cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factorization of shell-model ground-states

We present a method that accurately approximates the shell-model ground state by products of suitable states. The optimal factors are determined by a variational principle and result from the solution of rather low-dimensional eigenvalue problems. The power of this method is demonstrated by computations of ground states and low-lying excitations in $\mathrm{sd}$-shell and $\mathrm{pf}$-shell nuclei.
Transient global amnesia in a young adult with cyanotic heart disease

The etiology of transient global amnesia is poorly understood, particularly in children and young adults. Transient global amnesia may follow a wide range of precipitating events. Proposed causes have included vascular event, seizure, and migraine. A young man with cyanotic congenital heart disease experienced an episode of transient global amnesia in the setting of polycythemia. Differential diagnosis of acute confusional episodes in children should include transient global amnesia, as well as confusional migraine, and should include evaluation for underlying coagulation abnormalities and polycythemia.
Reversible intercyclobutadiene haptotropism in cyclopentadienylcobalt linear [4]phenylene

Cyclopentadienylcobalt complexes of linear [4]phenylene undergo thermally reversible photoinduced metallahaptotropism between the inner and outer cyclobutadiene ring.
Indigenous Miracles: Nahua Authority in Colonial Mexico; After Moctezuma: Indigenous Politics and Self-Government in Mexico City, 1524–1730; Negotiation Within Domination: New Spain's Indian Pueblos Confront the Spanish State

Indigenous Miracles: Nahua Authority in Colonial Mexico Edward W. Osowski Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2010 xii, 260 pp. (ISBN: 9780816528554) After Moctezuma: Indigenous Politics and Self-...
Detection of extracellular calcium gradients with a calcium-specific vibrating electrode

We have developed a vibrating calcium-specific electrode to measure minute extracellular calcium gradients and thus infer the patterns of calcium currents that cross the surface of various cells and tissues. Low-resistance calcium electrodes (routinely approximately 500 M omega) are vibrated by means of orthogonally stacked piezoelectrical pushers, driven by a damped square wave at an optimal frequency of 0.5 Hz. Phase-sensitive detection of the electrode signal is performed with either analogue or digital electronics. The resulting data are superimposed on a video image of the preparation that is being measured. Depending on the background calcium concentration, this new device can readily and reliably measure steady extracellular differences of calcium concentration which are as small as 0.01% with spatial and temporal resolutions of a few microns and a few seconds, respectively. The digital version can attain a noise level of less than 1 microV. In exploratory studies, we have used this device to map and measure the patterns of calcium currents that cross the surface of growing fucoid eggs and tobacco pollen, moving amebae and Dictyostelium slugs, recently fertilized ascidian eggs, as well as nurse cells of Sarcophaga follicles. This approach should be easily extendable to other specific ion currents.
Wavelength dependence of the photodissociation and photodesorption of CD3I adsorbed on the TiO2(110) surface

The ultraviolet photodissociation and photodesorption of CD3I adsorbed on the TiO2(110) surface at ∼100 K has been investigated at 257, 275, 302, and 351 nm using modulated continuous‐wave laser irradiation followed by resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization of fragments expelled from the adsorbate layer. Photodissociation at these wavelengths produces CD3 radicals. Nonthermal photodesorption also contributes to removal of CD3I from the adsorbate layer, becoming a major mechanism at 351 nm. Similar processes are observed at both 1 and 25 monolayer (ML) coverages. The cross section for CD3I depletion from the monolayer is qualitatively similar to the gas phase CD3I absorption profile, decreasing by ∼3 orders of magnitude between 257 and 351 nm. Depletion cross sections, S(λ), for CD3I are 3±2×10−18 cm−2, 8±3×10−19 cm−2, 1±0.5×10−19 cm−2, and 3±1×10−21 cm−2 for 257, 275, 302, and 351 nm irradiation, respectively. The depletion cross section for 25 ML CD3I coverage is approximately an order of magnitude less than for 1 ML coverage with S(λ) calculated to be 3±2×10−19 cm−2, 1.5±0.7×10−19 cm−2, 1.5±0.7×10−20 cm−2, and 2±0.8×10−22 cm−2 for 257, 275, 302, and 351 nm radiation, respectively. We find no correlation between substrate absorption and the wavelength dependence of photodissociation or photodesorption suggesting that direct excitation of the adsorbate molecule is the dominant dissociation mechanism. The lack of substrate involvement may be due to poor coupling of the CD3I adsorbate and TiO2 substrate electronic structures.
Use of a retroinverso p53 peptide as an inhibitor of MDM2.

