cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Skills for the Workplace: A Practical Approach to Teaching Methods with Excel

Teaching statistics with Excel can be quite rewarding. It is much more likely to be used by students beyond the classroom than programs such as SPSS or Stata. Excel offers everything needed to teach introductory-level statistics at the undergraduate level or in an applied graduate program. It is highly accessible to students both on campus and off. It is versatile, offering features such as 3D mapping, and can be used to create dynamic, interactive data dashboards. It is also used in the majority of businesses in the country and is a marketable skill for students. This chapter reflects on my transition to teaching with Excel, reviews some of the benefits and drawbacks of the software, and shares some of the lessons I have learned.
Imagining a new future: elimination of child support obligations for child welfare-involved families

As we imagine the next generation of public child welfare, efforts to identify and eliminate practices that are harmful to families must be pursued. This commentary uses available research evidence...
Grand Theft Automation: Travel Mode Habits and Video Games

A growing area of video game research considers factors external to games that might predict both observed in-game and physical world decisions. One factor may be an individual's habitual behaviors, such as their physical activity routines. Because the authors tend to automate behaviors that they repeat in stable circumstances or contexts, virtual re-creations of those stimuli should prompt the same behavior in the game environment. Moreover, as virtual worlds become more similar to the physical world, behaviors the authors learn in physical reality might influence virtual behaviors. The authors ask two research questions: RQ1 Is there an association between real-world habits and in-game decisions? RQ2 Does the nature of the in-game task influence any relationship between real-world habits and in-game decisions? A quasi-experiment of 110 students at a large, mid-Atlantic university demonstrated that physical activity routines bias in-game transportation decisions, particularly when prompted to pursue a specific goal over a free exploration task.
Ear, nose, and throat manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease: Complaints can be telltale signs

GERD is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions in the general US population. ENT become more commonly recognized or suspected by physicians, although the direct association between symptoms and acid reflux has been difficult to establish. Most patients with suspected supraesophageal GERD do not have the typical symptoms of heartburn and acid regurgitation. Possible mechanisms of GERD-mediated damage to extraesophageal structures include direct-contact damage of mucosal surfaces by acid-pepsin exposure and a vagal reflex arc between the esophagus and the upper aerodigestive tract, triggered by acid reflux. Dual-channel ambulatory pH monitoring is the most sensitive and specific diagnostic test for determining transient reflux episodes, although demonstrating the presence of acid reflux alone does not prove that it is the cause of suspected GERD-related signs or symptoms. Therefore, physicians must sometimes resort to an empirical treatment strategy for both diagnosis and treatment. High-dose PPI therapy for 9 to 12 weeks is the recognized first-line therapy; operative therapy is reserved for patients who have severe complications or whose condition incompletely responds to treatment. Complete lack of response should prompt reconsideration of alternative diagnoses. Controlled, well-designed clinical trials to assess treatment and more sophisticated techniques to quantify acid reflux are needed to help determine which patients with suspected extraesophageal complications actually have GERD as the primary cause.
Modular Specification of Hybrid Systems in CHARON

We propose a language, called Charon, for modular speci fication of interacting hybrid systems. For hierarchical description of the system architecture, Charon supports building complex agents via the operations of instantiation, hiding, and parallel composition. For hierarchical description of the behavior of atomic components, Charon supports building complex modes via the operations of instantiation, scoping, and encapsulation. Features such as weak preemption, history retention, and externally defined Java functions, facilitate the description of complex discrete behavior. Continuous behavior can be specified using differential as well as algebraic constraints, and invariants restricting the flow spaces, all of which can be declared at various levels of the hierarchy. The modular structure of the language is not merely syntactic, but can be exploited during analysis. We illustrate this aspect by presenting a scheme for modular simulation in which each mode can be compiled solely based on the locally declared information to execute its discrete and continuous updates, and furthermore, submodes can integrate at a finer time scale than the enclosing modes.
Numerical methods for sub-Riemannian geometry

Consider a sub-Riemannian geometry (U,/spl Delta/,g) where U is a neighborhood of 0 in R/sup n/, /spl Delta//spl sub/TR/sup n/ a distribution of constant rank m and g a Riemannian metric defined on /spl Delta/. One of the main questions related to a given sub-Riemannian structure is the description of the conjugate and cut loci, of the sphere and the wave front. The paper deals with numerical methods, and more precisely it focuses on the numerical computations of the wave front, the sphere and the conjugate points. The algorithms are illustrated on the following sub-Riemannian structures: the Martinet case and the Tangential case (in particular we verify numerically the sub-analyticity of the elliptic sphere and conjecture the non sub-analyticity of the hyperbolic one).
A single-blinded randomized clinical trial comparing polymyxin B-trimethoprim and moxifloxacin for treatment of acute conjunctivitis in children.

