cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of Sleeping Beauty transposons for nonviral gene therapy.

Summary Virus-based gene therapy has advanced to clinical trials; however, this approach may result in serious adverse events including oncogenesis and the possibility of triggering fatal immune responses. Nonviral gene delivery approaches have a better safety profile, but their in vivo application has been largely limited in the past due to their inefficient delivery into cells and lack of stable chromosomal integration that is necessary for long-term therapeutic benefit. However, recent advances suggest that the use of Sleeping Beauty transposons, a novel integrating nonviral vector system, are capable of achieving long-lasting therapeutic levels of transgene expression in preclinical settings. These observations and other ongoing relevant studies may unlock the therapeutic potential of nonviral gene therapy for human diseases. IUBMB Life, 59: 374–379, 2007
Evaluating public sector intramural research programmes: the case of the US Advanced Technology Program's Intramural Research Initiative

Within a public environment in which accountability is at the forefront, an important evaluation question is how to document the economic value of innovation-related outputs and outcomes from intramural research relative to the cost of funding an intramural research programme. In this paper, we apply a counterfactual method to an evaluation of the US Advanced Technology Program's (ATP) Intramural Research Initiative. We also suggest more general applications of the methodology – for example, economic development applications to project evaluations in the developing areas of a country or in developing nations.
Irrelevant stimuli and response rate for a pigeon

The purpose of the first experiment was to train three pigeons to ignore a novel irrelevant stimulus or distractor. It was found that the distractor would interrupt ongoing pecking behavior in pigeons. It was also found that after many presentations of the distractor, its interrupting effect ceased and the pecking rate returned to its predistraction level. In addition, it was found that generalization of the habituation-training effect occurred to stimuli similar to the distractor. The habituated stimulus also had no distracting effect on responding to a subsequently established discriminative stimulus.
Logical form generation as abduction: Part I. Representation of linguistic concepts

For some time, researchers have become increasingly aware that some aspects of natural language processing can be viewed as abductive inference. This article describes knowledge representation in dual-route parsimonious covering theory, based on an existing diagnostic abductive inference model, extended to address issues specific to logic form generation. the two routes of covering deal with syntactic and semantic aspects of language, and are integrated by attributing both syntactic and semantic facets to each “open class” concept. Such extensions reflect some fundamental differences between the two task domains. the syntactic aspect of covering is described to show the differences, and some interesting properties are established. the semantic associations are characterized in terms of how they can be used in an abductive model. A major significance of this work is that it paves the way for a nondeductive inference method for word sense disambiguation and logical form generation, exploiting the associative linguistic knowledge. This approach sharply contrasts with others, where knowledge has usually been laboriously encoded into pattern-action rules that are hard to modify. Further, this work represents yet another application for the general principle of parsimonious covering. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Overutilization of Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Review of Cost-Effectiveness and Risk in PPI

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are superior to histamine-2 receptor antagonists for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and erosive esophagitis. Antisecretory therapy (AST), however, accounts for significant cost expenditure in the United States including over-the-counter and prescription formulations. Moreover, emerging data illustrate the potential risks associated with long-term PPI therapy including variations in bioavailability of common medications, vitamin B12 deficiency, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, community-acquired pneumonia, and hip fracture. For these reasons, it is imperative to use the lowest dose of drug necessary to achieve desired therapeutic goals. This may entail the use of step-down, step-off, or on-demand PPI therapy for the treatment of GERD. In addition, PPIs are the most commonly used medications for stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP), despite little evidence to support their use. Compounding this problem is evidence that patients erroneously administered SUP are often discharged on long-term PPI therapy. Pharmacy-driven step-down orders, limitation of the use of PPIs for SUP in non-ICU settings, and meticulous chart review to ensure that hospitalized patients are not discharged home on a PPI without an appropriate indication are interventions that can ensure proper PPI utilization with minimal of risk and optimization of cost-effectiveness.
Single millimeter wave treatment does not impair gastrointestinal transit in mice.

Abstract Millimeter wave treatment (MWT) is based on those biological effects that develop following skin exposure to low power electromagnetic waves. This method of treatment is in wide clinical use in several Eastern European countries for treatment of a variety of conditions, including pain syndromes. However, most treatment modes of MWT were developed empirically, and certain indications and contraindications for the use of MWT remain to be established. In our previous blind experiments we have shown that the hypoalgesic effect of MWT may be quantitatively evaluated, and most probably mediated by the neural system in general, and the system of endogenous opioids in particular. Taking in consideration a well-known ability of opioids to cause gastrointestinal disturbances, which could limit clinical application of MWT, the main aim of the present study was to investigate whether a single MWT, that can produce opioid-related hypoalgesia, may also retard gut transit and colorectal passage in mice. The charcoal meal test was used to quantitatively evaluate upper gastrointestinal transit, and the glass bead test was employed to examine colonic propulsion in mice. MWT was applied to the nose area of mice. The MWT characteristics were: frequency = 61.22 GHz; incident power density = 15 mW/cm2; and duration = 15 min. The results obtained have shown that MWT does not significantly change small intestinal or colonic transit in mice, and thus suppression of gastrointestinal motility should not be a setback in the clinical use of MWT.
The effects of environmental constraints upon licking patterns.

