cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results from the AMANDA experiment

The Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) has been taking data since 2000 and its data acquisition system was upgraded in January 2003 to read out the complete digitized waveforms from the buried Photomultipliers (PMTs) using Transient Waveform Recorders (TWR). This system currently runs in parallel with the standard AMANDA data acquisition system. Once AMANDA is incorporated into the 1 km3 detector IceCube, only the TWR system will be kept. We report results from a first atmospheric neutrino analysis on data collected in 2003 with TWR. Good agreement in event rate and angular distribution verify the performance of the TWR system. A search of the northern hemisphere for localized event clusters shows no statistically significant excess, thus a flux limit is calculated, which is in full agreement with previous results based on the standard AMANDA data acquisition system. We also update the status of a search for diffusely distributed neutrinos with ultra high energy (UHE) using data collected by the TWR system.
Central nervous system demyelination in Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis infection

Arboviruses are important pathogens for both animals and humans. Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEEV) is an arbovirus whose pathogenicity for grey matter structures has been previously studied. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to describe extensive inflammation and demyelination in spinal cord white matter of mice infected with VEEV. To probe a possible immunepathogenesis of white matter alterations in this infection, nude mice and heterozygous controls were similarly infected. Whereas controls still showed inflammatory demyelination, nude mice showed no white matter changes in the absence of a mononuclear inflammatory response. These results suggest that white matter changes in VEEV infection are dependent upon the host immune-response, rather than produced by primary viral cytolytic activity. Such findings are similar to those we and others obtained in a number of different viral infections and support the possibility that the host immune response may be the common denominator leading to myelin injury in a variety of viral diseases. The hypothesis of "by-stander killing" of myelin is discussed as a possible host-mediated mechanism of demyelination in viral infections.
Mechanical Behavior of Single‐Crystal and Polycrystalline Cesium Bromide

Plastic-deformation studies were made of cesium bromide which exhibits no cleavage planes. Single crystals were found to be “soft” and ductile if they were favorably oriented relative to the loading axis to activate the {110}∝001〈 slip systems. Kink bands were formed by applying a compressive load normal to a {100} plane. Cross slip was found to occur during deformation at all test temperatures. Tensile loads applied normal to {100} and {110} planes caused fracture along {110} planes, whereas compressive loads normal to {100} planes forced fracture along {112} planes. The ductility of polycrystalline cesium bromide was found to be limited because of the lack of five independent slip systems. The specimens with smaller grains showed less strain at fracture and greater strain hardening than the larger-grained specimens. The mechanism fracture was intergranular up to 300° C.
Behavioral effects of low level neonatal lead exposure.

Abstract Rats exposed to lead via maternal milk were tested at various stages of development on a number of behavioral tasks. Beginning at paturition, the dams were given either tap water, 0.02%, or 0.10% lead acetate in the drinking water. Pups from all three groups were weaned to normal chow and tap water at 21 days of age. The mean lead concentration of the dam's blood and of neonatal (20 days of age) brain and blood were all below 50 μg/100 ml. No significant differences were found between the high lead-exposed group and controls in general as measured by wheel running over a 21 day period beginning at 30 days of age. However, there was a significant difference in wheel running behavior during the first three hr of testing. Both lead-exposed groups were found to display significantly less aggressive behavior as measured by the shock-elicited aggression test. Low level lead exposure had no discernable effect on the acquisition and subsequent reversal of a successive brightness discrimination task. Lead exposure under these conditions appears to affect some aspects of emotional behavior, while having little effect on general activity or cognitive function.
Simulation of Oblique-Incidence Probe Geometries for Depth-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Optimization of device-tissue interface parameters may lead to an improvement in the efficacy of fluorescence spectroscopy for minimally-invasive disease detection. Although illumination-collection geometry has been shown to have a strong influence on the spatial origin of detected fluorescence, the performance of devices which deliver and/or collect light at oblique incidence are not well characterized or understood. Simulations were performed using a Monte Carlo model of light propagation in homogeneous tissue in order to identify and describe general trends in the intensity and spatial origin of fluorescence detected by angled geometries. Specifically, the influence of illumination angle, collection angle and illumination-collection spot separation distance were investigated for low and high attenuation tissue cases. Results indicated that oblique-incidence geometries have the potential to enhance the selective interrogation of superficial or subsurface fluorophores at user-selectable depths up to about 0.5 mm. Detected fluorescence intensity was shown to increase significantly with illumination and collection angle. Improved selectivity and signal intensity over normal-incidence geometries resulted from the overlap of illumination and collection cones within the tissue. Cases involving highly attenuating tissue produced a moderate reduction in the depth of signal origin. While Monte Carlo modeling indicates that oblique-incidence designs can facilitate depth-selective fluorescence spectroscopy, optimization of device performance will require application-specific consideration of optical and biological parameters.
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution and the Moments Method

