cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INITIATION OF A PULMONARY EMBOLISM RESPONSE TEAM: A QUALITY ASSURANCE INITIATIVE IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

The concept of a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) is multidisciplinary, with the hope that it may positively impact patient care, hospital efficiency, and outcomes in the treatment of patients with intermediate and high risk pulmonary embolism (PE). Clinical characteristics of a baseline
Pharmacological inhibition of Bax-induced cell death: Bax-inhibiting peptides and small compounds inhibiting Bax.

Bax is an essential mediator of mitochondria-dependent programed cell death. Bax belongs to the Bcl-2 family of proteins and its activities are regulated through interaction with other member prote...
Multiple voices and contesting ideologies in John Milton's Paradise Lost

iv INTRODUCTION. THE POET AND HIS CHARACTERS 1 CHAPTER I. A CRITIQUE OF FEMINIST CRITICISM OF MILTON 4 CHAPTER II. SIN AND THE GALENIC-ARISTOTELIAN NOTION OF WOMEN 15 CHAPTER III. EVE AND THE HEBRAIC-CHRISTIAN NOTION OF WOMEN 34 CONCLUSION. PARADISE LOST IN A TIME OF TRANSITION 51 WORKS CITED 56 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 62
Compelling God: Theories of Prayer in Anglo-Saxon England: By Stephanie Clark. Toronto Anglo-Saxon Series, 26. Pp.336. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1487501983

In her book, Compelling God, Stephanie Clark addresses a significant gap in medieval scholarship on prayer: the prayer practices and spiritual aims of the people of Anglo-Saxon England. The scope o...
Staged Interventions to Improve Quality and Reduce Cost of Care in Patients with Suspected Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Background Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare but often considered diagnosis that requires treatment, in the form of costly parenteral anticoagulants, while awaiting the results of confirmatory testing. We hypothesized that improving the accuracy and consistency with which a patient9s risk of HIT was determined, through the use of Computer-based Provider Order Entry (CPOE) interventions, would lead to decreased cost of care. Methods This study was conducted out of two affiliated US academic medical centers with a shared electronic medical record (EMR). A series of staged interventions, including provider and pharmacist education, real-time alerts and a CPOE based decision support tool were implemented as part of a multidisciplinary quality improvement project between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. All inpatients ³18 years of age who underwent laboratory testing for HIT and/or were started on bivailrudin therapy for suspected HIT between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014 were included. For the purposes of our study, we defined the pre-intervention period as January 1 through December 31, 2012 and the post-intervention period as January 1 through December 31, 2014. The primary outcome was mean monthly bivalirudin expenditure at each institution. The secondary outcomes were number of HIT enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serotonin release assay (SRA) tests sent per month. Results We observed a statistically significant reduction in mean monthly bivalirudin expenditures from $64,178 to $17,704 (p = 0.0002) at one of the included centers and a decrease that approached significance from $28,275 to $16,708 (p = 0.100) at the other. Statistically significant reductions were also noted in mean monthly ELISA testing rates from 38.1 to 19.8 (p=0.01) and mean monthly SRA testing rates from 9.4 to 3.1 (p=0.0001) across both centers. Discussion Our findings suggest that the use of a computer-based order entry intervention, as part of a multidisciplinary quality improvement effort, can effectively reduce cost and decrease rates of lab testing in the management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Such interventions are relatively low cost and of low complexity in institutions with established order entry systems and have the potential for a lasting impact on cost and quality of care. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Tissue Response to Short Pulse Laser Irradiation

The objective of this chapter is to analyze the transient temperature distribution in skin tissues due to short pulse laser irradiation. COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element solver, is used to analyze the heat affected zone in a multilayer tissue geometry modeled by considering the embedded vasculature to account for the blood flow. Compared to the existing continuum model, the results predicted by the embedded vasculature simulations are in good agreement with the experimental temperature distribution measurements for experiments on live anesthetized mice. A parametric study has been performed to analyze the effects of varying blood flow velocities on the temperature distribution in tissues. Inclusion of embedded vascularity played a significant role in the analysis of short pulse laser-based therapy of soft tissues.
Type 3: Sexual Extortion aka Sexual Shakedowns

The evidence suggests that the most numerous form of police sexual abuse occurs when a law enforcement officer enters into a quid pro quo sexual relationship during “normal” routine duties. The sexual events are, for the most part, opportunistic and not the trolling or hunting incidents found in serial sexual predators, although pretext stops are in play in that type also. Pretext stops are common in contemporary, proactive aggressive police actions described as zero tolerance, stop and frisk, and quality of life policing.
Relationship between risky behaviors and non-prescription opioid use among Asian American youth

Asian Americans (AA) are a highly understudied population and are often considered the “model minority” for health. However, there is a dearth of research on risky behaviors associated with opioid ...
Increasing Access to Selective High Schools through Place-Based Affirmative Action: Unintended Consequences

