cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of fermented red bean extract on nephropathy in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats.

Background The antioxidant effects of Bacillus subtilis-fermented red bean (natto-red bean) extract (NRBE) in young (6 weeks old) Sprague-Dawley rats and aged (12 months old) mice had been reported previously. Objective To evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of NRBE in the kidneys of streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Design Normal control rats and diabetic rats were orally gavaged with saline and low-dose NRBE (100 mg/kg body weight [BW]), medium-dose NRBE (200 mg/kg BW), and high-dose NRBE (500 mg/kg BW), for 12 weeks and then sacrificed. Concentration of fasting glucose, adiponectin, renal function markers, antioxidative markers, and pro-inflammatory markers were measured. Results Oral administration of 50% ethanolic extract of NRBE with a dosage of 100 mg/kg BW, 200 mg/kg BW, or 500 mg/kg BW could improve the symptoms of kidney enlargement and renal function. Supplementation of NRBE can effectively inhibit the formation of renal reactive oxygen species and advanced-glycation end-products and increase renal glutathione content and serum adiponectin. A low dose of NRBE (100 mg/kg BW) decreased fasting blood sugar and renal interleukin (IL)-6 expression. Serum C-reactive protein, renal tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 concentrations were decreased, and renal superoxide dismutase activity was increased in the medium-dose NRBE group. Twenty-four hour creatinine clearance and urinary albumin excretion also improved by medium-dose NRBE supplementation. In NRBE, total phenols and flavonoids were 6.3 mg gallic acid equivalent/g and 12.02 mg rutin equivalent/g, respectively, and kampherol was the major active antioxidant compound. Conclusion This study demonstrated that appropriate amount of NRBE, 200 mg/kg BW in rats, could prevent diabetic nephropathy by improving antioxidant status and inhibiting inflammation in renal tissue.
Path Dependent Structural Equation Models

Causal analyses of longitudinal data generally assume that the qualitative causal structure relating variables remains invariant over time. In structured systems that transition between qualitatively different states in discrete time steps, such an approach is deficient on two fronts. First, time-varying variables may have state-specific causal relationships that need to be captured. Second, an intervention can result in state transitions downstream of the intervention different from those actually observed in the data. In other words, interventions may counterfactually alter the subsequent temporal evolution of the system. We introduce a generalization of causal graphical models, Path Dependent Structural Equation Models (PDSEMs), that can describe such systems. We show how causal inference may be performed in such models and illustrate its use in simulations and data obtained from a septoplasty surgical procedure.
When do Bosses Matter? Understanding the Relationship between Strategy, Hierarchy and Capabilities

This paper seeks to add to the literature on the micro-foundations of organizations’ capabilities. This literature has tended to overlook that different individuals or groups are likely to play a g...
Replacement of hair cells after laser microbeam irradiation in cultured organs of corti from embryonic and neonatal mice.

This study examined the potential for hair cell regeneration in embryonic and neonatal mouse organs of Corti maintained in vitro. Small numbers of hair cells were killed by laser microbeam irradiation and the subsequent recovery processes were monitored by differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy combined with continuous time- lapse video recordings. Replacement hair cells were observed to develop in lesion sites in embryonic cochleae and on rare occasions in neonatal cochleae. In embryonic cochleae, replacement hair cells did not arise through renewed proliferation, but instead developed from preexisting cells that changed from their normal developmental fates in response to the loss of adjacent hair cells. In cochleae established from neonates, lost hair cells usually were not replaced, but 11 apparently regenerated hair cells and a single hair cell labeled by 3H-thymidine were observed as rare responses to the creation of hair cell lesions in these organs. The results indicate that the organ of Corti can replace lost hair cells during embryonic and on rare occasions during early neonatal development. The ability of preexisting cells to change their developmental fates in response to hair cell death is consistent with the hypothesis that during embryonic development hair cells may inhibit neighboring cells from specializing as hair cells. In neonatal cultures, the rare occurrence of apparently regenerated hair cells indicates that some cells in the postembryonic organ of Corti retain response mechanisms that can lead to self-repair.
Being There: Fieldwork in Anthropology

Being There: Fieldwork in Anthropology. C. W. Watson. ed. Sterling, VA: Pluto Press, 1999. 169 pp.
[25] Effects of cocaine on the immune response

Publisher Summary Cocaine is a major drug of abuse, prompting the further exploration of multiple biological activities. One of the most startling effects of cocaine that has only recently come to light is its immunomodulatory activity. Cocaine and its metabolites have been shown to suppress the cellular immune response, while reported effects of cocaine on the humoral arm of the immune system are currently contradictory. The exact immunotoxicological outcome of the immunosuppressive activity of cocaine in humans is unknown but will become clearer with further investigation of the effects of cocaine in immunosuppressed patients such as HIV-positive patients. Since cocaine metabolites also demonstrate immunomodulatory effects, patient populations with altered cocaine metabolism, such as the fetus, pregnant women, or those with esterase deficiencies, may be exposed to a different, perhaps more pronounced, immunomodulatory effect of this drug. The impact of cocaine on the integrity of the immune system may have a significant effect in the development of the fetal immune system and the contraction and progression of various diseases.
Generator Exchange in a Primary Prevention Cardiac Resynchronziation Responder: Do You Reimplant a Defibrillator?

