cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost Utility of Inflammation-Targeted Therapy for Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

Background & Aims Oral mesalamine drugs are frequently used to treat patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). However, these drugs are costly, and long-term adherence is poor. We compared the cost utility of inflammation-targeted, intermittent therapy with that of universal, continuous maintenance therapy with mesalamine agents for patients with mild-to-moderate UC. Methods We developed a Markov cohort model that simulated a population of adult patients with newly diagnosed, quiescent UC after induction of remission with mesalamine agents. We obtained model inputs from the literature. The perspective taken was that of a short-term payer (health insurance provider) during a 5-year time period. We modeled 3 treatment strategies: symptom-targeted treatment (treatment for symptomatic disease flares only, SYMPT), continuous mesalamine maintenance for all patients (CONT, the current standard of care), and inflammation-targeted treatment (mesalamine therapy for only patients with a stool sample positive for an inflammatory marker, INFLAM). We measured disease flares, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs (2009 U.S. dollars), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results INFLAM was the least costly strategy (cumulative per-patient cost of $22,798), compared with $24,378 for the SYMPT and $25,621 for the CONT strategies. Despite the lower cost, INFLAM was comparable to SYMPT and CONT in effectiveness (4.4986 vs 4.5014 QALYs, respectively), making INFLAM the optimal strategy. Several variables were found to be important in sensitivity analysis; the CONT strategy was optimal only if the cost of mesalamine drugs was markedly reduced. Conclusions Inflammation-targeted treatment of patients with UC is effective and costs less than continuous treatment of all patients with mesalamine, the current standard of care. Prospective trials of inflammation-targeted treatment are warranted.
Acute renal failure due to interstitial nephritis resulting from radio-contrast agents.

: Two episodes of acute renal failure were present in an elderly patient following repeated exposure to radio-contrast agents. These episodes were due to acute interstitial nephritis with eosinophiluria but no systemic allergic reaction.
One‐step synthesis of polycarbonates bearing pendant carboxyl groups by lipase‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization

The ring-opening polymerization of a monomer containing a free carboxylic acid group is reported for the first time. The monomer, 5-methyl-5-carboxyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one (MCC), was copolymerized with trimethylene carbonate (TMC) in an enzymatic ring-opening polymerization conducted in bulk at 80 °C. The low-melting TMC comonomer also solubilized the high-melting MCC monomer, allowing for solvent-free polymerizations. Six commercially available lipases were screened, and Candida antarctica lipase-B (Novozym-435) and Pseudomonas cepacia lipase were selected to catalyze the copolymerization because of their higher monomer conversions. Higher molecular weight polymers (weight-average molecular weight = 7800-9200) were prepared when Novozym-435 was used, with less MCC incorporated into the copolymer than used in the monomer feed. However, Pseudomonas cepacia lipase showed good agreement between the molar feed ratios and the molar composition, but the molecular weights (weight-average molecular weight = 3600-4800) were lower than those obtained when Novozym-435 was used. 13 C NMR spectral data were used for microstructural analysis, which suggested the formation of random, linear, and pendant carboxylic acid groups containing polycarbonates with hydroxyl groups at both chain ends.
Host-assisted intramolecular vibrational relaxation at low temperatures: OH in an argon cage

The vibrational relaxation of hydroxyl radicals in the AΣ+2 (v=1) state has been studied using the semiclassical perturbation treatment at cryogenic temperatures. The radical is considered to be trapped in a closest packed cage composed of the 12 nearest argon atoms and undergoes local translation and hindered rotation around the cage center. The primary relaxation pathway is towards local translation, followed by energy transfer to rotation through hindered-to-free rotational transitions. Free-to-free rotational transitions are found to be unimportant. All pathways are accompanied by the propagation of energy to argon phonon modes. The deexcitation probability of OH(v=1) is 1.3×10−7 and the rate constant is 4.7×105s−1 between 4 and 10K. The negligible temperature dependence is attributed to the presence of intermolecular attraction (⪢kT) in the guest-host encounter, which counteracts the T2 dependence resulting from local translation. Calculated relaxation time scales are much shorter than those of homon...
Cu Planarization in Electrochemical Mechanical Planarization

The electrochemical mechanical planarization (Ecmp) process is a revolutionary planarization technology uniquely combining removal rate controlled by charge with superior planarization efficiency in the near no-shear regime. A planarization mechanism for Ecmp is proposed to explain the high planarization efficiency. Meanwhile, the effects of applied voltage on removal rate and planarization efficiency are discussed. The electrical feature allows Ecmp to be a planarization process with removal rate independent of downforce, enabling a wide removal rate window and high planarization efficiency.
Survival of Pseudomonas spp in air-dried mineral powders

