cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrophysiologic effects and mechanisms of termination of supraventricular tachycardia by intravenous amiodarone.

Electrophysiologic studies were performed in nine patients with reentrant paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) during a control period and following 5 mg/kg body weight of intravenous amiodarone (Cordarone, Labaz) administered as a slow continuous infusion over 15 to 20 minutes. All nine patients had induction of sustained PSVT during control studies. In seven of nine patients (group 1) the tachycardia was due to atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentry, and in two of nine patients (group 2) a concealed retrograde bypass tract was incorporated in the reentrant process. In group 1, following amiodarone, all seven patients lost the ability to sustain PSVT with either absence of atrial echoes (one patient) or induction of less than or equal to 3 echo beats (six patients) with termination of PSVT in the antegrade pathway (three patients) or retrograde pathway (two patients) or both (one patient). In group 2, following amiodarone, both patients lost the ability to sustain PSVT with absence of atrial echoes (one patient) on induction of a single echo beat (one patient) with block in the retrograde pathway (i.e., the concealed retrograde bypass tract). Amiodarone significantly increased (1) atrial cycle length for AV nodal Wenckebach block, (2) antegrade functional refractory period of the AV node, (3) antegrade effective refractory period of the AV node, (4) ventricular paced cycle length for ventricular atrial block, and (5) the retrograde functional refractory period of the ventricular-atrial conducting system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
466: First-year mycophenolate mofetil dose reductions: Do they portend poor outcome?

particularly for individuals with pre-existing renal disease, has led to the consideration of CNI-free immunosuppression (CNI-F). We report our 7 year experience of three different immunosuppression regimes. Methods and Materials: Of 164 transplants performed, the complete records of 142 recipients were available for review. Early ( 6 months) and late ( 6 months) outcomes were analyzed for three immunosuppression regimes, CNI, CNI-F and CNI mTor inhibitor (CNI mT) according to use at transplant (T0), one month (T1), one year and long-term. At transplant, 88 recipients (62%) received cyclosporine, prednisolone and MMF (88%) or AZA (CNI group); 37 (26%) received sirolimus or everolimus, and MMF, prednisolone (CNI-F group); 17 (12%) received Cyclosporine, sirolimus, prednisolone (CNI mT group). Results: Early Grade 3A rejection was higher in the T0 and T1 CNI–F groups compared to the corresponding CNI groups (incidence for T0, 58% vs 35% p 0.016; T1, 60% vs 34% p 0.003). The incidence of late 3A rejection was not different between the groups. Early bacterial infections were higher in the CNI–F (p 0.037) and CNI mT (p 0.029) groups compared to CNI (incidence 58%; 40%; 32%). Late bacterial infections were higher in the CNI–F compared to the CNI (p 0.01) and CNI mT (p 0.027) groups (incidence 45%; 13%; 11%). Sternal wound infections were higher in the CNI mT compared to CNI (p 0.005) or CNI–F (p 0.015) groups (incidence 31%; 4%; 3%). More pleural effusions occurred in the CNI–F (p 0.004) and CNI mT (p 0.007) groups compared to CNI (incidence 21%; 20%; 3%). The incidence of CMV infection and pericardial effusions was not different between groups. Conclusions: There was increased early rejection, bacterial infections and pleural effusions with early use of CNI free, mTOR based immunosuppression, and lower early rejection in CNI containing regimes. These findings provide important new information, which should influence the selection of immunosuppression for heart transplant recipients. Speaker; Roche, Novartis.
Unilateral epidermal naevus resembling acanthosis nigricans

SUMMARY A man born with a unilateral epidermal naevus on the right side of the abdomen developed at puberty symmetrical benign acanthosis nigricans in the body folds. Tbe symmetrical eruption later disappeared completely. Tbe unilateral epidermal naevus and tbe symmetrical eruption showed identical bistological features, i.e. tbose of acantbosis nigricans. At tbe age of 32 be developed a muco-epidermoid cancer of the left parotid gland. A decision wbetber tbe association of unilateral epidermal naevi witb malignant tumours occurs witb unusual frequency requires (a) a long follow-up of the patient with the unilateral naevus, (b) a differentiation of the unilateral eruption from unilateral malignant acan-thosis nigricans and (c) statistical evidence.
Unmasking Racism: Halloween Costuming and Engagement of the Racial Other

We explore Halloween as a uniquely constructive space for engaging racial concepts and identities, particularly through ritual costuming. Data were collected using 663 participant observation journals from college students across the U.S. During Halloween, many individuals actively engage the racial other in costuming across racial/ethnic lines. Although some recognize the significance of racial stereotyping in costuming, it is often dismissed as being part of the holiday's social context. We explore the costumes worn, as well as responses to cross-racial costuming, analyzing how “playing” with racialized concepts and making light of them in the “safe” context of Halloween allows students to trivialize and reproduce racial stereotypes while supporting the racial hierarchy. We argue that unlike traditional “rituals of rebellion,” wherein subjugated groups temporarily assume powerful roles, whites contemporarily engage Halloween as a sort of “ritual of rebellion” in response to the seemingly restrictive social context of the post-Civil Rights era, and in a way that ultimately reinforces white dominance.
Mapping Ground Water by Using Electrical Resistivity with a Buried Current Sourcea

