cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis of Dedifferentiated Hepatoma Cells is Independent of NF-κB Activation in Response to LPS

Dedifferentiated hepatoma cells, in contrast to most other cell types including hepatoma cells, undergo apoptosis when treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHx). We recently reported that the dedifferentiated hepatoma cells also exhibit a strong and prolonged NF-kappaB induction phenotype upon exposure to LPS, suggesting that NF-kappaB signaling may play a pro-survival role, as reported in several other cell systems. To test the role of NF-kappaB in preventing LPS-mediated apoptosis, we examined the dedifferentiated cell line M38. Results show that antioxidants strongly inhibited LPS + CHx-mediated cell death in the M38 cells, yet only modestly inhibited NF-kappaB induction. In addition, inhibition of NF-kappaB translocation by infection of the M38 cells with an adenoviral vector expressing an IkappaBalpha super-repressor did not result in LPS-mediated cell death. These results suggest that unlike TNFalpha induction, the cell survival pathway activated in response to LPS is independent of NF-kappaB translocation in the dedifferentiated cells. Addition of inhibitors of JNK, p38 and ERK pathways also failed to elicit LPS-mediated apoptosis similar to that observed when protein synthesis is prevented. Thus, cell survival pathways other than those involving NF-kappaB inducible gene expression or other well-known pathways appear to be involved in protecting the dedifferentiated hepatoma variant cells from LPS-mediated apoptosis. Importantly, this pro-apoptotic function of LPS appears to be a function of loss of hepatic gene expression, as the parental hepatoma cells resist LPS-mediated apoptosis in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors.
Regulatory T cells and autoimmune disease

Although T-cell clones bearing T-cell receptors with high affinity for self-peptide major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products are generally eliminated in the thymus (recessive tolerance), the peripheral T-cell repertoire remains strongly biased toward self-peptide MHC complexes and includes autoreactive T cells. A search for peripheral T cells that might exert dominant inhibitory effects on autoreactivity has implicated a subpopulation of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells called regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we discuss the role of cytokines and costimulatory molecules in the generation, maintenance, and function of Tregs. We also summarize evidence for the involvement of Tregs in controlling autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Last, we discuss our recent definition of the potential role of B7 expressed on activated T-effector cells as a target molecule for Treg-dependent suppression. These observations suggest that the engagement of B7 on effector T cells transmits an inhibitory signal that blocks or attenuates effector T-cell function. We restrict our comments to the suppression mediated by cells within the CD4 lineage; the impact of the cells within the CD8 lineage that may suppress via engagement of Qa-1 on effector T cells is not addressed in this review.
Surgical precision JIT compilers

Just-in-time (JIT) compilation of running programs provides more optimization opportunities than offline compilation. Modern JIT compilers, such as those in virtual machines like Oracle's HotSpot for Java or Google's V8 for JavaScript, rely on dynamic profiling as their key mechanism to guide optimizations. While these JIT compilers offer good average performance, their behavior is a black box and the achieved performance is highly unpredictable. In this paper, we propose to turn JIT compilation into a precision tool by adding two essential and generic metaprogramming facilities: First, allow programs to invoke JIT compilation explicitly. This enables controlled specialization of arbitrary code at run-time, in the style of partial evaluation. It also enables the JIT compiler to report warnings and errors to the program when it is unable to compile a code path in the demanded way. Second, allow the JIT compiler to call back into the program to perform compile-time computation. This lets the program itself define the translation strategy for certain constructs on the fly and gives rise to a powerful JIT macro facility that enables "smart" libraries to supply domain-specific compiler optimizations or safety checks. We present Lancet, a JIT compiler framework for Java bytecode that enables such a tight, two-way integration with the running program. Lancet itself was derived from a high-level Java bytecode interpreter: staging the interpreter using LMS (Lightweight Modular Staging) produced a simple bytecode compiler. Adding abstract interpretation turned the simple compiler into an optimizing compiler. This fact provides compelling evidence for the scalability of the staged-interpreter approach to compiler construction. In the case of Lancet, JIT macros also provide a natural interface to existing LMS-based toolchains such as the Delite parallelism and DSL framework, which can now serve as accelerator macros for arbitrary JVM bytecode.
Functions of SR and Tra2 Proteins in Pre-mRNA Splicing Regulation

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing is a powerful mechanism of gene expression control in eukaryotic cells that can influence cell function, cellular differentiation, and development. In some instances, as exemplified by the sex-specific regulation of transformer splicing by the Sex-lethal (Sxl) gene product in Drosophila, it may be used as an on/off switch of gene expression, mimicking transcriptional control (1). Other examples, like the cell-specific splicing of the calcitonin/CGRP pre-mRNA (2) or the sex-specific splicing of the Drosophila doublesex pre-mRNA (1), illustrate that alternative splicing provides an economical way to switch between mutually exclusive gene functions in a cell- or stage-specific manner. Its extraordinary versatility in the regulation of gene function is amply demonstrated by recent findings suggesting that electrical tuning of the hair cells in the inner ear of the chick is accomplished in part through variations in the splicing of the cSlo primary transcript, which has the potent...
On the Global Asymptotic Stability of the Equilibrium of the Lotka-Volterra Equations in a Varying Environment

