cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCE RATIOS IN STARS OF THE OUTER GALACTIC DISK. III. CEPHEIDS

We present metallicities, [Fe/H], and elemental abundance ratios, [X/Fe], for a sample of 24 Cepheids in the outer Galactic disk based on high-resolution echelle spectra. The sample members have galactocentric distances covering 12 kpc ≤ RGC ≤ 17.2 kpc, making them the most distant Galactic Cepheids upon which detailed abundance analyses have been performed. We find subsolar ratios of [Fe/H] and overabundances of [α/Fe], [La/Fe], and [Eu/Fe] in the program stars. All abundance ratios exhibit a dispersion that exceeds the measurement uncertainties. As seen in our previous studies of old open clusters and field giants, enhanced ratios of [α/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] reveal that recent star formation has taken place in the outer disk with Type II supernovae preferentially contributing ejecta to the interstellar medium and with Type Ia supernovae playing only a minor role. The enhancements for La suggest that asymptotic giant branch stars have contributed to the chemical evolution of the outer Galactic disk. Some of the young Cepheids are more metal-poor than the older open clusters and field stars at comparable galactocentric distances. This demonstrates that the outer disk is not the end result of the isolated evolution of an ensemble of gas and stars. We showed previously that the older open clusters and field stars reached a basement metallicity at about 10-11 kpc. The younger Cepheids reach the same metallicity but at larger galactocentric distances, roughly 14 kpc. This suggests that the Galactic disk has been growing with time, as predicted from numerical simulations. The outer disk Cepheids appear to exhibit a bimodal distribution for [Fe/H] and [α/Fe]. Most of the Cepheids continue the trends with galactocentric distance exhibited by S. M. Andrievsky's larger Cepheid sample, and we refer to these stars as the Galactic Cepheids. A minority of the Cepheids show considerably lower [Fe/H] and higher [α/Fe], and we refer to these stars as the Merger Cepheids. One signature of a merger event would be composition differences between the Galactic and Merger Cepheids. The Cepheids satisfy this requirement, and we speculate that the distinct compositions suggest that the Merger Cepheids may have formed under the influence of significant merger or accretion events. The short lifetimes of the Cepheids reveal that the merger event may be ongoing, with the Monoceros Ring and Canis Major galaxy being possible merger candidates.
Illustrative cases on individualizing immunoglobulin therapy in primary immunodeficiency disease

Abstract Objective To illustrate the need for individualized immunoglobulin therapy in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs) and review current evidence on how best to identify the biological serum IgG level in patients with antibody-deficient PIDD. Data Sources Two case studies from the author's clinical practice are discussed. PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched for articles pertaining to serum immunoglobulin levels in patients with PIDD and the relation of trough IgG levels to infection incidence and outcomes. Study Selections Articles and case studies were selected for their relevance to the individualization of IgG therapy for patients with PIDD. The case studies support the position that each patient has a specific “biological” serum IgG level associated with decreasing or preventing recurrent infection. Results Patients with antibody-deficient PIDD are routinely treated with lifelong immunoglobulin replacement. Although a starting dose has been suggested, the dose of IgG that maintains serum IgG levels that protect against severe or recurrent infection has not been determined. It is likely the serum IgG level required to prevent infection in these patients varies as it does in normal individuals. This biological serum IgG level must be identified for each patient by plotting documented infections vs serum IgG levels over time. Conclusion Clinical experience and recent evidence suggest that optimal treatment of patients with PIDD involves individualizing IgG treatment to identify the optimal IgG serum levels that are required for each patient to become free of recurrent infection or pneumonia instead of trying to achieve a single optimal serum IgG level for all patients.
Graphite furnace AAS for biological materials

Abstract The modern graphite furnace technology dates only from about 1980 yet it has become the most widely used method for determining metals at ultratrace levels in biological materials. The characteristics of the technology are discussed and the status of methodological development for biological materials is reviewed. Those elements for which simple routine methods are available include at least Al, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Se. Many other elements await only verification of preliminary methods. Some elements require better detection limits than are available by direct furnace methods and these await convenient techniques for extracting the element to improve sensitivity.
A transitional alkalic dolerite dike suite of Mesozoic age in Southeastern New England

Dike rocks from the New England platform of Rhode Island and adjacent Massachusetts consist of premetamorphic and post-metamorphic suites. The older group includes metamorphosed dolerite, minette, and schistose dioritic rocks. Post-metamorphic dikes consist of dolerite and sparse monchiquite. The post-metamorphic dolerites are of comparable age to the Eastern North American dolerite suite associated with the Mesozoic basins along the eastern seaboard of North America. However, the southeastern New England dolerites exhibit mineralogy and chemistry more typical of a transitional alkalic suite compared to the more subalkalic tholeiitic dolerites of the Eastern North American suite. Both suites are compatible with a rift tectonic setting, but the more alkalic dolerites may represent a deeper source of small volume melts compared to the Eastern North American dolerites. These more alkaline melts may have concentrated at local centers, or they may be typical of flank dolerites as opposed to the less alkalic varieties that occur within the central axial rift.
Prednisolone inhibits LPS-induced bone marrow suppressor cell activity in vitro but not in vivo

