cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supervisión de las sociedades de capital tras la crisis financiera

The depth and severity of the ﬁnancial crisis that began in 2007 has opened the debate on the institutions that govern the capitalist system. Our work is a review of the major reforms that have been addressed, although we consider that many of the solutions are not in their substantial redesign but in their effective functioning. The regulation should clearly deﬁne the principles that are supposed to be observed, and should create structures to guarantee their validity, perhaps abandoning a regimented style whose spirit, as a result of the rapid evolution of the business world, can be easily circumvented. Among these structures, we consider the proper functioning of these entities because this constitutes the ﬁrst “trench” where these risks can be avoided. On the other hand, given that these entities manage resources that belong to society in general and that, within society, the investors reward the ethical behavior of enterprises, the role of the stakeholder in decision making is becoming more and more evident.
Discurso poético y discursos del poder en Salmos de Ernesto Cardenal

This article demonstrates how Salmos (1964) by Ernesto Cardenal (1925) contains an inexorable critique of five decades of the twentieth century where despite scientific progress society embarked on the barbarism of world wars and the Cold War. This historical period has an intrinsic relation to the manipulative use of the political, warlike and commercial propaganda of the hegemonic powers which is spread through the modern media of mass communication. According to Salmos, propaganda contains the rhetorical discourses of hegemonic powers that detract from the sense of language, thus demonstrating the degradation and frivolity of modern life. Cardenal opposes propaganda with exteriorist poetry, poetry expressed through clear, objective and meaningful communication. Moreover, he concludes in the transience of power, in the permanence of poetry, and in the need to re-evaluate the language of power and the language that we use to describe reality. This research uses the analysis of the discursive enunciation and the Hispanic American thought of the first half of the twentieth century such as Mariano Picon-Salas and Fausto Reinaga.
Universities should encourage helmet wearing

I have followed with interest the debate about equine vets and head protection, although with too much apathy until now. In 2016, I reached 50 years of age and therefore I guess I am a bit of an ‘old girl’ now. For years, my sensible nurse has donned her hat for any horse procedure; it took the …
Private Protection in Russia and Poland

protection against rival protection organizations. Second, private pro? tection thrives where shops are inspected frequently by many agen? cies, indicating that disorganized regulation increases informal activity and promotes private protection. In addition, businesses that renovate their shops are more likely to have contact with a private protection organization, indicating that PPOs prey on shops that reveal that their wealth. Thus, demand from busi? nesses and the incentives facing PPOs determine the scope of PPO activity. Third, on balance, managers viewed PPOs as doing more harm than good for their business.
Vector-Parasite Interactions in Mosquito-Borne Filariasis

Transmission of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis is dependent on the availability of susceptible mosquito hosts. Mosquito susceptibility is a heritable trait, but genes that control susceptibility have not yet been identified. Likewise, nothing is known about gene expression in filarial worms as it relates to adaptation of the parasite to the mosquito host environment. Mosquitoes are equipped with several means to prevent the establishment of developing parasites. Each environment that worms encounter within the mosquito, including the mouthparts, midgut, hemolymph, and thoracic muscles, can be an obstacle to further development. Of particular interest in present research efforts are genes and gene products expressed in these tissues that could be manipulated to alter susceptible phenotypes to a refractory state. The technology to manipulate mosquito genomes now exists, and has the potential to generate refractory populations that could be used in integrated control strategies.
Corneal endothelial cell loss associated to phacoemulsification and ophthalmologist experience: prospective analysis of individual secondary data.

Introduction Phacoeresis is the procedure through which the lens is surgically removed to treat cataracts. A corneal endothelial loss is a recognized sequel. Although several factors associated with this harm have been described, the surgeons prior experience has been scarcely evaluated. Objectives To assess the association between the surgeons experience and other variables associated with a corneal endothelial cell loss in the context of phacoeresis. Methods Clinical records of 198 patients undergoing cataract operations were prospectively reviewed. The experience of the surgeon and other variables were recorded, including cumulative dissipated energy, viscoelastic type, the use of trypan blue, amount of fluidics, ultrasound time, combined phacoemulsification energy, and pre- and postoperative corneal endothelial cell counts. Results No differences were observed in the postoperative corneal endothelial cell count between surgeons with more or less than five years of experience. Nevertheless, ophthalmologists with more than five years experience used less trypan blue, but more cumulative dissipated energy in each procedure, while less experienced ophthalmologists used less fluidics. Conclusions Although there were differences in the surgical management regarding the surgeons experience in factors known to influence corneal endothelial cell loss, no differences in endothelial cell loss were observed as an outcome.
Doppler changes in umbilical artery and ductus venosus during fetoscopic prenatal surgical repair of myelomeningocele

