cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear size regulation: from single cells to development and disease

Cell size varies greatly among different cell types and organisms, especially during early development when cell division is rapid with little overall growth. A fundamental question is how organelle size is regulated relative to cell size. The nucleus exhibits exquisite size scaling during development and between species, and nuclear size is often altered in cancer cells. Recent studies have elucidated mechanisms of nuclear size regulation in a variety of experimental systems, opening the door to future research on how nuclear size impacts upon cell and nuclear function and subnuclear organization. In this review we discuss studies that have clarified nuclear size control mechanisms and how these results have or will contribute to our understanding of the functional significance of nuclear size.
Importance of Higher Order Scattering in a Molecular Atmosphere

Results of computations of the intensity, degree of polarization, and the direction of polarization of the radiation transmitted after one, two, and three scatterings according to Rayleigh’s law, are presented for the case of a plane-parallel, homogeneous atmosphere of finite optical thickness. They clearly show that the inclusion of the first three orders of scattering is essential even when the normal scattering optical thickness of the atmosphere is of the order of 0.2. For still higher optical thicknesses, the present step-by-step treatment is not satisfactory, as it is necessary to include several higher orders of scattering. The anisotropic nature of the scattering air molecules should also be taken into account for obtaining reliable theoretical results, especially when the optical thickness is small.
A fully convex Banach space which does not have the Banach-Saks property

Let k 2 2 be an integer. A Banach space X is said to be fully k-convex (kR) if for every sequence {xn> in X, lim,,,,..,n,, o. (l/k) II&l, + ... + x,,J = 1 implies that {xn} is a Cauchy sequence in X. It is known [S] that every uniformly convex space is 2R and that every kR space is reflexive. It is also known [3, 51 that there are 2R spaces which are not superreflexive. Milman [ 10, p. 973 has raised the question whether every reflexive space is isomorphic to a 2R space. A Banach space X is said to have the Banach-Saks property (BS) if for every bounded sequence {x,} in X, there exists a subsequence {y,} of (xn} such that the Cesaro means, { (l/n)( y, + . . . + y,}, of { yn} is convergent in X. It is known that [7] all superreflexive spaces have the (BS) and that [ 1 l] every Banach space with (BS) is reflexive. However, there exist (e.g., [1]) reflexive Banach spaces which do not have the (BS). It is also known [12] that there are Banach spaces with the (BS) which are not superreflexive. Since the (BS) is invariant under isomorphism, it is natural to ask whether every kR space has the (BS). An affirmative answer would yield a negative solution to Milman’s question. The purpose of the paper is to renorm Baernstein’s space [ 1 ] so that it is 2R. Therefore, kR spaces do not necessarily have the (BS). We shall need the following characterization of kR spaces. For the proof when k = 2, see [S, 6, S].
Secreted Phospholipase A2 Involvement in Neurodegeneration: Differential Testing of Prosurvival and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Enzyme Inhibition

There is increased interest in the contribution of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) enzymes to neurodegenerative diseases. Systemic treatment with the nonapeptide CHEC-9, a broad spectrum uncompetitive inhibitor of sPLA2, has been shown previously to inhibit neuron death and aspects of the inflammatory response in several models of neurodegeneration. A persistent question in studies of sPLA2 inhibitors, as for several other anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective compounds, is whether the cell protection is direct or due to slowing of the toxic aspects of the inflammatory response. To further explore this issue, we developed assays using SY5Y (neuronal cells) and HL-60 (monocytes) cell lines and examined the effects of sPLA2 inhibition on these homogeneous cell types in vitro. We found that the peptide inhibited sPLA2 enzyme activity in both SY5Y and HL-60 cultures. This inhibition provided direct protection to SY5Y neuronal cells and their processes in response to several forms of stress including exposure to conditioned medium from HL-60 cells. In cultures of HL-60 cells, sPLA2 inhibition had no effect on survival of the cells but attenuated their differentiation into macrophages, with regard to process development, phagocytic ability, and the expression of differentiation marker CD36, as well as the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. These results suggest that sPLA2 enzyme activity organizes a cascade of changes comprising both cell degeneration and inflammation, processes that could theoretically operate independently during neurodegenerative conditions. The effectiveness of sPLA2 inhibitor CHEC-9 may be due to its ability to affect both processes in isolation. Testing potential anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective compounds with these human cell lines and their conditioned media may provide a useful screening tool prior to in vivo therapeutic applications.
Estimations of stress intensity factor for a short crack in an elastic–plastic notch

Abstract This note presents a simple method for estimating the stress intensity factor (SIF) for a short crack emanating from an elastic–plastic notch.
Consequences of worksite hypertension screening: Differential changes in psychosocial function

