cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Testing in Search for Occult Atrial Fibrillation after Ischemic Stroke

Determining the etiology of ischemic stroke is critical to administering targeted therapy to prevent recurrent stroke and further neurologic deterioration. Ischemic strokes of cardioembolic and cryptogenic etiologies are frequent and are often ultimately attributed to atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the paroxysmal nature of AF presents challenges for accurate and timely detection to prevent a recurrent stroke. The purpose of this review is to evaluate serologic, electrographic, echocardiographic, and radiologic markers of AF after an ischemic stroke. Innovative applications of biotechnologies such as RNA gene expression profiling are being studied to characterize stroke etiology. Extended cardiac rhythm monitoring by implantable and wearable devices allows longer periods to capture paroxysmal AF. Echocardiographic measures including left atrial volume and parameters of left atrial strain increase the probability of detecting AF. Existing radiographic modalities are being investigated in novel ways to assess left atrial abnormalities associated with paroxysmal AF. Emerging technologies and novel applications of existing methods are improving AF diagnostics in cryptogenic stroke patients with a high pre-test probability of this etiology. Future research will continue to optimize AF diagnosis after a cryptogenic ischemic stroke to inform clinical practice and prevent recurrent strokes.
A community approach to whole-cell modeling

Abstract Cells are the smallest unit of life yet are considered a grand challenge within the biological modeling community. A comprehensive model of a cell will represent all aspects of cell biology, reflecting dynamic and multiscale structural information and systems understanding such as metabolic networks and protein signaling networks. Such an undertaking requires participation from all subdisciplines of biology, chemistry, physics and computer science. In this review, we highlight the recent progress in the whole-cell modeling field. Additionally, we discuss a significant challenge for any whole-cell modeling framework, namely organizing, annotating, and archiving the required input data. Thus, community-wide engagement in establishing standards and archiving practices will be essential as the field moves forward. Towards this challenge, we take lessons learned from existing community efforts that have demonstrated the need and usefulness of community efforts in solving challenging scientific endeavors.
Hawtrey's Leap and Other Examples of Economists Suffering from Mathematical Confusion and Illiteracy When Reading the General Theory

Mathematical innumeracy, ineptness, illiteracy, and confusion has been endemic in the economics profession since 1936 when the specific case of economists attempting to read Keynes’s General Theory is examined. Three economists will be studied–Gottfried Haberler, Ralph Hawtrey, and Joan Robinson. The lack of a basic understanding of the mathematical model used to illustrate the theory and the difference between the use of the differential calculus as a model based on continuous functions and continuity, while the empirical application of the theory involves observations of discrete data, supports Samuelson’s construction of a bridge between continuous, mathematical models using the calculus and other mathematical techniques such as difference equations, that use empirical, discrete data, as illustrated by his correspondence principle in his 1941 dissertation.
Trends and predictors of eclampsia among singleton and multiple gestations in the United States, 1989-2018.

Abstract Objective To examine temporal trends of eclampsia by plurality in the US spanning three decades (1989–2018); and to investigate risk factors for eclampsia among singleton and multiple pregnancies in the US during the study period. Study design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Natality data files, including information on all births within the gestational age of 20–42 weeks from 1989 through 2018. We used joinpoint regression analysis to evaluate trends in rates of eclampsia over the study period. We employed logistic regression models to examine the association between plurality and eclampsia after adjusting for socio-demographic and gestational factors. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was eclampsia among singleton and multiple pregnancies. Findings: There was a 2.8% (95% CI: −5.4, −0.1) average annual reduction in eclampsia rates among singletons, whereas among multiples there was a decline of about 3.7% (95% CI: −6.4, −1.0) annually. Mothers with multiple pregnancies had three-fold increased adjusted odds (OR = 95% CI: 2.95–3.21) of experiencing eclampsia when compared to those with singleton gestations. Non-Hispanic (NH) Black mothers with singletons had 37% greater adjusted odds of developing eclampsia than their NH-White peers (95%CI: 1.33–1.42). Conclusion There was an overall decreasing trend in eclampsia incidence in the US from 1989 to 2018, regardless of plurality. The occurrence of eclampsia was associated with plurality, race/ethnicity, maternal age and maternal BMI. Given the heterogeneity in clinical presentations of eclampsia, personalized/standardized risk prediction models are needed to enable consistent diagnosis and timely intervention.
Point of care tobacco treatment sustains during COVID-19, a global pandemic.