OBJECTIVE Cardiac dysfunction has been described in 60% of fetuses undergoing open myelomeningocele (MMC) repair. Routine Doppler evaluation of the umbilical artery (UA) and ductus venosus (DV) is challenging during fetal surgery. The aim of this study was to describe Doppler changes in the UA and DV in a cohort of fetuses during fetoscopic MMC repair. METHODS This was a retrospective study of fetuses that underwent fetoscopic repair of MMC at a single institution between 2014 and 2017. Ultrasound images taken intraoperatively were analyzed to describe the changes in Doppler parameters of the UA and DV during fetoscopic MMC repair. The timing of Doppler changes was matched with the phase of surgery to determine whether a pattern to their appearance could be ascertained. RESULTS Of the thirty-five cases of fetoscopic MMC repair performed during the study period, Doppler data were available for 15. Of these, UA Doppler data were obtained in 12 cases, and DV Doppler data were obtained in 13 cases. Of the 12 cases for which there were UA data, nine (75%) showed transient absence of end-diastolic flow (EDF), with five (41.7%) of them progressing to reversal of EDF. Of the 13 cases for which there were DV data, nine had elevated pulsatility index; however, none of them had absent or reversed blood flow during atrial contraction. Of the nine cases with absent EDF in the UA, this abnormality first appeared during fetoscopic repair in five (55.6%), after uterus exteriorization but before CO2 insufflation in two (22.2%), after uterus replacement but before skin closure in one (11.1%) and after CO2 insufflation but before the start of the MMC repair in one (11.1%). Doppler abnormalities in four fetuses with reversed EDF and in three with absent EDF resolved during surgery. Follow-up examination 1 day after surgery demonstrated resolution of UA and DV Doppler abnormalities in all fetuses. CONCLUSION Transient Doppler abnormalities of the UA, without significant changes in the DV, can be seen during fetoscopic MMC repair. The clinical significance of these Doppler findings remains unclear due to their transient and intermittent nature. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The relationship between vitamin C status, the gut-liver axis, and metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of cardiometabolic risk factors, which together predict increased risk of more serious chronic diseases. We propose that one consequence of dietary overnutrition is increased abundance of Gram-negative bacteria in the gut that cause increased inflammation, impaired gut function, and endotoxemia that further dysregulate the already compromised antioxidant vitamin status in MetS. This discussion is timely because "healthy" individuals are no longer the societal norm and specialized dietary requirements are needed for the growing prevalence of MetS. Further, these lines of evidence provide the foundational basis for investigation that poor vitamin C status promotes endotoxemia, leading to metabolic dysfunction that impairs vitamin E trafficking through a mechanism involving the gut-liver axis. This report will establish a critical need for translational research aimed at validating therapeutic approaches to manage endotoxemia-an early, but inflammation-inducing phenomenon, which not only occurs in MetS, but is also prognostic of more advanced metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as the increasing severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases.
Expanding an HPC Cluster to Support the Computational Demands of Digital Pathology

The goal of this work was to design a low-cost computing facility that can support the development of an open source digital pathology corpus containing 1M images [1]. A single image from a clinical-grade digital pathology scanner can range in size from hundreds of megabytes to five gigabytes. A 1M image database requires over a petabyte (PB) of disk space. To do meaningful work in this problem space requires a significant allocation of computing resources. The improvements and expansions to our HPC (high-performance computing) cluster, known as Neuronix [2], required to support working with digital pathology fall into two broad categories: computation and storage. To handle the increased computational burden and increase job throughput, we are using Slurm [3] as our scheduler and resource manager. For storage, we have designed and implemented a multi-layer filesystem architecture to distribute a filesystem across multiple machines. These enhancements, which are entirely based on open source software, have extended the capabilities of our cluster and increased its cost-effectiveness.
Parametrically homogenized constitutive models (PHCMs) from micromechanical crystal plasticity FE simulations: Part II: Thermo-elasto-plastic model with experimental validation for titanium alloys

Abstract In this second of the two-part paper on the development of Parametrically Homogenized Constitutive Models (PHCMs), constitutive coefficients are represented in functional forms of the representative aggregate microstructural parameters (RAMPs), e.g. texture intensity parameters, misorientation parameter and grain size, identified in the first part (Kotha et al., 2019). Efficient and accurate PHCMs are developed for finite deformation, anisotropic thermo-elasto-plastic behavior of polycrystalline Ti6242S alloys. The constitutive framework in the PHCM is chosen to reflect fundamental characteristics of elasto-plastic anisotropy, tension-compression asymmetry, anisotropic hardening and rate-dependent mechanical behavior, observed in Ti alloys. The functional forms of the PHCM constitutive coefficients in terms of the RAMPs are deciphered using a machine learning code Eureqa. The machine learning data-base is generated through detailed micro-mechanical crystal plasticity FE simulations of microstructure-based statistically equivalent RVEs or M-SERVEs of the polycrystalline material. A variety of M-SERVEs with different morphology and crystallography characteristics and thermo-mechanical loadings are considered. The proposed PHCM is numerically implemented in ABAQUS as a user subroutine. The accuracy of the PHCM model is demonstrated by validating the PHCM predictions for Ti6242S with tensile test experiments at different strain-rates and temperatures.
Steady State Frequency Response Utilizing an Enhanced Chirp Test Signal