Standard resistivity configurations lose resolution in regions where multiple geologic layering of high conductivity contrast occurs. To partially circumvent this problem an electrode configuration was used, which includes a current electrode at depth down a drill hole in a water field, to examine the possibility of delineating ground-water flow channels. Results show the value of this technique in enhancing the electrical anomaly and hence determining structure. It was found that the ground water in this area flows primarily in fracture traces in the dolomite. Moreover, it was determined from well log synthesis that these fracture traces increase the effective porosity in the flow region by approximately ten percent.
The realization of autonomous state classifiers by C-systems

Abstract Plane autonomous state classifiers are defined and characterized. The nonempty class of C-systems is proved to be contained in the class of plane autonomous state classifiers. Plane autonomous state classifiers are considered as the generalization, to nonlinear systems, of the concept of saddle point.
Eutrophication Potential of Food Consumption Patterns

Although the environmental impacts and carbon footprints of foods are gaining more public attention and scientific debate, few studies have systematically evaluated the life cycle nitrogen and phosphorus flows among different food types. Disruption of natural nitrogen and phosphorus cycles already result in serious environmental quality degradation and economic losses, such as loss of fisheries due to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. This study characterizes the nutrient flows during food production, processing, packaging, and distribution stages for eight food types; compares carbon footprints and nitrogen equivalent footprints of food groups; evaluates solutions to reduce excessive nitrogen outputs; and estimates effectiveness and efficiency of possible solutions. Different food groups exhibit a highly variable nitrogen-intensity; on average, red meat and dairy products require much more nitrogen than cereals/carbohydrates. The ranking of foods’ nitrogen footprints is not consistent with their carbon foot...
The effects of Mandrel material and tow tension on defects and compressive strength of hoop-wound, on-line consolidated, composite rings

Abstract Even carefully controlled, on-line processing, which is superior to standard autoclave processing in a number of ways, is not immune to the development of process-induced defects. These include waviness, residual stresses and voids caused by poor process parameter selections. Several designed experiments and multivariate regression analyses were performed to formally examine the effects of mandrel material, tow tension, cooling rate and ring thickness (as well as their interactions) on the development of these defects and their effects on the compressive strength of thin and thick, hoop-wound rings. Cylinders were produced from T300/polysulfone powder-impregnated towpreg using on-line consolidation; they were wound using different mandrels (aluminum, steel), tow tensions (13.3 N, 44.5 N), cooling rates (natural and natural convection) and radius-to-thickness ratios (11, 5.5). Three or four rings per cylinder were failed using a new, compliant-ring-based, radial compression test method; the compressive hoop and radial stresses at failure were measured and compared based on either uniaxial longitudinal compressive failure (thin rings) or biaxial maximum work (or Tsai-Hill) theory (thick rings). In thin rings, independent changes in mandrel material and tow tension significantly affect the hoop and radial stresses at failure: decreasing with increasing mandrel coefficient of thermal expansion and decreasing tow tension. Void contents higher than certain threshold values (2–3% in this study) substantially degrade the rings’ compressive strengths by eroding its inter- and intralaminar shear strength. Changes in part thickness had a significant effect on the radial (but not hoop) stresses at failure. Waviness, which was isolated to the innermost six plies of any cylinder, was principally affected by mandrel material, with tow tension and thickness played lesser, moderating roles. Cooling rate had no discernable effect on waviness. Residual stresses were principally affected by tow tension and thickness, with the mandrel material's role difficult to de-convolve from its effect on waviness. Modest cooling rates did not appear to affect the residual stresses. Void contents decreased with increasing cooling rates and tow tensions in thin rings and with increasing radius-to-thickness ratios in thick rings. With the appropriate selection of process parameters, on-line processing can produce relatively ‘defect-free’ hoop-wound cylinders, which can match the compressive strengths of autoclave-consolidated, unidirectional plate laminates and be used to measure the laminates intrinsic compressive strength.
High-order strong-coupling calculation of the ground-state energy density in supersymmetric field theory.

