cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Chemokine Binding Protein M3 Prevents Diabetes Induced by Multiple Low Doses of Streptozotocin

Multiple injections of low-dose streptozotocin (MLDS) induce lymphocytic insulitis and diabetes in rodents. To test whether the influx of inflammatory cells was associated with changes in the expression of chemokines, we measured the expression of all known chemokine ligands by real-time quantitative PCR in isolated islets. With the exception of CCL20 and CCL19, chemokines were not significantly expressed in islets from wild-type mice before MLDS treatment. Ten days after treatment, the expression of several chemokines, including CXCL9, CCL1, CXCL10, and CCL21, was dramatically up-regulated. The expression of CCL1, CXCL9, and CCL21 protein was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and was mostly associated with the infiltrating cells. The mouse herpesvirus 68-encoded chemokine decoy receptor M3 can broadly engage these chemokines with high affinity. To test whether a blockade of chemokine function would alter the onset or magnitude of insulitis and diabetes, we used transgenic mice expressing M3 in β cells (rat insulin promoter (RIP)-M3 mice). RIP-M3 mice were normoglycemic and responded normally to glucose challenge but were remarkably resistant to diabetes induced by MLDS. Islets from MLDS-treated RIP-M3 mice had fewer inflammatory cells and expressed lower levels of chemokines than those from MLDS-treated controls. The role of M3 in chemokine blockade during insulitis was further supported by in vitro experiments demonstrating that multiple chemokines up-regulated during islet inflammation are high-affinity M3 ligands that can be simultaneously sequestered. These results implicate chemokines as key mediators of insulitis and suggest that their blockade may represent a novel strategy to prevent insulitis and islet destruction.
How Does Sexual Identity Disclosure Impact School Experiences

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals disproportionately report negative academic outcomes and experiences as a result of stigma and discrimination. No research to date has investigated how being out in different social relationships may affect these youth. We compare youth who are out to family, friends, and people at school to understand which patterns of disclosure are related to school experiences. More complex patterns of “outness” were associated with lower academic achievement and more harassment, whereas being out to no one or everyone was associated with the best outcomes. These findings have important implications for scholars, stakeholders, and counselors.
IIP: an event-based platform for ITS applications

In this paper, we propose an event-based platform in support of developing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications, especially applications compatible with the IntelliDriveSM environment. Essentially, it combines two components, i.e. the IIP Cloud Component and the IIP Client Component. The IIP Cloud Component provides canonical publish/subscribe (pub/sub) functions to both traffic management facilities and mobile nodes. The IIP Client Component provides mobile nodes with pub/sub functions which allow them to communicate with the IIP Cloud Component as well as with each other. We show that by leveraging heterogeneous data sources and various communication mechanisms in the ITS environment, IIP supports a wide variety of ITS applications.
K+ -stimulated Na+ transport in frog-skin epithelia.

Increasing [K+] from 2.5 mmol/l to 115 mmol/l on the serosal side of the frog skin produces a rapid decrease of short-circuit current (Isc) that is followed, within a few minutes, by a recovery of Isc to near or above its control value. After isolation of the epithelium by a procedure involving collagenase treatment and physical removal of thecorium, increasing serosal [K+] still produced a depression of Isc but no significant recovery phase. By itself, collagenase treatment reduced but did not eliminate the recovery phase. The recovery phase was also markedly depressed by the beta-adrenergic blocker oxprenolol, but not by propranolol, atropine or indomethacin. Amiloride, given during the recovery phase, caused Isc to reverse to a small outward value. These results suggest that the recovery phase of Isc seen in the response to increased serosal [K+] represents an increase in Na+ influx through amiloride-sensitive channels which is triggered by the release of an intermediary agent, possibly a beta-adrenergic agonist, from some structure in thecorium.
The Influence of a Credit Rating Change on Corporate Cash Holdings and Their Marginal Value

We examine the influence of credit rating changes on corporate excess cash holdings. We find that downgraded firms increase excess cash holdings by approximately 3% of total noncash assets, compared to a matched sample of firms without a rating change. We largely observe no significant cash policy change following upgrades. While our findings support existing studies on the value of precautionary cash hoarding in the face of increased financial constraint, we find hoarding is value-decreasing for shareholders. The marginal value of excess cash declines by at least 40% for downgraded firms and much more so when firms have histories of excess cash hoarding.
Evaluating rent-seeking losses: Do the welfare gains of lobbyists count?

