cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Somatosensory pressure affects immobility and grasping reactions in bilateral labyrinthectomized rats.

Abstract The effects of dorsal clip pressure and proprioceptive plate pressure to soles of the feet on tonic immobility; dorsal clip pressure on contact righting, horizontal bar, and vertical cling; forepaw and slope board grasp reactions were investigated in bilateral labyrinthectomized (BL) rats. Both dorsal and proprioceptive pressures potentiated the duration of tonic immobility in BL animals whereas only the dorsal pressure affected the controls. Dorsal pressure potentiated the duration of the horizontal bar, vertical cling, and slope board grasps in both the control and BL group. However, the behavioral patterns were different. The BL animals had weak grasp reactions and with the dorsal clip, emitted “head-back fall” during the vertical cling and slope board grasp conditions. The results were discussed in terms of the tactile and vestibular interactions and control on the postural mechanisms.
Development of a New Technique for the Efficient Delivery of Aerosolized Medications to Infants on Mechanical Ventilation

Purpose To evaluate the efficiency of a new technique for delivering aerosols to intubated infants that employs a new Y-connector, access port administration of a dry powder, and excipient enhanced growth (EEG) formulation particles that change size in the airways.
Controlled ventilation during NMR spectroscopic studies: hemodynamic and biochemical consequences.

The effects of different ventilation methods on cardiac output measured by the indicator-dilution method, liver blood flow measured by a deuterium washout technique using 2H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liver concentrations of ATP and intracellular pH determined with 31P NMR were compared in anesthetized rats. No differences in mean arterial blood pressure were demonstrable with the different modes of ventilation. However, significant drops in cardiac output were observed between freely breathing and animals ventilated with positive pressure but not the high frequency oscillatory method (407 ± 46 and 520 ± 88 vs. 633 ± 86 ml/min/kg, p < 0.05 and p = NS, respectively). Moreover, liver blood flow was significantly reduced during positive pressure but not high frequency oscillatory ventilation compared with free breathing rats (32 ± 4 and 43 ± 10 vs. 46 ± 8 ml/100 g, p < 0.05 and p = NS, respectively). 31P NMR spectroscopy revealed no effects of either ventilation method on tissue ATP or intracellular pH as estimated by the chemical shift of inorganic phosphate. These data suggest that controlled ventilation in normal rats accomplished with standard positive pressure methods is associated with major decreases in cardiac output and liver blood flow despite maintenance of normal blood pressure. High frequency oscillatory ventilation appears to effect less compromise of cardiac output and hepatic perfusion than positive pressure ventilation and may, therefore, be preferable for some biological studies.
Spectrophotofluorometric analysis of procainamide hydrochloride

The reaction of procainamide hydrochloride with o-phthaldialdehyde in acidic methanol was investigated as a possible means for the assay of the drug. The reaction product fluoresced with activation and emission maxima of 288 and 353 nm, respectively. Under optimum conditions the fluorescence was 10 times more intense than the natural fluorescence of procainamide in acidic methanol at these wavelengths. A limit of detection of 1.2 × 10−8 M was found at the 95% confidence level. The fluorescence was linear (r = 0.999) in the range of 3.2–400 ng procainamide hydrochloride/ml and was stable for at least 2.5 hr. Replicate studies at the 0.08 μg/ml level showed good precision, with a coefficient of variation of 0.012 (n = 9). The overall recovery (±SD) from spiked capsule placebos was 98.9 ± 1.8% (n = 5). The method was successfully applied to commercially available capsules, tablets, and injectables of the drug.
Understanding State Variation In Health Insurance Dynamics Can Help Tailor Enrollment Strategies For ACA Expansion

The number and types of people who become eligible for and enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) health insurance expansions will depend in part on the factors that cause people to become uninsured for different lengths of time. We used a small-area estimation approach to estimate differences across states in percentages of adults losing health insurance and in lengths of their uninsured spells. We found that nearly 50 percent of the nonelderly adult population in Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas—but only 18 percent in Massachusetts and 22 percent in Vermont—experienced an uninsured spell between 2009 and 2012. Compared to people who lost private coverage, those with public insurance were more likely to experience an uninsured spell, but their spells of uninsurance were shorter. We categorized states based on estimated incidence of uninsured spells and the spells’ duration. States should tailor their enrollment outreach and retention efforts for the ACA’s coverage expansions to address their o...
q-Extensions of identities of Abel-Rothe type

Abstract The ordinary binomial theorem may be expressed in the statement that the polynomials x n are of binomial type . Several generalizations of the binomial theorem can be stated in this form. A particularly nice one, essentially due to Rothe, is that the polynomials a n ( x ; h , w ) = x ( x + h + nw )( x + 2 h + nw ) ⋯ ( x + ( n − 1) h + nw ), a o ( x ; h , w ) = 1, are of binomial type. When h = 0, this reduces to a symmetrized version of Abel's generalization of the binomial theorem. A different sort of generalization was made by Schutzenberger, who observed that if one adds to the statement of the binomial theorem the relation yx = qxy , then the ordinary binomial coefficient is replaced by the q -binomial coefficient. There are also commutative q -binomial theorems, one of which is subsumed in a q -Abel binomial theorem of Jackson. We go further in this direction. Our two main results are a commutative q -analogue of Rothe's identity with an extra parameter, and a noncommutative symmetric q -Abel identity with two extra parameters. Each of these identities contains many special cases that seem to be new.
Improving the efficiency and accuracy of a nonhydrostatic surf zone model

