cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stress and chronic illness: The inflammatory pathway.

Recent studies have provided important insight into how immune system responses mediate the effects of social adversity and age on chronic illness. Simons et al.’s (2017) ITACT Ratio is a novel assessment of immune functioning that helps expand the toolkit of health psychology. Not only is this study noteworthy in showing how socioeconomic disadvantage may influence immune cell profile, but also it may prompt future work in other domains to use this new index of inflammatory dominance, the ITACT Ratio. This demonstration that social adversity gets “under the skin” through the immune system has much potential for expansion: combining ITACT with other common markers for stress and inflammation, including additional measurements for perceived stress, and expanding the investigation of the link between ITACT and chronic disease in additional populations. Results of future studies will determine if ITACT will emerge as an important new biomarker tying inflammatory dominance to chronic disease.
Intangible Assets and a Theory of Heterogeneous Firms

This article outlines a capabilities-enriched economic theory of the firm and its sources of competitive advantage. The nature and key categories of intangibles are discussed, with an emphasis on their suitability for providing differentiation in an era when so many services and tangible goods are readily available on a global basis. The linkages in the conversion of intangibles into profits are analyzed, including the frequent need for co-specialized complements. Among the key categories of intangibles are organizational capabilities, which can be either ordinary or dynamic. Ordinary capabilities are, generally, those that can be measured against best practice and with some effort, imitated by rivals. Dynamic capabilities, which reside in both signature processes and management skills, allow the enterprise and its top management to develop conjectures about the evolution of consumer preferences, business problems, markets, and technology; validate them; and realign assets and competences to enable continuous innovation for the creation of competitive advantage. The key concepts of complementarity, entrepreneurial management, and dynamic capabilities are then applied to deepening the economic theory of the firm, combining with the dominant transaction cost approach to provide a richer understanding of why firms are needed in the economic system.
The Socratic method, defeasibility, and doxastic responsibility

AbstractThere is an extensive body of philosophical, educational, and popular literature explaining Socratic pedagogy’s epistemological and educational ambitions. However, there is virtually no literature clarifying the relationship between Socratic method and doxastic responsibility. This article fills that gap in the literature by arguing that the Socratic method models many of the features of an ideally doxastically responsible agent. It ties a robust notion of doxastic responsibility to the Socratic method by showing how using defeaters to undermine participants’ knowledge claims can facilitate responsible belief. It then argues that more robust notions of doxastic responsibility can be augmented by constructs found in the American Philosophical Association’s Delphi Report. Finally, it shows how considering challenges (that is, entertaining defeaters) and modifying beliefs accordingly are objectives of the Socratic method and crucial elements of what it means to be a responsible believer.
Finding God in All Things: Identity and Purpose in a Jesuit Community for the Elderly

This article is an investigation into the development and maintenance of identity of elderly Jesuits residing in the Jesuit Community for the Elderly (JCE) in Maryland. Through qualitative research and analysis using identity theory, I investigate the human creature as an embodied being oriented to perceive and respond to meaning, and to construct identity out of the process. I look to see the means by which these individuals, especially in the context of a religious order and old age, create and maintain their identities. I conclude that with the intentional practice and construction of foundational habits in the context of community, the residents of the JCE, no matter their state of physical deterioration at this late stage in the life cycle, are able to maintain their identity as Jesuits, continue relational practice through ministry, and maintain a profound sense of meaning in life.
Concurrent Validity of the Seven-Item BBS-3P with Other Clinical Measures of Balance in a Sample of Stroke Patients

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate if the 7-item Berg balance scale (BBS) 3-point, which is a short form of the BBS (SFBBS), has compatible psychometric properties in comparison with the original BBS, and also to study the concurrent validity using a 10-meter walk test (10mWT) and a t...
Top-down induction of reduced ordered decision diagrams from neural networks

Neural networks offer good generalization performance, noise robustness, and model complexity control. However, neural network mappings are expressed in terms of complicated mathematical functions that are inherently hard to understand. To overcome this limitation rule extraction methods have been proposed. This paper presents a novel method of rule extraction which recursively, in a top-down manner, builds a Reduced Ordered Decision Diagram. The diagram structure allows sharing of nodes, which partially overcomes two problems present in Decision Tree-based rule extraction - the problem of subtree replication and of training set fragmentation. A method for reducing the rule search space by identifying regions in which the network shows similar behavior is presented. Preliminary results of the method performance are reported.
A closer lens: Cancer survivors' supportive intervention preferences and interventions received.

