cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Host-Directed Therapies: Modulating Inflammation to Treat Tuberculosis

Following infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), most human hosts are able to contain the infection and avoid progression to active TB disease through expression of a balanced, homeostatic immune response. Proinflammatory mechanisms aiming to kill, slow and sequester the pathogen are key to a successful host response. However, an excessive or inappropriate pro-inflammatory response may lead to granuloma enlargement and tissue damage, which may prolong the TB treatment duration and permanently diminish the lung function of TB survivors. The host also expresses certain anti-inflammatory mediators which may play either beneficial or detrimental roles depending on the timing of their deployment. The balance between the timing and expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses plays an important role in the fate of infection. Interestingly, M. tuberculosis appears to manipulate both sides of the human immune response to remodel the host environment for its own benefit. Consequently, therapies which modulate either end of this spectrum of immune responses at the appropriate time may have the potential to improve the treatment of TB or to reduce the formation of permanent lung damage after microbiological cure. Here, we highlight host-directed TB therapies targeting pro- or anti-inflammatory processes that have been evaluated in pre-clinical models. The repurposing of already available drugs known to modulate these responses may improve the future of TB therapy.
Variations in Postoperative Opioid Prescription Practices and Impact on Refill Prescriptions Following Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Objective Understanding postsurgical prescribing patterns and their impact on persistent opioid use is important for establishing reasonable opioid prescribing protocols. We aimed to determine national variation in postoperative opioid prescription practices following elective lumbar spine surgery and their impact on short-term refill prescriptions. Methods The OptumLabs Data Warehouse was queried from 2016 to 2017 for adults undergoing anterior lumbar fusion, posterior lumbar fusion, circumferential lumbar fusion, and lumbar decompression/discectomy for degenerative spine disease. Discharge opioid prescription fills were obtained and converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs). Age- and sex-adjusted MMEs and frequency of discharge prescriptions >200 MMEs were determined for each U.S. census division and procedure type. Results The study included 43,572 patients with 37,894 postdischarge opioid prescription fills. There was wide variation in mean filled MMEs across all census divisions (anterior lumbar fusion: 774–1147 MMEs; posterior lumbar fusion: 717–1280 MMEs; circumferential lumbar fusion: 817–1271 MMEs; lumbar decompression/discectomy: 619–787 MMEs). A significant proportion of cases were found to have filled discharge prescriptions >200 MMEs (posterior lumbar fusion: 78.6%–95%; anterior lumbar fusion: 87.5%–95.6%; circumferential lumbar fusion: 81.4%–96.5%; lumbar decompression/discectomy: 80.5%–91%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that female sex and inpatient surgery were associated with a top-quartile discharge prescription and a short-term second opioid prescription fill, while the opposite was noted for elderly and opioid-naive patients (all P ≤ 0.05). Prescriptions with long-acting opioids were associated with higher odds of a second opioid prescription fill (reference: nontramadol short-acting opioid). Conclusions In analysis of filled opioid prescriptions, we observed a significant proportion of prescriptions >200 MMEs and wide regional variation in postdischarge opioid prescribing patterns following elective lumbar spine surgery.
Doubt and the Demands of Democratic Citizenship

The triumph of democracy has been heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century, yet it seems to be in a relatively fragile condition in the United States, if one is to judge by the proliferation of editorials, essays, and books that focus on politics and distrust of government. Doubt and the Demands of Democratic Citizenship explores the reasons for public discontent and proposes an account of democratic citizenship appropriate for a robust democracy. David Hiley argues that citizenship is more than participating in the electoral process. It requires a capacity to participate in the deliberative process with other citizens who might disagree, a capacity that combines deep convictions with a willingness to subject those convictions. Hiley develops his argument by examining the connection between doubt and democracy generally, as well as through case studies of Socrates, Montaigne, and Rousseau, interpreting them in light of contemporary issues.
Die Dimensionen des Verantwortungsbegriffs

Der Begriff Verantwortung gehort der deutschen Allgemeinsprache an; er ist im Kern allgemeinverstandlich, aber leider an den Randern nicht eindeutig.
Blood loss during radical prostatectomy: impact on clinical, oncological and functional outcomes and complication rates

