cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AVERAGE CROSSING NUMBER, TOTAL CURVATURE AND ROPELENGTH OF THICK KNOTS

Let K be a smooth knot of unit thickness embedded in the space $\mathcal{R}^3$ with length L(K) and total curvature κ(K). Then ${\rm acn}(K)\le c \cdot L(K) \cdot \sqrt{\kappa(K)}$ where acn(K) is the average crossing number of the embedded knot K and c > 0 is a constant independent of the knot K. This relationship had been conjectured in [G. Buck and J. Simon, Total curvature and packing of knots, Topology Appl.154 (2007) 192–204] where it is shown that the square root power on the curvature is the lowest possible. In the last section we give several examples to illustrate some relationships between the three quantities average crossing number, total curvature and ropelength.
Effects of collision retardation on hot-electron transport in a two-dimensional electron gas.

The effect of collision retardation on hot-electron transport in a two-dimensional electron gas is examined using an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. We find that collision retardation (i.e., a nonzero collision duration) tends to make the electrons hotter by suppressing energy-relaxing collision events. Collision retardation also increases the steady-state drift velocity and high-field mobility by suppressing momentum-relaxation events. Finally, it also increases velocity overshoot somewhat
Inhibition of HIV-1 integrase dimerization and activity with crosslinked interfacial peptides

Alternative modes of inhibition for the design of anti-HIV therapies are sought due to the resistance of HIV to a number of the currently approved drugs. A non-active site strategy for generating potent inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase is described based on blocking protein association. Peptides α5 and α6 derived from the HIV-1 integrase dimeric interface have previously demonstrated efficacious dimerization inhibition of HIV-1 integrase. Due to the proximity of the termini of these peptides within the integrase structure, a focused library of tethered agents was designed based on crosslinking the peptides α5 and α6 to mimic a larger interfacial region. The best crosslinked inhibitors are approximately five-fold more potent against HIV-1 integrase than the individual peptides alone or in combination. The most active agents have an inhibitory constant in the mid-nM range and function via a dissociative mechanism of inhibition.
l-Carnitine: therapeutic strategy for metabolic encephalopathy

Abstract The organic anion transport system in the choroid plexus is responsible for excretion of organic anions from brain to plasma. Disruption of this system could then result in accumulation of encephalopathic acyl groups in brain in a variety of metabolic disorders. Octanoate produced inhibition of this transport system associated with disruption of mitochondrial ultrastructure. Octanoylcarnitine and l -carnitine had no effects. These compounds represent those seen in the medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. l -Carnitine may be useful for protecting the central nervous system through formation of the non-toxic acylcarnitine in this and other metabolic disorders characterized by accumulation of encephalopathic metabolites.
Pulmonary opiate receptor activation evokes a cardiorespiratory reflex.

Abstract The administration of [D-Ala2,Met5]enkephalinamide (D-AME) and [D-Ala2,Leu5]enkephalinamide (D-ALE) into the right atrium of decerebrate rats caused bradycardia, a slight transient biphasic blood pressure response and apnea within 1–2 sec. Apnea was followed by rapid shallow breathing. These effects were dose related (1–1000 μg/kg) and blocked by pretreatment with naloxone. Atropine blocked the bradycardia. Sectioning the vagi at the level of the diaphragm did not affect the responses, whereas bivagotomy below the cardiac branches abolished all responses. The triad of responses was attributed to a reflex action arising from vagal afferents within the lung. These results were confirmed in paralyzed, artificially ventilated animals. In these animals, the enkephalin analogues produced a cessation of phrenic nerve (PN) activity followed by a decrease in the duration of bursts. The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) was concomitantly excited in a continuous decremental fashion. This excitation was independent of PN inhibition. Recordings of single and near single pulmonary vagal affarents demonstrated no effect of D-AME or D-ALE on stretch and irritant receptors. However, type J-receptors were stimulated.
Dysfunctional expansion of hematopoietic stem cells and block of myeloid differentiation in lethal sepsis

Severe sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. High mortality rates in sepsis are frequently associated with neutropenia. Despite the central role of neutrophils in innate immunity, the mechanisms causing neutropenia during sepsis remain elusive. Here, we show that neutropenia is caused in part by apoptosis and is sustained by a block of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) differentiation. Using a sepsis murine model, we found that the human opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa caused neutrophil depletion and expansion of the HSC pool in the bone marrow. “Septic” HSCs were significantly impaired in competitive repopulation assays and defective in generating common myeloid progenitors and granulocyte-monocyte progenitors, resulting in lower rates of myeloid differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Delayed myeloid-neutrophil differentiation was further mapped using a lysozyme–green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter mouse. Pseudomonas's lipopolysaccharide was necessary and sufficient to induce myelosuppresion and required intact TLR4 signaling. Our results establish a previously unrecognized link between HSC regulation and host response in severe sepsis and demonstrate a novel role for TLR4.
High-sensitivity array analysis of gene expression for the early detection of disseminated breast tumor cells in peripheral blood