Glucocorticoids are used clinically to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases including endotoxemia. We hypothesized that injecting mice with the steroid prednisolone (pred) would mitigate the enhanced bone marrow (BM) natural suppressor (NS) cell activity that occurs in mice after receiving an injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vitro, prednisolone blocked the ability of NS cells to produce the immunosuppressive molecule nitric oxide (NO) and also the ability to suppress T cell proliferation. Prednisolone acted both indirectly, by blocking synthesis of cytokines necessary for NS cell activation, and also directly on NS cells, by blocking production of NO. In vivo, variable results were obtained. Prednisolone at 20 microg/gm did decrease NS activity when injected into normal mice. However, when mice were injected with both LPS and prednisolone (0.2 or 20 microg/gm), a large increase in BM NS activity was observed. The increase was evident in both the ability of the BM cells to suppress T cell proliferation and to produce NO. The data show that, in vivo, the steroid prednisolone in conjunction with the inflammatory compound LPS act to enhance BM NS activity.
Programmable parts: a demonstration of the grammatical approach to self-organization

In this paper, we introduce a robotic implementation of the theory of graph grammars (Klavins et al., 2005), which we use to model and direct self-organization in a formal, predictable and provably-correct fashion. The robots, which we call programmable parts, float passively on an air table and bind to each other upon random collisions. Once attached, they execute local rules that determine how their internal states change and whether they should remain bound. We demonstrate through experiments how they can self-organize into a global structure by executing a common graph grammar in a completely distributed fashion. The system also presents a challenge to the grammatical method (and to distributed systems approaches in general) due to the stochastic nature of its dynamics. We conclude by discussing these challenges and our initial approach to addressing them.
Intracranial nail-sets. An unusual self-inflicted foreign body. Case report.

This is a case report of a man who attempted suicide by methodically driving two large nail-sets into his brain. He was treated succesfully by extraction of the foreign body, local debridement without extensive intracerebral debridement, and antibiotic therapy.
2001: A Household Analysis of Huastec Maya Agriculture and Land Use at the Height of the Coffee Crisis

Over the last decade, historically low market prices for Coffea arabica have affected smallholder shade coffee-growing households throughout northern Latin America. In an effort to better understand household response to the coffee crisis and associated landscape changes, this paper examines agricultural production choices and land use patterns among Huastec Maya coffee-growing households. Using data compiled from 47 household interviews, I describe the cultural-geographical landscape in which the Huastec Maya land use system is embedded. In addition, I examine the economics of household production through a financial cost-benefit analysis and through an exploration of the relationship between land availability and land use patterns. Results show that economic inputs and returns from agriculture are highly variable, and that, in 2001, coffee cultivation was not a viable cash-generating strategy for most households. Land availability was found to have a significant effect on land use decisions, especially the proportion of land area devoted to fallow. Most importantly, however, the case study suggests that a purely economic approach does not suffice in explaining why the Huastec Maya continued to grow coffee in 2001, after years of low prices. Household production choices and livelihood strategies must also be viewed within a cultural context.
Power of univariate and multivariate analyses of repeated measurements in controlled clinical trials.

The power of univariate and multivariate tests of significance is compared in relation to linear and nonlinear patterns of treatment effects in a repeated measurement design. Bonferroni correction was used to control the experiment-wise error rate in combining results from univariate tests of significance accomplished separately on average level, linear, quadratic, and cubic trend components. Multivariate tests on these same components of the overall treatment effect, as well as a multivariate test for between-groups difference on the original repeated measurements, were also evaluated for power against the same representative patterns of treatment effects. Results emphasize the advantage of parsimony that is achieved by transforming multiple repeated measurements into a reduced set of meaningful composite variables representing average levels and rates of change. The Bonferroni correction applied to the separate univariate tests provided experiment-wise protection against Type I error, produced slightly greater experiment-wise power than a multivariate test applied to the same components of the data patterns, and provided substantially greater power than a multivariate test on the complete set of original repeated measurements. The separate univariate tests provide interpretive advantage regarding locus of the treatment effects. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 465–485, 1999.
Influence of laying on lead accumulation in bone of mallard ducks

