cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Too Sweet to Resist: Control of Immune Cell Function by O-GlcNAcylation

O-linked β-N-acetyl glucosamine modification (O-GlcNAcylation) is a dynamic, reversible posttranslational modification of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins. O-GlcNAcylation depends on nutrient availability and the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP), which produces the donor substrate UDP-GlcNAc. O-GlcNAcylation is mediated by a single enzyme, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which adds GlcNAc and another enzyme, O-GlcNAcase (OGA), which removes O-GlcNAc from proteins. O-GlcNAcylation controls vital cellular processes including transcription, translation, the cell cycle, metabolism, and cellular stress. Aberrant O-GlcNAcylation has been implicated in various pathologies including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Growing evidences indicate that O-GlcNAcylation plays crucial roles in regulating immunity and inflammatory responses, especially under hyperglycemic conditions. This review will highlight the emerging functions of O-GlcNAcylation in mammalian immunity under physiological and various pathological conditions.
2D Vision Techniques for the Handling of Limp Materials

For automated robotic systems to handle limp materials, sensors are needed to determine the actual properties of the material in the supply, the material itself, and at the handling destination. This paper reviews 2D vision techniques with an aim toward satisfying the sensory goals associated with the handling and in-process inspection of limp materials. The 2D vision techniques are summarized in a discussion of their applicability in the context of typical questions asked of vision guided robotic systems.
Effects of Curvature, Taper and Flexibility on Dispersion in Oscillatory Pipe Flow

The primary function of the lung is the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Other substances, such as anesthetics, aerosols, and toxins, are delivered and removed from the lungs by a similar process. Mass transport in the lung depends on convection, diffusion, and their interaction during oscillatory flow. High frequency ventilation (HFV) is an alternative type of ventilation under investigation (Bohn et al. 1980). In HFV, relatively small tidal volumes of air (35–150 ml) are delivered at high frequencies (5–30 Hz), so that pulmonary barotrauma and cardiac impairment are avoided.
Optical Interactions in Magnetic Materials

In this chapter, we turn our attention to a rich and elegant topic, the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the magnetic degrees of freedom in materials. This is a field with a long history, and also a large number of phenomena are encountered in diverse classes of materials. Thus, we shall be content to explore a few key concepts in the influence of magnetism on the linear propagation characteristics of materials, and non linear interactions mediated by magnetic degrees of freedom.
The Impact of Valuation Methods on the Likelihood of Mergers and Acquisitions of High-tech Startup Companies in Nigeria

Valuing high-tech startups using traditional valuation models has continued to pose valuation challenges to entrepreneurs, investors as well as financial analysts. The complications in valuing startups are heightened by the variations in valuation methodologies and the absence of operational data. Identifying the appropriate methodology for valuing startups is crucial to establishing value and a prerequisite for accessing funding through mergers or acquisitions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions of high-tech startup organizations in the Nigerian capital market. The theoretical underpinning of this study is rooted in valuation theory and mergers and acquisitions theories. The extent to which valuation methods impact the likelihood of securing funds through mergers and acquisitions was the overarching research question. Random sampling was used to obtain records of valuation methods and mergers and acquisitions that occurred between 2006 and 2016 from companies in the high-tech sector. A binary logistic regression model was used to test the impact of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions of high-tech startups. The impact of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions was found to be not statistically significant. The participants indicated a preference for specific valuation methods during negotiations for mergers and acquisitions. The findings have implications for positive social change via a reduction in the unemployment rate by encouraging startups with their innovation and entrepreneurship. This should help to facilitate the emergence of sound valuation methods for valuing high-tech startups in the Nigerian capital market.
Fetal Phonocardiogram Decomposition Framework

In this paper, an efficient procedure to identify vital bio-signals from the Fetal Phonocardiogram (FPCG) signal is presented. FPCG signal is rich in physiological bio-signals. However, extracting these bio-signals with fidelity is a challenging task since they overlap in time and frequency and as well as corrupted by noise induced from the maternal and fetal movements. While current approaches use a two-step process of de-noising the signal and then extract the vital bio-signals, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) algorithm can efficiently de-noise and extract the maternal and fetal heart sounds in a single step. Frequency range obtained from the Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) is used to validate the algorithm. It is observed that the bandwidths of extracted FHS and MHS signals are consistent with the existing gold standards.
Director Field Analysis to Explore Local White Matter Geometric Structure in Diffusion MRI