Abstract Early detection is an effective means of reducing cancer mortality. Here, we describe a highly sensitive high-throughput screen that can identify panels of markers for the early detection of solid tumor cells disseminated in peripheral blood. The method is a two-step combination of differential display and high-sensitivity cDNA arrays. In a primary screen, differential display identified 170 candidate marker genes differentially expressed between breast tumor cells and normal breast epithelial cells. In a secondary screen, high-sensitivity arrays assessed expression levels of these genes in 48 blood samples, 22 from healthy volunteers and 26 from breast cancer patients. Cluster analysis identified a group of 12 genes that were elevated in the blood of cancer patients. Permutation analysis of individual genes defined five core genes (P ≤ 0.05, permax test). As a group, the 12 genes generally distinguished accurately between healthy volunteers and patients with breast cancer. Mean expression levels of the 12 genes were elevated in 77% (10 of 13) untreated invasive cancer patients, whereas cluster analysis correctly classified volunteers and patients (P = 0.0022, Fisher's exact test). Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed array results and indicated that the sensitivity of the assay (1:2 × 108 transcripts) was sufficient to detect disseminated solid tumor cells in blood. Expression-based blood assays developed with the screening approach described here have the potential to detect and classify solid tumor cells originating from virtually any primary site in the body.
EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR ACUTELY REDUCES SOMATOMEDIN-C/1NSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-I IN THE NEONATAL RAT

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) administration to very young animals causes growth retardation as well as precocious tooth eruption and eyelid opening. We previously demonstrated that EGF's ability to retard growth in the rat is confined to the first 2 weeks of life and is more pronounced in the immediate postnatal period (days 1-3). To investigate a possible mechanism through which EGF might alter somatic growth, we measured circulating concentrations of immunoreactive somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor-I (Sm-C) 4 hours after a single injection of EGF. Rats (aged 1, 8, and 15 days) were given 500 ng/g bw EGF and the Sm-C concentration measured after high pressure liquid chromatography of acidified sera. The results show that exogenous EGF acutely reduces circulating Sm-C levels at the ages where it also exerts its growth attenuating effect (days 1 and 8) but not at 15 days of age, when the rat is insensitive to the growth-retarding property of EGF. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that EGF, at this stage of development, promotes differentiation at the expense of growth by altering production or secretion of Sm-C.
Hell: The Mystery of Eternal Love and Eternal Obduracy

The author helps redress the absence of serious theological thinking on the biblical and church doctrine of hell and indirectly contradicts current mythological caricatures. He first evaluates diverse views from history up through the twentieth century. He then argues that an orthodox contemporary theology could understand hell as the eternally loving presence of God, Christ, angels, saints, animals, vegetation, and material creation to the damned, the eternally obdurate, whose obstinate use of their freedom has rendered them incapable of receiving and responding to this loving presence.
Charting a course for software licensing and distribution

Software licensing and distribution poses many opportunities for cost savings while delivering a greater ability for students and employees to use cost-effective, leading edge technology to accomplish their tasks. Using available licensing programs from major publishers can be difficult because of the contractual commitments and often misunderstood complexities of those programs. Each publisher has its own licensing criteria for obtaining products. Product support must be considered when acquiring any title for campus-wide use. Educational institutions will often embrace "open source" software to overcome these obstacles. While that is a possible solution, commercial software products are often a better choice. West Virginia University embarked upon a centralized approach for widely used commercial software in 2002. The program has evolved to providing products from several publishers. The campus-wide distribution of software uses a combination of cost recovery and centralized funding. Students and employees can purchase products at significant savings for personal use. Institutional users can easily obtain the tools to prepare their course material and share those same tools with their students. Software licensing involves several entities within the institution such as the legal department, procurement, network administration, customer support, academic affairs, student affairs, information security, and information technology. With that in mind, let's explore how you can develop your software licensing and distribution program so that it becomes a key component for driving cost containment, integrates product use standards, and provides long-term organizational benefits.
Dietary intake associated with serum versus urinary carboxymethyl-lysine, a major advanced glycation end product, in adults: the Energetics Study

Dietary intake associated with serum versus urinary carboxymethyl-lysine, a major advanced glycation end product, in adults: the Energetics Study
American Liberalism: Laudable End, Controversial Means

This book analyzes the concept of liberalism, interprets the history of liberalism in the United States, appraises the reasons why liberalism has not brought about the millennium in America, and offers a prognostication as to the future of liberalism. This reprint of the G.K. Hall & Co. edition is co-published by the North American Society for Social Philosophy.
Programming of inhomogeneous resonant guided wave networks

Photonic functions are programmed by designing the interference of local waves in inhomogeneous resonant guided wave networks composed of power-splitting elements arranged at the nodes of a nonuniform waveguide network. Using a compact, yet comprehensive, scattering matrix representation of the network, the desired photonic function is designed by fitting structural parameters according to an optimization procedure. This design scheme is demonstrated for plasmonic dichroic and trichroic routers in the infrared frequency range.
Principles of Product Flexibility

