cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative versus attributable risk of breast cancer from estrogen replacement therapy.

Estrogen deficiency causes vasomotor instability and urogenital atrophy in a large fraction of menopausal women. Short term use of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) can effectively relieve symptoms related to these conditions (1, 2). ERT may also relieve neurocognitive symptoms of mood changes, irritability, and depression resulting from acute estrogen deprivation (3). When given long term, estrogens prevent the development of osteopenia, osteoporosis, and bony fractures (4, 5) and may be effective for primary prevention and reduction of mortality from cardiovascular disease (6, 7). Observational studies suggest that the incidence of colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease may be reduced by hormone replacement therapy (8–12). The Nurses Health Study, a large prospective cohort study, reported that all causes of mortality among nurses who use postmenopausal hormones are lower than those among nonusers (13). The overall benefits of estrogen therapy to relieve symptoms and to prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease have led to recommendations that the majority of women should consider taking ERT. However, surveys in the United States indicate that an average of only 20% of postmenopausal women take ERT (14–16). Even among nurses, only 50% report ever using ERT, and those choosing to take ERT generally discontinue it after a period of 1–3 yr (6). With substantial evidence supporting the use of ERT, why do most women choose not to start or to discontinue estrogen replacement? One reason is the concern about breast and uterine cancer. Although these risks may be real, the lay public and physicians generally do not fully understand the implications of studies reporting the risks of estrogen causing cancer. One reason for this misunderstanding is the widespread use of relative risk (RR) statistics that are often interpreted as attributable risk. This treatise will clarify the meaning of relative and attributable risk, review data regarding the effects of ERT on these two parameters, and provide a practical approach to aid women in the decision making process. Concepts underlying calculation of RR
Blood pressure targets in patients with diabetes – a new perspective

1933-1711/$ see f http://dx.doi.org/10. Blood pressure targets in patients with diabetes – a new perspective Clive Rosendorff, MD, PhD* Mount Sinai Heart, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Marie-Jos ee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; and b The James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA Manuscript received February 25, 2015 and accepted March 7, 2015
A general anisotropic yield criterion using bounds and a transformation weighting tensor

Abstract A gspeneral Expression for the yield surface of polycrystalline materials is developed. The proposed yield surface can describe both isotropic and anisotropic materials. The isotropic surface can be reduced to either the Tresca or von Mises surface if appropriate, or can be used to capture the yield behavior of materials (e.g. aluminum) which do not fall into either category. Anisotropy can be described by introducing a set of irreducible tensorial state variables. The introduced linear transformation is capable of describing different anisotropic states, including the most general anisotropy (triclinic) as opposed to existing criteria which describe only orthotropic materials. Also, it can successfully describe the variation of the plastic strain ratio (R-ratio), where polycrystalline plasticity models usually fail. A method for obtaining the material constants using only uniaxial test data is described and utilized for the special case of orthotropic anisotropy. Finally, the use of tensorial state variables together with the introduced mathematical formulation make the proposed yield function a very convenient tool for numerical implementation in finite element analysis.
Six refractory lupus patients treated with rituximab: A case series

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by the loss of B cell tolerance with resultant autoantibody production directed toward self antigen. The pathogenic properties of autoantibodies in patients with SLE include direct cell-mediated destruction, interruption of normal cellular processes, and the formation of immune complexes that activate complement. For years, most research efforts in SLE focused on the T cell–triggering arm of the inflammatory response. However, recent interest has shifted to explore the potential pathogenic role of the B cell. B cell–directed therapy with rituximab, initially used for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (1), has been reported to be effective in the treatment of several autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic vasculitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and autoimmune thrombocytopenia (2–4). Initially, rituximab was thought to treat autoimmune conditions by limiting the production of autoantibodies; however, the precise mechanism is unclear. In fact, some open-label clinical studies show modest to little effect on circulating autoantibodies and quantitative immunoglobulin (5–7). In lymphoma, rituximab causes rapid depletion of CD20 cells in the peripheral blood, often within weeks of initial infusion. However, duration of B cell suppression is variable, lasting 2–12 months on average (1). There have been reports of several open-label studies of rituximab in patients with SLE (2,5–8). Indications range from inability to tolerate other medications to intractable disease. These trials demonstrate improvement in most domains of SLE, including renal and central nervous system disease. Rituximab dosing has shown great variability with regard to 1) actual drug dose, 2) scheduling, and 3) concomitant or conditioning regimens. At this time, it remains unclear which dosing schema offers the safest and most efficacious profile. In this report, we describe 6 patients with aggressive and refractory SLE treated with rituximab and illustrate how rituximab can be safely administered to patients with several dosing regimens.
Execution and processing time in computer performance measurements