Abstract Limited evidence suggests that some minerals enhance the ability of bacteria to survive desiccation. Our objective was to use a wide variety of well-characterized minerals to determine what effect mineral type has on the survival of Pseudomonas spp in air-dried powders. Two strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens (2-79RN10 and W4F393) and a fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. strain S8-1 were suspended in phosphate buffer or 10% lactose and mixed into Ca2+ -saturated kaolinite, montmorillonite, vermiculite, zeolite, talc or pyrophyllite. Preparations were air-dried and stored at 20°C and 15% relative humidity. When lactose was absent from the preparation, minerals with a smaller average particle size (i.e., montmorillonite, zeolite and vermiculite) enhanced bacterial survival more than minerals with a larger particle size (i.e., pyrophyllite, talc and kaolinite). The survival of three Pseudomonas spp under desiccation stress was, therefore, positively correlated with mineral surface area regardless of lattice type. The addition of lactose enhanced the survival of both 2-79RN10 and S8-1 when incorporated with pyrophyllite, talc or kaolinite, but did not increase survival when formulated in high surface area minerals. The use of minerals with a smaller average particle size or the addition of lactose to minerals with larger size particles should be considered when attempting to promote bacterial survival in air-dried mineral powders.
Dust in planetary magnetospheres

Abstract Dust particles immersed in the magnetized plasma environment of planetary magnetospheres collect electrostatic charges. The expected charges are modest and only micron and smaller grains will be significantly perturbed by the resulting electrodynamic forces. These electrodynamic perturbations compete with other processes - radiation pressure, plasma and exospheric drag, etc. - and for micron (and smaller) grains result in energy and angular momentum exchange with the magnetospheric fields that dominate the orbital evolution of these small grains. The presence of dust also modifies the plasma environment. Sputtering, photo and secondary emissions, etc. are processes that couple the spatial and temporal evolution of the dust and the plasma. The study of this magnetospheric dusty plasma complex involves a large number of possible space experiments.
Predicting faculty attitude toward collective bargaining

This exploratory study isolated factors useful for predicting faculty attitude toward collective bargaining (CB) in higher education.
Inefficiency of Serial Knowledge for Associative Responding

The organization of serial memory was examined. Subjects learned a serial list chunked into triplets, then learned a paired associate (PA) task in which the pairs were consecutive items from the original series. Those S s who were informed of the relationship between the tasks gave PA error patterns that corresponded more closely to the transition-shift probabilities of the serial task than did the PA error patterns of uninformed S s. Further, the informed S s showed positive transfer on early PA trials but negative transfer on the later trials, with overall learning rates averaging one-half to one-third of those of control S s. The effects of the instructions are interpreted as showing ( a ) that S s have multiple PA strategies available, and ( b ) that serial-recall memory may not always include direct links between consecutive items.
Allele-specific silencing of mutant Myh6 transcripts in mice suppresses hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. HCM is caused by dominant mutations in genes encoding constituents of the cardiac sarcomere, the contractile unit that keeps the heart pumping. Studying a mouse model that recapitulates a severe form of HCM caused by a mutation in a β myosin heavy chain gene, Jiang et al. (p. [111][1]) investigated whether sarcomere dysfunction could be corrected by selectively silencing expression of the mutant allele. Mice treated shortly after birth with a viral vector encoding an appropriately designed RNA interference cassette did not develop cardiac hypertrophy or myocardial fibrosis—the pathologic manifestations of HCM—for at least 6 months. [1]: /lookup/volpage/342/111?iss=6154
A thermoelectric flow enthalpy-increment calorimeter

Abstract A flow calorimeter for measuring enthalpy increments of fluids from 200 to 500 K and at pressures to 20 MPa has been constructed. It was tested with measurements on water, p-xylene, and n-heptane. Results are within ±0.5 per cent of literature values.
Chemical mechanical planarization of multilayer dielectric stacks

Sub-0.5 micrometers multilevel metal schemes impose stringent requirements on both gap-fill and planarity of interlevel dielectrics. A variety of novel materials and processes are being investigated to meet these process requirements. In this paper, four dielectrics with good gap- filling capabilities are evaluated for planarity characteristics: SiO2 deposited using a high density plasma (HDP) with simultaneous deposition and sputtering, an organic spin-on-glass material SOG-A, an inorganic spin-on-glass material SOG-B, and SiO2 deposited using ozone and TEOS at sub-atmospheric pressure (SACVD). These materials are used for gap-fill followed by a capping layer of PETEOS. For global planarization, only the top layer of PETEOS is planarized using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) without exposing the underlying gap-fill material. Planarization characteristics of the dielectric stacks are found to be significantly different, both before and after CMP. The CMP throughput is found to be very sensitive to the choice of the dielectric stack. For a given planarity goal, the CMP throughputs of three of the dielectric stacks are found to be significantly higher than that of a conventional single layer interlevel dielectric (ILD) consisting of only PETEOS.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Primary Cell Culture of Human Type II Pneumonocytes: Maintenance of a Differentiated Phenotype and Transfection with Recombinant Adenoviruses