We investigate whether elite Chicago public high schools differentially benefit high-achieving students from more and less affluent neighborhoods. Chicago's place-based affirmative action policy allocates seats based on achievement and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). Using regression discontinuity design (RDD), we find that these schools do not raise test scores overall, but students are generally more positive about their high school experiences. For students from low-SES neighborhoods, we estimate negative effects on grades and the probability of attending a selective college. We present suggestive evidence that these findings for students from low-SES neighborhoods are driven by the negative effect of relative achievement ranking.
Credit Contagion and Aggregate Losses

Credit contagion refers to the propagation of economic distress from one firm to another. This article proposes a reduced-form model for these contagion phenomena, assuming they are due to the local interaction of firms in a business partner network. We study aggregate credit losses on large portfolios of financial positions contracted with firms subject to credit contagion. In particular, we provide an explicit Gaussian approximation of the distribution of portfolio losses. This enables us to quantify the relation between the volatility of losses and the determinants of credit contagion. We find that contagion processes have typically a second order effect on portfolio losses. They induce additional fluctuations of losses around their averages, whose size depends on the denseness of the business partner network.
Subgrid-scale characterization and asymptotic behavior of multidimensional upwind schemes for the vorticity transport equations

We establish subgrid-scale (SGS) characteristics of a finite volume vorticity-transport-based approach for large-eddy simulations. Modified equation analysis indicates that dissipation can be controlled locally via nonlinear limiting of the gradient employed for the vorticity reconstruction. The enstrophy budget highlights the remarkable ability of the truncation terms to mimic the true SGS dissipation and diffusion. Numerical dissipation in under-resolved simulations can be characterized by diffusion terms discovered in the modified equation analysis.
High-Resolution Views and Transport Mechanisms of the NKCC1 and KCC Transporters.

Abstract Cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) are responsible for the coupled co-transport of Cl- with K+ and/or Na+ in an electroneutral manner. They play important roles in myriad fundamental physiological processes––from cell volume regulation to transepithelial solute transport and intracellular ion homeostasis––and are targeted by medicines commonly prescribed to treat hypertension and edema. After several decades of studies into the functions and pharmacology of these transporters, there have been several breakthroughs in the structural determination of CCC transporters. The insights provided by these new structures for the Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 and the K+/Cl- cotransporters KCC1, KCC2, KCC3 and KCC4 have deepened our understanding of their molecular basis and transport function. This focused review discusses recent advances in the structural and mechanistic understanding of CCC transporters, including architecture, dimerization, functional roles of regulatory domains, ion binding sites, and coupled ion transport.
PySyn: A Rapid Synthesis for Mixed-Signal Machine Learning Classification

Mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) for machine learning (ML) have been demonstrated as a powerful tool for efficient and accurate classification of large volumes of complex data. Despite the growing interest in ML ICs, the design process of mixed-signal ML classifiers is dominated by ad hoc approaches. In this paper, a rapid synthesizer is developed in Python (PySyn) for designing compact power-efficient high-performance ML classifiers. Circuit-level ML library is designed and leveraged within the flow. System-level tradeoffs are generated with PySyn and utilized to iteratively adjust the ML performance. PySyn is demonstrated with a state-of-the-art classifier, generating optimized netlists under input constraints.
The telomere and telomerase: how Do they interact?

Abstract The ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzyme telomerase synthesizes telomere DNA and maintains telomere length in eukaryotic cells. This review describes recent findings that provide new understanding, of the functions of telomeres and telomerase. Telomerase has an essential RNA moiety in which a short sequence acts as the template for synthesis of telomeric DNA. Recent results show that, besides acting as a template, the telomerase RNA plays essential roles in the enzymatic functions of telomerase that are as critical as those provided by the protein reverse transcriptase subunit of telomerase. Analysis of telomerase RNA mutants in yeast has provided evidence that telomerase is an oligomeric/dimeric enzyme containing at least two telomerase RNA molecules and two enzyme-active sites. Recent data suggest that this telomerase RNP also plays a critical role in capping short telomeres. Thus, the length of a telomere is only one determinant of whether it is sufficiently long to function as a cap, stabilizing the chromosome end. Several lines of evidence converge on the notion that for telomere length regulation and other telomere functions, the very few last repeats at the tip of the telomere are the most crucial.
A Machine Learning Analysis of COVID-19 Mental Health Data

In late December 2019, the novel coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2) and the resulting disease COVID-19 were first identified in Wuhan China. The disease slipped through containment measures, with the first known case in the United States being identified on January 20th, 2020. In this paper, we utilize survey data from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research and apply several statistical and machine learning models and techniques such as Decision Trees, Multinomial Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Neural Networks, Random Forests, Gradient Tree Boosting, XGBoost, CatBoost, LightGBM, Synthetic Minority Oversampling, and Chi-Squared Test to analyze the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the mental health of frontline workers in the United States. Through the interpretation of the many models applied to the mental health survey data, we have concluded that the most important factor in predicting the mental health decline of a frontline worker is the healthcare role the individual is in (Nurse, Emergency Room Staff, Surgeon, etc.), followed by the amount of sleep the individual has had in the last week, the amount of COVID-19 related news an individual has consumed on average in a day, the age of the worker, and the usage of alcohol and cannabis.
APPLICABILITY OF JOINT DEVELOPMENT TOOLS IN DETROIT