Abstract Rats licked water under three degrees of environmental constraint. As restriction decreased, lick duration increased. Interlick interval changed independently of duration. Lickometer-measured drinking tube contact was longer than fluid contact unless access was highly restricted. The use of controlled access to measure minimal necessary taste input is discussed.
Distribution fault location using wide-area voltage magnitude measurements

In an effort to increase situational awareness in the electric power grid, Wide-Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) are being implemented. These systems allow the capture of fast-sampled voltage data such as frequency, voltage magnitude, and voltage angle measurements in a low-cost, easily deployable manner. Traditional fault location methods use both current and voltage data. Voltage monitoring devices only collect voltage data, but these sensors can collect this data anywhere along the distribution lines. An iterative simulation-based fault location method using only voltage measurements, from anywhere on the line, is proposed. This technique involves comparing a measured voltage profile of a specific fault type and phase with a calculated voltage profile obtained through simulation of such a fault occurring at various locations with a range of probable fault impedances in the system. The best match is determined using the Euclidean error norm criterion and a threshold error value. The algorithm is successfully demonstrated using a PowerWorld case study.
Squaraine-Derived Rotaxanes: Sterically Protected Fluorescent Near-IR Dyes

A squaraine dye with bulky end groups is employed as the thread component in two Leigh-type amide rotaxanes. The rotaxanes are synthesized in a simple two-step process. X-ray crystal structures of the rotaxanes show that the pyridyl-containing macrocycle is more rigid and wraps more tightly around the cyclobutene core of the squaraine thread compared to the isophthalamide-containing macrocycle. The rotaxanes exhibit photophysical properties that are similar to the precursor squaraine. The encapsulating macrocycle greatly increases the chemical stability of the squaraine thread and inhibits aggregation-induced broadening of its absorption spectrum. It should be possible to prepare squaraine-derived rotaxanes with improved properties for a wide range of photophysical, photochemical, and biomedical applications.
Inferring Dynamic Dependency with Applications to Link Analysis

Statistical approaches to modeling dynamics and clustering data are well studied research areas. This paper considers a special class of such problems in which one is presented with multiple data streams and wishes to infer their interaction as it evolves over time. This problem is viewed as one of inference on a class of models in which interaction is described by changing dependency structures, i. e. the presence or absence of edges in a graphical model, but for which the full set of parameters are not available. The application domain of dynamic link analysis as applied to tracked object behavior is explored. An approximate inference method is presented along with empirical results demonstrating its performance.
Age- and fatigue-related markers of human faces: an eye-tracking study.

Purpose To investigate the facial cues that are used when making judgments about how old or tired a face appears. Design Experimental study. Participants Forty-seven subjects: 15 male and 32 female participants, ranging from age 18 to 30 years. Methods Forty-eight full-face digital images of "normal-appearing" patients were collected and uploaded to an eye-tracking system. We used an Applied Science Laboratories (Bedford, MA) Eye Tracker device associated with gaze-tracking software to record and calculate the gaze and fixation of the participants' left eye as they viewed images on a computer screen. After seeing each picture, participants were asked to assess the age of the face in the picture by making a selection on a rating scale divided into 5-year intervals; for fatigue judgments we used a rating scale from 1 (not tired) to 7 (most tired). Main Outcome Measures The main outcome measure was gaze fixation, as assessed by tracking the eye movements of participants as they viewed full-face digital pictures. Results For fatigue judgments, participants spent the most time looking at the eye region (31.81%), then the forehead and the nose regions (14.99% and 14.12%, respectively); in the eye region, participants looked most at the brows (13.1%) and lower lids (9.4%). Participants spent more time looking at the cheeks on faces they rated as least tired than they did on those they rated as most tired ( t = 2.079, P 0.05). For age judgments, the eye region (27.22%) and then the forehead (15.71%) and the nose (14.30%) had the highest frequencies of interest; in the eye region, the brows and lower lids also had the highest frequencies of interest (11.40% and 8.90%, respectively). Participants looked more at the brows ( t = −2.63, P t = −3.28, P 0.01) in those faces they rated as looking the oldest. Conclusions This study supports the hypothesis that age and fatigue judgments are related to preferential attention toward the eye region. Consequently, these results suggest that aesthetic or functional surgery to the eye region may be one of the most effective interventions in enhancing the appearance of an individual. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
RACIAL COMPOSITION OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND FEAR OF CRIME

