cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Failure of hexachlorobenzene to induce dominant lethal mutations in the rat.

Abstract Three groups of 10 male rats each were gavaged with 0, 70, or 221 mg hexachlorobenzene (HCB)/kg daily for 5 consecutive days. Ten other male rats received a single oral dose of 0.5 mg triethylenemelamine (TEM)/kg. Both compounds were dissolved in corn oil. Following the last administration, each male rat was allowed to mate with two naive, nulliparous females per week for 14 consecutive weeks. Females were sacrificed on Day 14 of gestation. Their ovaries and uteri were exposed and examined for numbers of corpora lutea and total, living and dead implantations. Mating and fertility frequencies were calculated. TEM elicited typical dominant lethal events. HCB did not. Dose-dependent decreases in the numbers of females inseminated and impregnated were observed.
The atmospheric angular-momentum cycle during the tropical Madden-Julian oscillation

Abstract Global-scale, Wind and outgoing longwave radiation anomalies are documented during the atmospheric angular-momentum (AAM) cycle associated with the Madden–Julian oscillation. Cross-spectral and compositing techniques are applied to 150- and 850-mb National Meteorological Center wind data and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data during ten northern winter and summer seasons. Coherent wind and OLR signals are found in the tropics and in the winter hemisphere and are dominated by zonal wavenumbers 0–2. At the time of zero AAM anomaly, anomalous zonal winds are found over the western hemisphere tropics (during northern winter), while convection anomalies tend to be collocated with the seasonal mean Australasian convection. Zonal-mean OLR anomalies are small. As the AAM anomaly increases, the anomalous zonal winds move eastward and poleward, while dipole convection anomalies become established over the oceanic warm pool and result in an east-west shift of the Australasian monsoon. Zonal-mean OLR ano...
Process Re-Design For Enhanced Human Performance Originally published in 1994, PIQ 7.3

Faced with sophisticated global competition, companies are busily reinventing“themselves. This offers an opportunity for performance technologists to re-think the value added component of their contribution to enhancing human performance. In this evaluation, the four values of speed, simplicity, stretch, and self-confidence assume a central role. Design, as in the past, is key, but design must be founded on the assumption that all human performance involves a process or combination of processes. Furthermore, processes are subject to variability of one kind or another, variability that is either predictable or random. It is argued that a process orientation, rather than a focus on inputs and outputs, offers performance technologists a more direct way of contributing to the realization of key business goals and more effectively focuses training and development on performance issues. Process re-design is a key strategy in the realization of these two goals.
Bronchogenic cysts and esophageal duplications: common origins and treatment.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Bronchogenic cysts and esophageal duplications are usually considered as separate foregut malformations. Yet, both are thought to arise from the same embryological event, division of the embryonic foregut, and they share common histological characteristics, often making their clinical differentiation difficult. Methods: A retrospective review of the cases of 68 children treated at a single institution between 1937 and 1995 was performed. Thirty children were girls (44%) and 38 were boys (56%). Ages ranged from newborn to 24 years. Complete records were available in all children. Fourteen of these 68 children were asymptomatic. Results: Respiratory (54%) or gastrointestinal (13%) symptoms were the most frequent presenting problems. The majority of children were treated by resection of the cyst (52 of 68; 76%), while 9 of 68 (13%) required lobectomy for intraparenchymal lesions. Three children underwent marsupialization, with all of these children requiring additional surgery for recurrent disease. Five children (5 of 68; 7%) had multiple cysts. The mortality rate from this series was 10% (7 of 68). Two deaths were caused by perioperative exsanguination, one related to bleeding from a cyst lined with gastric mucosa with subsequent ulceration and hemorrhage into the esophagus. Two deaths occurred secondary to septic complications, one from an esophageal leak and the other from an intraparenchymal abscess. Two deaths were caused by respiratory failure; one was unrelated (SIDS). The majority of cysts found on histological review were lined by respiratory epithelium or bronchial glands (51 of 68; 75%). Gastrointestinal epithelium was present in cysts of nine children, only two of which were clinically diagnosed as esophageal duplications. Twenty-one cases (21 of 68; 31%) were classified as esophageal duplications based on the intramural location of the cyst, yet 15 of 21 (71%) contained respiratory epithelium, substantiating the hypothesis of the common origin of these lesions. Conclusions: The histological similarity and anatomic proximity of the "bronchogenic cysts" and the intramural "esophageal duplications" supports their common origin. The possible complications of bleeding, ulceration, infection, and obstruction of the esophagus or airway, should generally lead to prompt resection.
Nanoscale Patterns of Metal Nanoparticles Chemically-Assembled on Biomolecular Scaffolds: Assembly, Stability and Electron Transport Properties