The purpose of this paper is to help reduce the confusion that some readers of the rent seeking literature have about the scope of rent seeking losses. In conversations with economists only casually familiar with the literature, one often hears the question 'Don't the welfare gains of lobbyists count?' In other words, aren't rent-seeking losses actually the gains of lobbyists and thus simply the result of miscounting the benefits? The answer to that question is simply no, but to my knowledge no one has demonstrated the logic of this fundamental point. A secondary purpose of the paper is to clarify the extent of rent-seeking losses associated with monopolizing activities. This paper demonstrates the Tullock rectangle understates the extent of rent-seeking losses in circumstances where alternative uses of resources are productive in the sense that positive net benefits could have been generated. To simplify, suppose that a firm or group of firms spends C dollars in order to raise prices above competitive levels say by having an entry barrier of one sort or another enacted by the local legislature. The result will be a higher market price and a Harberger dead weight loss triangle of the usual sort. This result is depicted in Figure 1 as the shaded triangle above Po immediately to the left of the demand curve. The maximum amount that would-be mono-
Singers, Saints, and the Construction of Postcolonial Subjectivities in Algeria

Through a close study of the multivocal plays ofintertextuality in the "new songs" of Algeria's Berber Cultural Movement, this paper explores how genres can support the emergence of new forms of self-recognition and promote novel possibilities for engagement with older expressive forms. Via double-voiced parodies of religious chants known as adekker, the new Berber singers call into question the "magical" powers of saints and exhort the population to relinquish the notion that saints control human destiny. Paradoxically, however, this interplay of genres generates unexpected interpretive possibilities, which in some cases subvert new song's secularist vision.
Surface enhanced raman spectrum of pyrazine. Observation of forbidden lines at the electrode surface

Abstract The surface enhanced Raman spectrum of pyrazine is obtained. Several new lines are observed including 440,800,1317, and 1488 cm −1 which may be assigned to B 2u , B 2u , B 3u and B 1u species respectively. These indicate a lowering of the molecular symmetry from the free molecule D 2h most likely to C 2v .
A Neural Network Approach to Feature Extraction in Sensor Signal Processing for Manufacturing Automation

Since off line hand-crafted conventional statistical feature selection/extraction methods are inefficient for signal-pattern classification of noisy sensor signals in manufacturing floor applications, we provide an automatic neural network approach to feature extraction, called Input Feature Scaling. Given only meaningful examples, the Input Feature Scaling algorithm enables a neural network, already trained by unsupervised competitive learning to cluster input patterns, to learn the relative importance of features for purposes of correct classification. The relative impor tance, expressed as weights, is adaptively learned in an additional supervised session. Experimental evaluation with both artificial data and real sensor data in tool-wear monitoring shows that our approach meets the requirements for "intelligent" sensor-signal processing in automated manufactur ing.
Statistics in Society: Problems Unsolved and Unformulated

Abstract Many problems important to society have major statistical components, yet are not wholly statistical in the usual sense. Examples of such problems are discussed, and a tentative classification is proposed. The first examples are those of inconsistencies and the like in large data sets, for example, census information showing a number of women, aged 15 through 19, with 12 or more children. The second group of examples deals with ambiguity of classification, for example, of ethnic origin. Other problems discussed briefly include clarity of statistical graphics, and confidentiality. Stress is laid on novel theoretical issues posed by these problems, and also on the social or political forces that generate the problems. A professional response is proposed in which resources are sought to study with care the behavior of relevant statistical activities.
Detection of Tones and Their Modification by Noise in Nonhuman Primates

A fundamental function of the auditory system is to detect important sounds in the presence of other competing environmental sounds. This paper describes behavioral performance in a tone detection task by nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta) and the modification of the performance by continuous background noise and by sinusoidally amplitude modulating signals or noise. Two monkeys were trained to report detection of tones in a reaction time Go/No-Go task using the method of constant stimuli. The tones spanned a wide range of frequencies and sound levels, and were presented alone or in continuous broadband noise (40 kHz bandwidth). Signal detection theoretic analysis revealed that thresholds to tones were lowest between 8 and 16 kHz, and were higher outside this range. At each frequency, reaction times decreased with increases in tone sound pressure level. The slope of this relationship was higher at frequencies below 1 kHz and was lower for higher frequencies. In continuous broadband noise, tone thresholds increased at the rate of 1 dB/dB of noise for frequencies above 1 kHz. Noise did not change either the reaction times for a given tone sound pressure level or the slopes of the reaction time vs. tone level relationship. Amplitude modulation of tones resulted in reduced threshold for nearly all the frequencies tested. Amplitude modulation of the tone caused thresholds for detection in continuous broadband noise to be changed by smaller amounts relative to the detection of steady-state tones in noise. Amplitude modulation of background noise resulted in reduction of detection thresholds of steady-state tones by an average of 11 dB relative to thresholds in steady-state noise of equivalent mean amplitude. In all cases, the slopes of the reaction time vs. sound level relationship were not modified. These results show that macaques have hearing functions similar to those measured in humans. These studies form the basis for ongoing studies of neural mechanisms of hearing in noisy backgrounds.
A new Bcc-Fcc orientation relationship observed between ferrite and austenite in solidification structures of steels