We consider a mathematical model describing the evolution of prey and predator populations in a varying environment. The model is a system of ordinary differential equations with a unique nontrivial equilibrium. We derive sufficient conditions for the global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium.
Impurity states in liquid-helium films

We study the properties of impurity atoms of $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and spin-polarized hydrogen isotopes in films of liquid $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ adsorbed to a substrate. We find that a $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ impurity has three or more bound states, two of which we associate with surface states. Hydrogen atoms are very weakly bound and have only one bound state. Depending on the thickness of the film, deuterium impurities may form two surface bound states, or may penetrate to the substrate. For all cases studied, tritium impurities also tend to penetrate to the substrate. We develop the theory of the formation of ``self-bound'' or ``polaron'' states, but we see no evidence that such states can become energetically favorable.
Using a sensor network for distributed multi-robot task allocation

We present a multi field distributed in-network task allocation (DINTA-MF) algorithm for online multi-robot task allocation (OMRTA) where tasks are allocated explicitly to robots by a pre-deployed, static sensor network. The idea of DINTA-MF is to compute several assignment fields in the sensor network and then distributively assign fields to different robots. Experimental results with a simulated alarm scenario show that our approach is able to compute solutions to the OMRTA problem in a distributed fashion and arguably in an optimal way. We compared DINTA-MF with a simpler implementation (DINTA), which uses one assignment field. The data show that DINTA-MF outperforms DINTA as the number of robots increases.
Hypnotic depth and the incidence of emergence agitation and negative postoperative behavioral changes

Background Emergence agitation (EA) and negative postoperative behavioral changes (NPOBC) are common in children, though the etiology remains unclear. We investigated whether longer times under deep hypnosis as measured by Bispectral Index™ (BIS) monitoring would positively correlate with a greater incidence of EA in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) and a greater occurrence of NPOBC in children after discharge.
Associations between Smoking, Passive Smoking, GSTM-1, NAT2, and Rectal Cancer

Cigarette smoking has been identified as a risk factor for colon cancer, however, much less is known about the association between cigarette smoking and rectal cancer. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the associations between rectal cancer and active and passive cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco use. We also evaluate how genetic variants of GSTM-1 and NAT2 alter these associations. A population-based case-control study of 952 incident rectal cancer cases and 1205 controls was conducted. Detailed tobacco use information was collected as part of an interviewer-administered questionnaire. DNA was extracted from blood to examine genetic variants of GSTM-1 and NAT2. Cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of rectal cancer in men [odds ratio (OR)=1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-2.1 for current smokers; OR=1.7, 95% CI, 1.3-2.3 for smoking >20 pack-years of cigarettes relative to never-smokers]. After adjusting for active smoking, exposure to cigarette smoke of others also was associated with increased risk among men (OR=1.5, 95% CI, 1.1-2.0). Neither GSTM-1 genotype nor NAT2-imputed phenotype was independently associated with rectal cancer. However, the risk associated with smoking cigarettes among those who were GSTM-1 null relative to those who never smoked and had the GSTM-1 present genotype was OR=2.0 (95% CI, 1.2-3.3). This interaction was of borderline significance (P=0.08). Men who had the combined GSTM-1 present genotype and who were rapid acetylators had no increased risk from cigarette smoking. There were no significant associations between cigarette smoking and rectal cancer among women. This study shows that men who smoke cigarettes, especially those who smoke >20 pack-years, are at increased risk of rectal cancer. This association may be influenced by GSTM-1 genotype. Furthermore, exposure to cigarette smoke of others may increase risk of rectal cancer among men who do not smoke.
Economic Idylls and Pastoral Realities: The “Trickster Economy” in the Kingdom of Naples

Traditional European values of noncapitalist wealth preferred “rent to profit, security to risk, tradition to innovation, and, in terms of personal goals, gentility to entrepreneurial skill and renown.” Both in the dynamic, expansive sector of the international economy and in marginal, “retrograde” economies, nonpecuniary values based upon kin, custom, religion, law, and politics openly contradicted the utilitarian assumptions of our contemporary economic theory, spurned reinvestment, and worked against development. How can we balance such premodern conceptions with economic forces that may have been imperfectly understood or not even perceived and, at the same time, give both early modern rationale and economic rationality a place in our descriptions of the old order in Europe? In other words, how can we account for the role of culture in economic decision making?
La-la land meets DSM-IV: the pleasures and pitfalls of celluloid diagnostics.