To evaluate reports of psychosocial dysfunction after worksite screening, a three-stage blood pressure screening was performed using standardized screening and labeling procedures. Of a heterogeneous group of 5,888 workers, 296 with sustained hypertension were identified and randomly assigned to traditional arousal or reassurance debriefings, matching each hypertensive subject with one to three normotensive control subjects on eight sociodemographic and occupational variables. Subjects exhibiting absenteeism increases or persistent hypertension six months after screening were randomly assigned to worksite health education programs or no intervention. After adjustment for values among matched control subjects, previously unaware hypertensive subjects had significant post-screening decreases in anxiety that were significantly associated with specific worksites and with reassurance rather than traditional debriefing (p less than 0.05). The health education program did not significantly affect anxiety, blood pressure, or absenteeism. Increased absenteeism was associated with higher baseline anxiety levels (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that worksite hypertension screening produces minimal adverse psychosocial changes, reassurance debriefing may be beneficial, and unspecified worksite characteristics may determine consequences of similar preventive medicine efforts.
Residential Electricity Demand in Rural Areas: The Role of Conservation Actions, Engineering Factors and Economic Variables

A model of residential electricity demand using economic, engineering, and conservation variables was tested using data from a sample of rural residential customers served by eighteen rural electric membership cooperatives in central and southern Indiana. Electricity usage was found to be dependent upon past energy conservation efforts, even when household income, electricity prices, appliance stocks, space heating and cooling stocks, and housing characteristics were taken into account. The investigation also developed a ranking of receptivity to alternative conservation strategies. It supports public and private policies which are directed toward improving consumer attitudes toward energy conservation.
Examining the Wet Nurse: Breasts, Power, and Penetration in Victorian England

Picking up a Victorian domestic advice manual, one does not expect to encounter a scene in which a woman’s breasts and nipples are described in great detail. Opening a Victorian novel, one does not...
Spatial variations in and controls on the calcite saturation index in Acton Lake, Ohio

SUMMARY. 1 Acton Lake is a small, hardwater, eutrophic reservoir located in the southwestern corner of Ohio. Over a period of 5 weeks in mid-summer 1979, water samples were collected from the lake and its streams and analyzed for seven major ionic species and for temperature, dissolved O2, pH and conductivity. Geochemically the waters are characterized by high calcium and bicarbonate concentrations. 2 Data obtained on all samples were used to compute calcite saturation indices (SI) and to map the spatial distribution of this function throughout the system. The saturation indices were corrected for activity and ion pairing effects and yet are still to our knowledge among the highest values reported for a natural water. 3 The good correlations obtained between the SI and both the pH and dissolved oxygen clearly indicate that biological activity is the dominant control on the degree of saturation in this largely isothermal lake. To account for the extreme departure from chemical equilibrium, it is proposed that dissolved organic matter may be poisoning freshly formed calcite surfaces and preventing them from serving as effective nucleation centers.
Hormonal regulation of the rous sarcoma virus src gene via a heterologous promoter defines a threshold dose for cellular transformation

We have derived rat cell lines producing different and regulatable amounts of pp60v-src by introducing the src gene of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) under the control of the glucocorticoid-responsive transcriptional promoter from the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). We find that the cellular phenotype is strictly dependent upon the dose of pp60v-src with a distinct threshold for changes indicative of neoplastic potential. Cells with low constitutive levels of pp60v-src are not phenotypically distinguishable from cells without v-src, but as little as a 4-fold increment in pp60v-src produces morphological transformation and anchorage-independent growth. These properties of the transformed state are achieved at levels of pp60v-src far below levels found in an RSV-transformed cell line, without detectable increase in phosphorylation of the major cellular target for tyrosine phosphorylation.
Surviving Incarceration: Two Prison-Based Peer Programs Build Communities of Support for Female Offenders

Both men and women adopt various roles in the inmate subculture to survive the pains of imprisonment. It is assumed that one reason females feel the pains of imprisonment more harshly than males is because of the difficulty in being separated from their family and children. To ameliorate the pains of separation, female inmates re-create their lost family in prison. Recent works have found that the nature of America's female prison “pseudo family” may be evolving, and correspondingly, diminishing in importance. Since one's associates in prison can affect institutional adjustment, being associated with a supportive social network can prevent periods of maladjustment. This exploratory study, based on the narratives of 49 female offenders, examined the effects of two HIV prison-based peer programs on inmate peers in New York State and its unique ability to help these female offenders cope with the pains of incarceration. The author found that such programs provided leadership, support, and guidance for female...
Social movements and the transition to democracy

