cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sudden death in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients: clinical context, arrhythmic events and device responses.

Abstract Objectives. We sought to investigate the nature of terminal events and potential contributory clinical and nonclinical (e.g., device-related) factors associated with sudden death (SD) in recipients of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Background. The ICD is very effective in terminating ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), but protection against SD is not absolute. Little is known about the nature and potential causes of SD in patients with ICDs. Methods. We analyzed 25 cases of out-of-hospital SD among patients enrolled in the clinical investigation of the Cadence Tiered-Therapy Defibrillator System. Results. All patients (24 men and 1 woman, mean age 62 ± 10 years) received epicardial lead systems. The majority (92%) had coronary artery disease and a previous myocardial infarction (MI), with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction 0.25 ± 0.07. At device implantation, the mean defibrillation threshold was 13 ± 5 J. Sudden death occurred 13 ± 11 months later. Twenty patients (80%) had received appropriate ICD therapies before death, and 18 (72%) were receiving ≥1 antiarrhythmic drugs at the time of death. Sudden death was tachyarrhythmia-associated in 16 patients (64%), non-tachyarrhythmia-associated in 7 (28%) and indeterminate in 2 (8%). In the 16 patients with tachyarrhythmia-associated SD, the overall first therapy success rate in tachycardia and fibrillation zones was 60% and 67%, respectively. However, despite protracted therapies (≥2 shocks) in 7 (66%) of 12 patients who received fibrillation therapies, the final tachyarrhythmic episode was ultimately terminated by the ICD in 15 (94%) of the 16 patients, whereas 1 patient died after multiple (initially successful) internal and external shocks for intractable VT/VF during exercise. In 10 patients (40%) one or more, primarily clinical, factors potentially contributory to SD were identified: heart failure (n = 8), angina (n = 2), hypokalemia (n = 1), adverse antiarrhythmic drug treatment (n = 1) and acute MI (n = 1). An additional 10 patients (40%) had experienced an increase in frequency of ICD shocks within 3 months of SD. Appropriate battery voltages and normal circuitry function were found in all devices interrogated and analyzed after death. Conclusions. In this select group of patients receiving a third-generation ICD, SD was associated with VT or VF events in nearly two-thirds of patients, and death occurred despite ultimately successful, although often protracted, device therapies. These observations, along with evidence of recent worsening clinical status, suggest acute cardiac mechanical dysfunction as a frequent terminal factor. In recipients with ICDs, SD directly attributable to device failure seems to be rare.
Tablets use in emerging markets: an exploration

Tablet sales are growing worldwide and changing the landscape of personal computing. This is true across mature markets as well as emerging ones. However, little research has been done on the influence of tablets in the emerging markets. This paper presents insights gained during an exploratory study on the use of tablets in four cities: Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Jakarta and Bangalore. The results uncover similarities and differences in the use of tablets in mature markets versus emerging markets and identify implications for design across markets.
New ultrawide-bandwidth horn-fed dipole GPR antenna design

A novel broad bandwidth dual-polarization GPR antenna was also developed for collecting fully polarimetric data over a wide frequency range (20 MHz to approximately 800 MHz). This new design was improved from its single-polarization version introduced by Chen (1997). The new design features improved stability and directivity over conventional surface-based GPR antennas. Such antenna is currently applied to discriminate buried UXO's from other false alarm reduction.
On the Probability of Pathological Right-Handedness

The increased incidence of manifest left-handedness in retardates and epileptics has been attributed to a shift in handedness following early brain injury. Predictive models using this hypothesis have presumed an equipotentiality for shifts in hemispheric dominance whether a left or a right hemisphere is the originally dominant, injured hemisphere. This note demonstrates that the presumption of equipotentiality may be relaxed without significant effect upon the conclusions reached using the predictive models.
Development of two bacterial artificial chromosome shuttle vectors for a recombination-based cloning and regulated expression of large genes in mammalian cells.

Most conditional expression vectors designed for mammalian cells have been valuable systems for studying genes of interest by regulating their expressions. The available vectors, however, are reliable for the short-length cDNA clones and not optimal for relatively long fragments of genomic DNA or long cDNAs. Here, we report the construction of two bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vectors, capable of harboring large inserts and shuttling among Escherichia coli, yeast, and mammalian cells. These two vectors, pEYMT and pEYMI, contain conditional expression systems which are designed to be regulated by tetracycline and mouse interferons, respectively. To test the properties of the vectors, we cloned in both vectors the green fluorescence protein (GFP) through an in vitro ligation reaction and the 17.8-kb-long X-inactive-specific transcript (Xist) cDNA through homologous recombination in yeast. Subsequently, we characterized their regulated expression properties using real-time quantitative RT-PCR (TaqMan) and RNA-fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). We demonstrate that these two BAC vectors are good systems for recombination-based cloning and regulated expression of large genes in mammalian cells.
ASPHALT BARGE MM53 AND THE OHIO RIVER

