cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perioperative outcomes following pelvic floor reconstruction in women with hereditary disorders of connective tissue: a retrospective cohort study

Women with hereditary disorders of connective tissue (HDCT) are at increased risk of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We hypothesized that patients would have increased incidence and severity of perioperative complications up to 6 weeks after surgeries for POP/SUI. Secondary objectives were to compare pre- and post-operative pelvic floor symptoms and anatomical support as well as pelvic floor disorder recurrence. In this multi-center retrospective cohort study, we identified patients with HDCTs by patient history and ICD-9 codes over an 11-year period. Controls without HDCTs were matched 2:1 to the primary POP or SUI procedure and surgeon. Demographic characteristics, perioperative pelvic floor information and complications were collected. A sample size of 65 HDCT patients and 130 controls was calculated to detect a 20% difference in complications with 80% power and alpha of 0.05. We identified 59 HDCT patients and 118 controls. Of the women with HDCTs, 49% had Ehlers–Danlos, 22% joint hypermobility syndrome, 15% Marfan syndrome, and 14% had others. Compared with controls, HDCT patients had more total perioperative complications (46% vs 22%, p = 0.002); an age-adjusted relative risk of complications was 1.4 (CI 0.7–2.6). HDCT patients had more Clavien–Dindo grades I and II complications (p = 0.02, 0.03) and more hospital readmissions (14% vs 3%, p = 0.01) than controls. There was no difference in the incidence of specific complications nor was there a difference in recurrence of POP (10%) or SUI (11%) between groups. Patients with HDCTs had more Clavien–Dindo grade I and II complications following pelvic floor reconstructive surgery and more readmissions.
Hölder categories

Holder categories are invented to provide an axiomatic foundation for the study of categories of archimedean lattice-ordered algebraic structures. The basis of such a study is Holder’s Theorem (1908), stating that the archimedean totally ordered groups are precisely the subgroups of the additive real numbers ℝ with the usual addition and ordering, which remains the single most consequential result in the studies of lattice-ordered algebraic systems since Birkhoff and Fuchs to the present.
Does Local Government Fragmentation Reduce Local Spending

This study uses multiple measures of fragmentation and decentralization to assess the effects of these conditions on total local spending in 126 metropolitan regions and 538 counties in the same re...
Atrial fibrillation induced by anticancer drugs and underling mechanisms.

ABSTRACT Cancer therapy has made major progress in the last several decades, but treatments are often accompanied by significant side effects. Arrhythmias are a widespread complication of some antineoplastic drugs, with atrial fibrillation (AF) being the most often encountered drug-associated arrhythmia. Preexisting AF risk factors are commonly present in cancer patients who develop drug-associated AF, and active cancer itself may cause or promote AF. While anticancer drugs may induce AF in cancer patients without AF risk factors, it appears that most drug-associated AF develop when cancer drugs add or aggravate pre-cancer-existing and/or cancer-related pro-AF factors/alterations, additively or synergistically producing AF. Abnormalities in intracellular calcium activity seem to be involved in the generation of anticancer drug-induced AF. In cancer survivors with cancer therapy-induced cardiomyopathy, AF often occurs, with most of the arrhythmias likely to develop secondary to the cardiomyopathy. AF may lead to modification or even cessation of cancer therapy. The management of AF in patients with cancer is currently conducted largely based on pragmatic assumptions. This review briefly discusses AF caused by anticancer drugs and the underlying mechanisms.
Shareholder Nonparticipation in Valuable Rights Offerings

Shareholder participation in domestic rights offerings averages only 64%, which is considerably lower than previously thought. This causes wealth transfers from nonparticipating to participating shareholders which average 7% of the value of the offering. Wealth transfers are larger in nontransferable, larger offerings. Offerings with lower shareholder participation tend to fall short in raising the capital sought. The stock market reacts more negatively to offerings with higher wealth transfers. It appears that small, non-sophisticated shareholders are less likely to participate. International evidence reveals that rights offerings are more prevalent in countries with institutional practices that limit such wealth transfers among shareholders.
Influence of cranberry phenolics on glucan synthesis by glucosyltransferases and Streptococcus mutans acidogenicity