Paired mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were given No. 4 lead shot, and bone lead concentrations were compared in drakes and in laying and nonlaying hens. Lead accumulation was significantly greater in bones with a high medullary content (femur and sternum) compared with bones with a lower medullary content (ulna‐radius or wingbones). In dosed groups, hens always contained higher bone lead residues than drakes. After dosage with one shot (∼ 200 mg lead), lead in femurs of laying hens averaged 488.4 ppm compared with 173.6 ppm in nonlaying hens. Femurs of drakes averaged 9.4 ppm lead. Dosage with the second lead shot did not result in further accumulation of bone lead in hens, but increased bone lead concentrations threefold in drakes, suggesting that saturation levels for bone lead had already been reached in the hens after ingestion of one shot. There was no demonstrable relationship between egg production and bone lead residues. The high lead residues found in medullary bones of laying hens indicate t...
The effects of social reinforcement and task difficulty level on the pleasure derived by normal and retarded children from cognitive challenge and mastery

Abstract In order to examine several factors influencing the pleasure derived from mastery, 32 normal first-grade children (mean MA = 7.7) and 32 MA-matched familial mentally retarded children were given puzzles representing four difficulty levels. Half of the children were socially reinforced for their successes and half performed in an experimenter-absent condition. There was more smiling among normal than retarded children, in the social reinforcement than in the experimenter-absent condition, and among girls than boys. The condition effect was greater for girls than boys. In the experimenter-absent condition, normal children displayed more pleasure on the difficult than on the easy puzzles, whereas the trend was just the reverse for the retarded children. Large within-sex differences were found for normal girls only, revealing that one subgroup derived more pleasure from the more difficult puzzles whereas another subgroup enjoyed the easier puzzles more. The findings were discussed in terms of the author's refinement of White's model of effectance motivation.
DEC1 is a downstream target of TGF-β with sequence-specific transcriptional repressor activities

To identify genes that mediate transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, a colorectal cancer cell line that was sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of this cytokine was created. We then determined the global gene expression profiles of these cells, and those of HaCaT human keratinocytes, in the presence and absence of TGF-β. Of the several genes identified in this screen, DEC1 was of particular note in light of the rapidity and consistency of its induction and its potential biochemical activities. We identified a consensus DNA-binding site for DEC1 and showed that DEC1 could repress the transcription of a reporter containing this binding site in its promoter. Finally, both alleles of the DEC1 locus in HaCaT cells were inactivated through targeted homologous recombination. This approach revealed that DEC1 induction was not required for the growth inhibition mediated by TGF-β in this line. However, DEC1 may function in concert with other signaling components to mediate certain biologic effects of TGF-β.
B74-23 Numerical Control&#8211;Mathematics and Applications

This book, translated from the original French publication of 1970, is accurately described by its title. Approximately 50 percent of the book is concerned with descriptions of numerically controlled machine tools and their application. The remainder is a very mathematical treatment of the analytic geometry necessary to define lines, curves, surfaces, and points of contact for numerically controlled tools.
Diffusion Model for Insect Dispersal

The physical model for the self-diffusion of a gaseous material is applied to the analysis of insect dispersal data. Because this model is derived from well-understood mathematical principles, the model provides biological information not available from other models. In particular, through application of the model in analyzing dispersal data, one can obtain an independent estimate of mortality in the field. The model also provides some behavioral data. Examples of the application of the model to data sets from the literature are given.
Correction to: Absolute abundance and distribution of Rb, K and Sr in the earth

Abstract Geochemical probabilities are used to estimate the absolute abundances of K and Rb in the earth. This leads to a knowledge of the abundance of Sr, which is found to support the meteorite model for the abundance of non-volatile trace elements. Crustal evolution rates are limited by these conclusions.
Pilot study of intravenous magnesium sulfate in refractory cardiac arrest: safety data and recommendations for future studies

Abstract Recent case reports have evidenced a temporal association between administration of i.v. magnesium sulfate (M) and resuscitation from prolonged cardiac arrest refractory to standard (S) ACLS attempts. However, speculation has arisen that M as a vasodilator, may decrease aortic diastolic and coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), aortic systolic and cerebral perfusion pressures (CePP), which may decrease resuscitation rates and neurologic recovery, as compared to standard ACLS alone (SA). Objective: To resolve positive beginning evidence vs. negative theory, we conducted a pilot study of M+S vs. SA in refractory cardiac arrest on resuscitation rates (% R, return of stable pulses > 30 min without CPR, first in-hospital cardiac arrest > 5-min duration) and neurologic recovery/survival to hospital discharge (SHD). Methods: All patients from 1 January 1990, 31 December 1991 at Rose Hospital, in cardiac arrest refractory to S through the first epinephrine dose (including 3 defibrillation attempts with pulseless VT VF ) were included in the data analysis, except: (1) patients with trauma, known poisoning, 6 29 ) M+S patients vs. 9% ( 3 33 ) SA (P = 0.17), even though cardiac arrest time on the study code call for resuscitated patients averaged shorter with SA (14.2 min) than M+S (19.8 min). M was frequently administered late in the resuscitation attempt — code call to M administration averaged 16.5 min ( 4 28 patients). A trend toward increased % R with M was evidenced: 21% ( 7 33 ) SA vs. 35% ( 10 29 ) M+S (P = 0.21). A temporal association between M administration and first return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was also documented in 4 of 10 M+S patients (pulseless electrical activity (3)/pulseless VT (1)), who had first ROSC R occur within 0.5–2.25 min following first i.v. M bolus delivery, after 11–30 min (mean = 20 min) of continuous pulseless rhythm refractory to standard ACLS. All M+S resuscitations occurred within the dose range 2.5–5 g (i.v. push): 3 6 (50%) and 7 13 (54%) R occurred with 1–3 g and 4–5 g MgSO4, respectively (at least 11 13 patients had peripheral i.v. delivery with 4–5 g M). Analyzing post-ROSC hypotension proved important, as 50% of pts with first recorded systolic BP post-ROSC 90 mmHg (P = 0.10). A trend toward increased post-ROSC hypotension was evidenced with i.v. MgSO4: Recorded first or second systolic BP
Mechanisms of endothelin-1-induced MAP kinase activation in adrenal glomerulosa cells