In diffusion MRI, a tensor field or a spherical function field, e.g., an Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) field, are estimated from measured diffusion weighted images. In this paper, inspired by microscopic theoretical treatment of phases in liquid crystals, we introduce a novel mathematical framework, called Director Field Analysis (DFA), to study local geometric structural information of white matter from the estimated tensor field or spherical function field. (1) We propose Orientational Order (OO) and Orientational Dispersion (OD) indices to describe the degree of alignment and dispersion of a spherical function in each voxel; (2) We estimate a local orthogonal coordinate frame in each voxel with anisotropic diffusion; (3) Finally, we define three indices to describe three types of orientational distortion (splay, bend, and twist) in a local spatial neighborhood, and a total distortion index to describe distortions of all three types. To our knowledge, this is the first work to quantitatively describe orientational distortion (splay, bend, and twist) in diffusion MRI. The proposed scalar indices are useful to detect local geometric changes of white matter for voxel-based or tract-based analysis in both DTI and HARDI acquisitions.
Clinical Encounters: The Social Justice Question in Intersectional Medicine.

In our response (with Janet K. Shim) to the Danis et al. (2016) incisive proposal for an antiracist bioethics, we suggested that intersectionality offered a powerful framework through which to conf...
Effects of early- and mid-life stress on DNA methylation of genes associated with subclinical cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment: a systematic review

Traditional and novel risk factors cannot sufficiently explain the differential susceptibility to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Epigenetics may serve to partially explain this residual disparity, with life course stressors shown to modify methylation of genes implicated in various diseases. Subclinical CVD is often comorbid with cognitive impairment (CI), which warrants research into the identification of common genes for both conditions. We conducted a systematic review of the existing literature to identify studies depicting the relationship between life course stressors, DNA methylation, subclinical CVD, and cognition. A total of 16 articles (8 human and 8 animal) were identified, with the earliest published in 2008. Four genes (COMT, NOS3, Igfl1, and Sod2) were analyzed by more than one study, but not in association with both CVD and CI. One gene (NR3C1) was associated with both outcomes, albeit not within the same study. There was some consistency among studies with markers used for subclinical CVD and cognition, but considerable variability in stress exposure (especially in human studies), cell type/tissue of interest, method for detection of DNA methylation, and risk factors. Racial and ethnic differences were not considered, but analysis of sex in one human study found statistically significant differentially methylated X-linked loci associated with attention and intelligence. This review suggests the need for additional studies to implement more comprehensive and methodologically rigorous study designs that can better identify epigenetic biomarkers to differentiate individuals vulnerable to both subclinical CVD and associated CI.
India and nuclear Asia: forces, doctrine, and dangers: by Yogesh Joshi and Frank O'Donnell, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2019, 235 pp.

If one were to make an inventory of current strategic issues that receive too little attention from American policymakers, the ongoing nuclear competition in South Asia would be a strong candidate ...
A New Topology of a Single-Phase Five-Level Inverter

The power inverter technology with low harmonics content is used for many applications, such as in new and renewable energy sector. In the last decades, some researchers explored its inverter to minimize the harmonics content, and one of the solutions is a five-level inverter. A single-phase five-level inverter has a good performance in power conversion and improved performance. Nevertheless, the conventional five-level inverter topology always deals with many power semiconductor switches and a complex control algorithm. This paper, therefore, presents a new topology of a five-level inverter using four active switches.The new topology can work well as a single phase-five-level inverter with a novel Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) control algorithm using level-phase shifted carrier strategy. The new inverter has a simple power circuit and control strategy. The verification of this research is a simulation and prototype implementation, carried out in a laboratory. The results show that the proposed control strategy is capable of achieving five-level with a simple control strategy.
Contemporary Use of Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Insights from the Multicenter RESCUE Registry.

Abstract Background Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is increasingly used as a life-saving therapy for patients with cardiovascular collapse, but identifying patients unlikely to benefit remains a challenge. Methods and Results We created the RESCUE registry, a retrospective, observational registry of adult patients treated with VA-ECMO between January 2007 and June 2017 at 3 high-volume centers (Columbia University, Duke University, and Washington University) to describe short-term patient outcomes. In 723 patients treated with VA-ECMO, the most common indications for deployment were postcardiotomy shock (31%), cardiomyopathy (including acute heart failure) (26%), and myocardial infarction (17%). Patients frequently suffered in-hospital complications, including acute renal dysfunction (45%), major bleeding (41%), and infection (33%). Only 40% of patients (n = 290) survived to discharge, with a minority receiving durable cardiac support (left ventricular assist device [n = 48] or heart transplantation [n = 7]). Multivariable regression analysis identified risk factors for mortality on ECMO as older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.42) and female sex (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02–2.02) and risk factors for mortality after decannulation as higher body mass index (OR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.35) and major bleeding while on ECMO support (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.23–2.99). Conclusions Despite contemporary care at high-volume centers, patients treated with VA-ECMO continue to have significant in-hospital morbidity and mortality. The optimization of outcomes will require refinements in patient selection and improvement of care delivery.
High-throughput behavioral screen in C. elegans reveals Parkinson's disease drug candidates.