Abstract Background Tobacco cessation treatment for cancer patients is essential to providing comprehensive oncologic care. We have implemented a point of care tobacco treatment care model enabled by electronic health record (EHR) modifications in a comprehensive cancer center. Data are needed on the sustainability of both reach of treatment and effectiveness over time, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Using EHR data from the pre-implementation (P: 5 months) and post-implementation periods (6 month-blocks, T1-T5 for a total of 30 months), we compared two primary outcomes: 1) reach of treatment among those smoking and 2) effectiveness assessed by smoking cessation among those smoking in the subsequent 6 month period. We analyzed the data using generalized estimation equation regression models. Results With the point of care tobacco treatment care model, reach of treatment increased from pre to post T5 (3.2 % vs. 48.4 %, RR 15.50, 95 % CI 10.56–22.74, p Conclusion A point of care EHR-enabled tobacco treatment care model demonstrates sustained reach up to 30 months following implementation, even during the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in healthcare prioritization. Effectiveness was sustained for 12 months, but did not sustain through the subsequent 12 months.
Law, Religion, and the Covid Crisis

This essay explores judicial responses to legal restrictions on worship during the COVID pandemic and draws two lessons, one comparative and one relating specifically to US law. As a comparative matter, courts across the globe have approached the problem in essentially the same way, through intuition and balancing. This has been the case regardless of what formal test applies, the proportionality test outside the US, which expressly calls for judges to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a restriction, or the Employment Division v. Smith test inside the US, which rejects judicial line-drawing and balancing in favor of predictable results. Judges have reached different conclusions about the legality of restrictions, of course, but doctrinal nuances have made little apparent difference. With respect to the US, specifically, the pandemic has revealed deep divisions about religion and religious freedom, among other things—divisions that have inevitably influenced judicial attitudes toward restrictions on worship. The COVID crisis has revealed a cultural and political rift that makes consensual resolution of conflicts over religious freedom problematic, and perhaps impossible, even during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.
Effects of Conspiracy Rhetoric on Views About the Consequences of Climate Change and Support for Direct Carbon Capture

We implemented two survey-experiments to test the impact of conspiracy rhetoric on the views of US residents about the consequences of climate change and support for direct carbon capture. The firs...
Effects of the Agency Cost of Debt and Managerial Risk Aversion on Capital Structure: What can We Learn from All-Equity Firms?

This paper investigates the influence of managerial incentives on the capital structure decision using a sample of all-equity firms. Managerial risk-taking incentives may encourage financial risk taking hence greater leverage. On the other hand, increasing a manager's incentive to take risk increases the agency cost of debt and therefore lowers debt capacity. I provide evidence supporting the second effect in all-equity firms where the potential asset substitution is more severe. I show that CEO's pay-for-performance sensitivity (delta) and the sensitivity of CEO wealth to stock volatility (vega) are higher in all-equity firms than those in matched levered firms. In addition, the incentive compensation in all-equity firms encourages greater risk-taking activities than levered firms, suggesting a negative relation between leverage and risk taking incentives. I also find that the likelihood of having an all-equity capital structure increases in the risk taking incentives from managerial equity-based compensation. This remains after controlling for endogeneity, which may arise if overcoming managerial risk aversion is particularly important for these all-equity firms. Finally, I find that equity-based compensation and incentives decrease upon firms' switching to levered firms from all-equity firms, indicating the change of compensation structure is associated with the change of capital structure.
Contribution of the innate immune system to autoimmune myocarditis: a role for complement

Myocarditis is a principal cause of heart disease among young adults and is often a precursor of heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. We show here that complement is critical for the induction of experimental autoimmune myocarditis and that it acts through complement receptor type 1 (CR1) and type 2 (CR2). We also found a subset of CD44(hi)CD62L(lo) T cells that expresses CR1 and CR2 and propose that both receptors are involved in the expression of B and T cell activation markers, T cell proliferation and cytokine production. These findings provide a mechanism by which activated complement, a key product of the innate immune response, modulates the induction of an autoimmune disease.
On tool selection for illustrating the use of UML in system development

With the pervasiveness of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) used as the de facto notation for communicating the specification, design and behavior of a system, numerous software tools are available that provide various levels of support for and use of UML. The inclusion of both UML and UML-based software tools into undergraduate curriculum is common. Selecting the appropriate tools for the curriculum is difficult. This paper identifies three categories of UML-based tools, UML Drawing Tools, UML Code-Centric Tools and UML Framework Tools, and the respective advantages and disadvantages of incorporating tool instances of each category. Based on the discussion, a recommendation is made to adopt a combination of these tools, potentially one of each type.
Three-Dimensional Adaptive Mesh Refinement Simulations of Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst Jets inside Massive Progenitor Stars

We present the results of special relativistic, adaptive mesh refinement, 3D simulations of gamma-ray burst jets expanding inside a realistic stellar progenitor. Our simulations confirm that relativistic jets can propagate and break out of the progenitor star while remaining relativistic. This result is independent of the resolution, even though the amount of turbulence and variability observed in the simulations is greater at higher resolutions. We find that the propagation of the jet head inside the progenitor star is slightly faster in 3D simulations compared to 2D ones at the same resolution. This behavior seems to be due to the fact that the jet head in 3D simulations can wobble around the jet axis, finding the spot of least resistance to proceed. Most of the average jet properties, such as density, pressure, and Lorentz factor, are only marginally affected by the dimensionality of the simulations and therefore results from 2D simulations can be considered reliable.
Politics in Separating Regions: Delegation when Decisions are Taken in Referenda