A new crystallographic orientation relationship (OR) between delta-ferrite and austenite has been observed in solidification microstructures of 304L and 309S austenitic stainless steels and a ternary Fe-Cr-Ni alloy. Evidence for the new OR was obtained from electron diffraction patterns in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This relationship, (111)fcc//(110)bcc and % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9qqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaai4waiqaig% dagaqeaiaaigdacaaIWaGaaiyxamaaBaaaleaaieaacaWFMbGaa83y% aiaa-ngaaeqaaOGaai4laiaac+cacaGGBbGabGymayaaraGaaGymai% aaicdacaGGDbWaaSbaaSqaaiaa-jgacaWFJbGaa83yaaqabaaaaa!4508! $$[\bar 110]_{fcc} //[\bar 110]_{bcc} $$ , has not been previously reported for bcc-fcc systems. The 〈110〉fcc//#x2329;110〉bcc alignment is distinctive among known bcc-fcc ORs. The new OR is related to the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) and Nishiyama-Wassermann (N-W) ORs by relative rotations of 35.26 and 30 deg, respectively, about the normal to the parallel close-packed planes. In 304L fabricated by laser-engineered net shaping (LENS), delta-ferrite with the new OR was found to coexist in the microstructure with both K-S and N-W oriented ferrite, but in separate austenite grains and with less frequent occurrence. In gas-tungsten arc (GTA) welds of 309S and the Fe-Cr-Ni alloy, the new OR was the only one observed within a few grains, whereas ferrite within other grains did not establish an apparent OR with the austenite matrix.
Lateral diffusion of rhodopsin in the photoreceptor membrane

Rhodopsin undergoes rapid lateral diffusion in the disk membranes of isolated frog and mudpuppy rods. The rate of lateral diffusion is consistent with the rapid rotational diffusion of rhodopsin: both indicate the disk membrane is highly fluid with a viscosity of ∼1P.
Ignition of counterflowing methane versus heated air under reduced and elevated pressures

Abstract This article presents experimental and computational results on ignition of nonpremixed, counterflowing jets of nitrogen-diluted methane versus heated air within a wide range of pressures, fuel concentrations, and flow strain rates. The system was brought to ignition by increasing gradually the temperature of the air stream. Each steady-state situation just prior to ignition was experimentally characterized by measuring detailed centerline axial flow velocity and temperature distributions, for ambient pressures between 0.5–8.0 atm, fuel concentrations in the range of 6%–100% methane in nitrogen, and pressure-weighted strain rates between 100–700 s −1 . In addition, each situation was modeled numerically, using detailed transport properties and full chemical kinetics based on the GRI (Gas Research Institute) Mech v1.2 mechanism. As in our previous work with hydrogen/air ignition, we have identified computationally the existence of a localized ignition kernel of maximum reactivity and heat release. In contrast to the hydrogen case, however, we have shown that heat release and the thermal feedback are indispensable at ignition in the methane/air system. The ignition temperature, defined as the boundary temperature of the air jet just prior to ignition, was found to increase with increasing flow strain rate at all pressures. This has been shown numerically to be an effect of heat and radical loss out of the ignition kernel by convective-diffusive transport. The ignition temperature decreased abruptly with increasing fuel concentration, for dilute conditions. For CH 4 concentrations in excess of 20%–30%, however, the ignition temperature became insensitive to further increase in the fuel concentration. Ignition temperatures at constant pressure-weighted strain rates decreased monotonically with increasing system pressure, similar to the homogeneous explosion limits. Over this range of pressures the numerical simulation indicated that the dominant chemical pathways at ignition do not change significantly. Flux, sensitivity, and the Computational Singular Perturbation (CSP) method were used to identify the ignition chemistry and provide several simplified kinetic mechanisms. The results obtained using a skeletal mechanism M4, with 22 species and 64 irreversible reactions, were found to agree closely with those obtained using the full chemistry. The experimental data were compared with computations using several kinetic mechanisms.
A coupled method for inverse source problem of spatial fractional anomalous diffusion equations

Based on the best perturbation method, a coupled method is developed to solve the inverse source problem of spatial fractional anomalous diffusion equation. The ill-posed inverse problem is first transformed into a well-posed problem by a Tikhonov regularization algorithm. Then the corresponding direct problem is solved by the implicit difference method, in which the source term is estimated by the best perturbation method. The efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed method are demonstrated by two numerical examples.
Grief among near-death experiencers: pathways through religion and meaning