The method of moments is used to look at an old problem in organic chemistry, namely the site specificity of electrophilic aromatic substitution. By plotting the energy difference curves between the various Wheland intermediates as a function of electron count, the topological aspects of the problem become very clear. It is shown how the fundamental electronic driving force for the selectivity is related via the moments approach to other important theoretical ideas, such as Walsh's rules and the Woodward-Hoffmann rules.
Down-regulation of liver and heart specific fatty acid binding proteins by endotoxin and cytokines in vivo

Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) are abundantly present in tissues that actively metabolize fatty acids (FA). While their precise physiological function is not known, FABPs have been shown to play a role in the uptake and/or utilization of FA within the cell. FA metabolism is markedly altered during the host response to infection and inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated that endotoxin or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enhances hepatic FA synthesis and re-esterification while inhibiting FA oxidation in liver, heart and muscle. Now, we have examined the in vivo effects of LPS and cytokines on FABPs in liver (L-FABP), heart and muscle (H-FABP). Syrian hamsters were injected with LPS, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and the mRNA and protein content for L-FABP and H-FABP were analyzed. 16 h after administration, LPS (100 microg/100 g body weight) produced a 72% decrease in L-FABP mRNA levels in liver and this effect was sustained for 24 h. LPS also produced a 41% decrease in the protein content of L-FABP in liver after 24 h of treatment. TNF-alpha and IL-1beta decreased L-FABP mRNA levels in liver by 30 and 45%, respectively. LPS decreased H-FABP mRNA levels in skeletal muscle by 60% and in heart by 65%. LPS also produced a 49% decrease in H-FABP protein content in muscle. Neither TNF-alpha nor IL-1beta had any significant effect on H-FABP mRNA expression in heart and muscle. Taken together, these results indicate that LPS decreases FABP mRNA and protein levels in liver, heart and muscle, tissues that normally utilize FA as their primary fuel, whereas the inhibitory effect of cytokines is limited to the liver. The LPS-induced decrease in L-FABP and H-FABP may be an additional mechanism contributing to the decrease in FA oxidation that is associated with the host response to infection and inflammation.
On the systematic design of Web languages

Abstract : The emergence of "web languages," such as Java, support the development of programs that can be downloaded to a client's machine for execution by a web browser. This brings power and flexibility to web applications, but it also brings well-known end-point security problems, such as the threat of integrity and unauthorized disclosure attacks. Yet although security has been an issue in web language design, there appears to be no formal characterization of the kinds of security properties that one can expect of programs written in these languages. A web language should be designed so that all programs are guaranteed to satisfy explicitly stated security properties. To this end, the authors advocate a more systematic approach to the design of secure web languages. One begins with a core language for which some set of desired security properties can be shown to hold with respect to a formal semantics. The language is then incrementally extended to include new features, as necessary. At each step, the designer has an obligation to establish that the security properties have been preserved. For example, one kind of attack a web language should guard against is a disclosure attack, where a malicious program downloaded by a client attempts to make the contents of certain private files public. There is a form of static analysis that can be applied to programs to protect against disclosure attacks while allowing utilities like mail tools to access files and directories at different sensitivity levels. It is called "secure information flow" analysis. The authors briefly describe how a type system can be imposed on a simple imperative language to guarantee secure information flow. In part, they illustrate how well type theory can be applied to address a security problem, but their main point is that the security theorem stated here actually guides the language designer in evaluating potential language extensions.
Ucuuba and related wax-like vegetable tallows

In the New World two or perhaps three genera of theMyristicaceae are involved in the production of vegetable tallows:Virola, Dialyanthera, and possiblyOsteophloem. Vegetable tallows originating at Belem do Para should be mostly fromVirola surinamensis; those originating from Colombia should be fromDialyanthera Otoba; and tallow from southern Brazil should be fromVirola sebifera, or fromV. oleifera.
Regulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in a rat sympathetic ganglion: effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide.

: Cyclic AMP accumulation in rat superior cervical ganglia during synaptic activity occurs by a noncholinergic, nonadrenergic process. Both preganglionic nerve stimulation and 4-aminopyridine increase ganglion cyclic AMP levels in the presence of atropine or phentolamine. Of the polypeptides tested as putative transmitters, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (10−6 M) causes ganglion cyclic AMP accumulation comparable to that produced by preganglionic nerve stimulation.
The Banda–Celebes–Sulu basin: a trapped piece of Cretaceous–Eocene oceanic crust?