We recently linked branched-chain amino acid transferase 1 (BCAT1) dysfunction with the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease (PD), and found that RNAi-mediated knockdown of neuronal bcat-1 in C. elegans causes abnormal spasm-like ‘curling’ behavior with age. Here we report the development of a machine learning-based workflow and its application to the discovery of potentially new therapeutics for PD. In addition to simplifying quantification and maintaining a low data overhead, our simple segment-train-quantify platform enables fully automated scoring of image stills upon training of a convolutional neural network. We have trained a highly reliable neural network for the detection and classification of worm postures in order to carry out high-throughput curling analysis without the need for user intervention or post-inspection. In a proof-of-concept screen of 50 FDA-approved drugs, enasidenib, ethosuximide, metformin, and nitisinone were identified as candidates for potential late-in-life intervention in PD. These findings point to the utility of our high-throughput platform for automated scoring of worm postures and in particular, the discovery of potential candidate treatments for PD. Salman Sohrabi et al. develop an automated, high-throughput assay to study spasm-like curling behavior in C. elegans, which is related to motor control symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. They apply this screening approach to identify four candidate drugs for potential late-in-life interventions for Parkinson’s disease.
Unicortical sternal graft reconstruction for anterior sternoclavicular joint instability.

Sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) injury represents 3%–5% of all shoulder girdle injuries, yet can produce significant pain and disability. While conservative management improves symptoms in most cases, surgical intervention may be indicated for patients with symptoms recalcitrant to nonoperative treatment. A wide range of surgical stabilisation techniques is documented in the literature; however, the scarcity of SCJ pathology has hindered development of a ‘gold standard’. We present a minimalistic medial clavicle osteoplasty and SCJ reconstruction using semitendinosus autograft anchored with unicortical sternal tunnels in the 54 years old with chronic SCJ instability. This technique can be performed safely, resulting in joint stability and pain reduction, while avoiding risks and complications noted in the literature with other techniques.
Leveraging the Power of Play in Rehearsals: Supporting Complex Practice in Literacy Teacher Education:

ContextThere is an ever-growing body of work continuing the argument for play as a pedagogical resource that supports the learning of the youngest learners; despite this, there continues to be litt...
Polyacrylic acid-brushes tethered to graphene oxide membrane coating for scaling and biofouling mitigation on reverse osmosis membranes

Abstract Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are prone to fouling, which increases the cost of operation and decreases water recovery. In this study, a commercial membrane (ESPA2) was coated with an antiscaling material, i.e. polyacrylic acid (PAA), and an antimicrobial material, i.e. graphene oxide (GO), to reduce biofouling and scaling. Bare and modified membranes with polydopamine (ESPA2-PD), as a control, GO (ESPA2-GO), GO and PAA (ESPA2-GO-PAA), and PAA (ESPA2-PAA) were tested for their antiscaling and antibiofouling properties. ESPA2-GO and ESPA2-GO-PAA had the best performance. The latter showed ~15% and 10% increase in normalized water flux compared to ESPA2 in mineral scaling and biofouling tests, respectively. This improvement can be attributed to the decrease in surface charge and the increase in hydrophilicity of membrane surface by both GO and PAA coating. Moreover, the antimicrobial characteristic of GO played a crucial role in reducing biofouling and PAA slightly enhanced antiscaling property when coated on ESPA2 but it did not improve the antibiofouling property. These results highlight the importance of antimicrobial property of the coating for biofouling prevention and show antiscaling materials can be effective not only as an additive to the feed but also as a coating on the membrane to reduce scaling.
Effect of Capsular Closure After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome on Achieving Clinically Meaningful Outcomes: A Meta-analysis of Prospective and Comparative Studies.

Background:Recent literature has demonstrated conflicting evidence as to whether capsular closure after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) results in superior outcomes...
Wax carving exercises predict performance on practical examinations for first-year dental students.

Perceptual ability test (PAT) is a valid determinant for spatial perceptions. However, a validated psychomotor skill test for dentistry does not currently exist. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine whether the results of two wax carving exercises (E1 and E2), PAT, quantitative reasoning (QR), and academic average (AA) tests predict students' performance on dental anatomy practical examinations. METHODS First-year dental students (n = 69) participated in the study. Results of the PAT, QR, and AA were obtained from the Admissions Office. Participants completed wax carving exercises during the first (E1) and last weeks (E2) of the dental anatomy course. Carving instruments, instruction, and rubrics, were provided to participants who were instructed to carve a cube and a semicircle shape into a wax block using the wax subtraction technique. Two calibrated and blinded faculty graded the exercise as ideal, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory in four categories: finish, sharpness, symmetry, and accuracy. During the dental anatomy course, participants completed wax carving practical examinations for a maxillary central incisor and a mandibular first molar. Examinations were graded by calibrated faculty as ideal, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory. The linear mixed effects model assessed influences of independent variables on the practical examinations. RESULTS estimates of the independent variables on the practical examinations were PAT (0.027), AA (0.088), QR (-0.014), E1 (0.235), and E2 (0.175). CONCLUSIONS wax carving exercises were stronger predictors of performance on the practical examinations than the PAT, AA, and QR. This simple exercise may help identify students early in their preclinical education requiring additional assistance.
Representation and Integration of As-Built Information to IFC Based Product and Process Models for Automated Assessment of As-Built Conditions