Objective To perform a randomized controlled trial comparing moxifloxacin hydrochloride with polymyxin B-trimethoprim for the treatment of acute conjunctivitis. Study design Patients ages 1-18 years old with acute conjunctivitis had cultures performed and were randomized to receive either moxifloxacin hydrochloride or polymyxin B-trimethoprim ophthalmic solution for 7 days. Response to treatment was determined by phone query on day 4-6 and by examination with post-treatment conjunctival culture on day 7-10. Results One hundred and twenty-four patients were enrolled. Eighty patients (65%) had recognized pathogens (55 Haemophilus influenzae , 22 Streptococcus pneumoniae , 4 Moraxella catarrhalis ) isolated from their conjunctiva. One hundred fourteen (56/62 moxifloxacin and 58/62 polymyxin B-trimethoprim) completed the 4-6 day evaluation, with 43/56 (77%) of the moxifloxacin group and 42/58 (72%) of the polymyxin B-trimethoprim group clinically cured according to parents (noninferiority test P = .04). Eighty-nine (39/56 moxifloxacin and 50/58 polymyxin B-trimethoprim) patients completed the 7-10 day evaluation. Clinical cure was observed in 37/39 (95%) of the moxifloxacin and 49/51 (96%) of the polymyxin B-trimethoprim treated groups (noninferiority test P ≤ .01). Clinical cure rates for culture positive and negative conjunctivitis were not different. There was no statistically significant difference in bacteriologic cure rates between the 2 groups. Conclusions Polymyxin B-trimethoprim continues to be an effective treatment for acute conjunctivitis with a clinical response rate that does not differ from moxifloxacin. Use of polymyxin B-trimethoprim for the treatment of conjunctivitis would result in significant cost savings compared with fluoroquinolones.
The magnetic moment of the antiproton

A scheme is proposed with which it may be possible to utilize extremely cold antiprotons in a Penning trap to measure the magnetic moment of an antiproton.
Costop in the prevention of adhesions

Abstract Adhesion formation is a significant source of postoperative morbidity. Current barrier products on the market in the United States are difficult to use during a laparoscopic procedure or over irregular surfaces. The efficacy of a sprayable adhesion prevention barrier, CoStop, was evaluated in three separate rabbit adhesion models. In an initial study, the effect of CoStop and Seprafilm bioresorbable membrane was evaluated in a rabbit uterine horn abrasion model. At necropsy, 67% of the CoStop-treated rabbits and 61% of the Seprafilm-treated animals were adhesion free. In a rabbit sidewall adhesion formation model, 90% of rabbits treated with CoStop were free of adhesions at necropsy, whereas all surgical controls formed adhesions. A comparable level of efficacy was observed in a rabbit re-formation model in which adhesions were generated and lysed 1 week later. After adhesiolysis, all control rabbits re-formed adhesions over 95% of the area. In contrast, 67% of the CoStop- and 38% of the Seprafilm-treated rabbits were adhesion free. Histological evaluation performed on tissues from the studies indicates that the CoStop barrier is biocompatible in all three surgical situations. CoStop-treated animals in all adhesion models showed a significant reduction in the incidence, extent, and severity of adhesion formation.
Reading chemical fine print: Resolution and identification of 3000 nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds from a single electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrum of heavy petroleum crude oil

Extra heavy petroleum crude oil (50% of the mixture boils at >566 °C) has been analyzed directly, without prior fractionation, by a high-field (9.4 T) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to an external micro-electrospray ion source. At an average mass resolving power, (m/Δm50% ≈ 50 000), a single wideband (250−1250 Da) mass spectrum exhibited ∼5000 resolved peaks with an average mass of 617 Da (e.g., up to 7−10 resolved peaks at each nominal mass). Their elemental compositions were positively identified by accurate mass measurement with an average deviation of less than 1 mDa from each assigned elemental composition. The number of elemental compositions at each nominal mass, the number of sulfur/oxygen atoms in a molecule, and aromaticity each increase with increasing mass. On the basis of elemental composition alone, we resolve more than 3000 distinct chemical formulas (excluding 13C isotopic species). Of the 3000 unique elemental compositions, we identify 12 major heteroa...
Uptake and degradation of blood-borne insulin by the olfactory bulb

Insulin found within the brain is derived from the blood and can affect various central nervous system (CNS) functions. The olfactory bulb contains one of the highest concentrations of insulin and insulin receptors within the CNS. To determine the mechanism underlying this high concentration of insulin, we used radioactively iodinated insulin to compare the blood to tissue transport rates and tissue degradation rates for the olfactory bulb, whole brain and spinal cord. We found that the olfactory bulb had both the highest transport rate across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the highest rate of degradation. Because a higher degradation rate would decrease, not increase, tissue concentrations of insulin, BBB transport may be the primary mechanism by which high concentrations of insulin are maintained within the olfactory bulb. This illustrates an adaptive aspect of the BBB in its regulation of the exchange of information molecules between the blood and the CNS.
Fixed cost efficiency with infinitesimal competitors

