cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intracoronary irradiation markedly reduces restenosis after balloon angioplasty in a porcine model

Abstract Objectives. This study examined the effects of intracoronary Irradiation on neointimal proliferation after overstretch balloon angioplasty in a normolipemic swine model of restenosis. Background. Restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty represents, in part, a proliferative response of vascular smooth muscle at the site of injury. We have previously shown that ionizing radiation, delivered by means of an intracoronary source, causes focal medial fibrosis. We therefore hypothesized that ntracoronary irradiation delivered at the time of balloon angtoplasty might impair the restenosis process. Methods. Nineteen juvenile swine underwent coronary angiography; a segment of the coronary artery was chosen as a target for balloon injury. In 10 swine, a ribbon of iridiun-192 was positioned at the target segment, and 2,000 cGy was delivered at the vessel wall. Subsequently, overdilation balloon angioplasty was perfromed at the irradiated segment. In nine control swine, overdilation balloon angioplasty was performed without previous irradiation. Eighteen animals survived and were killed at 30 days. Histopathologic analysis was performed by a pathologist in blinded manner. The area of maximal lumen compromise within the target segment was analyzed by computer-assisted planimetry. Results. In the control group, mean (± SD) neointimal area was 0.84 ± 0.60 mm2compared with that in the irradiated group, 0.24 ± 0.13 mm2(p = 0.01). In the control group, mean percent area stenosis was 47.6 ± 20.7%, whereas that in the irradiated group was 17.6 ± 10.5% (p = 0.001). This represents a 71.4% reduction in neointimal area and a 63.0% reduction in percent area stenosis in the irradiated group. Adjacent coronary segments and surrounding myocardium were unaffected. Conclusions. Intracoronary irradiation (2,000 cGy) delivered to a target porcine coronary segment before balloon overdilation markedly reduces neointima formation at 30 days and thus significantly impairs the restenosis process.
Raman spectroscopy of biological material: results from the RAAD common sample set phase II

Raman spectroscopy is just one of the diverse set of detection techniques which, under the CB Rapid Agent Aerosol Detection (RAAD) program, are being evaluated for their ability to detect and identify biological materials. In order to compare and contrast different techniques, a Common Sample Set composed of threat simulants, interferents and growth media was provided to all RAAD participants. The samples were investigated using both normal Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This paper focuses on near-infrared Raman data from the Common Sample Set bacterial simulants. Results are also given from a principal component analysis performed on these samples. These measurements provide and initial assessment of the detection and discrimination capability of Raman spectroscopy as applied to biological materials. Despite the challenges facing this detection method, Raman spectroscopy is emerging as a rapid and information-rich method of investigating biological threats.
Pavement distress detection and classification using feature mapping

The detection of cracks and other degradations on pavement surfaces was traditionally done by human experts using visual inspection while driving along the surveyed road. To overcome the limitations of the manual scheme, an automatic crack detection and classification system is proposed in this paper to both speed up and reduce the subjectivity of the process. After the pavement images are captured by a digital camera, regions corresponding to cracks are detected over the acquired images by local segmentation and then represented by a matrix of square tiles. Since the crack pattern can be represented by the distribution of the crack tiles, standard deviations for both vertical and horizontal histograms are calculated to map the cracks onto a 2D feature space, where four crack types, namely, longitudinal, transversal, block, and alligator cracks can be identified. The experimental results, obtained by testing real pavement images over local asphalt roads, present the effectiveness of our algorithm for automating the process of identifying road distresses from images.
L1 shortest paths among polygonal obstacles in the plane

We present an algorithm for computingL1 shortest paths among polygonal obstacles in the plane. Our algorithm employs the "continuous Dijkstra" technique of propagating a "wavefront" and runs in timeO(E logn) and spaceO(E), wheren is the number of vertices of the obstacles andE is the number of "events." By using bounds on the density of certain sparse binary matrices, we show thatE =O(n logn), implying that our algorithm is nearly optimal. We conjecture thatE =O(n), which would imply our algorithm to be optimal. Previous bounds for our problem were quadratic in time and space. Our algorithm generalizes to the case of fixed orientation metrics, yielding anO(nźź1/2 log2n) time andO(nźź1/2) space approximation algorithm for finding Euclidean shortest paths among obstacles. The algorithm further generalizes to the case of many sources, allowing us to compute anL1 Voronoi diagram for source points that lie among a collection of polygonal obstacles.
Bubbles and bypass: an update.

