cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preferential redistribution of lipoprotein-unassociated apoA-IV to an HDL subpopulation with a high degree of LCAT modification.

The relationship between LCAT mediated HDL modification and the redistribution of lipoprotein-unassociated apoA-IV to HDL was investigatedin vitro. Immunoaffinity-isolated rat lipoprotein-unassociated apoA-IV was added to apoB-, apoE-, apoA-IV depleted, [3H]cholesterol labelled rat plasma and incubated at 37°C. The addition of lipoprotein-unassociated apoA-IV resulted in a modest (10%) but significant reduction in the rate of cholesterol esterification. Incubations conducted in the presence of active LCAT led to a time-dependent increase in the amount of the3H label retained by an anti-apoA-IV immunoaffinity column. Lipoproteins retained by the anti-apoA-IV immunoaffinity column had experienced a greater conversion of [3H]cholesterol to [3H]cholesteryl esters (48% esterification at 30 min) than the unretained lipoproteins (19% esterification at 30 min). These data suggest that during the course of LACT-induced cholesterol esterification, lipoprotein-unassociated apoA-IV transfers to a subpopulation of HDL which has been modified by LCAT to a greater extent than the remaining HDL. Further analysis of the data demonstrates that 48% cholesterol esterification is sufficient to allow apoA-IV to be accommodated on the surface of an HDL particle.
University Students' Perceptions of Gender Discrimination in the Workplace: Reality Versus Fiction

For 50 years, laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1991, and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 have protected women from overt discrimination. Although gender inequity persists in today's workplace, its presence and effects continue to be underestimated by the relevant stakeholders. Informal observations have shown that college students consider themselves immune to gender discrimination. The authors sought to ascertain students' perceptions of anticipated gender discrimination. Findings suggest that students perceive gender discrimination as being of little consequence, and that they are likely to enter a gender-neutral workplace. These perceptions could have negative effects on organizations and employees, but education can be used to minimize these consequences.
Reproducibility of the women's module of the behavioral risk factor surveillance system questionnaire☆

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is designed to provide statewide estimates of the prevalence of preventive health practices, including screening. We assessed the reproducibility of responses to the women's health module, which covers breast and cervical cancer screening, hysterectomy, and pregnancy. A random sample of women in Massachusetts (n = 91; response rate for the repeat interview, 70.0%) and a separate random sample of minority women in the state (n = 179; response rate for the repeat interview, 69.4%) were interviewed by telephone twice, 21 to 94 days apart. Differences across administrations in mean prevalence of screening were small. Concordance exceeded 85% for almost all the variables examined, but tended to be lower for nonwhite respondents. After correction for agreement occurring by chance, moderate to excellent values of kappa (range, 0.41 to 0.86) were observed. The women's health module of the BRFSS questionnaire yields highly consistent group mean estimates of prevalence when administered repeatedly to the same individuals. Individual reproducibility is excellent, but may be reduced among minority respondents.
Sulfur nutrition as it contributes to the susceptibility of tobacco and tomato to SO2 injury

Abstract Tobacco and tomato plants grown at varied sulfur levels were exposed to phytotoxic concentrations of atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). Increased sulfur nutrition was associated with a greater degree of SO 2 susceptibility in both species. The increased injury parallelled elevated foliar total-sulfur absorption from both the nutrient solution and the SO 2 -atmosphere.
The Mastermind-like 1 (MAML1) Co-activator Regulates Constitutive NF-κB Signaling and Cell Survival

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-based signaling regulates diverse biological processes, and its deregulation is associated with various disorders including autoimmune diseases and cancer. Identification of novel factors that modulate NF-kappaB function is therefore of significant importance. The Mastermind-like 1 (MAML1) transcriptional co-activator regulates transcriptional activity in the Notch pathway and is emerging as a co-activator of other pathways. In this study, we found that MAML1 regulates NF-kappaB signaling via two mechanisms. First, MAML1 co-activates the NF-kappaB subunit RelA (p65) in NF-kappaB-dependent transcription. Second, MAML1 causes degradation of the inhibitor of NF-kappaB (IkappaBalpha). Maml1-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts showed impaired tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced NF-kappaB responses. Moreover, MAML1 expression level directly influences cellular sensitivity to TNFalpha-induced cytotoxicity. In vivo, mice deficient in the Maml1 gene exhibited spontaneous cell death in the liver, with a large increase in the number of apoptotic hepatic cells. These findings indicate that MAML1 is a novel modulator for NF-kappaB signaling and regulates cellular survival.
Magnetically-controlled velocity selection in a cold atom sample using stimulated Raman transitions

We observe velocity-selective two-photon resonances in a cold atom cloud in the presence of a magnetic field. We use these resonances to demonstrate a simple magnetometer with sub-mG resolution. The technique is particularly useful for zeroing the magnetic field and does not require any additional laser frequencies than are already used for standard magneto-optical traps. We verify the effects using Faraday rotation spectroscopy.
Transcutaneous recording of colonic myoelectrical activity: preliminary results