The Banda, Celebes and Sulu basins are poorly understood marginal seas located at the junction of the Eurasian, Indian–Australian and Pacific–Philippine Sea plates. The incompleteness of the data sets, the complex geology of the surrounding islands and the late Cenozoic evolution involving subduction, rifting, transform faulting and island arc collision have complicated tectonic interpretation of the region. The Banda basin is underlain by oceanic crust1–3. Bowin et al.2 and Lapouille et al.3 have suggested that it is a trapped oceanic basin which was once continuous with the late Jurassic Argo Abyssal Plain off north-west Australia. Similarly, the Celebes and Sulu basins are also underlain by oceanic crust4–6. On the basis of newly identified magnetic reversal ages (Fig. 1), heat-flow data and on-land geological studies, we suggest that the Celebes and Sulu seas may have been continuous with the Banda basin. This Cretaceous–Eocene basin has been dissected into its present configuration by Tertiary tectonic processes.
Experimental Studies of the Kinetics and Energetics of Magma Crystallization

A quantitative understanding of crystallization and solidification is central to appreciating a variety of phenomena at the interface between volcanology and petrology. Interpretation of magmatic processes from the textures of erupted lavas and pyroclasts in turn depends upon understanding how textures evolve during cooling, decompression, and devolatilization. Crystal size, shape, and compositional distribution depend upon the underlying phase equilibria, mass transport processes, and kinetics of reactions at interfaces. Applications of kinetics in physical volcanology include estimating intra-eruptive magma residence times using crystal growth rates (e.g., Mangan 1990); interpreting perturbations in the melt composition or thermal state from microtextures (e.g., Sharp et al. 1996); assessing degassing as a driver of crystal growth (e.g., Blundy and Cashman 2001) and microlite nucleation (e.g., Hammer et al. 1999) during volcanic eruptions; and interpreting magmatic conditions as they change through time using crystal population trends (e.g., Zieg and Marsh 2002). This contribution is chiefly concerned with magmas out of chemical and textural equilibrium evolving due to changes in temperature, pressure, or composition. However, studies concerned with dynamic aspects of syn-eruptive magma evolution are predicated on an understanding of the equilibrium steady-state, with experiments typically incorporating an initial stage of equilibration, imposing magma reservoir conditions as a prelude to controlled cooling or decompression. This review likewise includes a brief overview of the phase equilibria approach for determining the “initial conditions” for volcanic eruptions. The remainder of the chapter considers kinetic aspects of crystallization, which are essential for interpreting the information encoded in the compositions and textures of volcanic materials. A section each is allotted to (1) presenting concepts and controversies in the theoretical understanding of kinetics of crystallization since the last RIMG review on this topic (Kirkpatrick 1981), (2) summarizing generic aspects of experimental methods and experiment design in geological studies, (2) reviewing established trends …
The Diagnostic Interview for Personality Disorders: Interrater and test-retest reliability.

Abstract The Diagnostic Interview for Personality Disorders (DIPD) is a semistructured interview of 252 questions that encompasses all 11 Axis II disorders described in the DSM-III. Its interrater reliability was assessed using a sample of 43 patients and its test-retest reliability was assessed using a separate sample of 54 patients. Adequate kappas were obtained in both situations for all disorders except schizoid personality disorder, which was never diagnosed. Interrater coefficients ranged from .52 to 1.0, with nine in the excellent range (κ > .75). Test-retest coefficients ranged from .46 to .85, with four in the excellent range. These results compara very favorably to those achieved using the other two Axis II interviews that have appeared in the literature, the Structured Interview for the DSM-III Personality Disorders (SIDP) and the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE).
Giant magnetoelectric effect in nonlinear Metglas/PIN-PMN-PT multiferroic heterostructure

In this paper, we demonstrate high converse magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in a Metglas/Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) laminated ME composite by exploiting stress and field induced reversible ferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transitions in a relaxor ferroelectric single crystal. The approach exploits large transformational strain induced by low applied electric field in a PIN-PMN-PT crystal that was mechanically stressed close to a rhombohedral to orthorhombic phase transformation. The ME coefficient was enhanced by an order of magnitude as compared to the linear piezoelectric regime, with a maximum value of 1.3 × 10−7 s m−1 in non-resonant mode. This phenomenon can thus be exploited to provide improvements in the development of ME devices and magnetic sensors.
ChLae1 and ChVel1 regulate T-toxin production, virulence, oxidative stress response, and development of the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus.