Frequent assessment of as-built conditions is necessary for active project control during construction. Assessment of as-built conditions involves collecting accurate as-built information and comparing the as-built information collected with given design and schedule information. Currently, different technologies exist for collecting accurate and comprehensive as-built information. The as-built information generated through these technologies is then manually evaluated by comparing it to the design information. This process is time-consuming and error prone. Therefore, there is a need for an automated assessment of as-built conditions. This paper discusses the applicability of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) in their current version 2x to support the assessment of as-built conditions of construction projects. The goal is to create a project model that represents and integrates as-built and design information. In this paper, we state different types of information that need to be represented in this integrated model, describe common ways of representing this information in IFC Rel.2x, and highlight the limitations of current IFC Rel.2x specifications in representing an integrated design and as-built model. The paper concludes with a proposal for extending the IFC specifications to enable the automated assessment of as-built conditions.
Application of the transtheoretical model of behavior change to consumption of fruits, vegetables, and grain products among young adults

In this stuc the transtheoretical model for behavior dian was implied to the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and grain products among youi aduhs. The critenon behavior was the consuAipuun of the recommended number of servings described in the United States Department of A^cuhure Food Guide Pyramid. Three major constructs—stages of consun^on, decisional balance, and self-efficacy—were used. Specific objectives were: develop and validate an instrument to measure the three constructs; use it to measure consumption for fruits, vegetables, and grain products among your aduhs; examine relationships among the three constructs and amoi all variables; make recommendations for nutrition education and research. Measurii scales were developed for the decisional balance and self-efficacy portion of the insQument. A stage of consumption a^orithm was used to assess the st^es of consumption. From 800 surveys mailed to a randomfy* selected sample of young aduhs, 18 to 24 years old, 116 usable (14.5%) questionnaires were returned. Factor and reliabili anafyses were conduaed to assess the psychometric properties of the instrument. Decisional balance emerged as two faaors— the positive and negative perceptions of increasing consumption. Self-efficacy emerged as one general faaor. Confirmatory factor analysis indices indicate the data fit the hypothesized model adequate^ for the three food groups (AGFI >0.80). The instrument exhibited moderate to excellent internal consistenqr for perceived advantages (a = 0.47 to 0.63), perceived disadvantages (ot> 0.70), and self-efficacy scales ((*> 0.88). The results of multivariate analysis of variance indicate that decisional balance and self-efficacy scores differ as stages of consunq>tion change. The perceived advantages and self-efficacy scores increased while scores on perceived disadvantages decreased from precontenqilation to maintenance stages with the exception of the action st^e for fiiiits and grain products. At the action stage.
Research productivity in the journal of business research: 1985-1999

Abstract This article presents a thorough analysis of the research published in the Journal of Business Research ( JBR ) during the period of 1985–1999. First, each article published in JBR was categorized into a primary content area according to the broad subject areas covered by the journal's editorial review boards. Marketing represents the largest area with 33% of the articles, followed by buyer behavior (18%) and international business (16%). Second, the contributing authors during the period of 1985–1999 were ranked according to the number of articles they had published in the journal. William R. Darden was the most published author with 9 articles, whereas Cynthia Webster was ranked first when adjusting for coauthorship. A similar analysis was conducted at the institutional level, with Louisiana State University being the top publisher with 27 articles. Additionally, we examined the impact of the published JBR articles in the top 12 journals corresponding to the JBR content areas. In this analysis, we found that JBR articles are heavily referenced in JBR , Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science ( JAMS ), Journal of Marketing ( JM ), Journal of Retailing ( JR ), Journal of Marketing Research ( JMR ), Journal of International Business Studies ( JIBS ), and Journal of International Marketing ( JIM ). Individually, the JBR contributions by Robert E. Spekman and Shelby D. Hunt have had the most impact in the 12 journals used in the citation analysis. On the article level, the contribution by Emin Babakus and Gregory W. Boller titled “An Empirical Assessment of the SERVQUAL Scale” (published in 1992) has been the most frequently referenced article, having been cited 16 times since its publication.
Effect of certain individual learner personality differences on instructional methods

