cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Theoretical Foundations of Paul W. Schroeder's International System

historians complain that political scientists are more interested in the elegance of their theoretical models than in the empirical fit between those models and historical reality, political scientists argue that historians' interpretive narratives are based on implicit theoretical assumptions and causal models that influence their interpretations and that ought to be made explicit. Whatever the truth of these claims in general, the charge of a lack of theoretical self-consciousness certainly does not apply to Paul W. Schroeder. In several books and countless articles that span three decades and that demonstrate remarkable thematic consistency, Schroeder has been explicit about his view of the nature of historical explanation and about the analytic assumptions underlying his narrative interpretations. This essay locates Schroeder's work in international relations theory, analyses his conception of an international system, and identifies the theoretical traditions from which he borrows.1
Mechanisms of Disease: the first kiss-a crucial role for kisspeptin-1 and its receptor, G-protein-coupled receptor 54, in puberty and reproduction.

At the molecular level, puberty remains an enigmatic process. This article details the discovery of a novel pathway involving GPR54 and its ligand, kisspeptin-1, in control of the gonadotropin-releasing-hormone pulsatility that characterizes sexual maturation and the female estrus cycle. These findings have clear implications for treatment of reproductive disorders. Although the hypothalamic secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the defining hormonal event of puberty, the physiologic mechanisms that drive secretion of GnRH at the time of sexual maturation have been difficult to identify. After puberty is initiated, the factors that modulate the frequency and amplitude of GnRH secretion in rapidly changing sex-steroid environments (i.e. the female menstrual cycle) also remain unknown. The discovery that, in both humans and mouse models, loss-of-function mutations in the gene that encodes G-protein-coupled receptor 54 result in phenotypes of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with an absence of pubertal development has unearthed a novel pathway regulating GnRH secretion. Ligands for G-protein-coupled receptor 54 (KiSS-1R), including metastin (derived from the parent compound, kisspeptin-1) and metastin's C-terminal peptide fragments, have been shown to be powerful stimulants for GnRH release in vivo via their stimulation of G-protein-coupled receptor 54. This article reviews the discovery of the GPR54 gene, places it into the appropriate biological context, and explores the data from in vitro and in vivo studies that point to this ligand–receptor system as a major driver of GnRH secretion.
A hierarchical microcomputer system for hardware and software development

This paper describes a facility for integrated hardware and software development in the microprocessor area by graduate students. The constraints of a low budget, the necessity of providing fast turn-around time for software development, and tightly scheduled laboratory sessions, all of which are necessary in a university environment, precluded the use of methods such as primitive handtranslation of code (too slow), separate floppy-based development systems (too expensive) and in-circuit emulators (too expensive). The result was a hierarchical network of microprocessors whose design and development is described in detail. Experience with its operation and the applicability of the system for more general use is also discussed.
GED and other noncredit courses: The other side of the community college

This chapter examines the involvement of the community college in the GED process as well as the academic outcomes for high school dropouts who have enrolled in the program. Using Iowa as an example, the chapter examines the available data and derives important policies for GED in specific and other noncredit coursework in general.
The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Collection, by Otis Redding; Hard to Handle: Black America Sings Otis Redding, by Various Artists

With the exception of the chart-topping hit “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” a recording released a month after his tragic death on 10 December 1967, no Otis Redding recording ever climbed above...
Occurrence of Progesterone and Related Animal Steroids in Two Higher Plants

Previously, the presence of a wide variety of chemically diverse steroids has been identified in both flora and fauna. Despite the relatively small differences in chemical structures and large differences in physiological function of steroids, new discoveries indicate that plants and animals are more closely related than previously thought. In this regard, the present study gathers supporting evidence for shared phylogenetic roots of structurally similar steroids produced by these two eukaryotic taxa. Definitive proof for the presence of progesterone (3) in a vascular plant, Juglans regia, is provided. Additional evidence is gleaned from the characterization of five new plant steroids from Adonis aleppica: three 3-O-sulfated pregnenolones (6a/b, 7), a sulfated H-5β cardenolide, strophanthidin-3-O-sulfate (8), and spirophanthigenin (10), a novel C-18 oxygenated spirocyclic derivative of strophanthidin. The ab initio isolation and structure elucidation (NMR, MS) of these genuine minor plant steroids offers ...
From Bench to Bedside: Alpha-defensin—The Biggest Thing in Joint Replacement Infections Since Prophylactic Antibiotics?