Studies of the regulation of surfactant lipoprotein metabolism and secretion and surfactant protein gene expression have been hampered by the lack of a cell culture system in which the phenotypic properties of type II cells are maintained. We have developed a primary culture system that facilitates the maintenance of a number of morphologic and biochemical properties of type II pneumonocytes for up to 2 wk. Cells were isolated by collagenase digestion of midgestation human fetal lung tissue that had been maintained in organ culture in the presence of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP) for 5 days. The isolated cells were enriched for epithelial components by treatment with DEAE-dextran, plated on an extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, and incubated at an air/liquid interface in a minimal amount of culture medium containing Bt2cAMP. The cell cultures were comprised of islands of round epithelial-like cells containing numerous dense osmiophilic granules, surrounded by ...
Lupus autoantibodies recognize the product of an alternative open reading frame of SmB/B'.

Abstract An unusual feature of the gene for the spliceosomal protein SmB/B′ is the presence of an unusually long alternative open reading frame (aORF) which could encode 220 amino acids. We cloned and expressed this aORF protein and used immunological assays to determine its antigenicity in patients with systemic lupus. Sera from 10 of 22 (46%) anti-Sm positive lupus patients showed significant binding to the SmB′ aORF protein by ELISA while neither the normal controls nor anti-Sm negative lupus patient controls showed significant reactivity. Antigenicity of the SmB′ aORF protein was further localized to the C-terminus using a deletion construct. This is the first known example in which the product of an alternative open reading frame acts as an autoantigen in human disease. These results are consistent with the possibility that generation of anti-Sm autoantibodies in a subset of lupus patients is due to abnormal processing and expression of an aORF SmB/B′ message, by an as yet unidentified mechanism.
Is urgency emotionality? Separating urgent behaviors from effects of emotional experiences

Previous research has supported the role of positive and negative maladaptive behaviors, but has not addressed the strong conceptual overlap of these traits with frequency/intensity of emotions and lack of premeditation. The current study empirically examined the differential effects of urgency, emotions, and lack of premeditation on risk-taking behavior in a sample of 520 U.S. undergraduate students. The results of the study indicate that (1) urgency is a significant predictor of risky behavior, independent of frequency/intensity of emotions, (2) urgency predicts above and beyond the additive and interactive effects of lack of premeditation and frequency/intensity of emotions, and (3) those who are high in both urgency and drinking motives are at greatest risk for drinking/drunkenness.
Reading to write

Teaching a programming language offers many challenges. Foremost, of course, is the question of how to present the material. Part of any presentation are the drills and exercises. Frequently, after the content has been presented, the student is asked to write a program. This is much akin to asking a student, who has just been exposed to the grammar and some vocabulary of a new language, to write an essay in that language.This paper will discuss several alternate approaches in presenting exercises to develop the proficiency of a student in the use of a programming language.
Fetal malformations produced in rats by N-isopropyl-α-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide hydrochloride (procarbazine)†

Single intraperitoneal injections of N-isopropyl-α-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide hydrochloride (procarbazine) at doses ranging from 5–550 mg/kg were given to pregnant rats on the fifth to twelfth, fourteenth, and seventeenth days of gestation. Malformations were seen in twenty-first-day fetuses exposed to doses that were slightly higher than one-half (250 mg/kg on 17th day) to one forty-fifth (12 mg/kg on 12th day) the single dose that was lethal to females (550 mg/kg) when they were treated once on the fifth, sixth, ninth to twelfth, fourteenth, or seventeenth day of gestation. Tail and appendicular defects were observed after treatment on all eight days, injury to the brain only after that on the ninth day, facial clefts on the ninth or tenth day, and cleft palate and shortened jaws on the sixth, ninth, twelfth, fourteenth, and seventeenth days. Malformations were not seen with any of the doses used on the seventh or eighth day of gestation. Attempts to protect the twelfth-day fetus against the teratogenic effects of 100 mg/kg of procarbazine by administration of various amounts of L-methionine were only partially successful.
Developing a Management Information Systems (MIS) Curriculum: Perspectives From MIS Practitioners

Abstract The demand for management information systems (MIS) graduates has increased recently because the MIS degree tends to integrate knowledge of computer technology with business skills. MIS pr...
Certification and regulation of forestry practices in the United States: Implications for intensively managed plantations

Abstract Public acceptance of intensive forest management depends on consistent adherence to high standards of environmental performance. In the United States, environmental standards for forest management are set and enforced through a complex array of interlocking state and federal laws. Environmental performance is enhanced through extensive voluntary participation in programs that promote forest stewardship. Currently, there is considerable interest in new approaches that couple forest management certification with ecolabeling (FMC/EL). Proponents have emphasized possible marketing advantages for producers of certified products, but have not demonstrated that FMC/EL is a cost-effective option for improving environmental performance.
Mechanism for extending the 20Ne rotational band

Abstract A mechanism for forming a 10+ member of the 20Ne rotational band is proposed. It is shown that the (1d 5 2 −2s 1 2 ) 3 −1g 9 2 configuration leads to a 10+ state in the proper energy region with a large E2 radiative width.
Controlling alpha in a clinical trial: the case for secondary endpoints.