This case-based review discusses the benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and whether defibrillation function is necessary in CRT responders. An evaluation of the literature and evidence to date is discussed. Recommendations based on these data, expert opinion, and recently published appropriate use criteria are given.
Remarks on the dispersion relations used to calculate Delta rho.

We use the operator product expansion to show that nonperturbative QCD corrections to {Delta}{rho} can be calculated using unsubtracted dispersion relations for either the transverse or the longitudinal vacuum polarization functions. Recent calculations of the nonperturbative contribution to {Delta}{rho} based on a nonrelativistic calculation of corrections to the {ital t{bar t}} threshold are inconsistent with this result.
Adaptive beamforming for random planar arrays

This paper presents a study on randomly distributed planar antenna array elements for adaptive beamforming. A comparison between uniformly and randomly spaced antenna arrays is detailed by using the adaptive least mean square algorithm. The study is based on varying the number of elements of the random planar antenna array to obtain an optimal performance.
Use of central institutional review boards for multicenter clinical trials in the United States: A review of the literature

BackgroundTo improve the efficiency of conducting multicenter clinical trials, the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of Human Research Protections, and the Department of Health and Human Services have expressed support for using a centralized institutional review board (IRB) process. However, research institutions differ in their willingness to defer to central IRBs.PurposeWe aimed to review and describe peer-reviewed journal articles on the use of central IRBs for multicenter clinical trials in the United States in an effort to inform the policy discussion about central IRBs.MethodsWe used a PubMed search and consulted IRB experts and the bibliographies of other reviews to identify relevant commentaries and empirical studies.ResultsOur search identified 33 articles related to the use of central IRBs for multicenter trials in the United States. Of these, 22 were commentary pieces and 11 were empirical studies.LimitationsOur review was restricted to journal articles about the use of central IRBs for...
Tailoring surface fit to 3D human head scan data

Full field surface data of cylindrically shaped objects, such as a human's head, can be quickly achieved by rotating a laser scanner and imaging system about the subject. B-spline surfaces can then be fitted to the measurements for data reduction and compatibility with NURBS based CAD systems. Techniques available for surface fit are subject to user input. Parameters, such as, the number of control points, tension (in the sense of a thin plate spline), etc. must be chosen to achieve optimal fit. This paper will discuss optimal choice of surface fitting parameters for human head scan data. Techniques for determining these optimal parameters, should be a benefit to other researchers with specifically shaped data sets.
Raman Scattering and Short-Range Order in Ammonium Bromide at the λ Transition

The decay of short-range ordering of N$\mathrm{H}_{4}^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ ions below ${T}_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}$ (235\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K) in N${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$Br is shown to be responsible for both the specific-heat anomaly and the Raman scattering of a polarized low-frequency mode at 56 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The temperature-weighted integrated Raman intensity is quantitatively compared with the residual specific heat below ${T}_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}$.
Capital, innovation, and growth accounting

In this paper we show how moving from the neoclassical model to the more recent endogenous growth paradigm can lead to markedly different interpretations of the same growth accounting data. In neoclassical theory, even if between 30 and 70 per cent of the growth of output per worker in OECD countries can be 'accounted for' by capital accumulation, yet in the long run all of the growth in output per worker is caused by technological progress. Next, we develop a hybrid model in which capital accumulation takes place as in the neoclassical model, but productivity growth arises endogenously, as in the Schumpeterian model. The hybrid model is consistent with the empirical evidence on growth accounting, as is the neoclassical model. But the causal explanation that it provides for economic growth is quite different from that of the neoclassical model.
Type a behavior pattern as a predictor of psychiatric sick-leaves of Spanish teachers

The present study examined the relationship between the Type A Behavior Pattern and certain psychopathological disorders, namely, anxiety and depression, within an occupational setting. A sample group of 100 high school teachers (37 men and 63 women) who had taken one or more psychiatric leaves of absence were studied. An additional 100 teachers (47 men and 53 women), with no history of psychiatric sick-leaves, were randomly assigned to a control group. The groups shared the same organizational setting. The Jenkins Activity Survey, Form H, was administered to assess the Type A Behavior Pattern of both groups. Binomial logistic regression analysis indicated this pattern was related to psychiatric sick-leaves.
Determination of the nonlinear ultrasonic parameter ? using a Michelson interferometer

We describe an accurate optical technique for determining the nonlinear ultrasonic parameter . Our technique uses a path-stabilized Michelson laser interferometer, in contrast to more conventional methods which use piezoelectric or capacitive detectors. Features include high spatial resolution (typically ), flat bandpass response over a wide range (> 30 MHz) and simple self-calibration. We demonstrate the technique using a fused silica disc 19.15 mm thick and a fundamental frequency of 10 MHz. For comparison, was also obtained for the same specimen using capacitive and piezoelectric detectors. Errors and correction factors for all three methods are discussed; in particular, we note the importance of including ultrasonic diffraction effects. When such corrections are applied, we obtain the following results: , and . These values are in reasonable agreement with each other as well as with published values of .
Distribution, speciation and bioavailability of arsenic in a shallow-water submarine hydrothermal system, Tutum Bay, Ambitle Island, PNG