Tasks cooperate with each other to perform processing and compete with each other for limited resources. Relationships between technical components are represented by differential equations and, could be solved analitically. In large multiuser systems stochastic processes are introduced: concurent requests for resources, transactions. The level of aggregation in choosing descriptions of workload is a crutial choice. Measures have been done on IBM 370/3031, OS MVS, over a four years period. Ratio elapsed time/processing time for the applications in background had a slight postive slope after an initial decrease. A steeper slope characterizes the next period although the curve leveled at 6 units of execution per one processing time unit. Fast increase characterised next two years, and the curve reached critical level of 47 time units of execution for one unit of actual processing. This ratio tourned in a paramemeter that shows given workload and throughput resulting from straight CPU activities, and other resources participating in the form of processor waiting for other services. The curve is divided in two sections as a result of unbalanced system's structure after increasing number of users, number of tasks and channel operations. Average duration of a terminal session yields a significant increas, with an influence of the users training level in the first part of a curve, and overall systems inefficiency in the second part. A ratio total terminal session time/total session processing time shows a growth of of approximately 40% in the entire period. More experienced users wait longer for the terminal to react, therby loosing the efficiency of interactive work. Unbalanced growth is a result of the attempts to keep the interactive component at a relatively high level, thus sacrificing background performance. Overall workload and processing time are highly positively corelated. Different execution/processing time ratios are used for measuring global parameters, as a relatively machine independent, including more system components (not accurate to the level of single process) for functional approach to the computer system modeling.
Emerging therapies for diabetic macular edema

Diabetic macular edema remains an important cause of vision loss among patients with diabetes mellitus. Improved control of blood pressure and blood sugar, as well as photocoagulation, are effectiv...
High-throughput fluorescent DNA sequence analysis: Methods and automation

A strategy for high-throughput DNA sequence analysis using the fluorescent dye-primer chemistry is described. This strategy combines rapid preparation of template DNA using a modification of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), automation of the DNA sequencing reactions using a robotic laboratory workstation, and subsequent analysis of the fluorescent-labeled reaction products on a commercial automated fluorescent sequencer. Asymmetric PCR provides a reliable means of simultaneously producing sufficient and uniform quantities of several template DNAs directly from bacterial colonies or bacteriophage plaques. The automation scheme for subsequent processing and analysis of DNA samples allows a DNA sequencing facility to operate the fluorescent sequencer twice daily at its full capacity of 24 samples. Furthermore, the methods and instruments described eliminate much of the labor required by technicians to obtain a high level of data output. As described here, a DNA sequencing laboratory equipped with a single automated fluorescent sequencer can perform analysis of up to 48 fluorescent-labeled reactions every day, with an average output of over 10,000 bp per sequence run.
Mechanistic aspects of pyrite oxidation in an oxidizing gaseous environment: an in situ HATR-IR isotope study.

The reaction of FeS2 (pyrite) with gaseous H2O, O2, and H2O/O2 was investigated using horizontal attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (HATR-FTIR). Spectra were interpreted with the aid of hybrid molecular orbital/density functional theory calculations of sulfate-iron hydroxide clusters. Reaction of pyrite in gaseous H2O led primarily to the formation of iron hydroxide on pyrite. Exposure of the pyrite to gaseous O2 after exposure to H2O vapor led to the formation of sulfur oxyanions that included SO42-. Isotopic labeling experiments showed that after this exposure sequence the oxygen in the sulfate product was primarily derived from the H2O reactant. If, however, pyrite was exposed to gaseous O2 prior to pure H2O vapor, both SO42- and iron oxyhydroxide became significant products. Isotopic labeling experiments using the O2-then-H2O sequence showed that the oxygen in the SO42- product was derived from both H2O and O2. The results indicate that H2O and O2 exhibit a competitive...
Silicon nitride powder milling kinetics in a high-energy agitation ball mill

Abstract The application of high-energy agitation ball milling is described for silicon nitride powder size reduction in a specially designed system. All components of the milling system that come into contact with the powder are made of silicon nitride, and milling is carried out with hot-pressed silicon nitride media. The milling kinetics are examined by the measurement of particle size distribution and specific surface area of the milled powders as a function of milling parameters and milling liquid. Surface chemistry and impurity analysis of the powders were also carried out to determine compositional changes in the milled powder. The data of these tests demonstrate that the rotor speed has a strong effect on the milling rate and that feed rate of the slurry has an effect on the surface oxide content of the milled powders.
Activation of Complement by Pityrosporum orbiculare

The ability to activate complement in human serum was evaluated for the two yeast-like organisms Pityrosporum orbiculare , the presumed etiologic agent of tinea versicolor, and Candida albicans . Complement activation was measured by: (a) using inhibition of rabbit red blood cell lysis by human serum after incubation with the organisms, and (b) quantitation of the amount of C3 deposited on the surface of the yeast by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. It was found that both organisms had approximately equal ability to activate complement in normal serum or serum having only the alternative pathway intact, even though extracts of C. albicans contained significantly greater amounts of both carbohydrate and antigenic material capable of combining with the antibody present in normal human serum. The marked difference in inflammation in the cutaneous lesions produced by these two organisms does not appear to be related to their complement-activating ability and is more likely due to some other factor such as differences in invasiveness or in ability to elicit other immunologic reactions.
Feasible quantum error detection with linear optics

We present linear optical schemes, based on the quantum parity check, that perform error detection on two-photon entangled states and arbitrary single-photon states. Also, a limited form of error correction is possible. These schemes operate without CNOT gates, ancillary qubits, GHZ states, or multiple two-photon states.
African morphology, behavior and phermones underlie incipient sexual isolation between us and Caribbean Drosophila melanogaster.