Study Type – Outcomes (cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? It is generally accepted in the medical community that total and intra-operative blood loss after RALP is significantly lower in comparison with ORRP. This has led to speculation that less bleeding results in better visualization of the operative field resulting in superior potency and continence. Blood loss (BL) during ORRP does not adversely impact clinical and functional outcomes irrespective of how BL is defined. Thus, the lower BL associated with RALP would not be expected to improve functional or oncological outcomes. OBJECTIVE • To determine the short- and long-term impact of blood loss (BL) on clinical, oncological and functional outcomes as well as complication rates after an open radical retropubic prostatectomy (ORRP). PATIENTS AND METHODS • Between 2000 and 2008, 1567 men who underwent an ORRP participated in our prospective longitudinal outcomes study. • Haematocrit (Hct) levels, transfusion rates, BL and complications were recorded prospectively. • Validated, self-administered quality-of-life (QoL) questionnaires were completed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months and yearly thereafter. • Urinary function and erectile dysfunction were assessed using AUA Symptom Score and the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index and analysis of variance (anova)/chi-square tests were used to compare clinical, BL, biochemical recurrence (BCR) and QoL outcomes amongst the three groups for continuous/categorical variables. RESULTS • The mean estimated BL was 742.7 (45 to 3500) mL and 5.4% and 3.8% received an autologous (AU) or allogeneic (AL) blood transfusions, respectively. • The average baseline, induction, postoperative and discharge Hct was 43.8%, 48.3%, 35.7% and 34.1%, respectively. • The estimated BL and the rate of change of Hct correlated moderately (r = 0.41, P < 0.0001). • Tertiles of BL were based on the difference between induction and discharge Hct (Delta 1) and the average Delta 1 for Groups 1, 2 and 3 were 7.9%, 12.7% and 17.2%, respectively. • Intra-operative, early/delayed complications, length of hospital stay (LoS), SM surgical margins status, anastomotic stricture and BCR were not statistically different (P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS • BL during ORRP does not adversely impact clinical and functional outcomes irrespective of how BL is defined. • Thus, the lower BL associated with robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) in and of itself would not be expected to improve functional or oncological outcomes.
Ligand interactions with yeast aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Abstract The interaction of ligands with yeast aldehyde dehydrogenase has been studied by two techniques: the effect of enzyme and aldehyde on the fluorescence of DPNH and the effect of DPNH and aldehydes on the reactivity of enzyme sulfhydryl groups. The data from both methods are consistent with an ordered mechanism in which pyridine nucleotide binds to a binary complex composed of enzyme and aldehyde. The number of binding sites for DPNH has also been established. In the presence of benzaldehyde, 2 moles of DPNH bind per mole of enzyme with a dissociation constant of 50 µm.
The effect of hydrothermal alteration on the seismic structure of the upper oceanic crust: Evidence from Holes 504B and 1256D

It has long been argued but never demonstrated that alteration “fronts” should be recognizable features of the seismic structure of the oceanic crust. The abrupt transition from crust affected by low-temperature hydrous alteration to crust affected by high-temperature hydrothermal alteration must arise from a stepwise reduction of porosity and permeability that should correspond to a seismic boundary. In Holes 504B and 1256D, the sudden downhole appearance of hydrothermal minerals corresponds to a increase of the velocity gradient that is caused by a change of porosity within the lava-dike transition zone, and models of the downhole variation of permeability computed from apparent porosity logs show a corresponding stepwise change of permeability (by a factor of ∼20) that is sufficient to account for the onset of hydrothermal alteration. In principle, the coincidence of the seismic structure with the alteration boundary can be used to interpret the seismic structure of the oceanic crust. In particular, the onset of hydrothermal alteration proves to be a viable candidate for the transition from Layer 2A to Layer 2B, which also occurs within or near the lava-dike transition zone. There is also a systematic decrease of permeability with increasing sonic velocity in both the lavas and the dikes (log(κ) ∼ a + bv). Remarkably, the extrapolated trend for the lavas is in excellent agreement with in situ permeabilities measured in very young crust, ranging in age from zero to 3.5 Ma. To a good approximation, the permeability of Layer 2A can be estimated from its seismic structure.
Observations of p-mode absorption in active regions

We present here a summary of results on the interaction of p-modes with solar active regions based on observations made at the Kitt Peak Solar Vacuum Telescope and the geographic South Pole. A travelling wave decomposition of p-modes is performed in a cylindrical coordinate system centered on the active regions. Significant absorption of p-mode wave power is observed to occur in all of the regions and is a function of horizontal wavenumber (κ) - increasing linearly with k up to some maximum value and remaining constant for higher wavenumbers. The maximum fractional absorption of incident power is about 0.2 for small pores and 0.4 for typical isolated sunspots (radius = 15 Mm). A maximum of 70% absorption is seen in the large sunspot group of March 1989 (radius = 60 Mm). No convincing variation of the absorption with temporal frequency (i.e. radial order) is seen, although not entirely ruled out considering the relative errors involved with the power measurements. No significant difference in the amount of p-mode absorption is detected between equal 3-hour time intervals before and after a class X4 flare in the March 1989 region. No excess of outgoing waves following the time of the flare is detected. These observations do not support the suggestion that large flares may excite observable acoustic waves in the photosphere.
Innovation in cities: Science-based diversity, specialization and localized competition

Whether diversity or specialization of economic activity better promotes technological change and subsequent economic growth has been the subject of a heated debate in the economics literature. The purpose of this paper is to consider the e⁄ect of the composition of economic activity on innovation. We test whether the specialization of economic activity within a narrow concentrated set of economic activities is more conducive to knowledge spillovers or if diversity, by bringing together complementary activities, better promotes innovation. The evidence provides considerable support for the diversity thesis but little support for the specialization thesis. ( 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Targeting Kir4.2 in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels play fundamental roles in diverse physiological processes, and in some cases, represent novel drug targets for human diseases. KCNJ15, which encodes the no...
Regulation of 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Gene Expression by Sterols and Nonsterols in Rat Liver