Studies in aptitude-treatment interactions are becoming more frequent. Recent emphasis on individualized instruction has encouraged the notion that more instructional progress may be made by assigning students to differentially effective treatments. Haskell examines this possibility in regard to personality characteristics as they interact with instructional treatments that are basically traditional and programed.--Editor
Virtual Coupling Schemes for Position Coherency in Networked Haptic Environments

In networked haptic environments, multiple users remotely collaborate sharing the same virtual space. Such environments are used in surgical simulation training, maintenance task training, etc. Maintaining position coherency between the copies of the virtual object in these environments is necessary to achieve consistency in collaboration, especially in the presence of time delays between users. Client-server architecture is widely used to maintain position coherency in networked haptic environments. Such methods introduce a round trip delay for each user and also the collaboration depends on the client's ability to maintain communication with the server. In peer-to-peer architecture where the information from each user is multicasted to all other users, time delay is reduced to half compared to client-server based methods. It is also the most difficult method for maintaining position coherency. Of the three virtual coupling schemes introduced to maintain position coherency in this paper, two utilize a peer-to-peer architecture. The performance of the schemes using peer-to-peer architecture for constant time delays was compared to the virtual coupling scheme representing the client-server method. Experimental results demonstrate that one of the virtual coupling schemes has a comparable performance to the server-based method
Cross-regulation between G-protein-coupled receptors. Activation of beta 2-adrenergic receptors increases alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA levels.

Abstract Stimulation of DDT1 MF-2 vas deferens cells with epinephrine resulted in a time- and dose-dependent loss of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-specific ligand binding. Regulation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA was characterized. In monolayer culture, cells displayed 0.7 +/- 0.05 amol of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA/microgram of total cellular RNA. Epinephrine, which acts at both alpha 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors of DDT1 MF-2 cells, induced a short term (2-8 h) increase (50-70%) in the abundance of alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA. Propranolol, a beta 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, attenuated the epinephrine-mediated increase in alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA but did not affect the decrease in alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-specific ligand binding. Phentolamine, an alpha 1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, did not attenuate the epinephrine-mediated increase in alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA at 4 h but did block the decrease in alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-specific ligand binding. The half-life of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA was approximately 7 h in untreated cells as well as in cells challenged with epinephrine. The epinephrine-promoted increase in alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA was found to result from cross-regulation via beta 2-adrenergic receptors. Cholera toxin, forskolin, as well as the cyclic AMP analog CPT cAMP (8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate) increased the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mRNA at 4 h, as did epinephrine in the presence of alpha 1-antagonists but not in the presence of a beta-adrenergic antagonist. This is the first report of heterologous up-regulation of mRNA levels of adrenergic receptors. Cross-regulation between alpha 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptor-mediated pathways at 4 h occurs at the level of mRNA whereas later down-regulation of alpha 1-receptor mRNA and binding proceed via agonist activation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors.
Spatial Discriminant Function with Minimum Error Rate for Image Segmentation

This paper describes how a normal discriminant function with minimum error rate can be applied to segment an image in a particular manner. Since the maximum likelihood method assigns pixels based on the underlying distributions in image, it is inevitable to make decision errors when there are overlapping areas between the underlying distributions. However, this overlapping area can be minimized by a conversion of distributions which is proposed in this paper. This method is derived by exploiting characteristics of a linear combination of random variables and its relation to the corresponding random vector. The suitable performance of the process is mathematically proved and the experimental results that support the effectiveness of the proposed method are provided.
A New Economic Geography of Trade and Development? Governing South–South Trade, Value Chains and Production Networks

AbstractWhile South–South development cooperation has “win–-win” aims, it is unclear the extent to which its horizontal, mutually beneficial objectives translate into “South–South” trade and move beyond the asymmetrical nature of North–South trade. Global value chain and global production network research can make progress into an understanding of the dynamics of these emerging trade patterns. To date, however, such research has largely focused on the development prospects for firms and regions in the global South integrating into the production networks of lead firms from the global North. Evidence presented for the growth of South–South trade, including firms emerging from new home regions and the rise of new end markets in the global South, questions this focus. Emerging research suggests that the growth of South–South trade will be linked to a trade-off involving relatively easier access to Southern markets and potentially greater competition from competitors across the South. Avenues and questions fo...
JAVA Wrappers for Automated Interoperability

This paper concentrates on the issues related to implementation of interoperability between distributed subsystems, particularly in the context of reengineering and integration of several centralized legacy systems. Currently, most interoperability techniques require the data or services to be tightly coupled to a particular server. Furthermore, as most programmers are trained in designing stand-alone application, developing distributed system proves to be time-consuming and difficult. Here, we addressed those concerns by creating an interface wrapper model that allows developers to treat distributed objects as local objects. A tool that automatically generates the features of Java interface wrapper from a specification language called the Prototyping System Description Language has been developed based on the model.
In vitro production of antigen-specific T cells from unprimed mice: role of dexamethasone and anti-IL-10 antibodies.