Regardless of whether a statistician believes in letting a data set speak for itself through nominal p-values or believes in strict alpha conservation, the interpretation of experiments which are negative for the primary endpoint but positive for secondary endpoints is the source of some angst. The purpose of this paper is to apply the notion of prospective alpha allocation in clinical trials to this difficult circumstance. An argument is presented for differentiating between the alpha for the experiment ('experimental alpha' or α E ) and the alpha for the primary endpoint (primary alpha, or α P ) and notation is presented which succinctly describes the findings of a clinical trial in terms of its conclusions. Capping α E at 0.10 and α P at 0.05 conserves sample size and preserves consistency with the strength of evidence for the primary endpoint of clinical trials. In addition, a case is presented for the well defined circumstances in which a trial which did not reject the null hypothesis for the primary endpoint but does reject the null hypothesis for at least one of the secondary endpoints may be considered positive in a manner consistent with conservative alpha management.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization: is it a new model for effective public-private cooperation in international public health?

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) has in many ways been remarkably successful in revitalizing the international coalition of institutions and organizations concerned with getting vaccines to the children of the poorest countries. Many have seen this high-profile venture in public–private cooperation as a model for other groups concerned with more effectively helping to solve health problems in the developing world. We examined major flaws in the GAVI and argue that in fact the alliance does not represent a new paradigm for international public health. However, the experience of the GAVI may suggest an alternative, and more effective, way to conceptualize future global initiatives.
REACH: automated database design integrating first-order theories, reconstructive expertise, and implementation heuristics for accounting information systems

This paper describes the integrated use of different knowledge types in an automated software engineering tool called REACH. These types include: (1) a first-order domain theory called the REA accounting model, (2) reconstructive expertise gleaned from textbooks on accounting system design in a bookkeeping environment, and (3) implementation compromise heuristics derived from the design experience of database designers. This tool aids an enterprise database analyst in the conceptual design stages of view modeling and view integration. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative study of microtubules in some vertebrate and invertebrate cells

An electron microscope study of a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate cell types has supported the postulate that the microtubule is a universal cellular organelle. Microtubules of similar dimensions have been observed in the flagellum and beneath the plasma membrane of Trypanosoma lewisi, in the flagellum, manchette and mitotic spindle of the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) spermatid; and in fibroblasts, proximal convoluted and collecting tubule cells of the hypertrophying rat kidney. The specific occurrence and organization of the microtubules in cells undergoing morphological and developmental changes have suggested that these organelles are contractile and that they effectively contribute to the maintenance of cellular form. The possibility that microtubules may function as an intracellular transport system is also suggested.
Integrin-generated forces lead to streptavidin-biotin unbinding in cellular adhesions

The interplay between chemical and mechanical signals plays an important role in cell biology, and integrin recep- tors are the primary molecules involved in sensing and transducing external mechanical cues. We used integrin-specific probes in molecular tension fluorescence microscopy to investigate the pN forces exerted by integrin receptors in living cells. The molecular tension fluorescence microscopy probe consisted of a cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys(Cys) (cRGDfK(C)) peptide tethered to the terminus of a polyethylene glycol polymer that was attached to a surface through streptavidin-biotin linkage. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer mechanism was used to visualize tension-driven extension of the polymer. Surprisingly, we found that integrin receptors dissociate streptavidin-biotin tethered ligands in focal adhesions within 60 min of cell seeding. Although streptavidin-biotin binding affinity is described as the strongest noncovalent bond in nature, and is ~10 6 -1 0 8 times larger than that of integrin-RGD affinity, our results suggest that individual integrin-ligand complexes undergo a marked enhancement in stability when the receptor assembles in the cell membrane. Based on the observation of streptavidin-biotin unbinding, we also conclude that the magnitude of integrin-ligand tension in focal adhesions can reach values that are at least 10 fold larger than was previously estimated using traction force microscopy-based methods.
Animal model evaluation of dairy goats for milk, fat, and protein yields with crossbred animals included.

Abstract Genetic evaluation of dairy goats was extended to include evaluation of protein yield and evaluation of Oberhasli and experimental breeds. Diverse genetic background of parents of crossbred animals can be accounted for with an animal model that includes all relationships. The animal model system implemented for dairy goats differed from the one for dairy cattle in that all breeds were processed simultaneously and evaluations of relatives included data from does without a first lactation record and from later herds for does that changed herds. Unknown parent groups were defined for each breed except Oberhasli, which was grouped with the Alpine breed because of small population size. Management groups were 2-mo seasons with separate groups for first and later lactations. Management groups with fewer than five lactation records were combined with other groups until five lactations were included or the management group was 12-mo long. Evaluations for milk and fat were computed for 141,003 animals: 80,227 does with lactation records, 34,294 dams without records, and 26,482 bucks. About 70% of animals had protein evaluations. Genetic trend in 1984 for the five breeds with largest population sizes ranged from 3.8 to 5.2 kg/yr for milk yield.
Modulation of Paired-Pulse Responses in the Dentate Gyrus: Effects of Normal Maturation and Vigilance State