Introduction by the column editor: In this month's column, Dr. Harvey Greenberg discusses how psychiatric illnesses have been depicted in a variety of contemporary film and television dramas. Dr. Greenberg, who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is also in private practice in New York City, is frequently consulted by filmmakers and video producers about psychiatric issues. He writes extensively about the psychoanalytic study of media and popular culture. His Web site, www.doctorgreenberg.net, contains many of his essays and reviews on cinema.
Diallel cross designs and their relation to fractional replication

Various diallel crossing plans or designs were studied as fractional replicates of a p 2 factorial for p any positive integer. The method of constructing the complete diallel crossing (CDC) design with p(p−1)/2 possible crosses among the p lines, as a fractional replicate was described. Then from this point of view it is immediately obvious that other fractions of the series x=k/2p, k=2, 3, ..., 2p are possible for p even and that fractions in the series k/p are possible for p odd and for k=1, 2, ... ..., p. One of the interaction components (AB p−1) g for g=0, 1, ..., p−1, of a p 2 factorial was utilized in constructing these fractional replicates because the selfs were those entries in (AB p−1)0. A list of partial diallel crossing (PDC) treatment designs for various values of x and p was given. An algorithm for constructing PDC designs of the type described above was also presented. Diallel crossing plans and related genetic concepts have direct and indirect applications in many subject matter areas other than genetics. A number of specific examples was discussed to illustrate the diversity of uses for CDC and PDC designs. Examples discussed included competition between strains of wheat, job classifications, communication between individual persons, drug applications, paired comparisons studies, teaching methods, cock fighting, and tournaments.
The Strain of Sympathy: A. Mary F. Robinson, The New Arcadia, and Vernon Lee

This article investigates how A. Mary F. Robinson, a rising poetic star in 1884 at the center of aestheticist literary circles, attempted to establish an ethical aesthetics in The New Arcadia, her collection of poems about rural poverty. Robinson's poetics disrupts her readers' expectations for mellifluous verse, aiming to elicit their sympathy with strained, discordant lyrics, both for the poet as an observer of suffering as well as for the hardships of poverty. The New Arcadia is dedicated to and responds to Robinson's intimate friend Vernon Lee, whose collection of essays Belcaro (1881) argues that the production of aesthetic pleasure is a moral good in itself. Jointly, Lee and Robinson aimed to establish an alternative to the sort of Paterian aestheticism that was often accused of solipsism. For Robinson, however, this approach was not enough, and she sought to question how poetry might engender a sympathy that required the fullest possible understanding of the other and that avoided the often paternalistic, controlling attitudes that underwrote many attempts to bring beauty to the people.
The Effects of High Environmental Temperature on Feed Passage Time and Performance Traits of White Pekin Ducks

Abstract Forty-eight sexed White Pekin ducks were subjected to either moderate or high environmental temperatures from 1 to 7 weeks of age. Two experiments measuring feed passage time were performed on consecutive days of each week with ducks in either the restricted or full-fed condition. Body weights and feed/gain ratios were determined weekly. Adrenal gland weights and body shell component yields were ascertained at the conclusion of the study. High environmental temperature caused an increase in feed passage time. Ducks with feed restricted for 6 hr had shorter feed passage times than did ducks in the full-fed condition. Additionally, high environmental temperature suppressed growth, had no effect on feed/gain ratios, and increased the relative weight of the right adrenal gland. Body shell component yields of ducks from the heated environment were decreased in skin and fat percentage which resulted in an increase in total wing, breast meat, leg meat, and carcass percentages. Sex had no influence on feed passage time, feed efficiency, or meat yields. Male ducks had heavier body weights and total and relative adrenal weights.
Rethinking Hardy–Weinberg and genetic drift in undergraduate biology

Population genetics is often taught in introductory biology classes, starting with the Hardy-Weinberg principle (HWP) and genetic drift. Here I argue that teaching these two topics first aligns neither with current expert knowledge, nor with good pedagogy. Student difficulties with mathematics in general, and probability in particular, make population genetics difficult to teach and learn. I recommend an alternative, historically inspired ordering of population genetics topics, based on progressively increasing mathematical difficulty. This progression can facilitate just-in-time math instruction. This alternative ordering includes, but does not privilege, the HWP and genetic drift. Stochastic events whose consequences are felt within a single generation, and the deterministic accumulation of the effects of selection across multiple generations, are both taught before tackling the stochastic accumulation of the effects of accidents of sampling.
The effect of response cards on participation and weekly quiz scores of university students enrolled in introductory psychology courses