The theory of collective action can and has been applied when people excluded from the polity oppose the authorities on the redress of wrongs and matters of public policy using both conventional and unconventional means. The theory specifies four macro‐societal conditions for social movements ‐ dissatisfaction, ideology, capacity to mobilize, and opportunity ‐ and a micro‐model of participation by challengers in opposition actions such as petitions, protests, demonstrations, and strikes. The benefits and costs of participation depend largely on the expectations of challengers of how many others will join. The third component of the theory is a conflict dynamic between challengers and targets, the movement participants and the authorities. Applied to the overthrow of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989 and to the transition to democracy or to an authoritarian regime, the theory explains how popular movements without prior leadership and organization toppled seemingly powerful regimes. It explains h...
The Political Economy of Public Goods: Why Economists Should Care

The intent of this article is to encourage economists to analyze questions of public involvement in the array of public and private activities where public participation is an issue. The scope encompasses goods and services where there is the most universal acceptance of public involvement and extends into less clear distinctions of quasi-public goods and merit goods. The concern here is not so much with the definition and bounding of different categories of goods and services as with the need for considered analysis and assessment of such goods. It is increasingly important to understand public and related goods as public perception changes and public and private resources are being shifted between them. What we have is a continuum with pure public goods at one end of the continuum and pure private goods at the other end. The public and policy makers regularly make judgments about the public and private provision of goods and services on the basis of perceptions about the nature, cost, and efficacy of such goods. In recent years public perceptions have shifted and redefined public goods more as private goods. If economists can clarify, rationalize, and determine the cost effectiveness of different approaches to providing such goods, then they need to engage in the analysis of these public and quasi-public goods and assess whether they are appropriate for public expenditure, privatization, or some combined support between the two extremes. Wassily Leontief's presidential address "Theoretical Assumptions and Nonobserved Facts" (p. 1) delivered in 1970 to the American Economics Association is a good starting point
Casimir force between a dielectric sphere and a wall: A model for amplification of vacuum fluctuations

The interaction between a polarizable particle and a reflecting wall is examined. A macroscopic approach is adopted in which the averaged force is computed from the Maxwell stress tensor. The particular case of a perfectly reflecting wall and a sphere with a dielectric function given by the Drude model is examined in detail. It is found that the force can be expressed as the sum of a monotonically decaying function of position and of an oscillatory piece. At large separations, the oscillatory piece is the dominant contribution and is much larger than the Casimir-Polder interaction that arises in the limit that the sphere is a perfect conductor. It is argued that this enhancement of the force can be interpreted in terms of the frequency spectrum of vacuum fluctuations. In the limit of a perfectly conducting sphere, there are cancellations between different parts of the spectrum that no longer occur as completely in the case of a sphere with frequency-dependent polarizability. Estimates of the magnitude of the oscillatory component of the force suggest that it may be large enough to be observable.
Leadership and innovation among teams: The impact of empowerment.

This study investigated the effects of leader-empowering behavior on the level of innovation among professional project teams. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase I used extensive field-based interviews to develop measures of leader-empowering behavior and team-level innovation. Phase II applied the scales to test the relationship between the two variables. Ratings of team-level innovation were supplied by the principals of 20 firms. Ratings of leader-empowering behavior were supplied by members of 60 teams within the 20firms. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between leaders 'empowering behavior and evaluations of team innovation made by the finns' principals. The study identifies explicit behaviors managers can employ to stimulate innovation among teams.
Lithostratigraphy determined from discriminant analysis of geochemical well logs from the Cajon Pass Scientific Drillhole, California

Geochemical well logs recorded in the Cajon Pass Scientific drillhole provide an estimate of the elemental concentrations of Si, Al, Fe, Ca, K, Th, Ti, S, and the HREE Gd. The continuous geochemical profiles were used to define a lithostratigraphy in the cystalline basement from 501 to 1,829 m. The interval between the faulted top of basement and a thrust fault at 689 m consists of six alternating slivers of granite and granodiorite. Interlayered granitic and granodioritic units were then encountered to another fault at 1290 m, whereas gneisses of granitic to tonalitic composition were logged in the basal portion of the hole. Linear discriminant analysis of major element chemistry, as well as variations in Gd, Th, Ti, and S, were used to demonstrate that each of the major lithostratigraphic units is chemically distinct. Different trace element signatures and variable degrees of metamorphism indicate a complex thermal and hydrological history for the basement rocks encountered in the Cajon Pass well.
Degradation of polyester film in alkali solution

In recent years there has been a remarkable growth in coatings technology, yet polymer-coated metals still corrode when they are exposed to severe environments. If the effectiveness of polymer coatings is to be increased, it is essential to understand the microstructure of polymer coating film and the changes that occur to the film upon environmental exposure, and relate the changes to the protective performance of coatings. The degradation of a polyester immersed in alkali solution has been investigated using a number of analytical techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM), liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). AFM was used to characterize the heterogeneous phase in the unexposed films and films exposed to alkali solution. Film roughness was found to increase with aging of the film in alkali medium. Total organic carbon analysis of the leached aqueous medium showed the presence of organic compounds, suggesting a chemical degradation of the film in alkali medium. FTIR analysis of the leached medium showed evidence for the formation of carboxylate species upon degradation of polyester film in alkali solution, while LC/MS analysis of the leached medium confirmed the presence of isophthalic acid and sodium isophthalate. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2454–2463, 2000
Degradation of the vegetation cover as exemplified by the arid foothill areas of the greater caucasus within Azerbaijan