Shallow-water hydrothermal vent systems can introduce large amounts of potentially toxic elements, such as arsenic (As), into coastal marine environments. The first step in understanding and describing the potential impact of these elements throughout hydrothermally influenced coastal ecosystems is to determine the element’s distribution and speciation, which in turn influences the availability of the toxin for biological uptake. Shallow submarine hot springs near Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea, are discharging as much as 1.5 kg per day of arsenic directly into a coral-reef ecosystem. We have investigated the bioavailability of the As throughout Tutum Bay by studying vent fluid, seawater, pore water, precipitates, and sediments. In addition to measuring As abundance, As speciation (As(III), As(V), and the methylated species DMA and MMA) was determined in various waters. The As concentration for discrete mineral phases in vent precipitates and sediments was determined by sequentially extracting arsenic from the easily extractable, carbonate, Fe-oxyhydroxide or hydrous ferric oxide (HFO), and residual fractions, each of which have a different bioavailability. Diffuse venting seems to play a critical role on the distribution of As throughout Tutum Bay surface sediments, which have a mean As concentration of 527 ppm while excluding the vent precipitates (range=1483 to 52 ppm). Up to 54 ppm As were extracted from the easily extractable fraction of surface sediments (mean=19.7 ppm), using a K2HPO4/KH2PO4 buffer at pH=7.2. Arsenic from this fraction is considered to be the most available for biological processes, and therefore the most dangerous for biota. However, sequential extraction shows that 98.6% of the As in vent precipitates, and a mean of 93.3% in surface sediments (range=88.2% to 96.3%), is coprecipitated with the hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) fraction. Thus, the bulk of the As being discharged into Tutum Bay is scavenged by the HFO, and should remain stable unless the physicochemical conditions surrounding the oxides change. In surface seawaters of Tutum bay, we found as much as four times the average seawater concentration of As (8.4 Ag/L compared to ~2 Ag/L). The abundance of As in seawater just above the sediment/water interface is near normal, although As(III) in both surface and bottom seawater throughout Tutum Bay is substantially enriched compared to average seawater. Hydrothermal venting therefore provides bioavailable As by two major pathways throughout Tutum Bay: 1) easily-exchangeable As from hydrothermally influenced sediments to as far away as 200 m from focused venting, and 2) in surface seawaters, which may allow for biological uptake by phytoplankton and transfer up the food web. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
High performance of the organic–inorganic powder electroluminescence device with high color-rendering capability using the multilayer

Abstract An AC-driven organic–inorganic hybrid powder electroluminescence (EL) device was made to investigate the effect of organic dye on EL performance. The bluish green emitting-ZnS:Cu,Cl phosphor and coumarin 6 (and DCJTB) were used as emitting material and organic dyes (color converting material), respectively. In order to convert an emission spectrum effectively, an EL device composed of the Al/dielectric layer/composite emitting layer (phosphor–coumarin 6)/red-color-filter layer (DCJTB)/indium tin oxide electrode was prepared using the top-emission structure. At 150 V and 10 kHz, the organic–inorganic hybrid EL device had a luminance of 780 cd/m 2 and a color coordinate of (0.65, 0.33) in Commission International de I’Eclairage. The blue emission which originated from ZnS:Cu,Cl at 10 kHz was converted into the green emission by coumarin 6. Then, this green emission was converted into red by DCJTB. The high EL intensity and high color-rendering capability were attributed to the color conversion.
New players to the field of ADP-ribosylation make the final cut.

ADP‐ribose‐based intermediates, including PARP‐generated mono‐ and poly(ADP‐ribose) post‐translational modifications, are important to a number of cellular signalling processes. The reversal of poly(ADP‐ribosyl)ation is mostly attributed to PARG, which however cannot remove the final protein‐linked mono(ADP‐ribose) residue. Three recent studies, one of them in The EMBO Journal , now report that certain macrodomains remove terminal ADP‐ribose modifications from acidic residues. ADP‐ribosylation is a post‐translational modification (PTM) in which the ADP‐ribose moiety of NAD+ is covalently transferred to a target protein (see Figure 1). This reaction is catalysed by poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes, some of which also extend the modification by adding additional ADP‐ribose molecules through ribose‐ribose bonds, thus generating poly(ADP‐ribose) (PAR). PARP1 and PARP2 account for the majority of PAR formation in response to cellular stress such as DNA damage. Figure 1. Pathway of reversible protein modification reactions that involve NAD+ consumption. Consumption of NAD+ through nicotinamide cleavage drives the catalysis of mono‐ and poly(ADP‐ribosyl)ation of proteins by ADP‐ribosyl transferases, as well as deacetylation of proteins by Sirtuins. Formation of these modifications is important to various cell signalling events such as DNA repair, chromatin remodelling, transcription, telomere homeostasis, and cell death. ADP‐ribose modifications are short‐lived due to the activity of hydrolase enzymes reversing the modification to yield ADP‐ribose. The recently identified macrodomains C6orf130/TARG, MacroD1, and MacroD2 now fill in previously unidentified roles of ADP‐ribose and PAR hydrolysis from acidic residues. Poly(ADP‐ribosyl)ation is a dynamic and transient modification event, since an enzyme called poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) counters PARP activities by degrading PAR through endo‐ and exo‐glycosidic activities (see Figure 1). However, neither PARG nor the unrelated ADP‐ribosyl hydrolase 3 (ARH‐3) also implicated …
Psychophysiological indices of cerebral maturation.