Bubbles in the bloodstream are not a normal condition -yet they remain a fact of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), having been extensively studied and documented since its inception some 50 years ago. While detectable levels of gaseous microemboli (GME) have decreased significantly in recent years and gross air embolism has been nearly eliminated due to increased awareness of etiologies and technological advances, methods of use of current perfusion systems continue to elicit concerns over how best to totally eliminate GME during open-heart procedures. A few studies have correlated adverse neurocognitive manifestations associated with excessive quantities of GME.Newer techniques currently in vogue, such as vacuum-assisted venous drainage, low-prime perfusion circuits, and carbon dioxide flooding of the operative field, have, in some instances, exacerbated the problem of gas embolism or engendered secondary complications in the safe conduct of CPB. Doppler monitoring (circuit or transcranial) primarily remains...
Noise and Shapiro step interference in the charge-density-wave conductor K0.3MoO3

Abstract Extremely thin (transverse dimension ∼0.2 μm) samples of the charge density wave (CDW) conductor K 0.3 MoO 3 are found to display unusually coherent narrow-band noise spectra and well defined Shapiro step interference structure. The results suggest an intrinsic pinning potential with periodicity equal to the CDW wavelength. The Shapiro step interference appears to arise from a coupling of the external electric field to the low frequency dielectric relaxation mode rather than to the high frequency pinned phason mode.
Elastic and reactive collisions of atoms and molecules with neutral alkali clusters

We have measured absolute integral cross sections for low-energy collisions of atoms and molecules with neutral sodium clusters over a wide cluster size range (n=2–40). The cross sections are exceptionally large, reaching values of thousands of square angstroms. Consequently, the scattering involves long-range interactions. The van der Waals force, acting either alone (Nan+N2) or in concert with the inelastic charge-transfer “harpooning” channel (Nan+Cl2, Nan+O2) can describe the measurements. Using interaction parameters taken from spectroscopic studies of alkali clusters, we find very good agreement with the data. This provides a point of contact between beam scattering experiments and studies of cluster electromagnetic response properties.
Endothelium develops on seeded human arterial prosthesis: A brief clinical note

Abstract Despite a considerable and growing body of evidence that endothelial cell seeding accelerates the healing of arterial prostheses in laboratory animals, there has been no histologic evidence thus far to indicate that a similar process occurs in human beings. A case is reported of histologically confirmed, extensive endothelial healing on a polytetrafluoroethylene femoropopliteal bypass graft 90 days after it was seeded and implemented. (J VASC SURG 1985;2:727-30.)
Emotional awareness and psychological needs

This study examined whether individual differences in two dimensions of emotional awareness (i.e., clarity of emotions, attention to emotions) are associated with individual differences in idiographic personal needs and the processing of one's psychological needs. Two types of idiographic personal needs were examined (i.e., psychologically minded, self-focused). Need processing was measured in response to nine scenarios designed to activate six different psychological needs (i.e., achievement, friendship, independence, control, respect, physical safety). There was some evidence of emotional awareness being associated with the types of needs people generated. There was strong evidence of attention to, and clarity of, emotions being associated with need processing (i.e., need activation intensity, need activation consistency, need differentiation, need processing style).
Variations in Diversity and Richness of Gut Bacterial Communities of Termites ( Reticulitermes flavipes ) Fed with Grassy and Woody Plant Substrates

Diets shape the animal gut microbiota, although the relationships between diets and the structure of the gut microbial community are not yet well understood. The gut bacterial communities of Reticulitermes flavipes termites fed on four individual plant biomasses with different degrees of recalcitrance to biodegradation were investigated by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing analysis. The termite gut bacterial communities could be differentiated between grassy and woody diets, and among grassy diets (corn stover vs. sorghum). The majority of bacterial taxa were shared across all diets, but each diet significantly enriched some taxa. Interestingly, the diet of corn stover reduced gut bacterial richness and diversity compared to other diets, and this may be related to the lower recalcitrance of this biomass to degradation.
Conservation of Monarch Butterflies in Central Mexico: Protection of a biological phenomenon

Abstract The Monarch Butterfly is one of the most recognizable and common butterflies in the world. Most of the North American Monarchs engage in remarkable migrations resulting in tremendous concentrations of overwintering individuals. Throughout their North American range these overwintering venues are endangered, but none so seriously as a cluster of sites in central Mexico. The Monarch is a seasonal phenomenon at these sites, providing essential income to local communities through tourism. However, income-generating strategies for the off-season rely heavily upon environmentally damaging practices. This article reviews the migration of the Monarch, the threats to its survival, attempts to alter human behavior, and the socio-political challenges that have arisen through these attempts.
The Depolarization of Light Scattered from Liquid Crystals

Abstract A helium-neon gas laser was used to determine the depolarization factors as a function of temperature and scattering angle for bulk mesomorphic materials. These studies were conducted with the incoming polarization both parallel and perpendicular to the plane formed by the incident and scattered waves. In general there exist fairly constant values of the depolarization factors except in a temperature region near a meso-mesophase or clearing point transition. The data also exhibit pretransitional and post-transitional fluctuation regions, i.e., regions where the scattered intensities vary rapidly with time. The measurement of the depolarization factors is an ideal way to test thermal equilibrium processes. After temperature equilibrium is maintained the smectic and cholesteric phases require at least an hour to reach thermal equilibrium. This result is of prime importance for studies of bulk mesomorphic materials.
Importance of Threshold in Safety Assessment of Food Additives, Significance of Animal Pathology Observations