Suppose that infinitesimal firms have identical variable costs, but there is heterogeneity in their fixed costs. Regardless of the ordering of entry and exit, fixed costs will be minimized for a given industry size.
The Essence of Powerful Teaching

Empowering learners and using powerful techniques are prominent elements in the discourse of adult and vocational education. But what constitutes the elements of what might be considered as powerful teaching? This paper begins by examining the way educators talk about power and then proposes four elements that lie at the heart of powerful teaching; understanding how power dynamics intersect with adult educational approaches, supporting empowerment, helping learners understand how power works, and rendering teacher power transparent. The paper uses the work of Baptiste, Marcuse and Hooks to explore some of the problems involved in adult teachers attempting to work in the democratic manner endorsed by the adult education tradition. It concludes by acknowledging the practical and ontological contradictions of teachers trying to balance their prescriptive agendas with a learner-centered approach.
Joint lubrication with artificial lubricants.

The joint lubricating properties, in vitro, in bovine metatarsal-phalangeal joints, of silicone fluid, methyl cellulose and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone were compared to buffer, serum and synovial fluid. As had been previously reported, synovial fluid was almost twice as good as serum and buffer, which are equivalent in their joint lubricating qualities. Of the three artificial lubricants tested, only polyvinyl-pyrrolidone is superior to buffer or serum as a joint lubricant at 37 °C. At 55 °C both polyvinyl-pyrrolidone and methyl cellulose had the same effect. At no time was any of the artificial lubricants tested as effective at reducing joint friction as was synovial fluid. Silicone fluid was consistently an inferior joint lubricant compared with buffer or serum. It was concluded that effective joint lubrication with artificial lubricants depends on their boundary and hydrophilic properties, rather than directly on their flow characteristics.
Discovery of Enhanced Germanium Abundances in Planetary Nebulae with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer

We report the discovery of Ge III λ1088.46 in the planetary nebulae (PNe) SwSt 1, BD +30°3639, NGC 3132, and IC 4593, observed with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. This is the first astronomical detection of this line and the first measurement of Ge (Z = 32) in PNe. We estimate Ge abundances using S and Fe as reference elements, for a range of assumptions about gas-phase depletions. The results indicate that Ge, which is synthesized in the initial steps of the s-process and therefore can be self-enriched in PNe, is enhanced by factors of ≥3-10. The strongest evidence for enrichment is seen for PNe with Wolf-Rayet central stars, which are likely to contain heavily processed material.
Tolerability of meropenem in children with IgE‐mediated hypersensitivity to penicillins

Background: Administration of meropenem to penicillin-allergic patients who might benefit from this treatment is usually avoided because of a 47.4% rate of cross-reactivity to imipenem, the prototype of the carbapenem class of β-lactam antibiotics, demonstrated in a single study on the basis of positive responses to skin tests with imipenem reagents. However, recent studies of ours have demonstrated a very low rate of cross-reactivity between penicillins and both meropenem and imipenem in adults. Objective: To assess cross-reactivity and tolerability of meropenem in children with documented penicillin allergy. Methods: One hundred and eight consecutive children who had suffered a total of 129 immediate reactions (120 urticarial and/or angioedematous manifestations and 9 anaphylactic shocks) to penicillins and had positive results to skin tests for at least one of the penicillin reagents tested underwent skin tests with meropenem and negative subjects were challenged with it. Results: One subject (0.9%) displayed a positive intradermal test to meropenem. The remaining 107 subjects with negative skin tests to meropenem tolerated challenges. Challenges were not followed by full therapeutic courses. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate a low rate of cross-reactivity between penicillins and meropenem. Therefore, the practice of avoiding meropenem in children with immunoglobulin E-mediated hypersensitivity could be abandoned; in those who especially require meropenem treatment, prophylactic skin tests are advisable, because negative results indicate tolerability.
Effect of chelators on the suitability of natural waters for hydrilla growth

Abstract The role of chelators in affecting the suitability of natural water for growth of a submersed nuisance aquatic plant, Hydrilla verticillata, has been investigated. Screening studies were done using four synthetic chelators [ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid, disodium salt, Na2 EDTA·2H2O; ethyleneglycolbis (aminoethyl) tetraacetic acid, EGTA; 1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetra-acetic acid, disodium salt, Na2CDTA; ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid, EDDA] and naturally occurring chelators, as a peat extract and as a water sample from Lake Starvation. Analyses included dissolved oxygen and inorganic and organic carbon measurements, as well as nutrient concentrations (calcium, magnesium). The growth characteristic, defined as the per cent dissolved oxygen increase in the presence of hydrilla, was found to be associated with the amount of iron present. For EDTA and CDTA, this quantity also showed a positive relationship with ko2, the first pseudo first-order rate constant for oxygen production, as expected. This was not seen in the case of EGTA, and this anomaly is attributed to the stable chelation of calcium by EGTA. The availability of calcium ion and, therefore also, the availability of inorganic carbon with which calcium is known to form ion-pair complexes, play a role in making a medium suitable for hydrilla growth. The behavior of natural chelators is complicated, but they could act as iron-transport agents or as calcium-sequestering agents, and their presence in a lake may alter the suitability of the lake for hydrilla growth. The limitations and significance of these points with reference to potential control of hydrilla, are presented and discussed.
Tumor localization of radiolabeled antibodies raised by a mouse plasma cell tumor

