cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Permanent and reversibly programmable shapes in liquid crystal elastomer microparticles capable of shape switching.

Reversibly programmable liquid crystal elastomer microparticles (LCEMPs), formed as a covalent adaptable network (CAN), with an average diameter of 7 μm ± 2 μm, were synthesized via a thiol-Michael dispersion polymerization. The particles were programmed to a prolate shape via a photoinitiated addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (AFT) exchange reaction by activating the AFT after undergoing compression. Due to the thermotropic nature of the AFT-LCEMPs, shape switching was driven by heating the particles above their nematic-isotropic phase transition temperature (TNI). The programmed particles subsequently displayed cyclable two-way shape switching from prolate to spherical when at low or high temperatures, respectively. Furthermore, the shape programming is reversible, and a second programming step was done to erase the prolate shape by initiating AFT at high temperature while the particles were in their spherical shape. Upon cooling, the particles remained spherical until additional programming steps were taken. Particles were also programmed to maintain a permanent oblate shape. Additionally, the particle surface was programmed with a diffraction grating, demonstrating programmable complex surface topography via AFT activation.
Risk Assessment Tools and Innovations in Living Kidney Donation

Living kidney donation is associated with some long-term risks to the donor. These risks vary by orders of magnitude across donor subgroups defined by some known and measurable demographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, glomerular filtration rate, body-mass index, smoking history, and family history of kidney failure. Innovative tools support prediction of long-term risk of kidney failure, in the absence and presence of donation, based on such measurable traits. Additional genetic factors, perinatal factors, and life-course events may help to further differentiate within-group risks but have not yet been characterized with regard to risk in the donor population. For these reasons, we may only be able to describe the long-term risks faced by the average donor and possibly explain between-group risk variation. Although forecasting an individualized risk score has limitations that warrant ongoing research, new innovative tools can help with risk prediction based on known, measurable factors.
Nursing student's attitudes toward teams in an undergraduate interprofessional mass casualty simulation.

BACKGROUND Interprofessional education (IPE) aims to prepare future nurses for collaboration with healthcare professionals. Army style lane training may be an effective pedagogical technique for delivering emergency care and mass casualty training while incorporating IPE. PURPOSE This study sought to determine attitudes toward IPE and teamwork in pre-licensure, undergraduate nursing students following a lane training simulation. METHOD Pre- and postsimulation surveys containing sociodemographic, reflection, and KidSIM Attitude Toward Teamwork in Training Undergoing Designed Educational Simulation (KidSIM) items (Sigalet et al., 2012) were conducted. RESULTS The KidSIM tool was deemed reliable (α = .98). Paired sample t tests resulted in significant increases for the KiDSIM and its subscales, with the exception of communication. However, communication, along with situation assessment and teamwork were reported to be most enhanced by students. CONCLUSION Results support using the Army lane training model in an IPE environment for teaching emergency care, triage, and mass casualty procedures.
Socioeconomic Disparities in Functional Status in a National Sample of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Importance Little is known about the association of poverty with functional status (FS) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who use rheumatology care. Objectives To examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and FS among patients with RA and to evaluate the association between SES and functional declines over time in patients who received at least some rheumatology care. Design, setting, and participants This cohort study used data from the American College of Rheumatology's Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) registry between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Analyses included all adult patients with a confirmed RA diagnosis (ie, had ≥2 encounters associated with RA International Classification of Diseases codes ≥30 days apart) and at least 1 FS score documented between 2016 and 2018 seen at participating rheumatology practices. Data analysis was conducted from April to December 2020. Exposures The Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a zip code-based indicator of neighborhood poverty, was used as a proxy for SES. ADI scores were categorized into quintiles. Main outcomes and measures FS measures included Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ), Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability index, and Health Assessment Questionnaire-II. Cross-sectionally, mean FS scores were compared across ADI quintiles. Longitudinally, among patients with at least 2 FS scores, multilevel multivariate regression computed the probability of functional decline, defined as a change greater than the minimum clinically important difference, across ADI quintiles. In a subgroup analysis, whether disease activity mediated the association between SES and functional decline was examined. Results Of the 83 965 patients included in the study, 66 649 (77%) were women, and 60 037 (72%) were non-Hispanic White. Mean (SD) age was 63.4 (13.7) years. MDHAQ was the most reported FS measure (56 928 patients [67.8%]). For all measures, mean (SD) FS score was worse at lower SES levels (eg, for MDHAQ quintile 1: 1.79 [1.87]; quintile 5: 2.43 [2.17]). In longitudinal analyses, the probability of functional decline was 14.1% (95% CI, 12.5%-15.7%) in the highest SES quintile and 18.9% (95% CI, 17.1%-20.7%) in the lowest SES quintile. The association between SES and functional decline was partially mediated (7%; 95% CI, 4%-22%) by disease activity. Conclusions and relevance In this cohort study of patients with RA, worse FS and faster declines in functioning over time were observed in patients with lower SES. These findings provide a framework for monitoring disparities in RA and for generating evidence to spur action toward achieving health equity.
Intermediate Temperature Strength Degradation in SiC/SiC Composites

