cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equal potency of nifedipine to inhibit α1-(dobutamine and BDF 6143) and α2-adrenoceptor (B-HT 920) induced pressor responses in pithed rats; lack of effect of phenoxybenzamine

Intravenous (i.v.) dobutamine and BDF 6143 were partial agonists in increasing diastolic pressure in beta-adrenoceptor-blocked pithed rats. The log dose-pressor effect curves were not influenced by yohimbine (1 mg/kg i.v., -15 min) but were markedly shifted to the right by prazosin (0.1 mg/kg i.v., -15 min) indicating the exclusive involvement of alpha 1-adrenoceptors. Nifedipine (0.1-1 mg/kg i.a., -15 min) non-competitively inhibited the pressor effects of dobutamine and BDF 6143 as well as of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agent B-HT 920 with equal potency. The -log ED50 values calculated for nifedipine amounted to 6.25 +/- 0.12, 6.16 +/- 0.14 and 6.20 +/- 0.10, respectively. Phenoxybenzamine (3 or 10 micrograms/kg i.v., -60 min) did not affect the effectiveness of nifedipine (0.1 mg/kg) to inhibit the pressor effects of dobutamine and BDF 6143. Following treatment with Bay k 8644 (1 mg/kg i.a., -15 min), the log dose-pressor effect curves for dobutamine and BDF 6143 were shifted to the left and the maximum responses were elevated. Our findings suggest that the alpha 1-adrenoceptor-induced pressor effects of dobutamine and BDF 6143 rely heavily on the influx of Ca2+, and are indistinguishable in this respect from the effects initiated by alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation. The data further support the view that the sensitivity of alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor effects to inhibition by Ca2+ entry blockers depends on the extent to which Ca2+ influx contributes to the overall response and is not determined by the intrinsic activity or by the receptor reserve of the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist.
Glacier Variability in the Wind River Range, Wyoming

One of the goals of storm-water infrastructure design is to mitigate effects resulting from extreme hydrologic events. Projected changes in climate are expected to lead to an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall events for many regions. Accordingly, existing storm-water infrastructure may not meet design standards in future decades. The North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program is currently disseminating high resolution climate data to facilitate climate change impact assessments. A simple framework is presented for assessment of storm-water infrastructure in response to climate change. First, the projected changes in the 6-hour, 100-year design-storm depth for a watershed in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, are calculated from several climate scenarios by using regional frequency analysis. Climate model projections vary substantially for this region and time scale. Climate model performance is assessed by using gridded reanalysis data. The projected changes in design-storm...
An Experimentally Validated Numerical Modeling Technique for Perforated Plate Heat Exchangers

Cryogenic and high-temperature systems often require compact heat exchangers with a high resistance to axial conduction in order to control the heat transfer induced by axial temperature differences. One attractive design for such applications is a perforated plate heat exchanger that utilizes high conductivity perforated plates to provide the stream-to-stream heat transfer and low conductivity spacers to prevent axial conduction between the perforated plates. This paper presents a numerical model of a perforated plate heat exchanger that accounts for axial conduction, external parasitic heat loads, variable fluid and material properties, and conduction to and from the ends of the heat exchanger. The numerical model is validated by experimentally testing several perforated plate heat exchangers that are fabricated using microelectromechanical systems based manufacturing methods. This type of heat exchanger was investigated for potential use in a cryosurgical probe. One of these heat exchangers included perforated plates with integrated platinum resistance thermometers. These plates provided in situ measurements of the internal temperature distribution in addition to the temperature, pressure, and flow rate measured at the inlet and exit ports of the device. The platinum wires were deposited between the fluid passages on the perforated plate and are used to measure the temperature at the interface between the wall material and the flowing fluid. The experimental testing demonstrates the ability of the numerical model to accurately predict both the overall performance and the internal temperature distribution of perforated plate heat exchangers over a range of geometry and operating conditions. The parameters that were varied include the axial length, temperature range, mass flow rate, and working fluid.
Targeting mitochondrial function for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury.

Traumatic injury to the mammalian spinal cord is a highly dynamic process characterized by a complex pattern of pervasive and destructive biochemical and pathophysiological events that limit the potential for functional recovery. Currently, there are no effective therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) and this is due, in part, to the widespread impact of the secondary injury cascades, including edema, ischemia, excitotoxicity, inflammation, oxidative damage, and activation of necrotic and apoptotic cell death signaling events. In addition, many of the signaling pathways associated with these cascades intersect and initiate other secondary injury events. Therefore, it can be argued that therapeutic strategies targeting a specific biochemical cascade may not provide the best approach for promoting functional recovery. A “systems approach” at the subcellular level may provide a better strategy for promoting cell survival and function and, as a consequence, improve functional outcomes following SCI. One such approach is to study the impact of SCI on the biology and function of mitochondria, which serve a major role in cellular bioenergetics, function, and survival. In this review, we will briefly describe the importance and unique properties of mitochondria in the spinal cord, and what is known about the response of mitochondria to SCI. We will also discuss a number of strategies with the potential to promote mitochondrial function following SCI.
Location of the iron atom and the non-crystallographic symmetry elements in cytochrome b562.