We have been awaiting the arrival of 21st century biomarker-, gene- or sequence-driven personalized medicine since well before the millennium. Yet the “Golden Age” of personalized medicine has proven elusive. While total joint arthroplasty (TJA) alleviates suffering perhaps better than any other orthopaedic intervention [8], patients whose arthroplasties have been complicated by infection have a very different experience. The condition is painful, the treatments are inconsistent, and most vexingly, our approaches to diagnosing the condition fall well short of what our patients expect from us in the second decade of the 21st century.
Far-infrared focal plane development for SIRTF

We describe the development of sensitive extrinsic germanium focal plane arrays for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The cryogenic telescope of SIRTF will be used for natural-background-limited astronomical observations, an application that requires arrays of far-infrared sensors of unprecedented sensitivity. For the 30 -55 tm wavelength range, we describe the development of monolithic Ge:Be arrays with associated readouts bump-bonded to a common substrate. For the 55 - 120 im wavelength range, we describe arrays based on a 1 x32 building block that can be stacked into fully-filled two-dimensional arrays. We show results from tests of a 3 x 32 demonstration array that operates at the SIRTF performance levels. This array demonstrates solutions to the problems of 1) maintaining the required detector operating temperature ( < 2K ) ; 2) isolating the array from the heat and photon emission of the readout; 3) achieving long absorption paths in the detectors; and 4) maintaining constant detector bias and low noise from the readout amplifier. The array design permits stacking into the full 32x32 format required for SIRTF The array thermally isolates the readout from the detectors to take advantage of the improved electronics noise performance at the elevated temperature of 20 K. We also show designs for improved versions of the array that emphasize manufacturability and the ability to be space qualified
Using Language to Think: Developing Concepts in Social Studies, Science and Mathematics

Whether teachers are aware of it or not, underlying the structure and content of all methods and materials is a theoretical orientation toward learning that directs the selection and design of materials used, expectations for student performance, and the nature of teachers responses to that performance. To modify one's theoretical perspective requires both awareness of that theoretical orientation and an exposure to new insights. The relationship between language and thought is one area in which current investigations may suggest a needed change in teachers' theoretical perspective on learning. This work has reminded us of earlier work done in the 1930s which described knowing as a transactional process between the individual and the environment with language at the center of the process. From this perspective, knowing is viewed as a personal process; the language one uses to come to know about the world plays an integral part in the development of semantic potential. Applications of transactional teachin...
Potentiostatic deposition of DNA for scanning probe microscopy

We describe a procedure for reversible adsorption of DNA onto a gold electrode maintained under potential control. The adsorbate can be imaged by scanning probe microscopy in situ. Quantitative control of a molecular adsorbate for microscopy is now possible. We found a potential window (between 0 and 180 mV versus a silver wire quasi reference) over which a gold (111) surface under phosphate buffer is positively charged, but is not covered with a dense adsorbate. When DNA is present in these conditions, molecules adsorb onto the electrode and remain stable under repeated scanning with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). They become removed when the surface is brought to a negative charge. When operated at tunnel currents below approximately 0.4 nA, the STM yields a resolution of approximately 1 nm, which is better than can be obtained with atomic force microscopy (AFM) at present. We illustrate this procedure by imaging a series of DNA molecules made by ligating a 21 base-pair oligonucleotide. We observed the expected series of fragment lengths but small fragments are adsorbed preferentially.
Synthesis, Structure, and CO2 Reactivity of a Two-Coordinate (Carbene)copper(I) Methyl Complex

Two-coordinate copper(I) acetate and copper(I) methyl complexes, bearing an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) supporting ligand, have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and the stability of the monodentate acetate has been examined by DFT calculations. The methyl complex readily inserts carbon dioxide at ambient temperature and pressure, regenerating the acetate in near-quantitative yield.
An approach to teaching parents and adolescents problem-solving communication skills: A preliminary report

Parents and adolescents were taught to resolve conflicts concerning rules, responsibilities, and values through the use of problem-solving and communication skills. Problem solving included (1) defining the problem, (2) listing alternative solutions, (3) evaluating the solutions, and (4) planning implementation. Communication skills included (1) clear expression and reception of meaning, (2) appropriate emotive-attentive style, and (3) reflective listening. Twenty-four parent-adolescent dyads were assigned to either a treatment or wait-list control group. Each dyad in the treatment group received five sessions of therapy, during which modeling, guided practice, role-playing, feedback, and social reinforcement were utilized to teach problem-solving and communication skills. Treatment produced highly significant increases in problem-solving behavior in structured discussions of hypothetical and real problems. Limited improvement in communication at home was also obtained on self-report measures. It was concluded that the present intervention provides a viable means for treating parent-adolescent conflicts.
Naltrexone inhibits the persistent spasmodic dyskinesia induced by chronic intraperitoneal administration of iminodipropionitrile (IDPN).