Woven silicon carbide fiber-reinforced, silicon carbide matrix composites are leading candidate materials for an advanced jet engine combustor liner application. Although the use temperature in the hot region for this application is expected to exceed 1200 C, a potential life-limiting concern for this composite system exists at intermediate temperatures (800 +/- 200 C), where significant time-dependent strength degradation has been observed under stress-rupture loading. A number of factors control the degree of stress-rupture strength degradation, the major factor being the nature of the interphase separating the fiber and the matrix. BN interphases are superior to carbon interphases due to the slower oxidation kinetics of BN. A model for the intermediate temperature stress-rupture of SiC/BN/SiC composites is presented based on the observed mechanistic process that leads to strength degradation for the simple case of through-thickness matrix cracks. The approach taken has much in common with that used by Curtin and coworkers, for two different composite systems. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with the rupture data for stress-rupture of both precracked and as-produced composites. Also, three approaches that dramatically improve the intermediate temperature stress-rupture properties are described: Si-doped BN, fiber spreading, and 'outside debonding'.
Promotional Strategies and Techniques in Services Marketing

The service economy is rapidly increasing; reaching approximately 75% of the GNP in the United States. Marketing scholars and practitioners have long struggled to identify the similarities and differences of marketing and promoting services ard products.
Nrf2 protects mitochondrial decay by oxidative stress

Sublethal levels of oxidative stress are commonly associated with various pathophysiological conditions. Cardiomyocytes have the highest content of mitochondria among all cell types, allowing the study of mitochondria in cells surviving oxidative stress and address whether nuclear factor-erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) can reverse these changes. Mitochondria normally exist in elaborated networks, which were replaced by predominately individual punctuate mitochondria 24 h after exposure to a nonlethal dose of H2O2. Electron microscopy revealed that cells surviving H2O2 show swelling of mitochondria with disorganized cristae and areas of condensation. Measurements of functional mitochondria showed a H2O2 dose-dependent decrease over a course of 5 d. At the protein and mRNA levels, cells surviving H2O2 treatment show a reduction of mitochondrial components, cytochrome c, and cytochrome b. Nrf2 overexpression prevented H2O2 from inducing mitochondria morphologic changes and reduction of cytochrome b/c. Although Nrf2 is known as a transcription factor regulating antioxidant and detoxification genes, Nrf2 overexpression did not significantly reduce the level of protein oxidation. Instead, Nrf2 was found to associate with the outer mitochondrial membrane. Mitochondria prepared from the myocardium of Nrf2 knockout mice are more sensitive to permeability transition. Our data suggest that Nrf2 protects mitochondria from oxidant injury likely through direct interaction with mitochondria.
Cytokinins. Activity and identification in Staphylococcus epidermidis transfer ribonucleic acid.

Abstract Two cytokinin ribonucleosides were isolated from an enzymatic hydrolysate of crude Staphylococcus epidermidis tRNA and identified by ultraviolet and mass spectrometry as 6-(3-methyl-2-butenylamino)-9-β-d-ribofuranosylpurine and 6-(3-methyl-2-butenylamino)-2-methylthio-9-β-d-ribofuranosylpurine, respectively. The distribution of cytokinin activity in four tRNAser species from S. epidermidis was also examined. One species, corresponding to the codon UCU, was associated with a peak of cytokinin activity; the other three tRNAser species were inactive.
Iterated random multiplications and invariance under randomly weighted averaging

The iteration of random multiplications yields new random functions that are interesting theoretically and practically. For example, they represent intermittent turbulence, M 1974f{N15}, and the distribution of minerals. This paper also generalizes the stable random variables: Levy’s criterion of invariance under non-random averaging is replaced by the criterion of invariance under randomly weighted averaging.
Psychological variables potentially implicated in opioid-related mortality as observed in clinical practice.

Opioid-related deaths in the United States have become a public health problem, with accidental and unintended overdoses being especially troubling. Screening for psychological risk factors is an impor- tant first step in safeguarding against nonadherence practices and identifying patients who may be vul- nerable to the risks associated with opioid therapy. Validated screening instruments can aid in this attempt as a complementary tool to clinicians' assessments. A structured screening is imperative aspartofanassessment,asclinicianjudgmentisnot the most reliable method of identifying nonadher- ence. As a complement to formal screening, we present for discussion and possible future study certain psychological variables observed during years of clinical practice that may be linked to medi- cation nonadherence and accidental overdose. These variables include catastrophizing, fear, impul- sivity,attentiondeficitdisorders,existentialdistress, and certain personality disorders. In our experience, chronic pain patients with dual diagnoses may become "chemical copers" as a way of coping with their negative emotion. For these patients, times of stresscouldleadtoaccidentaloverdose.Behavioral, cognitive-behavioral (acceptance and commitment, dialectical behavior), existential (meaning-centered, dignity),andpsychotropictherapieshavebeeneffec- tive in treating these high-risk comorbidities, while managing expectations of pain relief appears key to preventing accidental overdose.
Precision delivery of small volumes of liquids to very young avian embryos. I. Locating and positioning the embryo in ovo.