The mechanisms by which sterols and nonsterols regulate hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase gene expression was investigated by measuring mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in rats fed cholesterol or given drugs that deplete both endogenous sterols and nonsterols or that selectively deplete sterols. It was found that while dietary cholesterol had little effect on HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels; immunoreactive protein was reduced to barely detectable levels, as was enzyme activity. Any possible effect on catalytic efficiency is thus ruled out. When rats were fed diets containing Lovastatin, a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor which blocks synthesis of both nonsterols and sterols, similar 15- to 20-fold increases were observed for both HMG-CoA reductase mRNA and activity. However, HMG-CoA reductase immunoreactive protein was increased more than 200-fold. When endogenous sterols were selectively depleted by inhibiting squalene synthase with Zargozic acid A, the increase observed in reductase mRNA was similar to that seen in immunoreactive protein and enzyme activity. This is consistent with the concept that endogenous sterols exert their effects at the level of transcription while endogenous nonsterols act at the level of translation. The results suggest that in whole animals, sterols likely act at the level of mRNA while nonsterols exert their regulatory effects at the level of HMG-CoA reductase protein.
The Administrative Conference of the United States: Recommendations to Advance Cross‐Agency Collaboration under the GPRA Modernization Act

The interplay between law and public administration was perhaps best described by Woodrow Wilson, who once said that “[p]ublic administration is detailed and systematic execution of public law. Every particular application of general law is an act of administration.” Wilson’s words still ring true today at the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), where principles of public administration and management are intertwined with the work of ACUS. Accordingly, readers of Public Administration Review are invited to learn more about the Administrative Conference and assist in fulfi lling its mission. One path to do so may lie in a recent study conducted by Jane E. Fountain for ACUS titled “Th e GPRA Modernization Act of 2010: Examining Constraints to, and Providing Tools for, Cross-Agency Collaboration” (Fountain 2013).
Influence of stoichiometry and charge state on the structure and reactivity of cobalt oxide clusters with CO.

Cationic and anionic cobalt oxide clusters, generated by laser vaporization, were studied using guided-ion-beam mass spectrometry to obtain insight into their structure and reactivity with carbon m...
Durkheim among the statisticians

L'A. s'efforce d'evaluer les travaux et analyses statistiques d'E. Durkheim. Il montre que celui-ci insiste sur les regularites statistiques. Il examine la methode employee par Durkheim dans «Le Suicide» sur le plan du traitement des donnees statistiques. Il compare les travaux de Durkheim a ceux effectues en Italie par E. Morselli, a la meme epoque, ainsi que les methodes de modelisation et d'analyse causale utilisees par chacun d'eux
The Binding of ATP to Myosins B and A

Values for binding of ATP and ADP to myosin B and ATP to myosin A were determined from mixtures of these nucleotides and proteins by use of rapid filtration to separate bound and unbound nucleotides and by use of an ATP-regenerating system (creatine phosphate-creatine phosphokinase). Calculation of the binding curves of ATP to 105 g of myosin B by the mass law binding expression using two sets of binding sites, n1 and n2, and with binding constants, k1=40×103 and k2=1.5×103 1/mole, respectively, yielded a curve of good fit to the experimentally determined points when n1=0.4 and n2=1.2 moles per 105g. Similar calculation of data from binding of ATP to myosin A yielded a curve of best fit when n1=0.5 and n2=3.0 per 105 g with k1=5,500 and k2=550 1/mole. At 1 mM ATP, myosin A bound 50% more than myosin B. ADP at 1 mM appeared to saturate myosin B about 97%. The amounts of ADP bound to myosin B fitted a curve with one value of n which equaled 0.36. Multiplication of 105g by the factors required to convert the above n values to integers yields combining weights of 250,000 and 200,000 for myosin B and myosin A.
Effect of uracil on colonial morphology ofNeisseria gonorrhoeae

The production of cells ofNeisseria gonorrhoeae that form type-T4 colonies in cultures started with cells that originally formed only type-T2 colonies was inhibited by calf thymus RNA. Guanosine and uracil were the only nucleic acid constituents that significantly reduced the T2 to T4 shift. Uracil gave the best results in degree of inhibition. It was found that some tritiated uracil was incorporated into the RNA of growing cells ofN. gonorrhoeae but that much more was incorporated into DNA probably after conversion to guanine and adenine. The data show that the shift from T2 to T4 can be progressively inhibited by increasing the concentration of uracil in the growth medium.
Indcations for the use of pacing pulmonary artery catheters in cardiac surgery