One technique to obtain a rapid system frequency response is to excite the system with a chip signal where the frequency of the signal ramps up from a low start frequency to a final high frequency. With such a signal the system is never in steady state. If the ramp were a stair step with multiple periods for each frequency at each stair step, steady state could be achieved but the result will not be rapid. This is especially true where the desired system frequency response starts at a very low frequency where multiple periods of the first frequency could be many tens of seconds. A common technique is to configure the test signal as a Sum of Sines (SOS) where all the frequencies are summed together with the signal duration being a few periods of the lowest frequency. Algorithms to extract the frequency response from such a signal have been developed. A shortcoming of this approach is that this signal has a rogue wave that consumes measurement dynamic range. This limits the signal amplitude that can be allocated to each frequency and becomes a constraint on measurement resolution. With a chirp signal the full dynamic range is available at each frequency. A new variation of chirp along with an advanced algorithm has been developed whereby the rogue wave of the SOS signal is avoided and the signal duration is very close the SOS signal.
Determining conventional and unconventional oil and gas well brines in natural samples III: mass ratio analyses using both anions and cations.

Identifying the types of contamination and their sources in surface and groundwater is fundamental for effective protection of private and public source waters. Here we employed mass ratio analyses...
Learning Language, Learning Culture: Teaching Language to the Whole Student.

Purpose:This article develops a conceptualization of language pedagogy that engages the whole student. Instead of teaching language as if it were just a collection of grammar and vocabulary, we nee...
Abstract 4808: ONC201 decreases protein chaperone ClpX to unleash mitochondrial protease ClpP activity, intregrated stress response and tumor cell death

Brain tumors are one of the most lethal cancers in children and young adults. We previously reported that first-in-class small-molecule imipridone ONC201 can antagonize dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), inactivate ERK/AKT, induce the integrated stress response (ISR), upregulate pro-apoptotic TRAIL receptor DR5, deplete cancer stem cells, and induce growth arrest or cell death in tumor cells. ONC201 crosses the blood-brain barrier and has induced durable tumor regressions in adult and pediatric H3K27M-mutant glioma patients. We hypothesized that ONC201 may synergize with radiotherapy and temozolomide in brain tumors. Glioblastoma (GBM: SNB19, T98G and U251), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG: SU-DIPG-IV and SU-DIPG-36) and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT: BT-12, BT-16) cell lines were tested using cell viability or colony formation assays with ONC201 up to 20 μM alone or in combination with radiotherapy up to 8 Gy and temozolomide up to 100 μM. We observed synergy between ONC201 and radiation and temozolomide by multiple assays with the best combination index of 0.31 under the treatment of 0.625 μM ONC201, 25 μM TMZ and 4 Gy irradiation in cell viability assay. We observed induction of PKA substrate phosphorylation as a marker of DRD2 antagonism, induction of ATF4 as a marker of ISR activation, and multiple markers of cell death in treated brain tumor cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by ONC201 was greatly reflected in reduction of maximal cell respiration in brain tumor cell lines. ClpXP is a proteolytic machine in mitochondria comprising of the protein chaperone ClpX and protease ClpP, a recently described binding target of ONC201. We have observed that ONC201 induced cytotoxicity depends on ClpP and knockdown of ClpP strongly protects multiple human cancer cell lines from ONC201-mediated (but not other drugs, e.g. temozolomide) cytotoxicity. The ClpX protein level decreased dramatically upon ONC201 treatment. We are exploring the potential interplay between ClpP, dopamine receptors, the ISR and TRAIL signaling pathways after single agent or combinatorial treatments. Our data suggests that ONC201 may be combined synergistically with temozolomide or radiation to address gliomas, along with potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers. The results implicate ClpX and ClpP in downstream cell death induction following ONC201 treatment of brain tumor cells. Citation Format: Lanlan Zhou, Howard P. Safran, Michael J. Glantz, Wafik S. El-Deiry. ONC201 decreases protein chaperone ClpX to unleash mitochondrial protease ClpP activity, intregrated stress response and tumor cell death [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4808.
Association of Nursing Work Environment, Relationship with the Head Nurse, and Resilience with Post-Traumatic Growth in Emergency Department Nurses.