Joint development (JD) is a process by which major public facilities are constructed in concert with other projects through the coordinated efforts of public or private agencies, or both. This paper focuses upon the identification and analysis of JD mechanisms for use in the Detroit area where major transit investments are anticipated. A total of nine basic types of JD mechanisms were identified and evaluated in the context of the institutional structure of the area. The mechanisms were evaluated for feasibility by considering statutory basis, taxation issues, revenue sources, bonding authority, public approval, jurisdiction, organizational basis, and other relevant aspects. The evaluation indicated that many JD mechanisms could be considered feasible for use in the Detroit area. In some cases, precedents existed for the use of particular tools. In addition, several local agencies were found to have the authority and capabilities to administer JD programs.
Tests and Constraints on Theories of Galaxy Formation and Evolution

Tests and constraints on current theories of galaxy formation and evolution are presented. They are derived from observations of the Northern Hubble Deep Field with WFPC2 and NICMOS. Photometric redshifts, extinctions and spectral energy distributions are calculated for all objects in the field. The tests and constraints are derived from the output of this analysis. The tests of the predictions from hierarchical and pure luminosity evolution galaxy evolution calculations favor the hierarchical model. Constraints are provided by the current luminosity function and its evolution to a redshift of 6.
Some physicochemical properties of anthranilate synthetase component I from Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract Anthranilate synthetase Component I, one component of the anthranilate synthetase-anthranilate-5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase aggregate which catalyzes the first two reactions of tryptophan synthesis in Salmonella typhimurium, has been purified to homogeneity. Anthranilate synthetase Component I is a single polypeptide chain of molecular weight 64,000 ± 3,500 and contains a single binding site for the feedback inhibitor, tryptophan. Tryptophan causes a decreased rate of reaction of enzyme sulfhydryl groups with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) suggesting that inhibition of this monomeric regulatory protein by feedback inhibitor is by a conformational alteration. Glycerol activates anthranilate synthetase Component I but is less efficient than the second protein component, anthranilate-5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase.
LARGE CARDINAL PROPERTIES OF SMALL CARDINALS

The fact that small cardinals (for example N1 and N2) can consistently have properties similar to those of large cardinals (for example measurable or supercompact cardinals) is a recurring theme in set theory. In these notes I discuss three examples of this phenomenon; stationary reflection, saturated ideals and the tree property.
Time Delay Control

The successful performance of computer controlled systems depends greately on both the electromechanical design and control system design. This paper is concerned with controller designs that force a system to behave in a desirable fashion despite large parameter variations and unpredictable disturbances. The design of such controllers has been of great concern for years. Recently, The Time Delay Control (TDC) has been suggested as an alternative approach to current algorithms. In this paper, this algorithm is first extended to systems where the plant dynamics, including the control distribution matrix are unknown. The extended algorithm is them evaluated through several simulations.
An inverse technique for the design of electromagnetic devices

An inverse finite-element method for the design of nonlinear magnetic devices is presented. The objective of applying the finite-element method in an inverse manner is to yield the optimum geometry while maintaining the operating performance requirements of the device. A nonlinear iron-cored inductance coil, which involves a relatively complex magnetic circuit topology, was used as an application of the method. Several design problems in which certain output quantities are specified, while the geometry was determined by the inverse procedure have been studied. The results were verified using standard finite-element programs, and were found to be in complete agreement. >
Using architectures for semantic interoperability to create journal clubs for emergency response

In certain types of 'slow burn' emergencies, careful accumulation and evaluation of information can offer a crucial advantage. The SARS outbreak in the first decade of the 21st century was such an event, and ad hoc journal clubs played a critical role in assisting scientific and technical responders in identifying and developing various strategies for halting what could have become a dangerous pandemic. This research-in-progress paper describes a process for leveraging emerging semantic web and digital library architectures and standards to (1) create a focused collection of bibliographic metadata, (2) extract semantic information, (3) convert it to the Resource Description Framework /Extensible Markup Language (RDF/XML), and (4) integrate it so that scientific and technical responders can share and explore critical information in the collections.
Inhibitory Action of Phage K on Staphylococcal Dehydrogenases. I. Effect on Various Strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including Members of the Phage-Typing Series.