Purpose: Previous studies have recorded myoelectrical activity (ME) from the lumen of the colon primarily in the 6 cpm range. We sought to determine the feasibility of recording colonic ME transcutaneously.
Development and evaluation of a multistatic ultrawideband random noise radar network

The AFIT noise network (NoNET) is an experimental multistatic ultrawideband random noise radar designed to produce highly accurate, highly resolved imagery of a target scene while maintaining a simple design and low probability of intercept posture. This paper covers the radar node design and processing of the bistatic channel information from a cluster of widely distributed noise radar nodes. Design and integration of a distributed and central signal and data processing architecture enables the matlab-driven signal data acquisition, digital processing and multi-sensor image fusion. Experimental evaluation of the monostatic localization performance reveals its range measurement error standard deviation is 4.8 cm with a range resolution of 87.2(±5.9) cm. AFIT's RCS range provides a clutter free joint coverage area for single and multi-target scenarios for assessing the 16-channel multistatic solution. The average multistatic localization error is assessed as 7.7(±3.1) cm and a comparative analysis is performed against the netted monostatic solution.
Does Money Make Bioethics go ‘Round?

Money is the stuff of life; it is the medium of exchange that we use to buy food, clothes, warmth in the winter, cool in the summer, and the fuel that moves us around the planet. Of course money makes the world go ‘round, but does it, Sharp and his colleagues (2008) want to know, make bioethics go ‘round? We all agree that there are things money cannot buy – happiness, love, contentment – but are there things money can, but should not, buy? How about health care? Citizens in the countries of the developed world (with one notable exception) have decided that while the market may work
Applied Organization Analysis

Corporate departments of organization are growing in number and importance in American business. These departments can be involved in significant organization changes and perform useful organizatio...
Relationship between particle size and magnetoresistance in carbon aerogels prepared under different catalyst conditions

Abstract Previous studies of the temperature dependence of the high-field positive magnetoresistance were carried out for carbon aerogels with a fixed [resorcinol]/[catalyst] ( R C ) molar ratio of 200 but different mass densities. The present work focuses on the effect of the particle size on the transport properties of carbon aerogels of both high and low mass densities by varying the R C ratio within the range of 50–300, the smaller R C ratio corresponding to smaller particle size. Correlations of new results with SQUID and Raman findings identify the nanosize particles to be the localization sites for transport processes. The particle size can be estimated from the Coulomb-gap variable-range hopping model, which has been successful in explaining the low-temperature magnetoresistance data obtained for all carbon aerogels samples. The particle size thus extracted is consistent with transmission electron microscopy measurements on the carbon aerogels and is directly correlated with the R C ratio. In polymeric carbon aerogels ( R C = 50 ), the average particle size becomes comparable with the width of the glassy-carbon-like ribbons within the particles, indeed blurring the distinction between particles and inter-particle links.
Three-Dimensional Traction Force Microscopy: A New Tool for Quantifying Cell-Matrix Interactions

The interactions between biochemical processes and mechanical signaling play important roles during various cellular processes such as wound healing, embryogenesis, metastasis, and cell migration. While traditional traction force measurements have provided quantitative information about cell matrix interactions in two dimensions, recent studies have shown significant differences in the behavior and morphology of cells when placed in three-dimensional environments. Hence new quantitative experimental techniques are needed to accurately determine cell traction forces in three dimensions. Recently, two approaches both based on laser scanning confocal microscopy have emerged to address this need. This study highlights the details, implementation and advantages of such a three-dimensional imaging methodology with the capability to compute cellular traction forces dynamically during cell migration and locomotion. An application of this newly developed three-dimensional traction force microscopy (3D TFM) technique to single cell migration studies of 3T3 fibroblasts is presented to show that this methodology offers a new quantitative vantage point to investigate the three-dimensional nature of cell-ECM interactions.
Research on Mathematical Model of Leveling Process for Plate Mill

In order to calculate the parameters of roller leveling process, the 3D mathematical models of plate leveling based on the curvature integral by elastic-plastic differences were set up. The calculation results by the models showed a good correlation with the measured data from a plate mill which adopts the advanced control system by SMS. The analytic models can be developed which analyzed the leveling process so efficiently that it can be used for process controlling. Additionally, the plastic deformation ratio was analyzed which can account for the leveling phenomenon, and the model was regressed which can be used easily for engineering calculation.
U-shaped sacral fracture and lumbosacral dislocation as a result of a shotgun injury: case report.

