cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microchimerism and allogeneic transplantation: We need the proof in the pudding

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the most effective treatment for leukemia and mediates its therapeutic effect to a large extent through immunologic effects, the so-called graft-vs-leu...
PROTEOSE INTOXICATIONS AND INJURY OF BODY PROTEIN : IV. THE METABOLISM OF DOGS WITH STERILE ABSCESS, PANCREATITIS, AND PLEURITIS.

Sterile abscess, pleuritis, and pancreatitis give a clinical reaction in the experimental animal very like the same acute inflammatory processes due to bacterial activity, provided the bacterial agents are limited to the initial location. The curve of urinary nitrogen excretion in the fasting dog shows the same precipitous and sustained rise in sterile and bacterial inflammatory reactions. This indicates that the same type of protein injury and autolysis in the body is produced by the sterile inflammatory reaction as by the bacterial reaction. It is assumed that the primary effect of the chemical agent or of the bacterial growth in the tissues is local cell injury or necrosis. This injured cell protoplasm undergoes prompt autolysis with escape of toxic protein split products. These toxic protein split products may be, in part at least, of the proteose group and are absorbed into the circulation, producing the familiar general reaction. The injury of body protein is obvious from the great increase in elimination of nitrogen in the urine and appears to be the same in sterile and in bacterial inflammation. The injurious agent in the sterile inflammation must be derived from the host protein, and we may assume with safety that much of the injurious material emanating from a septic inflammation must come from the host protein rather than from the bacteria. Acute sterile pancreatitis is one of the purest examples of an acute non-specific reaction where the intensity of the host's intoxication may reach a maximum in 12 to 24 hours. We believe that fundamentally this reaction is very similar to that observed after the production of a sterile abscess or pleurisy. Non-specific intoxication must account for the sterile reactions described above. Septic inflammations show the same acute reaction and injury of body protein. The deduction is obvious-that a great part, at least, of the reaction in septic inflammation is truly non-specific and results from the primary injury of the host's protein and cell autolysis.
The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor as a target for cancer therapy

This review examines the rationale for targeting the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I receptor in the therapy of human tumours and their metastases. The rationale is based on two crucial findings: 1) in experimental animals, normal cells are only partially affected by the deletion of the IGF-I receptor, whereas tumour cells undergo apoptosis when the IGF-I receptor is downregulated; and 2) cells with a deleted IGF-I receptor are refractory to transformation by viral and cellular oncogenes. This review focuses on the mechanisms underlying the experimental findings, and discusses the possibility of extrapolating the results obtained in animals to the cure of human tumours.
Hepatocyte growth factor attenuates liver fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation.

Hepatic fibrosis is a common outcome of a variety of chronic liver diseases. Here we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on liver fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) and investigated potential mechanisms. Mice underwent BDL, followed by intravenous injections of naked HGF expression plasmid or control vector. HGF gene therapy markedly ameliorated hepatic fibrotic lesions, as demonstrated by reduced α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression, attenuated deposition of type I and type III collagen, and normalized total hydroxyproline content. HGF also suppressed transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression. Interestingly, colocalization of αSMA and cytokeratin-19 in bile duct epithelium was observed, suggesting the possibility of biliary epithelial to myofibroblast transition after BDL. Cells that were still positive for cytokeratin-19 but actively producing type I collagen were found in the biliary epithelia and periductal region. Laminin staining revealed an impaired basement membrane of the bile duct epithelium in diseased liver. These lesions were largely prevented by HGF administration. In vitro, treatment of human biliary epithelial cells with TGF-β1 induced αSMA and fibronectin expression and suppressed cytokeratin-19. HGF abolished the phenotypic conversion of biliary epithelial cells induced by TGF-β1. These results suggest that HGF ameliorates hepatic biliary fibrosis in part by blocking bile duct epithelial to mesenchymal transition.
Free Radical Chain Reactions of [1.1.1]Propellane with Three-Coordinate Phosphorus Molecules. Evidence for the High Reactivity of the Bicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl Radical

Three-substituted bicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl radicals (5), generated from additions of radicals to [1.1.1]propellane (1), are found to have high propensities to react with three-coordinate phosphorus molecules. For example, the 3-ethylbicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl radical (5d) reacts with (EtO)3P in a free-radical Arbuzov process to yield dimethyl 3-ethylbicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-ylphosphonate (13). By contrast, the ethyl radical does not react with (EtO)3P to yield EtP(O)(OEt)2. However, the highly reactive phenyl radical yields PhP(O)(OEt)2. Moreover, attack of the n-pentylbicyclo[1.1.1]pent-1-yl radical (5b) on n-C5H11P(OMe)2 results in a free-radical substitution process that gives dimethyl 3-n-pentyl[1.1.1]bicyclopent-1-ylphosphonite (7b) and the primary alkyl radical n-C5H11•. Thus, 5 has a propensity to bond to three-coordinate phosphorus that is greater than that of a primary alkyl radical and similar to that of phenyl radical. Reaction of 2-benzyl-4-methyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane (9) with 5a is found to proceed...
The Economic Order Quantity for Freight Discount Costs