Cytochrome b 562 contains two molecules in the triclinic unit cell. The relative positions of the two heme iron atoms in the cell have been determined from anomalous scattering measurements at 4·3 A resolution. The location of the non-crystallographic 2-fold axis relating the two molecules has been determined using the rotation function. The unit cell axes can be redefined so that one of them is nearly coincident with the local 2-fold axis. The cell then has pseudo- C 2 space group symmetry.
Aggregation kinetics of citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone coated silver nanoparticles in monovalent and divalent electrolyte solutions

The aggregation kinetics of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) that were coated with two commonly used capping agents—citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)—were investigated. Time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) was employed to measure the aggregation kinetics of the AgNPs over a range of monovalent and divalent electrolyte concentrations. The aggregation behavior of citrate-coated AgNPs in NaCl was in excellent agreement with the predictions based on Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory, and the Hamaker constant of citrate-coated AgNPs in aqueous solutions was derived to be 3.7 × 10–20 J. Divalent electrolytes were more efficient in destabilizing the citrate-coated AgNPs, as indicated by the considerably lower critical coagulation concentrations (2.1 mM CaCl2 and 2.7 mM MgCl2 vs 47.6 mM NaCl). The PVP-coated AgNPs were significantly more stable than citrate-coated AgNPs in both NaCl and CaCl2, which is likely due to steric repulsion imparted by the large, noncharged polymers. The addition of...
Correlates of perceived difficulty in potentially disclosing HIV-positive test results: a study of low-income women attending an urban clinic.

Background: The study identified correlates of women’s perception that testing positive for HIV would be very difficult to communicate to friends, family members and sex partners. We also determined whether perceived disclosure difficulty was associated with HIV-testing intent. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 143 women attending an urgent care centre in Atlanta, Georgia. The centre served primarily low-income or indigent African–American women. A three-item scale (α = 0.81) assessed disclosure difficulty. Assessed correlates included selected social/contextual factors and intrapersonal factors. Results: In controlled multivariate analyses, only the social/contextual factors were associated with HIV disclosure difficulty. Women perceiving an inability to cope with positive results were more likely to report high disclosure difficulty (P = 0.01). Women perceiving an inadequate support system and those believing that HIV would substantially complicate their lives were more likely to anticipate high disclosure difficulty (P = 0.006 and P = 0.03, respectively). Disclosure difficulty was not associated with intent for HIV-testing ‘today’ (P = 0.50) or within the next 12 months (P = 0.27). Conclusion: Findings provide initial evidence suggesting that selected social/contextual factors rather than intrapersonal factors are associated with anticipated disclosure difficulty of HIV-positive test results among low-income minority women, residing in the urban south. High levels of anticipated disclosure difficulty may not preclude HIV test acceptance.
Field-compensated interferometers with reflecting optics

Interferometers without refracting elements have the advantage of freedom from chromatic aberrations and absorption bands. The aberrations of four versions of interferometers with reflecting optics are discussed in this article, two of which have parabolic optics, one hyperbolic optics, and one a “thick” confocal system.
Expression, kinetics and regulatory properties of native and recombinant ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase isoforms from chickpea

Abstract ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase, ATP: α-D-glucose 1-phosphate adenyltransferase EC 2.7.7.27) catalyzes the entry step to starch biosynthesis in plants. The leaf enzyme is subject to allosteric control by 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA) and inorganic phosphate (Pi), which activate and inhibit, respectively, catalytic activity. The major AGPase activity present in seed tissue from several legume plants has been reported to be insensitive to these allosteric effector molecules. In an effort to engineer starchy legume chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.), an important food crop for many Middle Eastern and Asian countries, for increased crop yields, the AGPase activities from leaves and developing seeds and a bacterial expressed recombinant leaf enzyme were studied. Our results demonstrate that the catalytic activities of all enzyme forms, including the major activity detected in developing seeds, was dependent on 3-PGA. The allosteric regulatory behavior, 3-PGA activation and Pi inhibition responses, were generally similar for the three enzyme activities although distinct differences were observed. The consequence of an allosterically regulated AGPase on starch synthesis during seed formation is discussed.
Z-contrast stem for materials science