This paper presents a model of the influence of politicians on the voting outcome in a referendum on regional independence. Regional politicians influence the electorates vote by disseminating information about the economic consequences of separation. More independent minded politicians endogenously bias information to make the electorate more separatist, which can be used strategically by the latter when bargaining with the rest of the country on how to allocate the gains of staying unified. The general idea that an uninformed player can increase his bargaining power by appointing an expert more sceptical to co-operation is labeled "strategic delegation of information acquisition".
Chapter VII Chemical neuroanatomy of the primate insula cortex: Relationship to cytoarchitectonics, connectivity, function and neurodegeneration

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemoanatomy of the primate insula and reviews the alterations in the neurotransmitter systems within the insula during aging and neurodegenerative disease. The primate insula is situated on the surface of the cerebral hemisphere early in embryogenesis. Adjacent neocortical areas develop much more extensively than the insula during fetal development. This extensive cortical maturation leads to massive frontal, parietal, and temporal opercularization and to the formation of the Sylvian fissure. The insula remains buried within the Sylvian fissure from birth onwards. In subprimates, the neocortex does not develop extensively. Therefore, the homologue of the primate insula remains exposed on the cortical surface during the life of the organism. Despite its covered location deep within the Sylvian fissure that prevents direct visualization, awareness of the insula has existed for over four hundred years.
Properties of PTFE tape as a semipermeable membrane in fluorous reactions

In a PTFE tape phase-vanishing reaction (PV-PTFE), a delivery tube sealed with PTFE tape is inserted into a vessel which contains the substrate. The reagent diffuses across the PTFE tape barrier into the reaction vessel. PTFE co-polymer films have been found to exhibit selective permeability towards organic compounds, which was affected by the presence of solvents. In this study, we attempted to establish general trends of permeability of PTFE tape to different compounds and to better describe the process of solvent transport in PV-PTFE bromination reactions. Though PTFE tape has been reported as impermeable to some compounds, such as dimethyl phthalate, solvent adsorption to the tape altered its permeability and allowed diffusion through channels of solvent within the PTFE tape. In this case, the solvent-filled pores of the PTFE tape are chemically more akin to the adsorbed solvent rather than to the PTFE fluorous structure. The solvent uptake effect, which was frequently observed in the course of PV-PTFE reactions, can be related to the surface tension of the solvent and the polarity of the solvent relative to the reagent. The lack of pores in bulk PTFE prevents solvents from altering its permeability and, therefore, bulk PTFE is impermeable to most solvents and reagents. However, bromine, which is soluble in liquid fluorous media, diffused through the bulk PTFE. A better understanding of the PTFE phase barrier will make it possible to further optimize the PV-PTFE reaction design.
Watchdog or Lapdog? Media Freedom, Regime Type, and Government Respect for Human Rights

A main justification for press freedom is that free media will act as a watchdog over the government. While we would expect democracies to have free media and autocracies to have government-controlled media, some democracies have government-controlled media, and some autocracies have free media. How this mismatch between regime type and media system influences government behavior is a puzzle worth exploring. One of the most widely criticized government behaviors is the violation of physical integrity rights. The question posed here is, how does media freedom affect government respect for these rights? In this article, I theorize that the relationship between media freedom and government respect for human rights differs, depending on the presence of democratic institutions. The findings support my premise. Specifically, the influence of media freedom on government respect for human rights is negative for the most autocratic regimes and positive for only the most democratic regimes.
Sensitivity Analysis: Overview

In an observational study, there is always the possibility of bias due to unmeasured variables, measurement error in explanatory variables and/or selection bias; and randomized studies are also not immune to at least some of these biases. A sensitivity analysis provides a means of asking a series of ‘what if?’ questions, in order to determine the robustness of the observed association to sources of bias. Keywords: confounding; measurement error; observational studies; randomization; selection bias
The Genetics of Alcohol Metabolism: Role of Alcohol Dehydrogenase and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Variants

The primary enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism are alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Both enzymes occur in several forms that are encoded by different genes; moreover, there are variants (i.e., alleles) of some of these genes that encode enzymes with different characteristics and which have different ethnic distributions. Which ADH or ALDH alleles a person carries influence his or her level of alcohol consumption and risk of alcoholism. Researchers to date primarily have studied coding variants in the ADH1B, ADH1C, and ALDH2 genes that are associated with altered kinetic properties of the resulting enzymes. For example, certain ADH1B and ADH1C alleles encode particularly active ADH enzymes, resulting in more rapid conversion of alcohol (i.e., ethanol) to acetaldehyde; these alleles have a protective effect on the risk of alcoholism. A variant of the ALDH2 gene encodes an essentially inactive ALDH enzyme, resulting in acetaldehyde accumulation and a protective effect. It is becoming clear that noncoding variants in both ADH and ALDH genes also may influence alcohol metabolism and, consequently, alcoholism risk; the specific nature and effects of these variants still need further study.
Network reliability analysis with unreliable information