Field observations were used in compiling the map for contemporary vegetation of the Acinour-Ceyrancol foothill areas having regard to the altered floristic composition of steppe and semidesert plant communities. The study revealed a decrease in the area occupied by juniper sparse forests and riparian forests. It is found that a severe anthropogenic influence in this area leads to desertification and degradation of landscapes.
Comparison of the Structures of Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine in the Presence and Absence of Cholesterol by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out on bilayers consisting of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine dihydrate (DMPC) and DMPC−cholesterol at a 1:1 mole ratio. The calculations were carried out under NPT conditions (constant number of molecules, pressure and temperature, with volume and bilayer area per molecule free to change). Raising the simulation temperature from 200 to 325 K caused the surface area per DMPC molecule to increase from 39 to 50 A2 in the pure bilayer; the area per heterodimer of DMPC and cholesterol increased from 79 to 91 A2 for the same temperature range. The properties of the high-temperature state approximates that of a liquid crystalline array, although the area per molecule in the pure DMPC bilayer remains smaller than the experimentally determined value of 65−69 A2. The number of gauche bonds, the P−N vector angle distribution, and the internal dipole potential are also reported for the simulated liquid crystalline state in the presence and absence of cholesterol.
Polyphenolic and antioxidant changes during storage of normal, mid, and high oleic acid peanuts

Abstract The quality of dry roasted peanuts is highly dependent on storage conditions for preventing oxidation of fatty acids; however, changes in polyphenolics affecting antioxidant capacity due to co-oxidative reactions are unknown. The objective of this work was to evaluate oxidative stability of polyphenolics in peanut kernels with naturally varying rates of lipid oxidation. Three peanut varieties containing varying levels of oleic acid (normal, mid, and high) were dry roasted and evaluated for phytochemical changes over four months of storage at 20 and 35 °C; analyses included peroxide value, total and individual phenolics and antioxidant capacity. The normal oleic acid peanuts suffered up to 2.6-fold and mid-oleic acid peanuts 2-fold more lipid oxidation than the high-oleic acid peanuts stored at 35 °C. Changes in total soluble phenolics were initially similar among cultivars, but antioxidant capacity was found to decrease by 62%, on average, during storage at 35 °C, independently of rates of lipid oxidation. Free p -coumaric acid, three esterified derivatives of p -coumaric, and two esterified derivatives of hydroxybenzoic acid were the predominant polyphenolics present and their rates of change were similar among cultivars and independent of storage time or temperature. The high-oleic acid content was essential for prevention of lipid oxidation, but data indicated that co-oxidative reactions, affecting polyphenolic content during storage, were not great enough to significantly alter antioxidant capacity.
Genetic studies on glutathione-dependent reactions in resistant strains of the house fly, Musca domestica L☆

Abstract Genetic studies of glutathione-dependent reactions were conducted with a diazinon-resistant house fly strain in which resistance is controlled primarily by genes on chromsome II. The resistant strain was crossed with a susceptible strain which had mutant markers on chromosomes II, III, and V, and the F 1 was backcrossed to the susceptible strain. Glutathione transferase activities of the resultant eight phenotypes were measured using 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene, methyl iodide, and γ-benzene hexachloride as substrates. High levels of all these activities are controlled by gene(s) on chromosome II. Further analysis was made by introducing diazinon resistance into a susceptible strain via genetic crossing-over. Intermediate activity levels for 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene and methyl iodide conjugations were introduced along with intermediate levels of resistance. Assays of individual flies of the synthesized strain revealed they were heterogeneous for glutathione-dependent activities, consisting of individuals with low, intermediate, and high transferase activity. Based on these results, high levels of the glutathione-dependent enzymes are not a major biochemical mechanism responsible for diazinon resistance. It was also demonstrated that glutathione S -aryltransferase and S -alkyltransferase in the house fly, as measured with 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene and methyl iodide, are inseparable genetically and may, therefore, be the same enzyme.
Parameters of the circadian rhythm of pineal melatonin secretion affecting reproductive responses in Siberian hamsters.