Understanding incipient sexual isolation and speciation is an important pursuit in evolutionary biology. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model to address questions about the early stages of sexual isolation occurring within widespread species. This species exhibits sexual isolation between cosmopolitan and African flies, especially from Zimbabwe populations. In addition, we have recently described another example of partial sexual isolation between some US and Caribbean populations. This and other phenotypic data suggest that Caribbean flies might be segregating African traits. In the present work we study the geographical variation at the pheromone locus desaturase-2, as well as morphology and courtship behavior across the US–Caribbean region. We find that US and Caribbean populations show sharp geographical clines in all traits and demonstrate that Caribbean traits are more similar to those of Africa than to US populations. Further, African traits in the Caribbean are associated with sexual isolation and best explain variation in sexual isolation when all traits are considered together. These results imply that Caribbean mating preferences are likely to be based on African traits and that even at such early stages of sexual isolation, individuals may already cue in on several traits simultaneously during mate choice.
On the Unicity of Discontinuous Transitions in the Two-Dimensional Potts and Ashkin-Teller Models

We investigate the uniqueness of the discontinuous phase transition of the q-state Potts model and the symmetric q = (s × s) cubic model (generalized Ashkin–Teller model) on the integer square lattice with q ≥ 1. For the ferromagnetic cases, when there is a discontinuous phase transition we show that the discontinuity can only occur at a point of self-duality.
A Novel Extraction Chromatography Resin for Trivalent Actinides Using 2,6-bis(5,6-diisobutyl-1,2,4-triazine-3-yl)pyridine

Radiochemical analyses for environmental monitoring or nuclear forensics and safeguards require highly specific and efficient separations of actinides from a variety of sample matrices. Extraction chromatography resins currently employed can exhibit less than ideal performance in separating trivalent actinides from trivalent lanthanides. In attempting to correct at least some of the performance issues, 2,6-di(5,6-diisobutyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)pyridine (isobutyl-BTP) has been coated onto Amberchrom CG-71 resin. The resulting resin has been characterized for actinide-lanthanide separations using americium(III), curium(III), plutonium(IV), and europium(III). This isobutyl-BTP resin has been shown to extract trivalent actinides with k' values ranging from 4000 to 8000 while only minimally extracting europium(III). Actinides can be easily stripped with dilute HCl, and the resin has been shown to be stable to hydrolysis.
Marking Insects with Rubidium: Imported Cabbageworm Marked in the Field

Adult Pieris rapae (L.) collected from a collard field that had been treated with an aqueous solution of rubidium chloride were found to contain levels of Rb significantly above the levels of those collected near untreated vegetables. Ordinary rubidium can therefore be used as a tag for native phytophagous insects.
Salvaging chips with caches beyond repair

Defect density and variabilities in values of parameters continue to grow with each new generation of nano-scale fabrication technology. In SRAMs, variabilities reduce yield and necessitate extensive interventions, such as the use of increasing numbers of spares to achieve acceptable yield. For most microprocessor chips, the number of SRAM bits is expected to grow 2× for every generation. Consequently, microprocessor chip yields will be seriously undermined if no defect-tolerance approach is used. In this paper, we show the limits of the traditional spares-based defect-tolerance approaches for SRAMs. We then propose and implement a software-based approach for improving cache yield. We demonstrate that our approach can significantly increase microprocessor chip yields (normalized with respect to chip area) compared to the traditional approaches, for upcoming fabrication technologies. In particular, we demonstrate that our approach dramatically increases effective computing capacity, measured in MIPS-per-unit-chip-area. Our approach does not require any hardware design changes and hence can be applied to improve yield of any modern microprocessor chip, incurs low performance penalty only for the chips with unrepaired defects in SRAMs, and adapts without requiring any design changes as the yield improves for a particular design and fabrication technology.
Silicon carbide for high-temperature microelectronics: recent advances in material growth via gas source MBE and device research