Abstract The use of a high-angle annular detector on a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) for imaging crystalline materials with strong chemical sensitivity is described. The image can be used to form an elemental map with high efficiency which can be quantified directly in terms of atomic concentrations. Examples of ion-implanted silicon recrystallized by solid- or liquid-phase epitaxial growth will be shown, illustrating the usefulness of the image in studies of phase transformations and grain boundary segregation. At high resolution it is possible to resolve a crystal lattice, while preserving the strong chemical sensitivity of the image. A simply interpretable image results, with a minimum dependence on objective lens defocus and specimen thickness, and examples of high-temperature superconductors will be shown.
Theoretical methods for the relativistic atomic many-body problem

Because of the well-understood nature of the electromagnetic interaction, the presence of a well-defined center of force, and the relative unimportance of nonperturbative effects, the atomic many-body problem is argued to be an ideal laboratory for the study of high-accuracy theoretical many-body techniques. In particular, the convergence of many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) for highly charged ions is so rapid that the relativistic generalization of the Schr\"odinger equation can be accurately solved with MBPT through second order. Relatively large radiative corrections in these ions require the integration of QED and MBPT, which can be accomplished by using $S$-matrix theory. However, to reach high accuracy for neutral atoms, methods based on summation of infinite classes of MBPT diagrams are required. Both RPA and Brueckner-orbital-type summations are needed to reach the one-percent level for heavy atoms, and to proceed further the need for the evaluation of new classes of diagrams involving triple excitations will be described.
Interaction between carbonate rock and cement paste

Abstract A reaction in the transition zone between the portland cement paste and the carbonate rocks is generally attributed to the formation of calcium carboaluminate hydrates. This investigation shows that a reaction product is formed even when an alite cement containing no aluminates is used. From the study of the transition zone between cement paste and carbonate rock using X-ray analysis and scanning electron microscopy, it is concluded that a hydrated calcium carbonate-calcium hydroxide compound is formed at the interface. The substitution of the large and highly oriented crystals of calcium hydroxide by the compound having smaller crystals appears to be responsible for the strenghening of the transition zone.
Towards correct network virtualization

In SDN, the underlying infrastructure is usually abstracted for applications that can treat the network as a logical or virtual entity. Commonly, the ``mappings" between virtual abstractions and their actual physical implementations are not one-to-one, e.g., a single "big switch" abstract object might be implemented using a distributed set of physical devices. A key question is, what abstractions could be mapped to multiple physical elements while faithfully preserving their native semantics? E.g., can an application developer always expect her abstract "big switch" to act exactly as a physical big switch, despite being implemented using multiple physical switches in reality? We show that the answer to that question is "no" for existing virtual-to-physical mapping techniques: behavior can differ between the virtual "big switch" and the physical network, providing incorrect application-level behavior. We also show that that those incorrect behaviors occur despite the fact that the most pervasive and commonly-used correctness invariants, such as per-packet consistency, are preserved throughout. These examples demonstrate that for practical notions of correctness, new systems and a new analytical framework are needed. We take the first steps by defining end-to-end correctness, a correctness condition that focuses on applications only, and outline a research vision to obtain virtualization systems with correct virtual to physical mappings.
Gas wells chemical stimulation – experimental design and field optimization

Abstract Retrograde condensation in gas reservoirs leads to long-term loss of condensate and short-term liquid blocking, both of which cause a reduction in well productivity. The problem of loss of condensate was recognized long ago, while that of liquid blocking was not rigorously investigated until recently. Recent efforts have led to a better understanding of the liquid-blocking problem, and numerous approaches, with varying degrees of success, have been proposed to mitigate its effects. Based on the results of a large number of experimental measurements and a few reported field trials, near-wellbore chemical stimulation seems a viable solution to the liquid-blocking problem, though more successful field examples need to be reported for this technology to become a well-established and reliable practice for industry. The main characteristic of the treatment is its effectiveness in bonding to the rock surface and permanently altering its wettability toward non-wetting. Many difficulties arise when evaluating the possible chemicals available for this purpose, especially when the final objective is to design a field trial. A considerable number of papers have been published on the topic, but a publication that combines all the details is lacking. It is extremely important to know the physics behind this treatment approach and have a clear understanding of the key parameters profoundly affecting the outcome of evaluation and decision-making. Development of this knowledge will produce a better assessment of results and a thoughtful decision that reduces the risk of failure for field trials. This paper provides a stepwise procedure for correct evaluation and design of chemical treatment, starting with lab measurement designs and followed by simulation and economic optimization, all of which will help save time, effort, and money. Additionally, this paper highlights the necessary details that should be considered at each stage.
Measurement of methionine-enkephalin [Arg6,Phe7] in rat brain by specific radioimmunoassay directed at methionine sulphoxide enkephalin[Arg6,Phe7].