ABSTRACT On January 26th, 2006, while southbound on the Ohio River, a towboat with three barges attempted to enter Louisville, Kentucky'S McAlpine lockway during high water levels. The barge tow allided with the starboard approach fender resulting in the loss of the entire tow. While two barges were recovered without loss of product, the third struck the K&I railroad bridge and eventually flipped onto its port side, discharging 220,000 (832.8 m3) gallons of oil into the river. This paper will examine the challenges associated with the release of asphalt in a major navigable river, removal of solid asphalt from a stricken 300-foot (91.4 m) long barge and the ultimate salvage of the barge beneath a working railroad bridge. This paper will discuss operational decisions from the perspective of pollution response, salvage, safety, and command experiences coordinating efforts of the federal government and two states, a protracted event in urban setting and environmental pressures.
Na/k Atpase activity is coordinated with the persistent sodium current amplitude

It is known that the Na + /K + ATPase may control the frequency of slow action potential bursts that can be found in motor patterns generating neurons. Thus, Na + /K + ATPase can participate in the formation of firing patterns in neurons and it is likely that the ATPase activity is coordinated with the expression of ionic channels. However, so far, there is no such evidence. Here it is shown that, in pyramidal neurons of the rat prefrontal cortex, the density of electrogenic sodium―potassium ATPase current was correlated with the density of the persistent sodium current (R 2 =0.62, P<0.002). It is speculated that such coordination may improve the control of the firing patterns in prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons.
Type-2 fuzzy logic-based classifier fusion for support vector machines

As a machine-learning tool, support vector machines (SVMs) have been gaining popularity due to their promising performance. However, the generalization abilities of SVMs often rely on whether the selected kernel functions are suitable for real classification data. To lessen the sensitivity of different kernels in SVMs classification and improve SVMs generalization ability, this paper proposes a fuzzy fusion model to combine multiple SVMs classifiers. To better handle uncertainties existing in real classification data and in the membership functions (MFs) in the traditional type-1 fuzzy logic system (FLS), we apply interval type-2 fuzzy sets to construct a type-2 SVMs fusion FLS. This type-2 fusion architecture takes considerations of the classification results from individual SVMs classifiers and generates the combined classification decision as the output. Besides the distances of data examples to SVMs hyperplanes, the type-2 fuzzy SVMs fusion system also considers the accuracy information of individual SVMs. Our experiments show that the type-2 based SVM fusion classifiers outperform individual SVM classifiers in most cases. The experiments also show that the type-2 fuzzy logic-based SVMs fusion model is better than the type-1 based SVM fusion model in general.
The Lumley-Method, A Recommended Network Meta-Analysis for Indirect Comparisons, Summarized for Practitioners.

METHODS: We give more details than in the article of how the proposed variance function aggregates study-heterogeneities and of how effect-sizes and confidence intervals can be derived from the parameter- and variance-estimates. We discuss why dependencies coming from the network-structure should be incorporated into confidence-interval calculations and of how the model can be extended with an in the article suggested Bayesian approach for modeling the random-effects parameters. RESULTS: We include an example of how the Lumley-method can be applied in practice. We present based on the program- example in the article a corrected R-version and a translation into SAS. For both we show how aggregated study-data should be structured and dummy-coded before running the program. The Lumley-method was applied to simulated data with known model-parameters and we show for different scenarios how close the estimates come. For selected treatment comparisons we present effect-sizes with confidence intervals. We apply also the Bayesian extension and discuss its advantages. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our research we give recommendations of when the Lumley-method should be best applied, and discuss limitations. 1 Lumley T: Network meta-analysis for indirect treatment comparisons. Stat. Med. 2002; 21:2313-2324. ABSTRACT 13 T2-T3 -1.37 0.341 0 1 -1 0 5 14 T2-T3 -1.976 0.31 0 1 -1 0 5 15 T2-T3 -1.804 0.336 0 1 -1 0 5 16 T2-T4 -3.095 0.37 0 1 0 -1 6 17 T2-T4 -1.654 0.401 0 1 0 -1 6 18 T2-T4 -2.324 0.381 0 1 0 -1 6 19 T3-T1 2.249 0.413 -1 0 1 0 7 20 T3-T1 1.622 0.406 -1 0 1 0 7 21 T3-T1 2.631 0.413 -1 0 1 0 7 22 T3-T2 -0.783 0.432 0 -1 1 0 8 23 T3-T2 -0.726 0.459 0 -1 1 0 8 24 T3-T2 -0.506 0.471 0 -1 1 0 8 25 T4-T1 2.813 0.465 -1 0 0 1 9 26 T4-T1 3.48 0.503 -1 0 0 1 9
Consequences of electronic profiling

The practice of profiling can bring individuals' civil liberties and privacy into conflict with apparently legitimate applications of data collection, manipulation, and filtering. Certain aspects of the information environment enable the access, collection, collation, and analysis of large databases containing personal information from public and private sources. There are significant social implications and consequences of such collection, manipulation, and analyses.
Effect of catalytically active recruited crystallins on lens metabolism