This paper is a continuation of an earlier study of the ground-state energy density E/sub 0/ in two-dimensional supersymmetric field theories. Lattice strong-coupling techniques are used to calculate E/sub 0/ to eleventh order, extending the previous calculation by four additional orders. Our results continue to suggest that supersymmetry invariance is restored in the continuum limit. Moreover, new and unexpected large-order behavior in the lattice perturbation-expansion coefficients is revealed in this high order of perturbation theory.
Hepatitis B virus X antigen promotes transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) activity by up-regulation of TGF-β1 and down-regulation of α2-macroglobulin

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X antigen (HBxAg) may contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by activation of signalling pathways such as NF-κB. To identify NF-κB target genes differentially expressed in HBxAg-positive compared to -negative cells, HepG2 cells consistently expressing HBxAg (HepG2X cells) were stably transfected with pZeoSV2 or pZeoSV2-IκBα. mRNA from each culture was isolated and compared by PCR select cDNA subtraction. The results showed lower levels of α 2-macroglobulin (α 2-M) in HepG2X-pZeoSV2 compared to HepG2X-pZeoSV2-IκBα cells. This was confirmed by Northern and Western blotting, and by measurement of extracellular α 2-M levels. Elevated transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels were also seen in HepG2X compared to control cells. Serum-free conditioned medium (SFCM) from HepG2X cells suppressed DNA synthesis in a TGF-β-sensitive cell line, Mv1Lu. The latter was reversed when the SFCM was pretreated with exogenous, activated α 2-M or with anti-TGF-β. Since elevated TGF-β1 promotes the development of many tumour types, these observations suggest that the HBxAg-mediated alteration in TGF-β1 and α 2-M production may contribute importantly to the pathogenesis of HCC.
Fresnel-integral approximation

In diffraction analysis, an approximation to K/sub -/(x)=1/(/spl radic//spl pi/)e/sup ix(2)+i/spl pi//4//spl int//sub x//sup /spl infin//e/sup -it(2)/ dt, (0 >
Analytical and numerical modeling of R curves for cracks with bridging zones

At the onset of fracture in materials with process zones, the fracture resistance, or R curve, rises as the process zone develops. After process zone development, crack propagation proceeds by steady state growth. By considering J integral contours inside and outside the process zone, the available energy can be partitioned into crack tip energy release rate and process zone energy. To model the rising R curve, however, required assumptions about damage mechanisms in the process zone and partitioning of its energy into released and recoverable energy. By considering process zones that are elastic fiber-bridging zones with softening regions caused by fiber breakage or damage, equations for rising R curves were derived as a function of crack tip toughness and bridging zone mechanics. The new methods were implemented into the Material Point Method for generalized numerical crack propagation simulations with bridging zones. The simulation method includes pure fracture mechanics and pure cohesive zone models as extreme special cases. The most realistic simulations for many materials will likely fall between these two extremes. The results guided comments on interpretation of experimental R curves.
Larval RNAi in Drosophila

RNA interference (RNAi) has become a common method of gene knockdown in many model systems. To trigger an RNAi response, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) must enter the cell. In some organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans, cells can take up dsRNA from the extracellular environment via a cellular uptake mechanism termed systemic RNAi. However, in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, it is widely believed that cells are unable to take up dsRNA, although there is little published data to support this claim. In this study, we set out to determine whether this perception has a factual basis. We took advantage of traditional Gal4/upstream activation sequence (UAS) transgenic flies as well as the mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker (MARCM) system to show that extracellular injection of dsRNA into Drosophila larvae cannot trigger RNAi in most Drosophila tissues (with the exception of hemocytes). Our results show that this is not due to a lack of RNAi machinery in these tissues as overexpression of dsRNA inside the cells using hairpin RNAs efficiently induces an RNAi response in the same tissues. These results suggest that, while most Drosophila tissues indeed lack the ability to uptake dsRNA from the surrounding environment, hemocytes can initiate RNAi in response to extracellular dsRNA. We also examined another insect, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, which has been shown to exhibit a robust systemic RNAi response. We show that virtually all Tribolium tissues can respond to extracellular dsRNA, which is strikingly different from the situation in Drosophila. Our data provide specific information about the tissues amenable to RNAi in two different insects, which may help us understand the molecular basis of systemic RNAi.
Effect of serotonin on cyclic nucleotides of human platelets.

Serotonin produced a 6 to 10 fold increase of cyclic GMP over baseline levels of this nucleotide in platelets. Maximum stimulation was reached within 30 sec to 1 min after addition of serotonin and was dependent upon its concentration in the medium. Inhibition of serotonin uptake by methysergide, dihydroergotamine and chloroimipramine did not influence the serotonin-induced stimulation of cyclic GMP but glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde blocked it completely. Cyclic AMP levels in platelets were not affected by serotonin. The serotonin-induced stimulation of cyclic GMP is independent of the uptake of this biogenic amine by platelets and is not due to platelet aggregation.
Effect of swelling inhibitors on the swelling and stress relaxation of clay bearing stones

Clay-containing stones such as Portland Brownstone (USA), Villarlod Molasse (Switzerland) and Tarifa Sandstone (Spain), are expected to weather as a result of wetting and drying cycles. During drying events, contraction of the drying surface leads to stresses approaching the tensile strength of the stone. However, we have found that the magnitude of these stresses is reduced by the ability of the stone to undergo stress relaxation. In this paper we describe novel methods to determine the magnitude of the stresses and the rate at which they develop and relax. We also discuss the influence of swelling inhibitors on the magnitude of swelling and the rate of the stress relaxation of these stones. The implications of our findings for the understanding of damage due to swelling of clays are discussed.
Formation of a Vortex by an Elevated Electrical Heat Source