The safety of food additives in the human food supply is determined by a variety of methods. Toxicity evaluation in animals requires the same concerns applied to drugs. Aspar-tame and xylitol are used to demonstrate the importance of host threshold in the induction of pathology. Host threshold is largely determined by genetics, species, sex and age. Metabolic processing of food additives, consonant with survival, depends on chemical structure, concentration, route of administration and duration of exposure. When the host threshold is exceeded, a metabolic overload exists straining all homeostatic mechanisms leading eventually to a pathological state. The significance of these pathological conditions in the absence of understanding the underlying mechanisms is open to question in terms of human risk.
Identification of Chlorothiazide and Hydrochlorothiazide UV-A Photolytic Decomposition Products

Methanol solutions of hydrochlorothiazide and chlorothiazide were irradiated with fluorescent UV-A lamps in order to simulate degradation under normal conditions. The degradation products were identified by comparison to synthetic standards featuring electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and high performance liquid chromatography. The standards were characterized by high resolution fast atom bombardment MS and 1H NMR. The photolysis of chlorothiazide resulted in photodehalogenation products exclusively, while the irradiation of hydrochlorothiazide primarily yielded photodehalogenation products with significant yields of photodehydrogenation products and minor amounts of thermal hydrolysis products.
The minor subunit splice variants, H2b and H2c, of the human asialoglycoprotein receptor are present with the major subunit H1 in different hetero-oligomeric receptor complexes

The hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) is an endocytic receptor that mediates the internalization of desialylated glycoproteins and their delivery to lysosomes. The human ASGP-R is a hetero-oligomeric complex composed of H1 and H2 subunits. There are three naturally occurring H2 splice variants, designated H2a, H2b, and H2c, although the expression of the H2c protein had not been reported. Following deglycosylation of purified ASGP-R, we detected the H2b and H2c proteins in HepG2 and HuH-7 hepatoma cells, using an antibody directed against a COOH-terminal peptide common to all H2 isoforms (anti-H2-COOH) and another antibody against a 19-amino acid cytoplasmic insert found only in H2b (anti-H2-Cyto19). H1 and both H2b and H2c were co-purified by affinity chromatography, using asialo-orosomucoid (ASOR)-, anti-H1-, or anti-H2-COOH-Sepharose, whereas only H1 and H2b were immunoprecipitated with anti-H2-Cyto19. These results indicate that H2b and H2c are not present in the same ASGP-R complexes with H1. Similar to the H2b isoform, H2c was also palmitoylated, indicating that the 19-residue cytoplasmic insert does not regulate palmitoylation. Stably transfected SK-Hep-1 cell lines expressing ASGP-R complexes containing H1 and either H2b or H2c had similar binding affinities for ASOR and endocytosed and degraded ASOR at similar rates. The pH dissociation profiles of ASOR·ASGP-R complexes were also identical for complexes containing either H2b or H2c. We conclude that the H2b and H2c isoforms are both functional but are not present with H1 in the same hetero-oligomeric ASGP-R complexes. This structural difference between two functional subpopulations of ASGP-Rs may provide a molecular basis for the existence of two different pathways, designated State 1 and State 2, by which several types of recycling receptors mediate endocytosis.
Cerebral embolism associated with left ventricular assist device support and successful therapy with intraarterial urokinase

A patient with a bioprosthetic aortic valve sustained a cerebral embolism during support with an implantable left ventricular assist device. This was lysed with intraarterial urokinase with complete resolution of the neurological deficit. Subsequently the patient underwent heart transplantation and remains neurologically intact. This case report is the first successful use of thrombolysis for cerebral embolism associated with a mechanical assist device.
Ultra-low power circuit techniques for a new class of sub-mm 3 sensor nodes

Bell's Law predicts continual reductions in the size of computing systems. We investigate the status of the next paradigm shift that will usher in ubiquitous computing - sub-mm3 sensor nodes. However, this form factor remains beyond the capabilities of modern integrated circuit design techniques due to battery size. This paper describes new ultra-low power circuit techniques applied to digital processors, memory, power management, and a special focus on standby mode operation, that will bring mm3 sensor nodes to reality.
Determination of all stabilizing fractional-order PID controllers