Abstract Maturation (1–21 yr) trajectories for quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) frequency spectra are presented for four regions of the human brain. The results show that all four regions exhibited discontinuous maturation rates: five stages were identified. The stages were synchronous across regions during the first 10 built1 2 years of life. Thereafter, the four maturation trajectories became independent of one another. Interestingly, a major maturational advance was recorded from the frontal regions, during late adolescence. The relationships between these findings to maturation rates in skull volume, cortical thickness, cortical volume and nerve cell density measurements was discussed. These converging results indicate that the observed QEEG stages can reliably be interpreted as landmarks in cerebral maturation.
Properties of ZnO/CdS/CuInSe2 solar cells with improved performance

We report the growth and characterization of low-bandgap record-efficiency ZnO/CdS/CuInSe2 thin-film solar cells. The total area conversion efficiency for this cell is 14·5%. This result has been measured and confirmed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory under standard reporting conditions (1000 W/m2, 25°C, AM1·5 Global). The improved performance of the CuInSe2 solar cell is primarily due to a high current density. Material and device characterization data are presented.. Published in 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Arbres de Markov couple

Resume Les modelisations par chaines de Markov cachees (CMC), dont la possibilite de calcul explicite de la loi Markovienne du processus cache conditionnelle aux observations est le principal interet, trouvent de tres nombreuses applications dans les domaines les plus divers. Ce modele a ete recemment generalise aux chaines de Markov « Couple », presentant les memes avantages que les CMC au niveau des traitements et proposant un pouvoir modelisant plus important. L'objet de cette Note est preciser comment les Arbres de Markov caches, qui sont des extensions des CMC, peuvent egalement etre generalises aux modeles originaux appeles « Arbres de Markov couple ». Pour citer cet article : W. Pieczynski, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 335 (2002) 79–82.
5-HT1A-mediated lower lip retraction: effects of 5-HT1A agonists and antagonists.

This study investigated the production of lower lip retraction (LLR) in the rat by the 5-hydroxytryptamine1A (5-HT1A) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and the effect of the putative 5-HT1A antagonists pindolol and (1-(2-methoxy-phenyl)-4-[4-(2-phthalimido)-butyl]-piperazine (NAN190). 8-OH-DPAT (0.125–1.0 mg/kg, IP) caused a dose-related increase in LLR. Pindolol (10–40 mg/kg, IP) and NAN190 (2.5–10 mg/kg, IP) produced a dose-related block of 8-OH-DPAT-induced LLR. Pindolol (10–40 mg/kg, IP) when administered alone was also found to cause LLR, suggesting that pindolol behaves as a partial agonist in this model. This was not the case with NAN190 (2.5–10 mg/kg, IP), which failed to produce LLR; however, NAN190 (2.5–10 mg/kg, IP) produced a dose-related block of the pindolol-induced LLR. These results clearly demonstrate that the LLR model can be used to detect 5-HT1A agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists.
Sequential constraint impairment in aphasia: A case study

Abstract Our aphasic subject appeared to demonstrate disorders related to phonological sequential constraint rules. In particular, he seemed to have difficulty in distinguishing between accidental and systematic gaps. Although he had little trouble repeating actual English lexical items, he was unable in the majority of cases to repeat possible but non-existent ones (as well as impossible ones). A reading test was administered in oŕder to control for errors related to the modality of the repetition test. In order for us to insure that his disorder was related to his aphasia, three normal subjects performed both the repetition test and the reading test. The aphasic's results were significantly different from theirs. We conclude that the aphasic's lexical redundancy system was impaired and that the phonological lexical redundancy rules of generative phonology form a functional neuropsychological unit the proper function of which can be selectively disrupted by brain damage.
Structural analysis of the N-terminal domain of the human T-cell leukemia virus capsid protein.