This study examined the effect of normal development and vigilance state on the modulation of dentate granule cell activity in the freely moving rat at 15, 30, and 90 days of age across three vigilance states: quiet waking, slow-wave sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep. Using paired-pulse stimulation, the paired-pulse index (PPI) was obtained for the dentate evoked field potentials elicited by the stimulation of the medial perforant path. Although significant differences in PPI values were observed during development, no significant vigilance state related changes were obtained. Preweaning infant rats, i.e., 15-day old, exhibited significantly less early (interpulse intervals, IPI= 20–50 ms) and late (IPI = 300–1000 ms) inhibition, and less facilitation (IPI = 50–150 ms) when compared to the 90-day old adult rats during all three vigilance states. PPI values obtained from the 30-day old group fell intermediate between the 15- and 90-day old animals. These changes in PPI values provide a quantitative measure of changes in the modulation of dentate granule cell excitability during normal maturation. They can now can be used to evaluate the impact of various insults, such as prenatal protein malnutrition or neonatal stress, on hippocampal development. © 2000 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC00: 8717Nn, 8719La, 8719Nn
Early Paleozoic transform-margin structure beneath the Mississippi coastal plain, southeast United States

A geophysical transect across the central Gulf of Mexico coastal plain shows that the early Paleozoic continental margin of southern Laurentia is preserved in a nearly pristine state beneath younger strata that were emplaced during the late Paleozoic Ouachita orogeny and formation of the modern Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. The thickness of the crystalline crust decreases abruptly across the margin over a distance of ∼50 km, from 35 km beneath the Black Warrior foreland basin to 10 km beneath the Ouachita fold-and-thrust belt. This abrupt decrease in crustal thickness is similar to modern transform margins, but very different from most rifted margins, which display much more gradual transitions in crustal thickness. The geophysical data indicate an absence of synrift intrusive and volcanic rocks, underplated mafic rocks at the base of the crust, and abnormally thick oceanic crust adjacent to the margin. The lack of these features is also characteristic of modern transform margins. Combined with transects across the margin farther west, the data confirm previous suggestions that the central Gulf of Mexico coastal plain overlies an ∼800-km-long transform segment of the late Proterozoic–early Paleozoic southern Laurentian continental margin that extends continuously from western Arkansas to southeast Alabama.
Job seeker gender and its relationship to work-related attributes

Abstract The relationship of job seeker gender to the importance placed on work-related attributes was examined for a national sample of students graduating from hospitality programs in the United States. Male-female comparisons were tested with respect to twenty items (job and organizational characteristics) and factor analyzed into five dimensions: Benefits, Growth, Control, Constraints, and Salary. Female job seekers were found to place significantly greater emphasis on items which loaded on Growth, Control, and Constraints factors. These findings are part of a developing trend in work-related attribute preferences which may be reflective of changes in sex role socialization. This study suggests that to enhance their attractiveness to potential employees, organizations need to acknowledge the manner in which males and females prioritize work-related attributes.
Expression analysis of BACE2 in brain and peripheral tissues.

Beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE) is a novel transmembrane aspartic protease that possesses all the known characteristics of the β-secretase involved in Alzheimer's disease (Vassar, R., Bennett, B. D., Babu-Khan, S., Kahn, S., Mendiaz, E. A., Denis, P., Teplow, D. B., Ross, S., Amarante, P., Loeloff, R., Luo, Y., Fisher, S., Fuller, J., Edenson, S., Lile, J., Jarosinski, M. A., Biere, A. L., Curran, E., Burgess, T., Louis, J.-C., Collins, F., Treanor, J., Rogers, G., and Citron, M. (1999) Science 286, 735–741). We have analyzed the sequence and expression pattern of a BACE homolog termed BACE2. BACE and BACE2 are unique among aspartic proteases in that they possess a carboxyl-terminal extension with a predicted transmembrane region and together they define a new family. Northern analysis reveals that BACE2 mRNA is expressed at low levels in most human peripheral tissues and at higher levels in colon, kidney, pancreas, placenta, prostate, stomach, and trachea. Human adult and fetal whole brain and most adult brain subregions express very low or undetectable levels of BACE2 mRNA. In addition, in situ hybridization of adult rat brain shows that BACE2 mRNA is expressed at very low levels in most brain regions. The very low or undetectable levels of BACE2 mRNA in the brain are not consistent with the expression pattern predicted for β-secretase.
The Electrocardiogram in Emphysema with and without Chronic Airways Obstruction