Abstract Antibodies raised in rabbits against a mouse plasma cell tumor were labeled with 131 I and injected along with normal rabbit globulin labeled with 125 I into plasmacytoma bearing mice and the degree of localization of the antibodies in the tumors determined. There was localization of the anti-tumor antibody above the background localization of the normal globulins. The localization apparently took place largely on the tumor cell surfaces since following cell fractionation experiments the fixation was found to be largely in the microsome fraction. The antibodies raised against the tumor also showed localization in liver, spleen and brain.
The Effect of Stress on the Pattern of Phosphorylation of αA and αB Crystallin in the Rat Lens

Previously, we have shown that phosphorylation of alpha crystallin (α) in rat lenses can be stimulated by oxidative stress. To better understand the biological functions of the stress-induced phosphorylation of the A and B chains of α (αA and αB), the normal and stress-induced phosphorylation pattern of these polypeptides in the rat lens has been investigated. With either αA or αB, there is only one phosphorylation site that is significantly affected, with widely different stresses, H2O2or elevation in free Ca++levels. However, the phosphorylation sites are markedly different for the two polypeptides, for αA being on Thr-4 in the N terminal region and with αB on Ser-59 in the central region of the polypeptide. The difference in the sequence in the two phosphorylation regions suggests that different phosphorylation systems are probably involved. This implies that the cellular function of the phosphorylation of αA and αB may be quite different.
DISTORTION-INVARIANT FRACTIONAL POWER FRINGE-ADJUSTED JOINT TRANSFORM CORRELATION

A distortion-invariant joint transform correlation (JTC), based on the fractional power fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation and synthetic discriminant function, is investigated. By suitably adjusting the parameters used to characterize the fractional power fringe-adjusted fil- ter formulation, we obtain JTC-based classical matched filtering, fringe- adjusted filtering, and amplitude-modulated phase-only filtering. Com- puter simulation results show that the proposed joint transform correlation is distortion-invariant for the target image from the training set. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(98)00501-7) Subject terms: recognition techniques; synthetic discriminant function; joint trans- form correlation; fractional power fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation; joint power spectrum.
Effects of aminopentol on in utero development in rats.

Abstract Aminopentol (AP1), the backbone and main hydrolysis product of the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1), is present in corn-based foods which are consumed daily as a substantial part of the diet in some areas of the world. The toxicity of FB1 has been attributed to altered sphingolipid metabolism, but the toxicity of AP1 is less certain. Epidemiological correlations and in vitro studies have suggested that AP1 can increase neural tube defects (NTDs), but no in vivo developmental study of AP1 was done prior to this study. AP1 was given once daily to rats by gavage on gestation days (GD) 3–16 at doses of 0, 15, 30, 60, or 120 mg/kg. Reproductive and developmental parameters were measured at GD 17, one day after the last dose, and on GD 20. In addition, on GD 17, maternal and fetal tissues were analyzed for sphingolipid content. Conclusions: AP1 reduced dam body weight gain, but was less toxic than FB1. AP1 was not teratogenic, did not affect tissue sphingolipid ratios, did not alter reproduction or development of fetuses, and produced no dose-related histopathological effects in dams.
Authoritarianism from Berlin to Berkeley: On Social Psychology and History

Emerging conceptions of authoritarianism, their transformation, and their fate are traced through the recent history of social psychology. The issue was first formulated around 1930 by Wilhelm Reich in an attempt to combine Freudian and Marxist ideas into an explanation of political developments in Germany. Erich Fromm pursued the idea further in the analysis of a questionnaire study of German workers, and later in his book Escape from Freedom (1941). Subsequent work by the Frankfurt Institute merged with research at Berkeley and produced The Authoritarian Personality (1950). Initially received enthusiastically, the theory gradually succumbed under the impact of two different lines of attack. This series of transformations in changing historical contexts points both to the need for a better historical understanding of our discipline and to some unresolved questions in our approach to its subject matter.
Qualitative and quantitative determination of emulsion‐polymerised binders in latex paints

Methods for the separation and identification by infra-red absorption spectroscopy of styrene-butadiene, acrylic, vinyl-acrylic and polyvinyl acetate homopolymer and vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate copolymer in emulsion paints based on these materials are presented. Detailed procedures for their quantitative determination are discussed.
Speciation and preservation of inorganic arsenic in drinking water sources using EDTA with IC separation and ICP-MS detection