The N-terminal domain of the retroviral capsid (CA) protein is one of the least conserved regions encoded in the genome. Surprisingly, the three-dimensional structures of the CA from different genera exhibit alpha-helical structural features that are highly conserved. The N-terminal residues of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) capsid proteins form a beta-hairpin. To determine if this feature is conserved in the retroviral family, we cloned, expressed, purified, and solved the structure of a N-terminal 134 amino acid fragment (CA(134)) from the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I) using high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The CA(134) fragment contains an N-terminal beta-hairpin and a central coiled-coil-like structure composed of six alpha-helices. The N-terminal Pro1 residue contacts Asp54 in the helical cluster through a salt bridge. Thus, the beta-hairpin is conserved and the helical cluster is structurally similar to other retroviral CA domains. However, although the same Asp residue defines the orientation of the hairpin in both the HTLV-1 and HIV-1 CA proteins, the HTLV-I hairpin is oriented away, rather than towards, the helical core. Significant differences were also detected in the spatial orientation and helical content of the long centrally located loop connecting the helices in the core. It has been proposed that the salt bridge allows the formation of a CA-CA interface that is important for the assembly of the conical cores that are characteristic of HIV-1. As HTLV-I forms spherical cores, the salt-bridge feature is apparently not conserved for this function although its role in determining the orientation of the beta-hairpin may be critical, along with the central loop. Comparison of three-dimensional structures is expected to elucidate the relationships between the retroviral capsid protein structure and its function.
The superconductor-related oxides Cm2CuO4 and Cm1.83Th0.17CuO4

Abstract We report the successful synthesis of a new member of the series R 2 CuO 4 (R=Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd)in which R is replaced by curium (Cm: Z =96). Systematic changes in lattice constants with the size of R are used to determine that Cm 2 CuO 4 crystallizes in the T -structure. Magnetic susceptibility data are consistent with Cm 3+ . A cusp in the susceptibility at 25 K is evidence for long range ordering of the localized Cm-moments. Attempts to synthesize an electron superconductor by the replacing some Cm 3+ by Th 4+ , to form Cm 1.83 Th 0.17 CuO 4 , result in a single phase material which shows no evidence of a superconducting transition. Instead, the temperature-dependent susceptibility has a cusp at 13 K, which is indicative of the onset of long range ordering of the Cm-moments, even in this spin-diluted system. These results are discussed in terms of relevance to the conduction behaviour of other high- T c related materials.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by simultaneous embolization of the hepatic artery and the portal veins

Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is an effective means of treatment in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, in many cases of HCC the tumor recurs after treatment. In an attempt to obtain complete tumor necrosis, the authors studied the clinical and histologic effect of simultaneous embolization of both the hepatic artery and portal vein in ten patients with HCC. In those cases in which combined embolization caused infarction, tumor cells in the main tumor, tumor cells that had invaded the tumor capsule, and small intrahepatic metastases had become totally necrotic following treatment. No visible tumor cells were detected in four patients who subsequently underwent operations; nor were viable tumor cells present in one other patient who later died as a result of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Five patients who did not subsequently undergo operations were still free of the disease 2–17 months after combined arterial and portal embolization. The impact of combined embolization on liver function was nearly the same as that produced when TAE was performed alone. Combined embolization may be a viable alternative to hepatectomy for the treatment of HCC.
A Methodology for Detecting Faces from Different Views

Detecting faces has become a common task in human-computer interaction systems. A robust face detection system should be able to detect faces irrespective of illuminations, shadows, cluttered backgrounds, facial pose, orientation and facial expressions. In this paper we describe a method comprising color constancy based skin detection and Local-Global (LG) graph matching in color images to address these challenges. Illustrative examples are also provided as a proof of concept.
Temperature-Sensitive Dendritic Micelles

Syntheses up to three generations have been achieved of biaryl-based amphiphilic dendrons with a charge-neutral pentaethylene glycol as the hydrophilic part and a decyl chain as the hydrophobic part. Studies on the temperature-dependent characteristics revealed that these dendrons exhibit a generation-dependent lower critical solution temperature (LCST). This behavior is attributed to the combination of the amphipathic nature of the hydrophilic pentaethylene glycol side chain and dendritic effect. Interestingly, this biaryl-based scaffold also maintains the ability to form a micelle-like assembly in polar solvents and an inverted micelle-like assembly in apolar solvents. Polarity of the dendritic interior was investigated using dye-based microenvironment studies. The aggregation behavior of these micelles was analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of these assemblies were investigated using fluorescence excitation spectra of the sequestered guest molecule, pyrene.
Gradient-enhanced TROSY described with Cartesian product operators

TROSY, Transverse Relaxation Optimized Spectroscopy, was developed more than a decade ago. Since that time, the 15 N- 1 H HSQC-TROSY experiment has become the standard ''fingerprint'' correlation spectrum for proteins of high molecular weight. In addition, its implementation in protein triple resonance experiments has pushed the boundaries of NMR assignment up to about 100 kDa, making NMR a highly relevant technique in structural biology. TROSY exploits the dipole-CSA cross-correlated relaxation properties of the NH system and selects for the narrowest of the HSQC J-correlation quartet in both dimensions. The original publications and reviews of TROSY use shift operators and/or single transition product operators to describe the TROSY coherence pathways selections. In this review, we offer a familiar Cartesian product operator approach to comprehensively describe all of the events in the modern TROSY pulse sequence such as multiplet selection, gradient coherence selection, gradient quadrature, and sensitivity enhancement. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 38: 280-288, 2011.
Co-occurrence of Idiopathic Granulomatous Hepatitis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