Contemporary products need to evolve to accommodate competitive market pressures, rapid technological change and transient and multi-dimensional customer requirements. Product flexibility is defined as the adaptability of a system in response to these factors. Currently, flexible products are realized with ad hoc methods that rely on the experience and intuition of the designer. In this work, a set of formal principles is presented for guiding the design of flexible products. These principles are derived from the results of an empirical study of the United States patent repository. As part of the study, patents are analyzed with a dissection tool, and representative principles are derived from the data. The utility of these principles is demonstrated via the design of a flexible fuel cell system. The effectiveness of these principles is validated using a Change Modes and Effects Analysis (CMEA) tool to compare the resulting fuel cell concept to a typical device of similar functionality.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Three-dimensional echocardiography: In vivo validation for right ventricular free wall mass as an index of hypertrophy

Abstract Objectives . This study tested the ability of three-dimensional echocardiography to reconstruct the right ventricular free wall and determine its mass in vivo using a system that automatically combines two-dimensional images with their spatial locations. Background . Right ventricular free wall thickness is limited as an index of right ventricular hypertrophy because right ventricular mass may increase by dilation without increased thickness and because trabeculations and oblique views can exaggerate thickness in individual M-mode and two-dimensional scans. Three-dimensional echocardiography may have potential advantages because it can integrate the entire free wall mass, uninfluenced by oblique views or geometric assumptions. Methods . The three-dimensional system was applied to 12 beating canine hearts to reconstruct the right ventricular free wall in intersecting views. The corresponding mass was compared with actual weights of the excised right ventricular free wall (15.5 to 78 g). For comparison, right ventricular sinus and outflow tract thickness were also measured by two-dimensional echocardiography, and the ability to predict mass from these values was determined. Results . The three-dimensional algorithm successfully reproduced right ventricular free wall mass, which agreed well with actual values: y = 1.04x + 0.02, r = 0.985, SEE = 2.7 g (5.7% of the mean value). The two-dimensional predictions showed increased scatter: The variance of mass estimation, based on thickness, was 9.5 to 12.5 (average 11) times higher than the three-dimensional method (p Conclusions . Despite the irregular crescentic shape of the right ventricle, its free wall mass can be accurately measured by three-dimensional echocardiography in vivo, providing closer agreement with actual mass than predictions based on wall thickness. This method, with the increased efficiency of the three-dimensional system, can potentially improve our ability to evaluate the presence and progression of right ventricular hypertrophy.
Ordinal consistency and ordinal true scores

This paper argues that test data are ordinal, that latent trait scores are only determined ordinally, and that test data are used largely for ordinal purposes. Therefore it is desirable to develop a test theory based only on ordinal assumptions. A set of ordinal assumptions is presented, including an ordinal version of local independence. From these assumptions it is first shown that the gamma-correlation between two tests is the product of their gamma-correlations with the true latent order. The theory is generalized to allow for heterogeneous tests by defining a weighted average local independence. The tau-correlations between total score and the latent order can be found in both homogeneous and heterogeneous cases, and a system of differential item weighting to maximize the tau-correlation between weighted items and the latent order is provided. Thus a purely ordinal test theory seems possible.
Using cost benefit analysis to justify digital library projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how cost benefit analysis can be used as a tool for financial‐based decision making in digital library project management.Design/methodology/approach – Using theory and example, the author discusses the use of cost benefit analysis in cases where the financial value of costs versus benefits must be considered.Findings – Cost benefit analysis is useful as a tool for making project decisions based on financial considerations. However, given the inherent subjectivity of valuation of intangibles, the outcome of a cost benefit analysis is not absolute.Originality/value – This paper fills a gap in the digital library project management literature by applying a tool that has been traditionally used in large‐scale, governmental project plans to the world of library project management. In doing so, project managers in libraries will be better prepared to make decisions based on financial considerations.
A sequence-based approximate MMSE decoder for source coding over noisy channels using discrete hidden Markov models

In previous work on source coding over noisy channels it was recognized that when the source has memory, there is typically "residual redundancy" between the discrete symbols produced by the encoder, which can be capitalized upon by the decoder to improve the overall quantizer performance. Sayood and Borkenhagen (1991) and Phamdo and Farvardin (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.40, p.186-93, 1994) proposed "detectors" at the decoder which optimize suitable criteria in order to estimate the sequence of transmitted symbols. Phamdo and Farvardin also proposed an instantaneous approximate minimum mean-squared error (IAMMSE) decoder. These methods provide a performance advantage over conventional systems, but the maximum a posteriori (MAP) structure is suboptimal, while the IAMMSE decoder makes limited use of the redundancy. Alternatively, combining aspects of both approaches, we propose a sequence-based approximate MMSE (SAMMSE) decoder. For a Markovian sequence of encoder-produced symbols and a discrete memoryless channel, we approximate the expected distortion at the decoder under the constraint of fixed decoder complexity. For this simplified cost, the optimal decoder computes expected values based on a discrete hidden Markov model, using the wellknown forward/backward (F/B) algorithm. Performance gains for this scheme are demonstrated over previous techniques in quantizing Gauss-Markov sources over a range of noisy channel conditions. Moreover, a constrained delay version is also suggested.
An Examination of the Micro-Level Crime–Fear of Crime Link:

Since the late 1960s, crime has been hypothesized to be associated with fear of crime. However, little research has been available to test this assumption at the individual level of analysis. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between crime and fear of crime using data collected from a random telephone survey of local residents in the city of Houston. The authors investigate if there is an impact of an individual’s spatial proximity to crime on fear of crime also measured at the individual level. To be more specific, the authors examine the crime–fear of crime link using three types of crime—violent crime, property crime, and disorder crime. Both the residence of respondents and crime events are spatially located, allowing the authors to construct a buffer surrounding the respondent’s residence to obtain the number of crime incidents that occur within a 528-foot (1/10th of a mile) radius of the residence. In addition, the authors explore the relationship between spatial distribution ...
The Effects of Loaded Versus Unloaded Activities on Foot Volumetrics in Older Healthy Adults

Background Health care practitioners, including sports physical therapists, commonly prescribe and recommend aerobic exercise for those patients seeking to improve their cardiovascular fitness across all ages. Current literature demonstrates that weight bearing activities such as walking or running may lead to foot and ankle edema.
Novel insights into the genetics, biochemistry, and immunocytochemistry of the 30-kilodalton major extracellular protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The 30/32-kDa complex of major secretory proteins are among the most important and intensively studied proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The proteins have been demonstrated to be immunoprotective and to play a central role in the physiology of the mycobacterium. In this study, we present a series of novel insights into this key protein complex arising out of a combination of genetic, biochemical, and immunocytochemical analyses. Our genetic analyses (i) indicate that the genes are arranged as separate transcription units, (ii) demonstrate that the mature 30-kDa protein of M. tuberculosis differs from the corresponding 30-kDa proteins of two strains of Mycobacterium bovis BCG by only 1 and 5 amino acids, (iii) suggest that expression of the proteins is regulated at the transcriptional level, and (iv) map the transcriptional start site of the 30-kDa protein gene. Our biochemical analyses provide evidence that (i) the 30-kDa protein and the two 32-kDa proteins (i.e., 32A and 32B) are secreted at a ratio of approximately 3:2:1, respectively, (ii) the proteins exist as monomers, (iii) the proteins are not posttranslationally modified by the addition of carbohydrates and lipids, (iv) the 30-kDa and 32A proteins contain one disulfide bridge, and (v) high-level expression and leader peptide processing are achievable in Escherichia coli. Our immunocytochemical analyses demonstrate that the 30/32-kDa complex is expressed in human monocytes and that the proteins are localized to the phagosomal space and the mycobacterial cell wall. These analyses fill important gaps in our knowledge of this critical protein complex of M. tuberculosis and, at the same time, raise new and fundamental questions regarding regulatory mechanisms that control coordinate expression of the proteins at a fixed ratio.
New Onset of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in the Elderly: Possible Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a disorder of calcium homeostasis that occurs most commonly in older adults. Resultant hypercalcemia may be accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms, ranging from mild depression and cognitive changes to extreme agitation and psychosis. Surgical intervention almost invariably reverses these symptoms. The authors reviewed the importance of considering this diagnosis in the setting of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the elderly and reported on a 63-year-old man with mild hypercalcemia and a new onset of psychosis.
A simple model of the Calvin cycle has only one physiologically feasible steady state under the same external conditions

Most current photosynthesis research implicitly assumes that the photosynthetic process occurs only at one steady state. However, since the rate of each reaction in photosynthesis depends nonlinearly on its substrates and products, in theory, photosynthesis can have multiple steady states under given external conditions (i.e., in a given environment). The number of steady states of photosynthesis under the same external conditions has not been studied previously. Using the root finding program POLSYS PLP [S.M. Wise, A.J. Sommese, L.T. Watson, Algorithm 801: POLSYS PLP: A partitioned linear product homotopy code for solving polynomial systems of equations, ACM Trans. Math. Software 26 (2000) 176‐2000], we study the number of potential steady states of a simplified model of the Calvin cycle. Our results show that the simplified model of the Calvin cycle can reside in multiple steady states, but that only one of these is physiologically feasible. We discuss the results from an evolutionary perspective.
The importance of standard SCADA protocols to the reliable operation of distributed farm-scale anaerobic digesters

The Clarkson University portable anaerobic digester was operated for a period of three months utilizing only local control and data acquisition. Operational and failure data from that experimental run is discussed and a method of how standard SCADA protocols can be employed to improve system uptime is presented.
Long-term potentiation in direct perforant path projections to the hippocampal CA3 region in vivo.