Increasing student participation in college classrooms is an overlooked yet socially valid endeavor. The present study attempted to increase student participation, accuracy of responding, and weekly quiz scores, by incorporating student response-cards. Measures of social validity were also addressed. One hundred twenty university students in two sections of an introductory course served as participants. An augmented incomplete ABA reversal design was used to compare the effects of review questions with and without response-cards. Results suggest that response cards can increase participation as well as measures of learning, in this case quiz scores. Also, students rated the intervention positively on a consumer satisfaction rating scale. In addition to improving rates of student participation and quiz scores, response-cards positively impacted both students and the instructor's subjective experience in the classroom.
Recent advances and novel agents for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)

The discovery of CD117 mutation in almost all gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) marked a milestone. Other spindle cell neoplasms arising from the GI tract including lipoma, schwannoma, hemangioma, leiomyoma, and leiomyosarcoma are typically CD117-negative. GIST research and clinical care now represent a paradigm of translating discoveries in the molecular pathogenesis of cancer into highly effective targeted therapies that selectively inhibit etiologic “driver” pathways, leading to dramatically improved clinical outcomes. A series of investigations and trials are underway to develop novel and effective ways to treat patients with GIST. In this review, we discuss the highlights of recent advances and novel agents for GIST therapy.
Correlates of the age at natural menopause in Morocco.

Primary objective : To determine the median age of natural menopause and factors associated with the timing of menopause in Morocco. Research design : A population-based sample of 299 women from Rabat, Morocco were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Methods and procedures : Logit analysis and logistic regression were used to estimate the median age and identify factors associated with the age at menopause. Main outcomes and results : The median age of natural menopause in Morocco is estimated to be 48.4 years (95% CI: 36.9, 70.3). Women who reported the onset of menstruation at age 11 or younger (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.00, 8.10) had an earlier age at menopause than women who started menstruating at age 12 or older. Women who had ever used oral contraceptives were more likely to have a later age at menopause (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.30, 1.00). The length of time a woman used oral contraceptives influenced the timing of the menopause in unadjusted models but after adjusting for the age at menarch...
Enterprise Systems: State-of-the-Art and Future Trends

Rapid advances in industrial information integration methods have spurred tremendous growth in the use of enterprise systems. Consequently, a variety of techniques have been used for probing enterprise systems. These techniques include business process management, workflow management, Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), grid computing, and others. Many applications require a combination of these techniques, which is giving rise to the emergence of enterprise systems. Development of the techniques has originated from different disciplines and has the potential to significantly improve the performance of enterprise systems. However, the lack of powerful tools still poses a major hindrance to exploiting the full potential of enterprise systems. In particular, formal methods and systems methods are crucial for modeling complex enterprise systems, which poses unique challenges. In this paper, we briefly survey the state of the art in the area of enterprise systems as they relate to industrial informatics.
Centrosome Dysfunction Contributes to Chromosome Instability, Chromoanagenesis, and Genome Reprograming in Cancer

The unique ability of centrosomes to nucleate and organize microtubules makes them unrivaled conductors of important interphase processes, such as intracellular payload traffic, cell polarity, cell locomotion, and organization of the immunologic synapse. But it is in mitosis that centrosomes loom large, for they orchestrate, with clockmaker’s precision, the assembly and functioning of the mitotic spindle, ensuring the equal partitioning of the replicated genome into daughter cells. Centrosome dysfunction is inextricably linked to aneuploidy and chromosome instability, both hallmarks of cancer cells. Several aspects of centrosome function in normal and cancer cells have been molecularly characterized during the last two decades, greatly enhancing our mechanistic understanding of this tiny organelle. Whether centrosome defects alone can cause cancer, remains unanswered. Until recently, the aggregate of the evidence had suggested that centrosome dysfunction, by deregulating the fidelity of chromosome segregation, promotes and accelerates the characteristic Darwinian evolution of the cancer genome enabled by increased mutational load and/or decreased DNA repair. Very recent experimental work has shown that missegregated chromosomes resulting from centrosome dysfunction may experience extensive DNA damage, suggesting additional dimensions to the role of centrosomes in cancer. Centrosome dysfunction is particularly prevalent in tumors in which the genome has undergone extensive structural rearrangements and chromosome domain reshuffling. Ongoing gene reshuffling reprograms the genome for continuous growth, survival, and evasion of the immune system. Manipulation of molecular networks controlling centrosome function may soon become a viable target for specific therapeutic intervention in cancer, particularly since normal cells, which lack centrosome alterations, may be spared the toxicity of such therapies.
Population Politics, Power and the Problem of Modernity in Stephen Kotkin's Magnetic Mountain