Abstract Although the chick embryo of 4 days and older is widely used for teratogenicity studies, embryos of 3 days and younger have been largely bypassed as being relatively unresponsive to these agents. On the premise that the lack of response to exogenous agents is due to the difficulties of handling very young embryos rather than to a true unresponsiveness, we have devised a set of techniques for handling and injecting them. Procedures are described for candling and positioning 8- to 60-hr embryos for injection with small volumes of low-density aqueous and nonaqueous liquids. Using these procedures, physical contact between injected corn oil and the embryo occurs in 90 to 100% of the eggs within 45 min of the time of injection. By these methods, 24- to 96-chick embryos are most susceptible to the toxic effects of malathion at 24 hr, the susceptibility declining with increasing age.
A new model for collection of clinical outcomes data in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

Background The need for objective assessment of patient outcomes is becoming an essential component of clinical practice for both private and academic otolaryngologists. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of an online model for collection of clinical outcomes data in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Methods Patients completed the Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), Chronic Sinusitis Survey (CSS), and EuroQol 5-dimension assessment (EQ-5D), before and after sinus surgery. One year after initial patient enrollment, an online tool was developed to facilitate collection of postoperative data. Response rates preimplementation and postimplementation of online data collection were compared. Results A total of 520 sinus surgery patients provided outcomes data from the practices of 7 private practice (n = 308) and 4 academic otolaryngologists (n = 212). With implementation of the online collection instrument, the response rate at 3 months increased from 67% to 78.8% (p = 0.004). The overall follow-up rate at 3 months was higher in patients recruited from private as compared to academic practices (77.9% vs 69.8%, respectively, p = 0.04). Conclusion Quality of life data can be effectively collected from CRS patients in both the private and academic practice setting. The addition of an online data collection tool can significantly increase response rates, and allow a comprehensive capture of meaningful clinical outcomes. Such a model is not difficult to implement and has increasing relevance as payers begin to request outcome data from providers.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of a Catheter-Associated Atrial Thrombus

Abstract Background Emergency physicians can utilize point-of-care thoracic ultrasound to aid in the diagnosis of a variety of cardiovascular and respiratory complaints. Case Report An emergency physician utilized point-of-care cardiac ultrasound to identify catheter-associated atrial thrombi in a hemodialysis patient presenting with dyspnea. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Based on this case, point-of-care ultrasound can be utilized in patients with central venous catheters, to identify intracardiac thrombi as the cause of dyspnea, thereby facilitating appropriate consultation and treatment.
Transcatheter thrombolysis in cancer patients

Arterial thrombolysis was successfully accomplished in 15 of 18 (83%) cancer patients by the continuous intraarterial transcatheter administration of streptokinase (70 units/kg/h or 5000 u/h and/or urokinase (400–500 u/kg/h) over 24–96 h. In 16 of these patients, the arterial thrombosis was a complication of transcatheter infusion of chemo-therapeutic agents or embolization therapy. A combination of streptokinase, urokinase and heparin (10,000–25,000 U/day) was utilized without significant side effect and was effective in all 8 patients receiving treatment. Creating a tunnel through the clot, daily monitoring of the catheter with repositioning when necessary, and adjusting the type and dose of thrombolytic agent aided the therapeutic management.
Nonequilibrium phase diagram of sticky nanotube suspensions.

We report a universal phase diagram describing the evolution from solidlike networks to flowing nematics for ``sticky'' nanotube suspensions under an applied shear stress. Although the nanotubes are strongly non-Brownian, we find features characteristic of first-order phase transitions, including a discontinuity in the nematic order parameter at the isotropic-(para)nematic phase boundary. Using simple physical arguments, we account for the shape of the coexistence curves, as well as the dependence of the order parameter on concentration and stress.
Estimation of the specific cutting pressures for mechanistic cutting force models

This paper presents a new method for the estimation of specific cutting pressures for mechanistic cutting force models for the face milling process. Traditional methods for the estimation of specific cutting pressures require calibration tests using a single cutting insert on a workpiece which has no surface discontinuities. However, face milling operations in the industry are typically performed on workpieces that have workpiece surface discontinuities and using a large number of cutting inserts to enhance productivity. The performance of calibration tests to determine specific cutting pressures is usually very expensive. Hence, a new method to estimate specific cutting pressures directly from cutting force data collected during actual production is developed. The results obtained using the traditional and the new method are validated through simulations and experimental tests.
Sedimentary organic matter record of recent environmental changes in the St. Marys River ecosystem, Michigan–Ontario border