Abstract The major function of the mammalian pineal gland appears to be its central role in photoperiodism. The pineal hormone, melatonin, is synthesized and secreted primarily at night, under the control of a circadian oscillator that is entrained to the light-dark cycle. Both the circadian phase and the duration of the nocturnal peak of melatonin secretion are established primarily by interactions between the endogenous circadian oscillator and the daily photic cycle. The duration of the melatonin peak varies inversely with day length, and this relationship between day length and the duration of each circadian melatonin peak appears to be an integral part of the photoperiodic mechanism. When pinealectomized animals are given daily melatonin infusions of long duration, they exhibit physiologic responses that normally are observed during exposure to short day photoperiods; when administered short-duration melatonin infusions, the animals display long photoperiod-type responses. In addition to the importance of the duration of each melatonin peak, certain other parameters appear to be significant. If a long-duration infusion of melatonin is interrupted by a period of 2 hours or more without melatonin (i.e., to produce two short duration infusions), the responses are those typical for long day-exposed animals. Thus, to elicit short day-type responses, each long-duration melatonin peak must he relatively continuous; responses are not determined simply by the total time of exposure to melatonin in each circadian cycle. Also, long-duration melatonin peaks may not he effective to elicit photoperiod-type responses unless they are present at frequencies of nearly once every 24 hours or more.
Roles and strategies of state organizations related to school-based physical education and physical activity policies

School-based physical education (PE) and physical activity (PA) policies can improve PA levels of students and promote health. Studies of policy implementation, communication, monitoring, enforcement, and evaluation are lacking. To describe how states implement, communicate, monitor, enforce, and evaluate key school-based PE and PA policies, researchers interviewed 24 key informants from state-level organizations in 9 states, including representatives from state departments of health and education, state boards of education, and advocacy/professional organizations. These states educate 27% of the US student population. Key informants described their organizations’ roles in addressing 14 school-based PE and PA state laws and regulations identified by the Bridging the Gap research program and the National Cancer Institute’s Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.) system. On average, states had 4 of 14 school-based PE and PA laws and regulations, and more than one-half of respondents reported different policies in practice besides the “on the books” laws. Respondents more often reported roles implementing and communicating policies compared with monitoring, enforcing, and evaluating them. Implementation and communication strategies used included training, technical assistance, and written communication of policy to local education agency administrators and teachers. State-level organizations have varying roles in addressing school-based PE and PA policies. Opportunities exist to focus
Applying the Hopfield Neural Network to the Solution of the Temperature Distribution Field in Heat Conduction Problems

This article employs the continuous-time analog Hopfield neural network (CHNN) to compute the temperature distribution in one- and two-dimensional transient heat conduction problems. The relationship between the CHNN synaptic connection weights and the governing equations of the problems is established and a corresponding network connectivity circuit design scheme proposed. The CHNN algorithm is initially applied to the solution of conventional problems and is then used to solve more complicated problems involving time-varying heat flux profiles. The results confirm that the CHNN scheme provides an accurate means of solving the transient temperature distributions of heat conduction problems on a real-time basis.
A high-contrast coronagraph for the MMT using phase apodization: design and observations at 5 microns and 2 λ/ D radius

We report on the first implementation of phase apodization for high-contrast imaging at close inner working angle. It is designed for use in the 5 micron M band with the adaptive optics system at the MMT, which uses a deformable secondary for low thermal background and achieves a Strehl ratio of 90% at 5 microns. The method uses a diamond-turned ZnSe phase plate located at a cold pupil stop to diffract starlight into an "anti-halo" which suppresses the Airy diffraction pattern over a semi-circular region around the star. The design was optimized for strong suppression from the first bright Airy ring out to the control radius achievable with the MMT deformable secondary, about 9 λ/D. The time-averaged PSF of a bright star agrees well with the design profile, the core with FWHM of 0.18 arcsec showing the diffraction-limited resolution of the full aperture. At 0.34 arcsec radius (2 λ/D) the floor level is 3.5x10-3 of the central peak, limited by residual atmospheric errors with 3 m wavelength across the aperture. The measured fluctuations at this radius averaged over 20 seconds are 2.5x10-4 rms (9 magnitudes down from the peak). With the addition of active feedback to control residual speckles caused by static wavefront errors and with longer exposures, we project that exoplanet searches should reach 5 σ sensitivity level > 10 magnitudes in an hour of integration.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Police chiefs' perceptions of the regulation of firearms.