Abstract The effects of naltrexone on the persistent movement disorder induced in mice by the neurotoxic substance IDPN were examined. Naltrexone (2–4 mg/kg, IP) significantly reduced the hyperactivity and the stereotypic behaviors induced by IDPN. Fifteen minutes after the injection of naltrexone, the dyskinetic neck movements were almost completely inhibited at the higher dose. Thus, blockade of opiate receptors can significantly affect drug-induced persistent dyskinesia.
Urocortin 1 Inhibits Rat Leydig Cell Function

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has previously been reported in rat testes in which it inhibits Leydig cells activity. However, recent studies in our laboratory have suggested that some of the effects originally attributed to CRF were instead due to the related peptide Urocortin 1 (Ucn 1) and that this latter hormone, not CRF, was detectable in Leydig cells. We show here that Ucn 1 [a mixed CRF receptor (CRFR) type 1 and CRFR2 agonist] and the CRFR1-selective peptide Stressin 1, but not Ucn 2 or Ucn 3 (both considered selective CRFR2 ligands), significantly blunt the testosterone response to human chorionic gonadotropin. The effect of Ucn 1 is observed regardless of whether this peptide is injected iv or directly into the testes, and it is reversed by the mixed CRFR1/R2 antagonist Astressin B. Blockade of GnRH receptors with the antagonist Azalin B does not interfere with the influence of Ucn 1, thereby demonstrating that pituitary luteinizing hormone does not appear to be involved in this model. Collectively these results suggest that Ucn 1, not CRF, is present in the rat testes and interferes with Leydig cell activity. However, whereas we previously reported that alcohol up-regulated gonadal Ucn 1 gene expression, CRF receptor antagonists were unable to reverse the inhibitory effect exerted by alcohol on human chorionic gonadotropin-induced testosterone release. The functional role played by testicular Ucn 1 in stress models characterized by blunted androgen levels therefore needs to be further investigated.
Simulation-based bayesian inference using BUGS

We illustrate the application of BUGS, a Bayesian computer program, with two examples. The algorithm used in the program is a popular Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure called Gibbs sampling. Bayesian analysis based on simulation has been applied to a wide range of complex problems (Gilks, Richardson, & Spiegelhalter, 1996). The availability of a general purpose program like BUGS should facilitate important applications of Bayesian inference in psychological research.
Some heat transfer characteristics of the two-dimensional laminar incompressible wall jet

The heat transfer characteristics of a laminar, incompressible, two-dimensional wall jet with constant physical properties are treated in some detail. Exact solutions have been found when the flow is self-preserving in shape, and the wall temperature is variable and of the form Σ Anxn. These solutions are shown to reduce to the special cases of constant temperature wall (n = 0), and constant heat flux (n = 34). Temperature profiles and heat flux rates have been evaluated for a variety of Prandtl numbers. The laminar wall jet has also been examined by means of the momentum integral technique and the results are compared to the exact solutions for several assumed profiles. Further, a heat transfer expression is obtained for variable starting length of the heated section if the temperature of the wall is constant.
Clearing the clutter: Unified modeling and verification methodology for system level hardware design

The state-of-the-art design practice for complex SoCs employs multiple models of hardware components with different use cases. The cost of building and maintaining those models is high, and verifying the consistency among those models is time consuming. This paper highlights needs and issues of creating these models, and presents emerging approaches for developing solutions to address the issues.
Arms transfers to the third world: Research on patterns, causes and effects

This article surveys the existing statistical and theoretical literature on the arms trade and political behavior. The article first reviews the historical context of the international arms trade d...
Sarmiento the Geographer: Unearthing the Literary in Facundo

The third chapter offers a fresh reading of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s Facundo (1845) by mapping the ways in which his seminal Latin American narrative works alongside and against the institutionalization of Argentine geography. Looking to Sarmiento’s correspondence, editorials, and minor texts, it traces the rise of a new national discourse that revises European representations both aesthetically and orthographically, all the while appealing to Humboldt as a source of legitimization. The chapter argues that Facundo undoes the dialectic between knowledge and conquest as a didactic geography directed toward the citizens of Argentina, who must know the land to secure the nation. Yet because Sarmiento deems the land empty, he constructs a marketable geography to convince potential European and North American immigrants to populate the lush Argentine terrain.
Correction: Use of Observation Care in US Emergency Departments, 2001 to 2008

There is an error in the funding statement. The correct funding is, “This work was conducted with support from Harvard Catalyst / The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (NIH Award #UL1 RR 025758 and financial contributions from Harvard University and its affiliated academic health care centers). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University and its affiliated academic health care centers, the National Center for Research Resources, or the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.”
Point-Counter Point: A Culture of Safety in the NICU?