Lake George, located in the St. Marys River, has been heavily impacted by human-induced environmental changes over the past century. The effects of human impacts starting in the late nineteenth century and of natural, gradual diagenesis can be distinguished in the bulk organic matter and molecular contents of the sedimentary record. Organic carbon concentrations increase from 0.5% in sediments deposited 200 years ago to ∼4% in recent sediments. A fourfold increase in organic carbon mass accumulation rates accompanies the change in concentrations. Elevated C/N ratios in near-modern sediments indicate that increased delivery of land-derived organic matter has been responsible for much of the recent increases in sedimentary organic carbon. Organic δ13C and δ15N values change significantly and coincidentally with the environmental changes, reflecting depressed algal productivity since the introduction of industrial effluents to the aquatic system, increased delivery of land-derived organic matter and some impacts of acid rain. Increases in microbial and petroleum hydrocarbon contributions occur in sediments deposited since 1900. Fatty acid distributions provide evidence of substantial microbial reworking of organic matter throughout the sedimentary record.
Use of modafinil in patients with epilepsy

Fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness are common symptoms in patients with neurological injury. Modafinil has been shown to ameliorate these symptoms, but its use in patients with seizures has been limited because of safety concerns. Using a large centralized clinical registry, we performed a retrospective chart review of patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy who were given modafinil over a 10-year period. A total of 205 patients were analyzed. There were 91 patients who had seizures while taking modafinil; there was no relationship between modafinil dosage and whether the patient had seizures. There were 6 patients in whom modafinil was discontinued because of concern for seizure exacerbation, and 4 patients had de novo seizures after starting modafinil. In 29 patients with epilepsy only, no major seizure exacerbation was seen. Modafinil is potentially safe in patients with epilepsy, but further prospective studies are needed to fully determine its safety and efficacy.
Pd-oxide equilibration: a new experimental method for the direct determination of oxide activities in melts and minerals

We have developed a new technique for the experimental determination of the activities of oxide components in melts and minerals using the equilibrium between Pd alloy, oxygen, and the oxide component in the sample of interest. If a melt or mineral sample is equilibrated with Pd metal at fixed P, T, and fO2, a small amount of each constituent oxide will reduce to metal and dissolve into the Pd, forming an alloy. Due to the extraordinary stability of dilute alloys of Pd with Mg, Al, and Si, these metals dissolve into the Pd in amounts easily measured with the electron microprobe at fO2s that can be achieved with conventional gas-mixing techniques. We determined the activity-composition relations for Pd−Mg, −Al, and −Si alloys by equilibrating Pd at fixed fO2and T with periclase, corundum, and cristobalite (aoxide≡1). Because Mg, Al, and Si have constant activity coefficients in Pd at low concentrations, the activity of the oxide of each metal is a simple function of the ratio of the concentration of the metal in Pd in equilibrium with the sample to that in Pd in equilibrium with the pure oxide. Therefore, if Pd plus a melt or mineral and Pd plus pure oxide standards are equilibrated simultaneously at fixed T and fO2, the precision of the analytical technique is the major limitation on the determination of oxide activities. We used Pd-oxide equilibration to explore activities in silicate melts analogous to Type B Ca−Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) from carbonaceous chondrites; the measured activities deviate systematically from model valves but agree to within 1–30%. The activities imply that Type B CAIs did not condense as liquids from a gas of solar composition, and that only very aluminous compositions are potential liquid condensates from the solar nebula. We also used Pd-oxide equilibration to determine the free energy of formation from the oxides, ΔGf/O, of the spinel end-member MgAl2O4 at 1150 to 1400°C to a precision of 2–19% (1∂). Because the technique reflects equilibration at high temperature, the ΔGf/Os accurately represent the mineral with equilibrium Mg−Al disorder at temperature, a feature not true of drop calorimetric results because of partial reordering during quenching. Our results indicate more negative ΔGfEmphasis>/Oand hence higher entropy of formation, ΔSfEmphasis>/O, than given in most compilations of thermodynamic data for spinel.
Microwave Techniques in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer

Naturally emitted thermal radiation of the human body at cm and mm wavelengths can be utilized to image subcutaneous temperature distributions and detect thermally active tumors. Contacting thermographs that were developed for such point-by-point measurements at long cm wavelengths are compared with remotely focussed, imaging thermographs for short cm and mm wavelengths in regard to instrumentation, measurement methods and clinical results in the detection of breast cancer and other tumors. For treatment of cancer microwave irradiation can produce hyperthermia in a more localized region than conventional methods. Various forms of controlling hyperthermia using subcutaneous probes are discussed, and potentials. preliminary animal experiments and limitations of new forms of noninvasive controls using microwave radiometry are given.
Atrial Septal Defects of the Sinus Venosus Type: Surgical Considerations