The native distribution of As(III) and As(v) in drinking water supplies can influence the treatment removal strategy. The stability of As(III) and As(v) in iron-rich drinking waters can be affected by the formation of Fe precipitates (Fe oxides and/or hydroxides designated by "FeOOH"). These precipitates (ppts) can form during the transport of the sample to the laboratory for arsenic speciation analysis. The analysis of the ppt indicates considerable loss of the aqueous arsenic species (As(aq)) to the solid phase "FeOOH" ppt. Studies of laboratory reagent water containing both As(III) and Fe(III) indicate that the resulting "FeOOH" ppt contained a mixture of As(III) and As(v) with near quantitative removal of the As(aq) in 18 hr. The corresponding aqueous fraction after filtration through a 0.45 microm filter was composed primarily of As(v). The formation of "FeOOH" ppt and the loss of As(aq) to the ppt can be virtually eliminated by the use of EDTA, which sequesters the FeIII). Reagent water fortified with Fe(III), As(III) and EDTA produced less than a 1 ppb change in the As(III)aq concentration over 16 d. The EDTA treatment was also tested on three well waters with different native As(III )/As(v) ratios. The native distribution of As(III)/As(v) was stabilized over a period of 10 d with a worst case conversion of As(III) to As(v) of 2 ppb over a 30 d period. All well waters not treated with EDTA had dramatic losses (a factor of 2-5) of As(aq) in less than 1 d. These results indicated that EDTA preservation treatment can be used to preserve As(aq) in waters where the predominant species is the reduced form [As(III)] or in waters which the predominant species is the oxidized form [As(v)]. This preliminary investigation of EDTA to preserve As species in Fe-rich waters indicates stability can be achieved for greater than 14 d.
Recovering distributed objects

Distributed multithreaded applications operating in shared-nothing environments present challenges to classical fault tolerance mechanisms. The piecewise determinism assumption is lost (due to multithreading), and data must be replicated (because of the shared-nothing environment). In this paper, we explore a systematic approach to providing fault tolerance, by considering data-race-free programs that have the benefits of piecewise determinism and yet allow multithreading. We base our logging and recovery algorithm on a logical ring structure that allows the underlying distributed system to migrate threads, migrate and replicate objects, and perform multi-object transactions.
Implementation of an IEEE 1451.1 compatible multiple NCAP controller using labview

Sensor networks have been deployed for many applications. The ability for the sensors or actuators to have Transducer Data Sheets will allow the “plug-and-play” of 1451-compatible sensors and actuators for different control networks. There has been some development and integration of IEEE 1451.1 Communication, [3], [4]; however, none of these resources provided any form of a testbed where research on IEEE 1451.1 communication could take place. Therefore, an intelligent sensor network testbed has been implemented to perform research and investigation of smart sensors, and the investigation and verification of interfacing options from smart sensors with the sensor networking bus. NCAP-NCAP communication was developed and demonstrated from previous work [7], but the previous work was limited to one-to-one NCAP communication. This paper will present the IEEE 1451.1 NCAP Controller using the LabView 8.6 Programming Language that performs one-to-many communication using the IEEE 1451.1 standard for NCAP communication. The NCAP controller allows operational control functionality and data collection from all of the NCAPs in the network. The NCAP controller will be demonstrated at the SAS-2009 Conference communicating with Mobitrum IEEE 1451 MOBEE NCAPs.
Comparison of acid reduction in antiulcer operations.

Background: Three acid-reducing operations have recently been described for the laparoscopic treatment of peptic ulcer disease. These consist of a posterior truncal vagotomy combined with either (1) an anterior seromyotomy (SERO), (2) an anterior highly selective vagotomy (AHSV), or (3) a linear stapled lesser curvature excision (STAP). The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiologic effects of these procedures in terms of basal and maximal acid outputs.
A general perturbation approach for computational fluid dynamics

On presente une technique numerique fournissant des solutions precises aux equations de la dynamique des fluides. Les equations sont perturbees autour d'une solution approchee et resolues par les methodes de differences finies sur une grille agrandie. Ceci conduit a un schema qui reduit notablement le nombre de points de grille necessaires a une resolution precise de l'ecoulement. Application aux equations bidimensionnelles d'Euler perturbees autour des solutions de l'equation potentielle transsonique
Management of soft-tissue trauma to the face

The management of acute soft-tissue trauma can be very challenging for the facial plastic surgeon. The goals of management of facial trauma are the preservation of form and function. These goals are particularly important in facial soft-tissue trauma, where injuries can cause not only esthetic deformities but also can affect neural function, normal mastication, visual fields, and salivary outflow. This article outlines the evaluation and treatment of acute soft-tissue facial trauma. The key components include allowing for the stabilization of the patient, complete examination of the injury and face, thorough wound irrigation and debridement of necrotic tissue, preservation of all viable tissue, tension-free closure, and realignment of important facial esthetic structures. Special consideration must be given to injuries of functional structures such as the facial nerve, ductal systems or organs, and ensuring appropriated management of these structures.
Regulation of Endothelin-1 Synthesis by Endothelin-converting Enzyme-1 during Wound Healing