Abstract Thin films of silicon carbide (SiC) have been grown at 1000–1500 °C on vicinal and on-axis α(6H)-SiC(0001) substrates by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE). Growth using only SiH 4 and C 2 H 4 resulted in 3C-SiC(111) epilayers under all deposition conditions and substrate orientations. With the addition of H 2 , films of 6H-SiC(0001) were deposited on the vicinal substrates at deposition temperatures ≥ 1350 °C. Kinetic analysis showed all depositions to be surface reaction controlled. In situ doping was achieved by intentional introduction of nitrogen and aluminum into the growing crystals. SiC-based microelectronic devices operable at elevated temperatures, including several types of power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), bipolar transistors, and thyristors have been fabricated. The properties of selected devices and the circuits made from them are described.
Research on the Influence of Turbulence Intensity to the Power Curve and AEP of Wind Turbine

It is known that turbulence intensity will affect on power performance and Annual Energy Production (AEP) of wind turbine. But it is unknown how big the influence is. The article quantifies the concrete influence by testing. After calculating the output of wind turbine in different turbulence intensity level, it has shown that the more intensive turbulence will lead more negative impact on the output of wind turbine. The investigation provides some basis for the site sitting of wind farm.
CELL DIVISION AND WALL STRUCTURE IN MICROSPORA

SUMMARY Cell division and wall structure are described for Microspora. Persistent centrioles replicate at prophase and establish the poles of metaphase spindles. Microtubules penetrate the nucleus at prometaphase, and during metaphase and anaphase, the nuclear envelope although vesiculated, remains around the spindle. Kinetochores are present. The orientation of the metaphase spindle is highly variable; anaphase elongation of the skew spindle causes it to become bent and twisted. After telophase, daughter nuclei come together in the middle of the cell. The centrioles migrate around the nuclei to the plane of cytokinesis established by a typical phycoplast of microtubules. Both imagination of the outer membrane and a cell plate probably contribute to cross wall formation. These results establish an affinity of Microspora with certain Ulotrichalean algae (e.g. Ulothrix and Stigeoclonium), but not others (Klebsormidium). The characteristic H-shaped wall segments arise from two separate phases of wall secretion. During interphase, cell expansion is accommodated by the interlocking H-shaped segments moving apart; concurrently, a new cylindrical wall is secreted inside these segments. Then during cytokinesis, the newly formed cross wall turns this cylinder into the typical wall segment. This pattern of wall secretion may be common in the Ulotrichales (and other algae) and it may have been derived by the acquisition of the filamentous habit from primitive unicellular ancestors. A scheme showing how this evolution could have occurred is proposed.
Communitarianism: Implications for Addressing College Student Values

An overemphasis on individual achievement can lead, however, to self-indulgence. College students are daily bombarded by messages from television, cinema, etc., that encourage them to pursue only t...
A view of the data on P2P file-sharing systems

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing is a leading Internet application. Millions of users use P2P file-sharing systems daily to search for and download files, accounting for a large portion of Internet traffic. Due to their scale, it is important to fully understand how these systems work. We analyze user queries and shared files collected on the Gnutella system, draw some conclusions on the nature of the application, and propose some research problems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Radioactive labeling of α1-antitrypsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin by reductive methylation: Properties of the labeled derivatives

Abstract Human plasma α 1 -antitrypsin ( α 1 -AT), bovine trypsin, and α-chymotrypsin were labeled with either 14 C or 3 H by reductive methylation. The labeled inhibitor retained the capacity to inactivate and to form 1:1 molar complexes with either the unlabeled or labeled trypsin and α-chymotrypsin. After intravenous injection of reductively methylated α 1 -AT into rats, the labeled glycoprotein showed a circulating half-life of 12 h. When the N -acetylneuraminic acid residues were removed from the labeled α 1 -AT by neuraminidase in vitro , injection into rats of this product resulted in a rapid (half-life of about 5 min) and almost complete disappearance of the label from the circulation in 30 min. There was a concomitant accumulation of radioactivity in the liver of over 75% of the injected dose. The reductively methylated radioactively labeled trypsin and chymotrypsin experienced no loss of enzymatic activities. They showed the ability to form complexes in vivo with the two major plasma inhibitors, namely, α 1 -AT and α 2 -macroglobulin. High-voltage paper electrophoretic separation of acid hydrolysates of the labeled proteins revealed that ϵ- N -monomethyllysine and ϵ N,N -dimethyllysine are the only residues found to be radioactive.
On primary factorizations

Abstract We relate ideals in commutative rings which are products of primary ideals to ideals with primary decompositions. Invertible primary ideals are shown to have special properties. Sufficient conditions are given for a primary product ideal to have a unique product representation. A domain is weakly factorial if every non-unit is a product of primary elements. If R is weakly factorial, Pic( R )=0. A Noetherian weakly factorial domain R is factorial precisely when R is integrally closed. R [ X ] is weakly factorial if and only if R is a weakly factorial GCD domain. Properties of weakly factorial GCD domains are discussed.
Precise Location by Fingerprinting Road Segments with Variation of Wireless Reception