SUMMARY The sinus venosus type of atrial septal defect is a common lesion located in the upper portion of the septum which is characteristically associated with anomalous drainage of pulmonary veins. Hemodynamic effects resemble those of any atrial defect located in the septum secundum or upper portion of the septum. Surgical repair of the lesion should be done utilizing temporary cardiopulmonary bypass, and recognition by the surgeon of the technical problem is important. Closure of the septal defect and transposing the anomalous pulmonary veins usually necessitates use of a patch prosthesis for complete repair without producing stenosis of the veins.
Numerical investigation of the flow front behaviour in the co‐injection moulding process

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) solution algorithm for solving the sequential co-injection moulding process. The flow of skin and core materials inside a rectangular cavity is investigated both numerically and experimentally. A 3D finite element flow analysis code is used to solve the governing equations of the non-isothermal sequential co-injection moulding. The predicted flow front behaviour is compared to the experimental observations for various skin/core volume ratio, injection speed, injection temperature, and core injection delay. Simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data and indicate correctly the trends in solution change when processing parameters are changing. Solutions are also shown for the filling of a spiral-flow mould. The numerical approach is shown to predict the core expansion phase during which the flow front of core and skin materials advance together without breakthrough. Breakthrough phenomena is also predicted and the numerical solution is in good agreement with the experiment.
Organizational Reputation: Issues in Conceptualization and Measurement

Reputation is a type of cognition about organizations. The construct of organizational reputation suffers from lack of consistent definition and measurement procedures. These problems in the literature are reviewed, beginning with confusion between identity, image and reputation. Several taxonomies for organizing the definitions are noted. Then, five main methodologies for measuring reputation – as knowledge and beliefs, evaluative judgment, brand, personality and financial asset – are examined and critiqued. Lessons from these various definitional and methodological efforts are proposed as guidelines for advancing the study of organizational reputation. This paper has several contributions to the field: it provides a systematic and critical integration of the related issues of conceptualization and methodology into a workable set of guidelines for measuring organizational reputation.
Perinatal gonadectomy affects corticocortical connections in motor but not visual cortex in adult male rats.

Sexual dimorphisms and/or hormone modifiability have been documented for numerous structural endpoints in the cerebral cortex, including cortical thickness and dendrite morphology. The present study asked whether gonadal steroids might also sculpt cortical circuit organization. Accordingly, neonatal gonadectomy, with and without testosterone propionate replacement, was followed by fine-grained microcircuit tract tracing analyses of the organization of corticocortical circuits of identified layers of primary motor and primary visual cortices in the same animals in adulthood. Comparative analyses revealed neither qualitative nor quantitative differences in visual cortical circuit organization between gonadectomized and control animals. In primary motor cortex, circuit organization was also qualitatively similar in the two animal groups. However, quantitative analyses uncovered small, but highly consistent, decreases in the horizontal breadth of motor cortical connections in the hormonally deprived group. These decreases were attenuated in gonadectomized rats that were supplemented with testosterone propionate. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of cytoarchitecture revealed that visual and motor circuits in both gonadectomized groups resided in cortical areas with dimensions that were statistically invariant from corresponding measures obtained in control animals. These findings suggest that cortical circuits should be among anatomical substrates considered in relation to observed sex differences in and/or hormone modifiability of the maturation of identified cortical functions. These findings may also have relevance for cortical dysmaturation and dysfunction in disorders such as schizophrenia and dyslexia, diseases in which sex differences in incidence suggest some role for gonadal steroids.
Delayed reversal of impaired vasodilation in congestive heart failure after heart transplantation

Abstract The effects of changes in central cardiovascular function on peripheral vasodilation were investigated. Strain gauge plethysmography was used to measure the maximal blood flow response following release of forearm arterial occlusion and the peak reactive hyperemic blood flow response (ml/min · 100 ml) before and twice after orthotopic heart transplantation in 10 subjects with severe congestive heart failure. The 2 posttransplantation studies were done before hospital discharge (mean 18 days after transplantation) and again after discharge (mean 114 days after transplantation). Transplantation led to a significant but delayed increase in maximal vasodilation (reactive hyperemic blood flow: pretransplant 21 ± 3; predischarge 25 ± 2; postdischarge 43 ± 5) and a concurrent significant reduction in minimal forearm resistance. Although the improvement in peripheral vasodilator function may be linked to improvement in cardiac function, this linkage is not direct, nor is it immediate. If the normalization of maximal metabolic blood flow is related to resumption of normal physical activity post-discharge, then much of the basic abnormality in vasodilator capacity in congestive heart failure may be related to physical deconditioning.
Studies on gluconeogenesis, protein synthesis and cyclic AMP levels in isolated parenchymal cells following insulin withdrawal from alloxan diabetic rats