The perforant path constitutes the primary projection system relaying information from the neocortex to the hippocampal formation. Long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) in the perforant path projec...
On the LuGre model and friction-induced hysteresis

In this paper, we study hysteresis induced by friction in a simple mass-spring system and then in a dc servo motor experimental setup. The experimental setup is modeled and simulated using the Dahl, LuGre, and Maxwell-slip friction models. Comparison of the experimental and simulation results reveals that the LuGre model provides the best model of the testbed's friction-induced hysteresis.
Chemical Processing of CaHPO4·2H2O:

The aim of this paper is to develop a robust chemical process to synthesize Na- and K-doped brushite (DCPD: dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, CaHPO 4 .2H 2 O), a potential starting material for bone substitutes. The powders were synthesized by using sodium phosphate and potassium phosphate and aqueous solutions containing calcium chloride at room temperature, followed by drying at 37°C. DCPD powders thus formed were found to contain 460 ppm K and 945 ppm Na. On calcination in air, these powders readily transformed into monetite (DCPA: dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, CaHPO 4 ) first, and then into Ca 2 P 2 O 7 (calcium pyrophosphate). Na- and K-doped DCPD powders were shown to completely transform, in less than 1 week, into poorly crystalline carbonated apatite on immersion in an acellular simulated/synthetic body fluid (SBF) solution at 37°C. The Tris (i.e., tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane) buffered SBF solution used in this study had a carbonate ion concentration of 27 mM equal to that of human plasma. DCPD powders of this study displayed a notable apatite-inducing ability. This finding suggests the use of these DCPD powders as the starting materials for potential bone substitutes, which can be easily manufactured in aqueous solutions friendly to living tissues, at temperatures between room temperature and 37°C.
EARTHQUAKE CLUSTERING INFERRED FROM PLIOCENE GILBERT-TYPE FAN DELTAS IN THE LORETO BASIN, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO

A stacked sequence of Pliocene Gilbert-type fan deltas in the Loreto basin was shed from the footwall of the dextral-normal Loreto fault and deposited at the margin of a marine basin during rapid fault-controlled subsidence. Fan-delta parasequences coarsen upward from marine siltstone and sandstone at the base, through sandy bottomsets and gravelly foresets, to gravelly nonmarine topsets. Each topset unit is capped by a thin shell bed that records marine flooding of the delta plain. Several mechanisms may have produced repetitive vertical stacking of Gilbert deltas: (1) autocyclic delta-lobe switching; (2) eustatic sea-level fluctuations; (3) climatically controlled fluctuations in sediment input; and (4) episodic subsidence produced by temporal clustering of earthquakes. We favor hypothesis 4 for several reasons, but hypotheses 2 and 3 cannot be rejected at this time. Earthquake clustering can readily produce episodic subsidence at spatial and temporal scales consistent with stratigraphic trends observed in the Loreto basin. This model is supported by comparison with paleoseismological studies that document clustering on active faults over a wide range of time scales. Earthquake clustering is a new concept in basin analysis that may be helpful for understanding repetitive stratigraphy in tectonically active basins.
Helping Patients Become “Competent Inquirers”

Which of my patients is expressing autonomy? A) a thirty-six-year-old woman who refuses amniocentesis after reading its risks on Web MD; B) a woman with very high cholesterol who declines a statin on her naturopath's advice; C) a young man with one week of weight loss and diarrhea who Googled his symptoms and thinks he has colon cancer; or D) a professor so overwhelmed by all the opinions he's received about his adrenal mass that he asks me to make the treatment decision. The answer? All of the above--even the professor, who has decided that he can trust his doctor to synthesize the relevant information. Health information used to come primarily from doctors. Now, multiple sources bombard us--magazines, television, radio, advertisements, books, the Internet, and billboards, as well as scattershot opinions from our physicians, our chiropractors, our relatives, our friends, even strangers. Much is uninformed, unformed, or slanted. As consumers, how do we determine which sources are reliable? I have always had mixed feelings about these "patient inquiry" moments. On the one hand, I support my patients' motivation to inform themselves beyond what I tell them; on the other, I am leery of the glossy ads proffering unproven miracle cures. I find myself resisting this challenge to my authority. I am, after all, the one with years of training and experience. Often I don't have time to go into intricate detail about a treatment plan. Like many doctors, I sometimes view patients who question my reasoning as demanding or disagreeable. After reading Rebecca Kukla's article, however, I have reconsidered. In "How Do Patients Know?" Kukla addresses autonomous inquiry in laypeople's medical decision-making. We should not expect patients to passively receive medical information, she tells us. They should be "competent inquirers"--that is to say, able to assess whether information is reliable and willing to adjust their ideas as new evidence emerges. She describes how competence in questioning develops from a combination of factors: basic health literacy, a strong relationship with one's physician, access to information as well as to experts who can assess one's medical situation, and the capacity to question the legitimacy of information. In some cases, patients rely so heavily on outside sources that they no longer value their physicians' opinions. Kukla cautions against this. Doctors, informed by experience, may be able to see the "moral contours" of a situation more clearly than the patient. …
Effects of long-term treatment with estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate on synapse number in the medial prefrontal cortex of aged female rats.

