cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dissecting the Cellular Mechanism of Prostacyclin Analog Iloprost in Reversing Vascular Dysfunction in Scleroderma.

OBJECTIVE Intravenous iloprost improves Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and promotes healing of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Despite a short half-life, its clinical efficacy lasts weeks. Endothelial adherens junctions, which are formed by VE-cadherin clustering between endothelial cells (ECs), regulate endothelial properties including barrier function, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), and angiogenesis. We undertook this study to investigate the hypothesis that junctional disruption contributes to vascular dysfunction in SSc, and that the protective effect of iloprost is mediated by strengthening of those junctions. METHODS Dermal ECs from SSc patients and healthy controls were isolated. The effect of iloprost on ECs was examined using immunofluorescence, permeability assays, Matrigel tube formation, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Adherens junctions in SSc were disrupted compared to normal ECs, as indicated by reduced levels of VE-cadherin and increased permeability in SSc ECs (P < 0.05). Iloprost increased VE-cadherin clustering at junctions and restored junctional levels of VE-cadherin in SSc ECs (mean ± SD 37.3 ± 4.3 fluorescence units) compared to normal ECs (mean ± SD 29.7 ± 3.4 fluorescence units; P < 0.05), after 2 hours of iloprost incubation. In addition, iloprost reduced permeability of monolayers, increased tubulogenesis, and blocked EndoMT in both normal and SSc ECs (n ≥ 3; P < 0.05). The effects in normal ECs were inhibited by a function-blocking antibody that prevents junctional clustering of VE-cadherin. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that the long-lasting effects of iloprost reflect its ability to stabilize adherens junctions, resulting in increased tubulogenesis and barrier function and reduced EndoMT. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the use of iloprost in treating SSc patients with RP and digital ulcers.
Patient and Provider Risk in Managing ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Decision Analysis.

Background: The optimal treatment strategy for treating ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unclear given the potent...
Skeletal muscle RBM3 expression is associated with extended lifespan in Ames Dwarf and calorie restricted mice.

Abstract RNA binding protein motif 3 (RBM3) is an RNA-binding and cold shock protein that protects myoblasts and promotes skeletal muscle hypertrophy by enhancing mRNA stability and translation. Muscle size is decreased during aging; however, it is typically delayed in models of extended lifespan such as the long-lived Ames Dwarf (df/df) mice and calorie restricted (CR) animals compared to age-matched controls. In light of the protective and anabolic effects of RBM3 in muscle, we hypothesized that RBM3 expression is higher in long-lived animal models. Young and old df/df mice, and adult and old UM-HET3 CR mice were used to test this hypothesis. Gastrocnemius muscles were harvested and protein was isolated for RBM3 protein measurements. CR induced a 1.7 and 1.3-fold elevation in RBM3 protein abundance compared to adult and old male mice fed ad libitum (AL) diets, respectively; this effect was shared between males and females. Ames dwarfism induced a 4.6 and 2.7-fold elevation in RBM3 protein abundance in young and old df/df mice compared to normal control littermates, respectively. In contrast, there was an age-associated decrease in cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP), suggesting these effects are specific for RBM3. Lastly, there was an age-associated increase in RNA degradation marker decapping enzyme 2 (DCP2) in UM-HET3 mice that was mitigated by CR. These results show that muscle RBM3 expression is correlated with extended lifespan in both df/df and CR animals. Identifying how RBM3 exerts protective effects in muscle may yield new insights into healthy aging of skeletal muscle.
Reaping the Financial and Strategic Benefits of a Divestiture by Spin-off

Abstract Because of their remarkable history of financial success, corporate spin-offs are the subject of perennial interest and investigation. We critically review quantitative and case-based research to determine the conditions under which a spin-off divestiture provides beneficial results for the conglomerate, the newly independent subsidiary, and the stockholders. The shared goal of spin-off researchers is to understand the rationale for the financial success that spin-off firms and their newly disconnected conglomerates experience. Our review and synthesis of the findings include 30 years of academic research by scholars in strategic and business management, commercial research by independent researchers and consulting firms, and IRS and US Treasury documents that detail when a spin-off qualifies for a corporate tax-free exchange. Our central finding is that spin-offs, conglomerates, and stockholders benefit from tax-free divestiture and subsequent refocusing by the companies. The article explains the breadth of spin-off divestitures and the benefits of their success in the United States. These results center on helping decision-makers to recognize the situational factors that support the choice of a spin-off strategy.
The Tail Still Wags the Dog: The Pervasive and Inappropriate Influence by the Psychiatric Profession on the Civil Commitment Process