A wet chemical approach to preparing one- and two-dimensional arrays of gold nanoparticles assembled onto a polypeptide (poly-L-lysine) scaffold layer is reported. The electrical properties of biopolymer templated and nontemplated gold nanoparticle samples are compared. The electrical response of nontemplated samples is unstable, likely due to nanoparticle mobility. Biopolymer templating provides a simple, chemical method to immobilize the particles and is found to stabilize the electrical response (Coulomb blockade) of the array. A striking feature of the electrical properties is that the electron transport properties are dominated by transport through one-dimensional chains within the sample. Structural studies by AFM and XPS support the transport findings and provide evidence for the formation of one-dimensional assemblies within the arrays.
Predicting the Effect of Underfill Filler Volume Fraction on Solder Fatigue Life and Residual Stress for Surface Mount Components Using Nonlinear Viscoelastic Analyses

Glassy thermoset polymer underfills are commonly used for reliability enhancement in modern electronics. By adding filler to the polymer, underfill mechanical properties, such as bulk and shear moduli and coefficient of thermal expansion, can be altered. Addition of underfills can affect the solder reliability and component failure during dynamic environments. By modifying the nonlinear viscoelastic simplified potential energy clock model, a generic computational tool was created for analyzing filled polymers. Together with a unified creep plasticity model for solder and the Coffin-Manson fatigue criterion, solder fatigue life for underfilled surface mount components was investigated for various underfill filler materials and filler volume fractions (FVFs) using finite element analyses. By creating models of representative components with very different geometries, the effect of adding an underfill and increasing the FVF of hard and glass micro-balloons (GMB) fillers was analyzed. For a large stiff component, the addition of an unfilled underfill reduced the localized tensile stress in the component. Underfill filler volume fractions greater than 10% for hard filler and 15% for GMB filler resulted in a positive effect on the fatigue life. The results were different for a small flexible component. The addition of an unfilled underfill slightly increased the localized tensile stress in the component, but a positive effect on the fatigue life was still demonstrated if the underfill FVFs were greater than 15% for hard filler and 30% for GMB filler.
Electronic Decoherence Induced by Intramolecular Vibrational Motions in a Betaine Dye Molecule

Electronic decoherence induced only by intramolecular vibrational motions is investigated in a betaine molecule, pyridinium N-phenoxide betaine [4-(1-pyridinio)phenolate], having 60 vibrational modes. The analysis is based on the nuclear overlap/phase function (NOPF) that appears in the electronic reduced density matrix. To do so, geometry optimizations and vibrational normal-mode analysis in the ground state and the first excited state are performed. Coherence dissipation times according to alternative approximations are obtained, including analysis of the role of frequency shifts and Duschinsky rotation. Geometry optimization reveals a large difference between the central torsional angles of the ground and the first excited state, with a tilted geometry of the pyridinium ring also observed in the first excited state. Nevertheless, the Duschinsky rotation matrix appears nearly diagonal with only a few considerable off-diagonal elements. We find that the low frequency torsional motion does not make any si...
Reexamination of Critical Period for Reservoir Design and Operation

Reservoir operating rules are often based on deterministic models using critical period (CP) analysis, which results in very conservative decisions. CP is defined as the historical hydrologic period that includes the lowest flow or the most severe drought, which represents functionally as the full-empty cycle of reservoir storage under a given firm yield. This paper compares CP with another time scale, the forecast horizon (FH) underlying hedging rule policies for reservoir operation. When the decisions in the initial few periods are not affected by forecast data beyond a certain period, the period is known as FH, and the number of the initial periods is known as the decision horizon. When a reservoir operation policy follows the concept of CP, CP is used as FH and the optimal yield generated within the FH is the firm yield. FH as long as the CP is not realistic because in the real world data for a such a long future period is unavailable; and using CP as FH is not effective either, because CP—the longest...
A Liberal Dynamo: The Political Activism of the Unitarian‐Universalist Clergy

This article describes the political participation of Unitarian-Universalist Association (UUA) clergy in politics, using a mail survey of UUA clergy. The UUA is the preeminent liberal denomination in the United States, and although it is a relatively small part of the population, it is vastly overrepresented among political activists. The UUA clergy are deeply involved in political activity and were especially so in the 2000 election. Largely consistent with the literature, the UUA clergy tend to specialize in various modes of activism, and five types are evident: campaigners, protestors, contactors, educators, and a relatively inactive group of observers. Theology, social theology, partisanship, ideology, and issue positions are all associated with political activism in this relatively homogenous group of clergy. However, these factors largely play an indirect role in explaining the level of political activity, acting through factors such as psychological engagement, issue salience, and clergy role definitions. In sum, the UUA clergy is a liberal dynamo in American politics.
Unusual Complication of Bifascicular Block During Surgery Under General Anesthesia

This report describes the occurrence of Mobitz type II AV block during surgery under general anesthesia in a patient with apparently uncomplicated right bundle branch and left anterior fascicular block (RBBB and LAH). Although prophylactic pacing is not usually recommended in uncomplicated RBBB and LAH, the events in this case suggest that this abnormality may not always be benign during surgery. Continuous monitoring is essential and emergency equipment for temporary pacing should be readily available near the operating and recovery rooms.
Patterns of evolution in parasite-host systems.