Abstract A previously developed model for simulating breaking surf zone waves is improved to yield more accurate and computationally efficient predictions. The model employs a sigma coordinate transformation in the vertical direction and solves the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations in a fractional step manner with the pressure split into hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic components. The hydrostatic equations are first solved with an approximate Riemann solver and the velocity field is then corrected to be divergence free by including the nonhydrostatic pressure. The previous model required a cumbersome modification to accurately predict surf zone wave heights. In this paper, a simpler alteration is presented that is shown to also yield accurate surf zone wave height predictions. In addition, other opportunities for improving model accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency are also investigated including the discretization of advection terms and the selective neglect of potentially insignificant lateral viscous terms in the governing equations.
Ionomer blends: Morphology and mechanical properties

Polymer blends, having one component as an ionomer, can develop an interesting combination of mechanical properties. These properties give such blends some specific advantages as compared to non-ionic homo-polymers. Primary attention is given to blends involving an ionomer and the ionomer precursor polymer. In such blends, synergistic effects can occur in several of the mechanical properties, such as modulus, strength and fracture energy. The enhanced mechanical properties, which occur for relatively low concentrations of the ionomer in the blends, are well above values predicted by the rule of mixtures. This behavior is attributed to the presence in the ionomer component of a higher chain entanglement density and to good adhesion between the dispersed ionomer particles and the polymer matrix. Some discussion, with examples, is also given of other blends having an ionomer as one component and of blends in which a small amount of ionomer is added in order to enhance the miscibility of two otherwise incompatible polymers.
Are white evangelical Protestants lower class? A partial test of church-sect theory

Abstract Testing hypotheses derived from church-sect theory and contemporary research about changes in evangelical Protestants’ social status, I use repeated cross-sectional survey data spanning almost four decades to examine changes in the social-class hierarchy of American religious traditions. While there is little change in the social-class position of white evangelical Protestants from the early 1970s to 2010, there is considerable change across birth cohorts. Results from hierarchical age–period–cohort models show: (1) robust, across-cohort declines in social-class differences between white evangelical Protestants and liberal Protestants, affiliates of “other” religions, and the unaffiliated, (2) stability in social-class differences between white evangelical Protestants and moderate, Pentecostal, and nondenominational Protestants, (3) moderate across-cohort growth in social-class differences between white evangelical Protestants and Catholics, and (4) these patterns vary across indicators of social class. The findings in this article provide partial support for church-sect theory as well as other theories of social change that emphasize the pivotal role of generations.
Novel applications of chemically deposited CuxS thin films

Abstract Novel applications, such as electrically conductive and transparent surfaces on organic polymer sheets, elastic thin-film copper sensor electrodes that are immune to halide ion interference and contact electrodes on top of ferroelectric PZT films, are suggested for chemically deposited Cu x S thin films. The economicity and simplicity of the electroless deposition technique employed for Cu x S films is considered suitable for large-area and large-scale production of Cu x S films on various substrates.
The i.r., Raman and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of 2,3-dihalo-1,3-butadienes

Abstract The i.r., Raman and NMR spectra of 2,3-Dibromo-1,3-butadiene, 2,3-dichloro-1,3-butadiene and 2,3-difluoro-1,3-butadiene have been analyzed. The mutual exclusion of the i.r. and Raman frequencies and the relatively large long-range 5JHH coupling constants are taken as evidence for the presence of the trans isomer exclusively. An assignment of the vibrations is given, based on a C2h isomer. The complete analysis of the AA′BB′XX′NMR spectrum of 2,3-difluoro-1,3-butadiene confirms that the 3JFF coupling constant is negative [23]. The uncertainty in the assignment of geminal and five-bond, trans—trans HH coupling in the dichloro and dibromo compounds is discussed.
Long term outcome of bosentan treatment in primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with the scleroderma spectrum of diseases (PAH-SSD)

transplantation (LTx). In asthma and LTx BOS (Zheng JHLT 1999:18: 231) increased submucosal vascularity has been shown to contribute to airflow limitation. Vascularity has 2 components: sprouting angiogenesis(more vessels) and microvascular enlargement(larger vessels). We hypothesise that the lack of bronchial arterial reanastomosis at the time of transplant may stimulate angiogenesis and be a risk factor for subsequent BOS. Aim: To determine the components and time course in relation to BOS of post-LTx airway vasculature Methods: 27 initially stable(BOS 0) LTx recipients were recruited at 148 80 days post-LTx and followed over 3 years. 8 remained stable and 19 developed BOS. 9 normal controls were also recruited. Airway vasculature was examined immunohistochemically in endobronchial biopsies(EBB) with mouse antihuman collagenIV antibody, quantified by computer image analyser, expressed as average vessel size m, vessel number/mm of lamina propria and overall %vascularity. Demographic, clinical and EBB findings were statistically analysed. Results: There was significant increased baseline vessel size and vascularity, but not vessel numbers in both stable and BOS LTx compared to normals.
Multiagent Social Computing