LaeA and VeA coordinate secondary metabolism and differentiation in response to light signals in Aspergillus spp. Their orthologs, ChLae1 and ChVel1, were identified in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus, known to produce a wealth of secondary metabolites, including the host selective toxin, T-toxin. Produced by race T, T-toxin promotes high virulence to maize carrying Texas male sterile cytoplasm (T-cms). T-toxin production is significantly increased in the dark in wild type (WT), whereas Chvel1 and Chlae1 mutant toxin levels are much reduced in the dark compared to WT. Correspondingly, expression of T-toxin biosynthetic genes (Tox1) is up-regulated in the dark in WT, while dark-induced expression is much reduced/minimal in Chvel1 and Chlae1 mutants. Toxin production and Tox1 gene expression are increased in ChVEL1 overexpression (OE) strains grown in the dark and in ChLAE1 strains grown in either light or dark, compared to WT. These observations establish ChLae1 and ChVel1 as the first factors known to regulate host selective toxin production. Virulence of Chlae1 and Chvel1 mutants and OE strains is altered on both T-cms and normal cytoplasm maize, indicating that both T-toxin mediated super virulence and basic pathogenic ability are affected. Deletion of ChLAE1 or ChVEL1 reduces tolerance to H2O2. Expression of CAT3, one of the three catalase genes, is reduced in the Chvel1 mutant. Chlae1 and Chvel1 mutants also show decreased aerial hyphal growth, increased asexual sporulation and female sterility. ChLAE1 OE strains are female sterile, while ChVEL1 OE strains are more fertile than WT. ChLae1 and ChVel1 repress expression of 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin biosynthesis genes, and, accordingly, melanization is enhanced in Chlae1 and Chvel1 mutants, and reduced in OE strains. Thus, ChLae1 and ChVel1 positively regulate T-toxin biosynthesis, pathogenicity and super virulence, oxidative stress responses, sexual development, and aerial hyphal growth, and negatively control melanin biosynthesis and asexual differentiation.
The Psychological Treatment of the Menopause

THE ESSENTIAL psychosomatic nature of clinical endocrinology comes out with particular clarity in case of the climacteric disorders. In the older convention the symptoms of the menopause were arrayed in two categories, the physical and the mental. In actuality, however, the two aspects are so intimately intertwined as to render them practically inseparable. Even in case of the most effective specific hormone therapy, it is often an open question to what extent the benefit is determined by so-called psychological reactions rather than by direct corrective influences upon the organic processes. Perhaps it is, on the whole, to the advantage of the patient that the confident administration of an estrogen has potent suggestive value in addition to any physiological influences it may exert. But the physician, at least, should be sophisticated in the matter and thus be in position to set up the most adroit type of case management in any given instance. Often much is to be gained if, in addition to hormone resour...
A respiration–diffusion model for ‘Conference’ pears I: model development and validation

Abstract A respiration–diffusion model based on Fick's second law of diffusion and Michaelis–Menten kinetics, including non-competitive CO2 inhibition, was developed to predict the internal O2 and CO2 concentrations in ‘Conference’ pears. The ‘respiration-free’ diffusion and ‘diffusion-free’ respiration parameters, determined in previous independent experiments, were incorporated in the respiration–diffusion model. The system of coupled non-linear partial differential equations was solved numerically for a three-dimensional pear geometry, by means of the finite element method. When Michaelis–Menten kinetics are used to describe a process like gas exchange of fruits, which involves both gas diffusion and respiration, the Michaelis–Menten parameters were assigned a higher value than those obtained when respiration was first uncoupled from the diffusion process and then described by means of Michaelis–Menten kinetics. The maximal O2 consumption and fermentative CO2 production were diffusion-independent, but the Michaelis–Menten constants measured on cell protoplasts were considerably smaller when compared with the corresponding apparent Michaelis–Menten constants determined from respiration measurements on intact pears. The model was successfully validated for its prediction of the total pear gas exchange and the gas concentration under the skin, and is suited to simulating three-dimensional internal O2 and CO2 dioxide profiles in pears as a function of the storage atmosphere.
NMR spectroscopy and structural characterization of dithiophosphinate ligands relevant to minor actinide extraction processes.

Synthetic routes to alkyl and aryl substituted dithiophosphinate salts that contain non-coordinating PPh4+ counter cations are reported. In general, these compounds can be prepared via a multi-step procedure that starts with reacting secondary phosphines, i.e. HPR2, with two equivalents of elemental S. The synthetic transformation proceeds by oxidation of the phosphine followed by insertion of S into the H–P bond. This approach was used to synthesize a series of dithiophosphinic acids that were fully characterized, namely HS2P(p-CF3C6H4)2, HS2P(m-CF3C6H4)2, HS2P(o-MeC6H4)2 and HS2P(o-MeOC6H4)2. Although the insertion step was found to be much slower than the oxidation reaction, the formation of (NH4)S2PR2 from HPSR2 occurred rapidly upon addition of NH4OH. Subsequent cation exchange reactions proceeded readily with PPh4Cl in water, under air and at ambient conditions to provide analytically pure samples of [PPh4][S2PR2] (R = p-CF3C6H4, m-CF3C6H4, o-CF3C6H4, o-MeC6H4, o-MeOC6H4, Ph, and Me, 1b–7b, respectively), which were characterized by elemental analysis, multinuclear NMR, and IR spectroscopy. In addition, S2PPh2− and dithiophosphinates with ortho-substituted aryl groups (3b–6b) were characterized by X-ray crystallography. As opposed to the acids, which have short PS double bonds and long P–SH single bonds, the metric parameters for the S atoms in S2PR2− are equivalent. In addition, the presence of large non-coordinating PPh4+ cations guard against intermolecular P–S⋯X interactions and ensure that the P–S bond is isolated. These S2PR2− anions, which can be prepared in large quantities and isolated in crystalline form, are attractive for spectroscopic and theoretical studies because the P–S interaction can be probed independently in the absence of intermolecular interactions.
Ovarian Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist in Rats: Gene Expression, Cellular Localization, Cyclic Variation, and Hormonal Regulation of a Potential Determinant of Interleukin-1 Action