An N-terminal helical region of the tumor suppressor p53 binds in a hydrophobic cleft of the oncoprotein MDM2. A retroinverso isomer of the natural N-terminal helical peptide was found to interact ...
Portable Device for Detection of Petit Mal Epilepsy

We have developed and tested a portable device that analyzes the electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine if petit mal epilepsy waveforms are present. Clinicians should rimd it useful in diagnosing seizure activity of their patients. The micropower, battery-operated, portable device indicates a seizure has occurred if three criteria are satisfied: 1) frequencies of 2.5-7 Hz, 2) large amplitude waves, and 3) minimum number of waves per second. Levels and counts are adjustable, thus insuring high reliability against noise artifacts and permitting each subject to be individually fitted. The device has shown promise in giving the patient a possible mechanism of seizure control or suppression.
Magnetic acceleration of aluminum foils for shock wave experiments

Abstract Scaled experiments studying the interaction of shock waves with inhomogeneous background media are essential for understanding many astrophysical phenomena, since they can be used to test analytical theories and simulation codes. We are currently developing such experiments at the Nevada Terawatt Facility. We are using a pulsed power generator (1 MA peak current) to accelerate thin aluminum flyer plates. By impacting these foils on low-density foam targets, we will be able to carry out scaled experiments. We have demonstrated velocities of up to 8 km/s for 50 μm thick aluminum flyers, and are planning to further increase the flyer velocities. We have also carried out first impact tests with transparent polycarbonate targets. Several improvements for our setup are currently in planning, and these improvements will enable us to design scaled experiments for our facility.
Effects of methadone on QT-interval dispersion.

Study Objective. To evaluate the effects of methadone on QT-interval dispersion. Design. Single-center, prospective, cohort study. Setting. Methadone maintenance treatment facility. Patients. One hundred eighteen patients who were newly admitted to the facility. Intervention. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were performed in patients at both baseline and 6 months after the start of methadone therapy. Measurements and Main Results. The ECGs were manually interpreted, and investigators were blinded to time interval and methadone dose. At least eight discernible ECG leads were required for study inclusion. Mean differences between baseline and follow-up rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval and QT dispersion were compared. Multivariate associations between clinical characteristics and magnitude of change in QT dispersion were assessed using linear regression. Mean ± SD baseline QT dispersion was 32.9 ± 12 msec, which increased to 42.4 ± 15 msec (+9.5 ± 18.6 msec, p<0.0001) after 6 months of therapy. The QTc increased by a similar magnitude (+14.1 msec, p<0.0001). No QT dispersion value exceeded 100 msec. The only variable associated with a greater increase in QT dispersion was antidepressant therapy (20 vs 8.5 msec, p=0.04). Conclusion. Methadone modestly increased both QTc interval and QT dispersion. Increased QT dispersion reflects heterogeneous cardiac repolarization and occurs with nonantiarrhythmic agents, such as synthetic opioids. However, the magnitude of this effect appears to be substantially less with methadone than with antiarrhythmic drugs.
Degradation of rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 heme by 3,5-dicarbethoxy-2, 6-dimethyl-4-ethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine to irreversibly bound protein adducts

Abstract Administration of 3,5-dicarbethoxy-2,6-dimethyl-4-ethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine (DDEP) (a structural analog of the dihydropyridine Ca2+ antagonists) to untreated, phenobarbital-, or dexamethasone-pretreated rats results in time-dependent losses of hepatic cytochrome P-450 content. Functional markers for various cytochrome P-450 isozymes have permitted the identification of P-450h, P-450 PB-1/k, and P-450p as the isozymes inactivated preferentially by the drug. DDEP-mediated cytochrome P-450 destruction may be reproduced in vitro, is most prominent after pretreatment of rats with dexamethasone, pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile or phenobarbital, and is blocked by triacetyloleandomycin. These findings together with the observation that DDEP markedly inactivates hepatic 2β- and 6β-testosterone hydroxylase and erythromycin N-demethylase tend to indict the steroid-inducible P-450p isozyme as a key protagonist in this event. The precise mechanism of such DDEP-mediated P-450p heme destruction is unclear, but involves prosthetic heme alkylation of the apocytochrome at its active site in what appears to be a novel mechanism-based “suicide” inactivation. Such inactivation appears to involve fragmentation of the heme to reactive metabolites that irreversibly bind to the protein, but the chemical structure of the heme-protein adducts is yet to be established. Intriguingly, such DDEP-mediated P-450p destruction in vivo also results in accelerated loss of immunochemically detectable apocytochrome P-450p. It remains to be determined whether or not this loss is due to enhanced proteolysis triggered by the structural modification of the apocytochrome.
Ancillary Testing for Metastasis in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Retinoblastoma

Purpose The primary objective of this study was to determine whether ancillary testing for metastasis is justified in the routine examination of patients with newly diagnosed retinoblastoma. Methods The records of all patients with retinoblastoma diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic from 1952 through 1989 or examined within two months of diagnosis elsewhere were reviewed. The ancillary tests used to detect metastatic disease, available histopathologic specimens, and five-year follow-up were recorded on all patients. Results We identified 100 patients, with newly diagnosed retinoblastoma, who were ultimately followed up for at least five years after diagnosis or until death. Of the 100 patients, 35 underwent bone marrow aspiration, lumbar puncture, or both, within one month of diagnosis. Results of all ancillary tests performed in these 35 patients were negative for metastatic disease. Nine of the 35 patients had choroidal extension and two had retrolaminar involvement. Although one patient developed orbital recurrence that was successfully treated with exenteration and chemotherapy, none of the 35 patients died of metastatic retinoblastoma in a mean follow-up period of 9Vi years. The overall survival free of metastasis from retinoblastoma in these 100 patients was 97% at five years (95% confidence interval: 94% to 100%). Conclusions The routine use of bone marrow and lumbar puncture studies in the examination of all patients with newly diagnosed retinoblastoma cannot be supported by this study.
On the mechanism of decrease of aldosterone secretion in the dog.