Abstract Neonatal care is a highly complex specialized area in medicine and nursing. While evidence is growing to support our interventions, there are still a lot of gray areas. This column “Point-Counter Point” is meant to evoke more questions than answers, to debate topics from both sides—not suggesting one is right, the other wrong. We invite your thoughts.
A Simplified Wright’s Stain Technique for Routine Avian Blood Smear Staining

Abstract A technique for staining avian blood smears using combined Wright's-Giemsa's stain is described. This procedure is very easy to perform and is suitable for routine avian hematology.
Dark Activation of NADP-Malate Dehydrogenase in Maize Leaf Discs

Summary NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH) is normally activated in the light and inactivated in the dark in plant leaves, including the C4 species maize. In the present study, leaf discs of maize were taken from illuminated plants and the state of activation of the enzyme followed in darkness under various conditions. After 30 min of incubation of the leaf discs in the dark, NADP-MDH was largely inactivated, but during the next hour of incubation in the dark the enzyme was reactivated. Bubbling air into the solution containing the leaf discs or addition of 100 μM Antimycin A prevented the reactivation of the enzyme in the dark. It is concluded that leaf discs of maize in solution in the dark become deficient in O2 due to respiration and that the depletion of O2 leads to activation of NADP-MDH.
Anomalous Stereoscopic Depth Perception

Normal or complete stereoscopic depth perception is based upon at least two and probably three mechanisms. These mechanisms may be isolated by studying depth judgments made by stereoanomalous individuals who are unable to discriminate disparities over wide ranges of disparity. The nature of the reductions observed among these stereoanomalous observers suggests that at least three ranges of the disparity are sampled in order to create three different pools of binocular activity. The pools correspond roughly to crossed, near-zero, and uncrossed disparities.
Arrhythmia Detection using Wavelet Transform

In this paper, a new method of arrhythmia classification is proposed, this method based on using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) for analyzing the ECG signal and extracting the desired parameters related to arrhythmia (heart rate variability). Two models are used to simulate the natural signals of heart; these models are used for the assessment of ECG signal processing methods because they have the same characteristics of the natural signals. Another application is the simulation of some cardiac phenomena and abnormalities such as Normocardia, Bradycardia and Tachycardia. The proposed method gives sharp clear threshold between Normocardia, Bradycardia and Tachycardia.
Using Compost to Increase Infiltration and Improve the Revegetation of a Decomposed Granite Roadcut

Decomposed granite (DG) soils are very erosive and, when disturbed, are difficult to revegetate. Sediment eroding from DG roadcuts can severely impact nearby drainage basins. Two ways of reducing surface erosion are to increase the surface saturated hydraulic conductivity ( Ksat ) of the soil and to stabilize the surface with vegetation. This study examined the ability of unscreened yard waste compost to increase the Ksat of these soils and facilitate revegetation. A compost application rate of 24% by volume increased postconstruction Ksat of a DG roadcut to levels comparable to a revegetated reference site. The establishment of vegetation was important to maintain the initial increase in Ksat associated with tillage and compost amendment. By the second year, above-ground biomass significantly increased with increasing compost amendment rate. There was also a significant increase in soil Ksat in the 12 and 24% compost treatments in the second year compared to the first year, indicating the strong influenc...
The effect of past antibiotic exposure on diabetes risk

OBJECTIVE Gut microbiota influence metabolic pathways related to the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin-resistance and diabetes. Antibiotic therapy can alter the microbiota, and is commonly used in western countries. We sought to evaluate whether past antibiotic exposure increases diabetes risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a nested case-control study using a large population-based database from the UK. The cases were defined as those with incident diagnosis of diabetes. For every case, four eligible controls matched on age, sex, practice-site, and duration of follow-up before index-date were selected using incidence-density sampling. Exposure of interest was antibiotic therapy >1 year before index-date. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were estimated using conditional logistic regression. The risk was adjusted for BMI, smoking, last glucose level, and number of infections before index-date, as well as past medical history of coronary artery disease and hyperlipidaemia. RESULTS The study included 208 002 diabetic cases and 815 576 matched controls. Exposure to a single antibiotic prescription was not associated with higher adjusted diabetes risk. Treatment with two to five antibiotic courses was associated with increase in diabetic risk for penicillin, cephalosporins, macrolides and quinolones with adjusted OR ranging from 1.08 (95% CI 1.05-1.11) for penicillin to 1.15 (95% CI 1.08-1.23) for quinolones. The risk increased with the number of antibiotic courses and reached 1.37 (95% CI 1.19-1.58) for more than 5 courses of quinolones. There was no association between exposure to anti-virals and anti-fungals and diabetes risk. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to certain antibiotic groups increases diabetes risk.
On the robustness of compensator designs based exclusively on input-output information

We are interested in the effects of unmodelled parasitics or high-frequency phenomena on the closed-loop performance of a given control system. We show that, if a compensator design is based entirely on input-output characteristics of the open-loop system, it is always possible that such unmodelled aspects of the plant may destabilize the closed-loop configuration. The proof is based on Hurwitz conditions.
Pairwise DNA Alignment with Sequence Specific Transition-Transversion Ratio Using Multiple Parameter Sets