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) such as angiotensin II, bradykinin and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are critically involved in the regulation of adrenal function, including aldosterone production from zona glomerulosa cells. Whereas, substantial data are available on the signaling mechanisms of ET-1 in cardiovascular tissues, such information in adrenal glomerulosa cells is lacking. Bovine adrenal glomerulosa (BAG) cells express receptors for endothelin-1 (ET-1) and their stimulation caused phosphorylation of Src (at Tyr416), proline-rich tyrosine kinase (Pyk2 at Tyr402), extracellularly regulated signal kinases (ERK1/2), and their dependent proteins, p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK-1) and CREB. ET-1 elicited these responses predominantly through activation of a G(i)-linked cascade with a minor contribution from the G(q)/PKC pathway. Whereas, selective inhibition of EGF-R kinase with AG1478 caused complete inhibition of EGF-induced ERK/RSK-1/CREB activation, it caused only partial reduction (30-40%) of such ET-1-induced responses. Consistent with this, inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) with GM6001 reduced ERK1/2 activation by ET-1, consistent with partial involvement of the MMP-dependent EGF-R activation in this cascade. Activation of ERK/RSK-1/CREB by both ET-1 and EGF was abolished by inhibition of Src, indicating its central role in ET-1 signaling in BAG cells. Moreover, the signaling characteristics of ET-1 in cultured BAG cells closely resembled those observed in clonal adrenocortical H295R cells. The ET-1-induced proliferation of BAG and H295 R cells was much smaller than that induced by Ang II or FGF. These data demonstrate that ET-1 causes ERK/RSK-1/CREB phosphorylation predominantly through activation of G(i) and Src, with a minor contribution from MMP-dependent EGF-R transactivation.
Predicting Long-Term Survival for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Another Important Step Forward

In this issue of the journal, 2 distinguished groups of investigators have published long-term (3-year) statistical models for predicting mortality following the 2 primary invasive treatments for coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).1,2 The studies are noteworthy in a few respects: (1) they are huge in that they each comprise more than 340 000 patients who have undergone the procedure of interest; (2) they use registries maintained by national professional societies, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology Foundation; and (3) data from each of the registries are linked to mortality data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to obtain long-term mortality for patients in the study. Articles see p 1491 and p 1501 In addition, the methods used in the studies are characterized by meticulous attention to all of the nuances that are recommended to ensure that the most accurate possible models are obtained—training and validation samples, investigation of proportional hazards assumptions and the consequent separation of models into different time frames, investigation of the functional form of independent variables, testing for interactions, imputation of missing values, and assessment of calibration and discrimination. For PCI, different models were developed for patients with and without ST-elevation myocardial infarction to acknowledge the fundamental difference between those 2 types of patients. The finding that some risk factors are more important in the early stages following the procedure and others are more important later on, also noted by MacKenzie et al,3 is particularly interesting. Shahian et al1 found that some early predictors of risk (smoking, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and dialysis-dependent renal failure) increased over time, whereas others (emergency status, cardiogenic …
Selenium capture using sorbent powders: Mechanism of sorption by hydrated lime

This study investigates the potential of mineral sorbents to capture selenium which is sufficiently volatile to occur in the flue gas in vapor state. The sorption studies are conducted in a high-temperature reactor using SeO{sub 2} as the source of selenium. In both high (800-1000{degree}C) and medium-temperature (400-700{degree}C) range, hydrated lime exhibits superior selenium sorption capability compared to other sorbent powders. The results show that the mechanism of capture by CA(OH){sub 2} is not a simple physical adsorption process but seems to involve a chemical reaction between CaO and SeO{sub 2}. The medium temperature range of 400-600{degree}C is favorable for the reaction to occur and leads to high selenium sorption. At higher temperatures, thermodynamic equilibrium aids dissociation of the reaction product, and the amount of metal capture reduces drastically with increasing temperature. XRD studies further confirm that calcium selenite is the dominant reaction product. 15 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.
Strong optomechanical coupling in slot-type photonic crystal cavities: theory