The general task of network reliability analysis is this: given some probabilistic information about the possible failures of network components, we want to compute a global reliability metric for the network. This general task can take many different forms, depending on the specific reliability metric. Numerous methods are known to accomplish it in various situations, precisely or approximately, but usually demanding significant algorithmic complexity. The issue we address is that what happens if the input data is unreliable, i.e., it is only known with limited accuracy. We propose a mathematical approach that can estimate and bound the resulting error, in terms of the input inaccuracy. It is particularly interesting that the method applies to a very broad class of models, independently of the actual reliability model that is chosen from the class. This feature allows wide applicability of our method, and also makes possible the handling of uncertainties in the considered model itself, not only in the input data.
Intraepithelial gamma delta T cells exposed by functional genomics.

Epithelial tissues house γδ T cells, which are important for the mucosal immune system and may be involved in controlling malignancies, infections and inflammation. Whole-genome gene-expression analysis provides a new way to study the signals required for the activation of γδ T cells, their mode of action and relationships among cells of the mucosal immune system.
Dynamic Application Partitioning in VisualAge Generator Version 3.0

This demonstration highlights the technical issues underlying Dynamic Application Partitioning (DAP) in VisualAge Generator Version 3.0.
SU‐CC‐J‐6C‐08: Automated Beam Direction Selection for IMRT Based On Geometrical Concepts of Viewability and Orthogonality

Purpose: To develop a fast and reliable algorithm to automatically select beam angles for intensity‐modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)treatment planning. We hypothesized that such an algorithm could be developed based on purely geometrical concepts as a pre‐planning step. Method and Materials: We define any point in the target as viewable by a given beam if a ray from that beam, which passes through the point, does not intersect any critical structures (i.e., the point can be ‘viewed’ by that beam). The beam angle selection problem can then be generalized to the multi‐set cover problem, a difficult (NP‐hard) computer science problem. We also consider orthogonality, which captures beam non‐overlap outside the target. We hypothesize that increasing 3‐viewability (fraction of points viewable by at least 3 beams) and increasing orthogonality typically results in higher quality IMRTdose distributions. This was tested by comparing, for 30 random sets of 5 beam angles, the objective function based on 3‐viewability and orthogonality vs. the final objective function value output of a weighted quadratic IMRT optimization. Our beam angle selection algorithm extends a greedy set cover algorithm and aims to find a set of coplanar angles that will make a maximum fraction of target points at least k‐viewable while also maximizing orthogonality. Results: For an IMRT case where beam angle selection impacted IMRT objective function values, there was a strong correlation between the viewability‐orthogonality objective function value and the final objective function value of a weighted quadratic IMRT optimization (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.63 (p<0.0004)). Our proposed algorithm determines beam angles for a typical plan in 2–4 minutes on a 2 GHz PC. Conclusion: We conclude that the purely geometrical concepts of viewability and orthogonality can be used as a basis for automatically and efficiently selecting IMRT beam angles using the class of algorithms proposed.
A Clostridium difficile infection “intervention”: Change in toxin assay results in fewer C difficile infection cases without changes in patient outcomes

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is most commonly diagnosed using toxin enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). A sudden decrease in CDI incidence was noted after a change in the EIA used at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis. The objective of this study was to determine whether the decreased CDI incidence related to the change in EIA resulted in adverse patient outcomes. Methods Electronic hospital databases were used to collect data on demographics, outcomes, and treatment of inpatients who had a C difficile toxin assay performed between January 4, 2009, and April 3, 2009 (period A, preassay change) and between May 21, 2009, and August 17, 2009 (period B, postassay change). Results Assays were positive in 240 of 1,221 patients (19.7%) during period A and in 106 of 1160 patients (9.1%) during period B (P Conclusions The new EIA resulted in fewer positive tests and reduced anti-CDI therapy. There was no difference in mortality between the 2 periods, suggesting that the decreased incidence was due to increased assay specificity, not decreased sensitivity.
Adsorption and Thermal Decomposition Chemistry of 1-Propanol and Other Primary Alcohols on the Si(100) Surface