Emergency department nurses are confronted with unpredictable diseases and disasters and work-related traumatic stress events. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing work environment, relationship with the head nurse, resilience, and posttraumatic growth among emergency department nurses. Data were collected from December 2018 to February 2019 through a self-administered survey questionnaire. Participants comprised 127 nurses working in the emergency department. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, analysis of variance with Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression. The mean posttraumatic growth score of emergency department nurses was 2.59 ± 0.64 out of a possible 5.00. The posttraumatic growth showed a statistically significant difference according to age in the emergency department nurse. Resilience was the most significant variable controlling other variables, accounting for 29% of the variability. The findings support that intervention programs should be developed to encourage a positive relationship with the head nurse and enhance resilience in emergency department nurses.
Psychosocio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on gastroenterology and endoscopy practice

Beyond posing a major health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted profound psychological, social, and economic impacts on populations worldwide. Mass quarantines and social isolation have affected the mental health of the wider population, exacerbating other stressors, including fear of the virus and its repercussions, general uncertainty, and financial insecurity. The pandemic has challenged the broader delivery of healthcare--ranging from the need to triage limited hospital resources to balancing risk mitigation with maintaining medical care. Specific to gastroenterology, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not only been associated with complicating extant medical conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but has also forced a shift in the practice of gastroenterology by patients, families, and healthcare providers alike. The gastroenterology field has been required to adapt its practices to minimize the possibility of viral spread while still upholding patient care. Healthcare practitioners in GI have helped to treat COVID-19 patients, stratified inpatient and outpatient visits and procedures, and shifted to telemedicine. Still, as is the case with much of the general population, healthcare providers working in GI practice or endoscopy have faced personal and professional stressors, mental health difficulties, social isolation, financial pressures, and familial burdens--all of which can take a toll on practitioners and, by extension, the provision of GI care overall. This article will highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological wellbeing, social engagement, and economic conditions of the public, healthcare providers, and GI professionals specifically. Recommendations for strategies that can continue GI services while maintaining safety for both caregivers and patients are put forth to help uphold critical GI care during this worldwide crisis.
Process Developments in Transient Liquid Phase Bonding of Bi-Ni for High-Temperature Pb-Free Solder Alternatives

Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding emerges as a promising joining technique that connects dissimilar materials by employing an interlayer that provides a lower melting process. This research investigates such a TLP bonding system made of a nickel (Ni) bonding surface and a bismuth (Bi) interlayer, which can serve as a Pb-free solder alternative for high-temperature electronics. Upon melting of Bi on Ni, intermetallic compounds nucleate and grow by consuming a Ni layer on the substrate and the die side. For this bonding, the key challenge has been concerned with the brittleness of the joint and the development of porosities that consequently join together to make a continuous crack at the center line of the bond. In an effort to tailor more reliable microstructures in the joint regions, intermetallic reactions and microstructure developments were studied under various reflow conditions including reflow temperature and time, with varying thickness of Bi interlayer from $8\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ to $250\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ . The highest shear strength was achieved with the sandwiched samples reflowed at 330°C for 10 min under vacuum condition. Mechanical properties of the intermetallic bonds were investigated by shear testing and fracture surface analysis and the corresponding microstructural evolution of the reflowed sandwiched samples.
Breast cancer progression when definitive surgery is delayed.

Deferment of definitive surgery for some breast cancers has been proposed as a way to conserve hospital resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is currently unknown which, if any, breast cancers are capable of progressing during a few to several months of observation. The difference between clinical size at diagnosis and final pathology size was assessed in 315 stage I-III primary invasive breast cancer patients who were divided into three groups based on the time between diagnosis and definitive surgery. Size differences over time were used to estimate specific growth rates. Compared with the group with ≤60 days between diagnosis and surgery, tumor growth was observed for 12% of tumors in the 61- to 120-day group and 17% of tumors in the >120-day group (p for trend = 0.032). Significantly greater specific growth rates were observed for tumors >2 cm by pathology measurement and for pathology node-positive patients (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Specific growth rates were significantly greater for luminal B breast cancers than for luminal A breast cancers (p = 0.029) but not for triple-negative or HER2-positive breast cancers not selected for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. There was no evidence of nodal progression with surgery delay. Fewer than 20% of stage I-III breast cancers not selected for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy evidence size progression during follow-up periods ranging from 61 to 294 days. Clinical-pathological features cannot reliably predict which tumors will grow. Luminal B phenotype was the only clinical variable known at the time of diagnosis that strongly predicted growth. If resource limitations mandate prioritization schemes for breast cancer surgery, luminal B breast cancer may be the highest priority.
Investigating the role of psychological inflexibility, mindfulness, and self-compassion in PTSD

Abstract Psychological inflexibility has been linked to a variety of mental health disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this cross-sectional self-report study was to examine how psychological inflexibility, along with closely related concepts such as mindfulness and self-compassion, are associated with PTSD among a clinical sample using PTSD DSM-5 criteria. A sample of 200 veterans (mean age = 54.6; 71.0% male, 25.5% female) were recruited from mental health clinics within a Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Controlling for mindfulness and self-compassion, veterans with PTSD had significantly higher levels of psychological inflexibility compared to those without PTSD. In addition, psychological inflexibility was associated with overall PTSD severity, even after controlling for mindfulness, self-compassion, depression, alcohol and substance use, and demographic variables. The observing facet of mindfulness was significantly associated with higher levels of PTSD, while the describing facet was related to lower overall PTSD symptoms. Self-compassion was no longer associated with PTSD symptoms when controlling for other variables. These findings support the relationship between psychological inflexibility and DSM-5 PTSD. Targeting psychological inflexibility may be a key focal point in improving PTSD-related treatment outcomes.
The Financially Optimal Loblolly Pine Planting Density and Management Regime for Nonindustrial Private Forestland in East Texas