RECENTLY we described a series of experiments where we initiated a vortex in the laboratory using heat from a high voltage discharge as the driving force1. A slightly different experiment involves forming a vortex from an elevated electrical heat source.
An acoustic and articulatory examination of the “oral” in “nasal”: The oral articulations of French nasal vowels are not arbitrary

Abstract This study includes results of an articulatory (electromagnetic articulography, i.e. EMA) and acoustic study of the realizations of three oral–nasal vowel pairs / a / – / ɑ / , / e / – / e / , and / o / – / ɔ / recorded from 12 Northern Metropolitan French (NMF) female speakers in laboratory settings. By studying the position of the tongue and the lips during the production of target oral and nasal vowels and simultaneously recording the acoustic signal, the predicted effects of velo-pharyngeal (VP) coupling on the acoustic output of the vocal tract can be separated from those due to oral articulatory configuration in a qualitative manner. Based on the previous research, all nasal vowels were expected to be produced with at least some change in lingual and labial articulatory configurations compared to their oral vowel counterparts. Evidence is observed which suggests that many of the oral articulatory configurations of NMF nasal vowels enhance the acoustic effect of VP coupling on F1 and F2 frequencies. Moreover, evidence is observed that the oral articulatory strategies used to produce the oral/nasal vowel distinction are idiosyncratic, but that, nevertheless, speakers produce a similar acoustic output. These results are discussed in the light of motor equivalence as well as the view that the goal of speech acts is acoustic, not articulatory.
Asymmetric games for convolution systems with applications to feedback control of constrained parabolic equations

Abstract The paper is devoted to the study of some classes of feedback control problems for linear parabolic equations subject to hard/pointwise constraints on both Dirichlet boundary controls and state dynamic/output functions in the presence of uncertain perturbations within given regions. The underlying problem under consideration, originally motivated by automatic control of the groundwater regime in irrigation networks, is formalized as a minimax problem of optimal control, where the control strategy is sought as a feedback law. Problems of this type are among the most important in control theory and applications — while most challenging and difficult. Based on the Maximum Principle for parabolic equations and on the time convolution structure, we reformulate the problems under consideration as certain asymmetric games, which become the main object of our study in this paper. We establish some simple conditions for the existence of winning and losing strategies for the game players, which then allow us to clarify controllability issues in the feedback control problem for such constrained parabolic systems.
Heavy metals in sludge sediment after biochemical purification of municipal wastewaters

We have investigated the content of heavy meals in the stabilized sludge sediment of the station of biological purification of municipal wastewaters including an ion-exchange/bioaccessible form, which is extracted in an acidic medium at pH ∼2.5–3. We have compared the pool of heavy metals of the sludge sediment and other objects of different nature—soil and biomass of microbial cultures. In terms of the spectrum of heavy metals and their specific concentration the sludge sediment approaches natural soil. At the same time, heavy metals of the sludge sediment are extracted easier than from the soil and microbial biomass, where they may be incorporated to crystalline lattices of soil minerals or into cellular structures. The degree of removing heavy metals from the sludge sediment may reach 80% and correspond to the series: Zn > Mn > Cu ∼ Co ∼ Ni > Fe.
Toxic cardiogenic shock associated with infusion of 5-fluorouracil

This patient had an episode of acute reversible cardiogenic shock associated with continuous infusion of 5-FU. Symptoms and clinical status improved rapidly after the 5-FU was discontinued
Atrazine and increased male production by Daphnia: The importance of combining field and laboratory approaches

Atrazine is one of the most commonly applied herbicides in North America and annually pulses through many midwestern stream and reservoir systems. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the ability of atrazine to stimulate male production by Daphnia, an effect hypothesized to lower population growth rates during a period of intense larval fish predation. In the present study, populations of Daphnia parvula and Daphnia ambigua exhibited high proportions of males but no ephippial females when atrazine pulsed into Acton Lake, a small midwestern reservoir. Field results thus supported the hypothesis of excess male production by Daphnia during the spring herbicide pulse. In laboratory studies, dose-response studies, and population-level assays revealed no effect of atrazine on male production or population growth rate of multiple clones differing in reproductive strategy and exposure history. However, D. parvula increased male production in response to an endogenous crustacean hormone (methyl farnesoate). Excess male production observed in the field population was therefore not likely caused by atrazine, although we cannot rule out the possibility of interactive effects of atrazine and some other stressor. Apparent signs of endocrine disruption in the presence of high concentrations of a suspected agent should be viewed with caution in the absence of parallel laboratory studies involving individuals from the populations of interest.
Intracellular Proton-Transfer Mutants in a CLC Cl−/H+ Exchanger