PBC is an autoimmune disease affecting the bile ducts. Granulomas can be found in portal triads in 45 % of patients with PBC. Idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis is a rare disease of unknown cause which is characterized by recurrent fevers, sweats, elevated levels of liver enzyme tests, particularly the serum alkaline phosphatase, and granulomas in the portal and lobular regions of the liver. Previous literature suggests that a diagnosis of idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis can be made only if PBC has been excluded. We reviewed instances in which PBC and idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis occurred in the same patient. We report three patients in whom both diseases occurred: 1) A patient with PBC who was diagnosed 15 years later with idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis; 2) A patient with idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis who developed PBC 12 years later; and 3) A patient who had features of both idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis and PBC at the time of initial diagnosis. Our experience with these patients suggests that idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis and PBC can occur in the same individual. Knowing this association is important, as clinical deterioration in a patient with either disease could suggest the presence of the other and should be treated accordingly.
Arrays of AC-excited, silicon microdischarge devices as large as 40 000 (200×200) pixels: electrical and optical characteristics for operation in neon

Electrical characteristics of arrays of (50 /spl mu/m)/sup 2/ Si microplasma devices operating in 500-900 Torr of Ne are presented. Arrays as large as 200/spl times/200 pixels have been AC-excited at frequencies of 5-20 kHz and all exhibit reproducible ignition voltages and lifetimes. At 700 Torr, the power consumed per pixel for a 200/spl times/200 pixel array is 85/spl plusmn/2 /spl mu/W, 190/spl plusmn/2 /spl mu/W, and 290/spl plusmn/2 /spl mu/W for excitation frequencies of 5, 10, and 15 kHz, respectively, and 5.5, 12.0, and 17.8 mA, respectively, of total current (RMS) drawn by the array.
Intravenous cholangiography in detection of stone-bearing cystic-duct remnants (so-called re-formed gallbladders).

1. Dilated cystic-duct remnants or so-called re-formed gallbladders containing calculi may be demonstrated by means of intravenous cholangiography in patients who have undergone cholecystectomy. Six illustrative cases have been presented.
Paracrine and autocrine growth mechanisms in tumor metastasis to specific sites with particular emphasis on brain and lung metastasis

Once metastatic cells successfully seed at distant sites, their clinical detection and danger to the host are dependent on growth to form gross metastases. Metastatic tumor cells proliferate in response to local paracrine growth factors and inhibitors, and their growth also depends on production and responses to autocrine growth factors. A major organ-derived (paracrine) growth factor from lung tissue-conditioned medium has been isolated that differentially stimulates the growth of cells metastatic to brain or lung. Characterization of this mitogen demonstrated that it is a transferrin or a transferrin-like glycoprotein. Furthermore, antibodies to transferrin can remove significant growth activity from lung tissue-conditioned medium. Cells that are metastatic to brain or lung express greater numbers of transferrin receptors on their surfaces than cells that are poorly metastatic or metastatic to liver. Growth responses of metastatic cells and organ preferences of colonization appear to change during progression to more malignant states. At early stages of metastatic progression there is a tendency for many common malignancies to metastasize and grow preferentially at particular sites, suggesting that paracrine growth mechanisms may dominate the growth signals at this stage of progression. In contrast, at later stages of metastatic progression widespread dissemination to various tissues and organs occurs, and autocrine growth mechanisms may dominate the growth responses of metastatic cells. Ultimately, the progression of malignant cells to completely autonomous (acrine) states can occur, and at this stage of metastatic progression cell growth may be completely independent of autocrine and paracrine growth factors or inhibitors.
Review of data, text and web mining software

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review and compare selected software for data mining, text mining (TM), and web mining that are not available as free open‐source software.Design/methodology/approach – Selected softwares are compared with their common and unique features. The software for data mining are SAS® Enterprise Miner™, Megaputer PolyAnalyst® 5.0, NeuralWare Predict®, and BioDiscovery GeneSight®. The software for TM are CompareSuite, SAS® Text Miner, TextAnalyst, VisualText, Megaputer PolyAnalyst® 5.0, and WordStat. The software for web mining are Megaputer PolyAnalyst®, SPSS Clementine®, ClickTracks, and QL2.Findings – This paper discusses and compares the existing features, characteristics, and algorithms of selected software for data mining, TM, and web mining, respectively. These softwares are also applied to available data sets.Research limitations/implications – The limitations are the inclusion of selected software and datasets rather than considering the entire realm of these. Thi...
The ETS Protein MEF Plays a Critical Role in Perforin Gene Expression and the Development of Natural Killer and NK-T Cells