We demonstrated a strong optomechanical coupling in a high-quality factor (Q) air-slot mode-gap photonic crystal cavity with ultrasmall mode volume, with a coupling length L∼2.9µm. Optomechanical coupling lengths with different slot gaps and lengths were also compared.
Near-wake of a circular cylinder: control by steady and unsteady surface injection

Control of the vortex formation from a cylinder is achieved by steady blowing and unsteady blowing-suction through very small holes arranged in a helical pattern on the surface of the cylinder. Use of high-image-density particle image velocimetry allows characterization of the instantaneous, global structure of the near-wake. The instantaneous and averaged states of the wake are related to the dimensionless magnitudes of blowing and blowing-suction; substantial alterations of the wake structure are attainable. When this type of control is applied simultaneously with oscillatory motion of the cylinder, however, the effects of the cylinder motion become dominant, even at relatively low amplitudes of oscillation, and the near-wake structure regresses to a form similar to that occurring in the absence of surface injection.
High-frequency pressure fluctuations: their significance in the documentation of turbulent blood flow.

The purpose of this report is to indicate the presence of high-frequency pressure fluctuations that are superimposed upon intra-arterial pressure curves in man, and to establish their significance as an indication of the presence of turbulent blood flow. Intracardiac pressure was obtained in 23 patients, utilizing catheter-tip micromanometers. Velocity fluctuations indicative of turbulence were measured in 10 of these patients above the aortic valve. High frequency pressure fluctuations occurred in patients with elevated cardiac output, aortic valvular disease, subaortic stenosis, and atrial septal defect. Patients in whom high frequency velocity fluctuations were measured by hot film anemometry almost always showed high frequency pressure fluctuations on the pressure tracings. This indicated a qualitative relationship between the occurrence of turbulent or disturbed blood flow and the presence of high-frequency pressure fluctuations. A qualitative relationship between fluctuating pressures and fluctuating velocities was also derived on the basis of fluid dynamic theory. Recognition that high-frequency pressure fluctuations result from turbulent blood flow may be of value in the localization of turbulent blood flow which, in some instances, may relate to pathological processes.
An algebraic method for linear dynamical systems with stationary excitations

The paper describes an algebraic method for the second-order statistics of the response of multi-degree-of-freedom linear time-invariant dynamical systems to (zero mean) white noise or stationary filtered white noise excitation. The method is based on the observation that the steady-state covariance matrix Y of the response is the solution of the matrix equation AY+YA′=C, where A′ is the transpose of A. A simple algorithm, which takes advantage of the special form of A, is given for the solution of the matrix equation. The algorithm is particularly suitable for machine computation. The correlation matrix is simply the product of the impulse response matrix and the covariance matrix. The above general method is applied to study the flapping response of a flexible lifting rotor blade in hovering or vertical flight to stationary random excitation. The results of this study show that the conventional rigid blade analysis does not in general give an adequate approximate description of the mean square response of the blade. They also suggest that an adequate approximate solution may be obtained by an uncoupled two-modes analysis if the Lock number of the blade is not too large. An alternate method for the solution of the matrix equation is also given for systems with a large number of degrees of freedom. This alternate method is computationally less efficient but does allow us to keep the calculations strictly in-core for systems with up to 100 degrees of freedom.
The 9L rat brain tumor: Description and application of an animal model

Animal models allow determination of tumor response to anticancer agents under various experimental conditions. The chemically induced 9L rat brain tumor has been developed as both in vivo and in vitro models. Animal survival, clonogenic cell survival, and tumor growth delay provide means to measure the effectiveness of treatment modalities in this tumor model. Monolayer cultures, multicellular spheroid cultures, brain tumors, and flank tumors have been used to study the influence of different biological entities of the 9L model on the response to treatment with radiation and/or BCNU (1,3- bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea).
Modeling light propagation through bacterial colonies and its correlation with forward scattering patterns

Bacterial colonies play an important role in the isolation and identification of bacterial species, and plating on a petri dish is still regarded as the gold standard for confirming the cause of an outbreak situation. A bacterial colony consists of millions of densely packed individual bacteria along with matrices such as extracellular materials. When a laser is directed through a colony, complicated structures encode their characteristic signatures, which results in unique forward scattering patterns. We investigate the connection between the morphological parameters of a bacterial colony and corresponding forward scattering patterns to understand bacterial growth morphology. A colony elevation is modeled with a Gaussian profile, which is defined with two critical parameters: center thickness and diameter. Then, applying the scalar diffraction theory, we compute an amplitude modulation via light attenuation from multiple layers of bacteria while a phase modulation is computed from the colony profile. Computational results indicate that center thickness plays a critical role in the total number of diffraction rings while the magnitude of the slope of a colony determines the maximum diffraction angle. Experimental validation is performed by capturing the scattering patterns, monitoring colony diameters via phase contrast microscope, and acquiring the colony profiles via confocal displacement meter.
The Natural Environment, Innovation, and Firm Performance: A Comparative Study