It is hypothesized that the intraovarian interleukin (IL)-1 system plays a prominent role in the regulation of follicular development and ovulation. A central component of the intraovarian IL-1 system is the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), a protein acting as a pure IL-1 receptor antagonist and one for which intracellular (icIL-1RA) and secretory (sIL-1RA) varieties have been described. It was the objective of this study to explore rat ovarian IL-1RA gene expression, to establish the identity and relative abundance of its alternative transcripts, to study its cellular localization, to determine its cyclic variation, and to assess its hormonal regulation. Protected IL-1RA cDNA fragments corresponding to either sIL-1 RA or icIL-1 RA were barely detectable in untreated whole ovarian tissue of immature rat origin. However, sIL-1RA transcripts reached a maximal value (3.3-fold increase over untreated control values; p cIL-1RA) expression, 2) localize the relevant transcripts to the granulosa cell, 3) disclose peak expression at the time of ovulation, and 4) establish IL-1 dependence.
QBO effects on the diurnal tide in the upper atmosphere

We report on a series of numerical experiments conducted with the global-scale wave model (GSWM) and designed to investigate the effects of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on the migrating diurnal tide. Our results indicate that the diurnal tidal response in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) is significantly affected by the QBO in zonal mean zonal winds, but largely insensitive to the QBO in stratospheric ozone. We discuss the variable mean wind results in light of previous analytic attempts to describe the diurnal tide in the presence of mean winds and dissipation. Our calculations do not explain the interannual tidal variations observed by the High Resolution Doppler Interferometer (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).
Electrocardiographic findings in naturally acquired chagasic heart disease in nonhuman primates.

Abstract The significance of electrocardiographic (ECG) changes described in animals with Chagas' disease is questionable in view that other non-invasive comparisons have been lacking. 12-lead ECG and two-dimensional echocardiography (echo) was performed in 17 seropositive and 13 seronegative baboons. Similar to humans, a wide variety of ECG outcomes were observed in the infected animals. Standard ECG measurements were not different between groups. Five seropositive (29%) and 3 seronegative (23%) animals had low voltage; 4 seropositives (24%) and 2 (15%) seronegatives had tall P-waves. Precordial Q waves were seen in 10 seropositives (59%) and in 7 (54%) seronegatives without septal abnormalities on two-dimensional echo. One seropositive animal had a 2nd degree (Wenckebach) AV block and left anterior fascicular block. Most animals in both groups had diffuse T-wave abnormalities. Echo evidence of systolic dysfunction was found in 4 seropositives and in none of the controls; thus, chagasic heart disease was present in 24% of naturally infected baboons. Since most non-human primates, irrespective of their serology, have diffuse, nonspecific ECG changes not necessarily diagnostic of myocardial disease, two-dimensional echo should be added to their non-invasive assessment.
Tertiary Structure Model of Wild-Type and Mutated Actin using a Novel Coarse Graining Technique to Study Aortic Aneurysms

Recent work from Dong Guo, et al. at the UT Health science center has shown the location of many of the amino acid mutations in alpha-actin (ACTA2) that are responsible for aortic aneurysms (AA) (Gong, et al, 2007, Nat. Gen. 39(12):1488-1493). However, the exact mechanism of how this mutation leads to AAs is currently unclear. In addition, current molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques are too computationally expensive to be advantageous in studying the long term dynamics of larger proteins such as actin. Therefore, a recently developed technique is applied to smooth muscle cell (SMC) actin, ACTA2, to generate its Hamiltonian potential function, or Tertiary Structure Model (TSM). The TSM begins with domain selections from tertiary (and secondary) structures yielding abbreviated centers of mass and principal axis directions. Parameterization then specifies the interactions between the domains, and the potential function will come from the summation of these domain interactions. These statistical potentials describe the inter-domain interactions and allow for a better understanding of the domain rearrangements as external loads are applied to ACTA2. TSMs are developed for both the wild-type (WT) and mutated (M) ACTA2. ‘Virtual’ pulling experiments are simulated for the WT actin and will be verified with experimental data. Similar simulations for M ACTA2 will be performed, and the results are discussed. Insights for possible mechanisms of ACTA2's reduced functionality are drawn.
Modulation of multidrug resistance by dexverapamil in EPOCH-refractory lymphomas.