Background This national study assessed police chiefs’ support for various types of firearm control measures, perceptions regarding firearms as a public health problem, and the likelihood of initiating firearm control advocacy activities. Methods A 29-item survey instrument was developed to assess respondents’ likelihood of firearm policy support, interest, exposure, involvement with firearm control advocacy, and demographic and background characteristics. The survey was sent out in spring 2005 using a three-wave mailing to a national random sample of 600 police chiefs in cities with populations greater than 25,000 in 2002 and 2003. Results The majority of responding police chiefs supported 11 out of 14 proposed firearm control policies. Most police chiefs (62%) believed that the government should do everything it can to keep handguns out of the hands of criminals, even if it makes it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase handguns. Police chiefs were not likely to participate in the majority of firearm control advocacy activities. The advocacy activities that police chiefs were most likely to participate in were meeting with state legislators (52%) and writing a letter to a legislator in relation to gun control (44%). Conclusions Police chiefs support several potentially important firearm control policies. This suggests the need to evaluate interventions aimed at increasing their role in shaping policy on this important public health issue.
Recent metformin ingestion does not increase in-hospital morbidity or mortality after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative treatment of type 2 diabetes with metformin, an oral hypoglycemic drug, is thought to increase the risk of life-threatening postoperative lactic acidosis. In contrast, metformin improves serum glucose control and has beneficial cardiovascular effects, which may decrease the risk of adverse outcomes. In this investigation we sought to determine the influence of metformin treatment on mortality and morbidity compared with treatment with other oral hypoglycemic drugs in diabetic patients undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: In this retrospective investigation, 1284 diabetic patients, with recent oral hypoglycemic ingestion (presumed to be 8-24 h preoperatively), underwent cardiac surgery from 1994-2004. Propensity scores were calculated from a logistic model which included baseline characteristics and perioperative variables. Four-hundred-forty-three (85%) of the metformin-treated patients were matched on nearest propensity score using greedy matching techniques with 443 nonmetformin-treated patients. Postoperative outcomes were compared between matched metformin- and nonmetformin-treated patients. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality, cardiac, renal, and neurologic morbidities were similar between groups. Metformin-treated patients had less postoperative prolonged tracheal intubation [OR (95% CI), 0.3 (0.1, 0.7), P = 0.003], infection [0.2 (0.1, 0.7), P = 0.007] and overall morbidities [0.4 (0.2, 0.8), P = 0.005]. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that recent metformin ingestion is not associated with increased risk of adverse outcome in cardiac surgical patients. Alternatively, metformin treatment may have beneficial effects.
Revolting bodies, hysterical state: women protesting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958)

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958) (AFSPA) has been debilitating for people in Manipur, already struggling with socio-economic and political marginalisation since independence. The consistent erasure of Manipur by an apathetic and forgetful ‘mainland’ India provides the political impetus for anti-state groups demanding autonomy. The people of the state are, however, ambivalent about taking sides, having experienced the violence engendered by both factions. It is within this complexity that I situate my study of the AFSPA. My paper will elaborate on a theory of haunting, a metaphor I evoke to address this complexity of postcolonial modernity and its silences, by focusing on the protesting icons of the Meira Paibi and Irom Sharmila. Examining the idea of haunting provides us with a vocabulary to push at the limits of rationality that both political movements and social sciences rely upon; haunting, then, is both a methodology and a theme that might help us account for lived realities that are far fr...
Topics in theory of the analytic hierarchy process: Opportunities and limitations of AHP in multiobjective programming

The Analytic Hierarchy Process is a useful tool for multiobjective decision making in its own right. In addition, it has the potential for expediting multiple objective programming analyses. Multiple objective programming techniques face the problem of a large (if not infinite) number of alternatives. Generally, the problem involves optimizing some unexpressed utility function over a feasible region. AHP provides a useful means of obtaining an initial linear approximation of this unexpressed utility function, with the potential of expediting the MOP analysis. Other benefits include enhancing decision maker learning through use of the consistency measure. Problems discussed are the impact of comparing many objectives, the sensitivity of the consistency index, and the use of the eigen vector as a literal estimator of utility.
Structure of Metallathiacycles: Planar vs Nonplanar Geometries. A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation

Since the previously reported results of Fenske−Hall molecular orbital calculations suggested that the bent metallacycle geometries observed in transition-metal-inserted thiophene complexes do not result from electronic properties, molecular mechanics calculations were employed to explore how steric factors could influence ring geometries. These calculations have identified steric factors responsible for the observed ring deformations in (C5Me5)Rh(PMe3)(η2-C,S-2,5-Me2C4H2S) and benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene analogs. The results of the molecular mechanics calculations have been supported by X-ray structural characterization of the products formed via insertion of the reactive 16-electron metal fragment [(C5Me5)Rh(PMe3)] into the C−S bonds of unsubstituted thiophene, benzothiophene, and dibenzothiophene. The parent thiophene complex, unlike the previously reported ring-substituted analog (and as predicted by the molecular mechanics calculations) is found to adopt a planar six-membered ring structure. ...
Adsorption and decomposition of water on Si(100): a TPD and SSIMS study