A relationship between fear of crime and the racial composition of place has been widely assumed but seldom tested. Interviews conducted with a random sample of adults residing in a major state capital in the early months of 1994-at the height of a media-driven panic about violent crime-are used to test the proposition that as the percentage of blacks in one's neighborhood increases, so too will the fear of crime. We use objective and perceptual measures of racial composition, and we examine the effects of racial composition and minority status on fear of crime for black and white respondents. We distinguish between perceived safety or risk of victimization and fear, with the former used as an intervening variable in path models of fear of crime. Results show that actual racial composition has no consequence for the fear of crime when other relevant factors are controlled. Perceived racial composition is significant for fear among whites, but not among African-Americans. In particular, the perception that one is in the racial minority in one's neighborhood elevates fear among whites but not among blacks. All effects of perceived racial composition on fear are indirect and mediated by the perception of risk of crime.
Lower Jurassic unconformity (J-0) from the Colorado Plateau to the eastern Mojave Desert: Evidence of a major tectonic event at the close of the Triassic

From southern Nevada to the eastern Mojave Desert, the Lower Jurassic basal unconformity (J-0) cuts down section from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation to deformed Paleozoic carbonate rocks. The Chinle Formation is not present southwest of the central Spring Mountains. Stratigraphic relations suggest correlation of J-0 with unconformities in western Arizona and the Inyo Mountains. Close proximity of J-0 in time and space to (1) first appearance of western -derived volcanic clasts in lower Mesozoic cratonal stratigraphy, (2) early Mesozoic thrust faults, and (3) the J-1 cusp in the apparent polar wander path imply a major change in tectonic setting of the southwestern Cordillera at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary.
The Ethylene Pathway: A Paradigm for Plant Hormone Signaling and Interaction

To dissect the web of signals that control plant growth, it is important to understand how the individual components of the pathway are modulated. Ethylene is a plant hormone involved in a large number of developmental processes. Biochemical and genetic approaches have provided a detailed view of the biosynthetic and signal transduction pathways of this hormone in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The effects of several hormones and of developmental changes on the regulation of the key enzymes of ethylene biosynthesis, ACC synthase and ACC oxidase, serve as a clear example of interaction between signals in the generation of complex responses. We now have a picture of how ethylene is sensed by the ethylene receptors and how the signal is further transduced to the nucleus. Although some of the ethylene receptors show a tissue-specific pattern of expression, little is known about the regulation of the components of the ethylene transduction cascade by other hormones or developmental factors. Once the ethylene signal reaches the nucleus, it activates a transcriptional cascade that results in changes in the expression of a number of genes. We describe some of the results that suggest an interaction at the transcriptional level between ethylene, other hormones, and stress signals.
Separately Housed Ge(Li) Detectors Operating in Parallel and as a Summing Compton Spectrometer

Coaxial as well as planar Ge(Li) ?-ray detectors housed in separate cryostats have been operated in parallel and as a summing Compton spectrometer. The linear signals from two detectors were direct coupled into a single charge-sensitive preamplifier, thus eliminating the need for matching electronic gain and linearity of two separate channels. The full-energy peak efficiency of two parallel coaxial detectors is nearly equal to the sum of the efficiencies of the individual detectors. Similar increase in efficiency was also observed for double-escape peaks when two small planar detectors were paralleled. The FWHM of the 1.33 MeV 60Co line was 2.94 keV in the parallel mode as compared with 2.23 and 2.38 keV for the constituent 22cc coaxial detectors. When the latter detectors were used as a summing Compton spectrometer, the Compton edge was completely eliminated. The peak-to-Compton ratio in a 137Cs spectrum was 25:1 in the singles mode and 125:1 in the coincidence mode. However, in the complex Th C" spectrum the Compton spectrometer was not very effective in resolving a weak low energy line from the continuum of several intense ?-rays of higher energy. Thus, one large, high resolution detector or several in parallel is not only simpler and more efficient, but may also be more effective than the summing Compton spectrometer.
In-stream sources and links between particulate and dissolved black carbon following a wildfire

The occurrence of wildfires is expected to increase with the progression of climate change. These natural burn events can drastically alter the geomorphology and hydrology of affected areas and are one of the primary sources of black carbon (BC) in the environment. BC can be mobilized from soils and charcoal in fire-affected watersheds, potentially impacting downstream water quality. In June of 2012, the High Park Fire burned a large portion of the Cache La Poudre River watershed located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Seasonal riverine export of BC in both the dissolved (DBC) and particulate (PBC) phase was compared between burned and unburned sections of the watershed during the year following the High Park Fire. There was little difference in overall DBC concentration between sites, however seasonal changes in DBC quality reflected a shift in hydrology and associated DBC source between peak and base flow conditions. PBC export was substantially larger in fire-affected areas of the watershed during periods of overland flow. Our findings suggest that export processes of BC in the particulate and dissolved phase are decoupled in burned watersheds and that, in addition to DBC, the export of PBC could be a significant contributor to the cycling of charcoal in freshwater ecosystems.
Toward an h-Independent Algebraic Multigrid Method for Maxwell's Equations