Did population policy under Stalin differ, in any fundamental respect, from those of inter-war France or other Western countries? In a radical rethinking of the Soviet experience, Stephen Kotkin said no. Magnetic Mountain moved the field of Soviet history past an increasingly sterile cold war standoff between the so-called new social history and the totalitarian school. With the social history generation, Kotkin insisted on seeing the Soviet project from the perspective of ordinary people, subject to the same kind of forces that applied throughout Europe. He had no truck with ideas like oriental despotism or Russian exceptionalism, but, with the totalitarian school, he took ideology seriously, presenting everyday life and high politics within a single analytical frame. To do so, he drew eclectically on a range of theoretical perspectives, above all on the work of the late Michel Foucault. Foucault often implied that Auschwitz and the Gulag were the logical outcome of the Enlightenment project, but his primary goal was to illuminate the corrosive, coercive nature of liberal reform efforts in Western Europe, to puncture their claims to universality. The vast bulk of his corpus avoided the twentieth century. Kotkin, by contrast, used Foucault's perspective directly on the Soviet system itself.
Breeding season avifauna of prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas in shortgrass prairie

Abstract Avian assemblages of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies were compared to those present at two types of non-colonized grassland, during the breeding season, in southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Relative abundances were quantified in 1996 during a period of drought and in 1997 during a period of above average precipitation. We detected fewer bird species at all sites in 1996 than in 1997, and the total number of bird species detected on prairie dog colonies was lower than that detected on both types of non-colonized areas during both years. Horned larks (Eremophila alpestris) had higher relative abundances on non-colonized sites in 1996, but were more abundant on prairie dog colonies in 1997. Lark buntings (Calamospiza melanocorys) and grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) were not recorded at the study sites in 1996, but appeared in high numbers in 1997. These two species, and western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta), had higher relative abundances on non-...
Three-Dimensional Densification for Local Control

In recent years local engineers and surveyors have often asked for precisely determined control points at a spacing of 2-km to 3-km. To fulfill this demand, a study is being conducted at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana so as to densify the existing first-order geodetic control. Considered for this study are various configurations and electronic instrumentation that will provide a method for rapid field work, thus reducing the total project cost tremendously without reducing the desired high accuracy. Results of a new configuration, called the Central-Point Configuration, are more accurate than desired, both for horizontal and vertical control. This study will be of importance to all states and counties that need to establish a densified control net of higher accuracy with limited funds.
Increased flavor preference and lick activity for sucrose and corn oil in SWR/J vs. AKR/J mice

Nutrient preferences and orosensory responses were characterized in two mouse inbred strains. In two-bottle solution tests (tastant vs. vehicle; ascending concentrations), the effects of strain and chow type (12 or 26% fat) on preference thresholds for sucrose and corn oil were compared in AKR/J and SWR/J mice. SWR/J mice displayed lower preference thresholds and ingested more sucrose than AKR/J mice did. SWR/J mice also showed lower preference thresholds and consumed more corn oil than AKR/J mice did; corn oil preference was suppressed 3.5-fold in AKR/J mice compared with SWR/J mice when fed 26% fat chow. Next, licking was recorded during 30-s access to sucrose or corn oil across a range of concentrations. SWR/J mice licked the tastants more than AKR/J mice did. Analysis of modal interlick intervals during lick training revealed that SWR/J mice licked water faster than AKR/J mice when water deprived, suggesting that motor as well as sensory factors may determine lick responses to tastants in brief-access tests. Finally, in two-bottle tests pitting maximally preferred concentrations of sucrose (8 or 16%) against corn oil (20%), SWR/J mice highly preferred sucrose over corn oil at either sucrose concentration. AKR/J mice preferred corn oil over 8% sucrose but reversed their preference when 16% sucrose was offered. These results support a primary role of flavor in the nutrient preferences of SWR/J mice. In AKR/J mice, the low lick activity for sucrose and corn oil and greater suppression of corn oil preference by the high-fat chow suggest that their preferences depend more on postingestive factors than on flavor.
F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, and the Regulation of Broadcast Indecency

In FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, the Court upheld FCC rules restricting the broadcast of indecent material to hours when children would less likely be in the audience. Even though indecency qualifies as fully protected speech in other mediums, the Court held that such speech in the broadcast medium receives a lower level of constitutional protection.
An Introduction to the Thermal-Hydraulic Aspects of Nuclear Power Reactors

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) currently generate better than 20% of the central station electricity produced in the United States. The United States currently has 104 operating power-producing reactors, with nine more planned. France has 58 with one more planned. China has 13 with 43 planned. Japan has 54 with three more planned. In addition, Russia has 32 with 12 more planned. Production of electricity via nuclear has certainly come into its own and is the safest, cleanest, and greenest form of electricity currently introduced on this planet. However, many current thermodynamic texts ignore nuclear energy and use few examples of nuclear power systems. Nuclear energy presents some interesting thermodynamic challenges, and it helps to introduce them at the fundamental level. Research activities are currently underway worldwide to develop Generation IV nuclear reactor concepts with the objective of improving thermal efficiency and increasing economic competitiveness of Generation IV nuclear power plants compared to modern thermal power plants. Our goal here will be to introduce thermal aspect of nuclear power reactors as it applies to a variety of issues related to nuclear reactor thermal hydraulics and safety, which deals with energy production and utilization, therefore to have some general understanding of nuclear power plants, is essential. However, that is true for any textual introduction to this science; yet, by considering concrete systems, it is easier to give insight into the fundamental laws of the science and to provide an intuitive feeling for further study.
Potential Use of Intravenous Immune Globulin for Group B Streptococcal Infection