Background Cancer survivor preferences for formal interventions designed to provide psychological support remain relatively unknown. To address this gap, we evaluated cancer survivors’ preferences for psychological intervention, whom they preferred to recommend such intervention, and how their preferences compared with what they currently received. Methods U.S. cancer survivors (n = 345) who were at least 2 months post-treatment for diverse forms of cancer were recruited online to complete a survey study. Results Based on Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to distinguish among ranked preferences, cancer survivors rated individual professional counseling as their most-preferred form of psychological intervention, p < .001, followed by professionally-led cancer support groups and individual peer counseling. Anti-depressant or other psychiatric medication represented their least-preferred intervention (among 6 choices), ps < .001, but was the one they were most likely to currently receive. Preference for individual professional counseling over psychiatric medication was evident even among the subgroups of cancer survivors screening positively for probable anxiety disorder (n = 188) or major depression (n = 137), ps < .001. Cancer survivors most preferred to learn about psychological interventions from their medical oncologist, p < .001, followed by primary care physician, cancer nurse, or another cancer survivor; they least preferred to learn from a social worker or on their own, ps < .001. Conclusions Cancer survivors reported significant unmet need for psychological intervention, preference for non-pharmacological forms of such support, and a gap between their preferred forms of support and what they currently receive.
An FeIII Azamacrocyclic Complex as a pH-Tunable Catholyte and Anolyte for Redox-Flow Battery Applications

A reversible Fe3+/Fe2+ redox couple of an azamacrocyclic complex is evaluated as an electrolyte with a pH-tunable potential range for aqueous redox-flow batteries (RFBs). The FeIII complex is formed by 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (TACN) appended with three 2-methyl-imidazole donors, denoted as Fe(Tim). This complex exhibits pH-sensitive redox couples that span E1/2(Fe3+/Fe2+)=317 to −270 mV vs. NHE at pH 3.3 and pH 12.8, respectively. The 590 mV shift in potential and kinetic inertness are driven by ionization of the imidazoles at various pH values. The Fe3+/Fe2+ redox is proton-coupled at alkaline conditions, and bulk electrolysis is non-destructive. The electrolyte demonstrates high charge/discharge capacities at both acidic and alkaline conditions throughout 100 cycles. Given its tunable redox, fast electrochemical kinetics, exceptional stability/cyclability, this complex is promising for the design of aqueous RFB catholytes and anolytes that utilize the earth-abundant element iron.
Publics and Counterpublics of Engagement

This chapter investigates the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the idealist and cynical purposes of public engagement. Scholars in the field of public engagement with science have noted the influence these two camps have made on our modern conception of public engagement. Having laid out the basic contours of these debates we then attend to the implications of the dominant ideas of what a “public” is and how it relates to theoretical and philosophical discussions. We then turn to studies of publics, counterpublics, and vernacular rhetoric. Together these constitute a compelling case for a method of public engagement with science that engages actually existing publics as they communicate and deliberate “in the wild.”
Application of Dempster–Shafer Data Fusion Technique in Support of Decision Making with Big Data

This paper introduces applications of the Dempster–Shafer (D-S) data fusion technique in transportation system decision making. D-S inference is a statistics-based data classification technique, and it can be used when data sources contribute discontinuous and incomplete information and no single data source can produce an overwhelmingly high probability of certainty for identifying the most probable event. The technique captures and combines the information contributed by the data sources by using Dempster’s rule to find the conjunction of the events and to determine the highest associated probability. The D-S theory is explained and its implementation described through numerical examples of a ride-hauling service and of crowd management at a subway station. Results from the applications have shown that the technique is very effective in dealing with incomplete information and multiple data sources in the era of big data.
Pulmonary Complications of Solid Organ Transplantation

Solid organ transplantation (SOT), such as liver, kidney, intestinal, or multi-visceral transplant, is a complex undertaking, requiring consideration of appropriate procedural timing, the surgical approach, as well as multidisciplinary posttransplant care. Immunosuppression to prevent organ rejection is a pillar of postoperative care following transplantation, and this increases risk of opportunistic infections. Because of their exposure to the external environment, the lungs are particularly prone to such infectious complications following non-pulmonary SOT. Noninfectious pulmonary complications following SOT are also possible. These may be secondary to the primary reason for the SOT, to surgical complications accompanying transplantation, or to drug toxicity. In this chapter we will discuss these pulmonary complications of non-pulmonary solid organ transplant.
SIGECAPS, SSRIs, and Silence — Life as a Depressed Med Student

SIGECAPS, SSRIs, and Silence Despite the tricks in our practice exam questions, I would always nail ones about depression — if you looked hard enough, it was always hidden somewhere. But despite my finely honed detective skills, I missed the diagnosis in a real patient with obvious symptoms.
A 64–67GHz partially-overlapped phase-amplitude-controlled 4-element beamforming-MIMO receiver

A 4-element beamforming-MIMO receiver (RX) operating at 64–67GHz and capable of 2-stream reception is presented. The RX achieves a max direct conversion gain of 30.15dB and a min NF of 9.8dB across 548MHz IF BW. Phase shifters with 360° phase control and VGAs with 11dB dynamic range are used to enable steering of RX toward two arbitrary incident angles. By partially overlapping RX elements into two clusters of 3-element phased arrays, both beamforming's coherent processing gain and MIMO's multiplexing gain are achieved with reduced number of RF front-end resources.
Experiences of Master's Prepared Clinical Nurse Leaders at Three Years Post-Graduation