This article provides a framework for extending social networks to social computing. When people join social networks, such as Facebook and discussion groups, their personal computers can also join the social networks. This framework facilitates sharing of computing resources among friends and groups. Computers of friends and groups act autonomously to help each other perform various tasks. The framework combines many key technologies, including intelligent agents, multi-agent system, object space, and parallel and distributed computing, into a new computing platform, which has been successfully implemented and tested. With this framework, any person will have access to not only the computing power of his or her own personal computer but also the vast computing power of a community of computers. The collective capabilities of humans and computers working in communities will create complementary capabilities of computing to achieve behaviors that transcend those of people and computers in isolation. The future of computing is moving from personal computers to societies of computers.
Enhancing knowledge elicitation using the cognitive interview

Abstract Various knowledge elicitation techniques have been recommended for the development of expert systems, but a review of these techniques reveals that most are designed to elicit rules (i.e. procedural knowledge) from the expert in order to build rule-based expert systems. With the growing interest in case-based expert systems comes the need to introduce and evaluate new knowledge elicitation techniques designed specifically to capture knowledge in the form of cases. Cases represent the unique combination of situational variables and solutions experienced by the expert, i.e. episodic knowledge. This paper reports the finding of a study that investigated the applicability of the Cognitive Interview for eliciting the detail-rich cases required for the development of case-based expert systems. The Cognitive Interview is a technique that was developed specifically to capture episodic knowledge and has been extensively tested for use in other disciplines. This theoretically grounded technique has practical implications for enhanced knowledge elicitation in the development of expert systems.
Volatile solids reduction in two-phase and conventional anaerobic sludge digestion

Abstract Success of two-phase anaerobic systems for primary and secondary sludge treatment has been reported based on both directly and indirectly measured volatile solids (VS) reduction, total gas and methane generation, COD reduction, etc. The objective of this research was to determine whether phase separation increases directly measured VS reduction compared to conventional anaerobic sludge digestion. Two-phase and conventional digesters were operated with sludge feeds from three sources; both 1:1 sludges (primary:waste activated, solids basis) and 100% waste activated sludges (WAS) were studied. The maximum difference between VS reductions in conventional and two-phase systems was about 8.7% with waste activated sludge. The increase in volatile solids reduction in two-phase systems with the 1:1 sludge ranged from 1.9 to 6.0% as compared to conventional systems. This relatively small increase in VS reduction may not be worth the additional cost of operating two-phase digesters at full scale.
Enzymatically deacylated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can antagonize LPS at multiple sites in the LPS recognition pathway.

Like other tetraacyl partial structures of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipid A, LPS that has been partially deacylated by acyloxyacyl hydrolase can inhibit LPS-induced responses in human cells. To identify the site(s) of inhibition in the LPS recognition pathway, we analyzed the apparent binding affinities and interactions of 3H-labeled enzymatically deacylated LPS (dLPS) and [3H]LPS with CD14, the LPS receptor, on THP-1 cells. Using (i) incubation conditions that prevented ligand internalization and (ii) defined concentrations of LPS binding protein (LBP), which facilitates LPS and dLPS binding to CD14, we found that dLPS can antagonize LPS in at least three ways. 1) When the concentration of LBP in the medium was suboptimal for promoting LPS-CD14 binding, low concentrations of dLPS were able to compete with LPS for binding CD14, suggesting competition between LPS and dLPS for engaging LBP. 2) When LBP was present in excess, dLPS could compete with LPS for binding CD14, but only at dLPS concentrations that were at or above its KDfor binding CD14 (100 ng/ml). 3) In contrast, substoichiometric concentrations of dLPS (1 ng/ml) inhibited LPS-induced (3 ng/ml) interleukin-8 release without blocking LPS binding to CD14. Functional antagonism was possible without competition for cell-surface binding because both LPS-induced interleukin-8 release and dLPS inhibition occurred at concentrations that were far below their respective CD14 binding KDvalues. In addition to its expected ability to compete with LPS for binding LBP and CD14, dLPS thus potently antagonizes LPS at an undiscovered site that is distal to LPS-CD14 binding in the LPS recognition pathway.
Combined use of residual dipolar couplings and solution X-ray scattering to rapidly probe rigid-body conformational transitions in a non-phosphorylatable active-site mutant of the 128 kDa enzyme I dimer.