A new method for finding all fractional-order (FO) proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers that stabilize a given system of integer or non-integer order is proposed. The stability boundaries of such FO PID controllers are calculated in the frequency domain and are given in terms of the proportional gain K p , integral gain K i , and derivative gain K d . In this paper, they will be plotted on the (K p , K i ), (K p , K d ), and (K i , K d ) planes. A key advantage of this approach is that it provides the stability boundaries even when the transfer function of a system is not available, as long as the frequency response of the system can be obtained. Moreover, the method does not require complicated mathematical calculations. An example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this method. The results are compared with those of conventional integer-order (IO) PID controllers for a sample example.
Determination of trace metals in high-purity silver chloride by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract A method for determination of trace metals in silver chloride by atomic absorption spectroscopy is described. Solid silver chloride is dissolved in ammonia solution and impurities are extracted into MIBK as 8-hydroquinolinate complexes. Calibration curves based on concentrations in the ammoniacal solution are prepared by the same extraction procedure. Sensitivities as low as 0.06 μg g−1 with errors of less than 5% are reported. The method should prove applicable to more than the five metals selected for study.
Habitat associations of demersal fishes and crabs in the Pribilof Islands region of the Bering Sea

Habitat associations of demersal fishes and crabs were determined from observations of videotapes recorded by a cameraequipped remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in the Bering Sea near the Pribilof Islands in September 1995 and 1997. We identified 42 taxa representing 16 families of fishes and 8 taxa from 3 families of crabs. Families Pleuronectidae (righteye flounders) and Cottidae (sculpins) were represented by the greatest number of taxa. Lepidopsetta polyxystra and Chionoecetes opilio were the most frequently observed fish and crab species. Other fish species in the families Pleuronectidae, Gadidae, Scorpaenidae, Agonidae, and Bathymasteridae were also encountered frequently. Six classifications based on substrate and cover were used to describe the habitat where each fish and crab was observed. Agonids and pleuronectids were typically observed on silt, mud, or sand substrate with no cover while other taxa, particularly cottids and bathymasterids, were encountered in more varieties of habitat including areas covered with rocks and boulders. Significant differences in species composition were found among habitats and stratified depth ranges. Similarity analyses showed that different taxa were responsible for these differences, but within each habitat type and depth range, two to five species contributed to 90% of the average similarity. Some ROV dives were paired with bottom trawls in the same general locations. Species compositions of the ROV observations were significantly correlated with that of the corresponding bottom trawl catch compositions. Overall, we believe that in situ observations provide useful information on fish habitats and behaviors not readily available from conventional trawling surveys. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Factor Xa generation at the surface of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells in an in vitro flow system.

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the effects of well-defined flow conditions on the activity of tissue factor (TF) expressed on the surface of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Cells were cultured to confluence on Permanox brand slides and stimulated to express TF by a 90 min incubation with fresh growth medium containing 10 percent calf serum. The stimulated cells were then placed in a parallel plate flow chamber and perfused with Hank's Balanced Salt Solution containing factor Vlla, factor X (FX), and calcium. The chamber effluent was collected and assayed for factor Xa (FXa) and the steady-state flux of FXa was calculated. The flux values were 68.73, 94.81, 139.75, 138.19, 316.82, and 592.92 fmole/min/cm 2 at wall shear rates of 10, 20, 40, 80, 320, and 1280 s -1 , respectively. The FXa flux depended on the wall shear rate to a greater degree than predicted by classical mass transport theory. The flux at each shear rate was three to five times less than that calculated according to the Leveque solution. These features of the experimental data imply nonclassical behavior, which may partially result from a direct effect of flow on the cell layer.
Contemporary Topics in Pediatric Pulmonology for the Primary Care Clinician

Disorders of the respiratory system are commonly encountered in the primary care setting. The presentations are myriad and this review will discuss some of the more intriguing or vexing disorders that the clinician must evaluate and treat. Among these are dyspnea, chronic cough, chest pain, wheezing, and asthma. Dyspnea and chest pain have a spectrum ranging from benign to serious, and the ability to effectively form a differential diagnosis is critical for reassurance and treatment, along with decisions on when to refer for specialist evaluation. Chronic cough is one of the more common reasons for primary care office visits, and once again, a proper differential diagnosis is necessary to assist the clinician in formulating an appropriate treatment plan. Infant wheezing creates much anxiety for parents and accounts for a large number of office visits and hospital admissions. Common diagnoses and evaluation strategies of early childhood wheezing are reviewed. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of children and adults. The epidemiology, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and the patient/parent education process will be reviewed. A relatively new topic for primary care clinicians is cystic fibrosis newborn screening. The rationale, methods, outcomes, and implications will be reviewed. This screening program may present some challenges for clinicians caring for newborns, and an understanding of the screening process will help the clinician communicate effectively with parents of the patient.
75 GHz 80 mW InP DHBT power amplifier