The impact on duck lens metabolism of recruited epsilon-crystallin/LDH-B4 and tau-crystallin/enolase was investigated by NMR spectroscopy. A comparison of the duck lens metabolite profile with that of the calf in which recruited crystallins are absent revealed significant increases in ATP, alpha-glycerophosphate (alpha-GP) and pyridine dinucleotide concentrations. The alterations in the concentrations of ATP and alpha-GP appear to be related to both the high concentration of NAD and the elevated reduced to oxidized NADH/NAD+ ratio.
Creativity in the moral domain: Ought implies can implies create

Abstract: The relations between creativity and morality require fresh attention in a time of rapid social and technological change and multiple global crises. World civilization as presently constituted is committed to policies entailing exponential growth, which in the long run, unfortunately, will be impossible to maintain (e.g., in any variable 2% growth per year yields a doubling period of about 40 years). Such conditions affect moral issues of fairness, justice, caring for others, and even truth. As a result, we witness a growing awareness of moral diversity and the slow—too slow?—emergence of new moral orientations, not least of which is planetary morality. In stable and simple enough conditions we may say that “Ought”; statements imply “Can”; and in turn Ought and Can together imply “Act”;: We can reasonably insist that something ought to be done only if it can be done, and when ought and can converge, a moral imperative arises, we must do it. But if there is no such clear road to moral action then...
Analysis of Rotation Errors of a Waveguide Rotary-Vane Attenuator

In the Microwave Calibration Services Section of the NBS Radio Standards Laboratory, Boulder, Colo., and analysis of calibration data obtained from measurements made on a rotary-vane type attenuator reveals that the vane alignment produces an inherent vane-angle error. It is found that the standard deviation of the measured values of attenuation is correlated with the vane-angle error. Approximately two-thirds of the attenuators calibrated were in error by less than 50 per cent of the manufacturer's stated specifications of accuracy. The treatment of the errors of a rotary vane attenuator is extended to cover the vane-angle error, resettability error, and mismatch error. The method of analysis is applicable to all attenuation values and vane-angle errors of this sample. Graphs are used to estimate the limits of these errors. Several representative cases are given using the deviation from the "estimated vane-angle error" to establish limits in the correction of vane-angle error. A modified rotary-vane attenuator with a resolution equal to 30 times the resolution of the attenuators comprising the sample was used to verify calculated vane-angle error at various values of attenuation. Inherent vane-angle error can be reduced by increasing the dial resolution and by a technique of precise vane alignment at zero dial setting.
Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Muscadine Grapes

Fruits of 10 cultivars of muscadine grapes (five bronze skin and five purple skin) grown in southern Georgia were separated into skin, seed, and pulp. Each fruit part and the leaves from the corresponding varieties were extracted for HPLC analysis of major phenolics. Total phenolics were determined colorimetrically using Folin−Ciocalteu reagent. Total anthocyanins were determined according to a pH-differential method, using a UV−visible spectrophotometer. Antioxidant capacity was determined by the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. Gallic acid, (+)-catechin, and epicatechin were the major phenolics in seeds, with average values of 6.9, 558.4, and 1299.4 mg/100 g of fresh weight (FW), respectively. In the skins, ellagic acid, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and trans-resveratrol were the major phenolics, with respective average values of 16.5, 8.4, 1.8, 0.6, and 0.1 mg/100 g of FW. Contrary to previous results, ellagic acid and not resveratrol was the major phenolic in muscadine grapes....
Predonation water ingestion attenuates negative reactions to blood donation.

BACKGROUND: Novice blood donors are at increased risk for unpleasant blood donation-related symptoms (e.g., dizziness, weakness, and lightheadedness), and the experience of such symptoms can contribute to a decreased likelihood of repeat donation. Recent laboratory studies suggest that water ingestion produces hemodynamic effects that may be sufficient to reduce risk of syncope and related reactions during blood donation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Male and female volunteers were randomly assigned to ingest either 500 or 0 mL of water 30 minutes before donating blood for the first time. In addition, bioimpedance analysis was used to assess predonation chronic hydration levels in all donors. Immediately after donation, participants completed the Blood Donation Reactions Inventory to assess subjective experience of negative physiologic reactions. RESULTS: Analysis of Blood Donation Reactions Inventory scores revealed that predonation water ingestion was associated with a 47-percent reduction of total donation-related symptoms (F [1,79]= 11.81, p = 0.001). Chronic hydration status was not related to reported reactions. CONCLUSION: Novice blood donors responded positively to predonation water consumption, and they were able to consume 500 mL in less than 5 minutes. Results of the present study suggests that predonation water ingestion may be a simple and cost-effective strategy to enhance the donation experience and possibly increase donor retention.
Self-patterned nanocrystals in Zn In Sn O thin films

Abstract Self-patterned nanocrystals (NCs) with size, shape and composition fluctuation similar to quantum dots (QDs) in conventional semiconductors were formed in epitaxial Zn 0.3 In 1.4 Sn 0.3 O 3− δ (ZITO) thin films on (1 1 1) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate. The diameters of the NCs range from 5 to 30 nm. Chemical composition in and around NCs was analyzed by high-angle-angular-dark-field (HAADF) imaging and nanobeam composition line scanning in an advanced (scanning) transmission electron microscope. The NCs are rich in heavier elements compared with their surrounding medium. The formation of self-patterned NCs and its tuning effects on charge transport and optical transparency of ZITO films are also discussed.
Survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells: CD40L and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) connection.

Survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells: CD40L and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) connection
Comment on "Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here?".

Hill et al. ( [1][1] ) estimated that a deficit of 100 kcal/day could prevent weight gain in most of the U.S. population. Based on an average 8-year weight gain of 14 to 16 pounds, or 1.8 to 2 pounds/year, in adults enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study and
A neural approach to automatic pulse repetition interval modulation recognition

The intervals between the pulse time of arrival (TOA) values of a radar pulse train nearly always follow a specific modulation type. We pursue a fully automated neural approach for deducing this modulation type. The approach is shown via simulation to be extremely reliable and robust to the problems of missing and spurious pulses, as well as requiring only relatively few pulse TOA values.
Measuring the impact of US research consortia

This paper empirically evaluates the impact of the US Advanced Technology Program-sponsored consortia on the ex-post research productivity of participating firms. We find that there is a positive association between the intensity of participation in research consortia and the overall research productivity of participants. We also find a positive impact of consortia on the research productivity of participants in the technological areas targeted by the consortia. This positive impact is higher when the average technological proximity of participants is high. There is evidence that large, R&D intensive firms tend to benefit more from participation in consortia. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The relevance of health education to health activation and self-care.

Contemporary medical care is a valuable but incomplete approach to health. The individual is coming to be recognized by many providers and consumers of health care alike as the primary health care resource, and individual behaviors and lifestyles are now recognized as the principle determinants of health. A new trend toward health activation is emerging which emphasizes self-care and self-help. This movement is transforming the traditionally passive patient into an active, informed and effective participant in health care and health promotion. The recent interest in programs designed to enhance self-care skills is extremely relevant to health education in the schools and the community. The prime justification of health education has traditionally been one of promoting individual responsibility for generating and maintaining health. Integration of health education concepts and strategies with health activation programs may have an overall effect of enhancing health in the United States.
Indigenous Peoples, State‐Sanctioned Knowledge, and the Politics of Recognition

Invisible Indigenes: The Politics of Nonrecognition. Bruce G. Miller. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003. 248 pp. Forgotten Tribes: Unrecognized Indians and the Federal Acknowledgement Process. Mark Edwin Miller. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004. 355 pp. Gambling and Survival in Native North America. Paul Pasquaretta. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2003. 202 pp.
Rotavirus Replication: Plus-Sense Templates for Double-Stranded RNA Synthesis Are Made in Viroplasms

Rotavirus plus-strand RNAs not only direct protein synthesis but also serve as templates for the synthesis of the segmented double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome. In this study, we identified short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for viral genes 5, 8, and 9 that suppressed the expression of NSP1, a nonessential protein; NSP2, a component of viral replication factories (viroplasms); and VP7, an outer capsid protein, respectively. The loss of NSP2 expression inhibited viroplasm formation, genome replication, virion assembly, and synthesis of the other viral proteins. In contrast, the loss of VP7 expression had no effect on genome replication; instead, it inhibited only outer-capsid morphogenesis. Similarly, neither genome replication nor any other event of the viral life cycle was affected by the loss of NSP1. The data indicate that plus-strand RNAs templating dsRNA synthesis within viroplasms are not susceptible to siRNA-induced RNase degradation. In contrast, plus-strand RNAs templating protein synthesis in the cytosol are susceptible to degradation and thus are not the likely source of plus-strand RNAs for dsRNA synthesis in viroplasms. Indeed, immunofluorescence analysis of bromouridine (BrU)-labeled RNA made in infected cells provided evidence that plus-strand RNAs are synthesized within viroplasms. Furthermore, transfection of BrU-labeled viral plus-strand RNA into infected cells suggested that plus-strand RNAs introduced into the cytosol do not localize to viroplasms. From these results, we propose that plus-strand RNAs synthesized within viroplasms are the primary source of templates for genome replication and that trafficking pathways do not exist within the cytosol that transport plus-strand RNAs to viroplasms. The lack of such pathways confounds the development of reverse genetics systems for rotavirus.
The association of ecstasy use and academic achievement among adolescents in two U.S. national surveys

The association of ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) use with low academic achievement was examined in two nationally representative surveys of adolescents. We tested whether associations with low academic achievement were of similar magnitude or of stronger magnitude for ecstasy versus marijuana use (without ecstasy use), alcohol/tobacco use (without other drug use) and non-drug use in adolescence. Data from the adolescents in the 2002-2005 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, n=65,294) and from the 2001-2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS, n=27,592) were analyzed via weighted logistic regression models. Ecstasy, marijuana, and alcohol/tobacco use were associated with moderate and low academic achievement among adolescents in both surveys. Moreover, ecstasy was more strongly associated with low academic achievement and reporting that school gave no grades than alcohol/tobacco in both samples and than marijuana (NSDUH sample only). Prevention programs should inform adolescents that ecstasy use might impair their academic achievement.
Adaptive cancelation of matched unknown sinusoidal disturbances for unknown LTI systems by state derivative feedback