Abstract Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing programs that incorporate Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) education are relatively new in the United States. Little is known about the transition to practice experience of Master's prepared CNL graduates. This evaluation explored how Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing CNL graduates perceived their transition to practice experience three years post-graduation. All graduates (n = 21) of an inaugural Direct Entry CNL program were invited to be interviewed 3 years after graduation; 16 (76%) opted to participate. Major findings from the semi-structured interviews included educational satisfaction, challenges in transition to practice, uneven use of CNL education, and anxiety about student debt. Satisfaction with their education and their early application of leadership skills were overshadowed by their frustrations with student debt and the preponderance of bullying experienced in the workplace.
The Applicability of a 5–18 μm Array Camera to Solar Imaging

The anticipated requirements and operating conditions are considered for using a mid-infrared array camera in broad-and narrow-band solar imaging observations. The array camera system was designed for high-background 5–18 μm general astronomical imaging observations. The electronic and optical design of the camera, its photometric characteristics, examples of observational results, and the requirements for imaging in both high-and low-background solar applications are discussed.
Identification of the Heteroderids

Taxonomy of Heteroderinae Luc et al. (Heteroderidae sensu lato) is changing rapidly with descriptions of many new species and genera in recent years (Table 1). Contrasting approaches to classification and disagreement of synonymies are reflected in systematics of Wouts (1985), Siddiqi (1986). and Luc et al. (1988). These frequent changes and general instability of systematics contribute to identification difficulties, especially for non-specialists. One result of controversial and rapidly changing classifications is that it becomes practical and convenient to use terms that describe discrete groups but that have no taxonomie standing. For example we commonly speak and write of “heteroderids” or “ataloderines” (Table 1).
A Model Study of Chemical Shielding in a Partially Hydrated Dipeptide

Chemical shift calculations of the amide group nuclei in several configurations of mono- and di-hydrated glycylglycine have been carried out using the gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) method with 6–311G(d,p)/3–21G locally dense basis sets. Significant effects are noted for the amide carbonyl oxygen and hydrogen but only small effects for carbon and nitrogen. Shift parameters for the doubly hydrated species are very nearly the sum of those for the monohydrates. While the orientation of the shift tensors for oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen are little affected by hydration, the change of the amide proton tensor is significant and appears to follow the orientation of the local hydrogen bonding water. A larger model system appears necessary to properly reflect interactions in the solid state.
The role of adenosine in the control of immune function.

In the past several years the study of primary immunodeficiencies has led to an explosive growth of basic information on the pathophysiology of the immune system. In 1972 a deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) was described in two patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Shortly thereafter, deficiencies of other enzymes involved in the purine salvage pathway (i.e., purine nucleoside phosphorylase and ecto-5′-nucleotidase) were described in association, respectively, with defective T- and B-lymphocyte activity. Although the exact biochemical mechanism(s) in these immunodeficiencies is not known, elevated levels of adenosine, 2-deoxyadenosine and their metabolites occur in these patients. Adenosine inhibitsin vitro lymphocyte proliferation, T-lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis, monocyte chemotaxis and basophil histamine release. We have found that adenosine increases lymphocyte cAMP levels, by interacting with a specific plasma membrane receptor which leads to the activation of adenylate cyclase. We have also explored the influence of adenosine in the control of histamine release from human basophils and have shown that adenosine inhibits the IgE-mediated release reaction. The action of adenosine on basophils also appears to be mediated by a specific cell-surface receptor. Adenosine also plays a central and complex role in the control of transmethylation reactions. These reactions modulate several immune and inflammatory reactions, including monocyte chemotaxis, lymphocyte mitogenesis, T-lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis, and probably the IgE-mediated release of histamine from basophils. Thus, adenosine may act as an endogenous modulator of immune function by two separate but interrelated effects: its ability to interact with a cell-surface adenosine receptor, and/or to influence intracellular methylation.
Varieties Defined by Quadratic Equations

First of all, let me fix my terminology and set-up. I will always be working over an algebraically closed ground field k. We will be concerned almost entirely with projective varieties over k (although many of our results generalize immediately to arbitrary projective schemes). By a projective variety, I will understand a topological space X all of whose points are closed, plus a sheaf βX of k-valued functions on X isomorphic to some subvariety of Pn for some n. By a subvariety of ℙn, I will mean the subset X ⊂ ℙn (k) defined by some homogeneous prime ideal A ⊂ k[Xo,…,Xn], with its Zariski-topology and with the sheaf βX of functions from X to k induced locally by polynomials in the affine coordinates. Note that our varieties have only k-rational points — no generic points. In this, we depart slightly from the language of schemes. Note too that a projective variety can be isomorphic to many different subvarieties of ℙn. An isomorphism of X with a subvariety of ℙn will be called an immersion of X in ℙn.
Industry Tax Planning and Stock Returns

ABSTRACT We find evidence that equity returns increase with the propensity for tax planning in a firm's industry. This risk premium is imposed on all firms in the industry, even those that are less...
Origins of social fusion

Do instances of extreme self-sacrifice represent a valid paradigm to capture what makes typical individuals fuse with others? Probably not, because they can be viewed as aberrant phenomena. To understand the origins and mechanisms of human social fusion, one should first look at the development of babies and young children. Typical development represents the best alternative to Whitehouse's extreme model of social fusion.
Assessment of veterinary drugs present in pork kidney from a Midwest US retail market.