We utilized gene targeting by homologous recombination to define the role that MEF, a transcriptional activating member of the ETS family of transcription factors, plays in lymphopoiesis. MEF-/- mice have a profound reduction in the number of NK-T and NK cells. Purified MEF-/- NK cells cannot lyse tumor cell targets and secrete only minimal amounts of IFNgamma. Perforin protein expression is severely impaired in MEF-deficient NK cells, likely accounting for the lack of tumor cell cytotoxicity. Promoter studies and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrate that MEF and not ETS-1 directly regulates transcription of the perforin gene in NK cells. Our results uncover a specific role of MEF in the development and function of NK cells and in innate immunity.
Effects of Joint Preparation Angle of Single-vee Butt Welds on the Tensile Strength of ASTM A36 Carbon Steel

Welding is a multi-faceted procedure of manufacturing and can occur at any point during the creation of a product. Quality issues in welding can have disastrous, or even deadly, consequences. The issue of weld preparation angle is one of several different elements that have a direct correlation on the quality of a welded joint. The purpose of this research centers on resultant tensile strength of a single-vee butt joint in carbon steel with various preparation angles. Preparation angles were machined on twenty-six pieces of ASTM A36 carbon steel in 5° increments in order to produce thirteen samples with included preparation angles ranging from 0° to 120°. Test samples were developed using an automated welding process that remained consistent for all of the welds. Each sample was plasma cut into ten coupons, which were machined to have a uniform cross section of the welded joint and surrounding parent material using a computer numerically controlled machining center. This yielded a total population of 130 coupons, which were tested to failure using a United Testing Systems stress/strain tensile tester. The empirical data were analyzed via the use of SPSS 18 statistical software. Initially, the level of population variance was assessed within groups and between groups by use of a one-way ANOVA test at the .05 alpha level. The result showed a statistically significant difference of the sample population. Secondly, a comparison of the data at various preparation angles to that of the industry standard angle of 60° was assessed using a Bonferroni multiple comparisons at the .05 alpha level, which resulted in one angle being statistically significant compared to the industry standard.© 2011 ASME
Ethnic Succession in a Highland Chiapas Community1

In the past half century, in several indigena (Indian) communities of highland Chiapas, Mexico, a transformation in ethnic relations toward greater equality and less antagonism between the formerly dominant mestizos (ladinos) and the formerly dominated indigenas has taken place. The author describes this change and the improvements in ethnic relations it produced, for one highland community, Tenejapa. He shows that one important cause of this phenomenon of ethnic succession was the imparting to indigenas of skills for the mestizo world by the national agency, INI (Instituto Nacional Indigenista). This transfer of skills constitutes a type of power, often overlooked because of its long-term and subtle nature, one that can have significant effects. However, INI's use of this power depended on the fact that the State government neither strongly obstructed INI's action nor carried out this action itself. The material for this study is drawn from field research the author conducted in 1990-91 and follow up research in 1994
Synthetic studies on the esperamicin/calicheamicin antitumor antibiotics. Selenium dioxide oxidation of a bridgehead trialkylsilyl enol ether

Abstract Oxidation of the bridgehead t -butyldimethylsilyl enol ether 4 with selenium dioxide at 25°C produces the stable hemihydrate 6 , which on further oxidation gave the allylic alcohol 8 .
Some structural and cytochemical observations on the axial filament complex of lung-fluke spermatozoa

As seen in transverse section, doublet elements of the axial unit of spermatozoa of Haematolocchus medioplexus, a frog lung-fluke, possess walls made up of protofibrillar subunits 50–60 A in diameter. The partition between A and B members of a doublet element often show extra protofibrils which may partially occlude the “lumen” of the A tubule. Each A tubule possesses outer and inner lateral arms which repeat at longitudinal intervals of about 215 A and which appear to be structurally dissimilar; the outer arm is expanded at its free end and the inner arm often connects to the B tubule of the adjacent doublet element. Regularly-spaced radial links connect the central sheath of an inner core complex to the A tubules of the peripheral doublet elements. Tests for magnesium-activated ATPase activity provide evidence that the enzyme is associated with the surfaces of doublet elements and the surface of the central sheath. Finally, study of an axial unit which developed in an abnormal manner suggests that normal differentiation of an axial unit may depend on the elaboration of a core complex and radial links.
Synthesis, characterization, and superconducting and magnetic properties of electrochemically oxidized La2CuO4+δ and La2−xSrxCuO4+δ (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.33, 0.01 ≤ δ ≤ 0.36)

Abstract La2CuO4 can be electrochemically oxidized in aqueous base at 295 K to form a superconductor with Tc≈44 K [Wattiaux et al., C.R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 310 (1990) 1047]. We have confirmed and extended this study. We conclude that the electrochemical reaction forms La2CuO4+δ. Two distinct superconducting phases are found at δ≈0.03 (Tc≈32 K) and δ 0 .08(T c ≈4 K) Bulk superconductivity is found in similarly prepared La2-xSrxCuO4+δ with Tc≈40 K for 0.01≤x≤0.15. Normal stat e magnetic susceptibility data for La2CuO4.11 and La1.92Sr0.08CuO4.07 are nearly identical with those of conventionally prepared La1.85Sr 0.15CuO4, indicating that the hole doping level (p) in the CuO2 planes of the three compounds is nearly the same. Iodometric titration experiments confirmed that the maximum doped-hole concentration from combined Sr-doping and electrochemical oxygen doping for 0≤x≤0.15 is p≈0.16 holes/formula unit. The electrochemical oxidation of the starting materials does not appear to be reversible.
Neonatal hyperthyroidism enhances growth of the heart but not of skeletal muscle.