AbstractObjectiveThe present study investigated the effects of long-term hormone treatment, including the most commonly prescribed progestin, medroxyprogesterone acetate, during aging on synaptophysin-labeled boutons, a marker of synapses, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats.MethodsFemale
IMMUNOLOGY OF SARCOIDOSIS

Because of its association with cutaneous anergy, sarcoidosis was originally viewed as a defect of cellular immunity. Supporting that misperception were early studies of peripheral blood lymphocytes that found lymphopenia and impaired lymphocyte responses to mitogens and recall antigens. The clue to a vast underlying network of complex hyperactive cellular immune functions was discovered in the paradoxical finding of in vitro spontaneous lymphoblastic transformation and lymphokine production. Subsequently, investigative focus shifted to the activated, proliferating T-helper lymphocytes, the lymphokines of which were found to function in the recruitment and retention of monocytes for granuloma development. T-helper lymphocytes also contributed to the mechanism of hypergammaglobulinemia through their influence on B cells. The most intriguing question about sarcoid immunology is the initiating factor that triggers the T-lymphocyte activation and proliferation in the first place. There is much to suggest that antigen processing and presentation launches the process. Because lymphocyte activation and proliferation antedate granuloma formation at K-S skin test sites and in the lung, we combined the harvesting technique of BAL with the K-S bioassay to show that granulomagenic antigen is being processed by monocyte-macrophages. The finding of autologous monocyte-macrophage granulomagenicity raises the distinct possibility that sarcoidosis is a unique cell-mediated type of autoimmune process. The isolation and identification of the granulomagenic factor is the exciting research frontier ahead.
How shall we manage cyberspace and its growing population

The growing network of computer systems and its users has become a new society; it cannot exist in the absence of trust and promise, if for no other reason than because its members must be expected to abide by shared rules of behaviour. How shall we build trust without visibility? How can we reduce temptation, and much are we willing to tolerate? How shall we set rules of behavior? Can we make promises about the behavior of the machines we rely on? How shall we share and apportion responsibility for mishaps and failures? How shall we recognize abuse and what shall we do with abusers? We cannot hope to answer these questions by decree, but must attempt to build consensus in vigorous and sustained discussion.
Modulation of α1B-adrenoceptor expression by agonist and protein kinase inhibitors

The agonist-induced up-regulation of alpha1B-adrenoceptors in clone H99 of transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells that we reported previously (Zhu et al., 1996) was further investigated. Studies with a larger number of clones revealed that the up-regulation observed in H99 cells is atypical and that most other clones exhibit down-regulation under the same conditions. The role of protein kinases in the up-regulation of alpha1B-adrenoceptors in clone H99 was further investigated. Surprisingly, the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine induced a similar up-regulation. Neither the selective protein kinase C inhibitor GF109203X nor the activator phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate altered receptor expression. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and its weaker analog daidzein did not induce up-regulation but blocked the up-regulation induced by epinephrine and by staurosporine. Up-regulation was blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. These studies suggest multiple mechanisms by which different protein kinases can modulate the expression of transfected alpha1B-adrenoceptors.
Braverman's Legacy The Labor Process Tradition at 20

Commemorating its twentieth anniversary, this paper examines the legacy of Harry Braverman's Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. Braverman's book provoked three areas of inquiry that continue to thrive and to orient sociological research: the topic of worker's interests, participation, and resistances; gendered outcomes and causes of labor process transformation; and the interrelated topic of changes in skill levels and control strategies. The paper describes the conceptual transformation these topics have undergone and identifies lingering dilemmas facing those who study the labor process in the late twentieth century.
Factors influencing pressurization of the femoral canal during cemented total hip arthroplasty.

Abstract Successful cement pressurization with total hip arthroplasty depends on the capacity of the cement gun and its ability to pressurize the canal and the integrity of the intramedullary plug and the proximal seal used to contain the cement bolus during pressurization. In the laboratory, the authors measured the volume of cement delivered by two cement guns (from Zimmer, Warsaw, IN, and Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ) in comparison with typical values for the volume of the medullary canal following standard surgical preparation. The two cement guns studied delivered 93 and 138 mL cement, respectively. In comparison, the volume of the intramedullary canal ranged from 35 to 70 mL using a standard femoral prosthesis (Precision Hip System, Howmedica). Peak pressures developed during cement injection using the cement guns were 73.6 ± 27.1 psi for the Zimmer system and 47.3 ± 16.9 psi for the Howmedica system. Both devices were able to sustain a minimum pressure of at least 6.5 psi through cementing when used in conjunction with a flexible pressurizing seal. The mechanical performance of five designs of intramedullary plugs was assessed by monitoring plug displacement during cement pressurization in reamed cortical specimens. The performance of each device was judged by its ability to withstand cement pressures of 50 psi without displacement within the medullary canal. On the basis of this test, the probability that these plugs would exceed this criterion when used with the femur was estimated to range from 24 to 94%. Few of the commercially available plugs were able to withstand cement pressures routinely generated using standard cement delivery systems.
Sorne new aspects of nuclear structure near the drip lines