A total of 1040 pork kidneys were purchased from 4 retail stores located in a Midwestern US town and screened for antibiotics with the Charm-KIS™ screening test. Six samples (0.6%) tested positive ...
Silicon oxidation and Si-SiO2 interface of thin oxides

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and ellipsometry techniques have been employed to measure thicknesses of silicon oxide, grown at 800°C in dry oxygen, in the thickness range of 2–20 nm. While the oxide growth data measured from TEM obey a nearly linear behavior, those obtained from ellipsometry are seen to vary nonlinearly. The interface structure as function of the increasing oxide thickness was studied using HRTEM. At these oxidation temperatures, the earlier reported variations of roughness at the interface on the oxide thickness for oxides grown at 900°C are not seen. Attempts aimed at correlating the high-resolution transmission electron micrographs with some physical parameters like the refractive index and the dielectric breakdown lead to considerations of the importance of the effect of protrusions of silicon atoms of 1 mm size into SiO2 layers on the interface properties. These findings lead to explanations of some key features concerning the refractive index and density of thin SiO2.
Hematopoietic cells for targeting iatrogenic immunomodulation

Precise targeting of effective therapeutic agents represents a holy grail of medicine, as effective therapy necessitates proper tissue distribution. Antibiotics that fail to enter the central nervous system will not successfully treat meningitis, regardless of the intrinsic susceptibility of the
“What If You Meet Someone Else?”: An Autoethnographic Account of Biphobia and Intimate Partner Emotional Abuse

AbstractThis autoethnographic piece is my way of working through a two-year period of my life with an emotionally abusive romantic partner. While creatively recounting my experiences and detailing ...
Correction to: Proteomic analysis of degradation ubiquitin signaling by ubiquitin occupancy changes responding to 26S proteasome inhibition.

In the original publication of the article, Figure 2d was published incorrectly. The corrected Fig. 2 was given in this Correction article [1]. The original article has been corrected.
Preliminary investigation of self-sensing in piezoelectric bistable laminates

Bistable laminated composites are attractive for morphing structures because they can hold deformed stable shapes without any external energy and require actuation only to switch between shapes. They offer opportunities for shape morphing, energy harvesting, and flow control devices. Piezoelectric macrofiber composites (MFC) embedded in bistable laminates have been demonstrated for actuation and energy harvesting. However, their relatively high stiffness, relatively complex architecture, and arbitrary fiber orientation limit their ability to sense shape change in bistable laminates. There has been little work on the integration of sensing methods to monitor an adaptive structure’s shape; shape sensing has been investigated mainly for the detection of snap-through events. In this paper, we present self-sensing curved bistable laminates layered with piezoelectric PVDF films that can sense smooth changes as well as abrupt snap-through transitions. Measurement of smooth changes in the laminate’s curvature is enabled by an automated drift compensation charge amplifier with an extremely low cutoff frequency of 0.01 mHz. The sensing function is demonstrated on bistable laminates created using mechanical prestress. Two sensor layers are configured in the composite such that one measures change in curvature and the other measures snap-through response. The shapes measured by the sensor in terms of voltage correlate well with the shapes measured with a 3D motion capture system. An analytical model is developed to relate curvature change to voltage output and is found to be in good agreement with the measured curvature-voltage sensitivities. The weakly coupled shapes of the laminate and the low cross sensitivity of PVDF enable real-time measurement of the principal curvatures.
Mnemonic Similarity Task to study episodic memory in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Introduction Parkinson's disease (PD) patients commonly experience episodic memory impairments, which are associated with an increased risk of dementia. The Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) is a well-validated test to investigate episodic memory changes in healthy aging and in neurodegenerative diseases but has not been studied in PD patients. Methods In the MST task, participants respond during a testing phase whether visualized images are “repeat”, “similar”, or “new”, compared to images previously shown during an encoding phase. We tested 17 PD without cognitive impairment (level-II criteria), both off (PD-OFF) and on (PD-ON) dopaminergic medications; and compared PD-OFF with 17 age- and education-matched healthy controls (HC). Results We found no influence of dopaminergic medications nor of disease on MST reaction time for any responses (“repeat”, “similar”, and “new”) during the test phase. However, response probabilities showed that the MST is sensitive to subtle PD-related memory impairments. Specifically, PD-OFF responded more frequently with ‘repeat’, instead of ‘similar’ during lure trials, compared to HC (p = 0.030). This finding was still significant after correcting for response bias using the Recognition Index (p = 0.005). Conclusions PD patients perform the MST without interference from bradykinesia or other PD-related motor symptoms. Our findings suggest that PD patients who do not meet criteria for mild cognitive impairment can have subtle recall or recognition impairments, which can be identified using the MST. We propose the MST as a well-tolerated and sensitive cognitive task in future studies of episodic memory impairment and progressive memory dysfunction in people with PD.
Neuroscience and Law: Conceptual and Practical Issues

This chapter will address the potential contributions of neuroscience to law, with special emphasis on criminal justice and criminal responsibility because these are the areas that have received the lion’s share of neurolaw attention. The discussion will clearly generalize to other applications, however.
Significance of Scholarly Journal Articles and Academic Historians: Discussion, and a Necessary Tension?