The first component of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, enzyme I (EI), is a multidomain 128 kDa dimer that undergoes large rigid-body conformational transitions during the course of its catalytic cycle. Here we investigate the solution structure of a non-phosphorylatable active-site mutant in which the active-site histidine is substituted by glutamine. We show that perturbations in the relative orientations and positions of the domains and subdomains can be rapidly and reliably determined by conjoined rigid-body/torsion angle/Cartesian simulated annealing calculations driven by orientational restraints from residual dipolar couplings and shape and translation information afforded by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering. Although histidine and glutamine are isosteric, the conformational space available to a Gln side chain is larger than that for the imidazole ring of His. An additional hydrogen bond between the side chain of Gln189 located on the EINα/β subdomain and an aspartate (Asp129) on the ...
Precipitation of palladium dimethyl-glyoximate from homogeneous solution

Abstract Palladium can be quantitatively precipitated from homogeneous solution with dimethylglyoxime generated by the reaction between biacetyl and hydroxylamine. The chelate is precipitated as long yellow needles which are easy to filter and wash. The separation of palladium from platinum and nickel was investigated.
Arbitrage bounds in markets with noisy prices and the puzzle of negative option prices implicit in bonds

Abstract The term structure of interest rates has occupied economists for many years. This is testimony to the importance of the term structure (or, equivalently, valuation operator) and to the difficulty of obtaining reliable estimates of it. Until recently, it was not possible to reconcile the theoretical existence of a multiplicity of valuation operators in an incomplete bond market and the empirical nonexistence of even a single one. MacKay and Prisman [Estimating valuation operators in incomplete market with noises: Can noise complete the market. Working paper, 1996] tackle this problem. In this paper, an amendment to and a generalization of their methodology is presented. The amendment preserves the linearity of valuation operators and allows use of efficient linear programming techniques. Further, it facilitates an admissible consideration of the puzzle of negative option prices embedded in bonds. The empirical results presented in this paper were obtained using data on extendable Government of Canada bonds. The results indicate that although the gap between the lowest and the highest prices assigned to a cash flow by different valuation operators is significant, it is not sufficient to resolve the above-mentioned puzzle.
Acute pulmonary embolism: visualization of high attenuation clot in the pulmonary artery on noncontrast helical chest CT

Helical CT of the thorax is frequently utilized for the evaluation of chest pain or shortness of breath affecting the emergency patient. To improve diagnostic accuracy, thoracic CT examinations are frequently tailored to address specific conditions. Although tailored protocols may enhance diagnostic accuracy, implementing the wrong protocol could result in a misdiagnosis. The proper protocol choice may particularly difficult in the emergency patient due to the nonspecific nature of many chest pain syndromes. Recently, helical CT has been used for the evaluation of suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Demonstration of an intravascular filling defect surrounded by contrast-enhanced blood is diagnostic of PE. However, because the clinical presentation of PE is frequently nonspecific, awareness of the many potential imaging manifestations of PE is important. Therefore, we present the rare circumstance of high-attenuation clot visible within the pulmonary arteries on noncontrast helical CT; PE was confirmed after the administration of iodinated contrast medium.
Remote Invalidation: Optimizing the Critical Path of Memory Transactions

Software Transactional Memory (STM) systems are increasingly emerging as a promising alternative to traditional locking algorithms for implementing generic concurrent applications. To achieve generality, STM systems incur overheads to the normal sequential execution path, including those due to spin locking, validation (or invalidation), and commit/abort routines. We propose a new STM algorithm called Remote Invalidation (or RInval) that reduces these overheads and improves STM performance. RInval's main idea is to execute commit and invalidation routines on remote server threads that run on dedicated cores, and use cache-aligned communication between application's transactional threads and the server routines. By remote execution of commit and invalidation routines and cache-aligned communication, RInval reduces the overhead of spin locking and cache misses on shared locks. By running commit and invalidation on separate cores, they become independent of each other, increasing commit concurrency. We implemented RInval in the Rochester STM framework. Our experimental studies on micro-benchmarks and the STAMP benchmark reveal that RInval outperforms InvalSTM, the corresponding non-remote invalidation algorithm, by as much as an order of magnitude. Additionally, RInval obtains competitive performance to validation-based STM algorithms such as NOrec, yielding up to 2x performance improvement.
Bves expression during avian embryogenesis

Bves (blood vessel/epicardial substance) is a transmembrane protein postulated to play a role in cell adhesion. While it is clear that Bves and gene products of the same family are expressed in adult striated muscle cells, the distribution of these proteins during development has not been critically examined. An understanding of the expression pattern of Bves is essential for a determination of protein function and its role in embryogenesis. In this study, we present an expression analysis of Bves during chick gastrulation and germ layer formation. Our data show that Bves is expressed in epithelia of all three germ layers early in development. Furthermore, Bves protein is observed in epithelial tissues during organogenesis, specifically the developing epidermis, the gut endoderm, and the epicardium of the heart. These data support the hypothesis that Bves may play a role in cell adhesion and movement of epithelia during early embryogenesis.
A home-based exercise intervention to increase physical activity among people living with HIV: study design of a randomized clinical trial