We report a 75 GHz MMIC power amplifier in InP/InGaAs/InP DHBT transferred-substrate technology. The amplifier has 256 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ total emitter area and exhibits a power gain of 5.5 dB at 75 GHz and a saturated output power of 19 dBm (80mW) under 1-dB gain compression. The DHBT employed by the amplifier has a lightly doped InP emitter epitaxial layer between the emitter and the emitter cap layer as a distributed ballast resistance to improve thermal stability. To our knowledge, this is the highest reported output power for a W-band HBT power amplifier.
Developing policy solutions for a more active nation: Integrating economic and public health perspectives

Both economic and public health/medical perspectives play an important role in the policy process but often approach policy questions in an incompatible way. Harnessing any synergy requires an understanding of the other perspective. We begin by comparing and contrasting the economic and public health perspectives, including introducing relevant economic concepts. We next identify economic considerations for the development of environmental incentives that promote physical activity. We then assess features of the political environment which could impact the success of policy alternatives aimed at increasing physical activity. We conclude with several policy levers that may promote active living. Throughout the manuscript, we use the term economics to refer to classical economics and utility maximization rather than behavioral economics. In addition, we focus mostly on normative economics (which offers prescriptions for what should be done) rather than positive economics (which offers predictions of economic outcomes conditional on various hypothetical scenarios).
A Novel Thyroid Hormone Mediated Regulation of HSV-1 Gene Expression and Replication is Specific to Neuronal Cells and Associated with Disruption of Chromatin Condensation

Previously we showed that thyroid hormone (T3) regulated the Herpes Simplex Virus Type -1 (HSV-1) gene expression and replication through its nuclear receptor TR via histone modification and chromatin remodeling in a neuroblastoma cell line neuro-2a cells (N2a). This observation suggested that T3 regulation may be neuron-specific and have implication in HSV-1 latency and reactivation. In this study, our in vitro latency/reactivation model demonstrated that removal of T3 can de-repress the HSV-1 replication and favor reactivation. Transfection studies and infection assays indicated that HSV-1 thymidine kinase (TK), a key viral gene during reactivation, was repressed by TR/T3 in cells with neuronal origin but not in non-neuronal cells. Additional studies showed that RCC1 (Regulator of Chromosome Condensation 1) was sequestered but efficiently detected upon viral infection in N2a cells. Western blot analyses indicated that addition of T3 repressed the RCC1 expression upon infection. It is likely that diminution of RCC1 upon infection in neuronal cells under the influence of TR/T3 may lead to repression of viral replication/gene expression thus promote latency. Together these results demonstrated that TR/T3 mediated regulation is specific to neuronal cells and differential chromosome condensation may play a critical role in this process.
A Strategy to Increase the Social Interactions of 3-Year-Old Children With Disabilities in an Inclusive Classroom

The current study evaluated the play behaviors of children with disabilities (e.g., developmental delays, specific language impairment) who participated in a social communication intervention targeting skills such as initiations, responses, name use, proximity, and turn-taking. Three children who were enrolled in an inclusive classroom met the inclusion criteria. A multiple baseline design was used to determine the effects of the intervention. The social communication intervention was highly effective for all children in increasing the rate of parallel play behaviors. Several implications for practice were derived from the findings. By teaching children social communication strategies, the quality of social interactions that children have with their peers is likely to improve. The intervention offers a more systematic technique for teaching social communication and play skills than do informal strategies commonly used by teachers. Social validity assessments indicated that teachers found the intervention ...
Psychometric properties of the reidenbach–robin multidimensional ethics scale

The factor structure of the Multidimensional Ethics Scale (MES; Reidenbach and Robin: 1988, Journal of Business Ethics 7, 871–879; 1990, Journal of Business Ethics 9, 639–653) was examined for the 8-item short form (N = 328) and the original 30-item pool (N = 260). The objectives of the study were: to verify the dimensionality of the MES; to increase the amount of true cross-scenario variance through the use of 18 scenarios varying in moral intensity (Jones: 1991, Academy of Management Review 16, 366–395); and, to examine the items for measurement precision using item-response theory (IRT) methods. Results of confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis failed to conclusively support the hypothesized 3- (short form) or 5-factor (long form) structure; both instruments were instead dominated by a general factor. Item response theory analyses using Samejima’s (1969, Psychometrika Monograph Supplement 34, (4, Pt. 2)) graded response model revealed that many items in the 30-item pool performed very well, and suggested that a different collection of items be used to form a short-form version of the MES. Our proposed 10-item instrument includes more discriminating items than the 8-item version, and has the added advantage of including two items from each of the five ethical philosophies represented in the original 30-item pool.
Self-harm within inpatient psychiatric services: most episodes are among women, involve breaking the skin and take place in private