We propose a novel method of ground-radio-based precise positioning that utilizes variation of wireless reception against vehicle travel as fingerprints of road segments. It is considered particularly suitable for environments where wireless reception is dominated by multipath transmission that gives unique feature points to the fingerprint, such as urban and mountainous areas. Experimental results indicating potential of location with sub-meter accuracy at speed up to 50 km/h on a winding track using a single wireless access point are presented.
Sleep-induced amaurosis fugax

Amaurosis fugax is a manifestation of retinal ischemia, commonly described in the setting of carotid atherosclerotic disease. Thromboembolic, and less frequently, hemodynamic mechanisms have been described as responsible for producing negative symptoms of transient monocular vision loss during periods of wakefulness. We report an unusual presentation in which the patient became symptomatic during sleep. Initially, photopsias-positive symptoms were experienced, which caused the patient to awaken; this was immediately followed by transient monocular vision loss. Carotid endarterectomy was curative.
Localization of uridine monophosphate synthase (UMPS) gene to river buffalo chromosomes by FISH.

Uridine monophosphate synthase plays an important role in pyrimidine synthesis, converting orotic acid to uridine 5′ monophosphate. In cattle,UMPS deficiency is inherited as a monogenic autosomal recessive trait. While heterozygous carriers are phenotypically normal, homozygotes are lethalin utero (Shankset al. 1992).UMPS has been mapped to human chromosome 3q13 (Qumsiyehet al. 1989), sheep chromosome 1q (Burkinet al. 1993) and cattle chromosome 1q31 (Ryanet al. 1994). In the present study we used a cattle genomic probe to localizeUMPS to river buffalo chromosomes by fluorescencein situ hybridization.
Simian immunodeficiency virus mutants resistant to serum neutralization arise during persistent infection of rhesus monkeys.

We previously described the pattern of sequence variation in gp120 following persistent infection of rhesus monkeys with the pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239 molecular clone (D.P.W. Burns and R.C. Desrosiers, J. Virol. 65:1843, 1991). Sequence changes were confined largely to five variable regions (V1 to V5), four of which correspond to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 variable regions. Remarkably, 182 of 186 nucleotide substitutions that were documented in these variable regions resulted in amino acid changes. This is an extremely nonrandom pattern, which suggests selective pressure driving amino acid changes in discrete variable domains. In the present study, we investigated whether neutralizing-antibody responses are one selective force responsible at least in part for the observed pattern of sequence variation. Variant env sequences called 1-12 and 8-22 obtained 69 and 93 weeks after infection of a rhesus monkey with cloned SIVmac239 were recombined into the parental SIVmac239 genome, and variant viruses were generated by transfection of cultured cells with cloned DNA. The 1-12 and 8-22 recombinants differ from the parental SIVmac239 at 18 amino acid positions in gp120 and at 5 and 10 amino acid positions, respectively, in gp41. Sequential sera from the monkey infected with cloned SIVmac239 from which the 1-12 and 8-22 variants were isolated showed much higher neutralizing antibody titers to cloned SIVmac239 than to the cloned 1-12 and 8-22 variants. For example, at 55 weeks postinfection the neutralizing antibody titer against SIVmac239 was 640 while those to the variant viruses were 40 and less than 20. Two other rhesus monkeys infected with cloned SIVmac239 showed a similar pattern. Rhesus monkeys were also experimentally infected with the cloned variants so that the type-specific nature of the neutralizing antibody responses could be verified. Indeed, each of these monkeys showed neutralizing-antibody responses of much higher titer to the homologous variant used for infection. These experiments unambiguously demonstrate that SIV mutants resistant to serum neutralization arise during the course of persistent infection of rhesus monkeys.
Urban Popular Movements, Identity, and Democratization in Brazil

This article addresses the political impact and limits of grass-roots popular movements in Brazil during the past decade. In the second half of the 1970s, as Brazil's military regime promoted a gradual process of political liberalization, grass-roots popular movements burgeoned, generating widespread hopes among the forces that opposed the regime. Nearly a decade after this initial wave of optimism, it has become apparent that the earlier expectations have not been borne out. The author analyzes why this has been the case, and argues that although a wide amalgam of social movements did oppose the military regime and did work toward democratization, their enormous heterogeneity made unity difficult to attain, except for very short times and for very specific conditions. Despite egregious poverty and inequalities, the popular classes have had difficulty creating a political identity based on common interests. Moreover, the state has intentionally pursued a policy of dividing social movements, and political ...
Residual gas beam profile monitor

Abstract The design and performance of a beam profile monitor which presents no material to the beam is described. The detector, which has a 75 mm active width, operates from residual gas in the beam vacuum system. It provides 1 mm rms spatial resolution and 1 ms time resolution in a 1 μA beam at 10−7 Torr. Using a microprocessor based scanning ADC, a sequence of ten profiles can be acquired in as little as 100 ms. The monitor could be applied in other stored or extracted beams where the amount of material seen by the beam must be minimized.
Antimycobacterial activity of extracts of rat peritoneal cells.