While combination antiretroviral therapy has extended the life expectancy of those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is a high prevalence of comorbidities that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The side effects associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) lead to multiple metabolic disorders, making the management of these metabolic issues and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those treated with ART a critical issue. Clinical research trials, primarily clinical exercise, rarely include this population due to unique challenges in research methods with underserved minority populations living with a life threatening illness like HIV/AIDS. This paper describes the rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the feasibility of a home-based exercise program designed to increase physical activity (PA) and reduce the risk of CVD in PLWHA. PLWHA being treated with ART will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a home-based PA intervention or standard care. All participants will receive an educational weight loss workbook and pedometer for self-monitoring of PA. Only those in the intervention group will receive additional elastic Thera-bands® for strength training and behavioral telephone based coaching. This study will evaluate the feasibility of a home-based program designed to increase PA among PLWHA. Further, it will evaluate the effectiveness of such a program to decrease modifiable risk factors for CVD as a secondary outcome. This study was funded by the NIH/NINR R21 Grant 1R21NRO11281. Clinical Trial Identifier NCT01377064
Dramatic aggregation of Alzheimer abeta by Cu(II) is induced by conditions representing physiological acidosis.

The cortical deposition of Aβ is an event that occurs in Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, head injury, and normal aging. Previously, in appraising the effects of different neurochemical factors that impact upon the solubility of Aβ, we observed that Zn2+ was the predominant bioessential metal to induce the aggregation of soluble Aβ at pH 7.4 in vitro and that this reaction is totally reversible with chelation. We now report that unlike other biometals tested at maximal biological concentrations, marked Cu2+-induced aggregation of Aβ1–40 emerged as the solution pH was lowered from 7.4 to 6.8 and that the reaction was completely reversible with either chelation or alkalinization. This interaction was comparable to the pH-dependent effect of Cu2+ on insulin aggregation but was not seen for aprotinin or albumin. Aβ1–40 bound three to four Cu2+ ions when precipitated at pH 7.0. Rapid, pH-sensitive aggregation occurred at low nanomolar concentrations of both Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 with submicromolar concentrations of Cu2+. Unlike Aβ1–40, Aβ1–42was precipitated by submicromolar Cu2+ concentrations at pH 7.4. Rat Aβ1–40 and histidine-modified human Aβ1–40 were not aggregated by Zn2+, Cu2+, or Fe3+, indicating that histidine residues are essential for metal-mediated Aβ assembly. These results indicate that H+-induced conformational changes unmask a metal-binding site on Aβ that mediates reversible assembly of the peptide. Since a mildly acidic environment together with increased Zn2+ and Cu2+ are common features of inflammation, we propose that Aβ aggregation by these factors may be a response to local injury. Cu2+, Zn2+, and Fe3+ association with Aβ explains the recently reported enrichment of these metal ions in amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease.
Neurobehavior disinhibition, parental substance use disorder, neighborhood quality and development of cannabis use disorder in boys

Abstract This prospective investigation examined the contribution of neighborhood context and neurobehavior disinhibition to the association between substance use disorder (SUD) in parents and cannabis use disorder in their sons. It was hypothesized that both neighborhood context and son's neurobehavior disinhibition mediate this association. Two hundred and sixteen boys were tracked from ages 10–12 to age 22. The extent to which neighborhood context and neurobehavior disinhibition mediate the association between parental SUD and son's cannabis use disorder was evaluated using structural equation modeling. The best fitting model positioned neighborhood context and neurobehavior disinhibition as mediators of the association between parental SUD and cannabis use disorder in sons. Neurobehavior disinhibition also was a mediator of the association between neighborhood context and son's cannabis use. The implications of this pattern of association between parental SUD, neighborhood context and individual risk for SUD for improving prevention are discussed.
Marginal revenue and labor strife in major league baseball

An improved model of baseball player performance and revenue generation shows that, overall, major league players are paid more than the marginal revenue they generate from spectators at the ballpark. Broadcast revenue is shown to be a factor in player salaries, although this revenue is not sensitive to individual player output. Under the current bargaining procedure, collective action in baseball is therefore viewed as the only way to entice owners to pay players for the broadcast revenue they generate.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of olanzapine + fluoxetine for the treatment of bipolar depression.