CLC-ec1, a bacterial homologue of the CLC family’s transporter subclass, catalyzes transmembrane exchange of Cl− and H+. Mutational analysis based on the known structure reveals several key residues required for coupling H+ to the stoichiometric countermovement of Cl−. E148 (Gluex) transfers protons between extracellular water and the protein interior, and E203 (Gluin) is thought to function analogously on the intracellular face of the protein. Mutation of either residue eliminates H+ transport while preserving Cl− transport. We tested the role of Gluin by examining structural and functional properties of mutants at this position. Certain dissociable side chains (E, D, H, K, R, but not C and Y) retain H+/Cl− exchanger activity to varying degrees, while other mutations (V, I, or C) abolish H+ coupling and severely inhibit Cl− flux. Transporters substituted with other nonprotonatable side chains (Q, S, and A) show highly impaired H+ transport with substantial Cl− transport. Influence on H+ transport of side chain length and acidity was assessed using a single-cysteine mutant to introduce non-natural side chains. Crystal structures of both coupled (E203H) and uncoupled (E203V) mutants are similar to wild type. The results support the idea that Gluin is the internal proton-transfer residue that delivers protons from intracellular solution to the protein interior, where they couple to Cl− movements to bring about Cl−/H+ exchange.
JCZS: An Intermolecular Potential Database for Performing Accurate Detonation and Expansion Calculations

Exponential-13,6 (EXP-13,6) potential pammeters for 750 gases composed of 48 elements were determined and assembled in a database, referred to as the JCZS database, for use with the Jacobs Cowperthwaite Zwisler equation of state (JCZ3-EOS)~l) The EXP- 13,6 force constants were obtained by using literature values of Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential functions, by using corresponding states (CS) theory, by matching pure liquid shock Hugoniot data, and by using molecular volume to determine the approach radii with the well depth estimated from high-pressure isen- tropes. The JCZS database was used to accurately predict detonation velocity, pressure, and temperature for 50 dif- 3 Accurate predictions were also ferent explosives with initial densities ranging from 0.25 glcm3 to 1.97 g/cm . obtained for pure liquid shock Hugoniots, static properties of nitrogen, and gas detonations at high initial pressures.
Technical advance: caspase-1 activation and IL-1β release correlate with the degree of lysosome damage, as illustrated by a novel imaging method to quantify phagolysosome damage

In addition to the lysosome's important roles in digestion, antigen processing, and microbial destruction, lysosome damage in macrophages can trigger cell death and release of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. To examine the relationship among endocytosis, lysosome damage, and subsequent events, such as caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion, we developed a method for measuring lysosome disruption inside individual living cells, which quantifies release of Fdx from lysosomes. Unperturbed, cultured BMM exhibited low levels of lysosome damage, which were not increased by stimulation of macropinocytosis. Lysosome damage following phagocytosis differed with different types of ingested particles, with negligible damage after ingestion of sRBC ghosts, intermediate damage by polystyrene (PS) beads, and high levels of damage by ground silica. Pretreatment with LPS decreased the amount of lysosome damage following phagocytosis of PS beads, silica microspheres, or ground silica. Activation of caspase-1 and subsequent release of IL-1β were proportional to lysosome damage following phagocytosis. The low level of damage following PS bead phagocytosis was insufficient to activate caspase-1 in LPS-activated macrophages. These studies indicate that lysosome damage following phagocytosis is dependent on particle composition and dose and that caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion correlate with the extent of lysosome damage.
Program manipulation via an efficient production system

Systems for program transformation have been suggested by many authors [Knuth, Wegbreit, Loveman, Balzer, Standish2, Burstall & Darlington]. Several of these authors note that such transformation systems could be used to transform lucid, high-level, but possibly inefficient program descriptions into efficient but possibly less legible underlying concrete realizations. One problem, mentioned by Loveman [Loveman] is that of chaining together many low-level simple transformations to achieve high-level goals. For example, we may wish to chain together low-level transformations such as constant propagation, performing arithmetic at transformation time, dead variable elimination, empty statement removal and the like, to achieve the high-level goal of program simplification. This paper shows one technique for organizing sequences of low-level program transformations within an interactive programming medium to achieve nearly automatic global program improvements with low search times and minimal human intervention and guidance.
Large eddy simulation of stratified mixing in two-dimensional dam-break problem in a rectangular enclosed domain