The imposition of substantive and procedural protections in the civil commitment process thirty years ago created the expectation that courts would scrutinize commitment decisions by psychiatrists more closely and serve as a check on psychiatric decision-making. This has not happened.Today, psychiatrists continue to play an overly influential role in the civil commitment process. Psychiatrists make initial commitment decisions that often lack accuracy because they rely on clinical judgment only. Furthermore, many psychiatrists do not want legal standards interfering with treatment decisions, and the nebulous nature of the concept of dangerousness enables doctors to make pretextual assessments of danger. At civil commitment hearings, lawyers for patients often fail to vigorously represent their clients. Judges continue to defer, almost blindly, to expert testimony. The result, no doubt, has been the confinement of nondangerous mentally ill individuals.Numerous steps can be taken to help lessen the inappropriate influence of psychiatrists. First, psychiatrists can engage in structured risk assessment evaluations. Next, courts can, as a matter of right, provide expert assistance to patients in a way that will not significantly delay civil commitment proceedings. Furthermore, courts should prohibit expert opinion testimony on dangerousness based on clinical judgment alone. Finally, patients' lawyers can systematically appeal civil commitment decisions to facilitate the development of a body of law that can serve to clarify what mental states and conduct constitute a sufficient level of dangerousness as to warrant involuntary hospitalization.
Enzymatic Mechanisms and Inhibition of Phospholipase A2

The control of eicosanoid production in inflammatory and other cells depends on the release of free arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids (summarized in Fig. 1). Phospholipase A2 is the simplest and most obvious candidate for the responsible enzyme, which makes its regulation, including both its activation and inhibition, crucial determinants of eicosanoid production (Dennis, 1987). Our laboratory has developed the dual phospholipid model (Roberts et al., 1977) to explain the mechanism of action of an extracellular phospholipase A2; our current understanding of the enzyme is summarized elsewhere (Dennis, 1983; Dennis and Pluckthun, 1986). Our studies on the enzymes from snake venom and mammalian pancreas provide a paradigm for the phospholipases responsible for arachidonic acid release. In addition, they provide the best sources of readily available, pure, stable phospholipase A2 for testing potential inhibitors of phospholipase A2. This chapter discusses three inhibitor systems that we have recently characterized. These include amide ether analogues of phospholipids, which comprise an example of a reversible competitive inhibitor (Davidson et al, 1986), manoalide, which is an example of an irreversible inhibitor (Lom-bardo and Dennis, 1985) that is perhaps mechanism based and for which analogues can be studied (Deems et al.,1987), and the lipocortins or calpactins, where calpactin I is an example of inhibition by a substrate depletion model (Davidson et al., 1987). Meaningful interpretation of such studies can only be accomplished within the framework of the enzyme’s kinetics and mechanism of action at the lipid—water interface, which are discussed.
Organizational Secrecy and the FBI’s COINTELPRO–Black Nationalist Hate Groups Program, 1967-1971

In this article, we explain how secrecy influenced the communication and decision-making processes within COINTELPRO-Black Nationalist Hate Groups, the FBI’s covert program to disrupt left-leaning Black political organizations between 1967 and 1971. Memos exchanged between the FBI Director and field offices reveal how the organization strategized to conceal its identity as the source of anonymous communication. The Bureau developed explicit techniques for managing the content of their messages, the materials used to construct print messages, and the distribution of those messages. The Bureau’s techniques suggest that organizational secrecy involves a high degree of coordination between members, but it may also endanger the organization’s longevity and the public welfare.
Task Oriented Simulation and Control of a Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm

The main objective of the work presented in this book is to improve the control structure for the new Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) to include new algorithms for optimized task execution; that is, making the WMRA a modular task oriented mobile manipulator. The main criterion to be optimized is the fashion in which the wheelchair approaches a final target as well as the starting and final orientation of the wheelchair. This is a novel approach in non-holonomic wheeled manipulators that will help in autonomously executing complex activities of daily living (ADL) tasks. The WMRA is a 9 DoF system, which provides 3 degrees of kinematic redundancy. A single control structure is used to control the WMRA system, which gives much more flexibility to the system. The combination of mobility and manipulation expands the workspace opening a broad field of applications: from maintenance and storage to rehabilitation robotics. This structure is based on optimization algorithms that can resolve redundancy based on several subtasks: maximizing the manipulability measure, minimizing the joint velocities (hence minimizing the energy), and avoiding joint limits.
Technetium-99m-MAG3 Scintigraphy in Acute Renal Failure after Transplantation: A Marker of Viability and Prognosis

UNLABELLED This study assessed 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) for determination of renal transplant prognosis for recovery in patients with early postoperative dysfunction. The postulate tested was that good tracer extraction may imply high likelihood of recovery, while poor extraction may confer a poor prognosis. METHODS A 2-min image acquired 1 min after MAG3 administration, named a cortical uptake phase (CUP) image, was visually analyzed according to standardized semiquantitative guidelines. Interpretation was expressed in tubular injury severity scores (TISS) that ranged from 1 (a normally functioning renal transplant) to 6 (a photopenic defect in place of renal transplant). RESULTS The study analyzed 64 patients (35 men, 29 women, age 45.9 +/- 14 yr). All five patients with TISS of 6 or 5 lost the transplant. Only 1 of 10 patients with TISS of 4 lost the transplant. All patients with TISS of less than 4 recovered renal transplant function. CONCLUSION This study suggests that MAG3 scan (the CUP image specifically) is an accurate prognosticator in patients with early postoperative renal transplant dysfunction. Reproduction of these results in a larger population and other institutions is necessary before clinical implementation of this methodology.
Informing schools about children's chronic illnesses: parents' opinions.