Introduction: A proprietary combination of the atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine and the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (OFC, Symbyax) was approved for the treatment of bipolar depression based on a double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of olanzapine, OFC, and placebo. Areas covered: This review considers published controlled and uncontrolled studies of the efficacy, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, interactions, and adverse effects of OFC. Beyond previously reviewed efficacy studies, an open-label 7-week study of 161 bipolar depressed patients (93% bipolar I), and an 8-week double-blind study of 833 bipolar I depressed patients with an open-label extension were identified. The structure and limitations of clinical trials of OFC are critically addressed. Expert opinion: OFC trades simplicity of administration for loss of flexibility of dosing and lack of a generic preparation, both of which are available for olanzapine and fluoxetine separately. Clinical trials are limited by short-...
Iodothyronine deiodination in the brain of diabetic rats: influence of thyroid status

Experimental diabetes causes profund alterations in the metabolism of thyroxine (T4), including a decrease in hepatic triiodothyronine (T3) generation from T4 via 5′-deiodihation (5′-D). Because 5′-D in brain differs markedly from that in liver, both in enzymatic mechanism and in the response to hypothyroidism, we studied iodothyronine deiodination, in particular T4 to T3 conversion (T4−T3), by incubating 125I T4 with particulate fractions of cerebral cortex (Cx) and cerebellum (Cm) from rats made diabetic by injection of streptozotocin. In nondiabeticthyroidectomized (Tx) rats Cx and Cm T4−T3 activity was increased approximately ten-fold and two-fold, respectively, compared with intact controls. Diabetic Tx rats did not differ from nondiabetic Tx rats in the rate of net T3 production from T4 but the formation of 3,3′-T2 was slightly reduced. Insulin-treated diabetic-Tx rats showed a pattern of T4 metabolism in Cx and Cm virtually identical to that of nondiabetic Tx rats. The rate of T3 degradation, determined in parallel incubations of Cx and Cm with 125I T3, did not differ significantly among the groups, indicating that the observed differences in net T3 production were due to changes in T4 5′-D activity. Intact diabetic rats compared to nondiabetic controls showed no significant changes in T4−T3 either in Cx or in Cm. Administration of T3, 0.8 μg per 100 g bw per day for 6 days, by constant infusion to intact rats raised T4−T3 in Cx and Cm to levels found in Tx rats. Treatment of intact diabetics with T3 caused qualitatively similar changes, i.e., a hypothyroid response. In contrast, administration of a replacement dose of T4, 1.5 μg per 100 g bw per day for 6 days, did not alter T4−T3 in brain of intact diabetic animals. A highly significant inverse correlation was found between CxT4−T3 activity and serum T4 among all experimental groups, whereas there was no correlation with serum T3. The results indicate: (a) diabetes per se does not alter T4−T3 conversion in brain; (b) the level of available T4, and not T3, is the physiologic signal governing the fractional rate of T3 production from T4 in brain.
Analysis of normal-state phonon properties of 2 H -Ta Se 2 and -Nb Se 2

We have introduced a phenomenological lattice dynamical model for $2H$-Ta${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ and -Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$. The parameters of the model were fitted to much of the Raman and inelastic neutron diffraction data for $2H$-Ta${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ and the model accurately predicted mode frequencies not used in the fitting procedure and, with the appropriate mass change but the same force parameters, all the available Raman and neutron data for $2H$-Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$. The model takes into account the anomalous ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{1}$ acoustic dispersion through an explicit wave-vector-dependent metal-atom---metal-atom interaction in the dynamical matrix. The remaining portion of the dynamical matrix is given by valence-force-field parameters, two of which are found to be much smaller in magnitude than for $2H$-Mo${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$.
Peroxynitrite decreases rabbit tissue factor activity in vitro.

UNLABELLED Tissue factor (TF) is a primary initiator of physiological coagulation in vivo. Peroxynitrite (OONO(-)), a molecule formed from nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O(2). (-)), decreases human TF activity in vitro. Coagulopathy has been associated with hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion known to involve formation of OONO(-). Further, circulating TF activity decreases in rabbits after hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion. We hypothesized that exposure of rabbit TF to OONO(-) would result in a decrease in activity. OONO(-) generation was performed with 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), a molecule that produces both nitric oxide and superoxide. Rabbit brain TF was incubated at 37 degrees C for 90 min with 1) 0 mM SIN-1, 2) 5 mM SIN-1, 3) 5 mM SIN-1 and 2000 U/mL recombinant human superoxide dismutase (hSOD1), or 4) 2000 U/mL hSOD1 (n = 8 per condition). TF activity was assessed by addition of TF samples to human plasma and measuring clot formation kinetics with a thrombelastograph(R). TF exposure to SIN-1 resulted in a 48% decrease in activity that was significantly different from the other three conditions (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the other conditions. We conclude that rabbit TF is inhibited by OONO(-), and further investigation to determine the role of OONO(-) in coagulopathies associated with hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion is warranted. IMPLICATIONS Tissue factor (TF) initiates physiological coagulation in vivo. Hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion injury is associated with peroxynitrite (OONO(-)) formation, coagulopathy and decreased TF activity in rabbits. We determined that OONO(-) decreased rabbit TF activity in vitro via thrombelastography(R).
Inhibition of hen oviduct estradiol receptor by aurintricarboxylic acid.