Ralston, D. J. (University of California, Berkeley) and B. S. Baer. Inhibitory action of phage K on staphylococcal dehydrogenases. I. Effect on various strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including members of the phage-typing series. J. Bacteriol. 86:666–672. 1963.—The polyvalent phage K was found to depress the dehydrogenase activities of a large number of Staphylococcus aureus strains, as measured by the reduction of triphenyl tetrazolium chloride to the insoluble red formazan. The inhibition occurred immediately after the absorption of a multiplicity of phage particles, and was independent of the infectibility of the strains and of the killing ability of the phage. It appeared to be closely associated with the phenomenon of sensitization—a change in the cell surface which increased the susceptibility of the wall to digestion by soluble staphylococcal lysins and simultaneously abolished the capacity to synthesize phage. The inhibitory effect occurred both in nutrient media and in a nongrowth glucose - phosphate buffer supplemented with cysteine.
Darwin's Armada: Four Voyages and the Battle for the Theory of Evolution – By Iain McCalman

The figures of Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley, and Alfred Russell Wallace have long been linked together in the development and acceptance of evolutionary theory. As the author reveal...
The Perception of a Colored Translucent Sheet on a Background

Metelli's theory of the perception of translucency models the effective reflectance of a translucent sheet on a background as a partitive mixture of the color of the sheet and the color of the background. In the achromatic case, the usable (that is, scale-invariant) rules governing the apparent reflectances are the same as those that would emerge from the Kubelka-Munk theory. For chromatic translucency, the relationships are more complex, but a set of rules still emerge from the partitive-mixture theory that are invariant to tradeoffs between illuminant and reflectances. This column sets forth the rules in the hopes that they will have graphical applications, both on computer VDUs and in hardcopy.
Effects of dietary supplementation of a purified nucleotide mixture on immune function and disease and stress resistance in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Juvenile channel catfish (14.4 g average initial weight) were fed diets supplemented with a purified nucleotide mixture for 8 weeks. The mixture consisted of five nucleotides supplied on an equal basis as disodium salts at combined concentrations of 0 (control), 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.9% or 2.7% of diet. Addition of nucleotides to diet produced a dose-dependent reduction in survival of channel catfish to Edwardsiella ictaluri. Although the reasons are unclear, the high levels of nucleotides supplemented in this study may have contributed to the decrease in disease resistance, and this decrease appeared to be unrelated to the innate immune (unaffected) and specific antibody (enhanced) responses. Stress resistance increased with a corresponding amelioration of the immunosuppressive effects of the stress response on non-specific immunity (lysozyme and bactericidal activity) as nucleotides increased in diet. Use of exogenous nucleotides as a prophylactic treatment before culture-related stress exposure may prove beneficial by decreasing the immunosuppressive effects of stress but not in prevention of ESC.
The calculation of the kinetic rate constants for LiF and BeF{sub 2}

In the HYLIFE inertial confinement fusion reactor occurs in pulses several times every second. X-rays ablate material from the molten LiF-BeF[sub 2] salt (Flibe) jets used to protect the reactor vessel, generating a hot dissociated partially ionized vapor. Further evaporation occurs as the vapor radiates to the jets. Eventually the vapor must be condensed to restore sufficient vacuum for the next shot. Rate of condensation determines the permissible fusion repetition rate. Analysis here shows that recombination will be fast making it possible to assume quasi-equilibrium in vapor phase. Scaling shows that convective transport in the reactor dominates over diffusive transport over length scales the order of salt droplet diameters, and thus no significant separation or concentration of species will occur, except in very thin (micron scale) layers next to condensing surfaces. Without diffusion, the local stoichiometry of the mixture will remain fixed at the initial composition of 33%BeF[sub 2] and 67%LiF, with traces of tritium, helium, and other species. The gas dynamics in the reactor cavity depend upon the equation of state of gaseous Flibe. Because the chemical kinetics are fast, and the stoichiometry is fixed, a single relationship between pressure, temperature, and specific volume can be used to describemore » the state of the vapor phase, even at high temperatures where dissociation and ionization occur.« less
Wide temperature spectrum low leakage dynamic circuit technique for sub-65nm CMOS technologies

A new circuit technique is proposed in this paper for simultaneously reducing the subthreshold and gate oxide leakage power in domino logic circuits. PMOS-only sleep transistors are utilized along with a dual threshold voltage CMOS technology to place an idle domino circuit into a low leakage state. The effectiveness of the circuit technique is evaluated for a wide-temperature spectrum, considering both long and short idle periods. Assuming a short idle period at a temperature of 110/spl deg/C, up to 95.6% reduction in leakage power is observed as compared to standard dual threshold voltage domino circuits. Alternatively, assuming a long idle period at the room temperature, the circuit technique reduces the leakage power by up to 96.9% as compared to the standard dual threshold voltage domino logic circuits. Furthermore, by employing PMOS-only sleep transistors, the presented circuit technique reduces the total leakage power by up to 43.8% as compared to a previously published sleep scheme based on NMOS sleep transistors in a 45nm CMOS technology.
III. Glares of Contempt, Eye Rolls of Disgust and Turning Away to Exclude: Non-Verbal Forms of Social Aggression among Girls:

When girls seek to hurt one another, pursue their social goals, or express anger or contempt, they often engage in social aggression. Social aggression involves hurting someone by harming friendships and social status, and includes behaviours such as social exclusion, malicious gossip, and friendship manipulation (Underwood, 2003; similar behaviours have also been referred to as indirect aggression, Lagerspetz et al., 1988; and relational aggression, Crick and Grotpeter, 1995). This article examines the power and impact of nonverbal social aggression among girls, of nasty faces and gestures deployed to hurt and exclude. I do not argue that girls never engage in physical aggression – they do, sometimes with spectacularly negative consequences (Cairns and Cairns, 1994; Moretti et al., 2004; Putallaz and Bierman, in press). Nor do I mean to convey that boys never use facial expressions to hurt peers; boys may well use mean faces to exclude, or perhaps these behaviours are understood differently in boys’ groups. Last, by trying to illuminate how nonverbal forms of aggression might be part of ‘the subterranean worlds behind the messages’ (Reader, 1999: 85) in girls’ interactions, I do not mean to suggest that girls’ forms of hurtful behaviours are any more problematic than the more direct, physical forms of aggression among boys. Non-verbal expressions of exclusion and contempt may have special meanings for girls (Brown and Gilligan, 1993; LaFrance, 2002; Reader, 1999), and these seem important to understand in their own right and for their own sake.
Packaged 1.5- $\mu$ m Quantum-Well SOA With 0.8-W Output Power and 5.5-dB Noise Figure

We report the demonstration of a lensed-fiber-pigtailed InGaAsP-InP quantum-well semiconductor optical amplifier based on the slab-coupled optical waveguide (SCOW) concept. At a 5-A bias current and a wavelength of 1540 nm, the packaged SCOW amplifier (SCOWA) exhibits a record 0.8-W saturation output power, 13.8-dB small-signal gain, 5.5-dB noise figure, and a maximum electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 11%. The estimated coupling efficiency between the large (5.6 times 7.5 mum), fundamental SCOWA mode and the lensed fibers (6.5-mum spot size) is 90%.
THE HISTOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLOOD GROUP SUBSTANCES IN MAN AS DISCLOSED BY IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE III. THE A, B, AND H ANTIGENS IN EMBRYOS AND FETUSES FROM 18 MM IN LENGTH

The ABH antigens have been mapped out in the tissues of embryos and fetuses, 18 to 125 mm crown to rump length, 6 to 14½ weeks ovulation age. Both the H and A,B antigens have the same distribution, and their spatial and temporal parallel obtains in intrauterine as well as extrauterine phases of life. The cell wall antigens are present in their maximal distribution in the youngest specimens available. They outline the endothelium of the cardiovascular system, and the cells of most of the epithelia throughout the body. The exceptions are the liver, the adrenal, and the nervous system, presumed to have lost the epithelial antigens at stages antedating the youngest specimens here described. The antigens of the stratified epithelia (and of the simple epithelia of the renal collecting tubules), together with the endothelial antigens, are permanent and persist into and throughout adult life. All other cell wall antigens disappear at a time characteristic for each organ. The antigenic recession coincides with recognizable steps of morphological advancement and often with assumption of function by the organ concerned; it is completed at about the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. The secretion-borne antigens first appear at the 35 to 40 mm stage (8 weeks ovulation age) in the salivary glands and in the stomach, to be followed in a constant sequence by the rest of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, and pancreas. The secretion of these antigens persists throughout life. The early presence and wide distribution of the cell wall A,B antigens render them likely potential targets for maternal anti-A,B antibodies in heterologous pregnancies; the advent of the water-soluble substances at 8 weeks ovulation age may be providing a buffer shielding the fetal cell wall antigens by mopping up the maternal isoagglutinins.
The Central Complex of the Flesh Fly, Neobellieria bullata: Recordings and Morphologies of Protocerebral Inputs and Small-Field Neurons

The central complex in the brains of insects is a series of midline neuropils involved in motor control, sensory integration, and associative learning. To understand better the role of this center and its supply of sensory information, intracellular recordings and dye fills were made of central complex neurons in the fly, Neobellieria bullata. Recordings were obtained from 24 neurons associated with the ellipsoid body, fan-shaped body, and protocerebral bridge, all of which receive both visual and mechanosensory information from protocerebral centers. One neuron with dendrites in an area of the lateral protocerebrum associated with motion-sensitive outputs from the optic lobes invades the entire protocerebral bridge and was driven by visual motion. Inputs to the fan-shaped body and ellipsoid body responded both to visual stimuli and to air puffs directed at the head and abdomen. Intrinsic neurons in both of these structures respond to changes in illumination. A putative output neuron connecting the protocerebral bridge, the fan-shaped body, and one of the lateral accessory lobes showed opponent responses to moving visual stimuli. These recordings identify neurons with response properties previously known only from extracellular recordings in other species. Dye injections into neurons connecting the central complex with areas of the protocerebrum suggest that some classes of inputs into the central complex are electrically coupled.
Downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis genes in the forebrain of ERCC1-deficient mice