Pairwise DNA and protein sequence alignment is an underlying task in bioinformatics which forms the basis of many other bioinformatics applications. Protein sequence alignment is in general given more importance than DNA sequence alignment, and protein sequence alignment methods can usually be used with little modification for DNA sequences as well. However, alignment methods specific to DNA sequence alignment using sequence specific information are highly desirable. Most existing DNA alignment programs routinely use the common match/mismatch scoring scheme. Recently, an iterative alignment scheme using sequence-specific transition-transversion ratio was shown to be better than using a simple match/mismatch scoring scheme. In this paper, we present a modification to the iterative approach by incorporating in it the use of multiple parameter sets. Preliminary experiments indicate that using multiple parameter sets gives significantly better performance than using a single parameter set, and than using a simple match/mismatch scoring scheme. Sequence specific scoring matrices have been shown to be highly successful for protein alignment over the last decade, and the current work should be a significant step in the direction of using sequence specific substitution matrices for DNA sequences.
CHILDREN'S PERCEPTIONS OF TV COMMERCIALS AND PRODUCTS: The Effects of PSAs

This study investigated whether public service announcements about the nature of television advertising might influence (a) children's awareness of advertising's intent; (b) their belief in its truthfulness; and (c) their perceptions of products they see advertised. First-second and fifth-sixth graders were shown one of three stimuli: a No-commercials videotape, which consisted of two cartoon shows; a Commercials tape, which showed the same two programs plus commercials for a cereal, a chewing gum, and a board game; and a Consumer Information Processing, or CIP tape, which was the same as the Commercials tape except that it began with a pod of three announcements which gave information about the selling intent of commercials and suggested that one should be critical of commercial claims. Comparisons between the Commercials and the CIP condition showed that awareness of intent was increased among and younger group (the fifth-sixth graders were already aware); belief in the truthfulness of advertising dropp...
Demons, Possibility and Evidence

En reponse au scepticisme cartesien, l'A. distingue l'hypothese de l'existence du malin-genie et l'hypothese de la possibilite de l'existence du malin-genie. Examinant les notions de possibilite, evidence et verite, l'A. mesure le lien entre l'experience et la realite exterieure en reference a Kant, d'une part, et mesure la concevabilite du demon a la lumiere de la these pyrrhoniste, d'autre part.
Nonparametric Correlation (rs)

Spearman's correlation coefficient (rS) for ranked data, often known as Spearman's rho, actually represents the standard Pearson product-moment correlation applied to ranked data. Data on X and Y are replaced by their ranks, and then the correlation between the ranks is computed. Keywords: Pearson correlation; Kendall's tau; ranked correlations
Retention of low-fitness genotypes over six decades of admixture between native and introduced tiger salamanders

Background: Introductions of non-native tiger salamanders into the range of California tiger salamanders have provided a rare opportunity to study the early stages of secondary contact and hybridization. We produced first- and second-generation hybrid salamanders in the lab and measured viability among these early-generation hybrid crosses to determine the strength of the initial barrier to gene exchange. We also created contemporary-generation hybrids in the lab and evaluated the extent to which selection has affected fitness over approximately 20 generations of admixture. Additionally, we examined the inheritance of quantitative phenotypic variation to better understand how evolution has progressed since secondary contact. Results: We found significant variation in the fitness of hybrids, with non-native backcrosses experiencing the highest survival and F2 hybrids the lowest. Contemporary-generation hybrids had similar survival to that of F2 families, contrary to our expectation that 20 generations of selection in the wild would eliminate unfit genotypes and increase survival. Hybrid survival clearly exhibited effects of epistasis, whereas size and growth showed mostly additive genetic variance, and time to metamorphosis showed substantial dominance. Conclusions: Based on first- and second- generation cross types, our results suggest that the initial barrier to gene flow between these two species was relatively weak, and subsequent evolution has been generally slow. The persistence of low-viability recombinant hybrid genotypes in some contemporary populations illustrates that while hybridization can provide a potent source of genetic variation upon which natural selection can act, the sorting of fit from unfit gene combinations might be inefficient in highly admixed populations. Spatio-temporal fluctuation in selection or complex genetics has perhaps stalled adaptive evolution in this system despite selection for admixed genotypes within generations.
High-performance standard cell library and modeling technique for differential advanced bipolar current tree logic

A high-performance standard cell library for the Tektronix advanced bipolar process GST1 has been developed. The library is targeted for the 250-MIPS (million instructions per second) fast reduced instruction set computer (FRISC) project. The GST1 devices have a minimal emitter size of 0.6 mu m*2.4 mu m and a maximum f/sub t/ of 15.5 GHz. By combining advanced bipolar technology and high-speed differential logic, gate propagation delays of 90 ps can be achieved at a power dissipation of 70 mW. The fastest buffers/inverters have a propagation delay of only 68 ps. A 32-b ALU (arithmetic and logic unit) partitioned into four slices can perform an addition in 3 ns using differential standard cells with improved emitter-follower outputs and fast differential I/O drivers. A modeling technique for high-speed differential current tree logic is introduced. The technique gives accurate timing information and models the transient behavior of current trees. >
Dynamic Microenvironments: The Fourth Dimension

