing and managing effective quality and customer-centric processes are typically discussed in the manufacturing sector, they can be a large part of the success of firms in the service sector as well. Managing quality processes can be challenging for smaller firms due to the need to rapidly adjust to fluctuations in the market, and also because the products and services created are typically customized, making standardization difficult. A combination of personal interviews of upper to middle management, as well as comments from convenient samples of employees, were used to gather perceptions of the accuracy of the various firms' perceived quality reputation and associated customer-support systems that help their drive for improved for profitability and/or community acceptability. This article also examines the quality control and customer relations measures currently in place for three service-orientated firms with significant stakes in their marketing strategies towards customer retention an...
Measuring Legislator Ideology

Objective. Previous models of roll-call voting have either ignored the role of legislator ideology or have employed questionable measures of it. A defensible measure of legislator ideology is needed. Methods. This study surveys former members of Congress (MCs) to obtain a new measure of legislator preferences. The measure has several attractive properties, appears to be valid, and is unique compared to a preference measure others have used. Results. Validating the measure in a model of roll-call voting reveals that the importance of legislators' ideologies is similar to that of their party affiliations. Conclusions. A useful measure of legislators' ideologies can be generated using a postretirement instrument.
A micro solid-phase radioimmunoassay for detection of herpesvirus type-specific antibody: Specificity and sensitivity

Abstract The specificity and sensitivity of a micro solid-phase radioimmunoassay (micro-SPRIA) that detects type-specific IgG antibody to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV1 and HSV2) were evaluated. Glycoproteins VP123 (molecular weight, 123,000) of HSV1 and VP119 (molecular weight, 119,000) of HSV2 were found to display the greatest degree of antigenic type-specificity of several HSV antigens tested with the micro-SPRIA technique. When testing a group of sera, negative for anti-HSV antibodies by microneutralization, in the micro-SPRIA, a range of negative reactivities was noted, suggesting that cut-points should be determined for each antigen preparation. The micro-SPRIA detected appropriate antibody activity in patients with recurrent infection and a marked agreement was noted in comparison to detection of anti-HSV antibodies measured with the micro-neutralization test. The type-specificity of the micro-SPRIA was substantiated by the independence of test results using VP119 and VP123 antigens for a random group of positive sera. The assay is rapid, specific, and sensitive and allows the testing of multiple serum samples with a standardized set of reagents.
Transductors for Current Sensing in the Dipole and Quadrupole Magnet Circuits of the Fermilab Main Ring

Transductors are used as current measuring devices in the main accelerator quadrupole power supply feedback loop and as monitors in the dipole circuit. The development of these transductors is described, starting with the basic series - connected (Kraemer) transductor circuit, and adding the features of biasing and a voltage follower to obtain improved linearity and high slewing rate.