Abstract We describe here a culture system for studying the development, in vitro , of antigen-specific CD4 T cells from unprimed mice. T cells from young mice are initially exposed to antigen, such as pigeon cytochrome C or keyhole limpet hemocyanin, in the presence of adherent accessory cells and then allowed to proliferate in the absence of antigen but in the presence of IL-2, 10 −8 M dexamethasone, and antibodies to IL-10. Proliferation and IL-2 production by T cells harvested from such expansion cultures are antigen-dependent but not antigen-specific and at different doses can be either stimulated or inhibited both by the priming antigen and by irrelevant proteins. Antigen-specific T cell reactions can be elicited by any of three modifications of the culture protocol: (a) absorption of nonspecific cells on accessory cell monolayers bearing irrelevant proteins; (b) increased doses of dexamethasone during the expansion phase; or (c) a second cycle of antigen activation and antigen-free expansion. These observations provide a foundation for further analysis of in vitro maturation of primary immune responses and suggest an important role for IL-10 and glucocorticoids in regulating the early stages of activation and proliferation by naive T cells.
Strategies for Building and Sustaining a New Care Movement

While care theorists have made great headway over the last 20 years in developing a political theory of care, and care advocates have developed numerous public policy proposals for supporting care work, few theorists or advocates have paid much attention to strategic questions about how best to forge and sustain a political care movement. In this article, I outline a number of strategies for fostering the development and growth of such a movement in the United States. I first provide a brief survey of the recent history of care ethics and the rise of care advocacy organizations in this country, and then outline four general strategies for unifying and expanding the care movement. These include proposals for (1) linking particular care constituencies and initiatives to a larger care movement, (2) supporting universal over means-tested programs, (3) working with market mechanisms and business interests, and (4) finding ways to garner greater public support among the American people for care policies. I conc...
Physician and Nurse Staffing in Nursing Homes: The Role and Limitations of the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) System

Objectives To assess nursing home staffing data reported in the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) system database for research and policy. Design Comparisons were made between OSCAR and a concurrent research survey of staffing data collected for the same facilities, using inter-rater agreement and correlation analyses. Setting Freestanding nursing homes from New York State (NYS) in 1997 (N = 327). Measurements Selected staffing variables were defined in comparable terms in both OSCAR and the NYS survey. Results The two data sources were in substantial agreement on the reported availability of a full-time physician (other than medical director) and of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner (Kappa >0.7), and they correlated well in the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of such staff (Spearman correlation >0.6). The correlation was 0.8 for FTE registered nurses (RNs), 0.7 for licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and 0.8 for certified nurse aides (CNAs). In terms of average nurse hours per patient day, separately for RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and all combined, the correlation was relatively weak (between 0.3 and 0.6). Overall staffing levels tended to be lower in OSCAR than in NYS. Conclusion The OSCAR data are useful for exploring relationships between staffing and various quality of care outcomes, but may not be accurate enough on a case-specific basis, or to determine policy regarding minimal staffing levels using average nurse hours per patient day measures. More systematic and timely efforts are needed to refine the OSCAR content and survey methodology to document nursing home staffing information.
Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake‐level change in southern California (Dry Lake)

Bird, B. W., Kirby, M. E., Howat, I. M. & Tulaczyk, S. 2009: Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake-level change in southern California (Dry Lake). Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00114.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) data are used in combination with previously published sediment cores to develop a Holocene history of basin sedimentation in a small, alpine lake in southern California (Dry Lake). The GPR data identify three depositional sequences spanning the past 9000 calendar years before present (cal. yr BP). Sequence I represents the first phase of an early Holocene highstand. A regression between 8120 cal. yr BP separates Sequence I from Sequence II, perhaps associated with the 8200 cal. yr BP cold event. Sequence II represents the second phase of the early-to-mid Holocene highstand. Sequence IIIa represents a permanent shift to predominantly low lake stands beginning ∼5550 cal. yr BP. This mid-Holocene shift was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in sedimentation rate as well as a contraction of the basin's area of sedimentation. By ∼1860 cal. yr BP (Sequence IIIb), the lake was restricted to the modern, central basin. Taken together, the GPR and core data indicate a wet early Holocene followed by a long-term Holocene drying trend. The similarity in ages of the early Holocene highstand across the greater southern California region suggests a common external forcing – perhaps modulation of early Holocene storm activity by insolation. However, regional lake level records are less congruous following the initial early Holocene highstand, which may indicate a change in the spatial domain of climate forcing(s) throughout the Holocene in western North America.
Attachment, Addiction, and Recovery: Conjoint Marital Therapy for Recovery from a Sexual Addiction