We propose a new algebraic multigrid (AMG) method for solving the eddy current approximations to Maxwell's equations. This AMG method has its roots in an algorithm proposed by Reitzinger and Schoberl. The main focus in the Reitzinger and Schoberl method is to maintain null-space properties of the weak $\nabla \times \nabla \>{\times}$ operator on coarse grids. While these null-space properties are critical, they are not enough to guarantee $h$-independent convergence rates of the overall multigrid scheme. We present a new strategy for choosing intergrid transfers that not only maintains the important null-space properties on coarse grids but also yields significantly improved multigrid convergence rates. This improvement is related to those we explored in a previous paper, but is fundamentally simpler, easier to compute, and performs better with respect to both multigrid operator complexity and convergence rates. The new strategy builds on ideas in smoothed aggregation to improve the approximation property of an existing interpolation operator. By carefully choosing the smoothing operators, we show how it is sometimes possible to achieve $h$-independent convergence rates with a modest increase in multigrid operator complexity. Though this ideal case is not always possible, the overall algorithm performs significantly better than the original scheme in both iterations and run time. Finally, the Reitzinger and Schoberl method, as well as our previous smoothed method, are shown to be special cases of this new algorithm.
Relevant research article summaries

It was estimated that there are 16,000 18,000 indoor firing ranges in the United States. From 2002 to 2012, a total of 2,056 persons employed as ‘‘police protection’’ and in firing ranges had elevated blood lead levels (BLLs). An additional 2,673 persons had nonwork-related BLLs likely attributable to target shooting. Investigations found a failure to conduct personal exposure and biologic monitoring for lead and also found dry sweeping of lead-containing dust. There were also serious deficiencies in ventilation, housekeeping, and medical surveillance.
Virtual Singapores: shaping international competitive environments through business‐government partnerships

This article deals with Virtual Singapores, or Singapore’s efforts to clone itself through industrial parks in Asia’s developing countries. Through these cloned enclaves, tiny Singapore aims to control change and restructuring in Asian economic environments, and thereby its own destiny. The first section elaborates on Singapore’s regionalisation drive and Virtual Singapores. The ensuing section identifies the strategic goals for internationalizing Singapore Incorporated, the alliance of stakeholders that guides governmental policy in Singapore. The final section discusses the implications of the Virtual Singapores for competitive environments, as well as for organizational and structural changes in the Asia Pacific.
Living fences in the Fond-des-Nègres Region, Haiti

Most of the land on the plateau is held in small plots, such that production, whether for export or for local consumption, is carried out on peasant holdings. The peasantry traditionally devotes some part of its land to the cultivation of coffee for export. Since law forbids the cutting of coffee trees, and since world market prices in recent years have not encouraged the expansion of coffee cultivation, variations in the amount produced have been conditioned mainly by changes in climate, hurricane damage, and the apparently reduced labor investment cultivators have been willing to make in their coffee lands. Though it is not possible to obtain statistical confirmation, it seems certain that the production of crops for subsistence and for internal exchange has risen during the past ten years. Sisal production, which expanded sharply in the region around the start of this decade, is now declining, in accord with the decline in world market prices. Probably the Fond-des-Negres region
The differential effects of ouabain on sinus, A-V nodal, His bundle, and idioventricular rhythms

Abstract The influence of ouabain on various spontaneous and experimentally-induced cardiac rhythms was determined. Twenty-three mongrel dogs, anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (30 mg. per kilogram) were digitalized by the administration of ouabain, 10 μg per kilogram every 10 minutes, until toxicity developed. A Lead II electrocardiogram, His bundle electrogram, and aortic blood pressure were continuously monitored. During sinus rhythm (average HR: 152 ± 25 beats/min.) the rate of this pacemaker steadily declined in response to ouabain, then abruptly increased prior to the onset of toxicity (ventricular tachycardia). During A-V nodal rhythms, induced by crushing or cooling the S-A node in 11 dogs, the average heart rate was 94 ± 22 beats/min. Progressive digitalization consistently decreased the A-V nodal rate (average: −44 per cent) until toxicity developed. His bundle (average HR: 39 ± 9.0 beats/min.) or idioventricular rhythm (average HR: 42 ± 5.2 beats/min.) with complete heart block was induced by the local injection of 0.3 to 0.5 c.c. of formaldehyde into the A-V nodal or His bundle region, respectively. Progressive digitalization produced no significant change in the rate of the His bundle pacemaker, whereas ouabain consistently decreased the idioventricular rate (average: −50 per cent). We conclude that ouabain exerts distinctly different chronotropic effects on various cardiac areas exhibiting automaticity. These differential effects on A-V nodal and His bundle rhythms suggest the existence of at least two areas of latent pacemaker activity which are anatomically contiguous but functionally distinct.
Localized particle states and dynamic gravitational effects