A two-step mechanism for the mode of action of steroid hormones has been proposed [ 11. Some recent studies have indicated that the uptake of cytoplasmic progesterone receptor by isolated nuclei can be affected by certain inhibitors [2-S]. Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), a triphenylmethane dye, has been shown to interfere with the activities of DNA [6] and RNA polymerases [7]. It has been postulated that ATA combines with the template binding sites of these enzymes [LX]. We attempted to investigate if ATA would similarly interfere with the properties like nuclear uptake and DNA binding of estradiol receptor (ER) from hen oviduct. Identification and characterization of ER from chick oviduct has been reported [9,10].
Differences identified between serum and urine immunofixation electrophoresis

Abstract Background Different patterns between serum immunofixation electrophoresis (SIFE) and urine immunofixation electrophoresis (UIFE) happen occasionally and laboratorians should understand the mechanisms behind the differences and additional tests required for complicated cases. Methods We investigated a complicated multiple myeloma case that showed inconsistent patterns of SIFE and UIFE. To differentiate monoclonal proteins (M-proteins), the urine sample was treated with dithiothreitol to open up the IgA molecule and urine free light chain assay was used for free light chain analysis. Results The patient's SIFE indicated 2 IgA λ and 1 IgM κ M-proteins, while UIFE revealed monoclonal free λ light chains and a suspicious monoclonal IgA κ protein. Subsequent treatment of the urine sample with dithiothreitol and urine free light chain assay demonstrated that the suspicious monoclonal IgA κ protein was actually a monoclonal IgA λ and a free κ light chain that had similar electrophoretic mobility. Conclusions The differences identified between SIFE and UIFE in this case are due to the limitation of immunofixation electrophoresis on different specimen types and intra-molecular disulfide bonds formation in IgA. The laboratorians must be cognizant of the strengths and limitations of the procedure being performed and the ancillary testing techniques available to solve the problem.
Water management and water uptake efficiency by potatoes: A review

Lack of adequate availability of water can adversely impact the total as well as marketable quality of potato tuber production. Tuber initiation stage is the most critical growth stage for water stress. In this paper, effects of different water regimes on tuber yield and quality under different production systems are discussed. Deficit irrigation in general showed negative impact on the tuber yield as well as quality. Soil water management influences the fate and transport of nitrogen in soils, therefore, best management practice of both water and nitrogen are critical to optimize uptake efficiencies and minimize leaching losses.
Evidence for a saturable clearance mechanism for 111In-labeled monoclonal antibodies

We have studied the dose effect of 111In-labeled HDP-1 on lung and liver uptake in rats. At low doses (much less than 25 micrograms) the lung/liver ratios are quite low. Higher doses result in dramatically increased ratios, suggesting that an uptake or metabolic process in the liver was becoming saturated. These results are compared with those previously obtained with 125I-labeled HDP-1.
Multiple gravity-wave breaking levels

Gravity waves for which the expression /u(bar)-c/, where u(bar) = mean flow speed and c = wave phase speed, exhibits a sharp minimum in the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere, have decaying amplitudes above this level despite their exponentially decreasing mean density; this decay then ceases and growth resumes. If a gravity wave breaks below the level of /u(bar)-c/min, it will cease breaking above this level, while resuming breaking at some higher, second level which is a lower bound for the level of breaking in the mesosphere. Explicit calculations show the second breaking levels to be close to observed levels of mesospheric gravity wave breaking.
Combined effects of dough freezing and storage conditions on bread quality factors.

Abstract The combined effects of dough freezing rate, storage temperature and time on bread quality were studied. Yeasted bread dough was frozen using four freezing rates, and stored between −10 °C and −35 °C for up to 180 days. Dough stored at −10 °C or −20 °C and frozen at 18–39 °C/h resulted in higher specific volume and softer bread, but higher rates of staling, and was related to relatively high yeast activity. NMR studies showed that while frozen dough stored at −30 °C or −35 °C produced bread with lower volume, it also had reduced staling rates. Crust color was lighter and more uniform for slower frozen dough stored at −10 °C or −20 °C. Longer frozen dough storage produced darker, less uniform colored crust. Increased understanding of the combined effects of processing conditions is essential for producing better quality dough and bread. This research demonstrated that specific combinations of freezing rates and storage conditions contribute to better bread quality and staling.
Increasing heat transfer during condensation on surfaces via lubricant impregnation

The low contact angle hysteresis shown by superhydrophobic surfaces towards water has many interesting applications including condensation. However these useful properties can be lost during condensation. Water droplets randomly nucleate anywhere on the surface including in between the surface textures and grow while still remaining entrained in the texture. By using specially crafted textures, coalescence induced self-propulsion of droplets to eject them from the surface can be achieved; however surface textures are vulnerable to damage and defects. A new approach to prevent a droplet from attaining pinned state on surfaces with nano/micro textures has recently been introduced by impregnating surfaces with a liquid immiscible with the droplet such that the `Impregnating Lubricant' remains trapped on the surface forming a hybrid surface of liquid and solid. This work will focus on mechanics of condensation on such lubricant impregnated surfaces. We show that lubricants despite having ultra-smooth surfaces nevertheless show significant enhancement in nucleation as compared to solid surfaces with similar surface energy. Further we discuss the mechanisms behind the increase in heat transfer during condensation on such surfaces. Longevity of lubricant is a key aspect in application of these surfaces for industrial applications such as condensers, cooling systems, heat pipes etc. We report the mechanics of lubricant loss and how such losses can be minimized for long-term usage of such surfaces.
The Presence of Adsorbed Proteins on Particles Increases Aggregated Particle Sedimentation, as Measured by a Light Scattering Technique