Several lines of evidence suggest that passive immunization as adjunctive therapy for or prevention of group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis in neonates will require the use of preparations of human intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) that are hyperimmune for protective antibodies to GBS. Results from both in vitro and in vivo experiments utilizing commercially available IVIG preparations suggest that the doses necessary for achieving levels of pathogen-specific antibody capable of promoting efficient opsonization and phagocytosis of GBS may be prohibitive. Several laboratories have reported that standard IVIG preparations contain only modest levels of antibodies to the four capsular polysaccharides of GBS (the protective moieties), are variable in their effect on in vitro opsonophagocytosis by dose and method of preparation, and are significantly less protective in animal models than is IVIG prepared from adults immunized with GBS polysaccharide vaccines. Further, when we gave a single infusion of standard IVIG at a dose of either 500 or 750 mg/kg to 10 premature neonates during the first week of life, opsonophagocytosis of type III GBS by their sera and adult neutrophils was observed only when high levels of specific antibody were achieved, levels only transiently achieved in nonimmune infants. Commercial preparation of human immune globulin hyperimmune for GBS will be required for optimal adjunctive therapy in patients with sepsis due to GBS and for the possible prevention of late-onset infant disease. Although awareness of the frequency and often subtle clinical onset of group B streptococcal (GBS) systemic infections in neonates has facilitated early diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy, the attendant mortality and morbidity due to these infections continue to occur. In the United States, GBS remains the most frequent cause of bacteremia or meningitis during the first 2 months of life. The estimated incidence of 3 per 1,000 live births or "'11,000 cases per year in the United States is similar to that reported 16 years ago [1]. Although mortality has decreased from the 2507o-55 % reported in the 1970s, infection is still fatal in "'15% of systemically infected infants [21, and 50% of those who survive
Multitrack Power Conversion Architecture

This paper introduces a MultiTrack power conversion architecture that represents a new way of combining switched-capacitor circuits and magnetics. The MultiTrack architecture takes advantages of the distributed power processing concept and a hybrid switched-capacitor/magnetics circuit structure. It reduces the voltage ratings on devices, reduces the voltage regulation stress of the system, improves the component utilization, and reduces the sizes of passive components. This architecture is suitable to dc–dc and grid-interface applications that require both isolation and wide voltage conversion range. An 18–80 V input, 5 V, 15 A output, 800 kHz, 0.93 in $^2$ (1/16 brick equivalent) isolated dc–dc converter has been built and tested to verify the effectiveness of this architecture. By employing the MultiTrack architecture, utilizing GaN switches, and operating at higher frequencies, the prototype converter achieves a power density of 457.3 W/in $^3$ and a peak efficiency of 91.3%. Its power density is 3 $\times$ higher than the state-of-the-art commercial converters with comparable efficiency across the wide operation range.
Electric elevator drive with position control

This paper is a study on the real-time implementation of a position-control based electric elevator drive. The information contained within this paper serves as a framework to expand the usefulness of electric drives through the addition of digital control systems and switching power supplies. The tangible example of an elevator driven by a permanent-magnet DC motor with position control is used to relate to the work and apply it to various mechanical systems. The tasks to be accomplished to achieve an electric elevator drive with position control are as follows: determining the parameters of the motor, designing a control system to direct the motor as desired, and verifying the performance of the system through the use of computer simulations and real-time Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) experimental testing.
Continued Gains in Health Insurance but Few Signs of Increased Utilization: An Update on the ACA's Dependent Coverage Mandate.

Objectives: To evaluate the Affordable Care Act’s dependent coverage mandate impact on insurance take-up and health services use through the second full year of implementation. Data: Medical Expend...
The Intra-aortic Balloon Pump

The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) has been widely used in critical care medicine for the management of intractable unstable angina and cardiogenic shock (Trost et al., Am J Cardiol 97:1391–8, 2006). With continued advancements in the technology, the IABP is the most commonly used mechanical cardiac assist device in critically ill patients.
Mechanisms for radiation damage in DNA constituents and DNA

The initial effects of all forms of ionizing radiation on DNA are the production of positive ions, negative ions and excited states of the DNA bases. These species may later react to produce biologically significant damage. Ion radicals in γ-irradiated DNA have been reported.1−3 For example Graslund, Ehrenberg, Rupprecht, and Strom suggest an anion radical on thymine and a cation radical on guanine in γ-irradiated oriented DNA at 77 K.1 The reactions of these ion radicals produced individually in DNA bases have been recently investigated with some success.4−10 In this discussion we will concentrate on the initial events immediately after ionization i.e. the fate of the electron and positive hole in irradiated DNA.
Bleeding On Anti-Platelets: A Single Center Quality Assurance Project