In this article, we investigate the effect of firm-level natural-environment-related policies on innovation and financial performance in family and nonfamily firms. Our findings demonstrate that family firms are better able to facilitate environmentally friendly firm policies associated with improved firm innovation and greater financial performance more effectively than their nonfamily competitors.
Deep brain stimulation for phantom perceptions

A strategy for treating phantom perceptions, such as tinnitus, through deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the striatum and a lead design supporting such therapy is described. Both normal and phantom perceptions are thought to involve both neuronal activity in modality-specific portions of the brain, such as the cerebral cortex, acting in coordination with integrative circuits, such as those of the basal ganglia. Each stage of processing represents a target for therapies which interfere with perception of the phantom. Treatments of phantom perceptions have targeted brain structures related to sensory processing. For example, tinnitus treatments have involved interfering with auditory processing, such as by adding a masking sound at the auditory periphery, by directly stimulating the auditory cortex or by engaging plasticity in the auditory cortex. An alternative strategy is to interfere with the integrative process, such as by stimulating the terminal projection of specific areas of the cerebral cortex, related to the phantom modality, within the striatum. The strategy has the advantage of being applicable to a wide range of phantom perceptions. It also has the potential to block perception of the phantom without introducing new treatment-related perceptions.
ApoE in atherosclerosis : a protein with multiple hats.

Apolipoprotein (apo) E, which is present in plasma lipoproteins that carry dietary and liver-derived cholesterol, plays a protective role in atherosclerosis.1 ApoE plays a requisite role in remnant lipoprotein clearance by the liver, and although hepatic LDL receptors can clear both LDL and apoE-containing lipoproteins, LDL receptor–related protein-mediated clearance of remnants is dependent on apoE.2 Compared with wild-type mice, apoE-deficient mice have high levels of plasma cholesterol as a result of this impaired clearance of cholesterol-enriched lipoproteins.3 Moreover, these apoE-deficient mice develop complex atherosclerotic lesions that are a direct result of the plasma accumulation of cholesterol-rich lipoproteins. Addition of apoE to apoE-deficient mice (by either expression of apoE transgenes,4 intravenous injection of synthetic mimics of apoE,5 or administration of adenovirus to achieve hepatic expression of apoE6 ) reduces plasma cholesterol levels and provides protection against the progression of atherosclerosis. Thus, apoE plays a requisite role in maintenance of plasma cholesterol levels. Although most plasma apoE is made by the liver, other tissues also make apoE. For example, in the absence of any hepatic production of apoE, apoE made only by macrophages can participate in liver-mediated uptake of cholesterol-rich lipoproteins.7 Importantly, there is an optimal level of plasma apoE that is required for lipoprotein clearance. Overexpression of human apoE3 in apoE-deficient mice at levels of >30 mg/dL leads to a hypertriglyceridemia due to both an apoE-dependent increase in hepatic VLDL triglyceride production and interference with apoC-II–dependent …
Preparation and Evaluation in Vitro and Vivo of Copoly (lactic/glycolic) acid Microspheres Containing Norethisterone

Poly (lactic/glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres containing 20% norethisterone (NET) were prepared and the preparation methodolagy was optimised. The microspheres showed a slow and steady release pattern up to more than 96 hours in 27.5 wt% ethanol solution. In vivo performance of the microspheres indicated that a single intramuscular injection of 80mg of microspheres could significantly prolong the duration of estrus suppression up to 45 days in rats. In addition, the studies on the stability of microspheres showed that there was no significant change both in the NET content of microspheres and the NET release rate in vitro after storage for one year.
Reducing disk flutter by improving aerodynamic design of base castings

The purpose of this paper is to present two aerodynamically designed base castings that could substantially reduce disk flutter due to turbulent excitations in high-speed disk drives. The first design includes aerodynamic brackets to smooth the shroud contour and an extended shroud to reduce the shroud opening. The second design is a Velcro treatment to modify turbulence generation. Experimental results show that smoothing the shroud corners and reducing the shroud opening can reduce disk flutter by as much as 50%. Introducing a Velcro layer to the inner surface of the shroud can perturb the boundary layer and modify turbulent excitations.
Live Candida albicans suppresses production of reactive oxygen species in phagocytes.