: A specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay procedure for Metenkephalin[Arg6,Phe7] which allows its measurement in regions of the rat brain is described. The antiserum was raised against the methionine sulphoxide derivative of the peptide, and all samples and standards were oxidized with hydrogen peroxide prior to use in the assay with chloramine T-oxidized 125I-labelled Met(O)-enkephalin[Arg6,Phe7]. The only significant cross-reactivity was 30% with the reduced heptapeptide Met-enkephalin[Arg6,Phe7]. The assay showed less than 0.15% cross-reactivity with fragments of the heptapeptide and with leucine-enkephalin-containing peptides. Acid acetone extraction of rat striatum followed by Sephadex G-50 chromatography and reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography showed that essentially all immunoreactivity co-chromatographed with Met-enkephalin[Arg6,Phe7]. This confirmed the specificity of the assay and showed that the striatum does not contain a high concentration of larger molecular weight forms with the heptapeptide at the COOH terminus. Distribution of the heptapeptide followed that of methionine enkephalin, with highest concentrations in the globus pallidus, intermediate levels in caudate-putamen and hypothalamus, and low levels in cortex and cerebellum.
Renal filtration, transport, and metabolism of low-molecular-weight proteins: a review.

Low-molecular-weight proteins are a heterogenous group of substances which constitute a small but biologically important fraction of total circulating proteins. The group comprises enzymes (for example, ribonuclease, lysozyme), immuno-proteins (for example, light chains of immunoglobulins, β 2 microglobulin), and peptide-hormones (for example, insulin, growth hormone, parathyroid hormone). Despite general recognition that the kidneys play an important role in the plasma turnover and in the maintenance of adequate plasma levels of small proteins, the study of the renal handling of these substances still constitutes one of the most underdeveloped areas of research in renal physiology. Nevertheless, recent advances in the field have been considerable and are the subject of the present review. Without attempting to be all inclusive, we will analyze the evidence regarding the extent, pathways, and mechanisms of the renal accumulation, filtration, absorption, and metabolism of small proteins. A final section will then deal with the renal turnover and the homeostatic role of the kidney in the maintenance of adequate plasma levels of these substances. A critical appraisal of the methods used to estimate glomerular sieving coefficients and renal turnover rates of small proteins will be given in some detail, because a correct determination of these parameters is essential to an understanding of the kidney's role in the disposal of circulating small proteins. Some aspects of the renal handling of small proteins are common to all members of the group, for example, filtration, absorption, intracellular catabolism. Other aspects are probably specific for particular proteins, for example, interaction with receptors at the peritubular side. We will emphasize the former and only mention the latter briefly. The reader should be aware, however, that the heterogeneity of the group, both in molecular structure and biologic function, makes it likely that some proteins may be processed by the kidney by modes not encompassed in the generalized picture described in the present review.
Liquid/catalyst interactions in slurry reactors: methanol synthesis over zinc chromite

Abstract The performance of a `zinc chromite' catalyst was studied in a continuous slurry reactor using three different liquids: decahydronaphthalene, tetrahydronaphthalene, and tetrahydroquinoline. The reactor feed was a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide with a H 2 /CO ratio of either 0.5 or 2. The reactor was operated over a temperature range of 598–698 K and at a total pressure of about 14 MPa. The characteristics of the slurry liquid had a major influence on both the overall reaction rate and the product distribution. The rate of methanol synthesis was much higher when tetrahydroquinoline was used than with the other two liquids. The product distribution was shifted away from oxygenates and towards hydrocarbons when tetrahydronaphthalene was used. The slurry liquid was analyzed by GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) during and after the reaction. There was no evidence of significant cracking or hydrocracking of any of the liquids. However, tetrahydroquinoline was alkylated during the reaction, and tetrahydronaphthalene was dehydrogenated to some extent. Tetrahydroquinoline, and perhaps tetrahydronaphthalene, may have participated in the catalytic cycle.
Limitations on the use of platinum in power devices

There is growing interest in the use of platinum as a lifetime control element in bipolar devices. This paper discusses key differences between the conventionally used gold lifetime killer and platinum, with particular emphasis on high injection effects and high temperature effects. It is shown that generation at platinum impurity centers is orders of magnitude less than at gold centers, allowing improved high temperature leakage. It is also shown that minority carrier lifetime decreases with increasing current when platinum is used, causing forward dissipation difficulties. No such effect has been seen with gold. Platinum can provide improved turn-on performance and high temperature leakage in devices which are switched so rapidly that the turn-off is governed mainly by the high injection lifetime. When the switching wave form involves low injection recombination tails, the shorter high injection lifetime leads to prohibitively high forward dissipation, and gold is preferable to platinum.
Effect of feeding buffered concentrate rations on the performance and metabolism of lactating dairy cattle in a subtropical environment.