History journal articles constitute a large and diverse body of scholarly literature in history. This discussion frames the relative importance of articles as a communication ecology within the professionalization of historians and to the body of historical knowledge. Their discrete nature is examined and their particular characteristics are tied to the complex position they occupy in the dissemination of research and value to academic historians vis-a-vis promotion and tenure. The status of the article, its perceived purpose and value in relation to the importance of the monograph to academic historians, further frames this tension, characterising the political economy of academic historical scholarship. Examples of journals and specialization are discussed within academic history’s publishing ecosystem.
Implementing a Group-Specific Multidimensional Poverty Measure: The Case of Persons with Disabilities in Peru

We contribute to the literature on multidimensional poverty and people with disabilities by developing a group-specific, comprehensive, and policy-relevant measure of multidimensional poverty adapt...
A Clusterwise Bilinear Multidimensional Scaling Methodology for Simultaneous Segmentation and Positioning

The segmentation–targeting–positioning conceptual framework has been the traditional foundation and genesis of marketing strategy formulation. The authors propose a general clusterwise bilinear spatial model that simultaneously estimates market segments, their composition, a brand space, and preference/utility vectors per market segment; that is, the model performs segmentation and positioning simultaneously. After a review of related methodological research in the marketing, psychometrics, and classification literature streams, the authors present the technical details of the proposed two-way clusterwise bilinear spatial model. They develop an efficient alternating least squares procedure that estimates conditional globally optimum estimates of the model parameters within each iteration through analytic closed-form expressions. The authors present various model options. They provide a conceptual and empirical comparison with latent-class multidimensional scaling. They use an illustration of the new bilinear multidimensional scaling methodology with an actual commercial study sponsored by a large U.S. automotive manufacturer to examine buying/consideration intentions for small sport-utility vehicles. The authors conclude by summarizing the contributions of this research, discussing the marketing implications for managers, and providing several directions for further research.
Your mileage may vary: impact of data input method for a deep learning bone age app's predictions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate agreement in predictions made by a bone age prediction application (“app”) among three data input methods. The 16Bit Bone Age app is a browser-based deep learning application for predicting bone age on pediatric hand radiographs; recommended data input methods are direct image file upload or smartphone-capture of image. We collected 50 hand radiographs, split equally among 5 bone age groups. Three observers used the 16Bit Bone Age app to assess these images using 3 different data input methods: (1) direct image upload, (2) smartphone photo of image in radiology reading room, and (3) smartphone photo of image in a clinic. Interobserver agreement was excellent for direct upload (ICC = 1.00) and for photos in reading room (ICC = 0.96) and good for photos in clinic (ICC = 0.82), respectively. Intraobserver agreement for the entire test set across the 3 data input methods was variable with ICCs of 0.95, 0.96, and 0.57 for the 3 observers, respectively. Our findings indicate that different data input methods can result in discordant bone age predictions from the 16Bit Bone Age app. Further study is needed to determine the impact of data input methods, such as smartphone image capture, on deep learning app performance and accuracy.
Semi-automated Tools for Systematic Searches.

Traditionally, literature identification for systematic reviews has relied on a two-step process: first, searching databases to identify potentially relevant citations, and then manually screening those citations. A number of tools have been developed to streamline and semi-automate this process, including tools to generate terms; to visualize and evaluate search queries; to trace citation linkages; to deduplicate, limit, or translate searches across databases; and to prioritize relevant abstracts for screening. Research is ongoing into tools that can unify searching and screening into a single step, and several protype tools have been developed. As this field grows, it is becoming increasingly important to develop and codify methods for evaluating the extent to which these tools fulfill their purpose.
Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Fusion