SummaryExperiments were done in dogs to elucidate the mechanism by which the vagus nerves may influence aldosterone secretion. The results suggest that the vagus nerves form the afferent limb of a reflex activated by atrial stretch which may exert only an inhibitory effect upon aldosterone secretion, The role of efferent impulses was eliminated by atropinization, which did not prevent the fall of aldosterone secretion which follows caval release. The role of atrial stretch was suggested by the observation that caval release (which increased atrial pressure) lowered aldosterone secretion more than carotid release (which did not). The purely inhibitory role of the vagus was suggested by the finding that vagotomy did not stimulate aldosterone secretion even after denervation of the thyro-carotid arterial junctions.
Modulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DnaA protein-adenine-nucleotide interactions by acidic phospholipids.

whereas dissociation of ADP was stimulated in the presence of oriC. Acidic phospholipids in micelles, however, were not ecient in dissociating bound nucleotides from DnaA. Together, these results suggest that both polar head groups and membrane bilayer structure play an important role in M. tuberculosis DnaA‐adenine-nucleotide interactions. We suggest that initiation of M. tuberculosis oriC involves intimate interactions between DnaA, adenine nucleotides and membrane phospholipids, and the latter helps to ensure that only the ATP form of the DnaA protein interacts continuously with oriC.
Poison ivy. A new method of immunization

Abstract 1.1. A new method of local immunization to poison ivy is described which involves the direct application of gradually increasing doses of an extract of poison ivy by means of daily baths. 2.2. This procedure proved harmless and successfully prevented recurrent attacks of poison ivy in a patient in whom all other recognized methods of therapy had failed. 3.3. In order to obviate the danger of inducing an attack of dermatitis, the initial dilutions must be very great and the concentration must be increased very slowly and continuously. 4.4. It is suggested that other types of contact dermatitis may be treated by this method. 5.5. The permanence of the acquired local immunity is still to be determined. Further studies in this direction are being undertaken.
Pleiotropic Effects of Vitamin D on Osteoblast Gene Expression Are Related to the Proliferative and Differentiated State of the Bone Cell Phenotype: Dependency upon Basal Levels of Gene Expression, Duration of Exposure, and Bone Matrix Competency in Normal Rat Osteoblast Cultures

Normal rat osteoblasts in culture undergo a developmental sequence consisting of a proliferation period in which high levels of the histone and collagen type I genes are expressed, followed by periods of matrix maturation [high levels of alkaline phosphatase (AP)] and mineralization that signal a high level of production of osteopontin (OP) and osteocalcin (OC). Since these parameters are regulated by vitamin D, the effects of both short term and chronic treatment with 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 were examined during osteoblast growth and differentiation. In acute studies, during the proliferation period, histone mRNA (reflecting DNA synthesis) was inhibited (20–60%). Matrix Gla protein (MGP) and OP mRNA were significantly elevated during proliferation (30- and 15-fold), in contrast to OC which is not expressed and was not induced by hormone treatment. OP and MGP remained stimulated throughout the developmental sequence, but to a lesser degree (from 6- to 10-fold). Collagen and AP mRNA were inhibited by hor...
A new method to determine the level of coenzyme Q10 in one drop of human blood for biomedical research.

Abstract This method has been designed to determine the levels of CoQ10 in human blood which utilizes only one drop of blood (0.05 ml). This method encourages and facilitates more frequent monitoring of blood levels of CoQ10, and of clinical importance, reveals the presence or absence of compliance. CoQ11 was used as an internal standard. The mean recovery of CoQ10 was 96%. The correlation coefficient between using 1.0 ml and 0.1 ml of blood and between using 1.0 and 0.05 ml was 0.997 in the two comparisons. Therefore, it can be accurate to monitor the level of CoQ10 in a-"finger-prick"-drop of blood, and at least 24 such determinations can be conducted in a 2-day period.
Late follow-up of balloon angioplasty in children with a native coarctation of the aorta.