Abstract Buffered concentrates were fed to lactating Holsteins receiving 5.46 to 10.9kg of roughage daily in three trials with 12 cows per trial. Sodium bicarbonate fed as 3.84% of the concentrate or as .34kg per cow daily significantly increased (P 3 fed with 5.46 to 9.1kg of roughage per day increased fat and total solids percentages, molar proportion of rumen acetic acid, and decreased molar proportion of rumen propionic acid. Highroughage (10.9 kg/day) plus NaHCO 3 significantly increased rumen pH to 6.70 compared with 6.25 for low-roughage control (7.28 kg/day). A combination of 1.92% each of NaHCO 3 and MgO added to the concentrate significantly reduced concentrate intake, weight gain, total milk and total protein and increased fat and total solids percentages. These data indicate that amount of roughage in the diet influences response to NaHCO 3 . Addition of MgO depressed feed intake and milk yield. Experimental design did not permit evaluation as to whether other effects were due to MgO or reduced concentrate intake.
The Risk in Early Design (RED) Method: Likelihood and Consequence Formulations

This study focuses specifically on the relationship between function and risk in early design by presenting a mathematical mapping from product function to likelihood and consequence risk assessments that can be used in the conceptual design phase. An investigation of a spacecraft orientation subsystem is used to demonstrate the proposed mappings. The risk assessment presented in this paper is a tool that will aid designers by identifying risks as well as reducing the subjectivity of the likelihood and consequence value from a risk element, provide four key risk element properties (design parameter, failure mode, likelihood, and consequence) for numerous risk elements with a simple calculation, and provide a means for inexperienced designers to effectively address risk in the conceptual design phase. The investigation demonstrates that the method presented in this paper is a useful tool for preliminary identification and assessment of product risks.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Determination of pore-water dissolved organic carbon fluxes from Mexican margin sediments

Sediment dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes were determined in the oxygen minimum zone along the northwestern Mexican margin using five different methods: in situ benthic chambers, on-deck incubations, slicing, dialysis sampling (peepers), and sipping. For each of the five methods, replicates (n 5 6‐12) were made. Directly determined fluxes (whole-core incubations and benthic chambers) and calculated fluxes (sliced and dialysis-sampled cores) agree well (0.41 6 0.09, 0.36 6 0.04, 0.25 6 0.05, and 0.25 6 0.05 mmol C m 22 d 21 , respectively). On the Mexican margin, the DOC flux was 8% of the sedimentary carbon input, suggesting that it is a significant component to the local carbon budget. Extrapolations of this flux to the total global margin suggest that shelf and slope sediments contribute 96 Tg C yr 21 . The residence time of oceanic DOC based on this flux is consistent with measurements of the deep-water DO 14 C age. Profiles were also constructed from sip-isolated pore waters and yield consistently lower DOC profile gradients and DOC fluxes (0.06 6 0.02 mmol C m 22 d 21 ). We propose that the consistently observed discrepancy between sip-isolated profiles and other isolation techniques is a result of sampling different reservoirs of pore water present in the heterogeneous sediment matrix.
Smelling right: the scent of male lemurs advertises genetic quality and relatedness

Sexual selection theory predicts that competitors or potential mates signal their quality or relatedness to conspecifics. Researchers have focused on visual or auditory modes of signal transmission; however, the importance of olfactory indicators is gaining recognition. Using a primate model and a new integrative analytical approach, we provide the first evidence relating male olfactory cues to individual genome-wide heterozygosity and to the genetic distance between individuals. The relationships between male semiochemical profiles and genetic characteristics are apparent only during the highly competitive and stressful breeding season. As heterozygosity accurately predicts health and survivorship in this population, we identify scrotal olfactory cues as honest indicators of male quality, with relevance possibly to both sexes. Beyond showing that semiochemicals could underlie kin recognition and nepotism, we provide a putative olfactory mechanism to guide male–male competition and female mate choice.
Molecular Diagnosis of Populational Variants of Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in North America

The utility of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) DNA sequence used for DNA barcoding and a Sequence Characterized Amplified Region for diagnosing boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, variants was evaluated. Maximum likelihood analysis of COI DNA sequences from 154 weevils collected from the United States and Mexico supports previous evidence for limited gene flow between weevil populations on wild cotton and commercial cotton in northern Mexico and southern United States. The wild cotton populations represent a variant of the species called the thurberia weevil, which is not regarded as a significant pest. The 31 boll weevil COI haplotypes observed in the study form two distinct haplogroups (A and B) that are supported by five fixed nucleotide differences and a phylogenetic analysis. Although wild and commercial cotton populations are closely associated with specific haplogroups, there is not a fixed difference between the thurberia weevil variant and other populations. The Sequence Characterized Amplified Region marker generated a larger number of inconclusive results than the COI gene but also supported evidence of shared genotypes between wild and commercial cotton weevil populations. These methods provide additional markers that can assist in the identification of pest weevil populations but not definitively diagnose samples.
INDEX OF SUSPICION