Abstract In this note we give algorithms to solve an important practical problem, the classical E.O.Q. model with set-up cost including a fixed cost and freight cost, where the freight cost has a quantity discount (economies of scale).
The Association of Discula destructiva (Red.) Hyphae With Cornus florida (L.) Trichomes

Detached, surface-dismfested flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) leaves were inoculated with a Discula destructiva (Red.) spore suspension in an effort to identify inoculation and pre-penetration phenomena in the dogwood anthracnose pathosystem. Scanning electron micrographs show an association of D. destructiva hyphae with trichomes on the flowering dogwood upper leaf surface. The basal area of these leaf hairs may provide an entry point for Discula spp. colonization of and penetration into the dogwood leaf; however, the possible significance of this area as a unique ecological niche on the dogwood phylloplane should not be ignored. Zusammenfassung Abgetrennte und auserlich sterilisierte Blatter des Blumenhartriegels (flowering dogwood-Cor-nus florida L.) wurden mit einer Discula destructiva (Red.)-Sporensuspension inokuliert, um Ino-kulations- und Praeindnngungsphanomene im Dogwood-Anthraknose-Pathosystem festzuhalten. Ras-terelektronenmikroskopische Aufnahmen zeigten, daiS die D. destructiva-Hyphcn mit den Trichomen der Blattoberflache assoziiert sind. Der Fufibereich dieser Blatthaare konnte einen Eindringungspunkt fur die Koionisation der Blatter durch Discula spp. darstellen. Jedoch sollte die mogliche Bedeutung dieses Bereiches als eine einzigartige okologische Nische der Phylloplane nicht unbeachtet bleiben.
A new visual art medium: polynomiography

Polynomiography is the art and science of visualization of polynomial equations.The author says one can learn to do polynomiography without the knowledge of the underlying mathematics, or even the need to deal with numbers.
Effect of side chains on the conformational energy and rotational strength of the n-pi transition for some alpha-helical poly-alpha-amino acids.

Calculations of the dependence of the conformational energy and the rotational strength of the amide n–π* electronic transition (in a series of α-helical polyhel-α- amino acids with different side chains) on conformation have been carried out. The conformational energies were computed by procedures developed in this laboratory; the computation of rotational strengths was carried out by the method of Schellman and Oriel, with a slight modification. Polyamino acids with both nonpolar and polar side chains were considered; in the latter case, it was assumed that the only influence of the polar side chain was on the backbone conformation and on the electrostatic field which perturbs the amide chromophore of the backbone. Only conformations in the range of backbone dihedral angles of the right- and left-handed a-helices were considered, and the assumption of regularity (i.e., uniformity of dihedral angles in every residue) was made. The rotational strength per residue was found to vary markedly with chain length (in oligomers of up to 40 residues long); both the conformational energy per residue and the rotational strength per residue were found to vary significantly with the backbone conformation, which in turn depends on the nature of the side chain. The geometry of the hydrogen bond in the α-helical backbone is the most important factor which influences the dependence of the rotational strength on conformation. The implications of these results, for the interpretation of experimental circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion data, are discussed.
Robust two-stage approach to repeated measurements analysis of chronic ozone exposure in rats

A robust two-stage approach is used to reanalyze the repeated measurements from an experiment of airway responsiveness in rats randomized to long-term exposure at four ozone doses. The concentration-response data generated for each rat may be represented as a hierarchical nonlinear model encompasing the sources of variation within and between individual profile for each rat, the conditional modeling approach can assess the adequacy of an assumed mean model, a fundamental advantage not intrinsic to marginal techniques. The two-stage population inference is based on the estimated individual parameters, thus maintaining an intuitive appeal to the toxicologists who traditionally have fitted a separate curve for each animal and then applied ANOVA to the summary statistics. However, we formally adjust the standard errors for the extra variability due to the initial estimation of the individual parameters and also allow for their within-rat correlation. The robust two-stage method appropriately down weights the a berrant responses arising sporadically within individualsand, more importantly, the rats which may be outlying relative to the usual population variation. The true effect of chronic ozone exposure, including a significant gender interaction, may be masked by a few rats which exert undue influence on the population estimates in a nonrobust analysis.
Precision Measurement of Fundamental Constants Using GAMS4

The authors discuss the connection of high-energy gamma-ray measurements with precision atomic mass determinations. These rather different technologies, properly combined, are shown to lead to new values for the neutron mass and the molar Planck constant. They then proceed to describe the gamma-ray measurement process using the GAMS4 facility at the Institute Laue-Langevin and its application to a recent measurement of the 2.2 MeV deuteron binding energy and the neutron mass. The paper concludes by describing the first crystal diffraction measurement of the 8.6 MeV {sup 36}Cl binding energy.
Inopportune breakage of an endotracheal tube T-connector.