The purpose of the present study was to examine prolonged grief symptomatology among individuals who reported near-death experiences (NDEs). Following Park's meaning-making model, religion and meaning-making were also examined as possible pathways associating NDE variables with grief. Online survey data from 22 bereaved adults who met the criteria for NDE were examined. Correlation analyses indicated that the NDE variables were associated with grief as well as meaning-making and religious variables. These findings suggest that NDEs produce positive effects on the grieving process by reducing the grievers' use of negative religious coping and helping them find meaning from their loss.
Compressing terrain datasets using segmentation

We propose a novel compression scheme to achieve lossy compression of elevation datasets. Our scheme does not use predictors in the traditional sense. Our predictors are based on planar dataset segments. We believe that this is a far better way of expressing context in an elevation dataset since it can capture continuities in different geometries and allows us to provide an error bound on the output.
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION OF WORKING MOTHERS AND FAMILY FORMATION: SOME FURTHER EVIDENCE

This paper offers additional insight and evidence on the well-documented inverse relationship between female employment and fertility. Interviews with 388 working mothers from a probability sample in Robeson County, North Carolina, provide the data for testing the hypothesized relationships. Generally, the results indicate that lower fertility, lower desires and expectations, and earlier use of birth control are associated with work before the first birth and with employment of the longest duration. The timing of the first birth was not differentiated by variations in work experience. The results are conditional in that the relationships hold more for whites than for blacks or Indians.
Improving the quality of the analysis phase

Abstract This paper discusses three techniques for improving the quality of the Systems Analysis phase. These techniques are simple, easy, and effective. However, they require a shift from parochial self-reliance to an opportunistic and open-minded use of outside resources.
Opiate receptor-mediated chemotaxis of human monocytes

Abstract The opiate peptides, D-ala-D-leuenkephalin, β-endorphin and dynorphin, [1–13] are potent stimulators of human mononuclear cell chemotaxis. Peak responses were observed in the range of 10 −8 –10 −11 M with activity detectable at 10 −14 M. Morphine was without effect in this assay. Incubation of cells with (−) naloxone but not (+) naloxone completely blocked activity, supporting stereospecific opiate receptor-mediated chemotaxis. Opiates and other neuropeptides are discussed as components of a network whose purpose is to integrate brain and behavioral modalities with immune function.
New Borate Precursors for Boron Nitride Powder Synthesis

The thermal decomposition of guanidinium tetraborate, pentaborate, and nonaborate has been characterized under nitrogen and ammonia atmospheres, and conditions have been defined for bulk powder and aqueous aerosol transformations of these precursors to boron nitride (BN). The bulk pyrolyses under ammonia (600−1400 °C) produce micrometer- and sub-micrometer-sized platelet morphology particles with oxygen contents of 3−18 wt. %. Subsequent pyrolysis of these powders at 1600 °C under NH3 reduces the oxygen contents to <1 wt. %. Pyrolysis of aqueous aerosols containing the guanidinium borates gives submicrometer spherical morphology BN particles. The chemistry and processing of guanidinium borates are compared with the behavior of alternative precursors.
Intersystem crossing of F2 color centers studied by four-wave mixing spectroscopy.

We report the first observation to our knowledge of continuous-wave four-wave mixing and phase conjugation using color centers. The resonance in γ-irradiated LiF at room temperature is shown to arise from saturated absorption involving intersystem crossing of F2 centers and has a width that reveals the excited-triplet to ground-state-singlet decay rate. This is confirmed by direct measurement of the nearly degenerate four-wave mixing spectrum in the visible spectral region using a jitter-free technique. The observed Lorentzian linewidth of 4.70 Hz (FWHM) is in excellent quantitative agreement with the independently measured phosphorescent decay rate of the lowest triplet levels and a calculation of the spectral response of this three-level spin system owing to decay of ground-state spatial hole burning. The linewidth is predicted to be strongly temperature dependent and indeed narrows to 2.1 Hz on cooling to only −25°C.
Cognitive passwords: the key to easy access control

This paper suggests the use of cognitive passwords as a method of overcoming the difficulty of creating passwords that are simultaneously memorable and difficult to guess. Cognitive passwords involve a dialogue between a user and a system, where a user answers a rotating set of questions about highly personal facts and opinions. A set of such brief responses replace a single password. The findings of this empirical investigation, focusing on memorability and ease-of-guessing of cognitive passwords, are reported. These findings show that cognitive passwords were easier to recall than conventional passwords, while they were difficult for others to guess, even others who were socially close to the users.
Arterial Stiffness and the Development of Hypertension: The ARIC Study