Parents of 217 chronically ill children and adolescents were surveyed concerning their opinions about disclosing medical information to schools. The sample consisted of parents of more than one third of the children and adolescents meeting inclusion criteria who were seen at a university-based pediatric clinic during a 10-week period. Parents were asked (1) whether schools need information about 16 health items, (2) who in the school should know, and (3) who should provide this information. Parents9 willingness to disclose information was compared with family and child demographic data. Parents strongly believed that (1) teachers need to be informed and (2) parents should be the primary informers. The consensus that schools need information did not vary with family and child demographics. However, parents of children with poor illness prognosis, greater likelihood of emergencies, and visible illnesses were more supportive of disclosure. Most parents indicated that physicians should provide information on 10 of the 16 items. Physicians were viewed as particularly appropriate informers about recognizing emergencies and medication effects. Only 21% of the parents were aware of any prior contact between the medical care giver and the school concerning their child9s illness. Thus, parents want schools informed and believe physicians should be involved in providing information.
Differential diagnosis and management of Behçet syndrome

Behcet syndrome (also known as Behcet disease) is a rare condition that is associated with considerable morbidity. Cases of Behcet syndrome have been reported worldwide, but the highest prevalence occurs in countries that border the ancient Silk Route, such as Turkey and Iran. Although oral ulceration, genital ulceration and eye disease are the classic triad of manifestations, the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and central nervous systems can also be affected. The syndrome is chronic and relapsing with some patients having benign episodes whereas others have more serious complications, including blindness or the rupture of a pulmonary arterial aneurysm. Diagnosing Behcet syndrome, particularly outside of endemic regions, often incurs a considerable delay owing to the rarity of this condition. Furthermore, a paucity exists of data from randomized controlled trials on the optimal therapeutic approaches to use in patients, as well as a lack of informative laboratory surrogate markers to monitor disease progression. This Review discusses the issues surrounding the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Behcet syndrome and presents the current approaches to managing patients with this complex group of disorders.
Tropical cyclones in the North American Regional Reanalysis: The impact of satellite‐derived precipitation over ocean

Continued advancement in the realm of tropical cyclone (TC) forecasting requires a more accurate depiction of these storms at model initialization. This study examines the impact of precipitation assimilation on the representation of TCs in the North American Regional Reanalysis before and after the 2004 introduction of precipitation assimilation over ocean in the vicinity of TCs. The probability distribution function of rainfall rates indicates that light (heavy) precipitation was overforecast (underforecast) in the early time period. Since the precipitation assimilation is applied through an adjustment to the latent heating distribution, the data assimilation system in the later time period initializes a low-level moisture and heating profile that is more conducive to the initiation of deep convection and the generation of precipitation. Consequently, the deep convection and enhanced latent heat release lead to a more robust warm-core temperature perturbation and a better developed secondary circulation, which supplies the TC with larger quantities of moisture from the large-scale environment. Furthermore, the evolution of TC size, which was objectively estimated though the radius of outermost closed isobar, is significantly more skillful (p < 0.05) in post-2003 storms. Based on this study, precipitation assimilation leads to a better analysis of temperature, winds, and moisture in the vicinity of TCs, resulting in improved representations of the water budget and storm life cycle. Therefore, we conclude that efforts toward the development of precipitation assimilation techniques from radar and satellite data sets will be valuable toward the construction of improved TC forecasting tools with more authentic TC representation.
Implementation of Contraction to Electrophysiological Ventricular Myocyte Models, and Their Quantitative Characterization via Post-Extrasystolic Potentiation

Heart failure (HF) affects over 5 million Americans and is characterized by impairment of cellular cardiac contractile function resulting in reduced ejection fraction in patients. Electrical stimulation such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) have shown some success in treating patients with HF. Computer simulations have the potential to help improve such therapy (e.g. suggest optimal lead placement) as well as provide insight into the underlying mechanisms which could be beneficial. However, these myocyte models require a quantitatively accurate excitation-contraction coupling such that the electrical and contraction predictions are correct. While currently there are close to a hundred models describing the detailed electrophysiology of cardiac cells, the majority of cell models do not include the equations to reproduce contractile force or they have been added ad hoc. Here we present a systematic methodology to couple first generation contraction models into electrophysiological models via intracellular calcium and then compare the resulting model predictions to experimental data. This is done by using a post-extrasystolic pacing protocol, which captures essential dynamics of contractile forces. We found that modeling the dynamic intracellular calcium buffers is necessary in order to reproduce the experimental data. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in models the mechanism of the post-extrasystolic potentiation is highly dependent on the calcium released from the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum. Overall this study provides new insights into both specific and general determinants of cellular contractile force and provides a framework for incorporating contraction into electrophysiological models, both of which will be necessary to develop reliable simulations to optimize electrical therapies for HF.
Carotid body grafts induced chemosensitivity in muscle nerve fibers of the cat