Objective Gunshot wounds to the spine and/or sacrum rarely cause spinal instability. Our goal is to report the first case of a U-shaped sacral fracture and lumbosacral dislocation caused by a gunshot injury to the spine. Clinical presentation A 37-year-old man sustained a close-range shotgun wound to the abdomen. The blast partially destroyed the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and fractured the S1 and S2 segments of the spine, resulting in severe neurological deficits with lumbosacral and spinopelvic instability. Intervention Debridement of devitalized tissues, proper antibiotic coverage, decompression of the cauda equina, and lumbopelvic fixation. Conclusion Close-range shotgun injuries result in massive destruction of tissues. As opposed to civilian injuries, a different approach must be taken to prevent infectious complications. A bilateral lumbopelvic fixation using long iliac screws effectively restored lumbosacral pelvic stability.
Finite element modeling of plasticity-induced crack closure with emphasis on geometry and mesh refinement effects

Abstract Two-dimensional, elastic–perfectly plastic finite element analyses of middle-crack tension (MT) and compact tension (CT) geometries were conducted to study fatigue crack closure and to calculate the crack-opening values under plane-strain and plane-stress conditions. The behaviors of the CT and MT geometries were compared. The loading was selected to give the same maximum stress intensity factor in both geometries, and thus approximately similar initial forward plastic zone sizes. Mesh refinement studies were performed on both geometries with various element types. For the CT geometry, negligible crack-opening loads under plane-strain conditions were observed. In contrast, for the MT specimen, the plane-strain crack-opening stresses were found to be significantly larger. This difference was shown to be a consequence of in-plane constraint. Under plane-stress conditions, it was found that the in-plane constraint has negligible effect, such that the opening values are approximately the same for both the CT and MT specimens.
Further characterization of hemolytic component of fire ant venom, mycological aspects.

SummaryThe crystalline hemolytic component of fire ant venom was tested against 21 organisms, mostly human pathogens, by placing a crystal in direct contact with Petri dishes seeded with a different organism. Anti-mycotic action was demonstrated by a lack of growth immediately surrounding the crystal with the following genera: Blastomyces, Candida, Cladosporium, Cryptococcus, Geotrichum, Hormodendrum, Microsporum, Nocardia, Phialophora, and Trichophyton.
Growth, Conservation, and the Necessity of New Alliances

: There is no substitute for direct protection of species and ecosystems. But unless growth in human numbers and material consumption is checked, direct protection will become impossible. Conservation biologists and conservation advocates do not by themselves possess the political resources necessary to achieve adequate direct protection or to check growth. There are many other constituencies, however, whose interests are threatened by growth. Conservation biologists should develop alliances with these constituencies to create a social force that can bring to bear the necessary pressure to change government, corporate, and individual behavior. Building such alliances requires more than traditional forms of education and outreach. It requires reaching people at the deepest levels of culture and personality. Conservation biologists can and should play a role in mobilizing support for conservation through better informed and more carefully crafted outreach. Resumen: No hay substituto para la proteccion directa de especies y ecosistemas. Pero, a menos que se detenga el crecimiento de la poblacion humana y del consumo de recursos, la proteccion directa sera imposible. Los biologos y los defensores de la conservacion por si solos no poseen los recursos politicos necesarios para lograr proteccion directa adecuada ni detener el crecimiento. Sin embargo, hay muchas otras comunidades cuyos intereses estan amenazados por el crecimiento. Los biologos de la conservacion deberian desarrollar alianzas con estas comunidades para crear fuerza social que pueda ejercer la presion necesaria para cambiar la conducta gubernamental, corporativa e individual. La construccion de esas alianzas requiere mas que las formas tradicionales de educacion y extension. Se requiere llegar a niveles muy profundos de cultura y personalidad de la gente. Los biologos de la conservacion pueden y deben jugar un papel en la movilizacion de apoyo para la conservacion a traves de actividades mejor informadas y disenadas con mas cuidado.
Merkel cell carcinoma metastatic to testis

Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon, highly aggressive, neuroendocrine tumor that derives from cutaneous Merkel cells involved in proprioception. It is an extremely aggressive and rapidly fatal cancer. We report a rare case of Merkel cell carcinoma metastatic to the testis with prolonged survival.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A spectrum of disease

Abstract The majority of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) express c-kit, a growth factor receptor with tyrosine kinase activity. Mutations in the c-kit proto-oncogene may lead to constitutive ligand-independent activation of c-kit and subsequent neoplastic transformation. Selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors target this property of GIST and have become the standard chemotherapy for metastatic or unresectable tumors. The mainstay of treatment, however, continues to be complete surgical resection. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors may prove expedient for adjuvant therapy, and are currently the focus of clinical trials conducted by the ACOSOG, RTOG, and ACRIN. It is important to distinguish GISTs from other mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract because of differences in natural history, as well as the efficacy of treatments targeting the GIST tyrosine kinase.
PRP treatment effects on degenerative tendinopathy - an in vitro model study