Summary and Summary1) Membrane-filtered water-soluble constituents of sonic-disrupted cells from peritoneal exudates of 2 strains of albino rats exert a definite inhibitory effect on cultivability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, strain H37Ra, in phosphate buffer at pH 6.8 on 24 hours′ contact at 37°C, inhibition being almost complete after 48 hours incubation. 2) Similarly treated extracts of cells from peritoneal exudates of normal guinea pigs standardized in the same manner have no effect. 3) Differential cell counts of preparations from which extracts were made indicated that 90 to 95% of cells in exudates from both species were “large mononuclear” macrophages. Rat exudates, however, contained 4 to 6% mast cells, absent in guinea pig exudates. The significance of mast cells in antibacterial activity noted was not determined in the work reported here.
Genetic modulation of islet β-cell iPLA2β expression provides evidence for its impact on β-cell apoptosis and autophagy

β-cell apoptosis is a significant contributor to β-cell dysfunction in diabetes and ER stress is among the factors that contributes to β-cell death. We previously identified that the Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2β (iPLA2β), which in islets is localized in β-cells, participates in ER stress-induced β-cell apoptosis. Here, direct assessment of iPLA2β role was made using β-cell-specific iPLA2β overexpressing (RIP-iPLA2β-Tg) and globally iPLA2β-deficient (iPLA2β-KO) mice. Islets from Tg, but not KO, express higher islet iPLA2β and neutral sphingomyelinase, decrease in sphingomyelins, and increase in ceramides, relative to WT group. ER stress induces iPLA2β, ER stress factors, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψ), caspase-3 activation, and β-cell apoptosis in the WT and these are all amplified in the Tg group. Surprisingly, β-cells apoptosis while reduced in the KO is higher than in the WT group. This, however, was not accompanied by greater caspase-3 activation but with larger loss of ∆Ψ, suggest...
The impact of real Estate Market knowledge on tenure choice: A comparison of black and white households

Homeownership is an important social and financial achievement for most U.S. households. Various explanations have been offered for the large and persistent gap in the ownership rates of black and white households, but studies have consistently fallen short of identifying all of the causes. The data we used were derived from a survey of the residents of the Columbus, OH, area. We argue that differences in real estate market knowledge and information affect the tenure choice decisions of black and white households. We estimate a model that is augmented to include a measure of real estate knowledge and find that additional knowledge increases the likelihood of homeownership. This holds even when we account for the endogeneity of such knowledge. We conclude that differences in real estate knowledge contribute to explaining the racial gap in homeownership rates, a finding that can be addressed through public policy interventions such as counseling programs.
Rain-rate estimates for an attenuating radar

An iterative method has been used to produce rain-rate estimates for an attenuating frequency radar. An infinite number of higher-order estimates are shown to converge in the limit to the Hitschfeld-Bordan solution under certain conditions. An error analysis was performed by a model accounting for the randomness of the radar return power, the k-Z, Z-R relations, and offsets in the radar calibration constant. Since the behavior of the estimates strongly depends on system errors, the choice of the best estimate requires a knowledge of the variance and range of offsets in meteorological data and the calibration constant. As the errors increase, the use of the lower orders avoids significant overpredictions. In order to obtain reliable rain-rate predictions in the presence of realistic errors, an antenna pointing angles away from the horizontal at frequencies in the lower end of the X-band may be used. Such antenna configurations insure low attenuation.
Polynomial approximations of exponential integrals

Abstract A method is described to calculate polynomial approximations for exponential integrals. Tables of coefficients are presented for exponential integrals of the second, third and fourth order, which allow their rapid evaluation to an absolute accuracy of about 1 × 10 -7 .
Creative Employees: A Challenge to Managers

Employee creativity and corporate innovation have become important topics in management literature. Because the broadcast industry is dependent upon entertainment to attract viewers and listeners, most radio and television stations are staffed by artistic, creative personnel. These creative employees do not always respond to standard management and motivational techniques. Recent theories focus upon the end product to define creativity. Artists, however, often consider the process of creativity as more important than the final product. A new modified-process definition of creativity is suggested in which the artistic concerns of production personnel and the goal-oriented business requirements of management combine to form a structured system for creative endeavors. Characteristics of creative people are discussed along with techniques to manage creative personnel.
A vision of theory, research, and the future of business schools

The authors have distinguished between two broad types of research: studies dedicated to development and testing of theoretical explanations and studies seeking to generalize observed effects to settings of interest. Winer (1999 [this issue]) argues that the goal of making research conducted by marketing academics more relevant can be served by coupling theory studies with effects studies. Outcomes observed in the former type of study would gain external validity from the latter. While this notion has much intuitive appeal, the authors believe it is flawed. Generalizing the effects obtained in theory testing research by conducting additional effects studies using realistic data, such as scanner data, fails to take into account that theoretical explanation is not inherent in any set of data. An alternative view is offered in this article in which theoretical explanation serves as the basis for solving real-world problems and is the appropriate focus of business school education.
Quantitative determination of elemental sulfur at the arsenopyrite surface after oxidation by ferric iron: mechanistic implications