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important aspect of phagocyte-mediated host responses. Since phagocytes play a crucial role in the host response to Candida albicans, we examined the ability of Candida to modulate phagocyte ROS production. ROS production was measured in the murine macrophage cell line J774 and in primary phagocytes using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. J774 cells, murine polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), human monocytes, and human PMN treated with live C. albicans produced significantly less ROS than phagocytes treated with heat-killed C. albicans. Live C. albicans also suppressed ROS production in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages from C57BL/6 mice, but not from BALB/c mice. Live C. albicans also suppressed ROS in response to external stimuli. C. albicans and Candida glabrata suppressed ROS production by phagocytes, whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae stimulated ROS production. The cell wall is the initial point of contact between Candida and phagocytes, but isolated cell walls from both heat-killed and live C. albicans stimulated ROS production. Heat-killed C. albicans has increased surface exposure of 1,3-β-glucan, a cell wall component that can stimulate phagocytes. To determine whether surface 1,3-β-glucan exposure accounted for the difference in ROS production, live C. albicans cells were treated with a sublethal dose of caspofungin to increase surface 1,3-β-glucan exposure. Caspofungin-treated C. albicans was fully able to suppress ROS production, indicating that suppression of ROS overrides stimulatory signals from 1,3-β-glucan. These studies indicate that live C. albicans actively suppresses ROS production in phagocytes in vitro, which may represent an important immune evasion mechanism.
The EVE companion simulator

This paper describes the EVE companion simulator, ECS, a four-valued gate level simulator which compliments a simulation methodology that uses the engineering verification engine, EVE. ECS is, like EVE, a zero- and unit-delay cycle simulator, but unlike EVE, ECS is a software simulator which runs on a general purpose computer. The basic simulation paradigm of ECS is event driven to exploit latency. ECS uses the same design description interface as EVE, enabling an EVE model to be run on either the hardware accelerator or the software simulator. The major use of ECS is in the interactive debug of large models, where the model is run on the hardware accelerator, a checkpoint is taken and then loaded into the software simulator. In this paper, the authors give an overview of the ECS architecture and simulation technique, and describes how ECS is used in conjunction with EVE. >
Impact of model errors on predicting performance of matching-critical circuits

Existing approaches to modeling mismatch effects in matching-critical circuits are based upon models derived under the widely accepted premise that distributed parameter devices can be modeled with lumped parameter models. It is shown in this paper that the lumped parameter models do not consistently reflect device performance and introduce substantial errors in matching-critical circuits if either systematic or random parameter variations occur in the channel.
Inhibition of platelet GPIIb–IIIa and P-selectin expression by aspirin is impaired by stress hyperglycemia

Increased aspirin resistance may contribute to the increase in thrombotic events observed in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this study, we examined if acute exposure to increased plasma glucose impaired the inhibitory effects of aspirin on platelet activation. Whole-blood samples were incubated with 100 (euglycemia), 200, 300, and 600 mg/dl glucose followed by incubation with aspirin [acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)]. Using flow cytometry, GPIIb-IIIa and P-selectin were analyzed in unstimulated and arachidonic acid (AA)-stimulated platelets. In euglycemic blood, AA caused a significant increase in platelet GPIIb-IIIa expression [unstimulated: 59.5+/-8.2 total fluorescence intensity (TFI), AA stimulated: 319.6+/-42.7 TFI, P=.002] and P-selectin (4.4+/-0.7 and 179.5+/-38.5 TFI, P<.001). In vitro, ASA significantly inhibited both GPIIb-IIIa expression (36.5%) and P-selectin expression (81%; P<.005). However, increased blood glucose (200 mg/dl) significantly impaired the inhibitory effect of ASA (84% for GPIIb-IIIa, P<.005; 48% for P-selectin, P=NS). Increasing glucose to 600 mg/dl completely overwhelmed the inhibitory effect of ASA. A statistically significant interaction between glucose concentration and ASA dose was found (P<.001 for GPIIb-IIIa and P=.004 for P-selectin). In vitro, concentration-dependent stress hyperglycemia significantly impaired the inhibitory effects of aspirin on human platelet GPIIb-IIIa and P-selectin expression. Under acute hyperglycemic conditions, the effectiveness of ASA to inhibit platelets via the AA-activation pathway may be significantly reduced.
Nonconcurrent error detection and correction in fault-tolerant discrete-time LTI dynamic systems

This paper develops resource-efficient alternatives to modular redundancy for fault-tolerant discrete-time (DT) linear time-invariant (LTI) dynamic systems. The proposed method extends previous approaches that are based on embedding the state of a given DT LTI dynamic system into the redundant state-space of a DT LTI dynamic system of higher state dimension. These embeddings, as well as the embeddings studied in this paper, preserve the state evolution of the original system in some linearly encoded form and allow error detection and correction to be performed through concurrent parity checks (i.e., parity checks that are evaluated at the end of each time step). The novelty of the approach developed in this paper relies on carefully choosing the redundant dynamics of the fault-tolerant implementation in a way that allows parity checks to capture the evolution of errors in the system and, based on nonconcurrent parity checks (e.g., parity checks that are evaluated periodically), uniquely determine the initial value of each error, the time step at which it took place and the state variable it originally affected. The resulting error detection, identification, and correction procedures can be performed periodically and can significantly reduce the overhead, complexity and reliability requirements on the checking mechanism.
An automated unique tagging system using CMOS process variation