Decreased elasticity in large and medium-sized arteries has been postulated to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. We prospectively examined the relation between arterial elasticity and the development of hypertension over 6 years of follow-up in a cohort of 6992 normotensive men and women aged 45 to 64 years at baseline from the biracial, population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Arterial elasticity was measured from high-resolution B-mode ultrasound examination of the left common carotid artery as adjusted arterial diameter change (in micrometers, simultaneously adjusted for diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, pulse pressure squared, diastolic arterial diameter, and height), Peterson's elastic modulus (in kilopascals), Young's elastic modulus (in kilopascals), and beta stiffness index. Incident hypertension (n=551) was defined as systolic blood pressure >/=160 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure >/=95 mm Hg, or the use of antihypertensive medication at a follow-up examination conducted every 3 years. The age-, ethnicity-, center-, gender-, education-, smoking-, heart rate-, and obesity-adjusted means (SE) of baseline adjusted arterial diameter change, Peterson's elastic modulus, Young's elastic modulus, and beta stiffness index were 397 (5), 148 (2.0), 787 (12.7), and 11.43 (0.16), respectively, in persons who developed hypertension during follow-up, in contrast to 407 (1), 124 (0.6), 681 (3.7), and 10.34 (0.05), respectively, for persons who did not. The similarly adjusted cumulative incident rates of hypertension from the highest to the lowest quartiles of arterial elasticity were 6.7%, 8.0%, 7.3%, and 9.6%, respectively, when measured by adjusted arterial diameter change (P<0.01). One standard deviation decrease in arterial elasticity was associated with 15% greater risk of hypertension, independent of established risk factors for hypertension and the level of baseline blood pressure. These results suggest that lower arterial elasticity is related to the development of hypertension.
Stress, symmetry, and psoriasis: Possible role of neuropeptides

The role of stress as a triggering factor in the exacerbation of psoriasis and the clinically symmetric distribution of psoriatic plaques suggested a possible role for neuropeptides in the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis. Several observations by other investigators involving substance P suggested to us a possible role for substance P as a modulator of the inflammatory response in psoriasis. A hypothesis for the role of substance P that would account for the temporal onset with stress, the clinical symmetry of lesions, and the histopathologic features of psoriasis is presented.
Glueballs as bound states of massive gluons

Abstract Recent work in both lattice and continuum QCD shows that the gauge field is massive. We investigate the bound states of massive gluons with a Schrodinger equation and find M (0 ++ ) ≈ 2.3 m , M (0 −+ ) ≈ 2.7 m , M (2 ++ ) ≈ 3.2 m , where m is the gluon mass; we expect from this as well as earlier work that m ≈ 500 MeV. These glueballs have widths typical of allowed hadronic decays.
Complex constellation diagram measurement for optical communication

Characterization of 10 Gb/s RZ-BPSK signal was demonstrated by measuring complex constellation diagram, chirp, and intensity profile using coherent homodyne detection with a cw local oscillator from the same laser source for optical data modulation. A new stabilization method was used for the homodyne detection. This measurement technique can be used for the characterization and diagnostic of a transmitter based on BPSK at transmission site.
Methylation of structural components of the axoneme occurs during flagellar disassembly.

When Chlamydomonas cells resorb their flagella, seven polypeptides become asymmetrically dimethylated (aDMA) on arginine residues. Tandem mass spectrometry has identified these as radial spoke prot...
Predeployment, deployment, and postdeployment risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptomatology in female and male OEF/OIF veterans.

Prior research on risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) in war-exposed Veterans has revealed both direct and indirect mechanisms of risk that span predeployment, deployment, and postdeployment timeframes. The aims of the present study were to identify the mechanisms through which previously documented risk factors contribute to PTSS in a national sample of 579 female and male Veterans deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), as well as to examine the extent to which results mirror associations observed among Vietnam Veterans (King, King, Foy, Keane, & Fairbank, 1999). Consistent with conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001), findings indicated that PTSS is accounted for by multiple chains of risk, many originating in predeployment experiences that place Veterans at risk for additional stress exposure, and foretell difficulty accessing resources in the face of subsequent stressors. Importantly, the majority of previously documented mechanisms were replicated in this study, suggesting key pathways through which risk factors may contribute to PTSS across different Veteran populations. Results also revealed a number of novel risk mechanisms for OEF/OIF female Veterans, particularly with respect to the role of deployment family relationships in risk for PTSS.
Theory of Dielectric Breakdown in Solids