This study evaluated processes of conjoint therapy for married couples recovering from husbands' addictive use of pornography. We hypothesized that through conjoint couple therapy clinicians are able to help organize the relationship to sponsor recovery while also promoting essential relationship and individual healing for both spouses. Results demonstrated an increase in (a) marital trust and confidence in the future, (b) mutual softening, (c) the ability to discern key points of intervention sponsoring and supporting recovery, and (d) client-perceived marital enhancement. Conjoint marital therapy is recommended as a useful component in treating compulsive pornography consumption.
Increases in Executive Pay Following Privatization

The average chief executive at one of Britain's twelve regional electricity distribution companies experienced nearly a threefold salary increase in the two years following the industry privatization in 1990. It is hard to account for the tremendous pay raises with conventional explanations for executive compensation rates. They are not attributable to increases in managerial talent, because privatization brought virtually no changes in personnel at the top rank. In addition, the salary increases did not coincide with dramatic changes in firm scale, and cross-firm differences in the raises are uncorrelated with stock-market returns and other measures of firm performance. By contrast, salary increases are highly correlated with firms' potential profits (as measured by the administratively assigned price cap). The findings presented here thus provide new perspectives on the determinants of executive compensation.
IL-20: a new target for the treatment of inflammatory skin disease.

The discovery of dramatic pro-inflammatory effects of IL-20 on skin highlighted a novel regulatory pathway in cutaneous inflammation. Specific receptor complexes for IL-20 are induced on keratinocytes and transmit potent signals via the signal transducer and activator of transcription-3. In response to IL-20, keratinocytes proliferate and express pro-inflammatory genes including TNF-α, which leads to activation of NF-κB. Recently, two related cytokines, IL-19 and IL-24, have been shown to trigger the IL-20 receptor, and a second receptor complex has also been found to respond to IL-20 and IL-24. IL-20 signalling appears to be a prominent component of cutaneous inflammation, but the extent to which inflammatory processes rely upon it is unknown. Nonetheless, the prevalence of diseases involving pathological cutaneous inflammation makes the identification of safe and effective anti-inflammatory therapies for the skin a priority. Detailed understanding of the signal transduction pathways by which the skin re...
Attrition clauses: outstanding issues and recommendations for meeting planners

Abstract This paper deals with the attrition clauses within hotel group sales agreements, the former of which became popular in the early 1990s. Attrition clauses specify pre-determined liquidated damages that a group (usually a corporation or an association) must pay to the hotel in case the group does not pick up a certain percentage of its room block. Attrition charges may also apply to food and beverage agreements as well as to meeting facilities. Given their complexity, attrition clauses have become one of the least understood and most contentious issues in the hospitality industry. Based on the findings from a survey of 20 hotel room managers and five meeting planners, as well as what we learned from an extensive search of the literature, we outline some of the outstanding issues and then offer recommendations for meeting planners to protect the interests of their clients.
Geodiverse routing with path jitter requirement under regional challenges

In this paper, we have extended the GeoDivRP geodiverse routing protocol to consider jitter requirements when using multiple geographic paths for telecommunication networks under regional challenges. We have formulated bounded-jitter multipath routing using a multi-commodity flow problem and proposed an integer linear programming formulation to solve it. We have implemented the routing protocol in ns-3 to employ the optimised paths provided by the bounded-jitter optimisation solution and have demonstrated its effectiveness compared to OSPF in terms of both throughput and overall edge capacity utilisation. GeoDivRP guarantees the jitter constraint provided by the upper layer and satisfies the traffic demand imposed by multiple routing commodities in the telecommunication networks.
Effect of vagotomy on cholinergic parameters in nuclei of rat medulla oblongata

Cholinergic enzymes and muscarinic receptors in nuclei of rat medulla oblongata were examined after unilateral vagotomy to determine their association with efferent vagal neurons. Vagotomy caused an ipsilateral depletion of acetylcholinesterase from the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DNV) and the nucleus ambiguus (NA). Choline acetyltransferase activity was reduced in ipsilateral DNV, nucleus tractus solitarius and rostral NA. Muscarinic receptor localization by autoradiography with [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) revealed marked intranuclear variations in receptor density. Vagotomy had no effect on the QNB binding pattern. Loss of cholinergic enzymes is a consistent response of motor and preganglionic autonomic neurons to axotomy. Depletion of muscarinic receptors is an additional component of axon reaction in brain stem motoneurons. Accordingly, previous studies have shown a decrease in neurotransmitter-related proteins after axotomy of motoneurons. In the present study, cholinergic enzymes were depleted from axotomized vagal neurons but receptors were not. It is concluded that muscarinic receptors in the DNV and NA are not associated with vagal efferent neurons.
Base‐catalyzed hydrolysis of 6‐aminopenicillanic acid. The kinetic and thermodynamic products