Between May 1984 and April 1993, 59 children underwent balloon angioplasty of a native coarctation at our institution. The follow-up protocol included a cardiac catheterization 1 to 2 years after angioplasty, which was performed in 90% of patients with > or = 2 years follow-up. Angioplasty caused an acute decrease in peak systolic gradient from 46 +/- 2 to 15 +/- 2 mm Hg, without early aneurysm or emergent surgical intervention in any patient. Based on follow-up data, a satisfactory result was obtained in 38 patients (64%; 70% confidence limit: 58% to 71%), defined as a residual systolic gradient or = 20 mm Hg (n = 19) or aneurysm formation (n = 3), or both. Restenosis occurred in 6 patients, and occurred more in infants than in children > or = 12 months of age (3 of 5 infants vs 3 of 41 children, p = 0.01). Thus, balloon angioplasty provides an effective initial treatment strategy for native coarctation in most children aged > 12 months.
Consumer-Product Skill Matching: The Effects of Difficulty on Relative Self-Assessment and Choice

Consumers infer their best product choice from comparative information about themselves and products (Prelec, Wernerfelt, and Zettelmeyer). Though common, this “matching” process leads to unstable preferences when perceived product ranks change due to product array manipulations. This article proposes that another variable, task difficulty, also leads to inconsistent choices through the matching process. Accuracy resulting from matching is also assessed by exploring domains where comparative standing is based on measurable, objective skill. The present studies show that people rely heavily on their relative self-assessments in product choice, but these estimates are often inaccurate and thus lead to unintended and inconsistent choices.
SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND PERFORMANCE: BIVALVE MOLLUSCAN MARICULTURE

The University of Delaware Maricultural Project is working toward development of commercial, closed-cycle, controlled environment shellfish mariculture. As the result of several years effort, the technical feasibility of raising bivalve molluscs from egg to market size in a re-circulating system on a diet of cultured algae has been demonstrated. A previous estimate of the quantity of algal cells required to support vigorous growth of oysters is revised. An indoor recycle system and a prototype greenhouse system are described. Results of work in the mass outdoor cultivation of algae, which contribute to establishing an abundant and reliable supply of food for bivalve molluscan mariculture, are discussed.
Induction of Heme Oxygenase 1 Attenuates Placental Ischemia–Induced Hypertension

Recent in vitro studies have reported that heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) downregulates the angiostatic protein soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 from placental villous explants and that the HO-1 metabolites CO and bilirubin negatively regulate endothelin 1 and reactive oxygen species. Although soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, endothelin 1, and reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension during preeclampsia and in response to placental ischemia in pregnant rats, it is unknown whether chronic induction of HO-1 alters the hypertensive response to placental ischemia. The present study examined the hypothesis that HO-1 induction in a rat model of placental ischemia would beneficially affect blood pressure, angiogenic balance, superoxide, and endothelin 1 production in the ischemic placenta. To achieve this goal we examined the effects of cobalt protoporphyrin, an HO-1 inducer, in the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) placental ischemia model and in normal pregnant rats. In response to RUPP treatment, mean arterial pressure increases 29 mm Hg (136±7 versus 106±5 mm Hg), which is significantly attenuated by cobalt protoporphyrin (118±5 mm Hg). Although RUPP treatment causes placental soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1/vascular endothelial growth factor ratios to alter significantly to an angiostatic balance (1.00±0.10 versus 1.27±0.20), treatment with cobalt protoporphyrin causes a significant shift in the ratio to an angiogenic balance (0.68±0.10). Placental superoxide increased in RUPP (952.5±278.8 versus 243.9±70.5 relative light units/min per milligram) but was significantly attenuated by HO-1 induction (482.7±117.4 relative light units/min per milligram). Also, the preproendothelin message was significantly increased in RUPP, which was prevented by cobalt protoporphyrin. These data indicate that HO-1, or its metabolites, is a potential therapeutic for the treatment of preeclampsia.
Guiding Semi-Supervision with Constraint-Driven Learning

Over the last few years, two of the main research directions in machine learning of natural language processing have been the study of semi-supervised learning algorithms as a way to train classiers when the labeled data is scarce, and the study of ways to exploit knowledge and global information in structured learning tasks. In this paper, we suggest a method for incorporating domain knowledge in semi-supervised learning algorithms. Our novel framework unies and can exploit several kinds of task specic constraints. The experimental results presented in the information extraction domain demonstrate that applying constraints helps the model to generate better feedback during learning, and hence the framework allows for high performance learning with significantly less training data than was possible before on these tasks.
Predicting the photoinduced electron transfer thermodynamics in polyfluorinated 1,3,5-triarylpyrazolines based on multiple linear free energy relationships

The photophysical properties of 1,3,5-triarylpyrazolines are strongly influenced by the nature and position of substituents attached to the aryl-rings, rendering this fluorophore platform well suited for the design of fluorescent probes utilizing a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) switching mechanism. To explore the tunability of two key parameters that govern the PET thermodynamics, the excited state energy ΔE00 and the acceptor potential E(A/A−), a library of polyfluoro-substituted 1,3-diaryl-5-phenyl-pyrazolines was synthesized and characterized. The observed trends for the PET parameters were effectively captured through multiple Hammett linear free energy relationships (LFER) using a set of independent substituent constants for each of the two aryl rings. Given the lack of experimental Hammett constants for polyfluoro-substituted aromatics, theoretically derived constants based on the electrostatic potential at the nucleus (EPN) of carbon atoms were employed as quantum chemical descriptors. The performance of the LFER was evaluated with a set of compounds that were not included in the training set, yielding a mean unsigned error of 0.05 eV for the prediction of the combined PET parameters. The outlined LFER approach should be well suited for designing and optimizing the performance of cation-responsive 1,3,5-triarylpyrazolines.
A Review of “The Wallpaper Effect: Data Strategies to Uncover and Eliminate Hidden Inequities”