The ability of carotid body parenchymal cells to change the physiological properties of nerve fibers was tested in 8 cats by transplanting the carotid body to the tenuissimus muscle and reinnervating the organ with the muscle nerve. Ninety-five to 174 days after the transplant, electrophysiological recordings were obtained from the reinnervating tenuissimus nerves. Forty percent of the regenerating nerve fibers having spontaneous activity responded to muscle stretch, hypoxia, NaCN, ACh, nicotine and dopamine, apparently because of dual innervation of glomus cells and muscle spindles. Five of 6 transplants, examined electron microscopically, contained viable glomus cells innervated by axon terminals. Neither the normal tenuissimus nerve nor the same nerve regenerating into adipose tissue grafts or to one non-viable carotid body transplant showed chemosensory properties although these grafts contained numerous, small myelinated axons indicative of extensive nerve regeneration. It is concluded that carotid body cells are capable of inducing chemosensory properties in axons that, normally, subserve a mechanosensory function.
NMR structure note: UBA domain of CIP75

Ubiquitination is a post-translational process in eukaryotes that covalently modifies substrate proteins with ubiquitin. Ubiquitin can act as a tag that signals the protein-transport machinery to shuttle the protein to the proteasome for degradation. Within the ubiquitin receptor family of proteins is a group that can directly connect ubiquitinated proteins to the proteasome for degradation. Of these receptors, the best-studied are the ubiquitin-like (UBL)ubiquitin-associated (UBA) proteins, Rad23A, PLIC2, and Ddi1. These proteins contain an UBL domain that interacts with the proteasome and the UBA domain that recognizes mono and polyubiquitinated proteins [see review (Su and Lau 2009)]. Recently, a potentially new member of this UBL-UBA domain-containing protein family, named connexin43interacting protein of approximately 75 kDa (CIP75), was identified in a yeast-two hybrid screen (mouse embryonic c-DNA library) to interact with the gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43) (Li et al. 2008). CIP75 contains an UBL domain at its N-terminus and an UBA domain at its C-terminus; as well as a heat shock chaperonin-binding domain and a PEST sequence. PEST sequences have been shown to direct the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of proteins undergoing rapid turnover (Roth et al. 1998). CIP75 has 596 amino acids and exhibits high sequence homology (75%) with the human A1Up protein (Davidson et al. 2000). The general domain organization of CIP75 also shows high similarity with the UBL-UBA domain-containing protein family members Ubiquilin-1, PLIC2, Rad23A, Rad23B, and the yeast protein Dsk2 (Li et al. 2008). CIP75 functions in a similar manner as these family members in that the UBL domain of CIP75 is essential for the interaction with the S2/RPN1 and S5a/ RPN10 subunits of the 19S subunit from the 26S proteasome complex. However, the UBA domain may associate with non-ubiquitinated Cx43, and this interaction appears to still regulate the turnover of Cx43 through the proteasomal pathway (Li et al. 2008). UBA domains typically consist of approximately 45 amino acids and are characterized by relatively poor sequence conservation (Hofmann and Bucher 1996). UBA domains adopt a common, compact fold comprising a bundle of three helices and the hydrophobic surface formed by the C-terminus of a-helix 1, loop 1, and a-helix 3, is the principal interface with ubiquitin [see review (Hurley et al. 2006)]. Studies using the two UBA domains from HHR23A established that there are functional differences (i.e. differential protein partners) between UBA domains (Withers-Ward et al. 2000), suggesting the hydrophobic surface may be a more general protein–protein interaction module. Support for this is provided from a survey of the ubiquitin interaction properties of 30 UBA domains, which Fabien Kieken and Gaelle Spagnol contributed equally to this work.
Rhetorical status: A study of its origins, functions, and consequences

Rhetorical status is a feature of all communicative interaction. It is the relative standing or positioning of parties to communication or, defined cognitively, it is this standing as reflected in the identities that interacting parties assign to themselves and to others as communicators, as each takes account of salient qualities of self and others. Rhetorical statuses are mutable and context‐specific, yet quite often durable and consistent across time and place. The concept of rhetorical status is distinctive to communication studies, and it is vital for explaining the efficacy of communication—its power or persuasiveness. To show how rhetorical status enters into everyday communication, we examine a protracted set of interactions between two sisters and a small‐town mayor over disputed water bills.
Time series analysis of mycobacteriosis in California slaughter swine

Abstract Records of a California abattoir were reviewed for the 46-month period August 1977 through May 1981, and data were collected for 23 ranches which only marketed hogs born and raised in California. Passed for cooking (PFC) rates (per 100 000 animals slaughtered) due to lymph node lesions listed as TB (mycobacteriosis) by inspectors were roasters (32–50 kg) 0, market hogs (82–105 kg) 243, and sows (> 145 kg) 125. Effective exposure to disease-causing factors seemed to have taken place at 2–3 months of age or earlier. Time series analysis of hog PFC rates for the 23 California ranches combined demonstrated statistically significant, regular cycles of 6 and 24 months duration with seasonal peaks of PFC rates in June and December. Based on an estimated incubation period of 4–6 months, animals were at greatest risk of effective exposure to factors associated with lymph node lesions during the periods December–February and June–August.
Effects of molybdenum contamination resulting from BF2 implantation