Several varieties of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) with pacing capabilities are now available. Although specific recommendations for prophylactic perioperative placement of pacemakers have been offered previously, the authors believe that those recommendations warrant further examination, taking into consideration the availability of new pacing modalities. Toward this end, the use of pacing PACs in cardiac surgical patients was prospectively examined. In 600 consecutive adult patients with PACs placed prior to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the cardiac anesthesiologist recorded if a pacing PAC was placed, the indications for placing it, and whether the catheter was used to pace. If a pacing PAC was not chosen, the anesthesiologist indicated whether cardiac pacing was needed prior to CPB. In all patients, the presence and specifics of the following five possible indications were documented: sinus node dysfunction/ bradydysrhythmias, atrioventricular heart block, fascicular or bundle branch block, cardiac reoperation, and/or valvular heart disease. PACs with pacing capability were placed in 180 of the 600 patients (30.0%) and were used in 34 of these 180 patients (18.8%). In 4 of 420 patients (0.95%) without pacing PACs, cardiac pacing was needed prior to CPB. The following preoperative diagnoses were significant predictors (P < .05) for the use or need for pacing catheters: sinus node dysfunction/bradydysrhythmias, a history of transient complete atrioventricular block, aortic stenosis, aortic insufficiency, and reoperation. The majority of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery do not require the use of a pacing PAC prior to CPB. The placement of a pacing PAC should be considered in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with symptomatic bradydysrhythmias, a history of transient complete atrioventricular block, aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis, and in patients undergoing a reoperation with other pacing indications present.
New Attributions in St. Peter's: The Spandrel Figures in the Nave

High above the floor of the basilica of St. Peter's, on top of the great arches of the nave arcade, are sixteen colossal stucco statues, each one measuring a full twenty feet across.1 Thousands who crowd the church see them every day: figures so large in scale cannot fail to catch the eye, if only for an instant. They have not, on the other hand, managed to hold the attention of the critics, perhaps because, being so high up, they are hard to study in detail. Now, however, with the help of telescopic photography and supporting material from the archives, it is possible for the first time to give the statues a good look.2
Geographic Information Technologies and Personal Privacy

Abstract Concepts of privacy are fluid. They change according to historical contingencies and are mediated by technology. Geospatial technologies are now altering the way privacy is being considered. Remote sensing technologies can be used to observe, or infer, the locations of individuals from space, from remotely piloted aircraft, and from fixed terrestrial observation points. Other geospatial technologies can be used to track movements and to recover individual-level information from maps. These changes are welcomed by some, since they provide a certain level of public safety (e.g., E-911). In other cases, however, a lack of awareness about the sinister aspects of surveillance may lead to complacency. Where personal privacy is eroded, individuals should be aware of the limitations of technology and the degree to which it may be applied to monitor their activities.
On the construction of a potential from Cauchy data

Abstract We investigate the problem of recovering a potential q(y) in the differential equation: −Δu+q(y)u=0, (x,y)∈(0,1)×(0,1), u(0,y)=u(1,y)=u(x,0)=0, u(x,1)=f(x), u y (x,1)=g(x) The method of separation of variables reduces the recovery of q(y) to a nonstandard inverse Sturm—Liouville problem. An asymptotic formula is developed that suggests that under appropriate conditions on the Cauchy pair (f, g), q(y) is uniquely determined up to the mean. Moreover, the recovery of q(y) is comparable to finding a function from its polynomial moments. A reconstruction scheme is suggested and numerical examples are considered.
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer Pairing in Antiferromagnetic Superconductors

The mean-field theory of an antiferromagnetic superconductor is solved and some fluctuation effects are discussed. In contrast to claims of other authors, it is found that the pairing is of the usual BCS type D = . Results for the gap parameter D(T) and H/sub c/(T) are presented. The latter is similar to the measured H/sub c/2(T). The ratio D(0)/T/sub c/ and the (nonmonotonic) temperature T dependence of H/sub c/ and D(T) are shown to deviate markedly from BCS theory.
Immunologic studies on the Bea factor.