Economic analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of initial planting density on the profitability of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) on nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) in East Texas. Five planting densities of 870, 725, 620, 540, and 484 trees per acre (tpa) representing spacings of 5 10, 6 10, 7 10, 8 10, and 9 10 ft, respectively, were investigated. Land expectation values were used to determine the financially optimal thinning and final harvesting schedules (including rotation length and the timing, frequency, and intensity of thinning). Five site indices (50–90), six real alternative rates of return (ARR) (2.5–15.0%), and three thinning options (0, 1, and 2) were employed. Results indicate that two thinnings appear to be the financially optimal number of thinnings for most site index-ARR scenarios. The planting spacing of 8 10 ft is optimal when ARR is low, and the 9 10 ft spacing is optimal when ARR is high. South. J. Appl. For. South. J. Appl. For. 29(1):16–21.
Meta-Analysis of General Anesthesia on Total Knee Angioplasty and Total Hip Angioplasty

Both total knee angioplasty (TKA) and total hip angioplasty (THA) may be carried out under general anesthesia, however, many surgeons prefer to perform the surgery under regional anesthesia due to ...
Balloon mesh free space optical communication with tracking and link switching

Optical beam alignment is the key requirement to maintain a connection between two optical nodes in free space optical (FSO) communication networking. Google has proposed FSO embodiments for building a network at high altitude, the objective of which is to provide Internet connectivity to remote locations around the globe. FSO communication has the potential to build a high bandwidth backhaul network with wireless optical communication systems using a balloon mesh network. Due to winds, balloons can drift in space leading to the misalignment of FSO connections between adjacent balloons. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to track the drifting balloon and evaluate the tracking system by state estimation of the drifting balloon's position with respect to another nearest balloon. We also propose a backup optical link to keep the network intact in case of failure due to a balloon's misalignment with an adjacent balloon. Our approach uses Kalman filtering based state estimation technique for three dimensional movement and speed.
Race and Public Health

The description and explanation of racial and ethnic health disparities is a major initiative in public health research. Two major explanations have dominated discussions of health disparities. The first is that genes contributing to the risk of disease aggregate by race. The second is that racial minorities are subject to prejudice and discriminatory acts on the basis of their minority status, the stresses of which contribute to disease risk. Both of these explanations require an explicit reconceptualization of race. Genetic researchers have used the tools of molecular biology to identify “ancestry informative markers,” or sets of genetic polymorphisms shared by individuals descended from a single population. The logic of defining racial groups in terms of these markers is, however, problematic in much the same way that older definitions based on skin color were. A more fruitful approach is to focus on how racial and ethnic groups are culturally constructed in a given setting, and how individuals both self-identify and are identified by others as belonging to a particular group. Evidence suggests that the combination of the cultural construction of race and structural barriers confronting minority groups contribute substantially to the explanation of health disparities. Keywords: African American; cardiovascular diseases; culture, race, and ethnicity; stress
The Hypoxic Brain

The brain thrives on oxygen. High altitude poses a tax upon the oxygen supply. In spite of adaptations to a low partial pressure of oxygen, notably a resetting of cerebral blood flow, the paucity of oxygen in high places can make a lasting impression on our most precious organ. Among the physiological questions are: How does real-time hypoxia affect judgement and performance at high altitude? How might the hypoxia of high altitude cause long-lasting injury to the brain? How does hypoxia cause AMS, particularly its most common symptom, headache, and is AMS just early HACE? What tools can we apply to studying the human brain to begin to obtain answers to questions such as those above? In this section, we will explore three pieces of these various puzzles: 1) how brain cells get injured (Hossman); 2) what causes headache (Moskowitz); and 3) how we might better probe the mysteries of what’s going on inside the human brain at high altitude (Raichle).
Sub-bundles of the complexified tangent bundle

We study embeddings of complex vector bundles, especially line bundles, in the complexification of the tangent bundle of a manifold. The aim is to understand implications of properties of interest in partial differential equations.
Role of glutamic acid 177 of the ricin toxin A chain in enzymatic inactivation of ribosomes.