The adsorption of several simple primary alcohols (1-propanol, ethanol, and methanol) on the Si(100)−(2 × 1) surface has been investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). These alcohols appear to undergo dissociative adsorption on this surface at room temperature. These results are in agreement with infrared and photoemission spectroscopic studies of ethanol and methanol adsorption. By comparison to the AES results from the adsorption of methyl iodide on Si(100), it was concluded that the surface saturation coverage of 1-propanol on Si(100) is slightly less than half a monolayer, identical (within experimental uncertainty) to the saturation coverages of ethanol and methanol. TDS reveals no parent desorption channels for all three of these molecules, and instead provides evidence for a β-hydrogen elimination channel of the surface-bound alkoxy radicals, as well as competing surface decomposition channels. To gain further physical insight into the available...
A STUDY OF GENETIC FACTORS, CHILDHOOD BEREAVEMENT, AND PREMORBID PERSONALITY TRAITS IN PATIENTS WITH ANANCASTIC ENDOGENOUS DEPRESSION

From a sample of 1,005 patients admitted to the State Hospital in Aarhus for the first time during the period 1950–1959 and who had been diagnosed as suffering from manic-depressive psychosis or endogenous depression (affective psychoses), a subsample of 104 manic-depressive patients with anancastic symptoms in the history were selected. The 104 probands were individually matched with 104 non-anancastic probands with affective psychoses. The anancastic probands and the controls who were still living were seen personally at the follow-up. Information concerning the psychiatric history of 945 first degree relatives of the anancastic probands and 1,000 first degree relatives of the controls were obtained. During the search for factors which could be used to distinguish affective psychoses with anancastic symptoms from affective psychoses without these traits, a positive correlation was found between the presence of anancasms and the following factors: (a) premorbid obsessive personality traits; (b) traumatic environmental factors in childhood; (c) a tendency to monopolarity; (d) a preponderance of monopolar depressions in the family; (e) the presence of secondary cases of anancastic endogenous depression. The findings are compatible with a theory which attributes a pathoplastic effect to the obsessive personality giving rise to anancastic symptomatology in the form of affective psychoses which tend to a unipolar course.
Cyclosporine A inhibits prostaglandin E2 release, and has no effect on renin secretion, from rat renal cortical slices.

Abstract These experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that cyclosporine A (CSA) inhibits renin secretion and stimulates renal prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) release in vitro. In rat renal cortical slices incubated at 37°C in a buffered and oxygenated physiological saline solution containing 4 mM KCl, CSA concentrations ranging from 1 to 30 μM had no significant effect on renin secretion. Furthermore, partial depolarization of the cells, produced by increasing extracellular KCl concentration to 20 mM, failed to reveal any latent inhibitory or stimulatory effects of CSA on renin secretion. On the other hand, PGE 2 release was significantly inhibited by CSA over the same range of concentrations. This inhibitory effect might be explained by the previous findings of others, that CSA inhibits phospholipase A 2 activity, thereby decreasing arachidonic acid production, the rate-limiting step in PG synthesis. In conclusion, CSA inhibits PGE 2 release but fails to affect renin secretion in vitro. These results suggest that the occasional effects of CSA on renin secretion in intact animals must be attributable to indirect and/or chronic effects.
Ontogenetic diet shifts and resource partitioning among piscivorous fishes in the Venezuelan ilanos

Resource utilization by nine abundant piscivores from a diverse tropical fish assemblage was examined over the course of a year. All nine species exhibited peak reproduction during the early wet season and a similar sequence of size-dependent shifts from a diet composed primarily of microcrustacea, to aquatic insects, and finally fishes. Three piranha species specialized on fish fins, particularly at subadult size classes (SL 30–80 mm). Gradual dessication of the floodplain during the transition season was associated with fish growth, increased fish density, and decreased aquatic primary productivity and availability of invertebrate prey. Based on 118 resource categories, average pairwise diet overlap was low during all three seasons: wet, transition, and dry. Of 72 species pairings, only one pair of fin-nipping piranhas exhibited high overlap simultaneously on three niche dimensions: food type, food size, and habitat. Adults of two species, a gymnotid knifefish and pimelodid catfish, were largely nocturnal. Patterns of habitat utilization indicate that piranhas may restrict diurnal use of the open-water region by other piscivores. Collective diet overlap of individual piscivore species with the other eight feeding guild members and collective overlaps with the entire fish community each revealed two basic seasonal trends. Four species that showed an early switch to piscivory also showed a high degree of diet separation with both the guild and community at large on a year-round basis. The five remaining species showed lowest collective diet overlaps during the transition season when availability of invertebrates was reduced and fish densities were maximal. Whereas predation may play a role in habitat separation, diffuse competition for food resources during the approximately four-month transition season probably is the principal factor yielding patterns of diet specialization.
Membrane antigens detected on human lung carcinoma cells by hybridoma monoclonal antibody