1. Geeta Berera 2. Frank B. Magill 3. Melanie Oblender 1. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 2. Peterborough, NH 3. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX This section of Pediatrics in Review reminds clinicians of those conditions that can present in a misleading fashion and require suspicion for early diagnosis. Emphasis has been placed on conditions in which early diagnosis is important and that the general pediatrician might be expected to encounter, at least once in a while. The reader is encouraged to write possible diagnoses for each case before turning to the discussion, which is on the following page. We invite readers to contribute case presentations and discussions. Case 1 Presentation The parents of a 6-year-old boy would like your opinion regarding a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for their son. His speech development has been delayed, and even now, despite 2 years of therapy, he is difficult to understand. The child had experienced recurrent ear infections for which pressure equalization tubes were placed 4 years ago. Physical examination reveals bilateral serous otitis media and a bifid uvula. The tonsils appear normal for his age. His speech has a hypernasal quality. An audiologic evaluation reveals bilateral conductive hearing loss. You see a pattern that suggests an underlying condition with important therapeutic implications. Case 2 Presentation A 6-week-old infant is brought to the emergency room because of bleeding from the umbilicus for 8 hours.
Explaining macro-regional trends in global income inequalities, 1950–2000

This paper analyses levels and trends in within-country income inequality during the second-half of the 20th century. Two broad general trends were visible: beginning in the 1950s and 1960s inequality declined substantially in most countries, and in the 1980s and 1990s it increased more variably and more slightly. However, we focus here on presenting and explaining the distinct ‘macroregional’ regimes of inequality that became evident in this period. We identify six: Anglo, Nordic, Continental West European, Latin American, East Asian and South Asian. We show that intra-regional variations in inequality have been much less than inter-regional variations, and that the six regional regimes did not remain constant but had distinct trajectories through time. The Anglos were at first the most egalitarian, only later developing the greater inequality supposedly characteristic of their ‘liberalism’. The Nordics only became the most egalitarian in the middle of our period. The Euro-Continentals began as the most unequal among the Western countries, but then became almost as equal as the Nordics. Latin America began and remained the most unequal region of all. East Asia was rather egalitarian, while South Asia converged towards a middling inequality. Though pressures towards more inequality strengthened from 1980, regional responses remained varied and path-dependent. Then, in more speculative vein, we seek to explain these regional patterns in macro-sociological terms. Beginning from a model of dynamic interactions between economic, ideological, military and political power relations, we trace the political institutionalization of distinct macro-regional ideologies of ‘best practices’ of socio-economic development.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation of left prefrontal cortex impairs working memory.

Objectives: Several lines of evidence suggest that the prefrontal cortex is involved in working memory. Our goal was to determine whether transient functional disruption of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would impair performance in a sequential-letter working memory task. Methods: Subjects were shown sequences of letters and asked to state whether the letter just displayed was the same as the one presented 3-back. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the DLPFC between letter presentations. Results: TMS applied over the left DLPFC resulted in increased errors relative to no TMS controls. TMS over the right DLPFC did not alter working memory performance. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the left prefrontal cortex has a crucial role in at least one type of working memory. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
“You're in the Army Now:” The Impact of World War II on Women's Education, Work, and Family

World War II temporarily halted the rise in high school and college graduation rates. This article shows that manpower mobilization for World War II decreased educational attainment among high school-age females during the early 1940s, reduced employment and earnings, and altered decisions regarding family formation. I then provide evidence that women in this cohort returned to school in later life and relate these findings to the “quiet revolution” taking place as women learned about the benefits of school and work over the second half of the twentieth century. “Education has been ever in the nation's service. But in these days of total war that service has a new significance. ‘You're in the Army now’ is no cliche–it is an expression of national necessity.” 1
Bump hunting to identify differentially methylated regions in epigenetic epidemiology studies.

Background During the past 5 years, high-throughput technologies have been successfully used by epidemiology studies, but almost all have focused on sequence variation through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Today, the study of other genomic events is becoming more common in large-scale epidemiological studies. Many of these, unlike the single-nucleotide polymorphism studied in GWAS, are continuous measures. In this context, the exercise of searching for regions of interest for disease is akin to the problems described in the statistical ‘bump hunting’ literature. Methods New statistical challenges arise when the measurements are continuous rather than categorical, when they are measured with uncertainty, and when both biological signal, and measurement errors are characterized by spatial correlation along the genome. Perhaps the most challenging complication is that continuous genomic data from large studies are measured throughout long periods, making them susceptible to ‘batch effects’. An example that combines all three characteristics is genome-wide DNA methylation measurements. Here, we present a data analysis pipeline that effectively models measurement error, removes batch effects, detects regions of interest and attaches statistical uncertainty to identified regions. Results We illustrate the usefulness of our approach by detecting genomic regions of DNA methylation associated with a continuous trait in a well-characterized population of newborns. Additionally, we show that addressing unexplained heterogeneity like batch effects reduces the number of false-positive regions. Conclusions Our framework offers a comprehensive yet flexible approach for identifying genomic regions of biological interest in large epidemiological studies using quantitative high-throughput methods.
Evaluation of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Material Stabilized with Fly Ash