Calcium-Induced Membrane Fusion: From Liposomes to Cellular Membranes.- Gel Phase Fusion of Dipalmitoyl Phosphatidylcholine Small Unilamellar Vesicles.- Structural Characterization of Lamellar Mg2+ Complexes of Dilauroylphosphatidic Acid Using 31P and 13C NMR.- Lipid Polymorphism, Lipid Asymmetry and Membrane Fusion.- Membrane Fusion Via Intermediates in L?/HII Phase Transitions.- The Influence of Polar Group Identity on the Interactions Between Phospholipid Bilayers.- Intrinsic Colloidal Attraction/Repulsion Between Lipid Bilayers and Strong Attraction Induced by Non-Adsorbing Polymers.- Mechanisms of Membrane Fusion in Acidic Lipid-Cation Systems.- Polar Interfacial Interactions, Hydration Pressure and Membrane Fusion.- Surface Tension, Hydration Energy and Membrane Fusion.- Interactions in Liposomal-Drug Delivery In Vivo and In Vitro.- Drug Delivery By Immunoliposomes.- Osmotic Forces and the Fusion of Biomembranes.- Fusion in Biological and Model Membranes: Similarities and Differences.- Early Steps in the Exocytosis of Secretory Vesicles in Mast Cells.- Electrofusion and Electrotransfection of Cells.- Pre-Selection of B-Lymphocytes by Antigen for Fusion to Myeloma Cells by Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Method.- The Mechanism of Erythrocyte Ghost Fusion by Electric Field Pulses.- Water-Mediated Effects of PEG on Membrane Properties and Fusion.- Control of Cell Membrane Fusion by Lipid Composition.- Role of Phospholipid Asymmetry in Cellular Membrane Fusion.- Ultrastructural Studies of the Kinetics of Fusion.- pH Triggered Synthetic Peptides: Models for Viral Fusion Sequences.- Membrane Fusion in Model Systems for Exocytosis: Characterization of Chromaffin Granule Fusion Mediated By Synexin and Calelectrin.- Synexin, Calcium and the Hydrophobic Bridge Hypothesis for Membrane Fusion.- Molecular Mechanism of Protein-Mediated Low pH-Induced Membrane Fusions.- pH-Dependent Fusion of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus with Cells: Studies of Mechanism Based on an Allosteric Model.- Properties of a Viral Fusion Protein.- Parameters Affecting the Fusion of Viruses with Artificial and Biological Membranes.- Active Function of Membrane Receptors in Fusion of Enveloped Viruses with Cell Plasma Membranes.- `Entry' of Enveloped Viruses into Liposomes.- Fusion Activity of Influenza Virus and Reconstituted Viral Envelopes: Direct Evidence for Fusion in an Intracellular Acidic Compartment.- Kinetics and Extent of Fusion of Influenza Virus and Sendai Virus with Liposomes.- Strategies for the Investigation of Exocytotic Membrane Fusion.- Enzymatic Regulation of Membrane Fusion During Synchronous Exocytosis in Paramecium Cells.- Studies on the Structure and Function of the Asialoglycoprotein Receptor in the Cell, In Vitro and in Reconstituted Membranes.- Phosphorylation Events in Regulation of Exocytosis.- Geometric Topology of Membrane Fusion: From Secretion to Intercellular Junctions.- 'Slow Artifacts' in Assays of Lipid Mixing Between Membranes.- Why Fusion Assays Disagree.- Concentration Dependence of DPHpPC Fluorescence Lifetime: Photophysics and Utility for Monitoring Membrane Fusion.- Contributors.- Attendees.
On Suggestive and Necessary Identification Procedures

Despite the paramount importance of identification evidence in criminal trials, Supreme Court precedents on the subject have been confusing and confused. The result is widespread misapplication of proper constitutional doctrine: lower courts habitually admit evidence of suggestive identification procedures if they find such procedures to have been ‘necessitated’ by circumstances on the ground. Such reasoning misinterprets the governing Supreme Court cases and, in any event, makes little sense. Whether necessary or not, evidence of suggestive identification procedures, and any consequent in-court identifications, must be excluded from trial unless supported by sufficient indicia of reliability.
Bone Mineral Density and Stroke Risk

To the Editor: In their recent article, Jorgensen et al1 examined the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and stroke. They reported that female, but not male, stroke patients had lower BMD than population controls. Like the few other previous reports, it was based on fewer than 85 total cases. We attempted to replicate their findings by analyzing data from a population-based study. We looked at stroke prevalence and BMD, using data from the cross-sectional Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).2 NHANES III collected data from a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized US population from 1988 to 1994. Analyses were limited to 6298 non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Mexican-American men and women whose BMD levels were measured and who were aged 45 years and older at the time of the NHANES III examination, because relatively few strokes occur at younger ages. BMD was measured by trained examiners in mobile examination centers. Total proximal femoral BMD was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR-1000; Hologic, …
Cloud-Based Options for Managing Workforce Transition

Library budget cuts have severely reduced library positions. Managers can prepare for unexpected changes in staffing by creating workplace instructions for each library position and maintaining these documents through cloud based technology. Low or no cost applications are explored in this article to provide an overview of technology available to library managers who are concerned about staff shortages and preparing libraries for eventual staff replacement.
Receptor-recognized α2-macroglobulin-methylamine elevates intracellular calcium, inositol phosphates and cyclic AMP in murine peritoneal macrophages