References 1 Stone DJ, Gal TJ. Airway management. In: Miller RD (Ed.). Anesthesia, 5th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone Inc.; 2000: 1414–51. 2 Magill IW. Forceps for intratracheal anaesthesia. Br Med J 1920; ii: 670. 3 Dorsch JA, Dorsch SE. Tracheal tubes. In: Dorsch JA, Dorsch SE (Eds). Understanding Anesthesia Equipment. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 1999: 557–78. 4 Marfin AG, Iqbal R, Mihm F, Popat MT, Scott SH, Pandit JJ .Determination of the site of tracheal tube impingement during nasotracheal fibreoptic intubation. Anaesthesia 2006; 61: 646–50. 5 Bearman AJ. Device for nasotracheal intubation. Anesthesiology 1962; 23: 130–1.
Cloned lines of natural killer cells.

A class of cytotoxic effector cells has recently been discovered1,2 in normal and immunodeficient nude mice that lyse a wide range of targets of both tumour and non-tumour origin. Unlike other lymphocytes, these natural killer (NK) cells are present at high levels without prior priming and have no immunological memory. Because NK cells act without prior sensitization, they could have a crucial role in immunosurveillance, providing a first defence against arising neoplastic cells. The question of NK-cell specificity is not well understood; results so far suggest that they may recognize specific antigens on their targets. Thus unlabelled competitor cells can inhibit the cytotoxic reaction of NK cells3. Furthermore, target–effector binding can be inhibited by isolated target structures4. Experiments in which the lysis of mouse and human NK-sensitive targets was competitively inhibited with target suggested that the targets recognized by NK cells are not common ones. To study this important aspect, permanent lines and clones of NK cells have been established in vitro. I report here a successful attempt to do this, and show that sublines display the same specificity spectrum as NK cells from normal cells even after recloning. This proves that antigen receptors on NK cells are not clonally distributed but leaves open the two possibilities that NK cells either recognize common structures on NK-sensitive targets or carry many receptors each with a different specificity. Cell-surface markers of NK lines distinguished them from allospecific thymus-derived lymphocyte cell lines through their lack of Lyt-1 and Lyt-2 antigen.
Measurement Driven Instruction: A Closer Look.

The author discusses conditions under which Measurement Driven Instruction might and might not produce its expected results. He considers how test stakes, Performance standards, and the nature of content assessment interrelate to influence the operation of MDI programs. In discussing instructional expectations and realities as they apply to MDI, he argues that under some conditions instruction driven by measurement measurement corrupt the measurement process.
Mitochondrial quality, dynamics and functional capacity in Parkinson’s disease cybrid cell lines selected for Lewy body expression

Background Lewy bodies (LB) are a neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. The role their formation plays in disease pathogenesis is not well understood, in part because studies of LB have been limited to examination of post-mortem tissue. LB formation may be detrimental to neuronal survival or merely an adaptive response to other ongoing pathological processes. In a human cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) neural cell model that expresses mitochondrial DNA from PD patients, we observed spontaneous formation of intracellular protein aggregates (“cybrid LB” or CLB) that replicate morphological and biochemical properties of native, cortical LB. We studied mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics and biogenesis signaling by creating stable sub-clones of three PD cybrid cell lines derived from cells expressing CLB.
Predictive value of intra-abdominal lymph nodes in pancreatic endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Introduction Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is a commonly used method for the evaluation of pancreatic lesions. EUS-guided FNA of the intra-abdominal lymph nodes (LNs) can provide critical diagnostic information that is important for clinical management and tumor staging. This study examines the predictive value of intra-abdominal LN EUS-guided FNA biopsy associated with pancreatic lesions. Materials and methods Over a 10-year period, the pathology database was searched for patients with concurrent pancreas and intra-abdominal LN EUS-guided FNA biopsy. The corresponding reports were reviewed, and clinical information and diagnostic results were recorded. Results There were 252 cases where both a pancreas lesion and intra-abdominal LN were biopsied. Of this group, 182 LNs were classified as negative (72%), 47 as positive (19%), and 23 as atypical (9%). Within the negative LN cohort, the pancreas FNAs fell into the following diagnostic categories: benign (47%), malignant (30%), and atypical/suspicious (23%). Within the positive LN cohort, the pancreas lesion correlated with the following diagnostic categories: malignant (89%), atypical (4%), and suspicious (6%). A positive LN EUS-guided FNA biopsy had a 98% positive predictive value for malignancy. Within the atypical LN cohort, the pancreas correlated with the following diagnostic categories: malignant (57%), atypical/suspicious (26%), and benign (17%). Conclusions An atypical LN diagnostic category is strongly associated with a malignant pancreas lesion. A positive LN EUS-guided FNA biopsy has a 98% positive predictive value for pancreatic malignancy. A positive diagnostic category for an intra-abdominal LN can provide strong predictive evidence of a corresponding malignancy of the pancreas.
Anomalous ductility in thermoset/thermoplastic polymer alloys.