The interaction of the parasitic wasp, Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and its blow fly host, Phoenicia scricata (Meigen), was examined for evidence of coevolution and integration in two 30-cell systems which persisted for 65 (system I) and 62 weeks (system II). Following near extinction in both systems, flies from system I evolved a higher emigration rate than system II flies. This difference was confirmed by several experiments designed to measure fly emigratory behavior. A yellow-eye mutant gene which pleiotropically affected emigration behavior was found in flies of system I after the near extinction of the system after 8 weeks. The reproductive potential of system I parasites was found to be slightly lower than that of system II parasites when they were provided with an excess of hosts. When compared on a group basis, no significant difference was found between the populations of the 2 systems.
International Justice and Developing Countries: A Quantitative Analysis

During the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the use by developing countries of international dispute settlement bodies. The dispute settlement procedures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), in particular, have seen a surge in activity generated primarily by Southern governments. This development has generally been greeted positively as evidence of an improvement in the perceived usefulness of these bodies by a more diverse constituency. Nonetheless, despite the significance of these developments, there has been relatively sparse attention paid to developing countries' perspectives on international justice and the factors determining their resort to international judicial bodies. This study attempts to contribute to the debate by analyzing the use by developing countries of international judicial bodies. This study is articulated in two parts. The first half of this study (this paper) contains its methodological and quantitative aspects. Particular attention is given to laying out what is meant by "developing countries", for there is no consensus on the exact meaning of the term. Quantitative data about the number of cases that have been brought before international judicial fora other than regional courts and the countries and types of disputes involved is also presented. The second half of this study (Cesare Romano, International Justice and Developing Countries (cont.): A Qualitative Analysis, The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, Vol. 1, issue 3, 2002, ISSN 1569-1853, pp. 539-611) explores three key aspects of the resort to international judicial bodies by developing countries: access to judicial bodies; capacity to use them; and willingness to use them.
Theory and Analysis of Company-Sponsored Value Co-Creation

In today's dynamic business environment, companies are under tremendous pressure to become more innovative and maintain a steady stream of ideas that can lead to new and improved products and services. Companies have begun to explore the possibility of capturing consumers' "collective intelligence" by establishing firm-sponsored online brainstorming sites where individuals can share their ideas and offer comments on the ideas contributed by others. We term these sites "Company-Sponsored Online Co-Creation Brainstorming" COCB. The value of this open and voluntary co-creation depends largely on members' contribution levels, the quality of the contributions, and sustained participation. In this paper, utilizing Zwass's taxonomy of co-creation value as a base, we structure a taxonomic framework of COCBs and an accompanying basic model of COCBs. We then present a series of hypotheses concerning the relationships between the model's various factors and specific COCB activities. We validate the model using empirical data collected over two and a half years, starting from the initiation of a pioneering company-sponsored online brainstorming site. Our analyses demonstrate that the level of peer feedback and the responsiveness speed of sponsor company feedback have significant influences on both members' contribution levels and duration of active participation. The sponsoring company's feedback, however, seems to influence only the quality of member's contribution level. On the practical side, the outcomes suggest that sponsoring companies should develop efficient processes for reviewing and responding to submitted ideas. Regarding theory, our findings provide an initial piece of contextualized research that offers implications for theory building in the COCB context, most notably the identification of key relationships between feedback both peer and company and participant activity levels and duration of participation.
Challenges in the Development of Rodent Models of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Approximately 75% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are classified mild (mTBI). Despite the high frequency of mTBI, it is the least well studied. The prevalence of mTBI among service personnel returning from Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF) and the recent reports of an association between repeated mTBI and the early onset of Alzheimer's and other types of dementias in retired athletes has focused much attention on mTBI. The study of mTBI requires the development and validation of experimental models and one of the most basic requirements for an experimental model is that it replicates important features of the injury or disease in humans. mTBI in humans is associated with acute symptoms such as loss of consciousness and pre- and/or posttraumatic amnesia. In addition, many mTBI patients experience long-term effects of mTBI, including deficits in speed of information processing, attention and concentration, memory acquisition, retention and retrieval, and reasoning and deci...
Paradoxical sleep in the chick (Gallus domesticus)

The states of sleep and wakefulness in chicks ( Gallus domesticus ), were classified by computerized monitoring of multiple unit activity, electroencephalographic, and electromyographic recordings. Chicks of 1 day, 1 week, 1 mo, and 4 mo of age, were monitored for Paradoxical Sleep (PS) on a 12 hr day-12 hr night cycle. No significant differences could be distinguished among the animals one week and older. Day-old animals demonstrated mixed electrographic activity for PS, making classification difficult. However, obvious PS periods were both shorter and fewer for the day-old animals and total PS appeared to be less than half that of the older animals, though for all ages PS duration ranged from 1 sec to 8 sec. Sleep was distributed evenly over the night period. A trend in frequency of PS through the night was evident in the older animals. As the sleep period progressed, PS increased from less than 5% of sleep to more than 25% of sleep by the termination of the night period. The PS increase was due to an increase in the frequency of occurance of the periods, rather than a lengthening of each period, as is the case for higher vertebrates. The percentage of total PS and the increase in the absolute amount of PS through the sleep period in the older chick is slightly similar to man but the pattern is different.
Technology transfer and idea commercialization.