Hybridoma monoclonal antibodies were used to identify tumor cell membrane antigens on a new human lung carcinoma cell line. Hybridomas were constructed by fusing S194 mouse myeloma cells with lymphocytes from Balb/C mice immunized by the human carcinoma cell line UCLA-SO-P3. Of 768 hybridoma cultures tested 40 secreted antibody reacting with these P3 tumor cells by an indirect 125I-protein A binding assay. Three produced antibody binding selectively to the P3 tumor cells, but not with a lymphoblastoid cell line from this same cancer patient. These 3 hybridomas were cloned by limiting dilution and antibody subclass was determined. The first monoclonal antibody reacted only with the P3 lung carcinoma and with one colon carcinoma line. The second cross-reacted with most human carcinomas tested including lung, colon, and breast carcinoma, but not with sarcomas, melanomas, embryonic cells, lymphoblastoid cells, or normal lymphocytes. The third reacted strongly with all the tumor cell lines tested except for sarcoma and with embryonic cells but not with lymphoblastoid cells or lymphocytes. These results show that monoclonal antibodies can be produced against a variety of different membrane antigens on this lung carcinoma cell line including several that may prove useful in diagnosis or treatment of human cancer.
Retrieval of atmospheric sulfur dioxide and nitric acid using the atmospheric infrared sounder (AIRS)

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) flying on NASA's EOS-AQUA platform has channels sensitive to both sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitric acid (HNO3). We have developed a simple regression retrieval for both of these gases that illustrates the potential for AIRS, and other hyperspectral sounders, to retrieve these two gases. We have cross-validated the SO2 retrievals to those from the OMI instrument flying on the EOS AURA platform. Similarly, we have cross-validated the HNO3 retrievals with limb retrievals of HNO3 by from MLS instrument, also flying on the AURA platform.
The geological significance of gravity‐investigations in Virginia

There are believed to be three fundamental controls of the gravity-anomalies observed in Virginia. These are the thickness and lateral extent of the low-density sediments, the local lithologic variations in the crystalline basement-rocks, and the thickness and configuration of the acidic upper crust which rests upon (and may project into) a denser substratum. Since the geologic implications of the above are so marked, and the gravity-picture in other areas of the eastern seaboard is so similar to that observed in Virginia, the writer feels that all of the data used in the interpretations (seismic, geologic, and gravitational) should be presented for both inspection and criticism.
D-amphetamine-induced hypothermia and hypermotility in rats: Changes after systemic administration of beta-endorphin

Abstract Systemically administered beta-endorphin was tested in rats for its ability to modify the hypothermia and hypermotility induced by d-amphetamine. Colonic temperature and motor activity were measured in a cold (4°C) ambient temperature in animals given IP injections of beta-endorphin (0.1, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg), naloxone (10 mg/kg), or morphine (30 mg/kg). The same measurements were taken in animals given beta-endorphin (1.0 mg/kg) in combination with naloxone or saline pretreatment and d-amphetamine (15 mg/kg) or saline post-treatment. Morphine alone had a biphasic effect on thermoregulation, but did not affect d-amphetamine-induced hypothermia. Activity scores were decreased by morphine, in both d-amphetamine and saline treated animals. The thermal response of rats to beta-endorphin alone was variable, depending on dosage, but all 3 dosages partially blocked the hypothermic effect of d-amphetamine. Naloxone blocked the thermal effects of both beta-endorphin and d-amphetamine. Motor activity tended to be decreased by naloxone, regardless of amphetamine treatment, but beta-endorphin tended to increase activity in amphetamine-treated animals and reduce it in saline-treated controls. In their actions on both thermoregulation and activity, naloxone and beta-endorphin appeared to interact independently with d-amphetamine, often producing effects in the same direction, but in combination, they tended to be mutually inhibitory.
Share tenancy as strategic delegation

Abstract The paper develops a new explanation of sharecropping based on the idea of an incentive equilibrium. It considers a set-up in which a few landlords in a village confront the choice of cultivating their farms by adopting different tenurial arrangements, ranging from owner operation, through the fixed-rental system to sharecropping. These landlords are the only sources of employment in the village, and compete in the wages they pay to their workers. In such an environment sharecropping is explained as a form of strategic delegation where a landlord gets extra benefit by having a share tenant and giving him suitable incentives.
Quantitative analysis of tympanic membrane disease using video-otoscopy.

Objective To perform quantitative analysis of pathological changes in the tympanic membrane using video-otoscopic images. Study Design Prospective case-control study. Methods Forty-two ears of children with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) and 15 ears of normal children were included in this study. Tympanic membrane images were captured and digitized using a Welch-Allyn (Skaneatales Falls, NY) VDX-300 Illumination and Imaging system with S-VHS input to a MIRO DC 30 (Pinnacle Systems, Mountain View, CA) visual board in a Power PC–based computer. These images were visualized and recorded during static and pneumatic pressure changes. Quantitative analysis of tympanic membrane disease was performed using Image Pro Plus Imaging software (Media Cybernetics, Del Mar, CA). The measurements included area of the tympanic membrane and its quadrants, area of tympanic membrane involved by disease, angle formed at the umbo, and length of the malleus versus vertical length of the tympanic membrane. Results Tympanosclerosis was present in 57% of ears and occurred most frequently in the anteroinferior quadrant, but the ma-imum area of involvement was in the posteroinferior quadrant. The ratio of the angles formed at the umbo was significantly greater (P = .01) for the OME group compared with the control group. The ratio of the length of the umbo and the vertical length of the tympanic membrane was almost identical for the OME and the control groups (P = .4). Conclusions Video-otoscopic images can be used for quantitative analysis of tympanic membrane disease. The ratio of the posterior angle to the anterior angle formed at the umbo seems to be a more reliable indicator of post otitis media than is a reduced length of the long process of malleus.
Pro-opiomelanocortin and pro-vasopressin converting enzyme in pituitary secretory vesicles