Clinical and postmortem data were analyzed on 31 patients found at necropsy to have relatively pure emphysema. Criteria were sought to distinguish electrocardiographic changes due to emphysema unattended by disabling clinical manifestations from those changes due to emphysema attended by chronic airway obstruction (CAO). None of six patients without clinical evidence of CAO had right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Two of eight with mild or questionable nondisabling CAO had such hypertrophy, as had 16 or 17 with severe disabling CAO. Established criteria for ECG identification of RVH are too stringent to permit optimal use of this diagnostic measure in patients with emphysema and other chronic pulmonary disorders. Utilizing primarily a vectorial approach to the scalar electrocardiogram, we have derived six criteria which were found to be of assistance in predicting anatomic RVH from the ECG. These were rightward P vector, P-pulmonale, rightward initial, terminal and mean QRS vectors, and a posteriorly directed, horizontal QRS vector. ECG changes associated with emphysema in the absence of disabling chronic airway obstruction and pulmonary hypertension are limited to low voltage and perhaps “pseudo left axis deviation.” Our data indicate it is emphysema attended by severe airway obstruction with accompanying pulmonary hypertension and RVH which, in the individual patient, produces some or all of the ECG changes listed here.
Isolation and characterization of a carbonic anhydrase homologue from the zebrafish (Danio rerio).

We have isolated a 29,000-Da carbonic anhydrase (CA) protein from the zebrafish, Danio rerio, sequenced two peptide fragments, and tentatively identified it as a high-activity CA by inhibition kinetics. We have also characterized a 1,537-bp message whose deduced sequence of 260 amino acids matches that of the isolated protein. This CA is clearly an α-CA based on the similarity of its sequence to that of other members of the α-CA gene family. A phylogenetic analysis suggested CAH-Z diverged after the branching of the CA-V and CA-VII genes and prior to the duplications that generated the CA-I, CA-II, and CA-III genes of amniotes. This marks the first characterization of the mRNA and its protein product from the CA gene of a teleost.
Affective response bias in the measurement of perceived task characteristics

The study examines whether an affective response influences the dimensionality of a perceptual measure of task characteristics, the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS). It was hypothesized that affective response to the job may operate as a source of bias and influence the dimensionality of the instrument. Non-supervisory employees in two separate organizations completed the 15-item task characteristics section of the JDS. A factor analysis of the responses resulted in a unique solution for each organization. An affective response (intrinsic job satisfaction) was then partialled out of the inter-correlations of the 15 JDS items and a second factor analysis was performed on the residual data. The results indicated that removing an affective response improved the dimensionality of the instrument.
Encoding of amplitude modulation in the gerbil cochlear nucleus: II. Possible neural mechanisms.

Abstract Rapid changes in sound amplitude—amplitude modulation (AM)—comprise an important feature of biologically-relevant sounds, including speech. In the companion paper, a hierarchy of enhancement for AM processing was demonstrated for unit types of the gerbil ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) [Frisina, et al., Hear. Res. 44, 1990]. In the present report additional neurophysiological findings are presented as an initial test of alternative hypotheses of how VCN unit types amplify or enhance AM information, and how they accomplish this over a wide intensity range. These hypotheses invoke mechanisms such as off-CF excitatory or inhibitory inputs, input from high-threshold auditory-nerve fibers, amplification of residual AM responses of auditory-nerve fibers at high intensities, or post-synaptic cell feedback. From consideration of VCN unit response properties such as onset and steady-state rate-intensity functions, pure-tone tuning, and non-CF responses to AM, it is concluded that: Off-CF excitatory inputs do not play a significant role in VCN AM encoding; Off-CF inhibitory inputs could work in conjunction with one or more of the other proposed mechanisms to account for differential enhancement of AM by VCN neurons.
Right ventricular gene therapy with a β-adrenergic receptor kinase inhibitor improves survival after pulmonary artery banding

Abstract Background . Increased right ventricular (RV) afterload results in RV hypertrophy and dysfunction, as well as increased levels of intracellular β-adrenergic receptor kinase (βARK1). We hypothesize that gene transfer of a βARK1 inhibitor (βARKct) may improve RV performance, morbidity, and mortality early after pulmonary artery (PA) banding. Methods . Rabbits underwent PA banding 3 days after right coronary artery injection of an adenovirus containing the gene encoding the βARKct peptide ( n = 14), β-galactosidase ( n = 10), or an empty adenovirus ( n = 19). After banding, hemodynamic instability and maximal rate of increase in right ventricular pressure (RV dP/dt max ) were documented. For 7 days after banding, animals were monitored for mortality, activity, and appetite. Results . When compared with controls, animals receiving the βARKct transgene showed improvement in survival at 7 days (92.8% ± 7% vs 48.3% ± 9%, p = 0.01), less lethargy, a trend toward greater RV dP/dt max (NS), and increased hemodynamic stability at the time of banding (78% vs 41%, p = 0.03). Conclusions . Selective RV expression of βARKct improves survival and morbidity after PA banding. This represents a novel therapeutic modality for clinical situations involving increased RV afterload.
The use of clinical trials in comparative effectiveness research on mental health.