Technology transfer professionals work at the interface of science and business to help move discoveries forward for the public good.
Control of self-optimizing exercise machines

Abstract The control of a one degree of freedom exercise machine is considered. The control objective consists in making the human user exercise in a manner that maximizes his consumption of power. The optimality condition is determined by the muscle mechanics which is assumed to satisfy a force-position-velocity relationship. In general, the parameters of this relationship are unknown and vary with the configuration of the exercise machine. As a consequence, the control scheme must simultaneously i) identify the user's strength characteristic, ii) optimize the controller, and iii) stabilize the system to the estimated optimal state. In this paper we present control systems in the form of a nonlinear dynamic or static dampers that make the controlled system interact passively with the user. Adaptive and self-optimizing control strategies are discussed, which achieve the control objectives described above. Results of a clinical study are presented which corroborate many of the assumptions used in this paper and verify the efficacy of the proposed control schemes.
Efficient utilization of heterogeneous routing resources for FPGAs (abstract only)

The routing resources available in recent FPGA architectures (e.g., Xilinx Virtex-II) are very different from the older generation of FPGAs (e.g., Xilinx XC4000). The latest FPGA architectures have heterogeneous routing resources which include directly driven wires of different lengths and connectivity. Most of the FPGA routing algorithms have been implemented on XC4000 style architectures and not much work has been reported for architectures with directly driven heterogeneous routing resources. Since routing resources in FPGAs are fixed, it is very important for the routing algorithms to fully exploit the potential of new routing architectures. FPGA routing architectures are usually represented as a routing resource graph (RRG). The construction of RRG to accurately model all the routing resources of current FPGA architectures is not a trivial task. In this paper we present a simplified scheme to build the RRG for FPGA architectures with heterogeneous routing resources. Using our RRG construction scheme we have built a routability driven detailed FPGA router named "Bison". We also present a dynamic weight update based heuristic which we have incorporated into the router, so that efficient utilization of routing resources can be achieved.
Contextualizing Immigrant Access to Health Resources

A vast majority of our understanding of immigrant health centers around traits of individuals and groups. While useful, current approaches to research on immigrant health decontextualize the experience of immigrants in the United States. This paper uses a historical case study of the Chinese community in San Francisco to develop a contextual framework to understand the levels of influence that impact the availability of health resources in immigrant communities. International, transnational, transcommunity, and enclave contexts have shaped health care access for Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The conceptual framework provides a basis for future research, programmatic, and policy work that integrates individual and contextual factors in assessing and improving immigrant access to health resources.
Peanut Yield as a Result of Fifty Years of Breeding

Breeding for increased yield is known to indirectly alter other plant characteristics in many crop species, including peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). This 2-yr, field study examined growth and dry matter allocation to various plant organs of 10 Virginia-type peanut genotypes bred for increased yield in North Carolina. Genotypes representing the period from 1944 to the present were grown in 1988 and 1989. Growth was measured on five dates in each year. Genotypes expressed as the minimum number of breeding cycles from an indigenous germplasm exhibited a yield increase of 30 g m −2 per breeding cycle (...)
Induction chemotherapy plus three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy in the definitive treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate our institution's experience using chemotherapy in conjunction with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Methods and Materials: From 1991 to1998, 152 patients with Stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with 3D-CRT at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A total of 137 patients (90%) were surgically staged with either thoracotomy or mediastinoscopy. The remainder were staged radiographically. Seventy patients were treated with radiation therapy alone, and 82 patients received induction chemotherapy before radiation. The majority of chemotherapy-treated patients received a platinum-containing regimen. Radiation was delivered with a 3D conformal technique using CT-based treatment planning. The median dose in the radiation alone group was 70.2 Gy, while in the combined modality group, it was 64.8 Gy. Results: The median follow-up time was 30.5 months among survivors. Stage IIIB disease was present in 36 patients (51%) in the radiation-alone group and 57 patients (70%) in the combined-modality group. Thirty-nine patients had poor prognostic factors (KPS 5%), and they were equally distributed between the two groups. The median survival times for the radiation-alone and the combined-modality groups were 11.7 months and 18.1 months, respectively ( p = 0.001). The 2-year rates of local control in the radiation-alone and combined-modality groups were 35.4% and 43.1%, respectively ( p = 0.1). Grade 3 or worse nonhematologic toxicity occurred in 20% of the patients receiving radiation alone and in 16% of those receiving chemotherapy and radiation. Overall, there were only 4 cases of Grade 3 or worse esophagitis. Conclusion: Despite more Stage IIIB patients in the combined-modality group, the addition of chemotherapy to 3D-CRT produced a survival advantage over 3D-CRT alone in Stage III NSCLC without a concomitant increase in toxicity. Chemotherapy thus appears to be beneficial, even in patients who are receiving higher doses of radiation therapy than are typically given with conventional techniques. Because locoregional failure remains a major challenge in patients with advanced disease, 3D-CRT in conjunction with chemotherapy may allow safe treatment to the dose levels required to further enhance local control.
The Behavior of the Moonrat, Echinosorex gymnurus (Erinaceidae) and the Pentail Shrew, Ptilocercus lowi (Tupaiidae) with Comments on the Behavior of other Insectivora