Summary In a previous report, a new family blood factor, designated as Bea, was reported. It was present in 7 of 11 members of the family, including the husband and three children. The antibody was found in the blood of a woman who was sensitized first by a transfusion of blood from her husband, and subsequently by a pregnancy. Two later pregnancies terminated in stillbirths, which showed the characteristic anatomic changes of hemolytic disease of the newborn. Bea-positive blood was injected into two male volunteers, not members of the family. Both showed a good antibody response. This indicates that the Berrens factor is antigenic in man. The first volunteer produced in addition anti-hr′(c) in a low titer. Be5 was antigenic ally more potent than hr′(c). The immunologic and practical implications of the findings were discussed, and possible future approaches of investigation were outlined. Resume Les auteurs ont decrit, dans une communication anterieure, un nouvel antigene erythrocytaire familial, nomme Bea. Get antigene etait present chez 7 des 11 membres de la famille, y compris le mari et trois enfants. L'anticorps se trouvait dans le serum de la mere qui avait ete immunisee par une transfusion de sang de son man et, plus tard, par une grossesse. Deux grossesses ulterieures resulterent en des enfants mort-nes, qui preentaient les symptomes anatomiques caracteristiques de la maladie hemolytique du nouveau-ne. Du sang Bea positif fut injecte a deux volontaires qui n'etaient pas membres de la famille. Tous deux montrerent une bonne production d'anticorps. Ces faits demontrent que le facteur Berrens est antigenique chez l'homme. Le premier volontaire produisit en outre de l'anti-hr′ (anti-c) B bas titre. Bea s'avera donc plus fortement antigenique que hr′ (c). Ces observations sont discutees du point de vue immunologique et pratique, et la ligne que devra suivre l'etude future de ce cas est esquissee. Zusammenfassung In einer fruheren Arbeit wurde uber ein neues Familienantigen, welches als Bea bezeichnet wurde, berichtet. Dieses Antigen konnte bei 7 von 11 Familienangehorigen nachgewiesen werden. Im engeren Familienkreis war es beim Vater und dessen 3 Kindern nachweisbar. Der Antikorper wurde im Blut der Kindsmutter gefunden. Die Isoimmunisierung war bei dieser Frau die Folge einer Transfusion mit Blut des Ehegatten. Anschliesend hatte sie eine Bea-inkompatible Schwangerschaft. Zwei weitere Schwangerschaften endeten mit Totgeburten, welche die pathologisch-anatomischen Zeichen eines Morbus haemolyticus neonatorum aufwiesen. Bea-positives Blut wurde zwei mannlichen Individuen, die nicht dieser Familie angehorten, eingespritzt. Beide bildeten kraftige Anti-Bea-Antikorper. Der eine dieser beiden Manner bildete auserdem niedertitrige Anti-hr′ (c)-Antikorper. Der Faktor Bea ist offensichtlich ein kraftigeres Antigen als der Rhesusfaktor hr′ (c). Die immunologischen und prak-tischen Konsequenzen dieser Befunde werden besprochen und die Moglichkeiten fur kunftige Untersuchungen aufgezeigt.
Antiplatelet Therapy and Proton Pump Inhibition Clinician Update

A 77-year-old man with history of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease presented with angina and evidence of ischemia despite maximal medical therapy. He underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention with a drug-eluting stent and was started on long-term dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel. His medical history was significant for an episode of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in the setting of using nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Dual antiplatelet therapy, typically the addition of an ADP receptor antagonist to aspirin, has become the cornerstone of management of patients with acute coronary syndromes and after percutaneous coronary intervention. However, along with the reduction of thrombotic outcomes, this therapeutic strategy has the untoward effect of increasing the risk of bleeding events, including GI bleeding.1 The use of gastroprotective strategies, most notably proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), has become a widely adopted and recommended practice in this patient population.2 Currently, the most commonly prescribed ADP receptor antagonist is clopidogrel, a prodrug that undergoes activation by the cytochrome P450 system, in particular CYP2C19. The importance of this reaction on the overall platelet inhibitory effects of clopidogrel is highlighted by the fact that patients with reduced-function CYP2C19 alleles exhibit a reduced response to clopidogrel compared with those with the wild-type alleles. This finding might translate into increased risk of adverse events after acute coronary syndromes and percutaneous coronary intervention. Given that PPIs are inhibitors of CYP2C19, coupled with reports suggesting a clinically significant interaction,3 regulatory agencies issued a cautionary statement advising against the combined use of PPIs (specifically omeprazole and esomeprazole) and clopidogrel.4 Aspirin causes direct damage to the gastric epithelium and inhibits prostaglandin production by the gastric mucosa, leading to ulcerations and an estimated 2-fold increased risk of GI bleeding with low-dose aspirin alone.1 The risk increases with the additional use of …
Deep-tissue photoacoustic tomography of Förster resonance energy transfer

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a distance-dependent process that transfers excited state energy from a donor molecule to an acceptor molecule without the emission of a photon. The FRET rate is determined by the proximity between the donor and the acceptor molecules; it becomes significant only when the proximity is within several nanometers. Therefore, FRET has been applied to visualize interactions and conformational changes of biomolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that cannot be resolved by optical microscopy. Here, we report photoacoustic tomography of FRET efficiency at a 1-cm depth in chicken breast tissue, whereas conventional high-resolution fluorescence imaging is limited to < 0.1 cm. Photoacoustic tomography is expected to facilitate the examination of FRET phenomena in living organisms.
Determination of the Catalytic Sites for Ziegler-Natta Homo-Polymerization from GPC Data

Deconvolution of the MWD of a polymer produced by multi-site catalysts into independent Flory modes is the first step in modeling the polymerization process. A new deconvolution procedure for GPC data is developed that does not require an a priori assumption concerning the nature of the discrete distribution and can be used with a continuous distribution. The MWD measured via GPC is a linear function of the individual catalytic sites, but it is numerically ill-conditioned, preventing direct inversion of the GPC data. Tikhonov regularization has been developed to uniquely invert the MWD. Applying the regularizing method to a polyethylene produced via a Ziegler-Natta catalyst, seven discrete sites were found, and the kinetic constant ratios were determined for each of these sites.
Electrodeposition of composition‐modulated alloys in a fluctuating flow field