Abstract Objectives A large body of comparative effectiveness research (CER) focuses on the use of observational and quasi-experimental approaches. We sought to examine the use of clinical trials as a tool for CER, particularly in mental health. Study Design and Setting Examination of three ongoing randomized clinical trials in psychiatry addressing issues that would pose difficulties for nonexperimental CER methods. Results Existing statistical approaches to nonexperimental data appear insufficient to compensate for biases that may arise when the pattern of missing data cannot be properly modeled such as when there are no standards for treatment, when affected populations have limited access to treatment, or when there are high rates of treatment dropout. Conclusion Clinical trials should retain an important role in CER, particularly in cases of high disorder prevalence, large expected effect sizes, difficult-to-reach populations, or when examining sequential treatments or stepped-care algorithms. Progress in CER on mental health will require careful consideration of appropriate selection between clinical trials and nonexperimental designs and on allocation of research resources to optimally inform key treatment decisions for each patient.
Is ρ-meson melting compatible with chiral restoration?

Abstract Utilizing in-medium vector spectral functions which describe dilepton data in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of QCD and Weinberg sum rules at finite temperature. The starting point is our recent study in vacuum, where the sum rules have been quantitatively satisfied using phenomenological vector and axial-vector spectral functions which describe hadronic τ-decay data. In the medium, the temperature dependence of condensates and chiral order parameters is taken from thermal lattice QCD where available, and otherwise is estimated from a hadron resonance gas. Since little is known about the in-medium axial-vector spectral function, we model it with a Breit–Wigner ansatz allowing for smooth temperature variations of its width and mass parameters. Our study thus amounts to testing the compatibility of the ρ-broadening found in dilepton experiments with (the approach toward) chiral restoration, and thereby searching for viable in-medium axial-vector spectral functions.
Recent work in the Philosophy of Mind

Correction d'une erreur que l'A. a reperee dans son dernier article intitule «The trouble with Tarski» (in «The philosophical quarterly», 48, 1998, pp. 1-22) concernant l'implication stricte et la difference entre le contenu de l'expression tous les hommes sont mortels et la forme de la proposition que tous les hommes sont mortels en anglais. Comparant l'extrait de son article avec une version precedente non-publiee ou il donne l'exemple de la proposition deux et deux font quatre, l'A. montre que la forme de la premiere n'implique pas la verite du contenu de la seconde
A geometric characterization of parametric cubic curves

In this paper, we analyze planar parametric cubic curves to determine conditions for loops, cusps, or inflection points. By expressing the curve to be analyzed as a linear combination of control points, it can be transformed such that three of the control points are mapped to specific locations on the plane. We call this image curve the canonical curve. Affine maps do not affect inflection points, cusps, or loops, so the analysis can be applied to the canonical curve instead of the original one. Since the first three points are fixed, the canonical curve is completely characterized by the position of its fourth point. The analysis therefore reduces to observing which region of the canonical plane the fourth point occupies. We demonstrate that for all parametric cubes expressed in this form, the boundaries of these regions are tonics and straight lines. Special cases include Bezier curves, B-splines, and Beta-splines. Such a characterization forms the basis for an easy and efficient solution to this problem.
Effects of Sex, Locus of Control, and Issue on Attitude Change.

(1978). Effects of Sex, Locus of Control, and Issue on Attitude Change. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 106, No. 2, pp. 283-284.
Mapping X-linked ophthalmic diseases: II. Linkage relationship of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa to X chromosomal short arm markers.

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is a series of hereditary dystrophic diseases of the retina that occur in three clinically distinguishable variants: the classic form (McK-31360), a type known as choroidoretinal dystrophy (McK-30330), and a variant with golden-metallic or “tapetal” reflex in the heterozygote (McK30320). Controversy exists as to whether these phenotypic differences are due to clinical variability in disease expression, heterogeneity in disease alleles at a single locus, or a multiplicity of loci for XLRP. We have studied a single large kindred segregating for XLRP with the metallic fundus reflex in the heterozygote with restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) from the short arm of the human X chromosome, and found measurable linkage to DXS7 (θ=12.5 cMorgans at LOD=2.5), the same RFLP previously shown by others to be tightly linked to the other forms of XLRP at θ=3cM. Although these estimates appeared to be different, each fell just within the 95% probability interval of the other and, therefore, were insufficient to prove or disprove that the metallic sheen form of XLRP is allelic with other forms of XLRP. Additional RFLPs at the DXS43 and the ornithine transcarbamoylase loci provided three-point crosses for determining the relative positions of DXS7 and XLRP, and supported an order that placed this form of XLRP distal to DXS7 on the Xp. Until the question of genetic heterogeneity is resolved, careful phenotypic characterization of the clinical type of XLRP present in families being used for linkage analyses is advisable.
High-efficiency and high-speed silicon metal–semiconductor–metal photodetectors operating in the infrared