The extracellular space, or cell microenvironment, choreographs cell behavior through myriad controlled signals, and aberrant cues can result in dysfunction and disease. For functional studies of human cell biology or expansion and delivery of cells for therapeutic purposes, scientists must decipher this intricate map of microenvironment biology and develop ways to mimic these functions in vitro. In this Perspective, we describe technologies for four-dimensional (4D) biology: cell-laden matrices engineered to recapitulate tissue and organ function in 3D space and over time.
Rapid in vivo hydrolysis of fatty acid ethyl esters, toxic nonoxidative ethanol metabolites

Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), esterification products of fatty acids and ethanol, are in use as fatty acid supplements, but they also have been implicated as toxic mediators of ethanol ingestion. We hypothesized that hydrolysis of orally ingested FAEE occurs in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and in the blood to explain their apparent lack of toxicity. To study the in vivo inactivation of FAEE by hydrolysis to free fatty acids and ethanol, we assessed the hydrolysis of FAEE administered as an oil directly into the rat stomach and when injected within the core of low-density lipoprotein particles into the circulation of rats. Our studies demonstrate that FAEE are rapidly degraded to free fatty acids and ethanol in the GI tract at the level of the duodenum with limited hydrolysis in the stomach. In addition, FAEE are rapidly degraded in the circulation, with a half-life of only 58 s. Thus the degradation of FAEE in the GI tract and in the blood provides an explanation for the apparent lack of toxicity of orally ingested FAEE.
Testing Interaction Effects in LISREL: Examination and Illustration of Available Procedures

The concomitant proliferation of causal modeling and hypotheses of multiplicative effects has brought about a tremendous need for procedures that allow the testing of moderated structural equation models (MSEMs). The seminal work of Kenny and Judd and Hayduk has been drawn on by several authors in the past 10 years, thus producing procedures that allow for such tests. Yet, utilization of MSEMs in empirical research has been quite rare. The purposes of this article are twofold. First, the authors discuss general issues with respect to multivariate normality, indicators of latent products, the nature of latent products, and identification problems in MSEM. Second, they review and illustrate techniques that are available for the testing of interaction effects in structural equation models.
Dual infection of the toe web caused by Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum canis

A case of tinea pedis caused by a dual infection with Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum canis is reported. It is of particular interest because infections of the toe webs caused by M. canis are uncommon and the combination of T. rubrum and M. canis has not been reported. In addition, a marked difference in response to treatment with an imidazole (bifonazole) was observed.
Story Map Instruction Using Children's Literature: Effects on First Graders' Comprehension of Central Narrative Elements

This study investigated the effectiveness of instruction in story mapping as a means to promote first-grade students' comprehension of central story elements in children's literature. Participants ...
Expression of the Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin is inhibited by a locus that encodes an ATP-binding cassette homolog

Multicopy and single-copy chromosomal fusions between the Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin regulatory region and the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene have been constructed. These fusions were used as reporters to identify and isolate regulators of leukotoxin expression from a P. haemolytica cosmid library. A cosmid clone, which inhibited leukotoxin expression from multicopy and single-copy protein fusions, was isolated and found to contain the complete leukotoxin gene cluster plus additional upstream sequences. The locus responsible for inhibition of expression from leukotoxin-beta-galactosidase fusions was mapped within these upstream sequences, by transposon mutagenesis with Tn5, and its DNA sequence was determined. The inhibitory activity was found to be associated with a predicted 440-amino-acid reading frame (lapA) that lies within a four-gene arginine transport locus. LapA is predicted to be the nucleotide-binding component of this transport system and shares homology with the Clp family of proteases.
Cell-Specific Expression and Regulation of Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase α1 and β1 Subunits in the Rat Ovary

Abstract Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is activated by nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide, resulting in cGMP production. Recent studies indicate that NO and cGMP influence ovarian functions. However, little information is available regarding the ovarian expression of sGC. The present study examined sGC α1 and β1 subunit protein levels in the ovary during postnatal development, gonadotropin-induced follicle growth, ovulation, and luteinization as well as in cultured rat granulosa cells. In postnatal rats, sGC α1 subunit immunoreactivity was high in granulosa cells of primordial and primary follicles on Day 5 but low in granulosa cells of larger follicles on Days 10 and 19. Theca cells of developing follicles, but not stromal cells, also demonstrated moderate sGC α1 immunoreactivity. In gonadotropin- treated immature rats, intense sGC α1 subunit staining was similarly observed in granulosa cells of primordial and primary follicles, but such staining was low in granulosa cells of small antral follicles a...
Correspondence Between the Psychopathic Personality Inventory and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised: a Look At Self-Reported Personality Traits

The authors examined the correspondence between the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) and a recent revision of this measure, the Psychopathic Personality Inventory—Revised (PPI-R) in a sampl...
Group support to improve psychosocial well-being and primary-care demands among women with cardiac syndrome X.