Alloxan diabetic rats maintained on protamine zinc insulin for two weeks were used for these studies. Isolated liver cells were prepared from these rats at various time intervals after the withdrawal of insulin (0, 48, 72, and 96 hr). A maximal increase in the rate of gluconeogenesis in the presence of 10mM alanine (14–34 fold), lactate (4–7 fold), pyruvate (4–6 fold), or fructose (2–3 fold) is observed in isolated diabetic liver cells 72 hr after the withdrawal of insulin from the donor rat. Protein synthesis in isolated diabetic liver cells as measured by the incorporation of radioactive isoleucine, valine and phenylalanine into protein decreases (5–6 fold) with time after insulin withdrawal. Glucagon (10−6M) alone increases cyclic AMP levels five-fold, while glucagon with theophylline (1mM) increases cyclic AMP levels ten-fold in liver cells isolated from rats maintained on insulin (0 hr) or from rats withdrawn from insulin for 48 hr. The ability of glucagon to elevate cyclic AMP levels in isolated diabetic liver cells decreases at 72 hr following insulin withdrawal.
Visual function in anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: effect of Vision Restoration Therapy--a pilot study.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effects of Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT) on the visual function of patients with anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Design Randomized controlled double-blind pilot trial. Patients 10 patients with stable anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION). Intervention All patients were evaluated before VRT and after 3 and 6 months of treatment by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, reading speed, 24-2 SITA-standard Humphrey visual field (HVF), High Resolution Perimetry (HRP) (perimetry obtained during VRT), and vision-based quality of life questionnaire. Patients were randomized between two VRT strategies (5 in each group): I) VRT in which stimulation was performed in the seeing VF of the affected eye (“seeing field-VRT”); II) VRT in which stimulation was performed along the area of central fixation and in the ARV (areas of residual vision) of the affected eye (“ARV-VRT”). Main outcome measures The results of the HRP, HVF, and clinical assessment of visual function were compared for each patient and between the two groups at each evaluation. Results Visual acuity qualitatively improved in the ARV-VRT group, however the change was not statistically significant (p = 0.28). Binocular reading speed significantly improved in the ARV-VRT group (p = 0.03). HVF foveal sensitivity increased mildly in both groups (p = 0.059). HRP analysis showed a similar increase in stimulus accuracy in both groups (mean improvement of about 15%). All patients reported functional improvement after VRT. Conclusions Despite a small sample, the study showed a trend toward improvement of visual function in the ARV-VRT group. Improvement of HRP in both groups may reflect diffusely increased visual attention (neuronal activation), or improvement of an underlying sub-clinical abnormality in the “seeing” visual field of patients with optic neuropathies. NIH-ClinicalTrial.gov NCT00140491
Effect of CYP3A inhibition on vesnarinone metabolism in humans.

Objective To identify the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in the conversion of vesnarinone to its main primary metabolite OPC-18692 and to investigate the effect of CYP3A inhibition on the pharmacokinetics of vesnarinone in vivo. Methods Formation of the primary vesnarinone metabolite OPC-18692 was measured in microsomes from AHH-1 TK +/- cells heterologously expressing CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, or CYP3A4. The pharmacokinetics of vesnarinone and OPC-18692 were defined for 12 healthy white men after oral administration of 60 mg vesnarinone before and after CYP3A inhibition, which was produced by pretreatment with erythromycin. CYP3A inhibition was verified with the erythromycin breath test. Results In vitro, expressed CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 produced significant amounts of OPC-18692 with the higher formation rate observed by CYP3A4 (12.3 pmol/pmol CYP3A4 per 2 hours versus 1 pmol/pmol CYP2E1 per 2 hours). In vivo, the area under the concentration-time curve extrapolated to infinity (AUC[∞]) of vesnarinone after pretreatment with erythromycin increased from 133 ± 26 μg · hr/ml to 202 ± 47 μg · hr/ml (p < 0.001), and the half-life increased from 36.5 ± 9.6 hours to 46.2 ± 9.2 hours (p < 0.01). Clearance decreased from 372 ± 68 ml/min to 256 ± 49 ml/min (p < 0.001). These changes in the disposition of vesnarinone were accompanied by a decrease in plasma concentration of the metabolite OPC-18692 so that the AUC(0–48) was reduced from 1311 ± 513 μg · hr/ml to 850 ± 148 μg · hr/ml (p < 0.001). The total amount of vesnarinone excreted in the urine up to 168 hours after administration increased after erythromycin pretreatment (p < 0.001). Although renal clearance did not change, OPC-18692 was not detectable in the urine. The erythromycin breath test showed significant inhibition after pretreatment with erythromycin (p < 0.001). Conclusions CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 are involved in the phase I metabolism of vesnarinone. Inhibition of CYP3A activity in vivo increases the plasma concentration of vesnarinone and delays its elimination in humans so that monitoring of its plasma levels may be helpful in preventing concentration-related toxicity when CYP3A activity is impaired. Whether CYP3A induction and altered CYP2E1 activity may also change the in vivo disposition of vesnarinone remains to be determined. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1998) 63, 506–511; doi:
Vuvuzela: scalable private messaging resistant to traffic analysis