Abstract The adsorption and decomposition of water (D 2 O) on Si(100) has been studied using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and static secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SSIMS). At 100 K. D 2 O adsorbs both molecularly and dissociatively, forming SiOD and SiD; dissociative adsorption dominates at low exposures. Molecularly adsorbed D 2 O, when present in small amounts, dissociates between 100 and 200 K to form additional SiOD and SiD. At high coverages (monolayer and multilayer), molecular desorption at 170 K dominates. When the dissociative adsorption channel is nearly saturated, a new saturable D 2 O TPD peak appears (225 K). Although thermal decomposition of SiOD, to form Si-O-Si and SiD, starts as low as 300 K, most SiOD decomposes between 500 and 750 K with an activation energy of 16.5 ± 1.5 kcal/mol and a pre-exponential factor of 10 4.2 ± 0.5 s −1 , Most SiD decomposes to yield gaseous D 2 between 750 and 850 K. A small fraction (10%), probably hydrogen-bonded to nonbridge-bonded oxygen defects ('O-Si), is, however, more stable and decomposes, releasing D 2 , between 850 and 1000 K. Surface O atoms desorb as silicon oxide between 850 and 1000 K. In contrast to earlier reports, our results imply that an H-free silicon oxide layer cannot be prepared under UHV conditions through wet-oxidation of Si(100).
The dopaminergic inhibition of LH secretion during the menstrual cycle

To assess the potential inhibitory role of hypothalamic dopaminergic input on the LRF-LH system, the gonadotropin response to a dopamine receptor antagonist, metoclopramid (MCP, 10 mg iv bolus) was examined during different phases of the menstrual cycle in 12 women. In addition, the role of dopamine infusion on naloxone (opiate receptor antagonist) induced LH increments was examined. MCP induced an abrupt increase in circulating LH levels in the mid-luteal phases but not in the early and late follicular phase subjects. No significant changes in serum FSH levels were observed. Dopamine, when infused concomitantly with naloxone, completely suppressed the naloxone induced pulsatile increments of LH in mid-luteal subjects. These findings support the contention that an increased dopaminergic inhibition of LRF-LH system occurs during the high estrogen-progesterone phase of the menstrual cycle, and provide preliminary evidence that the inhibitory role of endogenous opioids on LRF release may involve the dopaminergic system.
Derangements in peripheral glucose and oxygen utilization induced by catabolic hormones

OBJECTIVE To assess if the derangements in peripheral glucose, lactate, and oxygen utilization that are observed in severely injured patients are due to the hormonal response to injury or are related to the extent of the wound. DESIGN Comparison study. INTERVENTIONS The catabolic hormones epinephrine, cortisol, and glucagon were infused simultaneously into the femoral artery of six healthy volunteers, thus simulating the hormonal milieu associated with severe trauma in an uninjured leg. SETTING Clinical research center at a university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS Young, adult males deemed healthy by screening medical history, physical examination, and blood chemistries. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Substrate net balance and indirect calorimetry measurements were performed before and then at the completion of 2 hrs of catabolic hormone infusion. Catabolic hormones elicited significant increases in leg glucose uptake and oxidation, and an increased net efflux from the leg of lactate and alanine. While leg oxygen delivery also increased, catabolic hormones failed to alter peripheral oxygen consumption. CONCLUSIONS Catabolic hormones can elicit a similar peripheral metabolic response in an uninjured leg as that reported previously by Wilmore et al. in severely burned extremities. This finding suggests that the hormonal milieu associated with severe injury is influential in regulating peripheral glucose and oxygen utilization and that wound inflammation is not an essential component of this response.
The role of context in contextualism

According to a view widely held by epistemic contextualists, the truth conditions of a knowledge claim depend on features of the context such as the presuppositions, interests and purposes of the conversational participants. Against this view, I defend an intentionalist account, according to which the truth conditions of a knowledge attribution are determined by the speaker’s intention. I show that an intentionalist version of contextualism has several advantages over its more widely accepted rival account.
Windows into development: Historic, current, and future perspectives on transgenic zebrafish

The recent explosion of transgenic zebrafish lines in the literature demonstrates the value of this model system for detailed in vivo analysis of gene regulation and morphogenetic movements. The optical clarity and rapid early development of zebrafish provides the ability to follow these events as they occur in live, developing embryos. This article will review the development of transgenic technology in zebrafish as well as the current and future uses of transgenic zebrafish to explore the dynamic environment of the developing vertebrate embryo.
Immune function in congenital osteopetrosis: defective lymphocyte function in microphthalmic mice.