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become a popular option for the treatment of injured tendons. However, the efficacy of PRP treatment is a matter of heated debate in orthopaedics and sports medicine. In this study, we used a cell culture model to evaluate the potential effects of PRP treatment on degenerative tendinopathy. The in vitro model, which uses the current concept of "diseases-in-a-dish", consisted of tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSCs) that were derived from rabbit tendons and cultured in differentiating media with and without autologous platelet-rich clot releasate (PRCR). We found that 10% PRCR treatment of TSCs blocked their non-tenogenic differentiation, as evidenced by the marked decrease in lipid droplets, proteoglycan accumulation, and calcium deposition on cell surfaces. Moreover, the protein markers for non-tenocytes (adiponectin, collagen type II, and osteocalcin) were either minimally expressed or greatly reduced. However, after TSCs underwent non-tenogenic differentiation by pre-treatment in non-tenogenic media for two days, PRCR only slightly reduced adipogenesis and osteogenesis of TSCs, although chondrogenesis was markedly suppressed. Finally, PRCR treatment after pre-treatment of TSCs in non-tenogenic media for one week had little effect on any of the three nontenogenic differentiations of TSCs. These findings suggest that the injection of PRP in clinics may not be able to effectively reverse the degenerative conditions of late-stage tendinopathy, which are characterized by lipid depositions, proteoglycan accumulation, and calcification, either alone or in combination.
Effects of prostaglandins on regional remodeling changes during tibial healing in beagles: a histomorphometric study.

A histomorphometric study was carried out on bone samples in the region of healing defects in the tibias of beagles of various ages. A 5 mm diameter drill hole defect was made in the mid-shaft of the tibia. Eleven of the beagles received either vehicle (n=6) or prostaglandin E2 orally (n=5) for the 30-day period from surgery to time of necropsy. Ten dogs received local injections of vehicle (n=4) or prostaglandin E1 directly into the defects for the first 10 days after surgery. Double labels were given with each of two fluochrome markers, calcein prior to surgical treatment, and oxytetracycline hydrochloride prior to 30-day sacrifice. The regional remodeling changes were evaluated in 40–50 μm thick cross-sections taken 2 cm proximal to the defect and matching samples from the contralateral side. In the controls, the changes were variable and reflected primarily increased formation on the surfaces of the cortex. Cortical endosteal bone formation, as indicated by oxytetracycline labeling, was increased in both control groups and there was an increase in labeling in the periosteal and haversian envelopes as well, in the local injection control group. In the dogs given prostaglandin E2 orally, there was increased periosteal bone formation in addition to increased cortical-endosteal formation. When healing sides were compared to controls, prostaglandin E2-treated dogs also had increased osteoid formation in all three envelopes and increased resorption surface in the cortical endosteal envelope, indicating accelerated remodeling. The dogs that had received prostaglandin E1 locally also had more periosteal and cortical endosteal bone formation, with an increased amount of osteoid present. Although osteoid surface was greater in comparison to healing sides in controls, there was no corresponding increase in oxytetracycline-labeled surface. This was also true of the periosteal and haversian envelopes of the dogs treated orally with prostaglandin E2. The enhanced changes in regional remodeling seen in both prostaglandin-treated groups were associated with less advanced healing in the defect site.
Hand assisted laparoscopic training for postgraduate urologists: the role of mentoring.

ABSTRACTPurpose:: Hand assisted laparoscopy (HAL) has recently been accepted as a safe alternative for nephrectomy. HAL courses have been offered at several institutions to train novice laparoscopic surgeons in this minimally invasive surgical procedure. Mentoring by a course instructor or an experienced laparoscopist provides assistance to surgeons with their initial operation. However, to our knowledge the impact of mentoring on the clinical practice of HAL is not known. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical practice patterns of urologists following a postgraduate HAL course, comparing course graduates who underwent subsequent mentoring with those who were not mentored.Materials and Methods:: A total of 71 urologists attended a postgraduate training course in HAL at our institution between March 2002 and October 2002. Graduates were given the opportunity for one of the instructors to travel to their home institution and mentor them during their initial case(s). Followup surveys were mailed to the graduat...
Retrospective study of the relationship between agricultural use of 2,4,5‐T and cleft palate occurrence in Arkansas

The relationship between use of the herbicide 2,4,5-T in Arkansas and the concurrent incidence of facial clefts in children was studied retrospectively. Pertinent animal studies of the toxicity of 2,4,5-T, and related compounds were reviewed; embryotoxic and teratogenic effects, including cleft palate, have been noted in several mammalian species. Although newspaper articles appeared linking defoliant use with increased birth anomalies in South Vietnam in 1969, human epidemiology studies have not established a causal relationship between use of 2,4,5-T and birth defects. We felt that additional information concerning the human problem was needed to complement the experimental animal data, so we analyzed facial cleft rates and concurrent estimated use of 2,4,5-T in Arkansas during 1948-1974. Estimated level of exposure to 2,4,5-T was determined by categorizing the 75 Arkansas counties into high-, medium-, or low-exposure groups on the basis of their rice acreage during 6- or 7-year intervals beginning in 1943. A total of 1,201 cases of cleft lip and/or cleft palate for these 32 years was detected by screening birth certificates and checking the records of the Crippled Children's Services. Facial cleft rates, presented by sex, race, time period, and exposure group, generally rose over time. No significant differences were found for any race or sex combination. We believe that the general increase seen in facial cleft incidence in the high and low-exposure groups is attributable to better case finding rather than maternal exposure to 2,4,5-T.
Validation of an Oscillometric Electronic Sphygmomanometer in an Obstetric Population