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is involved in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, including wound healing. In cirrhosis, the wounding response of the liver, circulating ET-1 levels are elevated; moreover, ET-1 has potent effects on hepatic stellate cells, the key effectors of cirrhosis. In this study, we have examined the regulatory role of ECE-1, a critical enzyme involved in ET-1 synthesis, in the two major cellular sources of hepatic ET-1. ET-1 release from normal hepatic endothelial cells was 25-fold higher than that from normal stellate cells. However, after liver injury, ET-1 release was increased in stellate cells but markedly decreased in endothelial cells. The two major isoforms of ECE-1, ECE-1α/1β, made up 80% and 20%, respectively, of total ECE-1 in both stellate and endothelial cells. Following liver injury, ECE-1α mRNA was decreased by 44.2% in stellate cells, and by 16.1% in endothelial cells. ECE-1β mRNA expression remained unchanged after injury. In contrast to ECE-1 mRNA, ECE-1 protein expression was increased by 43.9% in stellate cells but decreased in endothelial cells, while relative ECE-1 enzymatic activity was unchanged. In mRNA stability experiments, the half-life of ECE-1α mRNA in normal stellate cells was 13 h compared with 38 h in cells from injured livers. Thus, during hepatic wound healing, differential regulation of ECE-1 mRNA and protein appears to be critical in controlling ET-1 production.
Molecular evolution of the carbonic anhydrase genes: calculation of divergence time for mouse carbonic anhydrase I and II.

A cDNA clone in pBR322 that cross-hybridizes with a mouse carbonic anhydrase form II (CAII) probe has been sequenced and identified as mouse carbonic anhydrase form I (CAI). The 1224-base-pair clone encodes the entire 260-amino-acid protein and appears to contain an Alu-like element in the 3′ untranslated region. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibits 77% homology to human CAI and contains 17 of the 20 residues that are considered unique to and invariant for all mammalian CAI isozymes. The results of a detailed comparison of the nucleic acid sequences spanning the coding regions of mouse CAI and rabbit CAI have been used to calibrate an evolutionary clock for the carbonic anhydrases (CAs). These data have been applied to a comparison of the mouse CAI and CAII nucleic acid sequences to calculate the divergence time between the two genes. The divergence-time calculation provides the first estimation of the evolutionary relationship between CAs based entirely on nucleotide sequence comparison.
Postmarketing surveillance of serious adverse events associated with the use of rofecoxib from 1999-2002.

ABSTRACTObjective: The authors performed a postmarketing database analysis to evaluate the incidence of cardiovascular and other serious adverse events (SAEs) reported to the US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) involving the use of rofecoxib.Research design and methods: The authors studied all adverse events involving rofecoxib reported to the AERS from inception of the drug until 2002. An emphasis was placed on cardiovascular and other SAEs of interest categorized using the high level group terms hemorrhage, edema, thrombosis, embolism, and death.Results: There were 31,024 reports of SAEs associated with the use of rofecoxib, which was considered primary suspect in 97.8% of these reports. There were 3915, 3677, 1653, 1917, and 233 reports of hemorrhage, edema, death, thrombosis, and embolism, respectively. Relative to the overall population in this dataset, reports of hemorrhage, death, thrombosis, and embolism consisted of a greater proportion of males. The mean age f...
Improving the Structural Control of Graft Copolymers by Combining ATRP with the Macromonomer Method

The reactivity ratios of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacryloyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) macromonomer (PDMS-MA) were determined in four different systems, using either conventional radical copolymerization or atom transfer radical copolymerization (ATRP) and using low molecular weight initiators or poly(dimethylsiloxane) macroinitiators. While the relative reactivity of PDMS-MA (1/rMMA) decreased to 0.3−0.4 in the conventional radical polymerization, the reactivity ratio was higher in ATRP systems (ca. 0.8). The use of macroinitiator in the ATRP system increased 1/rMMA at high concentration and helped regularly incorporate PDMS-MA into the copolymer. However, in the conventional radical polymerization or redox systems, macro(azo)initiator did not as significantly improve the reactivity ratio of PDMS-MA. Graft copolymers obtained by ATRP (in both solution and semibulk) have much lower polydispersities than obtained in conventional radical systems.
Degradation of Artemia lipids under storage

Abstract 1. 1. The total lipid, lipid class and fatty acid composition of Artemia were examined for evidence of enzymatic or oxidative degradation during sample storage. 2. 2. A variety of storage techniques were tested with storage times of 7, 30 or 105 days. 3. 3. At − 20°C, enzymatic degradation resulting in the formation of free fatty acids from phosphatidyl (P.) choline and P. ethanolamine was found to occur in trace amounts after 7 days and significant amounts after 105 days. 4. 4. No evidence of oxidative degradation of fatty acid double bonds was seen. 5. 5. Lipid classes were determined using an Iatroscan (TLC-FID) and a new solvent system for neutral lipid analysis is introduced.
Remaking laissez-faire