Abstract The gene for the A chain of ricin toxin was fused to a beta-galactosidase marker cistron via a DNA sequence encoding a short collagen linker, and the tripartite fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. Site-specific mutagenesis was used to change glutamic acid residue 177 to aspartic acid or alanine. When the mutant proteins were expressed, purified, and tested quantitatively for enzymatic activity, the carboxylate function at position 177 was found not to be absolutely essential for ricin toxin A-chain catalysis.
PAR reduction via constellation shaping

We introduce a novel scheme using a constellation shaping approach to reduce the peak-to-average ratio (PAR) in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. In the time domain, the peak power bound traces out a hypercube boundary. We map this square time-domain boundary back to the frequency domain via the DFT and construct a method for indexing the OFDM constellation points. The encoding and decoding of the constellation use generators and relations from group theory. The end result is a coding scheme with nearly 20 dB of PAR reduction with no reduction in data rate or performance.
Inhibition of Type 4 Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase Blocks Intracellular TLR Signaling in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Normal Hematopoietic Cells

A subset of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) BCRs interacts with Ags expressed on apoptotic cells, suggesting that CLL BCRs have the potential to internalize apoptotic cell RNA- or DNA-containing fragments with resultant activation of TLR7 or TLR9, respectively. By blocking cAMP degradation, type 4 cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE4) inhibitors activate cAMP-mediated signaling and induce apoptosis in CLL cells. In this study, we show that autologous irradiated leukemic cells induce proliferation in CLL cells and that such proliferation is blocked by a TLR7/8/9 inhibitor, by DNase, and by the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram. Rolipram also inhibited CLL cell proliferation induced by synthetic TLR7 and TLR9 agonists, as well as TLR agonist-induced costimulatory molecule expression and TNF-a (but not IL-6 or IL-10) production. Whereas treatment with a TLR9 agonist protected IgH V region unmutated, but not mutated, CLL cells from apoptosis, PDE4 inhibitors augmented apoptosis in both subtypes, suggesting that cAMP-mediated signaling may abrogate a TLR9-mediated survival signal in prognostically unfavorable IGHV unmutated CLL cells. Rolipram inhibited both TLR7/8- and TLR9-induced IFN regulatory factor 5 and NF-kB p65 nuclear translocation. PDE4 inhibitors also blocked TLR signaling in normal human immune cells. In PBMC and CD14-positive monocytes, PDE4 inhibitors blocked IFN-a or TNF-a (but not IL-6) production, respectively, following stimulation with synthetic TLR agonists or RNA-containing immune complexes. These results suggest that PDE4 inhibitors may be of clinical utility in CLL or autoimmune diseases that are driven by TLR-mediated signaling.
Identification of subcellular compartments containing peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase in rat anterior pituitary

Both soluble and integral membrane forms of peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) are expressed in the rat anterior pituitary, making it an ideal model system for studying the routing of proteins into secretory granules. To identify the subcellular compartments involved in the routing of integral membrane PAM, we used subcellular fractionation, metabolic labeling and immunoblot analysis. Mature secretory granules were found to contain full-length integral membrane PAM along with a significant amount of soluble PAM generated by endoproteolytic cleavage. PAM proteins were not co-distributed with tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase activity during sucrose gradient centrifugation, indicating that the trans-Golgi/TGN is not a major PAM-containing compartment at steady state. Fractionation of the 4,000 g and 10,000 g pellets obtained by differential centrifugation identified a significant amount of integral membrane PAM in a light fraction lacking soluble secretory granule proteins. Metabolic labeling experiments with primary anterior pituitary cells demonstrated that integral membrane PAM enters a light compartment with similar properties only after exit from the trans-Golgi/TGN. Comparison of the metabolic labeling and immunoblot analyses suggests that PAM in this post-trans-Golgi/TGN compartment is in organelles involved in the intracellular recycling of integral membrane PAM. Small amounts of full-length integral membrane PAM were also recovered in fractions containing internalized transferrin and may be in an endosomal compartment following retrieval from the cell surface.
Incremental path-independent integrals in inelastic and dynamic fracture mechanics

Abstract Certain incremental path-independent integrals, of relevance in the mechanics of fracture of elastic-plastic materials described by a classical flow theory of plasticity, are presented. Both quasi-static as well as dynamic fracture situations are considered. The topics discussed include: (i) incremental path-independent integrals that characterize the crack-tip fields in elastic-plastic materials; (ii) incremental integrals related to the incremental total potential energy difference; and (iii) the complementary or dual representations of these integrals. The use of these integrals is illustrated through some numerical examples. Comments are made on the utility of these integrals in postulating rational fracture criteria.
Shapes of cat auditory nerve fiber tuning curves