Observations in captivity of 9 Ptilocercus and 12 Echinosorex are described. Behavioral data include information on predation, nesting, defense, locomotion and communication (including physical details of vocalizations). Inferences concerning early mammalian evolution are discussed.
The Philosophy of Capacity

There exists an eminently interesting subset of OR practitioners who deserve particular kudos from us mere mortals. These are the gargantuans of our profession who have perfected the art of being praised and paid for being almost always wrong. This enigma isn't the result of imperfect analysis or incorrect techniques---the practitioners are not at fault. No, the fault, if it is such, is an inherent attribute of the field in which they have chosen to excel---capacity planning. This is not a new arena of research. The literature abounds with techniques, alternative techniques, extensions to the alternatives and elaborations thereon.
A longitudinal study of personality and choice of major

Abstract Several aspects of Holland's theory of vocational choice are examined using freshman and senior Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) and freshman Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) data for 833 men. It was found that freshman, senior, and change scores on the OPI and that SAT scores are related to senior major field of study, classified into the six Holland types. There are differences in both personality and ability among those who persisted in the same type of major for 4 yr, and there are differences among those who change to a different type of major from the freshman to the senior year. Further, there is Limited evidence that within certain types of major, particularly the Realistic type, persisters and those who enter this type of major resemble each other more on some personality characteristics than do persisters and those who leave this type of major. Generally, evidence in support of Holland's theory is based on relationships which have been well established and known for a long time. More explicit expectations derived from this theory are only weakly supported or not supported at all. Indeed, Holland's theory is not adequate to the task of shedding much light on the obtained results.
Intersyngenic variations in the esterases of bacterized Paramecium aurelia

The esterase isozymes were surveyed in bacterized stocks representative of all 14 syngens of Paramecium aurelia by starch gel electrophoresis. The properties of substrate specificity and independent variation of particular isozymes permit the ordering of the differences observed among stocks. Differences can arise from several sources: bacterial variation, intrasyngenic variation, and intersyngenic variation. Bacterial esterases tend to be found in certain zonal areas (see Rowe et al., 1971) and produce minor stock differences, which are erratic in their distribution. Unlike the situation found in Tetrahymena pyriformis, major intrasyngenic variations are rare in P. aurelia except in syngen 2. This lack of intrasyngenic variation is significant in view of the wide differences in geographic origin and micronuclear chromosome numbers among stocks within a syngen. It suggests that certain esterase genotypes must be under stringent selection within a syngen. The lack of intrasyngenic variation permits assessment of intersyngenic relationships. Syngens differ in a complex way from each other, suggesting that several gene differences may be involved. The syngens can be classified on the basis of their esterases. Syngens which have been shown to be more closely related in terms of cross-mating, breeding systems, and other criteria tend to be more similar in their esterase isozymes. The isozyme technique confirms relationships previously suggested among syngens and offers the promise of eventual assessment of evolutionary distances among syngens. However, establishment of these relationships will be clearer in the absence of bacteria.
Could culicine mosquitoes transmit human malaria

Human malaria is known to be transmitted strictly by anopheline mosquitoes. Culicine mosquitoes such as Aedes spp. and Culex spp. are important vectors of other human pathogens including viruses and filarial worms, but have never been observed to transmit mammalian malarias. Culicines do transmit avian malarias and, interestingly, allow partial development of mammalian-infectious Plasmodium parasites, implying that physiological barriers in the mosquitoes prevent parasite transmission. Although the mechanism(s) are not known, the mosquito immune system is probably involved in eliminating Plasmodium. However, Plasmodium has shown substantial capacity to adapt to new vectors, and current ecological changes caused by humans could promote adaptation of human-infectious Plasmodium parasites to culicines. Such an event could have widespread epidemiological implications and therefore merits attention.
Triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in lean and obese Zucker rats.