Aims: To investigate the influence of several phenolic compounds isolated from cranberry fruit (Vaccinium macrocarpon) on some of the virulence properties of Streptococcus mutans associated with glucan synthesis and acidogenicity. Methods and Results: Individual phenolic acids, flavonols and proanthocyanidins were isolated by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography from fresh cranberry fruit. Flavonols and proanthocyanidins (at 500 μmol l−1) moderately inhibited the activity of surface-adsorbed glucosyltransferases (GTFs) B and C and F-ATPases (15–35% inhibition; P < 0·05), and also disrupted acid production by S. mutans cells without affecting bacterial viability. Phenolic acids displayed minimal biological effects. Quercetin-3-arabinofuranoside, myricetin and procyanidin A2 displayed the most inhibition of S. mutans virulence traits; a combination of these compounds displayed enhanced effects. Conclusions: Specific flavonoids from cranberries exhibit statistically significant but moderate biological activity against S. mutans. The biological activity of cranberry extracts may be a result from the complex mixture of flavonoids rather than a single active compound. Significance and Impact of Study: This is the first study to identify the bioactive constituents in cranberry against an oral bacterium using highly purified isolated compounds. The combined effects of specific flavonols and proanthocyanidins from cranberry on GTFs activity, acid production and acid tolerance of S. mutans make them attractive compounds to fully explore for their anti-biofilm and cariostatic properties.
Building an Online Learning and Research Environment to Enhance Use of Geospatial Data

Geospatial data availability, interoperability, and integration remain a problem today. Current spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) are of limited use particularly to non-expert user communities. GeoBrain, a NASA funded project, has aimed to address those challenges, facilitate easy use of geospatial data and overcome some limitations of current SDIs through building a data-intensive, Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) based online learning and research environment. By adopting the latest developing Web services and knowledge management technologies, this online environment enables easy, open, seamless, and on-demand discovery, access, retrieval, visualization and analysis of distributed geospatial data, information, services, and models from any computer connected to the Internet. Such an online environment is able to serve the different needs of global Earth sciences research and higher education communities, bridge gaps between data user needs and provider capabilities, and greatly enhance use of geospatial data.
Committee Machine Networks to Diagnose Cardiovascular Diseases

A parallel committee machines technique for neural network systems with back propagation together with a majority voting scheme is presented in this paper. Previous research with regards to predict the presence of cardiovascular diseases has shown accuracy rates up to 72.9% but it comes with a cost of reduced prediction accuracy of the minority class. The designed neural network system in this article presents a significant increase of robustness and it is shown that by majority voting of the parallel networks, recognition rates reach to > 90 in the V.A. Medical Center, Long Beach and Cleveland Clinic Foundation data set.
Immunopathology of Herpes Simplex Virus Infections

The great majority of accounts of immune mechanisms in virus infections have dealt with protective aspects, but it is evident that immune reactions against infected cells or viral antigens may cause tissue damage. Indeed, it is likely that, during clearance of most if not all viruses, an inflammatory reaction ensues after a T cell response is generated (MIMS 1983). It is perhaps a matter of semantics as to whether or not this should be described as immunopathology (IP). For the purpose of this review, IP will be considered as a chronic inflammatory reaction mediated primarily by the immune system that results in tissue damage or a change in immune function which is initiated and perhaps perpetuated by virus infections. Such situations result more commonly following infections with noncytopathic viruses which persist in an expressed form in the body (Sissons and Borysiewicz 1985). Although herpes simplex virus (HSV) is persistent, clearly it is not usually expressed, and productive infections are highly cytopathic. Consequently, HSV is unlikely to participate in many immunopathological situations. Before discussing these, our review briefly surveys the state of affairs with other agents which best indicate immunopathological disease mechanisms and which provide clues to understanding those processes that occur in HSV-induced IP.
Characterization of Human Sperm Cell Surface Components