Mechanical properties of highly cross-linked polymer (HCP) networks, e.g., thermosets, can be significantly modified by adding linear polymer chains, e.g., thermoplastics. In this work, we study thermoset/thermoplastic polymer alloys by means of large scale molecular dynamics simulations (MD) of a coarse-grained model. We focus here on the effect of the linear chain fraction, Γl, on the mechanical properties of HCP network for a fixed chain length. Our MD simulations show that the ductility (measured by the strain-to-fracture) of an alloy decreases with increasing Γl up to a threshold fraction, Γl*, beyond which it increases with Γl. We find that for Γl Γl* adhesive failure occurs. We suggest that the possible origin of this unexpected non-monotonic behavior is due to a competition between (a) growth of microvoids which stores mechanical energy and is compromised as Γl increases, and (b) reduction of cross-linker density with increasing Γl.
High-energy runaway orbits in the presence of an m = 2 magnetic island

A guiding-centre computer code is used to map out trajectories of collisionless high-energy runaways in the presence of an m = 2 magnetic island in a tokamak. The particle drift surfaces retain the island structure even when the drift orbits are considerably shifted from the flux surfaces, and trapped-particle orbits are observed to be unaffected by the presence of the island.
Influence of trunk flexion on hip and knee joint kinematics during a controlled drop landing

Abstract Background An erect posture and greater knee valgus during landing have been implicated as anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factors. While previous research suggests coupling of knee and hip kinematics, the influence of trunk positioning on lower extremity kinematics has yet to be determined. We hypothesized that greater trunk flexion during landing would result in greater knee and hip flexion and lesser knee valgus. Identification of a modifiable factor (e.g. trunk flexion) which positively influences kinematics of multiple lower extremity joints would be invaluable for anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention efforts. Methods Forty healthy individuals completed two drop landing tasks while knee, hip, and trunk kinematics were sampled. The first task constituted the natural/preferred landing strategy (Preferred), while in the second task, subjects actively flexed the trunk upon landing (Flexed). Findings Peak trunk flexion angle was 47° greater for Flexed compared to Preferred (P Interpretation Active trunk flexion during landing produces concomitant increases in knee and hip flexion angles. A more flexed/less erect posture during landing is associated with a reduced anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. As such, incorporating greater trunk flexion as an integral component of anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention programs may be warranted.
Further observations on the inhibitory action of ammonium chloride on influenza virus.

SummaryThe effect of NH4Cl on viral penetration was measured in chorioallantoic tissue in vitro by neutralizing absorbed virus with antiserum and determining the subsequent 24 hour yield of hemagglutinins. In some experiments conditions for single cycle replication were obtained by leaving the antibody in the supernatant during the entire period of growth and then measuring cell-associated hemagglutinins. Although some reduction of the amount of penetrated virus was demonstrable one hour after adding virus and NH4Cl this later became insignificant. The prevention of viral penetration by NH4Cl was considered too inefficient and irregular to account for the over-all inhibitory effect of NH4Cl on viral replication. Inhibition by NH4Cl of a type B (Lee) strain was comparable with that for Type A and reversibility of inhibition was demonstrated.
Global Nav1.7 Knockout Mice Recapitulate the Phenotype of Human Congenital Indifference to Pain

Clinical genetic studies have shown that loss of Nav1.7 function leads to the complete loss of acute pain perception. The global deletion is reported lethal in mice, however, and studies of mice with promoter-specific deletions of Nav1.7 have suggested that the role of Nav1.7 in pain transduction depends on the precise form of pain. We developed genetic and animal husbandry strategies that overcame the neonatal-lethal phenotype and enabled construction of a global Nav1.7 knockout mouse. Knockouts were anatomically normal, reached adulthood, and had phenotype wholly analogous to human congenital indifference to pain (CIP): compared to littermates, knockouts showed no defects in mechanical sensitivity or overall movement yet were completely insensitive to painful tactile, thermal, and chemical stimuli and were anosmic. Knockouts also showed no painful behaviors resulting from peripheral injection of nonselective sodium channel activators, did not develop complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced thermal hyperalgesia, and were insensitive to intra-dermal histamine injection. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current recorded from cell bodies of isolated sensory neurons and the mechanically-evoked spiking of C-fibers in a skin-nerve preparation each were reduced but not eliminated in tissue from knockouts compared to littermates. Results support a role for Nav1.7 that is conserved between rodents and humans and suggest several possibly translatable biomarkers for the study of Nav1.7-targeted therapeutics. Results further suggest that Nav1.7 may retain its key role in persistent as well as acute forms of pain.
Temporal and parietal association cortex lesions and spatial and black-white reversal learning in the rat

In Experiment 1, rats with parietal, temporal, or frontopolar neocortex ablations and nonoperated controls were trained on seven spatial reversals. The animals with parietal association cortex damage were found to be deficient on this task compared to all other groups. In Experiment 2, rats with either temporal or striate neocortical ablations or subcortical lesions of the lateroposterior thalamic nucleus and nonoperated controls were trained on a black-white reversal task. The rats with temporal damage committed significantly more errors than all other groups. These results together with those of previous research suggest that a dissociation exists between the effects of parietal and temporal association cortex ablations on reversal learning in the rat. It was suggested that the visual functions of the temporal association cortex might be mediated by connections with either the striate cortex or the lateroposterior thalamic nucleus.
Family Diversity in 50 Years of Storybook Images of Family Life.