Scalar particles\char22{}i.e., scalar-field excitations\char22{}in de Sitter space exhibit behavior unlike either classical particles in expanding space or quantum particles in flat spacetime. Their energies oscillate forever, and their interactions are spread out in energy. Here it is shown that these features characterize not only normal-mode excitations spread out over all space, but localized particles or wave packets as well. Both one-particle and coherent states of a massive, minimally coupled scalar field in de Sitter space, associated with classical wave packets, are constructed explicitly. Their energy expectation values and corresponding Unruh-DeWitt detector response functions are calculated. Numerical evaluation of these quantities for a simple set of classical wave packets clearly displays these novel features. Hence, given the observed accelerating expansion of the Universe, it is possible that observation of an ultralow-mass scalar particle could yield direct confirmation of distinct predictions of quantum field theory in curved spacetime.
Expression, purification, and in vitro cysteine-10 modification of native sequence recombinant human transthyretin

Transthyretin (TTR) is a serum protein that is also a prominent component of deposits in two different types of systemic amyloid disease, senile systemic and familial TTR amyloidoses. Studies of recombinant TTR (rTTR) have provided many insights into the relationship between protein structure and amyloidogenicity. Yet, there is no existing recombinant system that results in high yield production of a protein that is identical in primary structure to human TTR. To date, most published studies have generated rTTR using the human gene sequence, which is poorly expressed in Escherichia coli. In addition, the gene sequence has been flanked by a 3' AUG start codon to initiate translation, resulting in the expression of a protein containing an N-terminal methionine residue not present in the human protein. We present an improved technique which can be used to generate large quantities of human native sequence TTR. Our recombinant system utilizes a gene containing codons altered for efficient expression in E. coli and an N-terminal polyhistidine tag for simplified purification. Optimization of this system was accomplished by generating a modified polyhistidine tag that was efficiently removed by dipeptidyl aminopeptidase I (DAPase). This is the first report detailing an effective and useful method for producing rTTR containing an amino acid sequence identical to human TTR. Furthermore, we describe the thiol modification of the recombinant protein to achieve exact replication of the several prominent post-translationally modified forms of TTR that have been identified in human serum.
Gabbing about blast crisis

BCR-ABL, the protein product of the t(9;22) translocation in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), is a deregulated tyrosine kinase. Tyrosine kinases connect with docking proteins to transfer growth signals to downstream effectors and, eventually, to transcription factors that then modify gene
Retention of concepts and skills in traditional and reformed applied calculus

Striving to make calculus more meaningful for students, recent calculus reform initiatives have shifted emphasis from rote memorisation and symbol manipulation to conceptual understanding and practical application. But is reform calculus making a difference? This study compares outcomes of a traditional and a reform calculus course in terms of students’ retention of basic concepts and skills after the passage of time. Although traditional and reform students did not differ statistically in overall performance, reform students retained better conceptual knowledge and traditional students retained better procedural knowledge. Reform calculus students also demonstrated that concepts can be understood before computational competence is achieved.
A necessary and sufficient condition for the nirenberg problem

We seek metrics conformal to the standard ones on Sn having prescribed Gaussian curvature in case n = 2 (the Nirenberg Problem), or prescribed scalar curvature for n ≧ 3 (the Kazdan-Warner problem). There are well-known Kazdan-Warner and Bourguignon-Ezin necessary conditions for a function R(x) to be the scalar curvature of some conformally related metric. Are those necessary conditions also sufficient? This problem has been open for many years. In a previous paper, we answered the question negatively by providing a family of counter examples. In this paper, we obtain much stronger results. We show that, in all dimensions, if R(x) is rotationally symmetric and monotone in the region where it is positive, then the problem has no solution at all. It follows that, on S2, for a non-degenerate, rotationally symmetric function R(θ), a necessary and sufficient condition for the problem to have a solution is that Rθ changes signs in the region where it is positive. This condition, however, is still not sufficient to guarantee the existence of a rotationally symmetric solution, as will be shown in this paper. We also consider similar necessary conditions for non-symmetric functions. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Measurement of quality of life in alcohol-dependent subjects by a cancer symptoms checklist

Abstract There are few studies of Quality of Life measures (QoL) in alcohol-misusing patients. The present study addresses this deficiency. The sample consisted of 60 (39 men, 21 women) alcohol dependent subjects defined by DSM-IV criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) . At baseline (4–5 days after admission and detoxification) sociodemographic data were collected, and three questionnaires were administered: the Rotterdam Symptoms Checklist (RSCL), the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ), and Alcohol Problems Questionnaire (APQ). QoL scores for dependent alcoholics both for physical and psychological measures were significantly worse (higher) than those reported for a variety of cancer patients. Psychological symptom scores were higher than physical symptoms at baseline. Correlations of RSCL scores to both SADQ and APQ were greater for RSCL physical compared to psychological symptom scores. The subjects were followed up at 12 weeks when the RSCL was re-administered and relapse status ascertained. Fifty-eight (97%) subjects were successfully contacted at 12 weeks of whom 36 (62%) had relapsed. After a repeated measures ANOVA psychological and physical symptom subscores were statistically significantly improved as a result of not relapsing to heavy drinking. There was no significant change in scores in the relapse group when baseline and week 12 scores were compared. The RSCL measure is a useful QoL assessment tool in alcohol-dependent subjects.
Thermodynamic Properties of LiCl in Dimethyl Sulfoxide