Abstract Mixing in both coastal and deep ocean emerges as one of the important processes that determines the transport of pollutants, sediments and biological species, as well as the details of the global thermohaline circulation. Both the observations, due to their lack in space and time resolution, and most coastal and general circulation models due to inadequate physics, can only provide partial information about oceanic mixing processes. A new class of nonhydrostatic models supplemented with physically based subgrid-scale (SGS) closures, or so-called large eddy simulation ( LES ), is put forth as another tool of investigation to complement observational and large-scale modeling efforts. However, SGS models have been developed primarily for homogeneous, isotropic flows. Here, four SGS models based on Smagorinsky eddy viscosity and diffusivity are tested for stratified flows in the context of 2D dam-break problem in a rectangular enclosed domain. This idealized testbed leads to a number of simplifications about the initial conditions, boundary conditions and geometry, while exhibiting the dynamically complex characteristics of stratified flows involving the interaction of shear-induced mixing and internal waves. Direct numerical simulations ( DNS ) at high resolutions are taken as benchmark solutions. Under-resolved simulations without SGS terms (so-called DNS ∗) are used to quantify the impact of SGS stresses. The performance of LES is assessed by using the time evolution of the volume fraction of intermediate density water masses generated by mixing. The simulations are conducted using a nonhydrostatic high-order spectral element model Nek5000 developed to exhibit minimal numerical dissipation and dispersion errors, which is advantageous to quantify accurately the impact of SGS stresses. It is found that all tested SGS models lead to improved results with respect to those from DNS ∗. Also, SGS models allow for simulations with coarse resolutions that blow up in DNS ∗ due to lack of adequate dissipation where needed. The SGS model in which the vertical eddy diffusion is modulated via a function that depends on the Richardson number Ri shows the most faithful reproduction of mixed water masses at all resolutions tested. The sensitivity of the results to the tunable parameter of the SGS model, to changes in the Ri-dependent function and resolution of the turbulent overturning scales is shown.
Effective practices for IT skills staffing

How to identify, hire, and keep prized IT professionals with the skills companies need most to compete in uncertain technological and business times.
Thinking Through Veils: Questions of Culture, Criticism and the Body

When Homi Bhabha discusses the problematics of signification and coding in intercultural interpretation, he questions the relationship between practices and the experience of culture. By questioning the power of codes and signifiers to fix cultural identity, Bhabha allows that the stable object of culture might be caught ‘in the disturbed artifice of its signification’, that is, ‘at the edge of experience’. This suggests to theatre and performance studies that the culturally inscribed body need not be viewed as a stable repository of displaced and deferred codes. The body may be intercepted in situations, or at moments, when signification dissolves and is reconfigured.
Hydrodynamic Characterization of Nickel Metal Foam, Part 1: Single-Phase Permeability

This article presents results of the investigation of the fluid dynamic behavior in CVD processed nickel metal foams. An experimental facility was developed to measure the single-phase permeability in nickel metal foams in Darcian flow regime. Data on permeability values of seven different nickel foam samples was obtained. The pore sizes of the foam were obtained with scanning electron microscope. By defining friction factor and Reynolds number based on the permeability length scale a correlation was obtained for the foam permeability in Darcian flow regime. The result from this study was compared with the correlations reported by other researchers, and was found to be in good agreement.
Effect of Chemotherapy-Induced DNA Repair on Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viral Replication

Background Gliomas treated with the alkylating agent temozolomide have incomplete responses in part because of tumoral repair of chemotherapy-induced DNA damage. Data from phase I trials suggest that G207, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) with mutated ribonucleotide reductase (RR) and gamma34.5 genes, is safe but needs greater viral oncolysis to be effective. We hypothesized that temozolomide and G207 treatment limitations could be jointly addressed using temozolomide-induced tumor-protective DNA repair pathways to enhance viral replication. Methods Human glioblastoma cells (U87, T98, and U373) and U87 cells transfected with the gene for the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) were treated with G207 and/or temozolomide. Drug interactions, expression of the growth arrest DNA damage 34 (GADD34) and RR transcripts before and after their knockdown with short interfering RNAs, DNA strand breaks, and apoptosis were measured using Chou-Talalay analysis, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, the comet assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Survival of mice (groups of ten) with intracranial U87 xenograft tumors treated with temozolomide and/or G207 was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Temozolomide exhibited strong synergy with G207 in both MGMT-negative and the MGMT inhibitor O6-benzylguanine-treated MGMT-expressing gliomas (Chou-Talalay combination indices = 0.005 to 0.39) and induced GADD34 expression primarily in nonapoptotic MGMT-negative U87 glioma cells (fold difference = 16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.6 to 20.4, compared with untreated cells). MGMT-expressing T98 and U87/MGMT cells treated with temozolomide plus O6-benzylguanine had higher RR expression than untreated cells (fold difference =14.9, 95% CI = 10.1 to 22.0 [T98]; 9.9, 95% CI = 7.0 to 13.8 [U87/MGMT]). GADD34 and RR knockdown increased temozolomide-induced DNA damage and inhibited the synergy of G207 and temozolomide in U87 and O6-benzylguanine-treated U87/MGMT cells. Mice bearing intracranial U87 tumors survived longer after combination therapy (100% survival at 90 days) than after single-agent therapy (median survival = 46 and 48 days with G207 and temozolomide treatment, respectively). Conclusions Temozolomide-induced DNA repair pathways vary with MGMT expression and enhance HSV-mediated oncolysis in glioma cells. These findings unveil the potential of HSV to target cells surviving temozolomide treatment.
Customers' perceptions of the saleswoman: A study of personality, task and evaluative attributes by respondent location and gender