An Automated Unique Tagging System (AUTS) is presented, intended for RFID applications, that generates identification numbers based on random process variations, circumventing the need for non-volatile memories such as EEPROM or Flash. A sense amplifier is used to measure the mismatch in threshold voltage between two identical NMOS devices and generate a 1-bit random output. The AUTS has been fabricated in the TSMC 0.25μm CMOS process and tested.
Characterization of mosquito-adapted West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has significantly expanded its geographical and host range since its 1999 introduction into North America. The underlying mechanisms of evolution of WNV and other arboviruses are still poorly understood. Studies evaluating virus adaptation and fitness in relevant in vivo systems are largely lacking. In order to evaluate the capacity for host-specific adaptation and the genetic correlates of adaptation in vivo, this study measured phenotypic and genotypic changes in WNV resulting from passage in Culex pipiens mosquitoes. An increase in replicative ability of WNV in C. pipiens was attained for the two lineages of WNV tested. This adaptation for replication in mosquitoes did not result in a replicative cost in chickens, but did decrease cell-to-cell spread of virus in vertebrate cell culture. Genetic analyses of one mosquito-adapted lineage revealed a total of nine consensus nucleotide substitutions with no accumulation of a significant mutant spectrum. These results differed significantly from previous in vitro studies. When St Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), a closely related flavivirus, was passaged in C. pipiens, moderately attenuated growth in C. pipiens was observed for two lineages tested. These results suggest that significant differences in the capacity for mosquito adaptation may exist between WNV and SLEV, and demonstrate that further comparative studies in relevant in vivo systems will help elucidate the still largely unknown mechanisms of arboviral adaptation in ecologically relevant hosts.
Preaching at Epiphany : Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom on baptism and the church

From as early as 200 C.E., the church made the spring paschal celebration its primary occasion for baptizing new converts. A week of intense preparation climaxed for the candidates in their reception of baptism early on Easter Sunday. During the fourth century, the preliminary preparation of candidates during Lent included attendance at lectures that gave doctrinal instruction. The catechumens who were ready to receive baptism at the coming Pasch turned in their names to be enrolled for the period of teaching. This registration for the final period of catechetical instruction occurred near the beginning of the year, not long after the feast of Epiphany on 6 January—celebrated in the Eastern church since the fourth century as the feast of the baptism of Christ. The proximity of these two events—a celebration of Christ's baptism and the enrolling of candidates for baptism at the next Pasch—made the time around Epiphany a propitious time for preaching sermons on baptism. Since many catechumens in the fourth century delayed their baptism until old age, many of these sermons took the form of exhortations to baptism in order to encourage the hearers not to postpone baptism but to enroll for the immediate season.
Tricuspid atresia and tetralogy of Fallot in an infant of a diabetic mother.

An infant of a diabetic mother with a prenatal diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot and tricuspid atresia is presented. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of such an association.
Switching codes for delta-I noise reduction

In this paper, we address the off-chip driver delta-I or switching noise problem. We propose a novel approach based on switching codes to reduce this noise. These codes are designed to lower the number of drivers which switch in any given system cycle. A formal theoretic framework for switching codes is developed which provides an upper bound on the number of switching drivers as a function of bit width of the data bus and number of redundant switch bits. Switching codes with error detecting and error correcting capabilities are also presented. Switching codes also reduce the average switching activity and power consumed by the off-chip drivers.
Acute and chronic toxicity of nitrate to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), ceriodaphnia dubia, and Daphnia magna

Increasing concentrations of nitrate in surface water and groundwater are becoming a worldwide concern, yet little information has been published on toxicity of nitrate to common organisms used for toxicity testing. The acute and chronic toxicity of nitrate (NO3-N) to Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, and Pimephales promelas was investigated in 48-h to 17-d laboratory exposures. The 48-h median lethal concentration (LC50) of nitrate to C. dubia and D. magna neonates was 374 mg/L NO3-N and 462 mg/L NO3-N. The no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) and the lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) for neonate production in C. dubia were 21.3 and 42.6 mg/L NO3-N, respectively. The NOEC and LOEC values for neonate production in D. magna were 358 and 717 mg/L NO3-N, respectively. The 96-h LC50 for larval fathead minnows (P. promelas) was 1, 341 mg/L NO3-N. The NOEC and LOEC for 7-d larval and 11-d embryo-larval growth tests were 358 and 717 mg/L NO3-N, respectively. Additional exposure of breeding P. promelas and their fertilized eggs to nitrate did not increase susceptibility further. The LC50 values for all species tested were above ambient concentrations of nitrate reported for surface water. However, the LOEC for C. dubia was within the range of concentrations that could be found in streams draining areas under extensive agricultural cultivation.
A Meta-Analysis of Motivational Interviewing: Twenty-Five Years of Empirical Studies.

Objective: The authors investigated the unique contribution motivational interviewing (MI) has on counseling outcomes and how MI compares with other interventions. Method: A total of 119 studies we...