The partial molal free energy, entropy, and enthalpy of transfer of lithium chloride from dimethyl sulfoxide to water are calculated to be -4.93 kcal/mole, +24.8 cal/C-mole, and +2.61 kcal/mole, respectively.
Reliability evaluation of a generation-resource plan using customer-outage costs in India

Abstract Customer-outage costs (COCs) are used to evaluate reliability of the generation-resource plan for a major power system in India, through development of an analytical reliability evaluation model . Extensive field surveys were conducted of different customer categories to examine inconveniences faced due to electricity interruptions. A composite outage cost function weighted across all customer categories in the region is estimated in a log-linear functional form. The inherent outage characteristics of existing and prospective generation resources under the country's capacity expansion program, the National Power Plan, are integrated with the COCs to obtain an interrupted energy value (IEV) which is a customer value-based generation-reliability index. The IEV for the plan is found to be Rupees (Rs.) 2.30 per kWh of electrical energy not served in 1990. The COC-based reliability-planning criterion provides an optimal level of reliability equivalent of 9.1% loss-of-load probability. Comparison of socially optimal reliability and expected implicit reliability level of the 1990–2000 generation-resource plan shows that the expansion program is unreliable in the earlier years but becomes over-reliable towards the latter years of the planning horizon. The study also illustrates that adaptive response investments which ameliorate the impact of interruptions in grid supply at a lower cost have substantially displaced potentially higher direct-outage costs.
A Multidimensional Accounting Model for Demographic and Economic Planning interactions

This paper introduces an accounting linkage designed to relate the demand for labor—generated via an open input—output Leontief-type model—to labor markets described by cohort-activity characteristics of population distributions. This linkage is shown to provide access to an articulated definition of market demand for labor and provides a basis for analyzing the dynamics of demographic mobility and growth as it applies to phased development planning. Possible conflicts between multiple, economic, and demographic goals are accommodated via a ‘goal-programming’ formulation so that the corresponding dual variables are readily available as opportunity-cost evaluators for deviations from these planning goals.
Making a case for a public health orientation in global pharmacy education and practice in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Abstract Pharmacy education and practice have changed from their original narrow product-centered focus to the current patient-centered focus in many countries around the world, albeit to varying degrees. The introduction of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as a framework for promoting global health in the context of development, has made the promotion of population health as important as the clinical care of the individual patient. Health care providers are now called upon to seize the opportunity presented by the individual patient seeking clinical care to reach him, his household, and his community with health promotion and disease prevention information, interventions, and other resources. This calls for a public health-oriented medical education and practice that equips the contemporary medical practitioner to look beyond the individual patient to his community and society. Calls for similar changes in pharmacy education and practice have been made. This article makes a case for a public health orientation and training in pharmacy education and practice to adequately equip pharmacists with the requisite knowledge, skills, and values to contribute toward the achievement of the MDGs and global development beyond 2015.
The Uruguay round and agricultural policies in developing countries and economies in transition

Abstract This paper reviews changes in the global trade policy environment as a result of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, and their potential impact on developing countries and economies in transition. The Agreement is, except in a few cases, not likely to present these countries with major policy adjustment problems. In Latin America, unilateral reforms have proceeded further than required by the Agreement. In Africa, countries that have experienced structural adjustment are liberalizing faster than the Agreement requires. In Asia the situation is mixed, but in general agricultural trade liberalization appears to be moving more slowly, especially when compared to Latin America; progress in reducing quantitative restrictions has been show. In Eastern Europe and the CIS, the progression and completeness of liberalization varies widely, though GATT notions of tariffication and tariff bindings have strengthened the position of reformers in those countries that are members of the WTO. While the short term impact of the Agreement may be modest, the bringing of agriculture under the rules of GATT should help prevent reintroducing non-tariff restrictions in the future. However, given that much of the food imports, particularly in parts of Asia, are still conducted by parastatals, if state trading in GATT-legal it is hard to anticipate how strong discipline on trade distorting support could be brought about.
HEPES prevents edema in rat brain slices

Brain slices gain water when maintained in bicarbonate-buffered artificial cerebro-spinal fluid (ACSF) at 35 degrees C. We previously showed that this edema is linked to glutamate receptor activation and oxidative stress. An additional factor that may contribute to swelling is acidosis, which arises from high CO2 tension in brain slices. To examine the role of acidosis in slice edema, we added N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) to osmotically balanced ACSF (HEPES-ACSF), thereby increasing buffering capacity beyond that provided by bicarbonate/CO2. Water gain was markedly inhibited in HEPES-ACSF. After 3 h incubation in HEPES-ACSF at 35 degrees C, water gain was limited to that of fresh slices after 1 h recovery in ACSF at room temperature. The effect of HEPES in decreasing slice water gain was concentration dependent from 0.3 to 20 mM. The inhibition of water gain by HEPES suggests that tissue acidosis is a contributing factor in brain slice edema.
Mycophenolate mofetil for obliterative bronchiolitis syndrome after lung transplantation.