Use of an automated electronic sphygmomanometer will allow us to minimize the errors inherent in mercury sphygmomanometry. We conducted this validation according to the 1990 protocol of the British Hypertensive Society. We recruited 87 subjects from the antenatal population of Kandang Kerbau Hospital and took three sequential readings using simultaneously both manual and electronic sphygmomanometry. A total of 261 readings from either method were thus collected and the results analyzed to compare the accuracy of electronically read blood pressure with that assessed manually. We found that 89.9% of the electronically read pressures differed from the manually read pressures by 5 mm Hg or less and 98.9% of the electronic readings differed from manual readings by 10 mm Hg or less; only 0.4% of readings had a difference of more than 15 mm Hg. The accuracy of the device was not affected either by the blood pressure or the arm circumference.
Challenges and Future Directions to Evaluating the Association Between Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Childhood Obesity

Obesity is an increasing public health threat worldwide. However, there has been insufficient research addressing the obesogenic potential of prenatal exposure to environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals, largely due to complexities in the design, analysis, and interpretation of such studies. This review describes relevant biological mechanisms, addresses current challenges for investigators, presents potential strategies for overcoming them, and identifies areas where further development is required to improve future research. Special considerations for exposure assessment, outcome heterogeneity, and complex confounding structures are described.
5.1 A 60V auto-zero and chopper operational amplifier with 800kHz interleaved clocks and input bias-current trimming

Precision operational amplifiers (opamp) with 30V supply operation have been widely used to support industrial, instrumentation, and other applications [1]. Most of them have been realized with BJT or JFET processes [1] to offer voltage noise PSD better than 10nV/√Hz and offset voltage drift better than 1μV/°C. Recently, opamps with similar specifications have become available using CMOS based processes [2-4], which can offer a cheaper wafer price. Auto-zeroing and/or chopping are used as essential techniques to reduce offset voltage drift and 1/f noise associated with CMOS input differential pairs. The switching action of those techniques, however, results in unwanted output ripples and glitches, which requires a post-filter and limits usable signal bandwidth. Increasing the switching frequency can extend the usable signal bandwidth, though it introduces DC errors such as offset voltage drift and input bias current. Maximum offset voltage drift of 0.02μV/°C and an input bias current of 600pA have been achieved [3], although the switching frequency at 60kHz limits the usable signal bandwidth. A high switching frequency of 333kHz has been achieved [2], while the maximum offset voltage drift and input bias current are 0.085μV/°C and 850pA, respectively.
Discovering voter preferences in blogs using mixtures of topic models

In this paper we propose a new approach to capture the inclination towards a certain election candidate from the contents of blogs and to explain why that inclination may be so. The method is based on the availability of "ground truth" speeches from the election candidates that are labeled and also on the collection of noisy blogs which are not labeled in any way. In this unsupervised learning scenario, we used probabilistic topic models to cluster the ground truth documents for each candidate into different underlying latent themes. The same topic models were then applied on the blog collection and the "orientation" of each of the blogs with different themes of the election candidate speeches was performed using KL divergence of the topic distribution over the overlapping vocabularies. We used four models for such theme matching, one with a baseline topic model and the other three by weighting the baseline topic model with the positive, negative and the neutral sentiments of the topics. We then used a collaborative objective function to combine the outcome of candidate preference for the blogs under the four models using an Expectation Maximization algorithm. The novelty of our method is highlighted in its use of unannotated data as well as in the combination of the views of the different "experts" explaining the same phenomenon.
Using Grote-Hynes theory to quantify dynamical effects on the reaction rate of enzymatic processes. The case of methyltransferases.

Dynamical effects have recently received much attention in the context of the theoretical investigation of enzymatic catalysis. In this paper we use a combination of Grote−Hynes theory with quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical modeling that is a powerful tool to understand and quantify these dynamical effects in a particular enzyme, the glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT). Comparison of the results obtained for this enzyme with another methyltransferase (catechol O-methyltransferase, COMT) allows us to understand the different nature of the coupling of the environment to the reaction coordinate as a function of the electrostatic interaction established by the reactive subsystem. The transmission coefficients obtained using Grote−Hynes theory are in excellent agreement with molecular dynamics estimations and show that the coupling is higher in GNMT than in COMT. The larger friction observed in GNMT is explained on the basis of the interaction established by the substrate in the active site. The larger va...
Generation of monoclonal antibodies to the zinc finger domain of the eukaryotic transcription factor Sp1.