Tuning curves of auditory nerve fibers in normal-hearing cats were fitted by a computational model comprising four processes. One process accounts for sensitivity in tuning curve tails and consists of an approximation to bandpass filtering by extracochlear structures. The second and third processes describe passive and active components of basilar membrane (BM) mechanics, respectively. The former consists of a lowpass filter function, which provides baseline threshold sensitivity and filtering above characteristic frequency (CF), and the latter consists of a Gaussian that accounts for sharp tuning and high sensitivity around CF. A fourth process, modeled as a high-pass filter, was needed in many fits to account for breaks and plateaus in threshold sensitivity at frequencies above CF. The latter three processes operated on cochlear spatial coordinates rather than stimulus frequency. The four-process description closely accounted for shapes of most tuning curves. Tuning curve tails possessed minima at 40-80 dB SPL, and minima increased with fiber CF. High-frequency cutoffs of tail filters tended to increase with CF, but low-frequency cutoffs were generally constant across CF. Functions describing tails varied from ear to ear but behaved in a similar manner for fibers from a single ear. Passive components of BM resonances possessed baselines with sensitivities that decreased with CF and cutoff slopes that increased with CF. The magnitude of the active component increased smoothly with CF over an 80 + dB range, and its spatial extent was essentially constant at 1.5 mm or 6% of cochlear length regardless of gain magnitude, fiber CF, or threshold sensitivity. Tuning curves from fibers with high and medium spontaneous rates (SRs) and similar CFs had nearly identical shapes, with the sole difference being essentially constant differences in sensitivity across the entire excitatory frequency range. Tuning curve shapes from fibers with low SRs were more variable. These could either resemble those obtained from similarly-tuned fibers with higher SRs, or they could exhibit lower tip-to-tail ratios and reduced active component magnitudes. The latter were typically associated with low maximum discharge rates.
An Alternately Spliced mRNA Encoding Functional Domains of Murine MAdCAM-1

Abstract cDNA clones representing a small (0.8 kb) form of murine mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) mRNA were obtained and sequenced. The sequence was identical to the published 1.6 kb murine MAdCAM-1 cDNA sequence, except that 432 nucleotides encoding the mucin-like and IgA-homologous portions were deleted. This cDNA most likely represents an alternately spliced mRNA. Substantial amounts of both the short and long MAdCAM-1 mRNAs are present in murine mesenteric lymph node. Ig fusion proteins displaying either the short or long forms of MAdCAM-1 can bind Mn ++ -activated JY cells bearing human α4β7 integrin, indicating that the two N-terminal Ig-like domains of MAdCAM-1 are sufficient to bind its integrin counter-receptor.
The unforeseen consequences of cultural resistance: Haskalah and state-mandated reform in the Bohemian lands

This article seeks to interrogate the nature of Jewish cultural transformation in the Bohemian lands in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. What constellation of factors – involving absolutist intentions and reforms, the political culture of the imperial bureaucracy, rabbinic culture and institutions, and urban Jewish practices and aspirations – combined to produce a distinctively ‘Bohemian’ Haskalah? And how did conservative Jewish leaders express resistance to new patterns of behaviour and thought – and with what results? Prague and the Bohemian lands provide a kind of historical laboratory in which to observe both the power and the limits of traditional Jewish authority and of conservative responses to transformative change. Prague’s was not the reactionary conservatism of Hatam Sofer’s Hungary; its resistance operated, rather, as a succession of brakes on the pace and extent of change, an effort to maintain a strict separation between educational streams without standing in the way of ...
Collectors and Collecting: A Social Psychological Perspective

Collecting is a pervasive behavior in our culture, yet it has received little attention in the psychological literature. We examine eight aspects of the collecting process, drawing on existing ideas and research in social psychology as well as existing research on collectors and collecting to describe the motivations that underlie collecting behavior. We suggest that collectors are drawn to collecting as a means of bolstering the self by setting up goals that are tangible and attainable and provide the collector with concrete feedback of progress.
Sex differences in control of cutaneous blood flow

Women are far more likely than men to suffer from Raynaud's disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are gender differences in local or central control of cutaneous blood flow that could account for the increased incidence of Raynaud's disease in women. To assess cutaneous blood flow, hand blood flow (HBF), finger blood flow (FBF), or skin perfusion (SP) was measured by fluid plethysmography, mercury strain-gauge plethysmography, or laser Doppler spectroscopy, respectively, in 47 volunteers. Basal HBF in men exceeded that of women (12.1 +/- 2.0 versus 6.2 +/- 1.5 ml/100 ml/min). Likewise, FBF in men surpassed that of women (19.5 +/- 4.1 versus 7.7 +/- 1.8 ml/100 ml/min). Similarly, SP in men was greater than that of women (270 +/- 42 versus 81 +/- 16 perfusion units). However, after total body warming (to induce a thermal sympatholysis), HBF in women exceeded that of men, suggesting that the lower basal HBF in women was due to increased sympathetic outflow to the extremities. Mental stress and deep inspiration reduced HBF and SP in men. Paradoxically, both of these maneuvers increased HBF and SP in women. To determine whether these paradoxical responses in women were due to the women's elevated basal sympathetic tone, these experiments were repeated after total body cooling in men to increase sympathetic tone and after total body warming in women to reduce sympathetic tone. Total body cooling reduced HBF and SP in men. Under these conditions, mental stress and deep inspiration induced vasodilation. In women, total body warming for 10 minutes increased HBF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fluoroantimonic acid hexahydrate (HSbF6·6H2O) catalysis: The ring-opening polymerization of epoxidized soybean oil ☆