Customer perceptions of the woman salesperson were obtained and analyzed for urban and rural locations and for male and female buyers. The results showed positive attitudes towards the saleswoman but these differed by location and sex. Implications for the increased use of women salespeople suggest that they should be tailored to specific markets and sex of the buyer.
Did FIN 48 Limit the Use of Tax Reserves as a Tool for Earnings Management

We utilize new income tax reserve disclosures required under FIN 48 to examine whether managers use discretion over this accrual to manage earnings to meet the consensus analyst forecast. We find that firms with pre-managed earnings (i.e., earnings before the change in the tax reserve) that are below the consensus analyst forecast are far more likely to reduce their tax reserves and thus report higher net income. In fact, we find that 37 percent of firm-years with pre-managed earnings below the consensus forecast meet the forecast when the change in the tax reserve is included in earnings. In contrast, only 9.8 percent of firm-years with pre-managed earnings above the consensus forecast increased their tax reserves to the extent that it caused them to miss the consensus forecast. This asymmetric result is consistent with managers using their discretion over tax reserves to meet consensus analyst forecasts. Using a proxy for changes in tax reserves developed by Blouin and Tuna (2007), we also document a decline in the use of tax reserves to meet the consensus analyst forecast following the adoption of FIN 48. Nonetheless, our results using both estimated and actual changes in tax reserves clearly suggest that managers continue to use their discretion over this account to meet the consensus analyst forecast, although at a lower rate of recurrence than during the pre-FIN 48 time period.
Deficit reduction: Short-term pain for long-term gain

Abstract The paper evaluates the costs and benefits of fiscal consolidation using simulations based on the IMFs global dynamic general equilibrium model GIMF. Over the longer run, well-targeted permanent reductions in budget deficits can lead to a considerable increase in both the growth rate and the level of output. The gains may be enhanced by shifting some of the tax burden from incomes to consumption. In the short-run, credibility plays a crucial role in determining the size of initial output losses. Global current account imbalances would be significantly reduced if budget consolidation was larger in countries with current account deficits.
A Theory of Bureaucratization Based on Reciprocity and Collusive Behavior

This paper addresses how an organization becomes a bureaucracy. Bureaucratization emerges from a self-enforced norm of reciprocity between agents in an organization who exchange favors and promote subgoals which differ from the objective of the firm. Such collusive behavior becomes harder and harder to prevent over time. As a result, incentive schemes lose their flexibility and bureaucratization becomes a necessary equilibrium phenomenon in the long run. The distribution of agents' private information, their preferences for the future and the force of the social norm of reciprocity are analyzed in terms of their effects on the long-run behavior of the organization and on the speed of the bureaucratization process. I. Introduction Any theory of bureaucracy concerned with the analysis of the public sector' or designed to understand the behavior of private organizations2 must find out why states and firms end up being more and more inefficient over time, why organizations become routinized as they grow older and why unflexible rules unavoidably emerge in the long run. In other words, any theory of bureaucracy should also be accompanied by a theory of bureaucratization which could help us to understand organizations from a dynamic point of view. Following Weber (1978), we hereafter define the bureaucratization of an organization as the process by which it adopts less flexible rules over time. The aim of this paper is to explain this process in the case of the theory of the firm. The formation of a dynamic theory of organizations has been on the research agenda at least since Marshall, who was the first to point out that old organizations and firms tend to decline over time. First, such
Cloning, genetic and physical mapping of resistance gene analogs in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

The majority of verified plant disease resistance genes isolated to date belong to the NBS-LRR class, encoding proteins with a predicted nucleotide binding site (NBS) and a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) region. Using degenerate primers, designed from the conserved motifs of the NBS region in tobacco N and Arabidopsis RPS2 genes, we isolated 190 resistance gene analogs (RGA) clones from barley genomic DNA. A total of 13 single- and low-copy RGAs were genetically mapped onto chromosomes 1H-7H (except 5H) using three barley double haploid (DH) mapping populations: Steptoe x Morex, Harrington x TR306 and LUGC x Bowman. Sequence analysis of the RGAs showed that they are members of a diverse group. As a result of BLAST searches, one RGA proved unique as it did not detect any significant hit. Another RGA is putatively functional, because it detected several barley expressed sequence tag (EST) matches. To physically map the RGAs, 13 sequences were used to screen a 6.3 x cv. 'Morex' bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library. After fingerprint analysis, eight contigs were constructed incorporating 62 BAC clones. These BAC contigs are of great value for positional cloning of disease resistance genes, because they span the regions where various barley R genes have been genetically mapped.
Comparative Analysis of Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Thinking in Synchronous Versus Asynchronous Online Case Discussions

This study was undertaken to better understand the nature of preservice teachers' reflective thinking during case discussions about classroom management in two online formats: synchronous versus asynchronous. Findings indicated that when participants engaged in synchronous online case discussions they had higher levels of critical reflection than when they engaged in asynchronous online case discussions. Also, participants' initial preferences for asynchronous discussions changed from the beginning to the end of this study. Reasons for changes in participants' format preferences and descriptions of participants' levels of critical reflection are discussed.
THE DIVERSION OF THE PANCREATIC JUICE FROM THE DUODENUM INTO THE STOMACH. ITS EFFECTS UPON THE LEVEL OF GASTRIC ACIDITY AND UPON THE PANCREAS.