Using a synthetic peptide that encompasses the zinc finger domain of the eukaryotic transcription factor Sp1, we produced a number of monoclonal antibodies that specifically reacted with the target antigen. Analysis by competitive inhibition assay of five of the monoclonal antibodies revealed that they all recognized a dominant epitope in the synthetic peptide and reacted strongly to recombinantly synthesized β-galactosidase-Sp1 fusion polypeptide. To determine cellular distribution of Sp1-like molecules, cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins from human lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) and a human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (A204) were immunoblotted and reacted with our antibodies. In addition to the well characterized 95 Kd and 105 Kd proteins, considered to be the authentic Sp1 polypeptide, a number of other cellular proteins reacted with these antibodies. Immunofluorescence staining of the cells with mAb to the zinc finger of Sp1 also revealed cell-specific differences in intracellular distribution of Sp1-like molecules. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was readily observed in the rhabdomyosarcoma cells. In contrast, while some HFL-1 cells exhibited staining of only cytoplasm, both cytoplasmic and nuclear immunofluorescence was seen in others.
Follow the leader: price change timing in Internet‐based selling

Internet technologies should lessen information asymmetry, prompting competitive price reactions, but this does not seem to be happening in Internet-based selling. We study empirical regularities of price change timing for music CD vendors and booksellers to assess several theoretical explanations. Our sample includes 123, 680 daily prices for 169 products and 53 firms. Bertrand competition is insufficient to explain our observation that sellers do not shift prices this way. Tacitly collusive responses to competitors' price changes are observed rather than price changes solely in response to demand or cost shifts as would be expected with Bertrand competition. We find evidence of business rules for strategic pricing associated with tacitly collusive pricing and Edgeworth competition. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Jump-start to the wards: a hospitalist model

Summary Background: In recent years, pursuing a second degree during medical school has become an increasingly attractive option. Interested students choose to leave medical school for one or several years, and then return to finish their clinical rotations. However, they often have minimal clinical exposure while completing these degree programmes, and may have difficulty adapting to the clinical environment when returning for their third or fourth year of medical school. Context: Whereas MD and PhD students tend to have clinical re-entry courses at their medical schools, there are no formal reintegration programmes for medical students who choose to pursue 1- or 2-year degrees. Innovation: We designed a 5-day reintegration course based on a hospital service model, with physician assistants or nurse practitioners to aid in student transition to clinical rotations, and describe the experience of a dual-degree medical student participating in this re-entry model. Implications: This model provides the student with both didactic and patient care training, as well as the experience of working with professionals from different backgrounds. As the demand for dual-degree opportunities increases, the implementation of formal re-entry programmes should be considered to ensure students returning to medical school are prepared to begin clinical rotations.
Platelet function studies in coronary artery disease. X. Effect of dipyridamole

To evaluate the effects of dipyridamole on blood platelet function in patients with coronary artery disease, platelet counts and aggregation were examined in aortic and coronary venous blood. Before administration of dipyridamole, platelet counts and aggregation in response to adenosine diphosphate were less (p less than 0.02) in coronary venous than in aortic blood. Dipyridamole administration (100 mg) resulted in an increase in platelet counts and platelet aggregation in coronary venous blood so that the differences in aortic and coronary venous blood values were eliminated. These phenomena were probably related to inhibitory actions of dipyridamole on platelet adhesion to atherosclerotic vessels. To further study the mechanism of action, the direct effects of dipyridamole on in vitro platelet aggregation were evaluated. Although dipyridamole, in the concentrations used, had no effect on in vitro platelet aggregation, it greatly potentiated the aggregation inhibitory actions of exogenous prostacyclin. In vivo potentiation of endogenous prostacyclin and inhibitory actions on platelet adhesion are the most likely mechanisms of the potentially beneficial actions of dipyridamole.
Breast cancer classification with mammography and DCE-MRI

Since different imaging modalities provide complementary information regarding the same lesion, combining information from different modalities may increase diagnostic accuracy. In this study, we investigated the use of computerized features of lesions imaged via both full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in the classification of breast lesions. Using a manually identified lesion location, i.e. a seed point on FFDM images or a ROI on DCE-MRI images, the computer automatically segmented mass lesions and extracted a set of features for each lesion. Linear stepwise feature selection was firstly performed on single modality, yielding one feature subset for each modality. Then, these selected features served as the input to another feature selection procedure when extracting useful information from both modalities. The selected features were merged by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) into a discriminant score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the selected feature subset in the task of distinguishing between malignant and benign lesions. From a FFDM database with 321 lesions (167 malignant and 154 benign), and a DCE-MRI database including 181 lesions (97 malignant and 84 benign), we constructed a multi-modality dataset with 51 lesions (29 malignant and 22 benign). With leave-one-out-by-lesion evaluation on the multi-modality dataset, the mammography-only features yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.62 ± 0.08 and the DCE-MRI-only features yielded an AUC of 0.94±0.03. The combination of these two modalities, which included a spiculation feature from mammography and a kinetic feature from DCE-MRI, yielded an AUC of 0.94. The improvement of combining multi-modality information was statistically significant as compared to the use of mammography only ( p =0.0001). However, we failed to show the statistically significant improvement as compared to DCE-MRI, with the limited multi-modality dataset ( p =0.22).
Field-Induced Nanometer- to Atomic-Scale Manipulation of Silicon Surfaces with the STM