A short review is given of current trends in research on the theory of dielectric breakdown in solids; in particular the theory of thermal breakdown is discussed for the case in which the dielectric conductivity is explicitly field dependent. A new possibility for avalanche breakdown is also examined. The field in the dielectric is considered to be nonuniform because of the space charges created by collision ionization, and the enhanced field adjacent to the cathode causes field emission which is many orders of magnitude greater than would be expected from a mean field calculation.
Cerebrospinal Fluid and Urinary Biogenic Amines in Depressed Patients and Healthy Controls

• The National Institute of Mental Health—Clinical Research Branch Collaborative Study investigated 132 drug-free, severely depressed patients and 80 healthy controls. Forty-five percent of the depressed patients excreted markedly elevated levels of urinary epinephrine (E) and metanephrine (MET), while only 5% of healthy controls did so. Using gaussian mixture distributions, we identified two subgroups of depressed patients: one excreting normal levels and the other excreting high levels of urinary E, MET, norepinephrine, and normetanephrine. Cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid levels were low in a subgroup of depressed patients. When analyzed by subgroup, the elevated E+MET group had markedly lower cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid levels than controls, whereas depressed patients with normal catecholamine levels did not. Since it has been postulated that there are two subgroups of depressed patients, those with low 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) levels and normal 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels and those with normal MHPG levels and low 5-HIAA levels, several analyses were performed to see if such a group could be identified. Our analysis failed to find evidence of a subgroup of depressives with low MHPG and normal 5-HIAA levels or normal MHPG and low 5-HIAA levels.
Behavioural laterality as a predictor of health in captive Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber): an exploratory analysis.

The present study sought to explore the possibility that lateral behaviour in captive Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) housed at the Philadelphia Zoo (Philadelphia, PA) could be used to predict a variety of physiological measures of health obtained via complete blood counts (CBC) and plasma biochemistry analyses that were performed as part of the flock's annual physical examination. Consistent with previous research, evidence of rightward lateral neck-resting preferences were obtained, no evidence was found for the existence of leg stance preferences, and neck-resting and leg stance preferences were shown to be unrelated. Both lateral neck-resting preferences and lateral support leg preference were shown to be related to a variety of measures from the CBC and plasma biochemistry analyses. While several general trends emerged in regards to the CBC variables, the relationships between the lateral behaviours and those variables generated via plasma biochemistry analyses proved to be fewer and somew...
Liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric analysis of cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid.

Arachidonic acid (AA) can be metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes to many biologically active compounds including 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), their corresponding dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs), and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE). These eicosanoids are potent regulators of vascular tone. We developed a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method to simultaneously determine 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-EETs; 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-DHETs; and 20-HETE. [2H8]EETs, [2H8]DHETs, and [2H2]20-HETE were used as internal standards. These compounds are readily separated on a C18 reverse-phase column using water:acetonitrile with 0.005% acetic acid as a mobile phase. The internal standards, [2H8]EETs, [2H8]DHETs, and [2H2]20-HETE, eluted slightly faster than the natural eicosanoids. The samples were ionized by electrospray with fragmentor voltage of 120 V and detected in a negative mode. The negative ion detection gave a lower background than the positive ion detection for these compounds. These eicosanoids exhibited high abundance of the ions corresponding to [M - 1]-. The m/z = 319, 337, and 319 ions were used for quantitation of EETs, DHETs, and 20-HETE, respectively. The detection limits using selected ion monitoring of these compounds are about 1 pg per injection. The position of functional groups and water content of mobile phase had a significant effect on the sensitivity of detection. Water content of 40% was found to give maximal sensitivity. The method was used to determine EETs, DHETs, and 20-HETE in bovine coronary artery endothelial cells, dog plasma, rat astrocytes, and rat kidney microsome samples.
Challenging the emerging narrative: critical examination of coalmining safety in China, and recommendations for tackling mining hazards

Abstract Coal mining remains a dangerous occupation worldwide, and in China where this industry is strategically important for the country’s economic development, its safety track record is particularly gruesome. Between 1990 and 1999, thousands of small and large-scale accidents in Chinese underground coalmines have caused over a reported sixty thousand fatalities. To tackle this significant problem, several laws were passed in support of mining safety, and two major institutional innovations were adopted in the late 1990s and early 2000s: the establishment of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS) and the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), the former is subsumed under the latter. Since the establishment of SAWS/SACMS, a new safety narrative has emerged, which posits that significant safety improvements have occurred over the last decade in Chinese coalmines, and that these improvements are the result of effective government policy and safety regulations. The findings in this work, based on publically available official data, challenge this new safety narrative on several fronts. For example, we found evidence of significant under-reporting of fatality numbers in coal mining accidents. We also found that mining accidents are sometimes (mis)classified as “natural disasters”, and as a result, their fatality numbers are not tallied in the official statistics. We assessed that the official fatality statistics may underestimate the actual fatality numbers by a factor ranging from 3 to 5. More importantly, we found it doubtful that safety improvements have occurred in operating Chinese coalmines since 2000. We inferred that the reduction in total fatality and accident numbers could be explained by the closure of small mines or the exclusion of their fatality statistics. We concluded with some recommendations and a list of coal mining hazards prioritized for targeted safety interventions and improvements.
Dual-Surface-Modified Reverse-Selective Membranes

The reverse selectivity of inorganic membranes can be enhanced by surface modification using long hydrocarbon chain silanes. Improvements in n-C4H10 selectivity of Vycor porous glass over N2 and CH...
Gene and cell therapy for heart failure.