Private messaging over the Internet has proven challenging to implement, because even if message data is encrypted, it is difficult to hide metadata about who is communicating in the face of traffic analysis. Systems that offer strong privacy guarantees, such as Dissent [36], scale to only several thousand clients, because they use techniques with superlinear cost in the number of clients (e.g., each client broadcasts their message to all other clients). On the other hand, scalable systems, such as Tor, do not protect against traffic analysis, making them ineffective in an era of pervasive network monitoring.Vuvuzela is a new scalable messaging system that offers strong privacy guarantees, hiding both message data and metadata. Vuvuzela is secure against adversaries that observe and tamper with all network traffic, and that control all nodes except for one server. Vuvuzela's key insight is to minimize the number of variables observable by an attacker, and to use differential privacy techniques to add noise to all observable variables in a way that provably hides information about which users are communicating. Vuvuzela has a linear cost in the number of clients, and experiments show that it can achieve a throughput of 68,000 messages per second for 1 million users with a 37-second end-to-end latency on commodity servers.
The acquisitions process in research libraries: A survey of ARL libraries' acquisitions departments

In 1985, a survey of acquisitions departments in ARL libraries in the United States and Canada was conducted in order to: (1) describe the basic organizational structures of acquisitions work in large research libraries; (2) investigate the processes included in acquisitions work; (3) discern the level of professional and nonprofessional involvements in various acquisitions tasks, and (4) ascertain salary levels of acquisitions librarians. With a 91% response rate, the survey pointed out, among other things, a high level of professional involvement in non-professional tasks and a marked difference in organizational patterns for handling monographs and serials.
ESSENTIAL CARE: AN INNOVATIVE MODEL OF COST-EFFECTIVE COMFORT AND SUPPORT FOR LIFE-LIMITED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. • 160

ESSENTIAL CARE: AN INNOVATIVE MODEL OF COST-EFFECTIVE COMFORT AND SUPPORT FOR LIFE-LIMITED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. • 160
Electron delocalization observed in the Mössbauer spectrum of ilvaite

Abstract Mossbauer spectroscopy is used to detect species associated with delocalized electrons undergoing Fe 2+ → Fe 3+ electron delocation in ilvaite. Mossbauer spectra of a suite of naturally occurring ilvaites were recorded from 80K to 575K and fit to five quadrupole doublets assigned to Fe 2+ (A), Fe 2+ (B), Fe 3+ (A), and Fe 2+ (A) → Fe 3+ (A)‖c and ⊥c. These assignments disagree with earlier interpretations of temperature dependent quadrupole splitting and isomer shift in ilvaite.
Crystallography of mixed Chevrel phases

Abstract Chevrel phases containing both cations located at the point of inversion symmetry and cations displaced from the center of the unit cell are investigated crystallographically. We have established the existence of single phase compounds containing both large (Sn) and small (Zn or Fe) cations.
Current status of pharmacological and behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Behavioral and pharmacological treatment outcome studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are reviewed, and a synthesis of findings regarding posttreatment response and durability of treatment effects is offered. An analysis of differential treatment response rates is presented within the context of drop-out and relapse rates. In addition, the role of individual variables and the presence of comorbid conditions are discussed in relation to outcome. Although both drug and behavioral treatments are efficacious, within the confines of limitations in currently available research, it appears that behavioral treatment incorporating exposure (flooding) and response prevention produces the larger response rates, particularly when relapse and drop-out rates are considered. However, the measurement strategies employed by the two literatures have differed considerably, and these issues are highlighted. Finally, based on the extant literature, critical needs for future drug and behavioral studies are noted.
Demonstration of adenylate cyclase activity in human red blood cell ghosts

Abstract The presence of adenylate cyclase (ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing) EC 4.6.1.1) activity was demonstrated in human erythrocyte ghosts and was found to be around 3 pmol adenosine ′,5′-monophosphatase (cyclic AMP) · 2 h −1 · mg −1 protein. This enzymatic activity is strongly stimulated by NaF and 5′-guanylimidodiphosphate, is slightly stimulated by epinephrine, norephrine, soproterenol, and prostaglandin E, and is inhibited by calcium. The hormone stimulation is not potentiated by 5′-guanylylimidodiphosphate.
A New Class of High-Order Energy Stable Flux Reconstruction Schemes for Triangular Elements

The flux reconstruction (FR) approach allows various well-known high-order schemes, such as collocation based nodal discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods and spectral difference (SD) methods, to be cast within a single unifying framework. Recently, the authors identified a new class of FR schemes for 1D conservation laws, which are simple to implement, efficient and guaranteed to be linearly stable for all orders of accuracy. The new schemes can easily be extended to quadrilateral elements via the construction of tensor product bases. However, for triangular elements, such a construction is not possible. Since numerical simulations over complicated geometries often require the computational domain to be tessellated with simplex elements, the development of stable FR schemes on simplex elements is highly desirable. In this article, a new class of energy stable FR schemes for triangular elements is developed. The schemes are parameterized by a single scalar quantity, which can be adjusted to provide an infinite range of linearly stable high-order methods on triangular elements. Von Neumann stability analysis is conducted on the new class of schemes, which allows identification of schemes with increased explicit time-step limits compared to the collocation based nodal DG method. Numerical experiments are performed to confirm that the new schemes yield the optimal order of accuracy for linear advection on triangular grids.
The INK4a / ARF network in tumour suppression