Commentary on: James K, Stewart D, Wright S, et al. Self harm in adult inpatient psychiatric care: a national study of incident reports in the UK. Int J Nurs Stud 2012; 49: 1212– 19.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DInternational%2Bjournal%2Bof%2Bnursing%2Bstudies%26rft.stitle%253DInt%2BJ%2BNurs%2BStud%26rft.aulast%253DJames%26rft.auinit1%253DK.%26rft.volume%253D49%26rft.issue%253D10%26rft.spage%253D1212%26rft.epage%253D1219%26rft.atitle%253DSelf%2Bharm%2Bin%2Badult%2Binpatient%2Bpsychiatric%2Bcare%253A%2Ba%2Bnational%2Bstudy%2Bof%2Bincident%2Breports%2Bin%2Bthe%2BUK.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.ijnurstu.2012.04.010%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F22609137%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.04.010&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=22609137&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F16%2F3%2F78.atom
Distribution of the product confidence limits for the indirect effect: Program PRODCLIN

This article describes a program, PRODCLIN (distribution of the PRODuct Confidence Limits for INdirect effects), written for SAS, SPSS, and R, that computes confidence limits for the product of two normal random variables. The program is important because it can be used to obtain more accurate confidence limits for the indirect effect, as demonstrated in several recent articles (MacKinnon, Lockwood, & Williams, 2004; Pituch, Whittaker, & Stapleton, 2005). Tests of the significance of and confidence limits for indirect effects based on the distribution of the product method have more accurate Type I error rates and more power than other, more commonly used tests. Values for the two paths involved in the indirect effect and their standard errors are entered in the PRODCLIN program, and distribution of the product confidence limits are computed. Several examples are used to illustrate the PRODCLIN program. The PRODCLIN programs in rich text format may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive.
Scale-free Networking without Routing Tables

Summary form only given. The traditional approach to routing in ad hoc networks consists of maintaining routing tables listing entries for all or selected network destinations. Unfortunately, because the identifiers assigned to nodes (e.g., IP addresses or MAC addresses) in a network with mobile nodes have nothing to do with the topology of the network, network-wide dissemination of updates or queries must be used to maintain such tables, which renders the signaling of the routing protocols unscalable. This talk describes a new approach for scale-free routing that is called SURF (Scale-free Untethered Routing Framework). With SURF, the network itself assigns identifiers to nodes and updates these identifiers as the nodes move. The identifiers define a total ordering in the network with respect to one or multiple root nodes, which means that one or multiple routes from any source to any destination are defined automatically by the identifiers of the two nodes. To allow the sources to learn the identifiers of the destinations, a publish-subscribe distributed directory service is provided, such that a destination publishes its existence at an anchor node and a destination subscribes to destinations by contacting the proper anchors. The talk will show how SURF can be applied to different types of specialized networks, including those in which relay nodes have severe constraints (size, processing power, energy consumption).
Dynamics of translation by single ribosomes through mRNA secondary structures

During protein synthesis, the ribosome translates nucleotide triplets in single-stranded mRNA into polypeptide sequences. Strong downstream mRNA secondary structures, which must be unfolded for translation, can slow or even halt protein synthesis. Here we used single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to determine reaction rates for specific steps within the elongation cycle as the Escherichia coli ribosome encounters stem-loop or pseudoknot mRNA secondary structures. Downstream stem-loops containing 100% GC base pairs decrease the rates of both tRNA translocation within the ribosome and deacylated tRNA dissociation from the ribosomal exit site (E site). Downstream stem-loops or pseudoknots containing both GC and AU pairs also decrease the rate of tRNA dissociation, but they have little effect on tRNA translocation rate. Thus, somewhat unexpectedly, unfolding of mRNA secondary structures is more closely coupled to E-site tRNA dissociation than to tRNA translocation.
A Place for Geography in the Liberal Arts College

This study charts the presence of geography at liberal arts colleges and explores the relationship between the liberal arts and the study of geography. The results of this study reveal a paradox: geography embodies many of the ideals of a liberal arts education and yet this study indicates an absence of degree-granting geography programs at 93% of institutions. Geography thrives, however, at a select group of liberal arts colleges, and these colleges are disproportionately important as the undergraduate origin for doctorate recipients in geography.
Localization of puff sites adjacent to the plasma membrane; functional and spatial characterization of Ca2+ signaling in SH-SY5Y cells utilizing membrane-permeant caged IP3

The Xenopus oocyte has been a favored model system in which to study spatio-temporal mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics, in large part because this giant cell facilitates intracellular injections of Ca2+ indicator dyes, buffers and caged compounds. However, the recent commercial availability of membrane-permeant ester forms of caged IP3 (ci-IP3) and EGTA, now allows for facile loading of these compounds into smaller mammalian cells, permitting control of [IP3]i and cytosolic Ca2+ buffering. Here, we establish the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line as an advantageous experimental system for imaging Ca2+ signaling, and characterize IP3-mediated Ca2+ signaling mechanisms in these cells. Flash photo-release of increasing amounts of i-IP3 evokes Ca2+ puffs that transition to waves, but intracellular loading of EGTA decouples release sites, allowing discrete puffs to be studied over a wide range of [IP3]. Puff activity persists for minutes following a single photo-release, pointing to a slow rate of i-IP3 turnover in these cells and suggesting that repetitive Ca2+ spikes with periods of 20-30s are not driven by oscillations in [IP3]. Puff amplitudes are independent of [IP3], whereas their frequencies increase with increasing photo-release. Puff sites in SH-SY5Y cells are not preferentially localized near the nucleus, but instead are concentrated close to the plasma membrane where they can be visualized by total internal reflection microscopy, offering the potential for unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution of Ca2+ puff kinetics.
Internet as Digital Practice: Examining Differences in African American Internet Usage