Large-scale shell-model calculations are used to extrapolate nuclear binding energies to the neutron drip line in ligbt nuclei. The spedal features assodated with the major-oscillator shell inversion (intruder states) in the regions of 12Be and 32Mg are pointed out. RESUMEN. Se usan calculos a gran escala con el modelo de capas para extrapolar las energias de ligadora en iones ligeros ricos en neutrones cerca del limite de estabilidad. Se senalan tambien casos especiales asociados con inversiones de las capas de oscilador armonico (estados intrusos) en
Sepedon fuscipennis Loew (Diptera: Sciomyzidae): Elucidation of External Morphology by Use of Sem of the Head, Legs, and Postabdomen of Adults

Abstract. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the external morphology of the head, legs, and postabdomen of adults of the Nearctic snailkilling fly Sepedon fuscipennis Loew (Diptera: Sciomyzidae). For both sexes, details are provided of the sensilla on the antenna, which has three sacculi on the first flagellomere. The number and arrangement of mechanosensilla on the aristae show sexual dimorphism. The black parafrontal spots are covered with microtrichia. Interfacetal mechanoreceptors were not numerous on the compound eyes, indication that sciomyzids are not major pollinators. Labellar hooks are evident in both sexes. A discussion is provided of various proposed functions. The shape of the head, especially the concave area housing the retractedmouthparts, suggests a novel explanation for the absence of a ptilinum in the genus Sepedon Latreille.
A unilateral purple urine bag syndrome in a patient with bilateral nephrostomy tubes

A change in the colour of urine is always of clinical significance, and a source of concern for the patient and his physician. Among the different urine colours observed, purple is the least common. Although purple discolouration of a catheter and a urine bag is an uncommon finding, it was reported in the literature as early as 1978, by Barlow and Dickson. We present a unique case of purple urine bag syndrome in a patient with bilateral nephrostomy tubes (NT) and associated urine bags (UB) with only the left nephrostomy tube and urine bag exhibiting the purple colour, which resolved with a course of appropriate antibiotics eradicating the causative bacterial pathogen, and change of NT and UB.
(Dis)embodying myths in Ancien Régime opera: multidisciplinary perspectives

(Dis)embodying myths in Ancien Regime opera: multidisciplinary perspectives, edited by Bruno Foment, Leuven, Leuven University Press, 2012, 184 pp., euro29.50/ £26.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-90-5867-900-0The six articles in this truly interdisciplinary collection derive from conference papers given in 2006 or 2009; three are from the 2006 The embodied myth in the dramma per musica. Most include extensive musical examples.The first two are "devoted to the interrelatedness of opera, myth, and literature" (14). Jean-Francois Lattarico ("Lo scherno degli dei") discusses numerous Italian novels, pastorals, plays, and operas to argue that, at least after the opening of the first public opera house in Venice in 1637, even though "the entire seventeenth-century was inhabited and obsessed by the ancient divinities", the traits of these gods and goddesses were "declared dead, and yet kept alive through a poetic strategy that consisted in resuscitation through derision" (31). "Derision" is perhaps a bit strong, but Lattarico provides numerous examples of less than admirable gods and goddesses.Robert C. Ketterer ("Helpings from the great banquets of epic") analyses two Handel operas featuring Theseus, Teseo (1713) and Arianna in Creta (1734), examples ofa"Greek-like drama, even if their source materials and manner of presentation remained beholden to the Roman and medieval traditions" (60). Since there is no surviving ancient tragedy or epic with Theseus as the central character, the first of these operas follows Quinault's Thesee (1675) but occasionally adds bolder language inspired by Seneca's Medea. The latter borrows from more recent sources, such as Boccaccio and Chaucer, and presents Theseus as a champion knight. These works are thus more melodramatic than tragic, in hamony with the operas based on chivalric epic that were popular at the time.In the next pair of articles, "dramaturgy transects cultural history" (15), Geoffrey Burgess ("Envoicing the divine") begins with oracles echoed by mortal characters in spoken drama in seventeenth-century France and in La Fontaine's Psyche, before presenting the poetic and musical characteristics of divine utterances in the tragedie en musique, where the gods can speak for themselves. Most of the examples are taken from libretti by Thomas Corneille and Fontenelle for operas by Lully and Collasse. His excellent analyses are framed by a discussion of the debate about the veracity of oracles, to which Fontenelle was a major contributor. One thus sees how opera, from its beginnings in France around 1670 until the Revolution, raised questions about religious orthodoxy and political authority for audiences at court and in Paris. …
Everyday cinema