Abstract In the present investigation, we have compared the potential of triacylglycerol formation from sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (GP) and 2-monoacylglycerol (MG) in liver, adipose tissue and intestine from lean and obese Zucker rats. Microsomal fractions were used to measure the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) activities and homogenates were used to measure NEM-sensitive and NEM-insensitive phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PPH) activities. In adipose tissue and liver, the GP pathway served as the major route of glycerolipid formation, with adipose tissue being 5–20-fold more active. The activities of the GP pathway enzymes increased further in response to obesity, with some degree of organ specificity. In adipose tissue of obese rats, the activities of all the pathway enzymes increased; whereas, in liver and intestine, this response was limited to PPH and GPAT, respectively. In contrast with the GP pathway enzymes, obesity in Zucker rats was not associated with alterations in the acylation of 2-monoacylglycerol. Comparison of the activities of MGAT in different intestinal segments indicated that the MG pathway was most active in the jejunum and least active in the ileum and that this pattern did not change in response to obesity. These measurements of the individual enzyme reactions provide evidence that the entire process of esterification via sn-glycerol-3-phosphate is accelerated in the various organs from obese rats and that this perturbation in lipid metabolism may contribute significantly to the increased deposition of body fat noted in this animal model.
Erythromycin facilitates postpyloric placement of nasoduodenal feeding tubes in intensive care unit patients: randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: To determine whether administration of erythrornycin (E) could facilitate passage of a nasoenteric feeding tube into the duodenum for postpyloric feedings, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed. Methods: Fifty-seven patients were accrued from the surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary-care university hospital. Patients enrolled were categorized as to the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus (DM). Those patients without DM were then subdivided into those with normal or depressed mental status. The three groups, normal (NMS), depressed mental status (DMS), or diabetes mellitus (DM), were then randomized independently to receive either E or placebo (P), followed by blind placement of a feeding tube. Tube placement was verified by an abdominal radiograph. Results: Overall, the rate of postpyloric placement was 61% (19/31) in the E group, significantly better than 35% (9/26) in the P group (p < .05). In patients with NMS, the success rate with E was i...
Ozone exposure and lung function: effect modified by obesity and airways hyperresponsiveness in the VA normative aging study.

Background Ozone has heterogeneous effects on lung function. We investigated whether obesity and airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) modify the acute effects of ozone on lung function in the elderly. Methods We studied 904 elderly men from the Normative Aging Study whose lung function (FVC, FEV 1 ) was measured approximately every 3 years from 1995 to 2005. We defined obesity as a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m 2 . Using a standardized methacholine challenge test, we defined AHR as a FEV 1 decline of 20% after inhalation of a cumulative dosage of 0 to 8.58 μmol of methacholine. Ambient ozone in the Greater Boston area was measured continuously. We estimated effects using mixed linear models, adjusting for known confounders. Results An increase in ozone of 15 parts per billion during the previous 48 h was associated with a greater decline in FEV 1 in the obese (−2.07%; 95% confidence interval [CI], −3.25 to −0.89%) than in the nonobese (−0.96%; 95% CI, −1.70 to − 0.20%). The same exposure was also associated with a greater decline in FEV 1 for those with AHR (−3.07%; 95% CI, −4.75 to −1.36%) compared to those without AHR (−1.32%; 95% CI, −2.06 to −0.57%). A three-way interaction trend test demonstrated a multiplicative effect of those two risk factors (p Conclusions Our results indicate that both obesity and AHR modify the acute effect of ozone on lung function in the elderly, with evidence of interaction between AHR and obesity that causes a greater than additive effect.
Identification of patients at risk for inferior renal allograft outcome by a strongly positive B cell flow cytometry crossmatch.

To evaluate the influence of a positive B cell flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) on transplant outcome, we retrospectively performed B cell FCXMs for 431 consecutive cadaver renal transplant recipients using the two most current pretransplant sera. All transplant recipients had a negative lymphocytotoxic antiglobulin T cell XM and a negative (≤10 channel shift) T cell FCXM. B cell FCXMs were performed using a twocolor technique to identify binding of IgG antibody to donor lymph node B lymphocytes stained for CD20. The incidence and causes of graft failure posttransplant were determined by requesting this information from recipient transplant centers
Effects of arrhythmia-producing concentrations of digitoxin on mechanical performance of cat myocardium☆

Digitalis toxicity in vivo generally is recognized by the appearance of cardiac arrhythmias but in vitro by a decline in myocardial performance. To determine whether concentrations of digitoxin producing cardiac arrhythmias in intact animals also produce a decline in myocardial performance directly, three groups of adult cats were studied. One received digitoxin daily until arrhythmias developed (toxic group), the second sufficient digitoxin to produce an inotropic effect without arrhythmias (nontoxic group), and the third was untreated. Peak isometric force and maximal dF/dt of isolated right ventricular papillary muscles were significantly greater in nontoxic muscles (3.9 +/- 0.4 gm/mm2 and 21.3 +/- 1.7 gm/mm2 . sec-1). Values in toxic muscles were similar to untreated ones (2.8 +/- -.6 gm/mm2 and 19.0 +/- 3.2 gm/mm2 . sec-1). Acetylstrophanthidin (2 X 10(-8) M) resulted in an increase in peak force and max dF/dt in nontoxic muscles, whereas myocardial performance changed minimally in untreated muscles and declined in 8 of 10 toxic muscles. We conclude that electrical and mechanical toxicity induced by digitoxin frequently coexist.
Giant magnetic-field-induced strain in Ni-Mn-Ga crystals : experimental results and modeling