Solutions already exist for the problem of canceling sinusoidal disturbances by measurement of the state or by measurement of an output for unknown linear and nonlinear systems. In this paper, we design an adaptive controller to cancel matched sinusoidal disturbances forcing a linear time-invariant system with unknown system parameters in controllable canonical form by using only measurement of state-derivatives. Our design is based on three steps, 1) parametrization of the sinusoidal disturbance as the output of a known feedback system with an unknown output vector that depends on both unknown disturbance parameters and unknown plant parameters, 2) design of an adaptive disturbance observer and, 3) design of an adaptive controller. We prove that the equilibrium of the closed-loop adaptive system is stable and state of the considered system goes to zero as t→∞ with perfect disturbance estimation. The effectiveness of the controller is illustrated with a simulation example of a second order system.
Artists as experts in visual cognition.

This study addressed the question of how artists differ from non-artists in visual cognition. Four perception and twelve drawing tasks were used. Artists outperformed non-artists on both kinds of tasks. Regression analyses revealed common visual processes in the two kinds of tasks and unique variance in the drawing tasks. The advantage of artists over non-artists was apparently in the way they perceptually analysed as well as in how they drew. The perceptual advantage seems to be closely linked to the activity of drawing and is discussed with reference to artists' extensive experience in visual interaction with objects and images during drawing. Artists appear to be more proficient at using visual analytic procedures that are qualitatively similar to those of novices, unlike experts in many other domains.
Active Transport of the Survival Motor Neuron Protein and the Role of Exon-7 in Cytoplasmic Localization

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by deletion and/or mutation of the survival motor neuron protein Gene ( SMN1 ) that results in the expression of a truncated protein lacking the C terminal exon-7. Whereas SMN has been shown to be an important component of diverse ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, its function in neurons is unknown. We hypothesize that the active transport of SMN may be important for neurite outgrowth and that disruption of exon-7 could impair its normal intracellular trafficking. SMN was localized in granules that were associated with cytoskeletal filament systems and distributed throughout neurites and growth cones. Live cell imaging of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-SMN granules revealed rapid, bidirectional and cytoskeletal-dependent movements. Exon-7 was necessary for localization of SMN into the cytoplasm but was not sufficient for granule formation and transport. A cytoplasmic targeting signal within exon-7 was identified that could completely redistribute the nuclear protein D-box binding factor 1 into the cytoplasm. Neurons transfected with SMN lacking exon-7 had significantly shorter neurites, a defect that could be rescued by redirecting the exon-7 deletion mutant into neurites by a targeting sequence from growth-associated protein-43. These findings provide the first demonstration of cytoskeletal-based active transport of SMN in neuronal processes and the function of exon-7 in cytoplasmic localization. Such observations provide motivation to investigate possible transport defects or inefficiency of SMN associated RNPs in motor neuron axons in SMA.
Effects of processing parameters on alumina coatings deposited on nickel substrates by reacting aluminum chloride and hydrogen/carbon dioxide gas mixtures

Pure nickel coupons were used as substrates in the deposition of alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) from the reaction of aluminum chloride (AlCl{sub 3}) with hydrogen/carbon dioxide gas mixtures in the temperature range of 954--1,100 C and system pressures of 2.7--13.3 kPa. The apparent activation energy estimated from the coating growth rate averaged 320 kJ/mol at 13.3 kPa. At temperatures <1,000 C, transition {theta}, {kappa}, and {delta} modifications were codeposited with {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, whereas single-phase {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was deposited at higher temperatures. At high AlCl{sub 3} partial pressures, nickel aluminide phases were sometimes codeposited with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, which was attributed to the reaction of AlCl{sub 3} with the nickel substrate in the presence of hydrogen gas.
The Land of Remorse: A Study of Southern Italian Tarantism

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Martino De and Ernesto Translators: Dorothy Louise Zinn Year: 2005 Pages: 332 Details: original title: La terra del rimorso Publisher: Free Association Books ISBN: 1853437840 (soft cover). Prices: $34.50 US(soft cover).
A History of Microwave Heating Applications

The development of microwave heating applications is reviewed. This field has followed the earlier application of lower RF frequencies to induction and dielectric heating. Serious activity began after World War II, directed towards a microwave oven for commercial and residential use. The broadening of interest to include scientific and industrial applications followed in the early sixties as new markets for microwave power sources were sought. The creation of the International Microwave Power Institute was one result. The marketing of a countertop microwave oven for consumers gave birth to the economically important oven business in the sixties. The growth of this field has been marked, perhaps slowed, by a series of sociotechnical events questioning the safety of microwave exposure near high-power microwave systems. Although some of this has receded, a problem of public education remains for those who will expand this field. The future development of this field will exploit a broader number of operating frequencies and will be ultimately limited by environmental regulations related to electromagnetic compatibility (or RFl), rather than safe exposure of biological tissue.
Intraprofessional Politics and Professional Regulation: A Case Study of the ABA Commission on Professionalism