Human plasma alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is a tetrameric proteinase inhibitor, which undergoes a conformational change upon reaction with either a proteinase or methylamine. As a result, a receptor recognition site is exposed on each subunit of the molecule enabling it to bind to its receptors on macrophages. We have used Fura-2-loaded murine peritoneal macrophages and digital video fluorescence microscopy to examine the effects of receptor binding on second messenger levels. alpha 2M-methylamine caused a rapid 2-4-fold increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) within 5 s of binding to receptors. The agonists induced a focal increase in [Ca2+]i that spread out to other areas of the cell. The increase in [Ca2+]i was dependent on the alpha 2M-methylamine concentration and on the extracellular [Ca2+]. Both sinusoidal and transitory oscillations were observed, which varied from cell to cell. Neither alpha 2M nor boiled alpha 2M-methylamine, forms that are not recognized by the receptor, affected [Ca2+]i in peritoneal macrophages under identical conditions of incubation. The alpha 2M-methylamine-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was accompanied by a rapid and transient increase in macrophage inositol phosphates, including inositol tris- and tetrakis-phosphates. Native alpha 2M did not stimulate a rise in inositol phosphates. Finally, binding of alpha 2M-methylamine to macrophages increased cyclic AMP transiently. Thus receptor-recognized alpha-macroglobulins behave as agonists whose receptor binding causes stimulation of signal transduction pathways.
Genetic differences between blood- and brain-derived viral sequences from human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected patients: evidence of conserved elements in the V3 region of the envelope protein of brain-derived sequences.

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) sequences were generated from blood and from brain tissue obtained by stereotactic biopsy from six patients undergoing a diagnostic neurosurgical procedure. Proviral DNA was directly amplified by nested PCR, and 8 to 36 clones from each sample were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of intrapatient envelope V3-V5 region HIV-1 DNA sequence sets revealed that brain viral sequences were clustered relative to the blood viral sequences, suggestive of tissue-specific compartmentalization of the virus in four of the six cases. In the other two cases, the blood and brain virus sequences were intermingled in the phylogenetic analyses, suggesting trafficking of virus between the two tissues. Slide-based PCR-driven in situ hybridization of two of the patients' brain biopsy samples confirmed our interpretation of the intrapatient phylogenetic analyses. Interpatient V3 region brain-derived sequence distances were significantly less than blood-derived sequence distances. Relative to the tip of the loop, the set of brain-derived viral sequences had a tendency towards negative or neutral charge compared with the set of blood-derived viral sequences. Entropy calculations were used as a measure of the variability at each position in alignments of blood and brain viral sequences. A relatively conserved set of positions were found, with a significantly lower entropy in the brain-than in the blood-derived viral sequences. These sites constitute a brain "signature pattern," or a noncontiguous set of amino acids in the V3 region conserved in viral sequences derived from brain tissue. This brain-derived signature pattern was also well preserved among isolates previously characterized in vitro as macrophage tropic. Macrophage-monocyte tropism may be the biological constraint that results in the conservation of the viral brain signature pattern.
Total Body Protein Mass: Validation of Total Body Potassium Prediction Model in Children and Adolescents

Protein is an important body component for monitoring growth, development, and nutritional status. We previously developed a total body potassium (TBK, in mmol) and bone mineral (Mo, in kg) model for predicting total body protein (TBPro, in kg) in adults (TBPro = 0.00252 x TBK + 0.732 x Mo). However, the applicability of the TBK-Mo model for children is unknown. The study aims were to develop a TBK-independent 6-component (6-C) TBPro approach as the criterion, and then to validate the TBK-Mo model in children. The following measurements were made in adolescents and children (n = 62, 38 boys and 24 girls, aged 5-17 y): body weight (BW, in kg), body volume (BV, in liters) by air displacement plethysmography, total body water (TBW, in kg) by 2H2O dilution, Mo by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and TBK by whole-body counting. A 6-C model was derived as TBPro = 2.922 x BW - 0.301 x TBW - 2.039 x Mo - 2.632 x BV. The TBPro estimates did not differ between the 6-C and TBK-Mo models (mean +/- SD, 0.20 +/- 0.86 kg). There was a significant correlation between TBPro by the 6-C and TBK-Mo models (r = 0.94, P 0.05). The TBK-Mo model can thus be used to estimate TBPro in healthy adults, adolescents, and children > 5 y old.
Effects of selective D1- or D2-like dopamine receptor antagonists with acute “binge” pattern cocaine on corticotropin-releasing hormone and proopiomelanocortin mRNA levels in the hypothalamus