Abstract Background . The development of obliterative bronchiolitis after lung transplantation portends a poor long-term outcome because of progressive decline in allograft function. There are currently no effective means of treating this condition. Methods . Thirteen patients in whom obliterative bronchiolitis syndrome developed after lung transplantation were treated with mycophenolate mofetil, an antimetabolite immunosuppressant, at a dose of 1.5 g orally twice daily. Patients were followed up clinically and with pulmonary function testing. Results . Duration of mycophenolate mofetil therapy ranged from 1 week to 24 months (mean duration, 11.4 months). Pulmonary function test results stabilized in the majority of patients with no significant further decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Two patients died of progressive obliterative bronchiolitis, 1 patient is alive with progressive disease, and 1 patient died of an acute infection. The drug was discontinued in 2 additional patients. In no patient did severe leukopenia or cytomegalovirus infection develop; 1 patient had a fungal infection, and 7 patients experienced gastrointestinal side effects. Conclusions . In the setting of obliterative bronchiolitis syndrome, mycophenolate mofetil is generally well tolerated and is associated with stabilization of pulmonary function test results. These findings suggest that the otherwise progressive process of obliterative bronchiolitis can be slowed.
Comparative effects of prenatal cocaine, alcohol, and undernutrition on maternal/fetal toxicity and fetal body composition in the Sprague-Dawley rat with observations on strain-dependent differences

Pregnant rats received either 20, 30, 40, or 50 mg/kg cocaine HCl (SC) twice daily from gestation days 7 through 19. Pair-fed and untreated control groups and a group receiving 3.0 g/kg alcohol (PO) twice daily served as comparison groups. Females were sacrificed on gestation day 20 and the fetuses examined. Maternal weight gain and food consumption showed dose-dependent decreases. Maternal water consumption, by contrast, was significantly increased in the cocaine-treated animals and may reflect a diuretic effect. The maternal mortality rates in Sprague-Dawley rats were less than in two strains of Long-Evans rats, suggesting important strain-dependent differences in susceptibility to cocaine toxicity. Cocaine caused a significant dose-dependent decrease in fetal weights. Physical anomalies in the cocaine-exposed and alcohol-exposed fetuses included occasional hemorrhaging, edema, anophthalmia, and limb reduction. Despite increased maternal water consumption by cocaine-treated dams, there were no increases in fetal body water content. There were, however, significant decreases in fetal body fat content in the pair-fed, alcohol-treated, and two highest cocaine-treated groups.
Vibrational spectra of crystals with the A-type rare earth oxide structure—I. La2O3 and Nd2O3

Abstract Infrared reflectance measurements of Nd2O3 and single crystal Raman measurements of La2O3 and Nd2O3 were obtained. The A-type RE oxides belong to space group P 3 m1 and should have (2A1g + 2Eg) Raman + (2A2u + 2Eu) i.r. modes. The Raman spectra are in exact agreement with the predictions. The i.r. spectra of Nd2O3 are also in agreement with the factor group analysis with two rather strong bands for E|c and E⊥c, but in addition has weaker bands, possibly multiphonon bands, adjacent to the high-frequency bands.
Generation and spectroscopic characterization of new 18+δ electron complexes. Relationship between the stability of 18+δ electron organometallic complexes and their ligand reduction potentials☆

The relationship between the electrochemical reduction potential of a ligand and the ability of that ligand to form a kinetically inert 18+δ complex in a reaction with a 17-electron radical was investigated. (18+δ complexes are 19-electron adducts in which the unpaired electron is primarily located on a ligand orbital.) To probe the relationship, a series of 18+δ complexes was generated by irradiating the Cp′2Mo2(CO)6, Cp2Fe2(CO)4 and Co2(CO)8 dimers in the presence of a series of bidentate phosphorus ligands. (Irradiation of the dimers formed 17-electron metal radicals by photolysis of the metal-metal bonds.) These experiments showed that bidentate phosphorus ligands with reduction potentials more positive than −1 volt (versus SCE) formed long-lived 18+δ complexes (in THF or CH2Cl2 solutions at 23 °C), while ligands with potentials more negative than −1 V formed reactive 18+δ complexes. The inability to detect 18+δ complexes in the latter case is attributed to kinetic factors: the 18+δ complexes are powerful reductants and they readily initiate a chain disproportionation of the dimers by electron transfer. Analogous experiments with bidentate nitrogen ligands did not produce any detectable 18+δ complexes. In this case, the undetectability of the 18+δ complexes is probably thermodynamic in origin: the hard nitrogen ligands and soft metal centers form adducts that are unstable with respect to metal-nitrogen bond cleavage. 18+δ complexes are the subject of increasing interest, especially as models for their more reactive 19-electron-complex counterparts. These results provide some guidelines for the design of 18+δ complexes that can be synthesized, isolated and characterized for such studies.
Television-based densitometric analysis of proteins separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Abstract A program is described for a computer-aided, television-based system which can quantify the densities of stained proteins on two-dimensional electrophoretic gels. The system is designed to detect and graphically reproduce the edges of spots which are often located in nonuniform levels of background stain and to integrate the density of each spot detected. Tests of the system are described which show that it responds linearly to optical densities encountered on the electrophoretic gels and is sufficiently stable and sensitive to permit quantitative analysis of most, if not all, proteins separated on a gel.
Histidyl-tRNA synthetase urzymes: Class I and II aminoacyl tRNA synthetase urzymes have comparable catalytic activities for cognate amino acid activation.