The regulation of practitioners for the protection of the public is one of the most important functions professional associations claim to provide. But the ability of professional associations to make and implement decisions concerning issues of regulation and professionalism are neglected in the study of the professions. In this article, the author uses the case of the ABA Commission on Professionalism to investigate the politics of professional regulation. The author argues that issues of regulation and professionalism are broad in scope of impact on practitioners. In professional associations with diverse memberships, these issues become highly political and limit decision-making discretion.
Model-based visualization for enterprise information management

The next generation user-interface for information systems will feature model-assisted visualization. The visual user-interfaces will incorporate and utilize available and rigorous contextual models of information in conveying enterprise information to users. These models will drive the synthesis of the visual elements representing information, portray the dynamics inherent in enterprise information, and guide the interactions in the man-machine interface. A formal framework utilizing an information universe paradigm (with the globe metaphor), a visualization architecture, and a metadatabase is proposed to provide some solutions to the new user interface. Prototyping and other investigations for the framework are underway. >
Low level arsenic promotes progressive inflammatory angiogenesis and liver blood vessel remodeling in mice

The vascular effects of arsenic in drinking water are global health concerns contributing to human disease worldwide. Arsenic targets the endothelial cells lining blood vessels, and endothelial cell activation or dysfunction may underlie the pathogenesis of both arsenic-induced vascular diseases and arsenic-enhanced tumorigenesis. The purpose of the current studies was to demonstrate that exposing mice to drinking water containing environmentally relevant levels of arsenic promoted endothelial cell dysfunction and pathologic vascular remodeling. Increased angiogenesis, neovascularization, and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in Matrigel plugs implanted in C57BL/6 mice following 5-week exposures to 5-500 ppb arsenic [Soucy, N.V., Mayka, D., Klei, L.R., Nemec, A.A., Bauer, J.A., Barchowsky, A., 2005. Neovascularization and angiogenic gene expression following chronic arsenic exposure in mice. Cardiovasc.Toxicol 5, 29-42]. Therefore, functional in vivo effects of arsenic on endothelial cell function and vessel remodeling in an endogenous vascular bed were investigated in the liver. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) became progressively defenestrated and underwent capillarization to decrease vessel porosity following exposure to 250 ppb arsenic for 2 weeks. Sinusoidal expression of PECAM-1 and laminin-1 proteins, a hallmark of capillarization, was also increased by 2 weeks of exposure. LSEC caveolin-1 protein and caveolae expression were induced after 2 weeks of exposure indicating a compensatory change. Likewise, CD45/CD68-positive inflammatory cells did not accumulate in the livers until after LSEC porosity was decreased, indicating that inflammation is a consequence and not a cause of the arsenic-induced LSEC phenotype. The data demonstrate that the liver vasculature is an early target of pathogenic arsenic effects and that the mouse liver vasculature is a sensitive model for investigating vascular health effects of arsenic.
The COOH-Terminal Globular Domain of Fibrinogen γ Chain Suppresses Angiogenesis and Tumor Growth

Fibrinogen is a major plasma protein (350 kDa) that induces proliferative signals by serving as a scaffold to support the binding of growth factors and to promote the cellular responses of adhesion, proliferation, and migration during wound healing, angiogenesis, and tumor growth. Fibrin(ogen) degradation products generated during fibrinolysis are implicated in tissue injury. The fibrinogen gamma chain has a COOH-terminal globular domain (gamma C, residues 151-411 of the gamma chain, 30 kDa) to which several integrin cell adhesion receptors (e.g., platelet alpha(IIb)beta(3), endothelial alpha(v)beta(3), and leukocyte alpha(M)beta(2)) bind. Integrins play a critical role in signal transduction from fibrin(ogen). We found that gamma C and its truncation mutant (designated gamma C399tr), with a deletion of the COOH-terminal 12 residues, induced apoptosis of endothelial cells and blocked tube formation of endothelial cells. DLD-1 human colon cancer cells that secrete gamma C or gamma C399tr grew at similar levels in vitro but grew much slower in vivo than mock-transfected cells. The recombinant purified gamma C399tr fragment markedly suppressed tumor growth, development of intratumoral vasculature, and tumor metastasis in vivo in the highly metastatic Met-1 breast cancer model. The determinant responsible for binding to endothelial cells is cryptic in native fibrinogen but is exposed in gamma C and gamma C399tr. These results suggest that fibrinogen has a novel cryptic determinant, which can exert apoptosis-inducing activity on endothelial cells when exposed, and polypeptides containing this determinant have therapeutic potential.
Oxidative stress precedes fibrillar deposition of Alzheimer’s disease amyloid β-peptide (1–42) in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans model