This study assesses differences within the African American population with respect to internet activity. Using survey data, we find wide variations within the population. While some segments of African Americans are indeed less likely to perform certain activities on the internet, we note that certain segments of the African American population are reporting more internet activity than other racial groups. These 'haves' score high not just in comparison to their African American peers, but to the US American population as a whole. We suggest a move away from the digital divide/digital inequality models and a move towards thinking of greater or lesser Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage as conditioned by the instrumental needs of population groups. We term this a digital practice model.
Directional Sound for Long-Distance Auditory Warnings From a Highway Construction Work Zone

Directional sound can be used to provide warnings to specific vehicles without disturbing other vehicles on the highway. An example of such an application is the need to alert a vehicle that is likely to intrude into a highway construction work zone. Long-distance auditory warnings potentially reduce the time for the driver to visually locate the work zone. This paper reviews the currently available technologies that can potentially be used to develop a long-distance auditory warning system for highway work-zone applications. Of these, ultrasound-based parameter arrays and time-delay-controlled arrays of compact ordinary speakers are taken up for detailed analysis and experimental evaluation. An ultrasound-based parametric array is found to be effective at generating highly directional sound. However, when issues of cost, installation, maintenance, and price are considered, the more suitable technology for work zones is found to be arrays of flat-panel loudspeakers with time delay control. Such a system is inexpensive and can be used to effectively generate directional sound for long-distance auditory warnings. This paper shows that an annular pattern of flat-panel speakers can provide directional sound along a highway lane, with no real-time control of time delay necessary. Hence, an extremely inexpensive and portable system can be obtained, with components consisting of compact flat-panel speakers, a battery, power supply, and inexpensive electronics. In terms of performance, the developed system can provide a difference in the sound level of 6 dB or higher between adjacent lanes at all frequencies in the range of 2-4 kHz at distances of up to 40 m from the location of the warning system.
Plasmin Promotes Foam Cell Formation by Increasing Macrophage Catabolism of Aggregated Low-Density Lipoprotein

Objective— The plasmin/plasminogen system is involved in atherosclerosis. However, the mechanisms by which it stimulates disease are not fully defined. A key event in atherogenesis is the deposition of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on arterial walls where it is modified, aggregated, and retained. Macrophages are recruited to clear the lipoproteins, and they become foam cells. The goal of this study was to assess the role of plasmin in macrophage uptake of aggregated LDL and foam cell formation. Approach and Results— Plasminogen treatment of macrophages catabolizing aggregated LDL significantly accelerated foam cell formation. Macrophage interaction with aggregated LDL increased the surface expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor and plasminogen activator activity, resulting in increased ability to generate plasmin at the cell surface. The high local level of plasmin cleaves cell-associated aggregated LDL, allowing a portion of the aggregate to become sequestered in a nearly sealed, yet extracellular, acidic compartment. The low pH in the plasmin-induced compartment allows lysosomal enzymes, delivered via lysosome exocytosis, greater activity, resulting in more efficient cholesteryl ester hydrolysis and delivery of a large cholesterol load to the macrophage, thereby promoting foam cell formation. Conclusions— These findings highlight a critical role for plasmin in the catabolism of aggregated LDL by macrophages and provide a new context for considering the atherogenic role of plasmin.
Interspecific pollinator movements reduce pollen deposition and seed production in Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae).

Movement of pollinators between cofl owering plant species may infl uence conspecifi c pollen deposition and seed set. Interspecifi c pollinator movements between native and showy invasive plants may be particularly detrimental to the pollination and reproductive success of native species. We explored the effects of invasive Lythrum salicaria on the reproductive success of Mimulus ringens , a wetland plant native to eastern North America. Pollinator fl ights between these species signifi cantly reduced the amount of conspecifi c pollen deposited on Mimulus stigmas and the number of seeds in Mimulus fruits, suggesting that pollen loss is an important mechanism of competition for pollination. Although pollen loss is often attributed to pollen wastage on heterospecifi c fl oral structures, our novel fi ndings suggest that grooming by bees as they forage on a competitor may also signifi cantly reduce outcross pollen export and seed set in Mimulus ringens .
Cytokines as Targets for Anti‐inflammatory Agents

Well over a decade ago a central role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was first described in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when remarkable clinical benefit was demonstrated in patients with refractory disease were treated with using either a monoclonal antibody or a soluble receptor fusion protein. There are now five anti-TNF agents approved by regulatory agencies for treating RA. Identifying which RA patients will have a meaningful clinical response (improvement in outcomes measures such as ACR 20, DAS score, remission, etc.) when used as monotherapy, or in combination with other immunosuppressive agents remains a major research effort. Also, attention has focused on the potential adverse events that can be seen with these therapies; an increase in opportunistic infections being the most clearly linked adverse event. These anti-TNF therapies have revolutionized the clinicians' ability to make a significant impact in RA, a disease that has significant excess morbidity and mortality.
Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what?