Abstract 4708 Background: Treatment of CNS hemorrhage in patients on anti-platelets usually includes transfusion of platelets. Management of bleeding in other sites has not been thoroughly studied. Objective: To identify practice patterns of treatment of hemorrhage in patients on anti-platelets (aspirin and clopidogrel) at a tertiary care hospital within a 3 month period. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review. The Emergency Department provided a list of admitted patients. Target population was identified using the Emergency Department computer system. The patients chart was used in order to extract the following data: age, gender, co-mobridities, medications, baseline and lowest hemoglobin, platelet count, international normalized ratio, partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time, source and type (spontaneous vs trauma) of bleeding, use of packed red blood cells transfused within the first 24 hours, transfusion of platelets; prothrombin complex concentrate; fresh frozen plasma; factor VII; use of desmopressin, surgery or endoscopy within 48 hours from admission. Bleeding was categorized as life threatening, major or minor according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis criteria. Statistical analysis was performed with the use of Excel (Microsoft). Results: 31 patients with bleeding on anti-platelets were admitted from April 2012 to June 2012. Baseline characteristics and treatment practices are summarized in Table 1. The majority of the bleeds were due to aspirin alone, and anti-platelet agents were discontinued 93% of the time. Most bleeds requiring admission were classified as either life threatening or major. Frequency of packed red cell transfusion in life threatening bleeds was 5/6 (83%), 11/17 (65%) in major bleeds and 2/8 (25%) in minor bleeds. 4 patients were transfused with platelets (one had a CNS bleed), all had the anti-platelets discontinued and they had lower platelet counts compared to non transfused patients [93.2(84) vs 217(80.3), p=0.02]. No patient required desmopressin. All patients who had their anti-platelets continued had minor bleeds. All the bleedings stopped within 48 hours from admission and no deaths secondary to hemorrhagic shock were recorded. Discussion: This is a quality assurance project to assess current physician practices for the management of bleeding in patients on anti-platelet agents. Except for the actual platelet counts, there is no obvious difference between patients transfused with platelets vs non-transfused. At our institutions, anti-platelet related major bleeds are not routinely managed with platelet transfusions. There is a need for additional research to better clarify management. Our study is limited by the fact that it is a retrospective, single institution study. Furthermore, bleeding in inpatients on anti-platelets was not assessed. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The new disciplinology: Research, theory, and remaining puzzles on the school-to-prison pipeline

Abstract Background The school-to-prison pipeline is a relatively recent phenomenon identified by researchers as a link between negative school outcomes, such as discipline, and involvement in the justice system. Purpose To critically examine the school-to-prison pipeline, focusing on race and discipline, as an extension of the “risk society” that has emerged in the last twenty to thirty years. Research, theory, and remaining puzzles with respect to the school-to-prison pipeline are examined. Results Changes in education and penal policy have converged to increase the chances that students who do not succeed in school become enmeshed in the criminal justice system. The causal link between the two systems is less clear, but a focus on risk is present in both arenas. However, disparities—particularly racial disparities, much like those found in the criminal justice system—persist in school discipline that have yet to be adequately explained. Conclusions Further research is needed to understand and explain the relationship between school and penal policies, educational outcomes and involvement with the criminal justice system. Irrespective of whether the link is causal, the disparities that exist and increasing numbers of those impacted by exclusionary discipline coupled with negative educational outcomes suggest a new approach should be explored.
Robotic Assistance for Training Finger Movement Using a Hebbian Model: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background. Robots that physically assist movement are increasingly used in rehabilitation therapy after stroke, yet some studies suggest robotic assistance discourages effort and reduces motor lea...
A companion to Russian cinema

Weighing in at over 650 pages, A Companion to Russian Cinema is the strapping, towering kind of fellow you cannot help but notice and initially be intimidated by before being smitten by his approac...
Case 2: Hypotonia and Muscle Weakness since Birth in a 2-year-old Boy

1. Senthil Velan Bhoopalan, MD, PhD* 2. Renu Jain, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV A 2-year-old boy presents to our clinic with hypotonia and muscle weakness since birth. He has motor developmental delay: he has never crawled because he has had difficulty lifting his head. His mother denies any dysphagia, difficulty breathing, or seizures and reports that he can walk for only 1 to 2 minutes and fatigues easily. His symptoms are nonprogressive and improve on rest. He was born at 37 weeks' gestation by cesarean delivery. His mother received good prenatal care. He was found to be hypotonic at birth, although his mother did not report any reduced fetal movements. He stayed in the NICU for 4 days for feeding difficulty and oxygen requirement. A cranial computed tomographic (CT) scan was normal at that time. There was no family history of any muscle weakness. During this visit, he is smiling and comfortable. He is at the 30th percentile for height and the 45th percentile for weight, with normal vital signs. On examination he has diffuse muscle wasting, including face and symmetrical weakness of all 4 extremities, along with a positive Gower sign and ptosis. He has postural scoliosis and a waddling gait. His reflexes are normal and Babinski sign is negative. No sign of sensory or cerebellar deficit is appreciated. Initial laboratory evaluation shows that the complete blood cell count, urine organic acid levels, creatinine kinase level, metabolic profile, chest radiograph, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram were normal. He is also tested for fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, type 1 muscular dystrophy, short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, Prader-Willi syndrome, acycarnitine deficiency, and hypothyroidism, which are all negative. In addition, he also tests …
The fiscal impact of economic growth and development on local government revenue capacity