Storybooks are cultural artifacts and part of children's normative socialization. Content analysis of the 100-book sample of picture storybooks about daily family life published between 1943 and 1993 revealed no significant differences among time periods in frequency of appearance of different family types nor of different ethnicities. The dominant family images portrayed across 50 years and in each time period were the traditional nuclear and the Caucasian family. The diversity in families of real children should be reflected in fictional picture storybooks about family life.
794-5 Long–term Survival in Unoperated Single Ventricle

Survival into adulthood is rare in patients with single ventricle without palliative surgery or radical repair. The Fontan operation is commonly utilized in those patients with ideal hemodynamics in the hope of conferring improved survival. From 1984–1994,12 patients (7 males, 5 females) aged 23-66 years (mean 41) with a single ventricle and no prior surgery were evaluated. Eleven had double-inlet left ventricle (DILV), one had tricuspid atresia, and of these 12, 8 had moderate to severe pulmonary stenosis with a peak gradient from 71-112 mmHg (mean 94). The other four had moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) with a pulmonary artery systolic pressure ranging from 78–122 mm Hg (mean 102). Six of these 12 patients were followed from 124 years (mean 14 yrs). Eleven patients had an ability index of 2, and one had an ability index of 3. Plasma hemoglobin ranged from 15.3 - 21.8 gm/dL and was higher in those with PH. Only 4 of 12 patients had had phlebotomy. Ventricular function by 2–D echocardiogram or left ventriculography was normal in 10 patients and mildly depressed in 2 patients. Two of the 12 patients were on diuretics. Rhythm was sinus in 10 patients; two others had a history of atrial fibrillation controlled on medication. Two patients had a permanent pacemaker. one for chronic atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response and the other for complete heart block. One 60-year-old patient with a history of stroke died from a second stroke. While this group is biased by referral and natural selection, patients demonstrated excellent functional capacity and preserved ventricular function. Adult patients with DILV and perfectly balanced pulmonary circulation may do as well as, if not better than, those with a Fontan operation who have a 60% 10-year survival. This should be considered before sending an adult patient with single ventricle for a Fontan repair.
Relation between Dose and Levels of Gentamicin in Blood

A rapid agar-diffusion assay for the quantitative determination of gentamicin in small volumes of body fluid is described. Gentamicin can be assayed, even in the presence of a penicillin or a cephalosporin, simply and inexpensively. Such methods make it possible to insure concentrations of gentamicin that are therapeutic and to avoid those considered to be possibly toxic. The assay is reliable, reproducible, and the results compare favorably with those obtained by other methods. Experience with the relation between dosage and blood level using this assay following intramuscular and intravenous administration of gentamicin is presented.
Stretch activates myosin light chain kinase in arterial smooth muscle.

Summary Stretching of porcine carotid arterial muscle increased the phosphorylation of the 20 kDa myosin light chain from 0.23 to 0.68 mol [ 32 P]phrophate/mol light chain, wheareas stretching of phorbol dibutyrate treated muscle increased the phosphorylation from 0.30 to 0.91 mol/mol. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by two-dimensional tryptic phosphopeptide mapping was used to identify the enzyme involved in the stretch-induced phosphorylation. Quantitation of the [ 32 P]phosphate content of the peptides revaled considerable light chain phosphorylation by protein kinase C only in the phorbol dibutyrate treated arterial muscle, whereas most of the light chain phosphorylation was attributable to myosin light chain kinase. Upon stretch of either the untreated or treated muscle, the total increment in [ 32 P]phosphate incorporation into the light chain could be accounted for by peptides characteristic for myosin light chain kinase catalyzed phosphorylation, demonstrating that the stretch-induced phosphorylation is caused by this enzyme exclusively.
The Welfare State and the Emerging Non-profit Sector in Bulgaria