Abstract Strains up to 6% have been induced by application of magnetic fields of 320–400 kA/m (4–5 kOe) to Ni–Mn–Ga single-crystal ferromagnetic shape memory alloys at room temperature. The blocking stress (stress at which field-induced strain is zero) is in the range 1.5–2 MPa. These strains are not magnetostrictive in origin but arise rather from field-induced motion of twin boundaries in the martensitic phase. A thermodynamic model for field-induced twin-boundary motion describes the main features of the field dependence and stress dependence of the strain. All parameters of the model can be measured from experimental stress vs. strain and magnetization vs. field curves.
Multivalency of non-peptide integrin αvβ3 antagonist slows tumor growth

Multivalency is a powerful strategy for achieving high-affinity molecular binding of compounds to increase their therapeutic potency or imaging potential. In our study, multivalent non-peptide integrin αvβ3 antagonists (IA) were designed for antitumor therapy. Docking and molecular dynamics were employed to explore the binding modes of IA monomer, dimer, and trimer. In silico, one IA unit binds tightly in the active site with similar pose to native ligand RGD and other parts of dimer and trimer contribute extra binding affinities by interacting with residues in vicinity of the original site. In vitro studies demonstrated that increasing valency results in increasing antiproliferative and antiorganizational effects against endothelial cells (HUVECs), and a much weaker effect on melanoma B16F10 cells. The antitumor efficacies of the IA multivalent compounds were evaluated in subcutaneous B16F10 melanoma tumor-bearing mice. At 30 mg/kg dose, the mean masses of tumors harvested 18 days after inoculation were ...
Effect of the column length on the characteristics of the packed bed and the column efficiency in a dynamic axial compression column

The axial homogeneity of preparative-scale chromatography columns was studied by measuring the overall properties of similar columns differing only by their lengths. The properties investigated were the packing density, the external porosity, the permeability and the column efficiency. Two different materials were used, one made of large, irregular silica particles compressed under either a high or a low degree of stress; the other of small, spherical and rigid particles. The columns made with the spherical particles were more homogeneous, had a higher external porosity and specific permeability, and a higher efficiency than those made with the irregular ones. For this latter material, the columns prepared with a low level of stress were better than those compressed under high stress. The latter ones experienced extensive particle breakage. These results indicate that the long columns are heterogeneous in their axial direction.
Illegal Drug Abuse and the Community Camp Strategy in China

Since the 1980s, China has experienced major changes in its traditional drug use patterns which included mostly tobacco and alcohol use. The introduction of opium, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine is the most noticeable change. In 1995, there were about 520,000 reported drug users in China and the rate of increase was about 200 percent. During the 1990 Strictly Against Illegal Drug Campaign (Yan Da), the Chinese government implemented a compulsory detoxification plan and a Community Drug Rehabilitation Camp strategy to deal with the diverse aspects of the illegal drug control. This article provides an initial evaluation of the community camp approach to drug detoxification and rehabilitation. Open-ended interviewing schedules were given to two samples from two government sponsored rehabilitation community camps in 1994. These interviews reveal that: 1) the social and cultural reorientation of drug addicts is facilitated by an intensive mass media propaganda; 2) there is a mobilization of the health care and social security systems to provide detoxification, rehabilitation, and employment to drug addicts in a relatively short period of time; 3) "recidivist" addicts and drug traffickers are condemned to a long-term incarceration in work camps; and 4) the camp strategy experiences some problems. Results show that in the two community camps, an average of twelve month's training yielded a rehabilitation rate of 80 percent.
PGH synthase isoenzyme selectivity: The potential for safer nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