Abstract Cardiac gene and cell therapy have both entered clinical trials aimed at ameliorating ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic congestive heart failure. The transduction of myocardial cells with viral constructs encoding a specific cardiomyocyte Ca2+ pump in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), SRCa2+-ATPase has been shown to correct deficient Ca2+ handling in cardiomyocytes and improvements in contractility in preclinical studies, thus leading to the first clinical trial of gene therapy for heart failure. In cell therapy, it is not clear whether beneficial effects are cell-type specific and how improvements in contractility are brought about. Despite these uncertainties, a number of clinical trials are under way, supported by safety and efficacy data from trials of cell therapy in the setting of myocardial infarction. Safety concerns for gene therapy center on inflammatory and immune responses triggered by viral constructs, and for cell therapy with myoblast cells, the major concern is incre...
An Efficient Method for Calculating Surface Temperature and Heat Flux Based on Embedded Temperature Sensors

Approximate analytical solutions have been obtained for surface temperature and heat flux for the case of two embedded temperature sensors. The solutions have been verified and the range of validity has been established using several methods including comparisons with an exact analytical solution for a linear problem and numerical calculations for a nonlinear problem. The performance of the model is presented in both the frequency domain and the time domain. A propagation of error analysis is presented and is used to establish the optimum spacing between the sensors. The solutions place no restrictions on the boundary or initial conditions and rely only on current values of temperature and its rate of change. The temperature dependence of transport properties is accounted for in an approximate way. The method requires minimal computation and is suitable for implementation as a real-time sensor.
Hormone-producing capabilities of renal cell carcinomas Correlation with ultrastructural findings

A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate ultrastructural aspects of hormone production by renal cell carcinomas. Fifteen renal cell carcinomas examined ultrastructurally were retrieved from the files. Six cases revealing abundant and diffusely distributed secretory granules in the neoplastic cells were found and correlated with clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. Five of these patients were hypercalcemic; the sixth patient was asymptomatic, and no abnormalities were detected in routine laboratory workup. Two additional cases showed focal aggregates of electron dense neurosecretory granules. These last 2 patients had no biochemical abnormalities and were entirely asymptomatic. The size and ultrastructural morphology of the cytoplasmic granules identified in the renal neoplasms were compared with the usual granular morphology associated with the specific hormones involved. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the parathormone hormone content of the granules in 7 of the 8 cases presented. The other case revealed granules with ultrastructural characteristics of prostaglandin granules.
Global shift operators and the higher order calculus of variations

Abstract In this paper we prove the existence of global shift operators S associated with any fiber bundle π : E → M , and we discuss the use of these operators in the higher order calculus of variations. We use a recent formulation of the variational theory which combines shift operators together with another fundamental operator, called the omega operator, to describe the major aspects of the higher order theory: in particular the Euler operator and the various Cartan operators. This approach provides, we believe, a simple and direct treatment of the subject.
Non-destructive state machine reverse engineering

Most of the integrated circuits (ICs) that are in electronic systems today are based on state machines. We are taking advantage of this to develop a hardware reverse engineering method that discovers the ICs underlying state machine, rather than its transistors and gates. While there are other methods for destructively reverse engineering ICs or for non-destructively characterizing ICs, our method offers a fast and accurate analysis while remaining non-destructive. To do this, we present an intelligent brute-force method of exploring the logic of the IC using only the input and outputs designed into the IC - the I/O pins. From this exploration, we can apply a folding algorithm to discover the designed state machine.
Organizational climate correlates of viable urban block organizations