Claiming the label “data-driven” to describe educational decisions has become commonplace to the point that it is sometimes more a catchy cliche than a fair rendering of practices. Often statistics...
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Carbapenems: Multicenter Validity Testing and Accuracy Levels of Five Antimicrobial Test Methods for Detecting Resistance in Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates

From January 1996 to May 1999, Project ICARE (Intensive Care Antimicrobial Resistance Epidemiology) received 448 nonduplicate clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were reported to be imipenem intermediate or resistant. However, broth microdilution (BMD) confirmatory testing at the Project ICARE central laboratory confirmed this result in only 11 of 123 (8.9%) Enterobacteriaceae isolates and 241 of 325 (74.2%) P. aeruginosa isolates. To investigate this overdetection of imipenem resistance, we tested 204 selected isolates from the Project ICARE collection plus five imipenem-resistant challenge strains at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention against imipenem and meropenem by agar dilution, disk diffusion, Etest (AB BIODISK North America, Inc., Piscataway, N.J.), two MicroScan WalkAway conventional panels (Neg MIC Plus 3 and Neg Urine Combo 3) (Dade MicroScan, Inc., West Sacramento, Calif.), and two Vitek cards (GNS-116 containing meropenem and GNS-F7 containing imipenem) (bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., Durham, N.C.). The results of each test method were compared to the results of BMD testing using in-house-prepared panels. Seven imipenem-resistant and five meropenem-resistant isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and 43 imipenem-resistant and 21 meropenem-resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa were identified by BMD. For Enterobacteriaceae, the imipenem and meropenem test methods produced low numbers of very major and major errors. All test systems in the study produced low numbers of very major and major errors when P. aeruginosa was tested against imipenem and meropenem, except for Vitek testing (major error rate for imipenem, 20%). Further testing conducted in 11 of the participating ICARE hospital laboratories failed to pinpoint the factors responsible for the initial overdetection of imipenem resistance. However, this study demonstrated that carbapenem testing difficulties do exist and that laboratories should consider using a second, independent antimicrobial susceptibility testing method to validate carbapenem-intermediate and -resistant results.
Rising StARs: Behavioral, hormonal, and molecular responses to social challenge and opportunity

article i nfo Across taxa, individuals must respond to a dynamic social environment of challenges and opportunities on multiple biological levels, including behavior, hormone profiles, and gene expression. We investigated the re- sponse to a complex social environment including both territorial challenges and reproductive opportuni- ties in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni (Burton's mouthbrooder), a species well-known for its phenotypic plasticity. Male A. burtoni are either socially dominant or subordinate and can transition be- tween the two phenotypes. We used this transition to simultaneously study changes in aggression, re- productive behavior, testosterone and estradiol levels, gonadal histology, and testes expression of three genes involved in testosterone synthesis. We have found that males immediately become aggressive and increase tes- tosterone levels when they become dominant in this paradigm of challenge and opportunity. Reproductive be- havior and estradiol increase slightly later but are also up-regulated within 24 h. Increases in steroid hormone levels are accompanied by an increase in expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), the rate-limiting enzyme during testosterone synthesis, as well as an increase in testis maturation as measured by histological organization. Reproductive behavior was found to correlate with female gravid- ity, suggesting that males were able to perceive reproductive opportunity. Our study demonstrates the rapid plasticity at multiple levels of biological organization that animals can display in response to changes in their complex social environment.
Enhanced Activity of Human IL-10 After Nitration in Reducing Human IL-1 Production by Stimulated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Nitric oxide and superoxide form the unstable compound, peroxynitrite, which can nitrate proteins and compromise function of proinflammatory cytokines at sites of inflammation. Reduced function of proinflammatory proteins such as IL-8, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, and eotaxin suggest an anti-inflammatory effect of nitration. The effects of nitration on anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 are unknown. We hypothesized that peroxynitrite would modify the function of anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10. To test this hypothesis, the capacity of recombinant human IL-10 to inhibit production of human IL-1beta (IL-1) from LPS-stimulated human PBMC was evaluated. Human IL-10 was nitrated by incubation with peroxynitrite or by incubation with 3-morpholinosydnonimine, a peroxynitrite generator, for 2 h and then incubated with LPS-stimulated PBMC for 6 h, and IL-1 was measured in the culture supernatant fluids. Human IL-1 production was significantly lower in the peroxynitrite- or 3-morpholinosydnonimine-nitrated IL-10 group than in the IL-10 controls (p < 0.05, all comparisons). This finding demonstrates that although peroxynitrite inhibits proinflammatory cytokines, it may augment anti-inflammatory cytokines and further point to an important role for peroxynitrite in the regulation of inflammation.
Motivated to acquire? The impact of ceo regulatory focus on firm acquisitions