indigents, protection of children, housing, care for the elderly), establish private schools, make grants and loans through foundations, support cultural activities, promote international cooperation, protect the environment and so on. Laws have been promulgated to protect the rights and encourage the creation of these non-profit organisations. The transition of the East European nations to market economies and democratic states provides a unique opportunity to examine the defining of the social roles and functions of non-profit organisations as it takes place. A few well known theories have been advanced to explain the roles and functions of non-profit organisations, and hence their reason for being. For instance, it has been argued that non-profit organisations arise as a solution to the problem of information asymmetry in the market place, a situation in which suppliers have more information than consumers about the quality and cost of services such as nursing home care.2 Non-profit organisations, because they lack a profit motive, are a more trustworthy alternative for consumers who are at a disadvantage in such situations. Non-profit organisations have also been depicted as arising to satisfy unmet citizen demand for government services.3 Furthermore, non-profit organisations have been identified as significant players in economic development, often importing income into regional economies, offering community amenities, and supplying inputs such as a skilled workforce to profit-making enterprises.4 Their roles in economic development have also been documented in less developed economies.5 Another way of comprehending the social functions of non-profit organisations is in terms of their supplying of social services and implementation of governmentsponsored social programmes. This welfare-state model, which focuses on relations between the state and non-profit organisations, has gained currency in recent years. Scholars from this stream of theory tend to depict non-profit organisations as complements to the welfare state; they work cooperatively with the state in providing services, help fill in the gaps in state social service delivery, and grow in strength as a result of receiving contracts and subsidies from the state. This welfare-state model is an apt approach for examining the social roles and
Hydrocarbon oxidation vs C-C bond-forming approaches for efficient syntheses of oxygenated molecules.

A hydrocarbon oxidation approach has been applied to the construction of several linear (E)-allylic alcohols that have served as intermediates in the synthesis of natural products and natural product-like molecules. In the original syntheses, these intermediates were constructed using a standard Wittig-type olefination approach. We report here that routes to these same intermediates designed around a hydrocarbon oxidation approach are more efficient both in the total number of functional group manipulations (FGMs) and overall steps, as well as in the overall yield.
Suppression and Narrative Time Shifts in Adults With Right-Hemisphere Brain Damage

Purpose This study examined the functioning of a central comprehension mechanism, suppression, in adults with right-hemisphere damage (RHD) while they processed narratives that cued a shift in time...
Description of a Photoelectric Rotating Slit Elevation and Azimuth Sensor.

The Photoelectric Rotating Slit Elevation and Azimuth Sensor (perseas) measures the azimuth and elevation of the line of sight to a target reflecting or emitting radiation in the 0.4- to 1.1-μ portion of the spectrum. Angular field of view is 360° in azimuth and 30° in elevation. Eight stationary lenses are used with rotating fiber-optics slits and silicon photodiode detectors to produce electrical pulses which are time related to target angular coordinates. Data rate is one line-of-sight measurement per 2.5 msec. Accuracy is better than 1 mrad.
Non-radiative internal processes accompanying beta-decay☆

Abstract We have examined the competition between internal pairs accompanying beta particles in the continuous spectrum and pairs emitted after decay to an excited state. Applications are made to the 90Y and 16N decay schemes. The pairs accompanying K-capture have also been studied and compared with competing positron emission in the decay of 210At. Finally, internal conversion accompanying beta decay is compared to conversion electrons from the excited state formed in the 90Y decay. In all cases the internal processes are slow thus justifying existing branching ratio determinations between excited and ground state transitions.
New Approaches Toward Recognition of Nucleic Acid Triple Helices

A DNA duplex can be recognized sequence-specifically in the major groove by an oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN). The resulting structure is a DNA triple helix, or triplex. The scientific community has invested significant research capital in the study of DNA triplexes because of their robust potential for providing new applications, including molecular biology tools and therapeutic agents. The triplex structures have inherent instabilities, however, and the recognition of DNA triplexes by small molecules has been attempted as a means of strengthening the three-stranded complex. Over the decades, the majority of work in the field has focused on heterocycles that intercalate between the triplex bases. In this Account, we present an alternate approach to recognition and stabilization of DNA triplexes.We show that groove recognition of nucleic acid triple helices can be achieved with aminosugars. Among these aminosugars, neomycin is the most effective aminoglycoside (groove binder) for stabilizing a DNA triple heli...
Policy guidelines for the utilization of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections: the UNC SPORE experience

Paraffin blocks represent a valuable resource that has allowed investigators to apply today's technology to address scientific questions in a shorter period of time and in more diverse populations than would have been possible with fresh or frozen tissue. However, in addition to being an exhaustible resource, there is concern regarding the appropriate use of these tissues, both with respect to medical or legal considerations and quality control and quality assurance practices. We describe policy guidelines to address these concerns, including: safeguards to address medical/legal and patient confidentiality issues, quality control and quality assurance for tissue sectioning, processing and storage, database management for sample tracking, and scientific review for utilization of specimens. These policies and procedures have been developed and implemented by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in the Breast Cancer Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Core laboratory, in collaboration with our study pathologists, participants, and research investigators. It is our hope that the information and experience described here may stimulate discussion that can ultimately lead to a uniform policy for handling formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues in research.
Secondary bitmap indexes with vertical and horizontal partitioning