Abstract When molybdenum is utilized for the construction of arc chambers for ion implanters, the species 98Mo2+ is co-implanted during 11B19F+2 implantation, due to its coincident charge-to-mass ratio. The metal ions are generated as the fluorinated species in the source plasma react with the molybdenum arc chamber components. The peak molybdenum concentration in the substrate, as measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry, increases with increasing source arc current for a given dose. Molybdenum acts as a deep-level impurity, which significantly reduces bipolar transistor gain. The diffusion of molybdenum in silicon is studied and its effect on solid state device performance is discussed. Tantalum is suggested as an alternative source material.
CHARGE-TRANSFER EXCITON STATE, IONIC ENERGY LEVELS, AND DELAYED FLUORESCENCE IN ANTHRACENE.

Abstract Our work on the delayed electroluminescence of anthracene crystal has shown that the recombination of holes and electrons produces the normal fluorescence of anthracene, and that time dependence of the fluorescence can be modified by an external electric field. We have also shown that the recombination of holes and electrons produces what appears to be an ion-pair or charge-transfer (CT) exciton, that this CT exciton diffuses through the anthracene crystal, and can form a dimer with another CT-exciton; the decay of the dimer produces one photon, at most. The normal decay of the nearest neighbor CT exciton, and the CT-exciton dimer produces a tail that extends into the microsecond region. Some estimates are given for the lifetime of the CT exciton; ionic energy levels for anthracene crystal are also given.
Stability of aprA-subtilisin in sodium dodecyl sulfate

The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the structure and activity of aprA-subtilisin, a secreted bacterial serine protease which is 85% homologous to subtilisin BPN', was examined. The addition of SDS resulted in the slow conversion of the subtilisin from the intact protein to the completely unfolded form of the enzyme. No intermediates between these two populations were detected. This conversion was accompanied by decreased activity, disruption of tertiary structure, a change in the mobility of the protein when subjected to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and an increase in the apparent Stokes radius of the protein. After 2 h in 1% SDS at 20 degrees C, 25% of the subtilisin was still intact and active. The amount of protein existing in the unfolded form was increased by increasing the length of time in SDS, by increasing the concentration of SDS, and by increasing the temperature of the subtilisin-SDS solution. Analysis of the dependence of the rate of unfolding on SDS concentration indicated that one SDS micelle can destroy two protein molecules. The activation energy for the SDS-induced denaturation of aprA-subtilisin was 20 kcal mol-1, indicating that unfolding of the protein could be the rate-limiting step.
A cytogenetic survey of 200 unclassifiable mentally retarded children with congenital anomalies and 200 normal controls

A cytogenetic survey was carried out on 200 patients with mental retardation and multiple congenital anomalies, and on 200 normal adult controls. Patients with a known syndrome were excluded from the survey. Chromosome analyses were carried out on 'blind-coded' slides using the ASG banding technique as the routine stain. After the initial analyses (at least 15 cells per person) the slides were decoded, destained and reused for C and Q band polymorphism studies. Five major chromosome abnormalities were detected in the patient group during the survey. They included three patients with de novo, apparently balanced, reciprocal translocations, karyotypes 46,XY,rcp(3;16)(q21;p12); 46,XX,rcp(5;8)(p15;q22); and 46,XX,rcp(5;12)(p11;q24); one with karyotype 47,XX,+mar and one with karyotype 46,XX,der(13),t(13;?)(q34;?). One additional patient whose karyotype in lymphocytes was 46,XX,inv(9)(p11;q13) was found to have a mosaic karyotype 46,XX,inv(9)(p11;q13)/46,XX,inv(9) (p11;q13), der(12),t(12;?)p13;?) in cultured skin fibroblasts. None of the 200 controls had a major chromosome abnormality. From the combined results of this and previous surveys it is now apparent that about 6.2% of the unclassifiable mentally retarded patients with three or more congenital anomalies and about 0.7% of the controls reveal major chromosome abnormalities.
Discussion of a new theory of electrical resistivity

A discussion is given of the details of our work, the results of which have recently been presented, in connection with the role of projection techniques in the theory of electrical resistivity. It is shown that, contrary to earlier claims, the correct evaluation of the resistivity to the lowest order in the strength of the scattering on the basis of this theory requires, as do other formal expressions, the summation of an infinite number of terms. This leads to the standard expression for the conductivity in terms of the distribution function obtained from the well-known integral transport equation. It is shown in complete generality that the evaluation of this new expression for the electrical resistivity is equivalent to that given by the method of kinetic equations.
Putative mediators of insulin action regulate hepatic acetyl CoA carboxylase activity.