Four minimal (119 - 145 residue) active site fragments of Escherichia coli Class II histidyl-tRNA synthetase were constructed, expressed as maltose-binding protein fusions, and assayed for histidine activation as fusion proteins and after TEV cleavage, using the 32PPi exchange assay. All contain conserved Motifs 1 and 2. Two contain an N-terminal extension of Motif 1 and two contain Motif 3. Five experimental results argue strongly for the authenticity of the observed catalytic activities: (i) active site titration experiments showing high (∼0.1–0.55) fractions of active molecules, (ii) release of cryptic activity by TEV cleavage of the fusion proteins, (iii) reduced activity associated with an active site mutation, (iv) quantitative attribution of increased catalytic activity to the intrinsic effects of Motif 3, the N-terminal extension and their synergistic effect, and (v) significantly altered Km values for both ATP and histidine substrates. It is therefore plausible that neither the insertion domain nor Motif 3 were essential for catalytic activity in the earliest Class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The mean rate enhancement of all four cleaved constructs is ∼109 times that of the estimated uncatalyzed rate. As observed for the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) Urzyme, these fragments bind ATP tightly but have reduced affinity for cognate amino acids. These fragments thus likely represent Urzymes (Ur = primitive, original, earliest + enzyme) comparable in size and catalytic activity and coded by sequences proposed to be antisense to that coding the previously described Class I TrpRS Urzyme. Their catalytic activities provide metrics for experimental recapitulation of very early evolutionary events.
Plasmid insertion vectors that facilitate construction of herpes simplex virus gene delivery vectors

Abstract Plasmid insertion vectors were designed for the expression of foreign genes in recombinant herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors. One vector, pGa19, was designed for the insertion of foreign genes with their own promoter; a second vector, pGal10, was designed for the insertion of coding sequences downstream from the HSV immediate-early 110K promoter. The 110K promoter directed efficient expression of foreign genes, particularly in replication-incompetent virus recombinants, as shown by the expression of the lacZ and IFNα genes. These vectors should be useful for the characterization of various promoters for gene delivery, and for the efficient expression of foreign genes in a variety of cell types.
E/Ea is the major determinant of pulmonary artery pressure in moderate to severe aortic stenosis.

Objective Our aim was to determine echocardiographic Doppler predictors of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis (AS). Methods In this retrospective study of 50 patients with moderate to severe AS, the determinants of PASP were analyzed. Results Aortic valve area was 0.84 ± 0.3 cm 2 , with mean gradient of 55 ± 16 mm Hg, mean ejection fraction (EF) of 60 ± 13%, mean PASP of 37 ± 15 mm Hg, and mean E/Ea of 14 ± 6. aortic valve area and mean gradient did not predict degree of PASP and were not associated with EF and diastolic parameters. LV mass index ( P = .0005), E velocity ( P = .006), E/Ea ( P P P = .0001). Conclusion Our findings suggest that in moderate to severe AS, diastolic function, not AS severity, determines PASP. Superimposed diastolic dysfunction likely contributes to clinical symptoms of moderate to severe AS.
In-Situ Observation of The Initial Stages of Co (0001) Epitaxy on Pt (111) Using Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction

The heteropitaxial growth of (111) Pt on (0001) sapphire and of (0001) Co on (111) Pt on (0001) sapphire has been observed in-situ using grazing incidence x-ray scattering (GIXS). The in-plane lattice parameters of the Pt and Co phases have been measured as a function of film thickness in the regime from two monolayers to 200 monolayers, Relaxation of elastic strain with thickness has been quantified. X-ray reflections consistent with stacking faults in the Co films have been observed and monitored as a function of thickness, giving a measure of the stacking fault density. A distinct Co phase was observed at two monolayers of Co on a thick Pt layer, indicating an incoherent interface between the Co and Pt, even at this very early stage of deposition.