Traditional bitmap indexes are utilized as a special type of primary or clustered indexes where the queries are answered by performing fast logical operations supported by hardware. Answers are mapped to the physical data by using the row id of each tuple. Bitmaps represent the i-th tuple in the original table with the i-th bit position of the index. Run-length compression is used to reduce the size of the bitmaps and it has been shown that ordered data is significantly better compressed. However, for large-scale and dynamic datasets it is infeasible to keep the data always sorted. Partitioning can be used to keep the data in smaller and manageable chunks, where a different bitmap index is built for each chunk. We propose a novel bitmap index design with partitioning which serves as basis for non-clustered bitmap indexes. Individual bitmaps are not stored, only an Existence Bitmap (EB) for the existing ranks of the full table is maintained. This approach improves update performance of sorted bitmaps and does not require maintaining a heap as the underlying table, nor the same ordering for all the partitions. A one dimensional index is used over the ranks to map the bits in the EB to the physical order of the data, which allows queries to run even faster. The proposed approach, called ranked Non-Clustered Bitmaps (rNCB), is compared against traditional bitmaps using FastBit and shows significant performance gains.
Direct synthesis of a bis(pyrazolyl)boratocopper(I) complex: synthesis and characterization of [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]Cu(PPh3)2 displaying an unusual coordination mode for a poly(pyrazolyl)borate ligand.

The synthesis of [H2B(3,5-(CF3)2Pz)2]Cu(PPh3)2 from (PPh3)2CuBH4 and 3,5-(CF3)2PzH and the solid state structure featuring an essentially monodentate coordination of a bis(pyrazolyl)borate ligand are described.
The national pastime trade-off: how baseball sells US foreign policy and the American way

From Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War to George W. Bush and the Iraq War, we can observe baseball's role in developing the American empire, first at home and then beyond US shores. From Albert Spalding and baseball's first world tour to Bud Selig and the World Baseball Classic, we can see the globalisation of America's national pastime, and baseball's missionary role in spreading the American dream. To maintain itself as the American national game, however, baseball has pursued a ‘national pastime trade-off,’ which has brought benefits but has come with a high price for the game. Is it still worth pursuing? This essay will address that question while chronicling baseball's own foreign policy and the sport's involvement in US diplomatic and military history.
Pursuit-locked apparent motion

A vertical line, illuminated in n brief pulses at each position, was repositioned a distance D to the right every T msec. Under some conditions, the appearance of a single line jumping from one position to the next (standard apparent motion) gave way to the striking appearance of a bundle of n parallel vertical lines moving with constant velocity across the entire screen. This appearance implies the emergence of continuous pursuit eye movements, which have previously been reported for similarly discontinuous displays. Such “pursuit-locked” apparent motion spontaneously occurred when D was less than about 3 deg of visual angle, and when T was less than a visual persistence time of about 100 msec but greater than a velocity-limited tracking time of about 18 msec per deg of visual angle.
Location of the membrane-docking face on the Ca2+-activated C2 domain of cytosolic phospholipase A2.

Docking of C2 domains to target membranes is initiated by the binding of multiple Ca2+ ions to a conserved array of residues imbedded within three otherwise variable Ca2+-binding loops. We have loc...
Stroke in Women: Disparities and Outcomes

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States and affects 15 million people worldwide. Studies performed in various parts of the world have found differences between sexes in stroke incidence, prevalence, mortality, and outcomes. Although men are at higher risk of stroke for most age groups below age 85 years, after this age the incidence reverses dramatically, with women being much more at risk. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that women have worse recovery than men post-stroke. Many aspects of recovery may influence this outcome, including sex-specific comorbidities, aggressiveness of acute treatment, prevention therapies, and varying degrees of social support and rates of depression. It is important to further define and investigate sex differences in stroke incidence, care, treatment, and outcomes to improve functional recovery in women.
Eulerian–Lagrangian localized adjoint methods for reactive transport with biodegradation

The microbial degradation of organic contaminants in the subsurface holds significant potential as a mechanism for in-situ remediation strategies. The mathematical models that describe contaminant transport with biodegradation involve a set of advective–diffusive–reactive transport equations. These equations are coupled through the nonlinear reaction terms, which may involve reactions with all of the species and are themselves coupled to growth equations for the subsurface bacterial populations. In this article, we develop Eulerian–Lagrangian localized adjoint methods (ELLAM) to solve these transport equations. ELLAM are formulated to systematically adapt to the changing features of governing partial differential equations. The relative importance of retardation, advection, diffusion, and reaction is directly incorporated into the numerical method by judicious choice of the test functions that appear in the weak form of the governing equation. Different ELLAM schemes for linear variable–coefficient advective–diffusive–reactive transport equations are developed based on different operator splittings. Specific linearization techniques are discussed and are combined with the ELLAM schemes to solve the nonlinear, multispecies transport equations. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Impacting Maternal and Child Nutrition in Rural Vietnam: Experiences of an American Nurse–Consultant