A silicon metal–semiconductor–metal photodetector with high-efficiency and high-speed in the infrared is reported. The high performance is achieved by using a Si-on-insulator substrate with a patterned nanometer-scale scattering reflector buried underneath a 170-nm-thick Si active layer. This scattering reflector causes light to be trapped inside the thin Si active layer, resulting in a fast and efficient carrier-collection by the electrodes. The impulse response of the photodetector, measured by electro-optic sampling at 780 nm wavelength, has a full width at half-maximum of 5.4 ps, corresponding to a 3-dB bandwidth of 82 GHz. At both 633 and 850 nm wavelengths, the responsivities of the photodetector with the buried backside reflector are at least an order of magnitude larger than those without the reflector.
Facile synthesis of high-quality graphene nanoribbons

Graphene nanoribbons have attracted attention because of their novel electronic and spin transport properties1,2,3,4,5,6, and also because nanoribbons less than 10 nm wide have a bandgap that can be used to make field-effect transistors1,2,3. However, producing nanoribbons of very high quality, or in high volumes, remains a challenge1,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18. Here, we show that pristine few-layer nanoribbons can be produced by unzipping mildly gas-phase oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes using mechanical sonication in an organic solvent. The nanoribbons are of very high quality, with smooth edges (as seen by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), low ratios of disorder to graphitic Raman bands, and the highest electrical conductance and mobility reported so far (up to 5e2/h and 1,500 cm2 V−1 s−1 for ribbons 10–20 nm in width). Furthermore, at low temperatures, the nanoribbons show phase-coherent transport and Fabry–Perot interference, suggesting minimal defects and edge roughness. The yield of nanoribbons is ∼2% of the starting raw nanotube soot material, significantly higher than previous methods capable of producing high-quality narrow nanoribbons1. The relatively high-yield synthesis of pristine graphene nanoribbons will make these materials easily accessible for a wide range of fundamental and practical applications. Unzipping carbon nanotubes that have been mildly gas-phase oxidized results in graphene nanoribbons of very high quality.
The TORrid affairs of viruses: effects of mammalian DNA viruses on the PI3K–Akt–mTOR signalling pathway

The successful replication of mammalian DNA viruses requires that they gain control of key cellular signalling pathways, including the phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase–Akt–mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K–Akt–mTOR) pathway. This Review discusses the range of mechanisms that mammalian DNA viruses use to activate this pathway, as well as the multiple mechanisms these viruses have evolved to circumvent inhibitory stress signalling. The successful replication of mammalian DNA viruses requires that they gain control of key cellular signalling pathways that affect broad aspects of cellular macromolecular synthesis, metabolism, growth and survival. The phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase–Akt–mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K–Akt–mTOR) pathway is one such pathway. Mammalian DNA viruses have evolved various mechanisms to activate this pathway to obtain the benefits of Akt activation, including the maintenance of translation through the activation of mTOR. In addition, viruses must overcome the inhibition of this pathway that results from the activation of cellular stress responses during viral infection. This Review will discuss the range of mechanisms that mammalian DNA viruses use to activate this pathway, as well as the multiple mechanisms these viruses have evolved to circumvent inhibitory stress signalling.
Calculating mass transfer from vertical wet fabrics using a free convection heat transfer correlation

In this note, the evaporation rate from a vertical wet fabric sheet is calculated using a free convection heat transfer correlation. Chilton–Colburn analogy is used to derive a mass transfer correlation from a heat transfer correlation proposed by Churchill and Chu for free convection from a vertical isothermal plate. The mass transfer rate obtained from this expression has shown excellent agreement with experimental data.
Use of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides as immunoprotective agents.

Single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) synthesised to express unmethylated ‘CpG motifs’ mimic the ability of bacterial DNA to trigger the innate immune system. CpG ODNs stimulate cells that express Toll-like receptor 9, initiating an immunomodulatory cascade resulting in the activation of B and T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. CpG ODNs improve the host’s ability to resist infection by accelerating and improving the induction of an innate and then adaptive immune response, characterised by the production of Th1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and polyreactive antibodies. Studies in rodents and non-human primates demonstrate that CpG ODNs can protect the host against bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. CpG-induced protection develops rapidly but persists for only a few weeks. Preclinical and clinical trials suggest that CpG ODNs can be used safely to activate the human immune system.
SOME DEPARTURES FROM STRICT PHONEMIC REPRESENTATIONS1

The learning of Chinese has, for years, been regarded a s a matter that requires some special skill. At present there are still many people who have notbeen reached by the results of modern linguistic research and therefore they still look upon the learning of Chinese with the same attitude that Confucius had for the supernatural. When he was asked to give his opinion concerning it, Confucius said, "Respect it; stay away from it." Surprisingly enough, one can even find unintelligible statements made by a linguist concerning Chinese. In 1947 i n his A Message to the Linguist's Congress, Felice Rovai said,