The populist radical right constitutes the most successful party family in postwar Western Europe. Many accounts in both academia and the media warn of the growing influence of populist radical right parties (PRRPs), the so-called ‘verrechtsing’ (or right turn) of European politics, but few provide empirical evidence of it. This lecture provides a first comprehensive analysis of the alleged effects of the populist radical right on the people, parties, policies and polities of Western Europe. The conclusions are sobering. The effects are largely limited to the broader immigration issue, and even here PRRPs should be seen as catalysts rather than initiators, who are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the introduction of stricter immigration policies. The lecture ends by providing various explanations for the limited impact of PRRPs, but it is also argued that populist parties are not destined for success in opposition and failure in government. In fact, there are at least three reasons why PRRPs might increase their impact in the near future: the tabloidisation of political discourse; the aftermath of the economic crisis; and the learning curve of PRRPs. Even in the unlikely event that PRRPs will become major players in West European politics, it is unlikely that this will lead to a fundamental transformation of the political system. PRRPs are not a normal pathology of European democracy, unrelated to its basic values, but a pathological normalcy, which strives for the radicalisation of mainstream values.
Advances in tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene expression regulation: New insights into serotonin–stress interaction and clinical implications†‡

Serotonin (5-HT) modulates the stress response by interacting with the hormonal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and neuronal sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in 5-HT biosynthesis, and the recent identification of a second, neuron-specific TPH isoform (TPH2) opened up a new area of research. While TPH2 genetic variance has been linked to numerous behavioral traits and disorders, findings on TPH2 gene expression have not only reinforced, but also provided new insights into, the long-recognized but not yet fully understood 5-HT-stress interaction. In this review, we summarize advances in TPH2 expression regulation and its relevance to the stress response and clinical implications. Particularly, based on findings on rhesus monkey TPH2 genetics and other relevant literature, we propose that: 1) upon activation of adrenal cortisol secretion, the cortisol surge induces TPH2 expression and de novo 5-HT synthesis; 2) the induced 5-HT in turn inhibits cortisol secretion by modulating the adrenal sensitivity to ACTH via the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)-SNS-adrenal system, such that it contributes to the feedback inhibition of cortisol production; 3) basal TPH2 expression or 5-HT synthesis, as well as early-life experience, influence basal cortisol primarily via the hormonal HPA axis; and 4) 5′- and 3′-regulatory polymorphisms of TPH2 may differentially influence the stress response, presumably due to their differential roles in gene expression regulation. Our increasing knowledge of TPH2 expression regulation not only helps us better understand the 5-HT-stress interaction and the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders, but also provides new strategies for the treatment of stress-associated diseases.
Optimizing nitrogen incorporation in nanodiamond film for bio-analyte sensing

Nitrogen incorporated nanodiamond electrodes were fabricated using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The N 2 incorporation was achieved by the introduction of N 2 gas along with H 2 and CH 4 gases in the plasma. In the context of this work, the H 2 :CH 4 ratio was held fixed at 9:1 and the N 2 content was varied. Three different levels of N 2 incorporation were examined: 30 sccm (S1). 60 sccm (S2) and 90 sccm (S3). The Fe(CN) 3 6 -/4- redox couple in 0.1 M KCl was used for initial evaluation of the electrochemical properties of the 3 electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry was then used to study the detection of dopamine (DA), which is an important neurotransmitter, in 0.1 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at the physiologic pH of 7.4. Electrode S1, which has a microstructure resembling that of 'ridges', showed excellent electrochemical response as compared to the other two electrodes, S2 and S3 which exhibited sluggish reaction kinetics. Cyclic voltammograms from S1 show well defined and closely spaced redox peaks, not only for dopamine, but also for its redox active metabolites which are produced due to reactions downstream of DA oxidation. The calibration curves for the three electrodes show linear behavior but S1 shows superior sensitivity towards DA detection. Also, a linear relationship between the DA concentration and √scan rate was observed which is consistent with semi-infinite linear diffusion limited mass transport mechanism for planar electrodes. These results have been achieved without the need of functionalization or modification of the electrode surface, using optimum N 2 incorporated nanodiamond electrode.