The mechanism described for maintaining the optimum level of gastric acidity is designated by Boldyreff as the "self regulation of the acidity of the contents of the stomach." In support of Boldyreff's hypothesis is the evidence obtained from many experiments carried out both on man and on animals, in which solutions of alkali and acid have been placed in the stomach. The introduction of acid fluid has led to a regurgitation of alkaline duodenal contents, whereas the introduction of alkaline solutions has called forth a secretion of acid gastric juice. The experiments reported in this paper were carried out for the purpose of ascertaining how the stomach would react, in as far as the secretion of hydrochloric acid is concerned, to a more or less continuous influx of relatively strong alkaline fluid, prolonged throughout the cycle of digestion. Numerous studies have shown that any serious interference with the process of regurgitation leads to a rise in the acidity level of the stomach; i.e., to a state of hyperacidity. There is but little evidence, however, to indicate whether the acidity level will be depressed temporarily or permanently (hypoacidity) when alkaline material, in considerable amounts, continues to enter the stomach. The influx of alkaline fluid was provided for by transplanting the larger pancreatic duct into the wall of the stomach after ligating and dividing the lesser duct. Specimens of test meal for analysis were withdrawn through gastric fistulas made after the method of Janeway. Animals prepared in this manner served also to furnish additional information regarding the possible relation of the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice to certain acute inflammatory and chronic sclerotic changes in the pancreas. From the results of these experiments it appears that the presence of a considerable amount of pancreatic juice in the stomach throughout the period of digestion leads only to a moderate decrease in the acidity level of the ingesta in the later stages of digestion. Earlier in the process there is no constant alteration of the acidity level in either direction. The findings then serve not only to corroborate the views of Boldyreff, but also to demonstrate the remarkable compensatory activity of the gastric glands under conditions which entail an unusual quantity of alkali in the stomach. In addition the work has shown that when the larger pancreatic duct is properly transplanted into the wall of the stomach, it may remain patent for months. In animals in which this operative procedure has been carried out, the pancreas has been found to undergo no inflammatory or other degenerative changes. This finding is regarded as evidence against the postulation of Hlava that gastric juice is probably responsible for the occurrence of certain cases of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis.
Adolescents' Characteristics and Parents' Beliefs as Predictors of Parentsapos; Peer Management Behaviors

This study examined parents’ reported use of peer management behaviors (i.e., communicating preferences, communicating disapproval, supporting friendships, and information seeking) and linked these behaviors to (a) adolescents’ self-reported psychosocial adjustment and friendships and (b) parents’ beliefs about adolescents’ peer relationships (i.e., perceived efficacy in managing adolescents’ friendships and concerns about adolescents’ friendships). The participants were 269 parents (161 mothers, 108 fathers) and their predominantly White adolescents in Grades 6 and 9 (N = 177). Results suggest that parents may be more apt to use some behaviors (e.g., communicating disapproval and information seeking) when there are indications that their adolescents are engaged in problem behaviors and have friends who are deviant. In addition, parents’ concerns about their adolescents’ friends mediate the relationship between adolescent problem behaviors and parents’ communications of disapproval. Parents’ peer management is promising as a route to understand further the nature of parent-peer linkages.
Automatically TEM00 Mode Selected Side Pumped Nd:YLF Laser

A pulse transmission mode Q-switched, TEMoo, Nd: YLF laser designed around a novel pump head using two 60 W quasi-cw micro-lens collimated diode bars produced 4 mJ, 4.5 ns pulses.
Effect of various drugs on epinephrine-induced pulmonary edema in rabbits.

Summary1. Pulmonary edema and mortality induced in rabbits by intravenous injections of epinephrine were completely prevented by comparatively small doses of adrenergic blocking drugs, N-(2-bromoethyl)-N-ethyl-1-naph-thalenemethylamine. HBr (SY-28) and N-(2-chloroethyl) - N-ethylbenzhydrylamine. HCl (SY-2).2. It would appear unlikely that epinephrine toxicity and the pulmonary edema involved are importantly related to histamine release from tissues since the antihistaminics, Pyranisamine (Neoantergan maleate) and Phenergan (3277 RP), failed to prevent edema although large subcutaneous doses of Phenergan reduced mortality.3. The barbiturates, pentobarbital sodium and phenobarbital sodium did not decrease mortality or edema.4. The available evidence indicates that epinephrine toxicity is most readily reduced by vasodilator drugs which represent physiological antagonists, and by adrenergic blocking drugs which are pharmacological antagonists of epinephrine.
Aggregation of Alzheimer’s Amyloid β-Peptide in Biological Membranes: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Numerous studies have concluded that the interaction of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and cellular membranes contributes to the toxicity and cell death observed in the progression of Alzheimer’s disea...