This paper describes a case study where asphaltic recycled pavement material (RPM) blended with Class C fly ash was used as base course during reconstruction of a 0.5-km section of asphalt pavement in Waseca, Minnesota. The RPM was blended with cementitious fly ash to increase its bearing resistance and stiffness. California bearing ratio (CBR) and resilient modulus (Mr) tests were conducted on the RPM alone and RPM blended with fly ash (referred to as stabilized RPM, or SRPM). Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests were also conducted on the as-built pavement. Addition of fly ash improved the bearing resistance and stiffness of the RPM significantly. After 7 d of curing, CBR of the SRPM (13 to 94) was three to nine times the CBR of the RPM alone (3 to 17) and Mr of the SRPM ranged between 50 and120 MPa, whereas the Mr of the RPM was 47 MPa. The FWD tests demonstrated that the SRPM maintained its stiffness even after exposure to freeze-thaw cycling during the first winter after construction.
Parallel dynamic simulation of power systems

Modeling issues and results of simulating a disturbance on a realistic system using a supercomputer as well as parallel processing are discussed. The method is based on algebraizing the DAE equations and solving them using Newton's method. Current work is focused on using the multiple processors in the Clay 2 machine and the time windowing concept. Details like the relay performance and switching operations are included. >
Storytelling during retail sales encounters

Many researchers have emphasized the importance of communication in personal selling. Psychologists and researchers in management and advertising have recognized the importance of communication via stories, but this has not extended to research in sales. This paper uses a framework developed from exploratory field work and the literature on stories to investigate storytelling by retail salespeople in three similar experimental studies. The experiments manipulate personal versus business stories across three different topic areas: entity, product, and digression. The results suggest that product stories told from a business point of view may be most effective in enhancing consumers’ purchase intentions in onetime sales encounters.
Unmet Needs in Managing Hypertension: Potential Role of Direct Renin Inhibition

AbstractHypertension is the most prevalent and important risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease worldwide. Despite the large armamentarium of available blood pressure-lowering agents, the need remains for safer and more effective antihypertensive treatment. Based on current target levels of < 140/90 mm Hg, only one-third of hypertensive Americans have achieved goal blood pressure. Several strategies can help address these challenges, including increasing public awareness, and improving physician awareness of evidence-based therapeutic guidelines. There also remains a need for new therapeutic options. This review examines new developments among those agents having inhibitory activity on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). All currently available RAAS blockers cause a reactive increase in plasma renin concentration. However, the direct renin inhibitors are the only class that diminishes plasma renin activity, an effect that may provide additional cardiovascular and/or renoprotective b...
Self-stabilizing algorithms for sorting and heapification

We present two space and time efficient asynchronous distributed self-stabilizing algorithms. The first sorts an oriented chain network and the second heapifies a rooted tree network. The time complexity of both solutions is linear - in terms of the nodes (for the chain) and height (for the tree). The chain sorting algorithm uses O(m) bits per process where m represents the number of bits required to store any value in the network. The heapify algorithm needs O(m ldr D) bits per process where D is the degree of the tree.
Pharmacokinetics of fructose-1,6-diphosphate after intraperitoneal and oral administration to adult rats.

Abstract Exogenously administered fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) has been studied for its ability to protect tissue during hypoxia or ischemia. Recently, a clear effect of FDP on the central nervous system has raised the question whether FDP can get into the brain. FDP levels were measured in blood, brain, liver, kidney, muscle and fat after intraperitoneal administration of a single 0.5 g kg −1 dose of FDP to adult male Sprague–Dawley rats. A complete time course of the levels in blood and brain was determined. The levels of FDP in the blood and brain increase simultaneously, i.e. there is no lag in the increase in the brain. The levels of FDP fall to baseline in liver, kidney, muscle and fat by 12 h, but remain elevated in blood and brain. However, levels in the blood at 12 h are significantly decreased from the peak levels, while those in brain are not different from the peak levels, suggesting that the kinetics of FDP in blood and brain are quite different. Stripping the endothelial cells from the brain tissue sample did not change the levels of FDP indicating that FDP is not trapped in the capillary cells. Incubation of brain slices in a solution of FDP, followed by washing, raised tissue levels of FDP indicating that FDP is taken up into cells within the brain. Finally, the experiments demonstrate a significant increase in brain levels of FDP after oral administration. These data suggest that an oral formulation of FDP might be developed for treatment of neurological disease.
Image enhancement using rough surface effects in plasmon materials