Several genetic defects of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway, including deficiency of the Excision Repair Cross-Complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 1 (ERCC1), result in pre-mature aging, impaired growth, microcephaly and delayed development of the cerebellum. These phenotypes are recapitulated in Ercc1-knockout mice, which survive for up to 4 weeks after birth. Therefore, we analyzed cerebellar and hippocampal transcriptomes of these animals at 3 weeks of age to identify the candidate mechanisms underlying central nervous system abnormalities caused by inherited defects in NER. In the cerebellum, the most prominent change was the upregulation of genes associated with gliosis. Although Purkinje cell degeneration has been reported in some mouse strains with NER impairment, the transcripts whose downregulation is associated with Purkinje cell loss were mostly unaffected by the knockout of Ercc1. In the hippocampus, there was extensive downregulation of genes related to cholesterol biosynthesis. Reduced expression of these genes was also present in the neocortex of adult mice with reduced expression of ERCC1. These changes were accompanied by reduced mRNA expression of the transcription factor Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Transcription Factor-2 (SREBF2) which is a master regulator of cholesterol biosynthesis. The downregulation of forebrain cholesterol biosynthesis genes is a newly identified consequence of ERCC1 deficiency. Reduced cholesterol biosynthesis may contribute to the neurodevelopmental disruption that is associated with ERCC1 defects and several other NER deficiencies including Cockayne syndrome. In addition, this reduction may negatively affect the function of mature synapses.
Oral Isosorbide and Intraocular Pressure

Isosorbide was introduced as an oral os­ motic diuretic in 1965. Two years later, Becker, Kolker, and Krupin demonstrated its ability to lower intraocular pressure in man. Subsequently, Barry, Khoury, and Brooks reported that isosorbide reduced the intraocular pressure in nine normal volun­ teers. Five additional reports in isosorbide and intraocular pressure appeared in the Japanese literature." This report presents our clinical experience with isosorbide in the management of various types of glaucoma.
Block diagonalization of partitioned matrix operators

Abstract Given operators E, F, G, and H, defined in an abstract linear space, B , we form the matrix operator A (x ⊕ y) = (Ex + Fy) ⊕ (Gx + Hy) , defined in the product space B 2 and show, under certain conditions, that A is related by a similarity transformation to a block diagonal operator D (x ⊕ y) = Λ 1 x ⊕ Λ 2 y , where Λ1 and Λ2 are a complete pair of roots of the generalized characteristic equation. The roots completely determine the eigenstructure of A.
Rhetorical criticism as argument

Rhetorical critics, whether evaluating or explaining rhetorical experiences, are more useful when they argue than when they do not. Critics who argue provide information and invite confrontation that tests the intersubjective reliability of their argument and hence contribute to a more dependable understanding of a rhetorical experience or of rhetoric.
Blogging by the rest of us

Weblogs (or blogs) are frequently updated webpages with posts typically in reverse-chronological order. Blogging is the latest form of online communication to gain widespread popularity and it is rapidly becoming mainstream. Media attention tends to focus on "heavy-hitting" blogs devoted to politics, punditry and technology, but it has recently become apparent that vast majority of blogs are written by ordinary people for much smaller audiences, and on largely personal themes. Surprisingly little is known about this "blogging by the rest of us", especially from the blogger's point of view. This paper presents the preliminary results of an ethnographic study of blogging as a form of personal expression and communication. We characterize a number of blogging practices, and then consider blogging as personal journaling. We find blogging to be a surprisingly versatile medium, with uses similar to an online diary, personal chronicle or newsletter, and much more. The next few years should provide a fascinating opportunity for research and design as blogging tools improve and blog usage evolves and flourishes.
Results of Employee Involvement in Planning and Implementing the Treatwell 5-a-Day Work-Site Study

When work-site health promotion programs incorporate theories of community organization, it is likely that employee ownership and participation are enhanced. This article reports quantitative indicators of involvement of Employee Advisory Board (EAB) members in the Treatwell 5-a-Day work-site study and examines relationships between EAB member time spent on project activities and work-site size, with indicators of the extent of implementation and variables associated with behavior change and work-site support. The results reported here indicate that a greater number of EAB member hours spent on program activities was associated with a greater number of events implemented. Smaller work-site size was associated with greater employee awareness of the program and greater participation in project activities as reported on the employee survey. These results suggest that the number of hours employee representatives devote to project activities might be an important consideration in planning employee involvement in work-site health promotion programming.
Diffusion scrubber-based field measurements of atmospheric formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide

Field measurements were conducted to determine atmospheric concentrations of HCHO and H2O2 with automated instrumentation that relies on diffusion-based collection of water-soluble gases by an aqueous absorber flowing through a hydrophobic porous membrane tube. These measurements were made as part of the Carbonaceous Species Methods Comparison Study (CSMCS) at Cirrus College, Azusa, CA, during August 12–20, 1986. Both HCHO and H2O2 showed marked diurnal cycles, decreasing at night (to a minimum of 2–4 ppbv for HCHO, and near the detection limit, ∼ 30 pptv for H2O2) and increasing to a maximum in the late afternoon (15–19 ppbv for HCHO, ∼ 2 ppbv for H2O2). For the most part, the instrumentation performed unattended as designed; however, particle deposition in sampling lines and in the membrane-based diffusion scrubbers suggest that in-line losses can be significant for continued sampling of ambient air containing a relatively high concentration of particulate matter. Periodic (e.g., daily or every 2 days) ...
Geomorphologic Evolution of Barrier Islands along the Northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Implications for Engineering Design in Barrier Restoration

Abstract Aspects of northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida panhandle) processes and barrier islands that are pertinent to their geomorphologic response are contrasted with the broader knowledge base summarized by Schwartz (1973) and Leatherman (1979, 1985). Salient findings from studies documenting the short-term (storm-induced; timescales of hours, days, and weeks) and long-term (timescales of years, decades, and centuries) response of barrier island systems in the NGOM are synthesized into a conceptual model. The conceptual model illustrates the hypothetical evolution of three barrier island morphologies as they evolve through a typical Category 1–2 hurricane, including poststorm recovery (days to weeks) and long-term evolution (years to decades). Primary factors in barrier island geomorphologic response to storms, regardless of location, are the elevation of the island relative to storm (surge plus setup) elevation, and duration of the storm. Unique aspects of the ...
Tibolone Metabolism in Human Liver Is Catalyzed by 3α/3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Activities of the Four Isoforms of the Aldo-Keto Reductase (AKR)1C Subfamily

Tibolone [[7alpha,17alpha]-17-hydroxy-7-methyl-19-norpregn-5(10)-en-20-yn-3-one] is used to treat climacteric symptoms and prevent osteoporosis. It exerts tissue-selective effects via site-specific metabolism into 3alpha- and 3beta-hydroxymetabolites and a Delta4-isomer. Recombinant human cytosolic aldo-keto reductases 1C1 and 1C2 (AKR1C1 and AKR1C2) produce 3beta-hydroxytibolone, and the liver-specific AKR1C4 produces predominantly 3alpha-hydroxytibolone. These observations may account for the appearance of 3beta-hydroxytibolone in target tissues and 3alpha-hydroxytibolone in the circulation. Using liver autopsy samples (which express AKR1C1-AKR1C4), tibolone was reduced via 3alpha- and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) activity. 3beta-Hydroxytibolone was exclusively formed in the cytosol and was inhibited by the AKR1C2-specific inhibitor 5beta-cholanic acid-3alpha, 7alpha-diol. The cytosolic formation of 3alpha-hydroxytibolone was inhibited by an AKR1C4-selective inhibitor, phenolphthalein. The ratio of these stereoisomers was 4:1 in favor of 3beta-hydroxytibolone. In HepG2 cell cytosol and intact cells (which do not express AKR1C4), tibolone was exclusively reduced to 3beta-hydroxytibolone and was blocked by the AKR1C1-AKR1C3 inhibitor flufenamic acid. In primary hepatocytes (which express AKR1C1-AKR1C4), time-dependent reduction of tibolone into 3beta- and 3alpha-hydroxytibolone was observed again in a 4:1 ratio. 3beta-HSD activity was inhibited by both 5beta-cholanic acid-3alpha,7alpha-diol and flufenamic acid, implicating a role for AKR1C2 and AKR1C1. By contrast, the formation of 3alpha-hydroxytibolone was exclusively inhibited by phenolphthalein implicating AKR1C4 in this reaction. 3beta- and 3alpha-Hydroxytibolone were rapidly metabolized into polar metabolites (>85%). The formation of minor amounts of tibolone was also observed followed by AKR1C-catalyzed epimerization. The low hepatic formation of 3alpha-hydroxytibolone suggests that AKR1C4 is not the primary source of this metabolite and instead it maybe formed by an intestinal or enterobacterial 3alpha-HSD.
Recent trends in corporate governance practices in the USA

Seven years have passed since the passage of SarbanesOxley or the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002. Since then, there has been much debate over the costs and benefits of the most far reaching reforms of US business practices since the time of FDR. Glaring abuses in corporate governance continue to capture the headlines as details revealing skyhigh executive compensation as well as reports of conflicts of interests and a variety of breaches of fiduciary duties. But have corporate governance standards improved? In this paper, we postulate that corporate governance has four pillars ? board of directors, audit committees, poison pills, and executive and director compensation and ownership. Using the data from 2003 to 2008, we examine recent trends in various aspects of corporate governance that includes board issues, audit committees, poison pills, and executive compensation.
Enzymatic Milling Product Yield Comparison with Reduced Levels of Bromelain and Varying Levels of Sulfur Dioxide