The focus of this article is to examine the relationship between local economic growth and development and local government revenue capacity. A model is established to determine the relationship between the number of agricultural, manufacturing, service, and retail establishments per capita and employees per capita on real local government property tax capacity per capita. High property tax levies are highly negatively correlated with tax capacity. Population density, the general price level, and the presence of local retail sales taxes also play a role in determining tax capacity. New business creation in the service industry does appear to have a positive impact on local government tax capacity, while increases in agricultural, manufacturing, and retail activity do not. Although increasing concentration in the number of service establishments has a positive impact on tax capacity, increasing concentration in the number of service workers alone does not seem to lead to increases in tax capacity.
Statistical Inference for Some Special Families of Stochastic Processes

Publisher Summary This chapter presents statistical inference for some special families of stochastic processes. Many of the classical univariate inferential techniques for means are valid exactly or in a modified form for larger parameter spaces. To fit a wide variety of data, retaining the sample function space of the Wiener process is important. The data can also be fitted by enlarging the parameter space by placing a mixing measure—the variance parameter of the Wiener process. The chapter describes distribution theory. A stochastic process is called spherically exchangeable (S-E) if a function ψ exists there on the positive half line such that for each finite set of natural numbers, the joint characteristic function of the so-numbered Xs satisfies. Each S-E process is a variance mixture of Gaussian processes.
The Multinuclear NMR Approach to Peptides

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the uses of NMR spectroscopy in conformational studies of peptides. We will present only brief explanations of the principles and techniques involved in acquiring NMR data since numerous textbooks and specialized articles are available that deal with the methods involved in this form of spectroscopy (Pople et al.., 1959; Roberts, 1962; Emsley et al., 1965; Carrington and McLachlan, 1967; Becker, 1969; Bovey, 1969b; Lynden-Bell and Harris, 1969; Abraham, 1971; Farrar and Becker, 1971; Levy and Nelson, 1972; Stothers, 1972; Dwek, 1973; James, 1975; Witanowski and Webb, 1973; Becker, 1974; Wehrli and Wirthlin, 1976). We shall focus attention on the interpretation of NMR data in terms of conformational properties of peptides. As is true for other physicochemical techniques, NMR spectroscopy alone cannot provide the answers to all conformational questions. The results obtained from each technique are a reflection of the response of the peptide to the perturbation caused by the technique. The relationship between response and conformational properties is not necessarily direct, and it is not surprising that different techniques often yield results that appear to be contradictory. However, use of a number of techniques gives greater insight into the properties of peptide systems, and can also yield insight into the techniques themselves.
Eurasianism: Past and present

Abstract Eurasianism is a quasi-political and intellectual movement. Its representatives state that Russia is a unique blend of Slavic and non-Slavic cultures and ethnic groups. Eurasianists also emphasize the corporate nature of the Russian state which makes it quite different from the West. Eurasianism emerged in the 1920s as an anti-Bolshevik movement. Yet, through its evolution, Eurasianism has become closer and closer to the Soviet brand of Marxism. In its blending of Marxism with nationalism, Eurasianism was one of the precursors to the present-day ideology of post-Soviet Russia.
Characterization of a structurally and functionally diverged acyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase from milkweed seed.

A cDNA for a structurally variant acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase was isolated from milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed, a tissue enriched in palmitoleic (16:1Δ9)* and cis-vaccenic (18:1Δ11) acids. Extracts of Escherichia coli that express the milkweed cDNA catalyzed Δ9 desaturation of acyl-ACP substrates, and the recombinant enzyme exhibited seven- to ten-fold greater specificity for palmitoyl (16:0)-ACP and 30-fold greater specificity for myristoyl (14:0)-ACP than did known Δ9-stearoyl (18:0)-ACP desaturases. Like other variant acyl-ACP desaturases reported to date, the milkweed enzyme contains fewer amino acids near its N-terminus compared to previously characterized Δ9-18:0-ACP desaturases. Based on the activity of an N-terminal deletion mutant of aΔ9 -18:0-ACP desaturase, this structural feature likely does not account for differences in substrate specificities.