Regulatory focus theory proposes that decisionmaking and goal pursuit occur via either a promotion focus (a sensitivity to gains and a desire for advancement and growth) or a prevention focus (a sensitivity to losses and a desire for stability and security). Recent theorizing in strategic management research suggests that there may be important firm- level outcomes influenced by the regulatory focus of top executives. We expand research on regulatory focus theory by testing whether chief executive officers' (CEOs') regulatory focus impacts the proclivity of firms to undertake acquisitions. Furthermore, regulatory focus theory suggests that the effects of people's promotion and prevention foci are magnified when their regulatory focus is congruent with salient situational characteristics, a phenomenon known as regulatory fit. As a test of this idea, we demonstrate how the effects of CEO promotion and prevention foci are differentially impacted by one such characteristic, namely incentive compensation. Our findings indicate that CEO regulatory focus impacts both the quantity and scale of acquisitions undertaken by a firm. We also find some support for our arguments that these relationships are moderated by stock option pay
POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF MILITARY STRATEGY Expanding and Refining the Spiral and Deterrence Models

Analyses of military strategy often overlook its political consequences—its effect on the adversary's basic goals and understanding of the defender's resolve. As a result, they prescribe the wrong type of military policy and reduce states' security. This article explores how a variety of factors interact to produce political consequences. These factors include the type of adversary (specifically, its motives for expansion); the type of military strategy the defender adopts (offensive or defensive and unilateral or bilateral); the source of the adversary's misperceptions; and the process through which political consequences are generated. The article reformulates Jervis's spiral and deterrence models and argues that they overlook types of adversaries, including most importantly insecure greedy states; that shifts in the adversary's balance of domestic power offer an alternative to individual learning as the basic way in which political consequences are generated; that national-level failures of evaluation provide an alternative source of exaggerated insecurity; and that these differences can require the defender to follow different policies. Final sections explore military options for managing political consequences and implications for U.S. security policy.
Die-less hydroforming of multi-lobe tubular structures

The process capability of die-less hydroforming for producing tubular structures of complex geometries was investigated. Multi-lobe tubular structures were chosen for this study as they are capable...
MBDA: what is it good for?

We read with interest the paper by Hambardzumyan et al 1 studying the predictive value of multibiomarker disease activity (MBDA) score in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for radiographic progression (RP) using the SWEFOT study data. In review, the SWEFOT trial enrolled individuals who had active RA with average DAS28 scores of above 52; 235 subjects in the SWEFOT trial were included in the current analysis. The authors state that when MBDA score at baseline was low (n=5) or moderate (n=29), only one patient had RP, defined as an increase by more than 5 points in the Van der Heijde-modified Sharp score (SHS) over 1 year. When baseline MBDA score was high, 42 out of 201 patients (21%) had a 5-points worsening of SHS at 1 year. While the specificity and positive predictive value of MBDA to predict RP were …
Feast to famine: The effects of food quality and quantity on the gut structure and function of a detritivorous catfish (Teleostei: Loricariidae)

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract and associated organs are some of the most metabolically active tissues in an animal. Hence, when facing food shortages or poor food quality, an animal may reduce the size and function of their GI tract to conserve energy. We investigated the effects of prolonged starvation and varying food quality on the structure and function of the GI tract in a detritivorous catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus, native to the Amazonian basin, which experiences seasonal variation in food availability. After 150 days of starvation or consumption of a wood-diet too low in quality to meet their energetic needs, the fish reduced the surface area of their intestines by 70 and 78%, respectively, and reduced the microvilli surface area by 52 and 27%, respectively, in comparison to wild-caught fish consuming their natural diet and those raised in the laboratory on a high-quality algal diet. Intake and dietary quality did not affect the patterns of digestive enzyme activity along the guts of the fish, and the fish on the low-quality diet had similar mass-specific digestive enzyme activities to wild-caught fish, but lower summed activity when considering the mass of the gut. Overall, P. disjunctivus can endure prolonged starvation and low food quality by down-regulating the size of its GI tract.
A recursive session token protocol for use in computer forensics and TCP traceback

We introduce a new protocol designed to assist in the forensic investigation of malicious network-based activity, specifically addressing the stepping-stone scenario in which an attacker uses a chain of connections through many hosts to hide his or her identity. Our protocol, the Session TOken Protocol (STOP), enhances the Identification Protocol (ident) infrastructure by sending recursive requests to previous hosts on the connection chain. The protocol has been designed to protect user's privacy by returning a token that is a hash of connection information; a system administrator can later decide whether to release the information relating to the token depending on the circumstances of the request.
Reinforcing and subjective effects of caffeine in normal human volunteers.