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by senile plaques and neurofibrillary components. Abeta(1-42) is a principal component of senile plaques and is thought to be central to the pathogenesis of the disease. The Alzheimer's disease brain is under significant oxidative stress, and the Abeta(1-42) peptide is known to cause oxidative stress in vitro. One controversy in the amyloid hypothesis is whether or not Abeta plaques are required for toxicity. We have employed a temperature-inducible Abeta expression system in Caenorhabditis elegans to create a strain of worms, CL4176, in which Abeta(1-42) is expressed with a non-permissive temperature of 23 degrees C. The CL4176 strain allows examination of the temporal relationship between Abeta expression, oxidative stress, and Abeta fibril formation. CL4176 were under increased oxidative stress, evidenced by increased protein oxidation indexed by increased carbonyl levels, 24 and 32 h after temperature upshift as compared to the control strain, CL1175. The increased oxidative stress in CL4176 occurred in the absence of Abeta fibril formation, consistent with the notion that the toxic species in Abeta toxicity is pre-fibrillar Abeta and not the Abeta fibril. These results are discussed with reference to Alzheimer's disease.
Parallel simulation-based optimization on block planning of container terminals

Simulation is an effective means when solving the design and operation problems in modern container terminals. Applying object-oriented discrete event system simulation method, and analyzing the technological process of loading and unloading as well as the operational management in modem container terminals, a simulation model which can describe the whole operation system of container terminals is constructed. To solve the block planning problem of container terminals, the simulation-based optimization (SBO) method is proposed. The parallel computing technology which is realized by MPI is introduced to the solving process, and the computational time and computational cost of SBO are reduced effectively.
The initiation of labor in women: regulation of phospholipid and arachidonic acid metabolism and of prostaglandin production.

that the initiation of parturition in women involves an organ communication system, by which the mature fetus communicates with mother to initiate the onset of myometrial contractions that are characteristic of labor at term. There is much evidence in support of this hypothesis, reviewed in this volume and elsewhere.2-5 But more than that, in the original proposition, i it was suggested that key components of such an organ communication system include the fetal membranes and uterine decidua vera as tissues that serve to receive a signal from the fetus by way of amniotic fluid and to transmit that signal to myometrium. Based on these proposals, it was suggested that, anatomically, amnion is poised ideally for receipt/ transmission of such a fetal signal. Coupled with this concept of an organ communication system was the view, formulated by many and now generally accepted, that prostaglandins (PG) are of central physiologic importance in the initiation of labor in women. Therefore, it is pertinent to consider in detail the regulation of PG production in amnion, chorion laeve, uterine decidua Vera, and myometrial smooth muscle tissues, as it pertains to the timely and spontaneous initiation of labor in women.
Political Dictionaries: A Bibliographical Essay*

The editors and authors of these ten books call them dictionaries. All the same, these political dictionaries must not be confused with a standard desk dictionary, let alone the massive unabridged kind. Webster's Eighth New Collegiate Dictionary (1973) has 150,000 entries with 27,000 usage examples which, with some additions, is based on Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1969) with 450,000 entries and 200,000 usage examples. The largest of the volumes reviewed here has fewer than 4,100 entries, and most have far fewer, so that the books are not comprehensive in the sense of exhausting their subject and capturing all possible terminology.t It remains true that the more specialized books here, limited to definite subjects, provide cohesive and ample treatments. This is particularly true for Abrams on cities, Luttwak on armaments, and Safire on American political catchwords and usages. They are really books that could have been cast in other forms than dictionaries, but their authors simply found it attractive to do their work in this format
Oxidative damage in age-related macular degeneration

Epidemiologic studies have suggested that elderly patients who consumed diets rich in antioxidants throughout their lives are less likely to be afflicted with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This led to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which showed that supplements containing antioxidant vitamins and zinc reduce the risk of progression to severe stages of AMD. Despite these data that indirectly implicate oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of AMD, there has not been any direct demonstration of increased oxidative damage in the retinas of patients with AMD. In this study, we used biomarkers of oxidative damage in postmortem eyes from patients with AMD and comparably aged patients without AMD to directly assess for oxidative damage. Sections from 4 eyes with no pathologic features of AMD showed no immunofluorescent staining for markers of oxidative damage, while sections from 8 of 12 eyes with advanced geographic atrophy showed evidence of widespread oxidative damage in both posterior and anterior retina. Only 2 of 8 eyes with choroidal neovascularization and 2 of 16 eyes with diffuse drusen and no other signs of AMD showed evidence of oxidative damage. These data suggest that widespread oxidative damage occurs in the retina of some patients with AMD and is more likely to be seen in patients with advanced geographic atrophy. This does not rule out oxidative damage as a pathogenic mechanism in patients with CNV, but suggests that a subpopulation of patients with geographic atrophy may have a major deficiency in the oxidative defense system that puts the majority of cells in the retina at risk for oxidative damage. Histol Histopathol 22, 1301-1308 (2007)
Divas en la brega: apuntes para el estudio de Las divas de mi barrio de Carmen Montañez