Stories make our experiences memorable over time. In constructing and sharing our personal and communal memories, we move in a reflective manner back and forth between our life-world and our life-stories. Advances in network communications and the growing abundance of personal media recording devices provide new opportunities for collecting, examining and re-imagining our life experiences. This paper describes the 'Media Fabrics Experiment', an online rich-media weblog populated by the day-to-day media messages submitted by a group of participants using camera cellphones. The construction, participant use and activity trends of the weblog are discussed and the impact of this approach for the collection and sharing of everyday story experiences is evaluated.
Supramolecular Chemistry and Self-Assembly in Organic Materials Design

Organic materials naturally lend themselves to the crafting of structure and function using the strategies of self-assembly and supramolecular chemistry employed so effectively by biological systems. This perspective illustrates progress over the past two decades on self-assembly in materials chemistry through research on systems where function is directly linked to noncovalent interactions among molecules. The genesis of this approach in chemistry of materials involves the design of relatively simple structures using hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, metal–ligand interactions, electrostatic forces, strong dipole–dipole association, hydrophobic forces, and steric repulsion. Gradually many new and exciting opportunities have emerged, such as supramolecular nanostructures that assemble into functional bulk materials and supramolecular polymers in which the motif of covalent connections among monomers is imitated by creating one-dimensional assemblies of an arbitrarily large set of molecules in both compositio...
A report from the 47th European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting (September 12-16, 2011 - Lisbon, Portugal).

Walking the streets in Lisbon is not a matter of inertia, at least when going uphill through the small streets crowding the slopes around the Alfama and Bairro Alto neighborhoods. However, when treating diabetes, clinical inertia seems to be the rule, despite the availability of effective therapies and recommendations for early insulin replacement to improve glucose control and prevent diabetes complications. This was further confirmed in the SOLVE study presented during this year's European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting (Khunti, K. et al., Abst 377), highlighting the importance of understanding healthcare habits to implement policies aimed at appropriate treatment intensification and even initiation to achieve earlier glycemic control of type 2 diabetes. However, preventing type 2 diabetes is crucial, in which regard physical activity has been repeatedly reported to reduce the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, and does so independently of its impact on general and abdominal adiposity (Ekelund, U. et al., Abst 225), resulting in a clearly cost-effective option to avoid the disease and the need for treatments. Although physical activity improves fitness but not glycemic control in type 1 diabetes (Valletta, J.J. et al., Abst 602), this is feasible through educational campaigns aimed at improving eating habits, routine physical exercise and healthy lifestyles, which, as demonstrated among students in Mexico, reduced the incidence of obesity and overweight (Martinez, M.E., Abst 858). Nevertheless, type 2 diabetes is a reality that is actually on the rise and requires treatments aimed at maintaining glycemic control, thus avoiding diabetic complications, while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia and its consequences. Reducing hemoglobin A1c levels below 7%, as recommended by most guidelines for the treatment of diabetes, was confirmed to be associated with a reduced risk of death and diabetes-related morbidity in a population study in patients with type 2 diabetes (Skriver, M.V. et al., Abst 54). Hence, treatments are critical for achieving glycemic goals and preventing undue deaths. A wide range of therapies are currently available, but new drugs are under research that may potentially improve outcomes with a lower risk for adverse events, or may offer efficacy in patients currently not at goal because of insufficient efficacy of the drugs they are receiving, or because the doses they would require would cause excessive toxicity or an undue risk for hypoglycemia. New findings with currently available drugs and drugs in research that were reported during this year's EASD meeting in the beautiful city of Lisbon are summarized in the following report.
A tale of two singers: Representation, copyright, and “El Cantante”

In 2002, renowned singer and composer Ruben Blades filed suit against Fania Records successor Sonido. As part of the lawsuit, Blades claimed sole authorship of “El Cantante,” the 1978 salsa classic that became the signature song of vocalist Hector Lavoe. Blades, who wrote the initial stanzas and chorus, acknowledged that Lavoe recorded and popularized the song. He denied, however, Lavoe’s standing as coauthor despite a series of two-line pregones added by the sonero for the original recording. In this essay, I trace the “social life” (Appadurai, 1986) of “El Cantante” and illuminate the ways in which the Copyright Act of 1976 privileges Blades’ claim as sole author by reducing expressive culture to the visible signs fixed in sheet music. Ultimately, however, I show that copyright law remains unable to account for the ways Lavoe’s performances contributed to multiple and overlapping notions of ownership over “El Cantante” and the experience it narrated.
Technology, Structure, and Workgroup Effectiveness: A Test of a Contingency Model

The effectiveness of workgroups should be affected by decisions on technology and structure. Three dimensions of technology, three of structure, and two measures of workgroup effectiveness were use...