The effect of fluctuating flow on the electrodeposition of binary alloys is analyzed by numerically solving the transient Navier-Stokes and species continuity equations for a rotating disk electrode system. Timeperiodic modulations of the flow field and the electrode potential are studied and shown to induce periodic deposition rates for a mass-transfer-limited species and an activation-limited species, respectively. Dimensionless groups are formulated to characterize the operating regimes, where composition-modulated alloys electrodeposit from a single electrolyte and where fluctuating flow influences the composition distribution of the deposit. It is shown that changing the phase angle difference between the flow and potential modulation waveforms can modify the composition gradients in the deposited alloy, whereas other features of the alloy, such as the total composition variation, are affected less by fluctuating flow.
Use of acoustic emissions to investigate localization in high-porosity sandstone subjected to true triaxial stresses

Acoustic emissions were used to investigate the evolution of damage and strain localization in Castlegate sandstone specimens subjected to true triaxial states of stress, where the intermediate principal stress ranged from equal to minimum compression to equal to maximum compression. Three failure modes were observed: shear band formation at low mean stresses, compaction localization at intermediate stresses, and no localization at high mean stresses. For shear bands, the onset of localization consistently occurred prior to peak stress, while compaction localization initiated at the beginning of a stress plateau. The band angle (defined as the angle between the band normal and the maximum compression direction) determined by fitting a plane through the localized acoustic emission events corresponded well with the shear band angle expressed on the specimen jacket. As expected, the band angle decreased with increasing mean stress. The theoretically predicted dependence of band angle on deviatoric stress state was not confirmed; however, data scatter due to natural variations in material could obscure such a trend. Each failure mode displayed a unique acoustic emission rate response; therefore, this rate response alone can be used to determine the failure mode and the onset of localization in Castlegate sandstone.
The Romantic Generation

Preface Music and Sound Imagining the sound Romantic paradoxes: the absent melody Classical and Romantic pedal Conception and realization Tone color and structure Fragments Renewal The Fragment as Romantic form Open and closed Words and music The emancipation of musical language Experimental endings and cyclical forms Ruins Disorders Quotations and memories Absence: the melody suppressed Mountains and Song Cycles Horn calls Landscape and music Landscape and the double time scale Mountains as ruins Landscape and memory Music and memory Landscape and death: Schubert The unfinished workings of the past Song cycles without words Formal Interlude Mediants Four-bar phrases Chopin: Counterpoint and the Narrative Forms Poetic inspiration and craft Counterpoint and the single line Narrative form: the ballade Changes of mode Italian opera and J. S. Bach Chopin: Virtuosity Transformed Keyboard exercises Virtuosity and decoration (salon music?) Morbid intensity Chopin: From the Miniature Genre to the Sublime Style Folk music? Rubato Modal harmony? Mazurka as Romantic form The late mazurkas Freedom and tradition Liszt: On Creation as Performance Disreputable greatness Die Lorelei: the distraction of influence The Sonata: the distraction of respectability The invention of Romantic piano sound: the Etudes Conception and realization The masks of Liszt Recomposing: Sonnet no. 104 Self-Portrait as Don Juan Berlioz: Liberation from the Central European Tradition Blind idolaters and perfidious critics Tradition and eccentricity: the idee fixe Chord color and counterpoint Long-range harmony and contrapuntal rhythm: the "Scene d'amour" Mendelssohn and the Invention of Religious Kitsch Mastering Beethoven Transforming Classicism Classical form and modern sensibility Religion in the concert hall Romantic Opera: Politics, Trash, and High Art Politics and melodrama Popular art Bellini Meyerbeer Schumann: Triumph and Failure of the Romantic Ideal The irrational The inspiration of Beethoven and Clara Wieck The inspiration of E.T.A. Hoffmann Out of phase Lyric intensity Failure and triumph Index of Names and Works
Screening of Nine Echinacea Supplements for Antitumor Activity Using the Potato Disc Bioassay

ABSTRACT To study the efficacy of commercially available Echinacea supplements, solvent fractions from nine locally purchased supplements containing Echinacea were tested in a potato disc assay for their ability to suppress formation of crown-gall tumors, a process that resembles tumor formation in animal tissues. Acetone and ethanol fractions from two supplements inhibited tumor formation and water and ethanol fractions from a third supplement suppressed tumor formation. Comparison of the bio-assay results with the supplement ingredients, as listed on the supplement label, did not reveal any correlation between quantity and suppressive activity of the listed ingredients. These results are consistent with prior investigations that noted product labels were often inaccurate and that post-harvest handling practices can be deleterious to bioactive compounds contained in Echinacea.
Role of carbonic anhydrase in calcification in the gorgonian Leptogorgia virgulata