`Only ideas can overcome ideas', Ludwig von Mises once remarked. Exploring this contention in relation to the long and winding ascendancy of neoliberalism, the paper presents a spatialized genealogy of the free-market ideational programme. From its multiple beginnings, in a series of situated, sympathetic critiques of nineteenth-century laissez-faire, neoliberalism has always been an open-ended, plural and adaptable project. The prehistories of neoliberalism are messy and nonlinear; there was no straight-line evolution from ideas to implementation, from blueprint to ballot box, or philosophy to practice. Rather like the various state projects of neoliberalization that have followed in its wake, the ideational project of neoliberalism was clearly a constructed one. There was nothing spontaneous about neoliberalism; it was speculatively planned, it was opportunistically built and it has been repeatedly reconstructed.
Electron diffraction studies of thin secondary product films on electrochemically reacting metal sulfides

Abstract Utilizing large mineral crystals (about 3 cm cubes) of CuFeS2 and FeS2, a series of novel electrochemical experiments was undertaken by wrapping these specimens with copper wire (either individually or in a contacting pair) and coating them with silicone cement except for a 1 cm2 exposed surface window on one face. These specimens were then immersed in an acid lixiviant (pH 2.3) containing bacteria to catalyze the reaction rates, and reactions were monitored by measuring the copper in solution with time. Surface coatings formed on the CuFeS2 were observable through visible color changes. Voltage and current variations for individually prepared specimens connected through a simple voltmeter-ammeter circuit were also measured and correlated with surface film formation. Fragments of coatings formed over reaction periods of 32 days were scraped from the surfaces and examined by electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope. Copper, sulfur, Cu5FeS4, Cu2S, CuS and other more complex compounds were readily identified. Some of these secondary reaction products have been postulated on the basis of reaction pathways for the anodic dissolution of CuFeS2.
THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC MICROALGAE TO TOTAL MICROALGAL PRODUCTION IN A SHALLOW SUB-TIDAL ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract This study examined the contribution of benthic microalgae to total microalgal production in the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, a shallow subtidal estuarine ecosystem in Baldwin County, Alabama, USA. Environmental characteristics, nutrient concentrations, and benthic and planktonic biomass and productivity rates were measured every 2-4 weeks between February 1991 and August 1992. Chlorophyll-a concentrations in the surficial sediments ranged from 0.2 to 30.7 mg m-2, with a mean of 9.5 ± 1.5 mg m-2 for the study period. Over an annual cycle, benthic microalgae contributed 25.2% of total microalgal biomass. Daily production rates for the benthic microalgae ranged from 0.01 to 0.75 gC m-2 d-1, with a mean of 0.22 ± 0.05 gC m-2 d-1. Annual production of the benthic microalgae was 90.1 gC m-2, or 20.6% of total microalgal production in Weeks Bay. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that nitrate, planktonic chl-a, benthic production, and seston accounted for 33% of the variability in ...
The role of hypothalamic malonyl-CoA in energy homeostasis

Energy balance is monitored by hypothalamic neurons that respond to peripheral hormonal and afferent neural signals that sense energy status. Recent physiologic, pharmacologic, and genetic evidence has implicated malonyl-CoA, an intermediate in fatty acid synthesis, as a regulatory component of this energy-sensing system. The level of malonyl-CoA in the hypothalamus is dynamically regulated by fasting and feeding, which alter subsequent feeding behavior. Fatty acid synthase (FAS) inhibitors, administered systemically or intracerebroventricularly to lean or obese mice, increase hypothalamic malonyl-CoA leading to the suppression of food intake. Conversely, lowering malonyl-CoA with an acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) inhibitor or by the ectopic expression of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase in the hypothalamus increases food intake and reverses inhibition by FAS inhibitors. Physiologically, the level of hypothalamic malonyl-CoA appears to be determined through phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of ACC by AMP kinase in response to changes in the AMP/ATP ratio, an indicator of energy status. Recent evidence suggests that the brain-specific carnitine:palmitoyl-CoA transferase-1 (CPT1c) may be a regulated target of malonyl-CoA that relays the "malonyl-CoA signal" in hypothalamic neurons that express the orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptides that regulate food intake and peripheral energy expenditure. Together these findings support a role for malonyl-CoA as an intermediary in the control of energy homeostasis.
Re-Territorializing Transnationalism: Chinese Americans and the Chinese motherland

A youth festival sponsored by the Chinese (P.R.C.) government for overseas Chinese youth (hua yi) who visit China represents a political ritual of the Chinese state that draws upon a long history of invoking discourses of Chinese culture to create connections to the Chinese abroad. Though framed in a context of continuity, the festival ironically produces new knowledges about different ways of being Chinese, exposing the fissures within the assumed nexus of race, culture, and nation, and thus complicating notions of what constitutes a transnational community. [China, Chinese diaspora, transnationalism, identity, race and culture, modernity].
Pregnancy in women with perinatally acquired HIV-infection: outcomes and challenges