With the recent cloning of a second gene coding for the prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH) synthase (cyclooxygenase), it has become obvious that mammalian cells contain two related, but unique, isozymes of PGH synthase. Both of these isozymes catalyze the conversion of arachidonic acid to PGH2, leading to production of biologically active prostaglandins. Although the first of these isozymes, PGH synthase-1 (PGHS-1), has long been thought to be the primary and sole site of action of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it is now known that the second isozyme, PGH synthase-2 (PGHS-2), is also sensitive to NSAIDs. Cloning of complementary DNAs for murine PGHS-1 and PGHS-2 has permitted individual expression of these two isozymes in the cos-1 cell system and comparison of their relative inhibition by several common NSAIDs in vitro. These studies have demonstrated that the two mouse isozymes, PGHS-1 and PGHS-2, are pharmacologically distinct. PGHS-1 is a constitutively expressed enzyme that early observations indicate is the principal enzyme involved in producing prostaglandins that regulate cellular housekeeping functions, such as gastric cytoprotection, vascular homeostasis, and kidney function. In contrast, PGHS-2 appears only to be expressed in inflamed tissue or following exposure to growth factors, lymphokines, or other mediators of inflammation. Expression of PGHS-2 is inhibited by antiinflammatory glucocorticoids, lending further support to the hypothesis that this enzyme produces prostaglandins involved in inflammation. We have identified NSAIDs that preferentially inhibit murine PGHS-1 or PGHS-2 or inhibit both isozymes equally. The finding that the two isozymes can be differentially inhibited provides a possible mechanism for identifying safer, more effective NSAIDs. Screening for drugs that preferentially inhibit PGHS-2 may allow identification of NSAIDs that reduce inflammation, but spare renal and gastric prostaglandin synthesis, thus reducing the untoward side effects commonly associated with most NSAIDs. Thus far, nabumetone is the only NSAID identified that preferentially inhibits murine PGHS-2.
Calcification of the human deciduous teeth.

Results of an examination of 95 human fetuses indicate that textbooks in the fields of dental anatomy, histology and embryology have erred in assertions relating to three concepts pertaining to the calcification of the human deciduous dentition. It has been found that: (1) initial calcification begins in the deciduous central incisors as early as 12 weeks or as late as 16 weeks; (2) the sequence of initial calcification is rigid, and does not run in regular sequence from the central incisor to the second molar, and (3) there is no evidence for more than one center of calcification either for the deciduous incisors or cuspids.
Race, Class, and Political Activism: Black, Chicana/o, and Japanese‐American Leftists in Southern California, 1968–1978

This paper explores the third-world left in Los Angeles, from 1968–1978. In it I examine the political ideology and foci of one organization for each of the major racial/ethnic groups of the time: African Americans (Black Panther Party), Chicanas/os (El Centro de Accion Social y Autonomo [CASA]), and Japanese Americans (East Wind). In addition to reclaiming this relatively unknown history, I seek to explain the differences in the various organizations by analyzing them within the context of differential racialization. I argue that the distinct nature of each organization is at least partly due to the particular racial position of each racial/ethnic group within the local racial order.
Chronic propranolol administration impairs glucagon release during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in normal man.

Abstract Failure of a plasma glucagon rise in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was demonstrated in normal subjects taking therapeutic doses of the nonselective β-adrenergic blocker, propranolol, for 7 days before testing. This is the first study to examine glucose homeostasis in normal subjects exposed to chronic propranolol therapy and helps to explain the development of spontaneous hypoglycemia in patients, either diabetic or nondiabetic, during β-adrenergic receptor blockade. Previous studies of the acute parenteral effects of propranolol administration failed to show any significant effect on glucagon secretory dynamics in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. In the present study, however, chronic oral administration of propranolol resulted in severe impairment of the expected glucagon rise in response to hypoglycemia and was associated with severe hypoglycemia in one normal subject.
Byron, Janet, Selection Among Alternates in Language Standardization: The Case of Albanian

La celo de la libro, Elekto inter alternativoj en lingva normigado: la kazo de la albana, estas esplori normigajn decidojn kaj ties principojn ce la albana lingvo. La autoro rakontas la konfliktojn pri la dialekta bazo de la normlingvo kaj la venkon de la literatura dialekto Tosk super la dialektoj Geg kaj Elbasan. Tamen, mankas al la libro gravaj informoj: kial oni deziris normlingvon, kiel oni difinis tiun koncepton, kiuj organizoj faris kaj realigis la decidojn pri la dialekta bazo kaj la unuopaj normoj, kiel tiuj organizoj funkciis kaj kiom da efektiva planado enestas la observitajn sangigojn de lingvuzo. Pro tio ni devas dubi, ĉu per dokumenta analizado oni povas atingi komprenon pri la lingvoplana procezo.
Part five: Breast and bottle feeding in an inner‐city community: An assessment of perceptions and practices

Abstract Breast feeding is least prevalent among the urban poor, the group whose infants stand to gain the most benefit from that practice. To assess attitudes and influences contributing to this low prevalence of nursing, 141 inner‐city mothers were interviewed. One hundred and four (74 percent) bottle fed and thirty‐seven (26 percent) breast fed their younger child. Breast feeders arc generally older, better educated, and report living with a male more often than bottle feeders. Preferences of the child's father are closely correlated with the mother's feeding practice. Women who themselves were breast fed are more likely to nurse their first born, but not subsequent children. Large differences in the prevalence of nursing exist between cultural subgroups within a single community. Women most often bottle fed to avoid embarrassment associated with nursing in public; breast feeders most often nurse for nutritional benefits. Of the breast feeders, 67 percent received verbal approval of plans to nurse from...