En este trabajo analizare la maner a en que Montanez redefine el concepto de diva en su coleccion de cuentos Las divas de mi barrio . Arguyo que su redefinicion valoriza la funcion de personajes femeninos que no solo difieren fisicamente de las ideas de belleza que se asocian con una diva sino que pertenecen a la clase trabajadora del pais donde se desarrolla la accion. Por lo tanto, en estos cuentos se rinde tributo a otras formas de femineidad y de conocimientos que tienden a quedar excluidos por no ir a tono con las conductas y esteticas que afianzan el machismo. Palabras clave: Carmen Montanez, literatura puertorriquena, diva, clase trabajadora, Arcadio Diaz Quinones.
Trastornos del sistema visual

L as alteraciones visuales infantiles congenitas y adquiridas suelen asociarse a trastornos neurologicos. Las mas frecuentes son los errores de refraccion no corregidos, la ambliopia, el estrabismo, las cataratas y los trastornos geneticos. Dos cuadros de incidencia creciente son la retinopatia del prematuro y las hemorragias retinianas debidas a los malos tratos.
Are High-Potential Cobalt Tris(bipyridyl) Complexes Sufficiently Stable to Be Efficient Mediators in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells? Synthesis, Characterization, and Stability Tests

We report the synthesis of three new, high-oxidation-potential cobalt complexes. The ligand lability of cobalt complexes, especially those of higher redox potential, has been scantly addressed in the current literature on the use of these complexes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In characterizing our high-potential complexes, multiple pieces of evidence reveal a trend of decreasing complex stability with increasing redox potential. These include the appearance of multiple waves in the cyclic voltammetry, a color change upon addition of 4-tert-butylpyridine indicating the formation of a new species, direct NMR evidence of free dissociated ligand in acetonitrile solution, and potential-independent DSSC recombination currents paralleling the stability trends as determined by NMR. We take advantage of a simple quantitative NMR experiment to determine the approximate ligand-binding equilibrium (stability) constants of our complexes in acetonitrile at room temperature. With the above information, we pro...
Thermally stimulated current analysis of DC conduction mechanisms

The dc conduction properties of thin film insulators are of interest because of their technological applications as dielectrics, electrical insulators, and passivating layers and because of the diverse physical phenomena possible with metal-insulator-metal systems. Experiment and theory have centered on the current-voltage-temperature characteristics, but definitive identification of conduction mechanisms are rare because: (1) Many microscopic models lead to similar macroscopic functional relationships, (2) microscopic models depend on parameters which are not easily measured; these include trapping energy levels, trapping cross-sections and hopping probabilities, and (3) the metal-insulator-metal systems cannot be fabricated with sufficient reproducibility to distinguish among a variety of plausible mechanisms.
Effect of Sodium Chloride Concentration, Water Activity, Fermentation Method and Drying Time on the Viability of Trichinella spiralis in Genoa Salami.

Pork from pigs experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis was used to manufacture Genoa salami. In Experiment I, Genoa salami was formulated to include: (a) in-going sodium chloride of 2.00 or 3.33% based on raw meat weight; (b) either commercial starter culture or no starter culture and held for fermentation at either 35°C (95°F) or 46.1 °C (115°F). Lower water activity (aw) was found (P<0.0001) in salami manufactured either with 3.33% salt or processed by high fermentation temperature. Lower pH values resulted from use of a starter culture. An interaction between salt concentration and fermentation temperature was seen after 20 days of drying. Salt concentration appeared to exert a definite effect of trichina viability. In Experiment II, Genoa salami was formulated to include: (a) in-going sodium chloride of 0.00, 1.67 or 3.33% based on raw meat weight; (b) all salami contained starter culture and held for fermentation at 46.1 °C. Salami made with 3.33% salt had higher pH and lower aw values than did that made with no or 1.67% salt. The salt content and drying time interaction was greatest in salami made with 3.33% salt. The 3.33% salt content also appeared to exert a definite effect on trichina viability.
Molekulare Bildgebung: Künftige Anwendungen bei Arthritiden

Die molekulare Bildgebung gehort dank immenser Fortschritte bzgl. Technologie, Genetik und Biochemie in jungster Vergangenheit zu den sehr viel versprechenden neuen Methoden der Bildgebung in der Radiologie. Die Darstellung pathophysiologischer Vorgange auf molekularer Ebene in Initialstadien von Erkrankungen eroffnen ganz neue und noch weitgehend unerforschte Optionen bei der Behandlung von Erkrankungen, die mit herkommlichen Methoden erst in weit fortgeschrittenen Stadien erkannt werden konnen. Gegenwartig wird intensiv an Methoden zur Darstellung dieser verschiedenen zellularen Vorgange durch Kontrastmittel auf molekularer Basis gearbeitet. In diesem Ubersichtsartikel soll veranschaulicht werden, wie die molekulare Bildgebung bei Arthritiden derzeit und zukunftig zu verbesserter Fruherkennung, Diagnostik und durch Monitoring der verschiedenen Behandlungsregime zu optimierter Therapie beitragen kann.