Abstract Ring-opening polymerization of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) catalyzed by a super acid, fluoroantimonic acid hexahydrate (HSbF 6 ·6H 2 O) in ethyl acetate was conducted in an effort to develop useful biodegradable polymers. The resulting polymerized ESO (SA-RPESO) was characterized using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, solid state 13 C NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that ESO was effectively polymerized by fluoroantimonic acid and formed polymers with relatively high crosslink density. Glass transition temperatures of these polymers ranged from −13 °C to −21 °C. TGA results showed the SA-RPESO polymers were thermally stable at temperatures up to 200 °C. Decomposition of the polymers was found to occur at temperatures greater than 350 °C. GPC results indicated the extracted soluble substances from SA-RPESO polymers were oligomers of ESO. These soybean oil-based polymers will be functionalized to hydrogels and their applications explored in the personal and health care areas.
Cerebellar metabolic activation by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in human brain: A study with positron emission tomography and 18F-2-Fluoro-2-deoxyglucose

We investigated the effects of acute i.v. administration of 2 mg of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on regional brain glucose metabolism using 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose and positron emission tomography (PET) in eight normal subjects. Subjects were tested twice: during baseline conditions and 30-40 min after THC administration. Changes in global cerebral glucose metabolism in response to THC were variable: three subjects showed an increase, three showed a decrease, and two showed no change. In contrast, all subjects showed an increase in normalized metabolism in the cerebellum following THC administration. Cerebellar changes were the only significant regional metabolic changes due to THC administration. The increase in metabolic activity in the cerebellum was correlated with the subjective sense of THC intoxication and with plasma THC concentration. Cerebellar localization of metabolic effects due to THC administration corresponds well with the high density of cannabinoid receptors known to be in this area.
Disruption of glycogen phosphorylase gene expression in Dictyostelium: evidence for altered glycogen metabolism and developmental coregulation of the gene products.

Abstract Glycogen phosphorylase 1 and 2, the isozymes responsible for glycogen degradation, are encoded by separate genes in Dictyostelium. The two gene products display different transcriptional and translational expression and distinct post-translational regulation. Using DNA-mediated transformation, Dictyostelium clones which lacked either glycogen phosphorylase 1 or 2 (gp 1 or gp 2) expression were obtained. The loss of either enzyme did not change axenic growth patterns, developmental progression, or gross organismic morphology. In gp 1 − strains, glycogen accumulated to a 17- to 28-fold higher level during late stationary phase without any obvious detrimental effects. This implies that no alternative pathway for glycogen degradation is present in amoebae, and that glycogen metabolism is not critical for vegetative cell growth. Developmental glycogen concentrations were not altered significantly in any of the transformants, but in gp 2 − cells the posttranslational regulation of the intact gp 1 enzyme was apparently modulated to compensate for the loss of gp 2. Western blots of microdissected, lyophilized Dictyostelium slugs and early culminates showed that gp 2 was found in both prestalk and prespore cells, with a slight enrichment in prespore cells. The gp 1 protein was highly enriched in prestalk cells in the parental strain. In gp 2 − transformants, however, gp 1 was detected in equal amounts in both cell types. The loss of gp 2 led to a shift in the cell-type-specific expression pattern of gp 1, presumably due to developmental co- ordinate regulation of gp 1 and gp 2 at the translational and/or transcriptional level.
Estrogen protects against brain lipid peroxidation in ethanol-withdrawn rats

This study examined whether 17beta-estradiol (E2) administration protects against ethanol withdrawal (EW)-associated oxidative insults by assessing oxidative markers thiobarbituric-acid-reacting-substances (TBARS). Ovariectomized rats implanted with E2 (EW/E2) or oil pellets (EW/Oil) received chronic ethanol (7.5% wt./vol., 5 weeks) or control dextrin diet (Dextrin/Oil). At 24 or 48 h of EW, rats were tested for overt EW signs and the cerebellum, hippocampus, and cortex were prepared for TBARS assessment in the presence and absence of FeCl3. For control experiments, we assessed E2 effects on blood ethanol concentrations and TBARS levels during ethanol exposure prior to EW. The EW/Oil group showed enhanced endogenous- and FeCl3-stimulated membrane TBARS levels in the cerebellum and hippocampus in a manner inhibited by E2 treatment. There was a relationship between the severity of EW and elevation of TBARS levels, particularly in the cerebellum. The enhanced TBARS levels at 24 h of EW appeared to diminish at 48 h in the hippocampus, but persisted in the cerebellum. E2 treatment did not alter blood ethanol concentrations and ethanol exposure alone did not enhance TBARS levels. These data suggest that EW rather than ethanol enhances brain lipid peroxidation that is transient and brain-region specific. Estrogens protect against the brain lipid peroxidation in a manner independent of blood ethanol concentrations.