In the presence of sodium hydroxide or a β-lactamase, 6-APA has been shown to hydrolyze rapidly at room temperature to penicic acid 3, the kinetic product of the reaction. In a subsequent equilibration 3 isomerizes at C-5, by way of intermediate imine 4, affording 5-epi-penicic acid 6 as the major hydrolysis product (∼ 95% at equilibrium). The pH and temperature parameters of equilibration are discussed and HPLC, optical rotation, proton nmr and 13C nmr data are presented.
Measuring blog engagement: Testing a four-dimensional scale

Abstract This study proposed and validated a measurement scale of blog engagement. The researchers explicated the concept of blog engagement as the likelihood and outcomes of interactive blog communication that encompass cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral attachment. Following this definition, a four-dimensional scale was tested. This study suggests that interactive blogs can enhance self-company connection, positive attitudes toward the company and supportive WOM intentions.
Falsely increased chloride and missed anion gap elevation during treatment with sodium thiosulfate

Abstract Background Sodium thiosulfate (STS) is used to treat calciphylaxis and cyanide poisoning, but can lead to a serious anion-gap acidosis. We suspected that the calculated anion gap in a patient treated with STS for calciphylaxis was decreased to normal by a falsely increased chloride, and we hypothesized that STS directly interfered with chloride measurements. Methods Plasma pools were prepared with 12 concentrations of STS from 0 to 20 mmol/l. Chloride was measured in each sample on 9 analyzers: Architect 16200, StatProfile pHOx Plus, RapidLab 1265®, Vitros 350®, Advia 1800, Roche Modular, iSTAT1, RAPIDpoint 500, and Radiometer ABL735. Results Statistically significant, dose-dependent increases in reported chloride concentrations were seen with all analyzers except the RAPIDpoint 500 and Vitros. The increases ranged from 5 to 75 mmol/l at the peak thiosulfate concentrations (33 mmol/l) expected in treated patients. The CLIA-allowable error of 5% was exceeded by 4 analyzers (Architect 16200, iSTAT1, StatProfile pHOx Plus, and Radiometer ABL735). The RAPIDpoint 500 showed a 3-mmol/l decrease in measured chloride over the tested range. The Vitros analyzer showed no interference. Conclusions Interference of STS in chloride measurement in several common analyzers may lead to erroneous anion-gap calculations and confound the diagnosis of STS-induced anion-gap acidosis.
Identifying Environmental Chemicals Causing Mutations and Cancer

Damage to DNA appears to be the major cause of most cancer and genetic birth defects and may contribute to aging and heart disease as well. The agents that cause this damage must be identified. Many of these agents are natural chemicals present in the human diet as complex mixtures. The tens of thousands of man-made chemicals that have been introduced into the environment in the last few decades must also be tested for their ability to damage DNA. Existing animal tests and human epidemiology alone are inadequate for this task because of time, expense, and the difficulty of dealing with complex mixtures, Newly developed short-term tests, most of them assaying for mutagenicity, are discussed as key tools in identifying environmental mutagens and carcinogens.
An outcome analysis of patients transferred to a regional burn center : Transfer status does not impact survival

Abstract Background Optimal burn care is provided at specialized burn centers. Given the geographic location of these centers, many burn patients receive initial treatment at local emergency departments prior to transfer. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients transferred from other facilities have worse outcomes than those admitted directly from the field. Study design A retrospective cohort study was performed comparing the outcomes of patients admitted to our burn center directly from the field with patients requiring transfer from a preliminary care facility. The outcomes of interest were mortality, length of stay, length of stay/TBSA burned, number of operations and hospital charges. Poisson regression or Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate differences in outcomes after adjusting for potential confounders. Results From 2000 to 2003 a total of 1877 patients were admitted to our burn center and 953 (51%) were transferred from a preliminary care facility. No difference (p Conclusions This study demonstrates that patients transferred to a regional burn center from local hospitals have equivalent mortality, length of stay and hospital charges as those admitted directly from the field.
Primary signet‐ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Sixty-one cases of adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder presenting between 1966 and 1981 were reviewed. Among the only seven cases of primary adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder, three were classified as primary signet-ring cell carcinoma. These 3 cases were reviewed with the 11 previously reported cases in the literature. Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder occurs predominantly in men (12 men, 2 women) with age ranging from 38 to 83 years. It usually runs a rapidly fatal course despite therapy. The characteristic clinical, gross, and histomorphologic findings and pathogenesis of this rare bladder malignancy are discussed.