Abstract Incubation of rat liver plasma membranes with insulin enhances the production of small molecular weight substances which regulate the activity of liver acetyl CoA carboxylase. While low concentrations of insulin cause the release of a carboxylase stimulator from membranes, concentrations greater than 10−9 M generate less stimulating activity. This biphasic concentration curve for insulin can be resolved by differential alcohol extraction into two fractions which have antagonistic activity. The production of both substances is enhanced by insulin. Chemical and chromatographic evidence suggest that these substances are identical to the previously described “mediators” which regulate both pyruvate dehydrogenase and adenylate cyclase activities.
Prevention and Treatment of Acetabular Fractures in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Unrecognized iatrogenic intraoperative acetabular fractures in total hip arthroplasty are preventable complications. Failure to identify these fractures results in high morbidity and implant failure rates. High risk situations in which acetabular fractures are likely have been identified. By focusing on patient characteristics, acetabular exposure, reaming, implant differences, and the “dial-in” technique, our goals are to emphasize “high risk” situations as well as technical pearls to prevent iatrogenic acetabular fractures. Finally, the treatment options for intraoperative iatrogenic acetabular fractures have been presented.
Transistor scaling with novel materials

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistor scaling will continue for at least another decade. However, innovation in transistor structures and integration of novel materials are needed to sustain this performance trend. Here we discuss the challenges and opportunities of transistor scaling for the next five to ten years.
Placing Virtual Heritage: Reconciling virtual and cultural heritage with the Spatial Turn

Common landscapes, ethnicity, and intangible cultural heritage are increasingly valued by historic preservationists yet are poorly reflected in the Virtual Heritage corpus. Furthermore, meeting the standards of heritage recording concerning accessibility, sustainability, accuracy, and the disclosure of data limitations within Virtual Heritage, creates tensions yet to be reconciled. The Spatial Turn encourages a reassertion of space and place into academic studies and no less so than in Virtual Heritage. History has been described as the geography of places past, for the past does not exist exclusively in time but in space. Since heritage represents the visible and invisible relicts of places past, so the Spatial Turn has become a point of retrospection for rebalancing an overemphasis on historicism and reinstating the inherent placeness of human life and the power relations implicit in space. This paper draws upon advances in 3D GIS, Virtual Reality, Serious Gaming, and cultural geography to elaborate on these themes and to suggest possible outcomes of value to Virtual Heritage and those interested in places past. A case study explores the potential for a sensuous, spatial, and emotive Virtual Heritage, drawing on the powerful writings of Rebecca Harding Davis and set in Wheeling (West) Virginia on the eve of the U.S. Civil War.
Surface effects, band bending, and photoemission in semiconducting films of Cs3Sb

Abstract Measurements were made of photoemission and photovoltaic effects in thin films of p-type Cs 3 Sb. The results are interpreted in terms of a band model which shows the importance of band bending at both surfaces (substrate and vacuum). Because of a decrease in effective barrier height for photoemission, caused by increased upward band bending at the substrate near the Al electrodes, enhanced photoemission is obtained in regions within ≈ 1 mm from the electrodes for films of thickness > 300 A. For films of thickness ≈ 200 A, the increased band bending near an electrode is such as to extend completely through the film to the vacuum surface. The result is a depletion of electrons from surface states, an increase in work function, and a decrease in photoemission. Two films (200 and 300 A thick) exhibited the characteristics of “thick” films for incident radiation with λ ≲ 6000 A and of “thin” films for λ ≳ 6000 A.
Marine to nonmarine facies transition in Permian evaporites of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: Geochemical response

The late Paleozoic Palo Duro Basin evolved from a marine to nonmarine environment as it was infilled. The evaporitic part of the sequence (Leonardian through Ochoan) is composed of regressive carbonate-anhydrite-halite cycles that displaced open-marine environments toward the south during basin filling. Systematic vertical changes in evaporite geochemistry through the evaporite section include increasing 87Sr/86Sr ratios and decreasing (altered from marine) δ34S in anhydrite, decreasing (recycled) bromide content of the halite, and increasing meteoric influence on the stable isotopic composition of fluid inclusions in halite. Geochemical changes correspond to changes in evaporite sedimentology and document the evolution from marine-dominated to partly nonmarine evaporites. Geochemical tracers, when used with sedimentological and facies analysis, provide reliable indicators of the sources of water and solutes in an anhydrite- halite facies tract. Perennial, intermittently stratified, and ephemeral brine- pool conditions affect the amount of synsedimentary recycling. Variable rates of reflux and marine recharge control residence times of brines in the depositional environment. These are two key processes in relating evaporite geochemistry to depositional environment.
Characterization of the mean and seasonal flow regime on Georges Bank from shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler data