The relationship between carbonic anhydrase and calcification in the gorgonian Leptogorgia virgulata was examined by analysis of the enzyme's activity, its cellular locations and its response to inhibition by Diamox. Enzyme activity was 2.7 nmol μg−1 protein s−1 at 4°C. Carbonic anhydrase localization at the light level using immunofluorescent techniques and at the ultrastructural level using Hansson's method showed activity in the scleroblasts and axial epithelium. Specifically, at the electron microscopic level this activity was found to be very high on the membranes of the spicule-forming vacuole and electron-dense bodies. Membranes of the microvilli and plasma membranes of the desmocytes showed high activity of this enzyme. The activity on the scleroblast plasma membranes was variable. This enzyme is possibly present in the axis. Regenerated branch tips incubated in seawater containing 10−4 M and 10−6 M Diamox showed an increase in 45Ca uptake into the spicules and axes. The tissue o fbranch tips incubated in 10−6 M Diamox showed a decrease in 45Ca uptake. The observation that carbonic anhydrase is located adjacent to calcifying structures and organelles associated with spicule formation suggests that the enzyme is involved in calcification. The increase in 45Ca uptake from enzyme inhibition may suggest that carbonic anhydrase is involved in the regulation of HCO3.
Successful treatment with telaprevir‐based regimens for chronic hepatitis C results in significant improvements to serum markers of liver fibrosis

Summary Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have differing levels of liver health when they initiate treatment. We sought to quantify whether liver health improves following successful treatment with telaprevir-based antiviral regimens. We performed a retrospective analysis of data generated from one Phase 2 and two Phase 3 telaprevir clinical studies. 1208 patients treated with a telaprevir-based regimen were included in the analysis. Patients were grouped according to their baseline Metavir score (F0–F1, F2 and F3–F4) and whether or not they attained sustained virologic response (SVR). Scores from four biomarker tests, FibroTest, APRI, FIB-4 and Forns' Score, were monitored both before and after HCV treatment. All four of these tests differentiated the fibrosis stage as determined by Metavir score at baseline. Consistent with previous studies, patients who attained SVR exhibited significant improvements in scores from each of these tests after treatment. These improvements remained significant even when patients were grouped according to their baseline Metavir score. On average, the scores from different tests exhibited differential improvements following SVR. Improvements in APRI scores corresponded to complete fibrosis regression (i.e. a Metavir stage of F0-F1). In contrast, improvements in scores from Forns' Score, FIB-4 and FibroTest were more modest (i.e. fibrosis regression of less than a Metavir stage). Overall, these results demonstrated that attaining SVR with a telaprevir-based regimen led to significant improvements in liver health as determined by four biomarker tests. However, not all correlations observed between noninvasive markers and fibrosis stage at baseline hold after SVR is attained.
Characterization of the Major Bovine Brain Go α Isoforms MAPPING THE STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE α SUBUNIT ISOFORMS IDENTIFIES A VARIABLE REGION OF THE PROTEIN INVOLVED IN RECEPTOR INTERACTIONS

Abstract Go is the major G protein in bovine brain, with at least three isoforms, GoA, GoB, and GoC. Whereas αoA and αoB arise from a single Goα gene as alternatively spliced mRNAs, αoA and αoC are thought to differ by covalent modification. To test the hypothesis that αoA and αoC have different N-terminal lipid modifications, proteolytic fragments of αo isoforms were immunoprecipitated with an N terminus-specific antibody and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The major masses observed in immunoprecipitates were the same for all three αoisoforms and corresponded to the predicted mass of a myristoylated N-terminal fragment. Structural differences between αoAand αoC were also compared before and after limited tryptic proteolysis using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis containing 6 m urea. Based upon the αosubunit fragments produced under activating and nonactivating conditions, differences between αoA and αoCwere localized to a C-terminal fragment of the protein. This region, involved in receptor and effector interactions, implies divergent signaling roles for these two αo proteins. Finally, the structural difference between αoA and αoCis associated with a difference of at most 2 daltons based upon measurements by electrospay ionization mass spectrometry.
The Evaluation of a Multiple Couple Group Intervention for Couples Transitioning to Marriage: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Project

The Multiple Couple Group Intervention (MCGI) provides an alternative to current programs for couples transitioning to marriage or commitment. The MCGI offers a unique focus on strengthening attachment bonds at a time in couple relationships when acceptance of such revision may be more likely. The transition to marriage appears to be a time of particular developmental importance, according to attachment theory, and intervention during this transition may prevent or minimize future difficulties and adverse outcomes in couple partnerships. Preliminary results from this uncontrolled, Stage I pilot trial demonstrate promise. Mixed-methods findings from the first study of the MCGI and implications for program development are discussed in this article.
The implications of resistance to antiviral agents for herpesvirus drug targets and drug therapy

Antiviral drug resistance is an area of increasing clinical importance in treatment of a number of viruses including herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Work with these herpesviruses illustrates the value of studies of drug resistance. Novel aspects of drug mechanisms, such as a CMV gene product that contributes to ganciclovir phosphorylation, can be identified via drug resistance mutations. Drug targets such as the HSV DNA polymerase that are involved in drug recognition can be dissected by sequencing of drug-resistance mutations, which can point to alternate therapeutic strategies. Analysis of virus mutants in animal models and in patient populations can help assess the value of viral proteins such as the HSV thymidine kinase and ribonucleotide reductase as drug targets and the pathogenic potential of drug resistant mutants. Such studies reveal a broad spectrum of alterations conferring resistance and emphasize the importance of heterogeneous populations of virus in resistance and pathogenesis and the need to develop alternate therapies.
Reverse osmosis in a curved tubular membrane duct