Abstract Peptide hormones are synthesized from larger precursors by cleavages at paired basic residues. We have isolated a pro-hormone converting enzyme from bovine neural and intermediate lobe secretory vesicles that cleaves pro-vasopressin and pro-opiomelanocortin at Lys-Arg residues to yield vasopressin, and adrenocorticotropin/endorphin-related peptides, respectively. The enzyme from both lobes is an aspartyl protease of ~ 70 000 Da, is a glycoprotein and has an optimum pH range of 4.0–5.0. Present within the same secretory vesicles is an aminopeptidase B-like enzyme which is a metalloprotease that is inhibited by Co 2+ and Zn 2+ . This enzyme may play a role in trimming off the N-terminal extended basic residues from peptides liberated by the pro-hormone converting enzyme.
Buried surface area, conformational entropy, and protein stability

In this paper, how to calculate the loss of conformational entropy owing to protein folding from data on protein stability, the disulfide bonding pattern and the buried surface area is suggested. The average values of the initiation constant and entropy loss per residue for the helix-coil transition, calculated according to the suggested approach, are in a good agreement with available data. It is shown that the loss of conformational entropy for proteins and protein fragments, thus calculated, can be quite accurately approximated by three straight lines, each representing the loss of conformational entropy in a given range of molecular weights. The first line corresponds to the formation of α helices, the second to proteins with molecular weights below 10,000, and the third to proteins with molecular weights above this value. The standard error varied from 1.3 kcal/mol, for the first region, to between ∼3 and 5 kcal/mol for the third. Use of these approximating linear functions is proposed for the calculation of protein stabilities from x-ray data. Such calculations, performed for more than 20 proteins and their fragments, have led to at least qualitative agreement between the calculated stabilities and available data for more than 90% of the cases. While quantitative predictions are at the limit of the method's accuracy, predictions of the probabilities of proteins or their fragments to be stable are expected to give a correct answer in ∼95% of the cases.
Role of conducting carbon in electrodes for electric double layer capacitors

Abstract Six electrodes with a varying amount (5, 10, and 15 wt.%) of conducting carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanofibers (CNF) were fabricated and their performance evaluated against a control sample that was devoid of any conducting material. The goal of this work was to determine the correlation between electrode conductivity and capacitance in 1 M tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF 4 ) in propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte. CNT electrodes exhibit the lowest electrical resistance, while CNF electrodes had the highest capacitance. The specific capacitance (120–140 F/g) increased monotonically up to 2.5 V. An inverse correlation between electrical resistance and capacitance was observed for various concentrations. The electrodes were characterized using CV, EIS, SEM, and BET analysis.
Guest Editor's Introduction: Cybersecurity in a Falling Economy

As organizations suffer through a declining economy, many will be forced to make security cutbacks they wouldn't ordinarily consider to be acceptable. IT leaders and managers making security cuts must ensure that their cyberdefense continues to meet organizational obligations to protect enterprise cyberspace and corporate assets. This special issue looks at the various trade-offs involved.
New and rapid method for detection of pyuria by leukocyte esterase reaction

Abstract A method for a rapid detection of leukocytes in the urine is available in the form of a “dipstick”. The reaction (color change) occurs within one minute and has a high index of reliability.
Placental anionic and cationic amino acid transporter expression in growth hormone overexpressing and null IGF-II or null IGF-I receptor mice.