ABSTRACT Enzymatic milling (E-Milling) is a process that could potentially replace the sulfur dioxide procedure currently used in all commercial wet-milling facilities. E-Milling incorporates the use of a short water soaking step (≤6 hr), a coarse grind, and the use of a protease to release the starch granules from the corn endosperm. E-Milling does not require sulfur dioxide to obtain starch yields equivalent to conventional wet milling; however, the important antimicrobial effects of sulfur dioxide are not duplicated by the enzymatic process. The use of low levels of sulfur dioxide (sufficient for antimicrobial activity) is being proposed as an easily implemented means of microbial control during E-Milling. To assess the effectiveness of E-Milling under these conditions, fraction yields for milling experiments adding sulfur dioxide with and without added enzyme were compared with fraction yields from conventional 24-hr steeping with 2,000 ppm SO2 and 0.55% lactic acid. Because adding enzyme and SO2 can ...
The structure of the organic mammillary cores in some weak egg shells

Synopsis The microscopic structure of the outermost layer of the outer shell membrane containing decalcified mammillary cores of some of the egg shells laid by a large flock of Shaver 288 Starcross hybrids from November 1967 to September 1968 has been examined. It has been found that a high percentage of the weak and thin egg shells contain abnormal organic mammillary cores. The results are discussed with special reference to the recent findings of other workers who have studied the crystalline structure of shell concretions and egg shells laid by hens under climatic stress.
Delivering Virtual Reference Services on the Web: An Investigation into the Current Practice by Academic Libraries

Abstract This article describes a study on web-based reference services in academic libraries. A random sample of 362 institutions was taken from Peterson's Four-Year Colleges 2013. The authors scanned each library's website for reference-related activities, specifically if the library 1) provides or advertises reference on the main page and terminology used to advertise the reference service; 2) provides chat and related information such as chat box location, provider (in-house vs. consortia), and the vendor or program used and 3) provides other forms of virtual reference through email, phone, text messaging, instant messenger, video chat, interactive knowledge base, and other technologies. The findings indicate that approximately 68% of the libraries in the sample stated reference services on the main webpage. About 74% of the libraries used at least one of the following technologies for virtual reference: email, phone, chat, IM, text, and video chat. Exactly 47.5% of the libraries provide chat. The institutions that offer more advanced degrees and have more students are more likely to offer chat than those who offer low-level degrees and fewer students. This is the only study on a large scale with details about virtual reference in academic libraries.
Design of clinical trials for drug combinations : cytomegalovirus retinitis - foscarnet and ganciclovir. The CMV retinitis retreatment trial

Abstract The Cytomegalovirus Retinitis Retreatment Trial was a multicenter clinical trial designed to evaluate three treatments for the treatment of relapsed CMV retinitis; (1) foscarnet; (2) ‘high-dose’ ganciclovir, and (3) combination foscarnet and ganciclovir. Two hundred seventy-nine patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of these three regimens. Patients were followed monthly for 6 months and every 3 months thereafter. Outcomes of interest included: (1) mortality; (2) retinitis progression; (3) change in retinal area affected by CMV; (4) loss of visual field; (5) loss of visual acuity; (6) quality of life; and (7) treatment side effects.
ELASTIC STABILITY LIMITS OF POLYETHYLENE AND N-ALKANE CRYSTALS FROM MOLECULAR SIMULATION

Molecular simulations are carried out to determine the elastic stability limits of polyethylene and n-alkane crystals under external stresses. For polyethylene, the instability that occurs at the l...
Nonoscillatory solutions of forced second-order linear equations

The number of nonoscillatory solutions of a forced second order linear differential equation is studied under the hypothesis that the homogeneous equation is oscillatory. The main technique involves expressing a general solution of the forced equation in terms of two parameters, given a pair of independent solutions of the homogeneous equation (see (2.4) below).
The Essential Role of Interferon-γ During Interleukin-12 Therapy for Murine Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder

ABSTRACTPurpose: Recombinant interleukin (IL)-12 and adenoviral IL-12 gene therapy have been shown to be potent therapeutic interventions for murine transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder in vivo. We investigated the mechanisms through which IL-12 induces antibladder cancer immunity.Materials and Methods: The ability of IL-12 to enhance interferon-γ (IFN-γ) expression, a major T-helper type 1 cytokine, was analyzed in murine serum, urine and splenocyte cultures. MB49, a murine TCC line, was treated with IFN-γ and evaluated for its proliferation, surface molecule expression and sensitivity to splenocyte mediated cytotoxicity. Neutralizing antiIFN-γ antibody was applied to test the role of IFN-γ in the IL-12 therapy of MB49 tumor.Results: IL-12 was observed to significantly increase IFN-γ concentrations in serum and urine as well as in splenocyte cultures. While IL-12 had no direct activity against TCC in vitro, IFN-γ showed potent dose dependent antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity, which...