This is a retrospective comparison of pregnant women with perinatally acquired HIV-infection (PAH) with a cohort of pregnant women with behaviorally acquired HIV-infection (BAH). PAH cases (11 women) included all pregnant adolescents followed at our HIV clinic from January 2000 to January 2009. BAH cases (27 women) were randomly selected from all deliveries within the study period at the same institution. Demographics, mode of delivery, CD4+ counts, and viral loads (VLs) before, during, and six months postpartum, as well as neonatal outcomes, were reviewed. CD4 counts were significantly lower in the PAH group. VLs were statistically higher in the PAH group. VLs were undetectable at delivery in 60% of the PAH group compared with 88% of the BAH group. No cases of vertical transmission occurred. PAH women may be at a higher risk for HIV-related disease progression. This may increase vertical transmission risks. Further studies and interventions with this growing population are warranted.
Lack of efficacy of ‘weighted’ radiographs in diagnosing acute acromioclavicular separation

The efficacy of "weighted" films in diagnosing grade 3 acromioclavicular (AC) sprains not evident on plain (unweighted) films was evaluated. Eighty-three pairs of radiographs, taken with and without weights, of patients with suspected AC injury were studied. The films were read in a randomized and blinded manner by a staff radiologist. Criteria for classifying AC injuries were: grade 1,
Serum Immunoreactive Inhibin Levels before and after Luteectomy in the Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

Whereas studies in women have demonstrated that serum immunoreactive inhibin concentrations peak during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and that the corpus luteum (CL) encodes mRNA for the inhibin subunits, a clear link between the presence of the CL and circulating inhibin has not been established in primates. Therefore, we measured serum immunoreactive inhibin levels in monkeys before and after luteectomy as well as immunoreactive inhibin concentrations and mRNA encoding the α-inhibin subunit in luteal tissue. Monkeys were assigned to one of four groups depending on which day of the luteal phase luteectomy was performed: group A, days 4–5; group B, days 7–8; group C, days 9–10; and group D, days 11–12 (the day after the estrogen surge = day 1 of the luteal phase). Daily blood samples were obtained for 3 days before luteectomy, immediately before surgery, and for 2 days after luteectomy. Immunoreactive inhibin concentrations were measured with a double antibody RIA using an antiserum to bovine 31...
Sercarzian immunology - In memoriam. Eli E. Sercarz, 1934-2009

Abstract During his long career as a principal investigator and educator, Eli Sercarz trained over 100 scientists. He is best known for developing hen egg white lysozyme (HEL) as a model antigen for immunologic studies. Working in his model system Eli furthered our understanding of antigen processing and immunologic tolerance. His work established important concepts of how the immune system recognizes antigenic determinants processed from whole protein antigens; specifically he developed the concepts of immunodominance and crypticity. Later in his career he focused more on autoimmunity using a variety of established animal models to develop theories on how T cells can circumvent tolerance induction and how an autoreactive immune response can evolve over time. His theory of “determinant spreading” is one of the cornerstones of our modern understanding of autoimmunity. This review covers Eli’s entire scientific career outlining his many seminal discoveries.
Approximate network loading and dual-time-scale dynamic user equilibrium

Abstract In this paper we present a dual-time-scale formulation of dynamic user equilibrium (DUE) with demand evolution. Our formulation belongs to the problem class that Pang and Stewart (2008) refer to as differential variational inequalities. It combines the within-day time scale for which route and departure time choices fluctuate in continuous time with the day-to-day time scale for which demand evolves in discrete time steps. Our formulation is consistent with the often told story that drivers adjust their travel demands at the end of every day based on their congestion experience during one or more previous days. We show that analysis of the within-day assignment model is tremendously simplified by expressing dynamic user equilibrium as a differential variational inequality. We also show there is a class of day-to-day demand growth models that allow the dual-time-scale formulation to be decomposed by time-stepping to yield a sequence of continuous time, single-day, dynamic user equilibrium problems. To solve the single-day DUE problems arising during time-stepping, it is necessary to repeatedly solve a dynamic network loading problem. We observe that the network loading phase of DUE computation generally constitutes a differential algebraic equation (DAE) system, and we show that the DAE system for network loading based on the link delay model (LDM) of Friesz et al. (1993) may be approximated by a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). That system of ODEs, as we demonstrate, may be efficiently solved using traditional numerical methods for such problems. To compute an actual dynamic user equilibrium, we introduce a continuous time fixed-point algorithm and prove its convergence for effective path delay operators that allow a limited type of nonmonotone path delay. We show that our DUE algorithm is compatible with network loading based on the LDM and the cell transmission model (CTM) due to Daganzo (1995) . We provide a numerical example based on the much studied Sioux Falls network.