We conducted a controlled trial of dexverapamil, an inhibitor of Pgp, in 45 Hodgkin's (HD) and 154 Non-Hodgkin's (NHL) lymphomas refractory to EPOCH chemotherapy. A total of 154 patients initially received EPOCH alone and (4.2%) with stable disease over two cycles or progressive disease crossed over to receive dexverapamil with EPOCH. Dexverapamil was escalated 8 dose levels, from 240 to 1200 mg/m 2 per day. When possible, serial biopsies were obtained to measure MDR-1 expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Median age was 44 years, 67% had stage IV disease, and median (range) prior regimens were 2 (1 -12) in NHL and 1 (1-4) in HD. The maximum tolerated dose of dexverapamil was 900 mg/m 2 /day, and median plasma average concentrations of dexverapamil and nor-dexverapamil were 1.2 and 1.4 μM, respectively. There were 3 complete and 2 partial responses (12%) and 5 minor responses in NHL, and 2 of 10 HD patients achieved partial responses. MDR-1 was measured in 44 biopsies from 19 patients. Pre-therapy, MDR-1 was low (median 2.5 U) but increased (median 12.2 U) at cross-over. Among 6 patients with MDR-1 >15, 3 responded to dexverapamil whereas only 1/8 patients with MDR-1 <15 responded. EPOCH and dexverapamil were well tolerated. This study suggests that MDR-1 plays a role in clinical drug resistance of lymphomas, but also suggests that non-MDR-1 mechanisms are present in such patients. Earlier intervention with dexverapamil may be more effective and warrants further study.
De-Fusing Organizational Power Using Anonymity and Cognitive Factions in a Participative Strategic Planning Setting

When an organization is facing disruptive change or the need for new capabilities to fit new conditions, the creation of a democratic strategic plan can be useful. However, strategic plans typically only reflect the beliefs and values of their architects; not all stakeholders. To include the beliefs of all stakeholders requires a participative environment. Due to the potential deleterious effects that organizational power may have in a participative setting, anonymity and cognitive factions is proposed to reduce the possible negative effects associated with power in a participative strategic planning setting. Group support systems have been shown to protect relationships and retain the social order in these settings. In this specific case, through the use of a group support system that supports anonymity and cognitive faction identification, we found that the sources of power typically found and used to drive group decisions in an academic setting did not drive the content of the strategic plan.
High dose of darunavir in treatment-experienced hiv-infected adolescent results in virologic suppression and improved CD4 cell count.

We describe an unintentional significant overdose of darunavir in a treatment-experienced adolescent with decreased darunavir susceptibility and prior treatment failure on darunavir therapy. Minimal toxicity and improved virologic suppression observed with an overdose have prompted consideration of the continued use of higher than recommended dose. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluations justified the individualized use of high-dose darunavir, which resulted in virologic suppression, improved CD4 count and resolution of toxicity.
Examining gender differences in substance use and age of first use among rural Appalachian drug users in Kentucky.

Background: Previous research suggests gender differences exist in types of substances used and age of first use. Recent studies exploring contextual differences in substance use between rural Appalachian and urban environments show different patterns of substance use in rural environments. Objective: This study explores whether previously established differences in gender and age of first use exist within a rural Appalachian environment. Methods: Data are from a community-based study of drug users in rural Appalachia (N = 400). Self-reported substance use was recorded using an interviewer-administered questionnaire with questions from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Results: On average, participants were 32 years old ( = 32.33; median = 31.00; interquartile range (IQR) = 12) and the majority were male (59%). Examining the past 30-day substance use, more males reported alcohol (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.11, 95% CI: 1.36, 3.23; p = .001) and any illegal drug use (AOR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.95; p = ....
Results of a Practicum Offering Teaching-Focused Graduate Student Professional Development

Providing chemistry graduate students with opportunities to learn about evidence-based teaching and to practice teaching skills in a mentored environment is crucial to their professional development. Herein is described the model for a graduate-level teaching practicum course specifically focused on the chemistry discipline. This course addressed current issues and trends in chemistry education, familiarized students with chemistry lecture and laboratory resources, and allowed students to practice their teaching skills in a mentored environment. Course assignments and projects were structured for inclusion in each student�s teaching portfolio. A Likert-type attitudinal survey was used to assess the course. The graduate students who completed the survey (N = 8) ranked highest in terms of average perceived usefulness the more tangible and experiential course components: (i) preparation and presentation of review session; (ii) preparation of student final lecture project; and (iii) preparation of teaching philosophy statement. This course was also perceived as useful to the average graduate student�s long-term career goal of attaining a postsecondary teaching position because it enhanced their teaching portfolios and concomitantly improved marketability for the academic job market. This course can be modified and adapted to fit the teaching professional development needs of graduate students at other institutions.
Soluble E-cadherin: a critical oncogene modulating receptor tyrosine kinases, MAPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling

Soluble E-cadherin: a critical oncogene modulating receptor tyrosine kinases, MAPK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling
Geometry and mechanics as related to tooth movement studied by means of two-dimensional model

By means of a two-dimensional model, the authors illustrate the ways in which application of force to crowns of teeth introduce distributions of force in the periodontal ligaments. Such distributions of force in the periodontal ligaments de­ termine the pattern of bone resorption and apposition and thus the complex geometry of tooth movement. The model and the examples described are chiefly of pedagogic value.
Reply to comments on "Is stoping a volumetrically significant pluton emplacement process?"