Protein conformational changes are often induced when bound to surfaces and can modulate colloidal stability of protein coated particles in dispersion. We evaluated bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed onto polystyrene particles at room temperature. A z-axis translating laser light scattering device (ZATLLS) measured the sedimentation velocity of protein-coated particles tracking aggregation characteristics compared with non-coated ones. Sedimentation velocities of particles moving in the dispersion, and the resulting viscosity and density of the residual solution following sedimentation determined aggregate size in the dispersion using Stoke's law. Our experiments objectively show that albumin-coated polystyrene forms aggregates. Interestingly, coating particles with protein slows the sedimentation velocity which should correspond to a more dispersed system, but it leads to higher aggregate sizes due to the larger influence of proteins in solution raising solution viscosity. Protein-bound particles were o...
Power and values in corporate life

The role of power and its relation to values has become a topic of growing interest in business ethics as well as in the literature of management and the sociology of organizations. Though there is more interest in the role and potential for abuse of power in corporations, the concept of power drawn from classical political theory and initial behavioral studies of power in organizations is inadequate for understanding the place, complexity and ethics of power in the corporation. Analyses of power drawn from recent political theory can provide a more fine-grained and illuminating understanding of power than has been available from classical political theory and social science literature. I distinguish three approaches: the behavioral model commonly employed, the “ideological model” which comes out of the political theory of certain neo-Marxists, and what I call the “disciplinary model” drawn form Michel Foucault's analysis of modern forms of power. I suggest areas of working life and ethical issues about the relation between power and values that can be illuminated by these alternate analyses.
A Thermal Model of Laser Absorption

We give a closed-form expression for the temperature change induced by exposure to a continuous wave Gaussian laser under the assumption that no heat transfer occurs in the biological tissue. An explicit dependence of temperature change on fluence is established.
Histaminergic Activation of Endogenous Angiotensin II Fails to Inhibit Alcohol Intake in Rats

Demonstrations that alcohol intake can be inhibited by pharmacological activation of the renal renin-angiotensin system (RRA) or injection of angiotensin II (ANG II) in rats led to this study of a role for endogenous ANG II in inhibition of alcohol intake in rats. Relatively small doses of histamine, above threshold for eliciting drinking of water and activation of the RRA, were injected SC in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with access to 3.0% alcohol in 45-min one-bottle alcohol tests and in two-bottle tests in which alcohol and water were available at the midpoint of the 12-h dark phase. The 0.312 and 1.25 mg/kg doses of SC histamine elevated plasma renin activity to levels similar to those in rats that had just eaten food. Neither dose of histamine affected alcohol intake in one-bottle tests. A relatively large 10 mg/kg dose of histamine increased alcohol intake in a one-bottle test, but decreased alcohol intake and increased water intake in two-bottle tests. The inhibitory effect of the 10 mg/kg dose of histamine on alcohol intake was completely blocked by SC 10 mg/kg losartan, a selective AT1 angiotensin receptor antagonist. This 10 mg/kg dose of losartan given alone, however, failed to increase alcohol intake in one- or two-bottle tests. These results generally do not support a role for endogenous ANG II as an inhibitory physiological signal in the control of alcohol ingestion in rats, because histaminergic activation of RRA, using small but physiologically meaningful doses of histamine, failed to inhibit alcohol intake.
Towards hybrid last level caches for chip-multiprocessors

As CMP platforms are widely adopted, more and more cores are integrated on to the die. To reduce the off-chip memory access, the last level cache is usually organized as a distributed shared cache. In order to avoid hot-spots, cache lines are interleaved across the distributed shared cache slices using a hash function. However, as we increase the number of cores and cache slices in the platform, this also implies that most of data references go to remote cache slices, thereby increasing the access latency significantly. In this paper, we propose a hybrid last level cache, which has some amount of private space and some amount of shared space on each cache slice. For workloads with no sharing, the goal is to provide more hits into the local slice while still keeping the overall miss rate low. For workloads with sufficient sharing, the goal is to allow more sharing in the last-level cache slice. We present hybrid last-level cache design options and study its hit/miss rate behavior for a number of important server applications and multi-programmed workloads. Our simulation results on running multi-programmed workloads based on SPEC CINT2000 as well as multithreaded workloads based on commercial server benchmarks (TPCC, SPECjbb, SAP and TPCE) show that this architecture is advantageous especially since it can improve the local hit rate significantly while keeping the overall miss rate similar to the shared cache.