The elemental sulfur formed at the arsenopyrite surface after oxidation by ferric iron was quantitatively measured by extraction in perchloroethylene and subsequent quantitative analysis by HPLC. Reactions with ferric iron in perchloric acid solutions or in sulfuric acid solutions (both at pH = 1 and 42°C, which approximate extreme acid mine drainage conditions) produced elemental sulfur in quantities greater than 50% of the total reacted sulfur. The controversy surrounding the mechanism of the oxidative dissolution of arsenopyrite is discussed in light of these measurements. Based on the observation of greater than 50% production of elemental sulfur, a mechanism by which all the sulfur from the mineral proceeds through thiosulfate can be eliminated as a possible description of the dissolution of arsenopyrite. Instead, it is likely the other constituents of the mineral lattice, Fe and As, are leached out, leaving behind a S0 lattice. Nucleation reactions will then result in the formation of stable S8 rings.
Napoleon Is in Equilibrium

It has been said that the cell is the test tube of the twenty-first century. If so, the theoretical tools needed to quantitatively and predictively describe what goes on in such test tubes lag sorely behind the stunning experimental advances in biology seen in the decades since the molecular biology revolution began. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the theoretical tools that has been used with great success on problems ranging from how cells communicate with their environment and each other to the nature of the organization of proteins and lipids within the cell membrane is statistical mechanics. A knee-jerk reaction to the use of statistical mechanics in the description of cellular processes is that living organisms are so far from equilibrium that one has no business even thinking about it. But such reactions are probably too hasty given that there are many regimes in which, because of a separation of timescales, for example, such an approach can be a useful first step. In this article, we explore the power of statistical mechanical thinking in the biological setting, with special emphasis on cell signaling and regulation. We show how such models are used to make predictions and describe some recent experiments designed to test them. We also consider the limits of such models based on the relative timescales of the processes of interest.
Epigenetic regulation of open chromatin in pluripotent stem cells

The recent progress in pluripotent stem cell research has opened new avenues of disease modeling, drug screening, and transplantation of patient-specific tissues unimaginable until a decade ago. The central mechanism underlying pluripotency is epigenetic gene regulation; the majority of cell signaling pathways, both extracellular and cytoplasmic, alter, eventually, the epigenetic status of their target genes during the process of activating or suppressing the genes to acquire or maintain pluripotency. It has long been thought that the chromatin of pluripotent stem cells is open globally to enable the timely activation of essentially all genes in the genome during differentiation into multiple lineages. The current article reviews descriptive observations and the epigenetic machinery relevant to what is supposed to be globally open chromatin in pluripotent stem cells, including microscopic appearance, permissive gene transcription, chromatin remodeling complexes, histone modifications, DNA methylation, noncoding RNAs, dynamic movement of chromatin proteins, nucleosome accessibility and positioning, and long-range chromosomal interactions. Detailed analyses of each element, however, have revealed that the globally open chromatin hypothesis is not necessarily supported by some of the critical experimental evidence, such as genomewide nucleosome accessibility and nucleosome positioning. Greater understanding of epigenetic gene regulation is expected to determine the true nature of the so-called globally open chromatin in pluripotent stem cells.
The role of stress in recurrent tension headache.

SYNOPSIS This study investigated the role of stress in recurrent tension headache. Although recurrent tension headache sufferers (N=117) and matched headache-free controls (N=174) reported similar numbers and types of stressful life events, headache sufferers reported a greater number of chronic everyday stresses or daily hassles than did controls. Recurrent tension headache sufferers also appraised the stressful events they experienced more negatively than did controls, and employed less effective coping strategies in their efforts to manage stressful events. When the potential impact of a stressful event was ambiguous, recurrent headache sufferers appraised this event more negatively and themselves as having less control over the event than did headache-free controls. In their coping efforts, recurrent tension headache sufferers also placed greater reliance on the relatively ineffective coping strategies of avoidance and self-blame, and made less use of social support than did controls. These findings suggest that research on the role of stress in tensionheadaches should focus not on the occurrence of major stressful life events, but on the recurrent headache sufferer's cognitive appraisals of stressful events and efforts to cope with stress.
Synchroniztion of Chaotic Systems Based on Fuzzy Hyperbolic Model

This paper develops a fuzzy synchronization method for chaotic continuous-time systems based on a generalized fuzzy hyperbolic model (GFHM). The generalized fuzzy hyperbolic model is used to model nonlinear part of a chaotic system. Based on Lyapunov functional approach, a fuzzy state feedback controller is given. In addition, a sufficient condition for synchronization of two chaotic systems is obtained based on linear matrix inequality techniques. The effectiveness of the proposed method is presented by a simulation example.
Translating Leprosy: The Expert and the Public in Stanley Stein's Anti-stigmatization Campaigns, 1931–60