We investigate image enhancement of transmitted optical fields though plasmon film lenses with smooth surfaces, random rough surfaces, and sinusoidal rough surfaces. We show that the silver film lens with small periodic roughness can provide image enhancement. Image enhancement is defined by the spatial width of the image in the image plane. It is shown that the spatial width can be significantly less than a wavelength. It is also shown that the image integrity is preserved. On the other hand, random roughness does not preserve image integrity. In the formulation we consider a line source placed above the plasmon film lens with roughness. Two numerical methods, viz., method of moments and T-matrix method, are used to calculate the results.
The Demarcation of Physical Theory and Astronomy by Geminus and Ptolemy

The Hellenistic reception of Babylonian horoscopic astrology gave rise to the question of what the planets really do and whether astrology is a science. This question in turn became one of defining the Greco-Latin science of astronomy, a project that took Aristotle's views as a starting-point. Thus, I concentrate on one aspect of the various definitions of astronomy proposed in Hellenistic times, their demarcation of astronomy and physical theory. I explicate the account offered by Geminus and its subordination of astronomy to arguments made in physical theory about what really is the case. I then show how Ptolemy treats the same topic but maintains that this science is sufficient on its own to determine the realia it studies. In this way, I identify two moments in an obvious process of intellectual change that had profound consequences for the history of astronomy and cosmology over the next 1500 years. My hope is that this will advance our understanding of the reception of horoscopic astrology in Hellen...
Texas drought history reconstructed and analyzed from 1698 to 1980

Abstract A selected group of nine climate-sensitive tree-ring chronologies from old post oak trees are used to reconstruct the June Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) from 1698 to 1980 for two large regions in northern and southern Texas. Analysis of tree growth and monthly climate variables indicate that the June PDSI is the most robust climate signal evident in these chronologies, and principal component analysis (PCA) reveals a north-south geographic pattern in the relationships between the regional tree-ring time series. Serially random amplitude series from the first two significant eigenvectors of tree growth, which explain 65% of the total variance in the tree-ring data, were entered into stepwise multiple regression as predictors of regionally averaged June PDSI in north and south Texas for the common interval 1931–80. The regression models explain 59% and 60% of the variance in north and south Texas June PDSI, respectively, and both reconstructions are well verified against independent June PDS...
Do Younger Researchers Assess Trustworthiness Differently When Deciding What to Read and Cite and Where to Publish

An international survey of over 3600 academic researchers examined how trustworthiness is determined when making decisions on scholarly reading, citing, and publishing in the digital age and whether social media and open access publications are having an impact on judgements. In general, the study found that traditional scholarly methods and criteria remain important across the board. However, there are significant differences between younger (age 30 & under) and older researchers (over 30). Thus younger researchers: a) expend less effort to obtain information and more likely to compromise on quality in their selections; b) view open access publishing much more positively as it offers them more choices and helps to establish their reputation more quickly; c) compensate for their lack of experience by relying more heavily on trust markers and proxies, such as impact factors; d) use all the outlets available in order to improve the chances of getting their work published and, in this respect, make the most use of the social media with which they are more familiar.
Studies on the measurement of insulin antibodies in controlled and resistant human diabetic patients by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

SummaryA new method was developed by using polyacrylamide disc-gel electro-phoresis for the assay of insulin and insulin antibodies in biological materials. By this method we have been able to detect insulin-binding antibodies in 15 out of 16 diabetic patients studied. The antibody titer ranged from 1.6 to 30.0 mU/ml of the serum. From the mobility of the insulin-binding protein (antibody) the molecular weight of this protein (both guinea pig and human and resistant diabetic) was around 150,000.
Ultrafast dynamics in multifunctional Ru(II)-loaded polymers for solar energy conversion.

ConspectusThe use of sunlight to make chemical fuels (i.e., solar fuels) is an attractive approach in the quest to develop sustainable energy sources. Using nature as a guide, assemblies for artificial photosynthesis will need to perform multiple functions. They will need to be able to harvest light across a broad region of the solar spectrum, transport excited-state energy to charge-separation sites, and then transport and store redox equivalents for use in the catalytic reactions that produce chemical fuels. This multifunctional behavior will require the assimilation of multiple components into a single macromolecular system.A wide variety of different architectures including porphyrin arrays, peptides, dendrimers, and polymers have been explored, with each design posing unique challenges. Polymer assemblies are attractive due to their relative ease of production and facile synthetic modification. However, their disordered nature gives rise to stochastic dynamics not present in more ordered assemblies. ...