Abstract The role of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II and the IGF-I receptor (IGF-Ir) in the regulation of the in vivo expression of Na + -coupled anionic [System X−AG; GLAST1 (EAAT1), GLT1 (EAAT2), EAAC1 (EAAT3), EAAT4; where the human homologues of amino acid transport proteins first cloned in the rat are given in parentheses] and Na + -independent cationic (System y + ;CAT1) amino acid transport proteins was evaluated by comparing transporter expression in day 17 placentae of mice that overexpressed bovine GH (GH+) or that carried null gene mutations for IGF-II or IGF-Ir. Northern analysis revealed no apparent difference in the mRNA content of GLAST1 (EAAT1), EAAC1 (EAAT3), or EAAT4, in homogenates of GH+ placentae, but levels of GLT1 (EAAT2) and CAT1 mRNA were increased. Immunoblot analysis revealed that whole-placental steady-state GLAST1 (EAAT1), EAAC1 (EAAT3), and EAAT4 protein levels were not affected by GH+, whereas GLT1 (EAAT2) levels were increased. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the cell-specific expression of the anionic and CAT1 transporters was not affected by overexpression of GH. Similar analyses of null IGF-II placentae demonstrated increases in GLAST1 (EAAT1), EAAT4 and CAT1 mRNAs. Parallel immunoblot analysis demonstrated decreased expression of GLT1 (EAAT2), GLAST1 (EAAT1) and EAAC1 (EAAT3) protein, but an increased expression of EAAT4. In null IGF-II and IGF-Ir placentae, however, GLT1 (EAAT2) and EAAC1 (EAAT3) protein content was decreased in junctional zone cells, whereas CAT1 content was increased in junctional and labyrinth zone cells. These data indicate that an excess level of GH stimulates GLT1 (EAAT2) expression and that a normal level of IGF-II is required for typical expression of GLT1 (EAAT2), GLAST1 (EAAT1) and EAAC1 (EAAT3), but that IGF-II downregulates the expression of EAAT4 and CAT1.
High Microvascular Endothelial Water Permeability in Mouse Lung Measured by a Pleural Surface Fluorescence Method

Transport of water between the capillary and airspace compartments in lung encounters serial barriers: the alveolar epithelium, interstitium, and capillary endothelium. We previously reported a pleural surface fluorescence method to measure net capillary-to-airspace water transport. To measure the osmotic water permeability across the microvascular endothelial barrier in intact lung, the airspace was filled with a water-immiscible fluorocarbon. The capillaries were perfused via the pulmonary artery with solutions of specified osmolalites containing a high-molecular-weight fluorescent dextran. An increase in perfusate osmolality produced a prompt decrease in surface fluorescence due to dye dilution in the capillaries, followed by a slower return to initial fluorescence as capillary and lung interstitial osmolality equilibrate. A mathematical model was developed to determine the osmotic water permeability coefficient (Pf) of lung microvessels from the time course of pleural surface fluorescence. As predicted, the magnitude of the prompt change in surface fluorescence increased with decreased pulmonary artery perfusion rate and increased osmotic gradient size. With raffinose used to induce the osmotic gradient, Pf was 0.03 cm/s at 23 degrees C and was reduced 54% by 0.5 mM HgCl2. Temperature dependence measurements gave an Arrhenius activation energy (Ea) of 5.4 kcal/mol (12-37 degrees C). The apparent Pf induced by the smaller osmolytes mannitol and glycine was 0.021 and 0.011 cm/s (23 degrees C). Immunoblot analysis showed approximately 1.4 x 10(12) aquaporin-1 water channels/cm2 of capillary surface, which accounted quantitatively for the high Pf. These results establish a novel method for measuring osmotically driven water permeability across microvessels in intact lung. The high Pf, low Ea, and mercurial inhibition indicate the involvement of molecular water channels in water transport across the lung endothelium.
Effects of chronic fentanyl administration on physical performance of aged rats

There is growing concern over the increasing use of opioids to treat chronic pain in the elderly primarily because of the potential increased sensitivity to the adverse side effects. Here, we use a preclinical model (male Brown Norway X F344 rats aged 12, 18, 24, and 30 months) to describe the outcome of chronic fentanyl administration (1.0 mg/kg/day) on various physiological and behavioral measures. Continuous fentanyl administration resulted in an initial decrease in food consumption, followed by the development of tolerance to this effect over a 4-week period and a subsequent increase in food consumption during withdrawal. This change in food consumption was associated with decreases in body weight (predominantly due to a loss of fat mass) that was maintained through early withdrawal. After 1 month of withdrawal, only the 12-month old animals had fully regained body weight. Fentanyl administration resulted in a decrease in grip strength and an increase in locomotor activity that did not differ across age groups. There was no effect of fentanyl administration on rotarod performance. These results demonstrate that while there is a delayed recovery of body mass with age, the observed changes in behavioral responses are uniform across ages.
CO Layers on W(100) by Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract The internal stretch of on-top-bonded CO on W(100) is monitored as a function of exposure at 90 and 295 K. At both temperatures significant population of this state (α-CO) occurs after the local adsorption of another coexisting state. The inhomogeneity of this coexisting state is reflected in the width of the α-CO internal stretch: higher adsorption and/or anneal temperatures produce more order in the coadsorbate. It is suggested that at 90 K the coexisting species largely consists of an extremely disordered weakened bond molecular state adsorbed parallel or nearly parallel to the surface. Two α-CO states are identified for adsorption at 295 K, confirming the earlier deduction from electron-stimulated desorption data.