[1] From 1995 through 1999 the Northwest Atlantic GLOBEC program sponsored over 100 oceanographic cruises to Georges Bank and the surrounding waters. About 12,000 hours of shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data were collected during the program on more than 80 of these cruises, forming one of the most extensive three-dimensional current measurement data sets ever collected. These data have been used here to examine the seasonal variability of the bank’s barotropic flow field. The variability has been described using the 5 years of ADCP observations to derive both small area statistics and seasonal least squares fits, and a more flexible description based upon interpolating functions describing the spatial and temporal dependence of the bank-wide stream functions. Both methods show the seasonal acceleration of the bank gyre in the summer with larger velocities along the north flank and smaller seasonal variations over the southern flank. The stream functions show the seasonal change from a winter condition with on-bank flow from the northwest through to the acceleration and ecologically critical closure of the anticyclonic Georges Bank gyre during the summer. On the basis of annual and semiannual decompositions of the seasonal progression, the closure of the gyre in the area of the Great South Channel appears to occur by June, first in the shallow waters and then progressively southward, but it does not extend as far as the middle of the southern flank. A series of monthly Lagrangian drift predictions based upon the stream function analysis, suggest that the observed seasonal movement of the larval fish from their spawning grounds over the Northeast Peak in March, through to their late summer concentration over the central bank, can generally be ascribed to the seasonal barotropic flow over the inner portion of the bank. The analysis also showed that those larvae found over the outer part of the bank are, almost certainly, doomed to be swept out of the banks’ ecosystem, to either the west or south.
In vitro human skin permeation of endoxifen: potential for local transdermal therapy for primary prevention and carcinoma in situ of the breast

PURPOSE Oral tamoxifen, a triphenylethylene (TPE), is useful for breast cancer prevention, but its adverse effects limit acceptance by women. Tamoxifen efficacy is related to its major metabolites 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) and N-desmethyl-4-hydroxytamoxifen (endoxifen [ENX]). Transdermal delivery of these to the breast may avert the toxicity of oral tamoxifen while maintaining efficacy. We evaluated the relative effciency of skin permeation of 4-OHT and ENX in vitro, and tested oleic acid (OA) as a permeation-enhancer. METHODS 4-OHT, ENX, and estradiol (E2) (0.2 mg/mL of 0.5 μCi (3)H/mg) were dissolved in 60% ethanol-phosphate buffer, ±OA (0.1%-5%). Permeation through EpiDerm™ (Matek Corp, Ashland, MA) and split-thickness human skin was calculated based on the amount of the agents recovered from the receiver fluid and skin using liquid scintillation counting over 24 hours. RESULTS In the EpiDerm model, the absorption of 4-OHT and ENX was 10%-11%; total penetration (TP) was 26%-29% at 24 hours and was decreased by OA. In normal human skin, the absorption of 4-OHT and ENX was 0.3%; TP was 2%-4% at 24 hours. The addition of 1% OA improved the permeation of ENX significantly more than that of 4-OHT (P < 0.004); further titration of OA at 0.25%-0.5% further improved the permeation of ENX to a level similar to that of estradiol. CONCLUSION The addition of OA to ENX results in a favorable rapid delivery equivalent to that of estradiol, a widely used transdermal hormone. The transdermal delivery of ENX to the breast should be further developed in preclinical and clinical studies.
Glutathione S-transferase-catalyzed conjugation of 9,10-epoxystearic acid with glutathione.

The possible role of glutathione S-transferases (GST) in detoxification of fatty acid epoxides generated during lipid peroxidation has been evaluated. Present studies showed that cytosolic human glutathione S-transferases belonging to alpha, mu, and pi classes isolated from human liver and lung catalyzed the conjugation of glutathione and 9,10-epoxystearic acid. The product of enzymatic reaction, i.e., conjugate of GSH and epoxystearic acid, was isolated and characterized. The Michaelis constant (Km) values of the alpha, mu, and pi classes of GSTs for 9,10-epoxystearic acid were found to be 0.47, 0.32 and 0.80 mM, respectively, whereas the maximal velocity (V max) values for the alpha, mu, and pi classes of GSTs were found to be 142, 256, and 52 mol/min/mol, respectively. These results indicate that even though 9,10-epoxystearic acid is a substrate for all the three classes of GSTs, the mu class isozymes have maximum activity toward this substrate and may preferentially metabolize fatty acid epoxides more effectively as compared to the other classes of GSTs.
A comparison of the fluorescence spectra of murine and bovine central nervous system and other tissues.