The reinforcing and subjective effects of caffeine (100 and 300 mg, PO) were determined in a group of 18 normal, healthy adults. Subjects (eight females, ten males) were light to moderate users of caffeine, and had no history of drug abuse. A discrete-trial choice procedure was used in which subjects were allowed to choose between the self-administration of color-coded capsules containing either placebo or caffeine. The number of times caffeine was chosen over placebo was used as the primary index of reinforcing efficacy. Subjective effects were measured before and several times after capsule ingestion. The low dose of caffeine was chosen on 42.6% of occasions, not significantly different from chance (50%). The high dose of caffeine was chosen on 38.9% of occasions, significantly less than expected by chance, indicating that this dose served as a punisher. Both doses of caffeine produced stimulant-like subjective effects, with aversive effects such as increased anxiety predominating after the high dose. When subjects were divided into groups of caffeine-sensitive choosers and nonchoosers, a consistent relationship emerged between caffeine choice and subjective effects; nonchoosers reported primarily aversive effects after caffeine (increased anxiety and dysphoria), whereas choosers reported stimulant and “positive” mood effects. When compared with previous findings, these results demonstrate that caffeine is less reinforcing than amphetamine and related psychomotor stimulants.
αB-Crystallin Suppresses Pressure Overload Cardiac Hypertrophy

αB-Crystallin (CryAB) is the most abundant small heat shock protein (HSP) constitutively expressed in cardiomyocytes. Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that CryAB can protect against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the role of CryAB or any HSPs in cardiac responses to mechanical overload is unknown. This study addresses this issue. Nontransgenic mice and mice with cardiomyocyte-restricted transgenic overexpression of CryAB or with germ-line ablation of the CryAB/HSPB2 genes were subjected to transverse aortic constriction or sham surgery. Two weeks later, cardiac responses were analyzed by fetal gene expression profiling, cardiac function analyses, and morphometry. Comparison among the 3 sham surgery groups reveals that CryAB overexpression is benign, whereas the knockout is detrimental to the heart as reflected by cardiac hypertrophy and malfunction at 10 weeks of age. Compared to nontransgenic mice, transgenic mouse hearts showed significantly reduced NFAT transactivation ...
Paleoecology and ecology of xenophyophores

Xenophyophores are large (several mm to 25 cm diameter), agglutinating protozoans, found primarily in the deep sea. Tests range from simple fans, discs or mudballs, to elaborately folded or reticulated forms, and often contain specific particle types or sizes. Xenophyophore densities are highest on sloped sediments associated with seamounts, continental slopes, canyons and trenches, and beneath productive surface waters. Most forms live as epibenthos on hard or soft substrates, feeding on surface deposits and suspended particles, but one endobenthic genus has been described. Modern xenophyophores enhance particle flux to the seabed, creating local regions of intense radiotracer and metazoan activity
New Mechanisms for Vascular Control of Inflammation Mediated by Natural Anticoagulant Proteins

It has been appreciated for a very long time that infections, particularly bacterial infections of the blood leading to severe sepsis, trigger a hypercoaguable state that sometimes leads to overt disseminated intravascular coagulation. We now recognize that endotoxins and other bacterial, fungal,
A Self-Consistent Event Biasing Scheme for Statistical Enhancement

The event biasing approach for statistical enhancement is generalized for self-consistent device simulations, posed by mixed boundary and initial conditions transport problems. It is shown that the weight of the particles, as obtained by biasing of the Boltzmann equation, survives between the successive steps of solving the Poisson equation. Particular biasing techniques are applied to the simulation of a 15 nm MOSFET and the convergence of the terminal and channel currents is analyzed.
Online Counseling Prioritizing Psychoeducation, Self-Help, and Mutual Help for Counseling Psychology Research and Practice

This reaction article extends the research and practice recommendations for online counseling from the Major Contribution to the November 2005 issue of The Counseling Psychologist by prioritizing research and practice in online psychoeducation, self-help, and mutual help. Research suggests that tens of millions of Americans use the Internet for psychoeducation, self-help, and support and that this number far exceeds those who would use the Internet for one-on-one counseling. The purpose of this reaction is to advocate and prioritize a research and practice agenda that will reach the tens of millions of Americans and millions more abroad who are already seeking online mental health information, self-help, and mutual help for mental health problems.
Validation of IMP Dehydrogenase Inhibitors in a Mouse Model of Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidium parasites are a major cause of diarrhea and malnutrition in the developing world, a frequent cause of waterborne disease in the developed world, and a potential bioterrorism agent. Currently, available treatment is limited, and Cryptosporidium drug discovery remains largely unsuccessful. As a result, the pharmacokinetic properties required for in vivo efficacy have not been established. We have been engaged in a Cryptosporidium drug discovery program targeting IMP dehydrogenase (CpIMPDH). Here, we report the activity of eight potent and selective inhibitors of CpIMPDH in the interleukin-12 (IL-12) knockout mouse model, which mimics acute human cryptosporidiosis. Two compounds displayed significant antiparasitic activity, validating CpIMPDH as a drug target. The best compound, P131 (250 mg/kg of body weight/day), performed equivalently to paromomycin (2,000 mg/kg/day) when administered in a single dose and better than paromomycin when administered in three daily doses. One compound, A110, appeared to promote Cryptosporidium infection. The pharmacokinetic, uptake, and permeability properties of the eight compounds were measured. P131 had the lowest systemic distribution but accumulated to high concentrations within intestinal cells. A110 had the highest systemic distribution. These observations suggest that systemic distribution is not required, and may be a liability, for in vivo antiparasitic activity. Intriguingly, A110 caused specific alterations in fecal microbiota that were not observed with P131 or vehicle alone. Such changes may explain how A110 promotes parasitemia. Collectively, these observations suggest a blueprint for the development of anticryptosporidial therapy.
Optimization in speech-centric information processing: Criteria and techniques