The 188th meeting of the Geological Society of Washington “was devoted to a consideration of the ‘Methods of Igneous Intrusion.’ The discussion was opened by Mr. Whitman Cross, who directed it to the methods by which the large igneous masses, such as laccoliths, stocks and batholiths, have
Another “paradox” of traffic flow

Abstract This note presents a counter-intuitive result that arises when stochastic traffic assignment methods are used. The phenomenon is explained and compared to Braess' paradox (Braess, 1968). The relationship to travel demand analysis is pointed out.
Euthanasia: a national survey of attitudes toward voluntary termination of life.

This study focused on the attitudes of a national sample of adults related to the voluntary termination of life. The data-base for this research were 1525 adults surveyed in the 1977 NORC General Survey. Two items in the survey delineated the pro-euthanasia and the anti-euthanasia groups. Several independent variables including structural, behavioral, and attitudinal variables were correlated with euthanasia attitudes. Several statistically significant correlations were found. These findings plus the results of a discriminant analysis showed that those persons with favorable attitudes toward suicide were also favorable toward euthanasia. Religiosity and other religious indicators were negatively associated with pro-euthanasia attitudes. Whites and males were more favorable toward euthanasia than Blacks and females. Finally, the social class variables were positively associated with pro-euthanasia attitudes.
Bioturbation and recolonization of meiobenthos in juvenile spot (Pisces) feeding pits

Abstract Juvenile spot (Pisces) make visible pits when they feed. Meiofaunal abundance in pit and no-pit areas was not different when sampled at low tide after the fish had fed. Meiofauna recolonized simulated spot pits within 1·5 h; thus abundance of meiofauna in natural pits sampled at low tide cannot be used to estimate predation removal. In areas where they feed, the fish bioturbate about 1% of the surface sediment per day and occupy the estuary for four months. Each square meter of prime fish-feeding habitat is turned over to a depth of 2 mm during the time the fish are in residence.
A genetic contribution to circulating cytokines and obesity in children

Cytokines are considered to be involved in obesity-related metabolic diseases. Study objectives are to determine the heritability of circulating cytokine levels, to investigate pleiotropy between cytokines and obesity traits, and to present genome scan results for cytokines in 1030 Hispanic children enrolled in VIVA LA FAMILIA Study. Cytokine phenotypes included monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leptin, adiponectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1), C-reactive protein (CRP), regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and eotaxin. Obesity-related phenotypes included body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), truncal FM and fasting serum insulin. Heritabilities ranged from 0.33 to 0.97. Pleiotropy was observed between cytokines and obesity traits. Positive genetic correlations were seen between CRP, leptin, MCP-1 and obesity traits, and negative genetic correlations with adiponectin, ICAM-1 and TGF-beta1. Genome-wide scan of sICAM-1 mapped to chromosome 3 (LOD=3.74) between markers D3S1580 and D3S1601, which flanks the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ). Suggestive linkage signals were found in other chromosomal regions for other cytokines. In summary, significant heritabilities for circulating cytokines, pleiotropy between cytokines and obesity traits, and linkage for sICAM-1 on chromosome 3q substantiate a genetic contribution to circulating cytokine levels in Hispanic children.
Functional Relevance of Biased Signaling at the Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists (AT1R blockers, or ARBs) are used commonly in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure and hypertension. Their clinical success arises from their ability to prevent deleterious Gα(q) protein activation downstream of AT1R, which leads to a decrease in morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have identified AT1R ligands that concurrently inhibit Gα(q) protein-dependent signaling and activate Gα(q) protein-independent/β-arrestin-dependent signaling downstream of AT1R, events that may actually improve cardiovascular performance more than conventional ARBs. The ability of such ligands to induce intracellular signaling events in an AT1R-β-arrestin-dependent manner while preventing AT1R-Gα(q) protein activity defines them as biased AT1R ligands. This mini-review will highlight recent studies that have defined biased signaling at the AT1R and discuss the possible clinical relevance of β-arrestin-biased AT1R ligands in the cardiovascular system.
When is carotid stenting acceptable as a means of stroke prevention