The controlled manipulation of silicon at the nanometer scale will facilitate the fabrication of new types of electronic devices. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can be used to manipulate strongly bound silicon atoms or clusters at room temperature. Specifically, by using a combination of electrostatic and chemical forces, surface atoms can be removed and deposited on the STM tip. The tip can then move to a predetermined surface site, and the atom or cluster can be redeposited. The magnitude of such forces and the amount of material removed can be controlled by applying voltage pulses at different tip-surface separations.
I 3 R: a new approach to the design of document retrieval systems

THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD OF IMPROVING THE RETRIEVAL PERFORMANCE OF A DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL SYSTEM IS TO ACQUIRE A DETAILED SPECIFICATION OF THE USER''S INFORMATION NEED. THE SYSTEM DESCRIBED IN THIS PAPER, (I(EXPONENT 3)R), PROVIDES A NUMBER OF FACILITIES AND SEARCH STRATEGIES BASED ON THIS APPROACH. THE SYSTEM USES A NOVEL ARCHITECTURE TO ALLOW MORE THAN ONE SYSTEM FACILITY TO BE USED AT A GIVEN STAGE OF A SEARCH SESSION. USERS INFLUENCE THE SYSTEM ACTIONS BY STATING GOALS THEY WISH TO ACHIEVE, BY EVALUATING SYSTEM OUTPUT, AND BY CHOOSING PARTICULAR FACILITIES DIRECT- LY. THE OTHER MAIN FEATURES OF (I(EXPONENT 3)R)) ARE AN EMPHASIS ON DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE USED FOR REFINING THE MODEL OF THE INFORMATION NEED, AND THE PROVISION OF A BROWSING MECHANISM THAT ALLOWS THE USER TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE BASE.
What If Nabokov Had Written “Dvoinik”? Reading Literature Preposterously

What did Nabokov teach Dostoevsky? When I took my first course in comparative literature-after several years of rigorous philological training in the citation, quotation, and parody analysis that is the bread and butter of Slavic Languages and Literatures-I became aware of an underappreciated fact: It is a central purpose of comparative literature to enable us to speak of the influence of a living writer on a dead one, or of one who died recently on those who predeceased him by decades or even centuries. We don't usually put it in such terms-a distinction is drawn between influence and comparison, but the latter word often serves to spring the scholar free of the historian's fetish of causation. A good comparative study, though, can often have the impact of an influence--or quotationstudy run in reverse, with the later writer's work illuminating the poetics of the earlier one. In the pages to follow, I want to take this idea literally, engaging in a genre that might be called counterfactual literary analysis. But rather than inquiring directly what Dostoevsky learned from Nabokov, I will pose a different question that focuses not on the personal or professional consequences of anachronistic influence but on its significance for reception: How would we read Dostoevsky's work if we knew Nabokov had written it? Since nearly every worthwhile act of scholarly comparison involves assertions of unexpected similarity that then lead to productive insights into difference, it seems appropriate to take as the object of this exercise Dostoevsky's study of discomfiting and illuminating likeness, "Dvoinik" ("The Double"), which has the additional benefit of being the one work of his successor for which Nabokov admitted a fondness.' There is something appropriately-perhaps peculiarly-Nabokovian in the posing of this question. In Pnin Nabokov and his narrator describe how Pnin is perhaps "too
Ventilation heterogeneity is increased in hypocapnic dogs but not pigs

Abstract Hypocapnia increases ventilation/perfusion (V a /Q) heterogeneity in dogs, possibly by adversely affecting distribution of ventilation through its effects on collateral ventilation. Because pigs lack collateral ventilation, we compared the effects of hypocapnia on ventilation heterogeneity in pentobarbital-anesthetized, mechanically-ventilated dogs and pigs. Simultaneous multiple breath washouts of helium and nitrogen were used to assess the uniformity of the ventilation distribution by the phase III (Sn III ) method. Ventilation heterogeneity was partitioned into two components, e.g. convective-dependent inhomogeneity (cdi) and diffusive-convective-dependent inhomogeneity (dcdi). Pulmonary gas exchange was also measured in pigs by the multiple inert gas elimination technique. Ventilation heterogeneity was increased ( P 2 decreased ventilation heterogeneity by decreasing dcdi ( P a /Q heterogeneity by 18% ( P
The carbohydrate composition of brain microtubule protein.