We have previously demonstrated that there are stimulatory effects of acute (1 day) "binge" cocaine on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gene expression in the rat hypothalamus and on the stress responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity. The first aim of the present study was to investigate the possible role of dopamine (DA) D1- or D2-like receptors (D1R or D2R) in modulating these acute effects. Administration of acute "binge" cocaine (3x15 mg/kg, i.p.) was preceded by injections of either the selective D1R antagonist (SCH23390, 2 mg/kg) or D2R antagonist (sulpiride, 50 mg/kg). The D1R or D2R blockade by SCH23390 or sulpiride, respectively, did not alter the mRNA levels of CRH in the hypothalamus, CRH-R1 or proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary. However, the acute "binge" cocaine-induced increase in hypothalamic CRH mRNA levels was not found in the rats that received either D1R or D2R antagonist pretreatment. In the anterior pituitary, acute "binge" cocaine or its combinations with either DA antagonist did not alter CRH-R1 receptor or POMC mRNA levels. Both the D1R and D2R antagonists attenuated the elevation of plasma corticosterone levels induced by acute "binge" cocaine. These results suggest that both D1R and D2R mediate acute cocaine's stimulatory effect on HPA axis at the hypothalamic CRH level. Neurobiological evidence has demonstrated functional interactions between dopaminergic and opioidergic systems that regulate preproenkephalin and preprodynorphin gene expression in the striatum. The second aim of our study was to investigate the roles that D1R or D2R could play in regulation of POMC mRNA levels in the hypothalamus in response to acute "binge" cocaine. The D2R blockade by sulpiride increased POMC mRNA levels in the hypothalamus, indicating that D2R exerts a tonic inhibitory effect on hypothalamic POMC gene expression. The POMC mRNA increases induced by the D2R blockade were attenuated by acute "binge" cocaine. Neither the D2R blockade nor acute "binge" cocaine altered POMC mRNA levels in the amygdala, anterior pituitary or neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary. In contrast to the D2R, the D1R blockade by SCH23390, acute "binge" cocaine or their combination had no effect on hypothalamic POMC mRNA levels. These results support a specific role for D2R in acute cocaine's effects on hypothalamic POMC gene expression.
On the statistical theory of the nematic mesophase

Abstract It is shown that dipole-dipole dispersion forces are not sufficient to account for ordering in the nematic mesophase.
Synthesis of nuclear waste monazites, ideal actinide hosts for geologic disposal

Abstract Monazite, an orthophosphate mineral of the lanthanides (Ln) and the actinides (An) U and Th, is a model for an ideal synthetic mineral waste form for geologic disposal of long-lived nuclear waste actinides. Natural monazites are known to have survived many of the conditions that might be inflicted on a nuclear waste repository by geological disruptions. High Th and U monazites with compositions typical of nuclear wastes have been synthesized with a routine calcination-pelletization-crystallization procedure. Charge balance for the Th 4+ → Ln 3+ substitution can be provided by either an equimolar Ca 2+ → Ln 3+ or Si 4+ → P 5+ substitution. For U 4+ → Ln 3+ , only the Ca 2+ → Ln 3+ substitution resulted in a phase-pure monazite. Unit cell parameter data were obtained for each nuclear waste monazite phase.
The NO donor sodium nitroprusside: evaluation of skeletal muscle vascular and metabolic dysfunction

Abstract The nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) may promote cyanide-induced toxicity and systemic and/or local responses approaching maximal vasodilation. The hypotheses were tested that SNP superfusion of the rat spinotrapezius muscle exerts 1) residual impairments in resting and contracting blood flow, oxygen utilization ( V ˙ O 2 ) and microvascular O2 pressure (PO2mv); and 2) marked hypotension and elevation in resting PO2mv. Two superfusion protocols were performed: 1) Krebs–Henseleit (control 1), SNP (300 μM; a dose used commonly in superfusion studies) and Krebs–Henseleit (control 2), in this order; 2) 300 and 1200 μM SNP in random order. Spinotrapezius muscle blood flow (radiolabeled microspheres), V ˙ O 2 (Fick calculation) and PO2mv (phosphorescence quenching) were determined at rest and during electrically-induced (1 Hz) contractions. There were no differences in spinotrapezius blood flow, V ˙ O 2 or PO2mv at rest and during contractions pre- and post-SNP condition (control 1 and control 2; p > 0.05 for all). With regard to dosing, SNP produced a graded elevation in resting PO2mv (p
Charts for finding upper percentage points of Student's t in the range .01 to .00001

The Bonferroni t-statistic is a versatile tool in multiple comparisons problems. The need for "oddball percentage points" may lead to extensive tables or heavy computation. Charts of tp as a function of log p enable near two-decimal accuracy for any percentage point between .01 and .00001
Removal of fertilization membranes from sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus) eggs

Eine einfache Methode fur das schnelle Entfernen der Befruchtungsmembran von Seeigeleiern wird beschrieben.
RBC Distribution in Stenosed Arterial Geometries Using Hematocrit Dependent Viscosity Model (HDVM)

Human blood is a concentrated suspension of mainly red blood cells (RBCs) in plasma and exhibits some non-Newtonian behavior at low shear rates. Traditionally, computational simulations have employed non-Newtonian viscosity models, such as the power-law, Casson, or Quemada model, which are a function of the local shear rate and depend on two to four constant parameters, including the hematocrit. In this study the non-Newtonian behavior of the blood viscosity is expressed as a function of the hematocrit. Specifically, a convection-diffusion equation for the RBCs has been solved, integrated into an apparent viscosity model, and applied to blood flow in a stenosed arterial segment. The computational results provide detailed information of non-Newtonian flow characteristics including distributions of the local hematocrit as well as near-wall hematocrit, shear rate, and viscosity. The new model can be used for more realistic hemodynamics simulations, including calculations of comprehensive physico-biological indicators of sites susceptible to the onset and progression of arterial diseases.Copyright © 2004 by ASME