KEywoRDs: carotid atherosclerosis • carotid endarterectomy • carotid stenosis • carotid stenting • CREST trial • stroke therapy for stroke prevention [4]. Prior to CREST, randomized trials were largely conflicting in their assessment of CAS. In 2007, a Cochrane review of available level 1 data identified 12 randomized trials that compared the immediate procedural risks and long-term results of CAS to those of CEA [5]. At that time, the study concluded that the data were too heterogeneous to interpret and did not provide evidence to support a change in clinical practice away from recommending CEA as the treatment of choice for patients in whom both CEA and CAS are deemed technically feasible [5]. Among the 2502 patients studied, investigators of CREST found no significant difference in the estimated 4-year rates of the primary composite end points (defined as any stroke, myocardial infarction, or death from any cause during the periprocedural period or any ipsilateral stroke) between the CAS and CEA groups (7.2 and 6.8%, respectively; stenting hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.81–1.51; p = 0.51) [4].
Characterization of respiratory neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla, an area critical for vocal production in songbirds

Much is known about the neuronal cell types and circuitry of the mammalian respiratory brainstem and its role in normal, quiet breathing. Our understanding of the role of respiration in the context...
Empyema thoracis: Historical perspective

Abstract The historical monograph described in this article presents a brilliant piece of work by a young surgeon. To stop the carnage of opening drainage for acute streptococcal empyema, Dr Evarts A. Graham identified the relation between lung mechanics and open chest drainage and the reasons for the stiff lung. This gem of a book shows how thoughtful experimental study with simple tools can produce answers to important clinical problems.
Statins: Is There an Increased Risk of Diabetes?:

Statins are currently the most widely used drug class for the management of dyslipidemia. Their benefits for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are well established. With the increasingly widespread use of statins, questions have been raised about a potential link between statin use and new onset type II diabetes. Evidence for this association was further strengthened by a recent study using data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), which reported an increased risk of diabetes with statin use in postmenopausal women. This article will provide an overview of the study findings and discuss implications for clinical practice.
Is behavior therapy ready for the long run

The initial accomplishments of behavior therapy may have been the easiest part of our task in alleviating those aspects of human suffering with which the field is concerned. Comments on Hayes' (1997) illuminating paper are directed at underlining and clarifying the problems that may be encountered as the field moves forward into the next century, and providing some thoughts about possible solutions.
Extending Unbounded Systems Thinking with agent-oriented modeling: conceptualizing a multiple perspective decision-making support system

Organizations today face complex decision-making environments in which multiple perspectives must be considered. Mitroff and Linstone [The Unbounded Mind: Breaking the Chains of Traditional Business Thinking (1993) Oxford University Press, New York] developed Unbounded Systems Thinking (UST), of which multiple perspectives are an integral part. They suggest that, while the theory of applying multiple perspectives to decision-making and knowledge creation is sound and well researched, the implementation of multiple perspectives is difficult. It is maintained here that agent-oriented modeling can be used to design a system supporting multiple perspectives and to extend UST. This paper applies the Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) model of agents to UST to demonstrate the use of agent-oriented modeling to facilitate multiple perspective decision support.
Modeling of Temperature Rise in Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) Sensor During an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Event

With the further miniaturization of the GMR heads, the electrostatic discharge (ESD) failure has become the primary reliability issue in manufacturing of these sensors. The Joule heating effect during the ESD events result in both thermal and magnetic damages in GMR heads. In this paper, the thermal response of the GMR read head to the excessive current/voltage during an ESD event is investigated numerically using a 3-D finite element analysis. Unlike the previous studies, the thermal properties of the GMR and Al2 O3 gap layers used in the simulation are the experimentally measured values. The temperature-rise in GMR heads under human-body-model (HBM) source current is obtained for a range of GMR dimensions and thermal properties of its constituent materials. The simulation results show that temperature in the GMR element sharply increases as the GMR dimensions are reduced, indicating the future GMR heads are more susceptible to the ESD damages. In addition, thermal properties of the GMR and gap materials play key roles in accurate prediction of the temperature field in GMR head during ESD events.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Change in electronic structure upon optical excitation of 8-vinyladenosine: an experimental and theoretical study.

8-Vinyladenosine (8VA) is an adenosine analog, like 2-aminopurine (2AP), that has a red-shifted absorption and high fluorescence quantum yield. When introduced into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), its base-pairing and base-stacking properties are similar to those of adenine. Of particular interest, the fluorescence quantum yield of 8VA is sensitive to base stacking, making it a very useful real-time probe of DNA structure. The fundamental photophysics underlying this fluorescence quenching by base stacking is not well understood, and thus exploring the excited state electronic structure of the analog is warranted. In this study, we report on changes in the electronic structure of 8VA upon optical excitation. Stark spectroscopy was performed on 8VA monomer in frozen ethanol glass at 77 K to obtain the direction and degree of charge redistribution in the form of the difference dipole moment, Δμ01 = 4.7 ± 0.3 D, and difference static polarizability, tr(Δα→→ 01) = 21 ± 11 A3, for the S0→S1 transition. In additi...