Abstract Brain microtubule protein was found to contain 1.3% carbohydrate, consisting of glucosamine, galactosamine, galactose, mannose, fucose and sialic acid. Alkaline borohydride treatment destroyed 40% of the galactosamine and led to the formation of an equimolar amount of galactosaminitol, indicating the presence of alkali-labile O -glycosidic linkages of N -acetyl-galactosamine to serine and/or threonine residues. Since a portion of the carbohydrate is attached to protein by alkali-stable linkages, at least two types of oligosaccharide are present, and can be calculated to contain seven monosaccharide residues per mole of microtubule protein dimer.
Paraneoplastic autoimmune phenomena in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: response to immunosuppressive therapy

We analysed the clinical features, course and response to immunosuppressive therapy in 30 patients with autoimmune disorders associated with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). 18 patients with MDS developed acute systemic autoimmune disorders. Common manifestations were skin vasculitis (n = 15) and arthritis (n = 11). Seven patients had an acute clinical syndrome of vasculitic skin rash, fever and arthritis with peripheral oedema in three and pulmonary infiltrates in five of these seven patients. Other acute manifestations included pericarditis, pleural effusions, skin ulceration, seizures, myositis and peripheral neuropathy. Chronic or isolated autoimmune manifestations (n = 11) included glomerulonephritis, polyneuropathy, pyoderma gangrenosum, ulcerative colitis and polyarthritis. Classic connective tissue disorders recognized included relapsing polychondritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, Raynaud's syndrome and Sjogren's syndrome. Autoimmune manifestations responded to immunosuppressive therapy (primarily prednisone) in 26/27 patients treated. Furthermore, cytopenias improved substantially in six patients, including complete normalization of peripheral blood counts in two patients with cytogenetic remission in one. Patients with a haematological response to immunosuppressive therapy had improved survival compared with non-responding patients. The autoimmune syndrome was implicated as a primary cause of death in 8/17 patients who died. Autoimmune manifestations may be more common than previously recognized in patients with MDS. Aggressive therapy with immunosuppressive agents in selected patients often controls autoimmune phenomena associated with MDS and may lead to haematological responses in some patients.
Falling into the Doughnut Hole: Drug Spending among Beneficiaries with End-Stage Renal Disease under Medicare Part D Plans

The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit may facilitate provision of medications by subsidizing drug costs. However, beneficiaries with higher drug utilization may face higher out-of-pocket (OOP) costs under the benefit’s “doughnut hole” provisions that substantially increase beneficiary cost-sharing. The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use data for 1997 through 2001 were used to estimate the impact of the standard Part D benefit on drug expenditures. The sample consisted of adults who were not dually enrolled in Medicaid (41,617 without ESRD, 256 with ESRD). Outcomes were annual total and OOP drug spending projected to 2006, as well as estimates of individual spending changes under Part D. In 2006, ESRD beneficiaries will have mean annual total and OOP expenditures that are approximately twice that of their Medicare peers. The overall impact of Part D on OOP expenditures is similar among all beneficiaries; however, many individuals with employer-sponsored coverage and those with higher costs (especially those with ESRD) may face cost increases with significant monthly variability as a result of reaching the “doughnut hole,” a no-coverage gap in the standard benefit. Therefore, ESRD beneficiaries face substantial total and OOP annual expenditures for medications, causing most to reach the Part D benefit gap. Higher OOP costs may lead to reductions in spending and medication use with subsequent treatment gaps that may lead to increased use of medical services. As the new legislation takes effect, policy makers who are considering modifications in the program may benefit from further research to monitor patterns and gaps in coverage, medication use and spending, and hospitalization and survival trends.
Reaction of nickel polymerization catalysts with carbon monoxide

Abstract The nickel compound, Ni(Ph 2 PCHC(Ph)O)(PEt 3 )Ph, is a catalyst precursor for ethylene homopolymerization and the alternating copolymerization of ethylene with carbon monoxide. In the absence of ethylene, CO is a catalyst poison. In an effort to understand the mechanisms of these reactions, we have investigated the chemistry of the compounds with pure CO. The crystal structures of the catalyst precursor and the benzoyl product resulting from the insertion of CO into the NiPh bond are presented. Several zero-valent complexes of Ni and an organic product based on the coupling of the chelating ligand and the benzoyl group have been isolated and characterized. A brief description of the polymerization mechanism is presented.
Progesterone Rapidly Decreases Brain Edema: Treatment Delayed up to 24 Hours Is Still Effective

Cerebral edema is a serious side effect of traumatic brain injury. We have previously established that progesterone injections, initiated within 1 h after cortical contusion injury, reduced edema when assessed 3 days later. To determine how rapidly progesterone can reduce edema, male and female rats were given the hormone 1 h after damage to the medial frontal cortex, and edema levels were assessed between 2 h and 7 days postinjury. Progesterone decreased edema within 6 h of the injury and continued to be effective for the duration of treatment. In addition, we assessed whether progesterone injections are effective when delays are imposed between injury and initiation of treatment. Male and female rats received progesterone after postinjury delays of 6, 24, or 48 h. Progesterone was effective in reducing edema when treatment was delayed until 24 h after injury.