The retinoblastoma protein (RB) and p53 transcription factor are regulated by two distinct proteins that are encoded by the INK4a/ARF locus. Genes encoding these four tumour suppressors are disabled, either in whole or in part, in most human cancers. A complex signalling network that interconnects the activities of RB and p53 monitors oncogenic stimuli to provide a cell-autonomous mode of tumour surveillance.
Intrinsicality without Naturalness

find the appeal to the first of these promising; the second notion, however, we find mystifying. In this paper we argue that the appeal to naturalness is not acceptable and offer an alternative definition of intrinsicality. The alternative definition makes crucial use of a notion commonly used by philosophers, namely, the notion of one property being had in virtue of another property. We defend our account against three arguments for thinking that this "in virtue of notion is unacceptable in this context. We also take a look at a variety of cases in which the definition might be applied and defend it against potential counterexamples. The upshot, we think, is a modest but adequate account of what we understand by "intrinsic property." Some properties, we say, are intrinsic to the objects that have them, while others aren't. Several philosophical issues presume the distinction: we might debate over whether so-called secondary properties are intrinsic, whether mentality supervenes on intrinsic properties of the individual, whether certain goods are intrinsic goods, and so on. Rae Langton and David Lewis (henceforth LL the second notion, however, we find mystifying. In this paper we argue that the appeal to naturalness is not acceptable (§1) and offer an alternative definition of intrinsicality (§2). The alternative definition makes crucial use of a notion commonly used by philosophers, namely, the notion of one property being had in virtue of another property. We defend our account against three arguments for thinking that this "in virtue of notion is unacceptable in this context (§3). We also take a look at a variety of cases in which the definition might be applied and defend it against potential counterexamples (§4). The upshot, we think, is a modest but adequate account of what we understand by "intrinsic property."
Theoretical Study of the Electronic Structure of PbS Nanoclusters

The semiempirical tight-binding method was used to study the electronic structure of spherical PbS nanocrystals. The effects of spin-orbit coupling were included, and the calculated band gaps were found to agree well with previously published experimental values for PbS clusters. The size dependence of the band gaps was studied for clusters containing as many as 912 atoms (35-A diameter). Direct diagonalization was used for small clusters, and Lanczos recursion was used to determine the band gaps and the eigenfunctions for the larger clusters. Analysis of the eigenfunctions revealed that the HOMO and LUMO states were spread throughout the cluster. Densities of states for the PbS nanoclusters converged to the bulk density of states, and the joint densities of states were computed as an approximation to the absorption spectra of the nanoclusters.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor stimulation increases GFR and suppresses proximal reabsorption in the rat.

The incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is released from the gut in response to fat or carbohydrate and contributes to negative feedback control of blood glucose by stimulating insulin...
Optimal matrix transposition of bit reversal on hypercubes: all-to-personalized communication

Abstract In a hypercube multiprocessor with distributed memory, messages have a street address and an apartment number, i.e., a hypercube node address and a local memory address. Here we describe an optimal algorithm for performing the communication described by exchanging the bits of the node address with that of the local address. These exchanges occur typically in both matrix transposition and bit reversal for the fast Fourier transform.
The importance of fulfilling unmet needs of rural and urban adolescents with substance abuse.

PROBLEM: Because of the negative impact on health of drug and alcohol use, this study examined adolescent needs and substance use. METHODS: Subjects (N = 191) were adolescents aged 14 to 19 in a rural and an urban high school. A modified version of the Need Subscale from the Addiction Research Center Maturation Scale measured a feeling of satisfaction related to meeting basic needs, and an investigator's prepared questionnaire elicited current use of alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. FINDINGS: Individuals with feelings of unmet needs were more likely to be current drinkers. Rural/urban residence was not a significant predictor in a multivariate analysis, but religiosity was. CONCLUSIONS: A feeling of unmet needs seems to be an important factor in adolescent substance use. Language: en
Recovery of Roasted Tobacco Volatiles Released from Activated Carbon by Extraction and Steam Desorption Methods

Cigarette flavor ingredients adsorbed on activated carbon were recovered by an organic solvent extraction method and a stem desorption method. Recovery by dichloromethane extraction showed the maximum effect and many volatile components, especially the thermal degradation products from sugar analogues, were recovered in a good yield. Their recovered yield and desorption rate depended on the physical properties of the carbons. Most of the volatile components were also recovered by the steam desorption method, but the recovery of components with high boiling points was very low by steam desorption. The difference in recovered yield from the carbons is explained by the specific surface area of the carbons measured before and after the desorption procedure.