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is an enabling technology for a wide range of information processing applications including speech translation, voice search (i.e., information retrieval with speech input), and conversational understanding. In these speech-centric applications, the output of ASR as “noisy” text is fed into down-stream processing systems to accomplish the designated tasks of translation, information retrieval, or natural language understanding, etc. In conventional applications, the ASR model as a sub-system is usually trained without considering the down-stream systems. This often leads to sub-optimal end-to-end performance. In this paper, we propose a unifying end-to-end optimization framework in which the model parameters in all sub-systems including ASR are learned by Extended Baum-Welch (EBW) algorithms via optimizing the criteria directly tied to the end-to-end performance measure. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach on a speech translation task using the spoken language translation benchmark test of IWSLT. Our experimental results show that the proposed method leads to significant improvement of translation quality over the conventional techniques based on separate modular sub-system design. We also analyze the EBW-based optimization algorithms employed in our work and discuss its relationship with other popular optimization techniques.
Fractally Finding the Odd One Out: An Analogical Strategy For Noticing Novelty

The Odd One Out test of intelligence consists of 3x3 matrix reasoning problems organized in 20 levels of difficulty. Addressing problems on this test appears to require integration of multiple cognitive abilities usually associated with creativity, including visual encoding, similarity assessment, pattern detection, and analogical transfer. We describe a novel fractal strategy for addressing visual analogy problems on the Odd One Out test. In our strategy, the relationship between images is encoded fractally, capturing important aspects of similarity as well as inherent self-similarity. The strategy starts with fractal representations encoded at a high level of resolution, but, if that is not sufficient to resolve ambiguity, it automatically adjusts itself to the right level of resolution for addressing a given problem. Similarly, the strategy starts with searching for fractally-derived similarity between simpler relationships, but, if that is not sufficient to resolve ambiguity, it automatically shifts to search for such similarity between higher-order relationships. We present preliminary results and initial analysis from applying the fractal technique on nearly 3,000 problems from the Odd One Out test.
Fault Location Using Sparse Synchrophasor Measurement of Electromechanical-Wave Oscillations

This paper presents a novel system-wide fault-location method for transmission lines utilizing electromechanical-wave oscillation propagation phenomena. The method uses synchrophasor measurements during disturbances obtained from phasor measurement units sparsely located in the network. The method determines the time of arrival of electromechanical waves propagating from the fault point to sparsely located phasor mesaurement units. By taking the speed of electromechanical-wave propagation as well as topology of the network into account, the method is able to detect the faulty line. Finally, by adding fictitious buses inside the faulty line and applying a binary search method, the location of fault is accurately pinpointed. The main advantage of the proposed method is the use of a limited number of PMUs which reduces the cost of implementation. The method was developed in MATLAB and tested with the IEEE 118-test system. Test results reveal the high accuracy of the method in detecting and locating faults.
Assessment and management of acute cardiac chest pain.

Chest pain is a frequent symptom health care providers must evaluate.6,12,41 The number of people presenting with chest pain totals approximately 8 million patients each year in the United States.39,46 Chest pain is a cardinal manifestation of the cardiac disease, but chest pain may also originate from many noncardiac structures. The assessment and diagnosis of chest pain must be very carefully conducted to fully differentiate between the many causes of chest pain. The focus of this article is on the assessment and management of acute cardiac chest pain and will be specific to the management of unstable angina based on the national guidelines for treatment of this condition.
Mechanistic Significance of the Si–O–Pd Bond in the Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Alkenylsilanolates

Through the combination of reaction kinetics (both catalytic and stoichiometric) and solid-state characterization of arylpalladium(II) alkenylsilanolate complexes, the intermediacy of covalent adducts containing Si–O–Pd linkages in the cross-coupling reactions of organosilanolates has been unambiguously established. Two mechanistically distinct pathways have been demonstrated: (1) transmetalation via a neutral 8-Si-4 intermediate that dominates in the cross-coupling of potassium alkenylsilanolates, and (2) transmetalation via an anionic 10-Si-5 intermediate that dominates in the cross-coupling of cesium alkenylsilanolates. Arylpalladium(II) alkenylsilanolate complexes bearing various phosphine ligands (both bidentate and monodentate) have been isolated, fully characterized, and evaluated for their kinetic competence under thermal (stoichiometric) and anionic (catalytic) conditions. Comparison of the rates for thermal and anionic activation demonstrates that intermediates containing the Si–O–Pd linkage are...
History of Acute Viral Hepatitis

The disease that is called viral hepatitis today has an ancient history. Reports of epidemic jaundice were described in Greece during the fifth century BC, and many outbreaks were described during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A review of the medical literature by Blumberg1in 1923 revealed that there were 11 outbreaks from 1812 to 1886, 51 from 1886 to 1920, and more than 200 in New York State alone from 1920 to 1922.