This article describes the primary health care (PHC) program experiences of an American nurse and physician and a Vietnamese physician partner in a rural Vietnamese community on the Mekong Delta about 80 km from Saigon. The pilot PHC project initially involved a survey of child health which included measurement of child weight arm circumference and relevant health information. Appropriate strategies were implemented in rural Tan Tuan Dong an island commune with a population of about 11000 persons. The strategies included continued monitoring of childrens weight provision of vitamins iron and supplemental food to those at highest risk and treatment of underlying infections. Mothers were offered cooking demonstrations at each of four health stations in order to increase their knowledge about malnutrition and food preparation. Program strengths included the giving the childs growth chart to the mother and making home visits to mothers of malnourished children. During the course of the project it was revealed that mothers did not breast feed their infants for the entire first year of life. Also the primary care takers were not always mothers or grandmothers but older children. Mothers worked 6-7 days per week in rice paddies. Young children sometimes self-fed by hand from a large bowl of rice kept in a back room of the hut. Home visits confirmed that mothers of malnourished children were also malnourished lived in extreme poverty and sacrificed daily wages in order to be available for home visits. The health information videotapes were popular both as a source of information and as an entertaining activity. The Vietnamese project director received a years training. The province has two professional nurses who could use the help of trained volunteer health workers. Workers should receive a small stipend. Increased linkages are needed between related programs.
Thermodynamic modeling of concentrated multicomponent aqueous electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions

A new approach is presented for calculation of activity coefficients in multicomponent aqueous electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions. The approach is based on an integration of the Gibbs-Duhem equation. It is shown that using standard thermodynamic properties for the pure components and for the components at infinite dilution in water, it is possible to predict joint solubilities of both electrolytes and non-electrolytes. To illustrate the usefulness of the method proposed in this work, calculations of solubility are presented for the two-electrolyte systems H2O-NaCl-KCl, H2O-NaNO3-KNO3, H2O-CaCl2-NaCl, and for a system containing both an electrolyte and a non-electrolyte H2O-sucrose-NaCl. The solubility of carbon dioxide at different pressures in water containing various electrolytes [Ca(NO3)2, NaCl, CaCl2, Na2SO4] is also calculated.
Induction of metallothionein by steroids in rat primary hepatocyte cultures.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the induction of metallothionein (MT) by steroids in rat primary hepatocyte cultures. Comparison of the characteristics of MT induction by a steroid (dexamethasone) to that by metals (Zn and Cd), examination of the involvement of the glucocorticoid receptor in the steroid induction of MT, and determination of the potency and effectiveness of a number of steroids were studied. In general, the patterns of MT induction by metals and steroids were quite different. For metals, the maximal MT induction (12- to 39-fold) was limited by toxicity whereas for steroids, a plateau in MT induction (fivefold) occurred at noncytotoxic concentrations. Steroids elicited an increase in MT at concentrations that were one-hundredth to one-thousandth less than that of metals. A combination of metal and steroid increased the induction of MT to a level higher than achieved by metal or steroid alone. The effectiveness of steroids at inducing MT was related to their ability to induce a specific glucocorticoid effect, induction of tyrosine aminotransferase. For specific classes of steroids, synthetic glucocorticoids were more potent than the metals in inducing MT, but endogenous glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens were less potent than the metals. The concentration of corticosterone, the major endogenous glucocorticoid of rats, required to induce MT in hepatocytes was 100 times higher than concentrations achievable in the plasma of rats. In conclusion, in rat hepatocytes dexamethasone was a more potent but less effective inducer of MT than Zn or Cd; synthetic glucocorticoids were more potent but endogenous adrenalcorticoids (i.e., glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens) were both less potent and less effective inducers of MT than were metals, suggesting that glucocorticoids may not be the mediator for stress-induced MT induction; and induction of MT by steroids correlated well with the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase, supporting the involvement of a hormone-receptor complex in the induction of MT by steroids.
The Resummation of top quark effects in the standard model and the 1/N(c) expansion

It is discussed in the Standard Model how a 1/Nc expansion, where Nc is the number of colors, may be a useful tool for resumming perturbative effects due to a heavy top quark. In particular, some recently proposed formulae for the two-loop resummation of the MW − MZ interdependence in terms of mt are re-obtained and, within the approximation of keeping only the leading term in 1/Nc, it is shown how they are, as a matter of fact, valid to all orders in the top mass.
AN EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS FOR REACTION OF METAL COMPOUNDS WITH SORBENTS IN HIGH TEMPERATURE SYSTEMS

Abstract A potential method of control of toxic metallic emissions is the use of sorbents for physical and chemical capture of toxic metal species. Equilibrium calculations have been used to deteimine the feasibility of using sorbents and to identify optimal operating regimes for maximum removal of melallic species. Three different sorbents are analyzed for capture of seven toxic metallic species encountered in coal combustion and waste incineration. The results of the simulation are compared to the limited available data reported in the literature. The speciation of metallic species is determined for typical coal combustion conditions and a parametric evaluation of metal-sorbent reactions is carried out. The role of chlorine content on the capture efficiencies is established.
History: Frozen assets

Edmund Stump welcomes a history of Antarctica that covers the glory, the rivalries and the scientific legacy.