Osteopetrosis is a prominent feature of a congenital mutation described in microphthalmic mice and is thought to be due to defective osteoclast function which causes a generalized lack of bone resorption. Reversal of defective bone resorption in osteopetrotic mutants has been achieved by hematopoietic cell trans-plantations; and conversely, defective bone resorption has been transferred to normals by hematopoietic cells from osteopetrotic littermates. This suggested that osteopetrotic mutants might also demonstrate defective immune functions which could in turn be related to the lack of normal bone resorption. To that end, aspects of invitro lymphocyte function in microphthalmic mice were compared to those of their phenotypically normal littermates. There was a significant diminution in the proliferative response of splenocytes to mitogens in microphthalmic mice. Microphthalmic splenocytes also were less responsive in an invitro assay which measured the capacity to form antibody forming cells.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Is Associated with Tissue-Specific Differences in Insulin Resistance

Objective: The potential differential contributions of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue to whole body insulin resistance were evaluated in subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Research Design and Methods: Forty-two PCOS subjects and 15 body mass index-matched control subjects were studied. Insulin action was evaluated by the hyperinsulinemic/euglycemic clamp procedure. Isolated adipocytes and cultured muscle cells were analyzed for glucose transport activity; adipocytes, muscle tissue, and myotubes were analyzed for the expression and phosphorylation of insulin-signaling proteins. Results: Fifty-seven per cent of the PCOS subjects had impaired glucose tolerance and the lowest rate of maximal insulin-stimulated whole body glucose disposal compared to controls (P < 0.01). PCOS subjects with normal glucose tolerance had intermediate reduction in glucose disposal rate (P < 0.05 vs. both control and impaired glucose tolerance subjects). However, rates of maximal insulin-stimulated glucose transpor...
Experimental and Theoretical Results in Interactive Orthogonal Graph Drawing

Interactive Graph Drawing allows the user to dynamically interact with a drawing as the design progresses while preserving the user's mental map. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of Relative-Coordinates and an extensive experimental study comparing the performance of two interactive orthogonal graph drawing scenaria: No-Change, and Relative-Coordinates. Our theoretical analysis found that the Relative-Coordinates scenario builds a drawing that has no more than 3n−1 bends, while the area of the drawing is never larger than 2.25n2. Also, no edge has more than 3 bends at any time during the drawing process. To conduct the experiments, we used a large set of test data consisting of 11,491 graphs (ranging from 6 to 100 nodes) and compared the behavior of the above two scenaria with respect to various aesthetic properties (e.g., area, bends, crossings, edge length, etc) of the corresponding drawings. The Relative-Coordinates scenario was a winner over No-Change under any aesthetic measure considered in our experiments. Moreover, the practical behavior of the two scenaria was considerably better than the established theoretical bounds, in most cases.
Race, Religious Involvement, and Feelings of Personal Control in Middle and Late Life

Research on differences in personal control among Blacks and Whites is conflicted. The purpose of this study is to see if differences in feelings of control between Blacks and Whites can be attributed to race differences in the use of religious resources. Developing a close relationship with God serves as the focal measure of religious involvement. The data come from a nationwide survey of middle-aged and older Blacks and Whites in the United States. A second-order factor model is embedded in a larger latent variable model that assesses the relationships among race, a close relationship with God, and feelings of personal control. The findings suggest that Blacks have a stronger sense of control than Whites. Moreover, a significant portion of these race differences can be attributed to the fact that Blacks are more likely than Whites to report they have a close relationship with God.
Do our children become healthier and wiser? A study of the effect of Medicaid coverage on school absenteeism.

Children make up nearly half of Medicaid enrollees. While the impact of Medicaid coverage on the use of medical care has been extensively examined, few studies have addressed the impact of Medicaid on children's health and schooling. This article reports estimates of the effect of Medicaid enrollment on children's school absenteeism. Schooling is a particularly important outcome because it influences children's productivity and earnings as adults. I use panel data from five years of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the impact of Medicaid enrollment on the number of school absences in reduced form and structural equation models. The structural model includes equations for children's medical care use, health status, and school absences. Econometric methods employed include instrumental variable techniques, fixed effects estimation, and coarsened exact matching. I find that children with Medicaid coverage have significantly more doctor visits, doctor visits are significantly associated with b...
Nonlinear structured-illumination microscopy: Wide-field fluorescence imaging with theoretically unlimited resolution

Contrary to the well known diffraction limit, the fluorescence microscope is in principle capable of unlimited resolution. The necessary elements are spatially structured illumination light and a nonlinear dependence of the fluorescence emission rate on the illumination intensity. As an example of this concept, this article experimentally demonstrates saturated structured-illumination microscopy, a recently proposed method in which the nonlinearity arisesfromsaturationoftheexcitedstate.Thismethodcanbeused in a simple, wide-field (nonscanning) microscope, uses only a single, inexpensive laser, and requires no unusual photophysical properties of the fluorophore. The practical resolving power is determined by the signal-to-noise ratio, which in turn is limited by photobleaching. Experimental results show that a 2D point resolution of <50 nm is possible on sufficiently bright and photostable samples.
Approximations for a class of volterra integro-differential equations

We compare an internal state method and a direct Runge-Kutta method for solving Volterra integro-differential equations and Volterra delay differential equations. The internal state method requires the kernel of the Volterra integral to be realizable as an impulse response function. We discover that when applicable, the internal state method is orders of magnitude more efficient than the direct numerical method. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the methods and in the cases where both methods are applicable comparisions of the results are included.