Abstract Comparison of growth and biochemical development of the heart and skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius) in normal rats and those treated with triiodothyronine (T3) (0.1 μg/g bw, s.c.) daily, from birth until weaning (day 25), revealed that hyperthyroidism selectively enhanced cardiac growth as shown by marked increases in total content (per heart) of DNA (25%), RNA (22%), protein (31%), and myofibrillar protein (30%), as well as the activity of myosin ATPase (11–20%). On the contrary, the above parameters were significantly decreased in the skeletal muscle of hyperthyroid rats as was body weight. Termination of T3 treatment on day 25 led to resumption of rapid body growth which was not complete even by day 90. Cardiac growth decelerated in rehabilitating rats, however, resulting in final reduction of all growth parameters, except DNA content which was equal in 90-day control and rehabilitated animals. Muscle growth in terms of DNA and RNA content failed to respond to rehabilitation and continued to be lower than control animals while protein synthesis was relatively enhanced. It is concluded that neonatal hyperthyroidism markedly enhanced growth of the heart but not of skeletal muscle. This condition not only inhibited growth of the muscle during the T3 treatment period but also led to permanently reduced DNA content and other growth parameters even two months after discontinuation of treatment.
MINT: a Market for INternet Transit

Today's Internet's routing paths are inefficient with respect to both connectivity and the market for interconnection. The former manifests itself via needlessly long paths, de-peering, etc. The latter arises because of a primitive market structure that results in unfulfilled demand and unused capacity. Today's networks make pairwise, myopic interconnection decisions based on business considerations that may not mirror considerations of the edge networks (or end systems) that would benefit from the existence of a particular interconnection. These bilateral contracts are also complex and difficult to enforce.This paper proposes MINT, a market structure and routing protocol suite that facilitates the sale and purchase of end-to-end Internet paths. We present MINT's structure, explain how it improves connectivity and market efficiency, explore the types of connectivity that might be exchanged (vs. today's "best effort" connectivity), and argue that MINT's deployment is beneficial to both stub networks and transit providers. We discuss research challenges, including the design both of the protocol that maintains information about connectivity and of the market clearing algorithms. Our preliminary evaluation shows that such a market quickly reaches equilibrium and exhibits price stability.
Attenuation-based estimation of patient size for the purpose of size specific dose estimation in CT. Part II. Implementation on abdomen and thorax phantoms using cross sectional CT images and scanned projection radiograph images

Purpose: To estimate attenuation using cross sectional CTimages and scanned projection radiograph (SPR) images in a series of thorax and abdomen phantoms. Methods: Attenuation was quantified in terms of a water cylinder with cross sectional area ofA w from both the CT and SPR images of abdomen and thorax phantoms, where A w is the area of a water cylinder that would absorb the same dose as the specified phantom. SPR and axial CTimages were acquired using a dual-source CTscanner operated at 120 kV in single-source mode. To use the SPR image for estimating A w , the pixel values of a SPR image were calibrated to physical water attenuation using a series of water phantoms. A w and the corresponding diameter D w were calculated using the derived attenuation-based methods (from either CT or SPR image).A w was also calculated using only geometrical dimensions of the phantoms (anterior-posterior and lateral dimensions or cross sectional area). Results: For abdomen phantoms, the geometry-based and attenuation-based methods gave similar results forD w . Using only geometric parameters, an overestimation of D w ranging from 4.3% to 21.5% was found for thorax phantoms. Results for D w using the CTimage and SPR based methods agreed with each other within 4% on average in both thorax and abdomen phantoms. Conclusions: Either the cross sectional CT or SPR images can be used to estimate patient attenuation in CT. Both are more accurate than use of only geometrical information for the task of quantifying patient attenuation. The SPR based method requires calibration of SPR pixel values to physical water attenuation and this calibration would be best performed by the scanner manufacturer.
Dielectric properties of sputtered SrTiO 3 films

The dielectric properties of 〈100〉-oriented epitaxial ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ films as used in high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ heterostructures have been studied as a function of temperature and applied electric field by using in situ grown heterostructures (Mg/${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$/${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$:Nb and Au/${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$/${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$/${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$:Nb). The dielectric behavior of these films is characterized by a rather low sample capacitance as compared to bulk single-crystal values and by occurrences of maxima in the capacitance-voltage and capacitance-temperature curves. The maximum attainable polarization was found to be 80 mC/${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ at 4.2 K. Complementary measurements on single crystals of ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$:Nb reveal that the behavior of these ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ thin films can be understood from the bulk properties with additional strong charge trapping at the film-substrate interface.