This study was an attempt to extend the logic of organizational climate assessment to understand the viability of urban block organizations. Seventeen block organizations in a neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, were studied. Members of the organizations completed the Group Environ: ment Scale and a battery o f items indicating their satisfaction and level of involvement with the organization. The status of the organizations 1 year after the interviews was also used as a measure of organizational viability. Results generally indicated that organizations characterized by greater perceived Cohesiveness, Leader Support, Order and Organization, Task Orientation, and Leader Control tended to be more viable organizations. The results are discussed in terms of neighborhood organization development and impfications for future research.
The modified Wells score accurately excludes pulmonary embolus in hospitalized patients receiving heparin prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of the Wells score has not been assessed in hospitalized patients receiving prophylactic heparin. METHODS: Retrospective, observational study of hospitalized patients receiving prophylactic heparin who underwent contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) for a concern of pulmonary embolism (PE) more than 2 days after admission. Patients with contraindications to, or interruptions in, prophylactic heparin were excluded. The modified (eg, dichotomous) Wells score was retrospectively calculated by reviewing each patient's record. Requesting a d-dimer was taken to mean that alternate diagnoses were of equal or greater likelihood than acute PE. RESULTS: From January 2006 through December 2007, 286 patients met inclusion criteria. Pulmonary embolus diagnosed by CT was present in 20 patients (7%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a Wells score ≥4.0 were 95%, 27%, 9% and 99%, respectively. A d-dimer was ordered in 70 of the 74 PE-unlikely cases, was elevated in 67, and falsely positive in all but 1. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PE in hospitalized patients receiving prophylactic heparin is lower than in cohorts from which the Wells prediction criteria were derived and validated. A modified Wells score <4 safely excludes PE in such patients and reduces the need for CT. D-dimer testing adds nothing to the evaluation. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011;. © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Sodium fluoride provokes gonadotrope desensitization to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadotrope sensitization to A23187: evidence for multiple G proteins in GnRH action.

Pretreatment of pituitary cell cultures with GnRH causes altered gonadotrope responsiveness to LH secretagogues. The precise mechanism by which this occurs is not understood. Because a G protein appears to be activated after GnRH stimulation of the gonadotrope, a role for this moiety in GnRH-stimulated alterations in gonadotrope responsiveness was assessed. We show that 3 h pretreatment of pituitary cell cultures with 10 mM NaF (a G protein activator), resulted in decreased gonadotrope responsiveness to subsequent GnRH treatment (3 h, 100 nM; 34.4 +/- 1.6% vs. 23.4 +/- 1.5% of total cellular LH). NaF-provoked gonadotrope desensitization to GnRH also occurred in the presence of 3 mM EGTA and in cells which had been depleted of protein kinase C. Desensitization to GnRH did not occur in response to pretreatment with (Bu)2cAMP (8 h, 1 mM). In addition, neither GnRH nor NaF stimulated inositol phosphate production above basal levels after the NaF pretreatment. GnRH receptor binding also decreased by 30% with N...
Remote sensing and site-specific weed management

Weeds typically occur in patches rather than uniformly across a field; however, conventional management practices rely on whole-field management. Site-specific weed management (SSWM), applying control measures only where weeds are located at densities greater than those that cause economic losses, has tremendous potential for economic and environmental benefits. Current commercially available systems can detect green vegetation and activate a herbicide spray nozzle. Researchers are actively exploring how ground-based, aerial, or satellite sensor systems can be further developed to delineate weeds from crops during the growing season. Aerial and satellite systems can provide large-area coverage on a regular basis, but typically do not have the spatial resolution necessary to detect small weeds among agricultural crops, which is necessary if effective control and minimized crop yield losses are to be achieved. Ground-based systems overcome spatial resolution issues and can analyze plant shape characteristics as well as spectral profiles for weed detection. The primary limitation for ground-based sensors is the highly complex computational capabilities and the relatively slow speeds required to allow image processing and sprayer activation in a single operation. To date, economic and technical limitations for SSWM have not favored widespread adoption. However, as research continues and technology advances, the opportunities for site-specific control of weeds will greatly increase.
Liberal undergraduate education and reasoning styles: using political scenarios in student assessment

Abstract In recent years there has been an increasing interest in assessing the impact of undergraduate education on student performance. In fact, in some states, university budgets are in part determined by such assessment. This paper uses an instrument developed by political scientists studying international relations to assess the relationships between reasoning style, academic division, gender and year in school. Using a survey of 274 undergraduates at Truman State University, the results suggest that the longer students are at the university the less are differences in reasoning across gender, but the greater are differences across academic division.
Electronic health records, platforms, libraries, and evidence: report on the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries symposium's keynote presentation by Kenneth Mandl.

The keynote speaker for the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries symposium on electronic health records (EHRs) and knowledge-based information was Kenneth Mandl. Mandl is associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Intelligent Health Laboratory at the Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Harvard University–Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences Technology. He is a pioneer in both consumer informatics and population health monitoring, and he has innovated and published extensively in the areas of personally controlled health records (PCHRs), disease outbreak detection, public health surveillance, and national health information infrastructure. Mandl has reviewed and approved the following account of his keynote address, “Electronic Health Records: Platforms, Libraries, and Evidence.”