Abstract An analytical study on the mass transfer characteristics of reverse osmosis process in curved tubular membrane duct was made. Based on the velocity profile developed by previous investigators, the concentration distribution of the binary salt solution to be processed in a curved tubular membrane duct was obtained. It was found that a significant increase in mass transfer rate can be achieved in a curved tube due to the Coriolis force. This increase in mass transfer resulting a substantial reduction in concentration polarization is significant not only in terms of the increase of system capacity but the possible prolonging of the life span of the membrane duct as well. The result of this work suggests a potentially useful module configuration which heretofore has not yet been explored.
Hydrologic Comparison of Four Types of Permeable Pavement and Standard Asphalt in Eastern North Carolina

A permeable pavement parking lot in eastern North Carolina consisting of four types of permeable pavement and standard asphalt was monitored from June 2006 to July 2007 for hydrologic differences in pavement surface runoff volumes, total outflow volumes, peak flow rates, and time to peak. The four permeable sections were pervious concrete (PC), two types of permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) with small-sized aggregate in the joints and having 12.9% (PICP1) and 8.5% (PICP2) open surface area, and concrete grid pavers (CGP) filled with sand. The site was located in poorly drained soils, and all permeable sections were underlain by a crushed stone base layer with a perforated underdrain. All permeable pavements significantly reduced surface runoff volumes and peak flow rates from those of asphalt (p<0.01) . Of the permeable pavements, CGP generated the greatest surface runoff volumes (p<0.01) . The PICP1 and CGP cells generated significantly lower total outflow volumes than all other sections ev...
THE CORRECTION OF RESOLUTION DISTORTION IN CONTINUOUS PULSE-HEIGHT SPECTRA

Abstract A method has been devised for the correction of distortion effects arising from finite detector resolution in the measurement of continuous beta spectra. The correction procedure can, in principle, be used to correct distortions of any continuous spectrum measured with any spectrometer having a line-shape of fair resolution which can be measured or calculated. The method was applied to beta spectra measured with a 4 π scintillation spectrometer. Internal conversion lines were used to determine the basic line-shape of the instrument, which was found to be Gaussian to a very good approximation. The beta spectra of two elements, Tl 204 and Y 91 , which have unique forbidden shapes were measured and corrected assuming the basic line-shape to be Gaussian. The correction procedure yields results compatible with the Fermi theory, and the experimental shape factor plots for these continuous beta ray spectra are in good agreement with theoretical unique shape factors.
Sequential convergence in the dual of a $W^*$-algebra

The present paper is the result of the author's attempt to extend Theorem 9 of [5] to the case of a non-abelianW*-algebra. In [5]Grothendieck proves that weak and weak* convergence are equivalent for sequences in the dual space of an abelianW*-algebra. Theorem 4 of the present paper is only a partial result in that direction, but it is presented here because of its possible worth as a technical tool.
Rational Periodic Points of the Quadratic Function Qc(x) = x2 + c

(1994). Rational Periodic Points of the Quadratic Function Qc(x) = x2 + c. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 101, No. 4, pp. 318-331.
In vitro synthesis, importation and processing of Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD-3) into maize mitochondria

Abstract In vitro translation of maize scutellar polysome-bound RNA and poly(A) + RNA produces a precursor for the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD-3) of maize, which can be immunoprecipitated with SOD-3 monospecific antibodies. The precursor SOD-3 (preSOD-3) has both a greater molecular weight and a more positive isoelectric point than the mature (purified) SOD-3. These differences were not observed for the cytosolic isozyme (SOD-4) which was similarly synthesized and isolated. PreSOD-3 specifically associates with maize mitochondria when incubated in vitro, whereas SOD-4 does not. the ionophore valinomycin (at concentrations of over 1 μM) inhibits the uptake of preSOD-3 into mitochondria. The integrity of the mitochondrial preparations was determined by assay of oxygen consumption, citrate synthase, and cytochrome- c oxidase activity.
The mechanism of fracture in glassy materials capable of some inelastic deformation

Abstract Many pure, simple, (non-polymeric) fluids of both linear and non-linear behavior, including glassy metals which behave in an ideally plastic manner, fracture by the break-up of a blunted crack tip into a set of corrugations or fingers which progressively rupture the fluid as they advance into the fluid with a characteristic steady state wave form. The break-up is a variant of the ubiquitous fluid meniscus instability initially discussed by Taylor. An approximate analysis of the instability in the well known logarithmic spiral slip line field of a blunted crack in an ideally plastic medium leads to the description of a steady state form of the corrugation front which is capable of predicting the fracture toughness of glassy metals and the dimensions of their characteristic fracture surface features.