Background Women with angina pectoris, a positive exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) for myocardial ischemia and angiographically smooth coronary arteries (cardiac syndrome X), are often characterized by unresolved symptomatology and a poor quality of life. Psychological morbidity and quality of life appear to be related to social support and social isolation. An investigation of group support as an aid to treatment for cardiac syndrome X was therefore undertaken.Methods Forty-nine women with cardiac syndrome X (mean ± standard deviation 61.8 ± 8 years) were randomized to 12 monthly support group meetings or usual care control. The Health Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), SF-36, York Angina Beliefs scale, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument (ESSI) and a demographic information scale, along with hospital admissions, general practitioner (GP) or cardiologist appointments were measured at baseline, 6 months and 12 months.Results Support group participants maintained highe...
Mary's Protestant Martyrs and Elizabeth's Catholic Traitors in the Age of Catholic Emancipation

Debates over the interpretation of the English Reformation often have followed from the wider controversies of the day. This was especially true in the years before Catholic Emancipation, when political tensions led Catholic, Anglican, and Whig historians to revive the many quarrels about the past. Of these disputes, the persecutions under Mary I and the alleged treason of Elizabethan Catholics seemed most relevant to the issue of Catholic freedom. From John Foxe had come the Anglican image of Catholic cruelty; from the statutes and official tracts of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, the obsessive fears of Catholic treason. John Foxe taught his generation that persecution and treason had been practiced by the papal antichrist since the fourteenth century. The apparent timelessness of Roman evil was given new support by the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and the Irish Massacres of 1641. Moreover, by culling quotations from church councils, papal decrees, and Catholic divines, seventeenth-century Anglican writers alleged that treason and cruelty flowed from the very principles of the Roman church. Since those same principles had been established as early as 1215 and never had been rescinded, the lesson was clear enough: the penal laws could not be ended until Rome changed. For the historians of the English Reformation, Mary's fires and Elizabeth's traitors would show not only what Rome had been but what it must always be.
Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance.

Recreational enthusiasts and athletes often are advised to abstain from consuming caffeinated beverages (CB). The dual purposes of this review are to (a) critique controlled investigations regarding the effects of caffeine on dehydration and exercise performance, and (b) ascertain whether abstaining from CB is scientifically and physiologically justifiable. The literature indicates that caffeine consumption stimulates a mild diuresis similar to water, but there is no evidence of a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to exercise performance or health. Investigations comparing caffeine (100-680 mg) to water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume. In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a CB resulted in 0-84% retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0-81% retention. Further, tolerance to caffeine reduces the likelihood that a detrimental fluid-electrolyte imbalance will occur. The scientific literature suggests that athletes and recreational enthusiasts will not incur detrimental fluid-electrolyte imbalances if they consume CB in moderation and eat a typical U.S. diet. Sedentary members of the general public should be a less risk than athletes because their fluid losses via sweating are smaller.
Towards a Formal Basis for Modular Safety Cases

Safety assurance using argument-based safety cases is an accepted best-practice in many safety-critical sectors. Goal Structuring Notation GSN, which is widely used for presenting safety arguments graphically, provides a notion of modular arguments to support the goal of incremental certification. Despite the efforts at standardization, GSN remains an informal notation whereas the GSN standard contains appreciable ambiguity especially concerning modular extensions. This, in turn, presents challenges when developing tools and methods to intelligently manipulate modular GSN arguments. This paper develops the elements of a theory of modular safety cases, leveraging our previous work on formalizing GSN arguments. Using example argument structures we highlight some ambiguities arising through the existing guidance, present the intuition underlying the theory, clarify syntax, and address modular arguments, contracts, well-formedness and well-scopedness of modules. Based on this theory, we have a preliminary implementation of modular arguments in our toolset, AdvoCATE.
The Great Decentralization: How Web 3.0 Will Weaken Copyrights

Bitcoin’s popularity increased as its value increased and people became excited about the prospect of a trustless, decentralized currency that could be used on the Internet. Within the last two years, however, people and organizations began exploiting the potential of the block chain that powers the bitcoin network. These people realized that the block chain — a transparent public ledger that cannot be altered — can be used for more than digital currency. One such organization calls itself Ethereum and its developers plan to use block chains to allow decentralized autonomous applications to operate free of government censorship or corruption. While such a network would have a profound effect on society — allowing trustless voting, uncensored social networking and the like — its impact on copyrights could be devastating. This paper argues that the emerging, decentralized Internet (also known as Web 3.0) will be the straw that breaks the copyright owner’s back. This paper argues that, with block chain technology and decentralized applications, those buying and selling unauthorized copies of copyrighted material cannot be subject to court injunctions; making enforcement of copyrights nearly impossible on a decentralized Internet. This paper then proposes that copyright holders get out in front of the problem by embracing a decentralized Internet. This can only be done by drastically reducing the price of copyright licenses. In other words, by offering cheap licenses at the dawn of Web 3.0, copyright holders can instill a sense that it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the ongoing struggle between technology and copyrights.
When target-decoy false discovery rate estimations are inaccurate and how to spot instances.