We describe a comparison of the fluorescence spectra of bovine tissues with murine tissues in order to determine whether spectral features are conserved and whether an appropriate and practical laboratory small animal model system could be identified to be used for investigation of tissue- and age-related fluorescence signal patterns. Recently it has been shown that spectral signatures of lipofuscin have enabled the detection of bovine central nervous system (CNS) tissue in meat products with high sensitivity (Schonenbrucher, H., Adhikary, R., Mukherjee, P., Casey, T.A., Rasmussen, M.A., Maistrovich, F.D., Hamir, A.N., Kehrli, M.J., Richt, J., Petrich, J.W. [2008] J Agric Food Chem 56, 6220-6226). We report that brain and spinal cord of mice provide fluorescence spectra similar to those of bovine brain and spinal cord. It is concluded that murine CNS tissue is an appropriate model system for bovine CNS tissue for the development of fluorometric CNS detection assays.
Half-Range Completeness for the Fokker-Planck Equation

Half-range completeness theorems are proved for eigenfunctions associated to the one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation in a semi-infinite medium. Existence and uniqueness results for perfectly absorbing, partially absorbing, and purely specularly reflecting boundary conditions are deduced for the stationary and time-dependent problems. Similar results are obtained for a slab geometry.
Managing Muslim Visibility: Conversion, Immigration, and Spanish Imaginaries of Islam

This article explores the efforts of Muslims, particularly European converts and Moroccan immigrants, to represent Islam in southern Spain. It examines Muslims' different representational strategies; their debates about representation; and related tensions between converts and immigrants regarding religious authenticity, representa- tional authority, and social inequalities. The article contributes to understandings of Islam in Europe by examining how Muslims' representational practices unfold in Andalusia, a social context shaped by both pan-European, secular concerns about Islam, and a longstanding local tradition that both shuns and celebrates Spain's Muslim heritage. The author argues that converts' and immigrants' different placement in Spanish racialized imaginaries of Islam, uneven access to romantic historical narratives of Muslim Spain, and distinct structural positions in Spain's political economy converge to produce an unequal multiculturalism. This is expressed in converts' and immigrants' racial, gendered, and class-based anxieties about representing Islam in Spain. (immigration, conversion, Islam, Europe, minorities, representation) ABSTRACTO Este artinvestiga las diferentes motivaciones y estrategutilizadas por musulmanes, tanto conversos Europeos como inmigrantes Marroqupara dar una buena im´
Adrenergic Modulation of Growth Hormone Secretion in Acromegaly: Suppression During Phentolamine and Phentolamine–Isoproterenol Administration*

ABSTRACT In 10 acromegalic patients mean (±se) serum growth hormone concentrations fell to 67 ± 6% of mean base line (p < 0.01) after 2 hr of alpha-adrenergic blockade with phentolamine and to 50 ± 8% of mean base line (p < 0.001) 1 hr after the superimposition of beta-adrenergic stimulation with isoproterenol upon alpha blockade. Absolute serum GH levels fell significantly during phentolamine alone in 7 of 10 patients and during phentolamine-isoproterenol in 8 of 10 patients and were more than two standard deviations below the 24-hr GH profile mean, determined separately for each patient, in 4 of 10 patients during phentolamine alone and in 6 of 10 patients during phentolamine-isoproterenol. This phentolamine-isoproterenol regimen did not accelerate the disappearance of intravenously injected human growth hormone. After oral l-dopa mean serum GH levels fell to 64 ± 10% of base line (p < 0.01) in these acromegalic patients. Absolute serum GH levels were more than 2 SD below the 24-hr GH profile mean in 5 ...
Studies of Antarctic Sea Ice Concentrations from Satellite Data and Their Applications

Large changes in the sea ice cover have been observed recently. Because of the relevance of such changes to climate change studies it is important that key ice concentration data sets used for evaluating such changes are interpreted properly. High and medium resolution visible and infrared satellite data are used in conjunction with passive microwave data to study the true characteristics of the Antarctic sea ice cover, assess errors in currently available ice concentration products, and evaluate the applications and limitations of the latter in polar process studies. Cloud-free high resolution data provide valuable information about the natural distribution, stage of formation, and composition of the ice cover that enables interpretation of the large spatial and temporal variability of the microwave emissivity of Antarctic sea ice. Comparative analyses of co-registered visible, infrared and microwave data were used to evaluate ice concentrations derived from standard ice algorithms (i.e., Bootstrap and Team) and investigate the 10 to 35% difference in derived values from large areas within the ice pack, especially in the Weddell Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Ross Sea regions. Landsat and OLS data show a predominance of thick consolidated ice in these areas and show good agreement with the Bootstrap Algorithm. While direct measurements were not possible, the lower values from the Team Algorithm results are likely due to layering within the ice and snow and/or surface flooding, which are known to affect the polarization ratio. In predominantly new ice regions, the derived ice concentration from passive microwave data is usually lower than the true percentage because the emissivity of new ice changes with age and thickness and is lower than that of thick ice. However, the product provides a more realistic characterization of the sea ice cover, and are more useful in polar process studies since it allows for the identification of areas of significant divergence and polynya activities. Also, heat and salinity fluxes are proportionately increased in these areas compared to those from the thicker ice areas. A slight positive trend in ice extent and area from 1978 through 2000 is observed consistent with slight continental cooling during the period. However, the confidence in this result is only moderate because the overlap period for key instruments is just one month and the sensitivity to changes in sensor characteristics, calibration and threshold for the ice edge is quite high.
The connected components of the closed support of super Brownian motion

The closed support of super Brownian motion inR d is studied. It is shown that at a fixed timet>0 the mass of the process is located in connected components which are single points.