This article examines three campaigns through which patient activist Stanley Stein sought to combat the stigmatized connotations of the word "leprosy." In 1931, soon after starting the first patient newspaper at the U.S. national leprosy hospital at Carville, Stein became convinced of the necessity of finding an alternative to "leprosy." His ensuing campaign to promote the use of the words "Hansen's Disease" to describe the condition from which he and fellow Carville patients suffered became his most passionate and life-long project. In the 1950s, Stein became involved in efforts to change the translation of "leprosy" in the Bible. Finally, in 1960, he waged a campaign to de-stigmatize encyclopedia entries on leprosy. These campaigns illustrate how even elevation of the medical expert and a seeming disdain for the public can function as a protest of medical authority and reveal a presumption that a significant degree of authority actually resides with the public.
End of Life and Beyond as Hidden Curriculum

End-of-life experiences are unique. Most can vividly recall feelings during those times. Governing boards in the United States attempt to guide nursing faculty regarding end of life curriculum. Yet, the beliefs of faculty members arising from those unique experiences can alter the tone and message of what students are actually taught--often surfacing as hidden curriculum. In this column the authors discuss hidden curriculum while presenting the beliefs regarding end of life, of four nursing faculty members from a single university. Heightened awareness and respect for the beliefs of all faculty members within any university setting is imperative in decreasing the development of hidden curriculum.
Display Rule Development in Romantic Relationships Emotion Management and Perceived Appropriateness of Emotions Across Relationship Stages

A laboratory study of early dating and married/cohabiting couples showed that perceived appropriateness of emotion expression was lowest for early daters' negative emotions. Partners in more developed relationships managed positive emotions less than negative emotions and less than early daters managed either negative or positive emotions. Biological sex moderated the effect of valence and relationship level on discrepancy scores, the greatest differences between stages being for males’positive emotions and females’negative emotions. A second study using partners across all stages of relationship development found evidence of a curvilinear pattern for relationship length on discrepancy scores. More management of negative emotions was reported by partners in early and later stages of relationship development. Perceived appropriateness of emotion expression was found to increase with relationship development. Females expressions of emotion were considered least appropriate in early-stage relationships. Together the results provide evidence of display rule evolution as relationships develop.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED WETLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES

While many wetlands form along floodplains of rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries, others have developed in depressions far removed from such waters. Depressional wetlands completely surrounded by upland have traditionally been called ''isolated wetlands.'' Isolated wetlands are not confined to basins, as some occur on broad flats and others form on slopes. The term ''geographically isolated wetlands'' better describes these wetlands, since many are hydrologically connected to other wetlands and waterbodies through ground-water flows or by intermittent overflows (spillovers). Numerous types of geographically isolated wetlands occur throughout the United States. They may be naturally formed or the result of human action. Naturally formed types include prairie pothole wetlands, playas, Nebraska's Rainwater Basin and Sandhills wetlands, West Coast vernal pools, sinkhole wetlands, Carolina bays, interdunal and intradunal wetlands, desert springs, terminal basins in the Great Basin, and kettle-hole bogs in glaciated regions. Human-caused isolated types may be intentionally built, such as ponds designed for various purposes and wetlands built on mined lands, or they may be accidentially created (e.g., natural wetlands that were once connected to rivers and streams but are now isolated by roads, railroads, and other development or isolated by altered river hydrology). Many of the functions and benefits attributed to non-isolated wetlands are present in isolated wetlands.
Eosinophilic Endomyocarditis: A Rare Case of Neonatal Mortality.

Background Eosinophilic endomyocarditis (EEM) is a rare diagnosis that is extremely uncommon in newborns. This case report aimed to present a case of neonatal mortality from acute cardiac failure due to EEM. Case Our report presents a term male neonate with minor complications in the immediate postnatal course, who was discharged at 48 hours of life, but who developed unexpected respiratory distress, followed by cardiac arrest and death at 3 days of life. One day after discharge, the infant developed respiratory distress and cool skin, and then developed cardiac arrest at the pediatrician's office, undergoing resuscitation with intravenous fluid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, epinephrine, atropine, and failed intubation. Autopsy revealed EEM, an inflammatory infiltrative process involving the endomyocardium. Pathology Pathogenesis involves three stages: (1) myocarditis with an acute eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrate followed by (2) myocyte necrosis and eventually (3) fibrosis in the final stage of the disease. Discussion The cause of death was acute cardiac failure due to intense eosinophilic infiltration and degranulation with early subendocardial myocyte necrosis but before development of extensive myocyte necrosis. This case appears to be the youngest patient reported with EEM.