To address problems with estimating the reliability of proteomic search engine results from mass spectrometry fragmentation data, the use of target–decoy database searching has become the de facto ...
Kinetics and mechanisms of the oxidation of chromium in H2-H2O-H2S gas mixtures

The oxidation of pure chromium in H2-H2O-H2S gas mixtures was studied as a function of gas composition at 900°C. Oxidation kinetics were measured using a thermogravimetric apparatus, and the oxidation products were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Chromia scales formed when the H2O/H2S ratio was about 10 or greater. Scales that comprised a mixture of Cr2O3 and chromium sulfides formed when the H2O/H2S ratio was about 3, even though Cr2O3 was the thermodynamically stable phase under these conditions; i.e., a kinetic boundary exists for pure chromium in H2-H2O-H2S gas mixtures. The transition from chromia scale formation to the formation of scales containing both oxide and sulfide with a change in gas composition (decrease in the H2O/H2S ratio) is associated with an inhibition of the overgrowth of growing, metastable sulfide nuclei by the thermodynamically stable Cr2O2 phase. Presulfidation experiments confirmed that metastable chromium sulfide can continue to grow after H2O is added to the gas phase when the H2O/H2S ratio in the gas phase is less than a critical value at the temperature of interest.
Multiple myeloma: an overview of diagnosis and management.

BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma, a lethal disease resulting from proliferation of immunoglobulin-secreting cells, accounts for approximately 1 % of malignant neoplasms in the United States and affects blacks twice as often as whites. OBJECTIVE To review the historic, epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic features of multiple myeloma. SUMMARY Multiple myeloma is often diagnosed when a monoclonal protein is found in the serum or urine or both. No single test differentiates benign from malignant plasma cell proliferation. The clinical features of multiple myeloma develop from tissue damage secondary to the monoclonal gammopathy, plasma cells, and cytokines excreted by the cells. Increased vulnerability to infectionis due to depressed normal immunoglobulins. The melphalan-and-prednisone regimen improves median survival from 7months to 3 years in the 50% to 60% of patients who respond. Cure is exceedingly rare. Refractory and resistant multiple myeloma patients should be treated on investigational protocols. CONCLUSIONS There has been substantial advancement in our understanding of the biology of multiple myeloma and related plasma cell neoplasms over the past two decades. We can reasonably hope that improvements in treatment will ensue.
High-contrast terahertz wave modulation by gated graphene enhanced by extraordinary transmission through ring apertures.

Gate-controllable transmission of terahertz (THz) radiation makes graphene a promising material for making high-speed THz wave modulators. However, to date, graphene-based THz modulators have exhibited only small on/off ratios due to small THz absorption in single-layer graphene. Here we demonstrate a ∼50% amplitude modulation of THz waves with gated single-layer graphene by the use of extraordinary transmission through metallic ring apertures placed right above the graphene layer. The extraordinary transmission induced ∼7 times near-filed enhancement of THz absorption in graphene. These results promise complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor compatible THz modulators with tailored operation frequencies, large on/off ratios, and high speeds, ideal for applications in THz communications, imaging, and sensing.
MitoNEET-Parkin Effects in Pancreatic α- and β-Cells, Cellular Survival, and Intrainsular Cross Talk

Mitochondrial metabolism plays an integral role in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in β-cells. In addition, the diabetogenic role of glucagon released from α-cells plays a major role in the etiology of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes because unopposed hyperglucagonemia is a pertinent contributor to diabetic hyperglycemia. Titrating expression levels of the mitochondrial protein mitoNEET is a powerful approach to fine-tune mitochondrial capacity of cells. Mechanistically, β-cell-specific mitoNEET induction causes hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance due to activation of a Parkin-dependent mitophagic pathway, leading to the formation of vacuoles and uniquely structured mitophagosomes. Induction of mitoNEET in α-cells leads to fasting-induced hypoglycemia and hypersecretion of insulin during GSIS. MitoNEET-challenged α-cells exert potent antiapoptotic effects on β-cells and prevent cellular dysfunction associated with mitoNEET overexpression in β-cells. These observations identify that reduced mitochondrial function in α-cells exerts potently protective effects on β-cells, preserving β-cell viability and mass.