Intact human sperm, sperm cell lysates, and seminal plasma were radiolabeled by enzymatic iodination with lactoperoxidase and Na’25 L SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of labeled sperm surface resolved one minor and four major components with approximate molecular weights of 92, 72, 46, 30, and 20 Kd, respectively. That labeling of intact sperm specifically marked the surface components was supported by experiments in which cell lysates were labeled rather than intact cells. Electrophoresis of labeled sperm cell lysates revealed two major components, both distinct from those detected on the surface of human sperm. To identify components adsorbed to sperm cell surfaces from adnexal secretions, seminal plasma was similarly analyzed. Separation of labeled seminal plasma from both normospermic and vasectomized men resolved five components with approximate molecular weights of 74, 52, 43, 28, and 20 Kd. Three of these coincided with sperm surface components. To identify the chemical composition of the radioiodinated components, labeled sperm surface and labeled seminal plasma were subjected to isopycnic density gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride, a procedure which separates proteins from lipids. With human sperm surface, two areas of radioactivity were resolved, one equilibrium banding with a density characteristic of protein, the other with a density characteristic of lipid. With human seminal plasma, only one area of radioactivity, having a density characteristic of protein, was identified. Electrophoretic analysis of each area of radioactivity obtained from the gradients demonstrated that all of the sperm. surface components and four of the five seminal plasma components were in the protein fractions.
Association properties of trypsin inhibitors from lima bean

The molecular-weight properties of three purified proteinase inhibitors from lima bean were studied by using high speed sedimentation equilibrium. Two isoinhibitors [fraction I and II, nomenclature from Jones et al., (18)]do not self-associate at moderate pH and concentration (<4 g/liter). Fraction IV exists as a monomer at pH 2.0 and polymerizes at higher pH values. The molecular-weight data fit a monomer ⇄ dimer equilibrium at pH 7.0, and a monomer ⇄ dimer ⇄ trimer equilibrium at pH 4.65.
A Test of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients

Evaluated the hopelessness theory of depression among youth psychiatric inpatients. According to the hopelessness theory of depression, negative attributional style may cross-sectionally relate to an array of psychopathological symptoms. However, in the presence but not the absence of negative life events, negative attributional style relates to the onset and exacerbation of depressive (not other) symptoms. Moreover, negative attributional style relates to depression onset or exacerbation specifically via changes in hopelessness (not other mediators). This study of 60 youth psychiatric inpatients (22 boys and 38 girls; ages 9 to 17, M = 14.33, SD = 1.86), 34 of whom were assessed 2 months after leaving the hospital, tested hopelessness theory. At baseline, participants completed self-report questionnaires on attributional style, hopelessness, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety; at follow-up, questionnaires on negative life events and symptoms were completed. Chart diagnoses were available. Results were consistent with all hypotheses derived from hopelessness theory.
Surgical management of exophytic chiasmatic- hypothalamic tumors of childhood

Sixteen children underwent 18 operations for radical resection of chiasmatic-hypothalamic tumors. The clinical presentation correlated with age: infants under 1 year of age presented with macrocephaly, failure to thrive, and severe visual failure; children aged 1 to 5 years predominantly had precocious puberty with mild visual deficits; and older children (greater than 5 years old) had slowly progressive loss of vision. All three infants had biologically aggressive tumors in spite of low-grade histology, and died from progressive tumor growth. Eleven of the 13 children aged 1 year or over are alive and well, without clinical or radiographic evidence of disease progression, 4 months to 4 1/2 years following surgery. Six of these patients, with a follow-up period of 10 months to 4 1/2 years (mean 27 months), have had no adjuvant therapy following radical surgical resection. The authors conclude that: 1) radical surgical resection of chiasmatic-hypothalamic tumors can be performed with minimal morbidity; 2) radical resection may delay the time to disease progression in older children and postpone the need for irradiation; 3) resection of postirradiation recurrent tumors may provide neurological improvement and long-lasting clinical remission; and 4) chiasmatic-hypothalamic tumors of infancy are aggressive neoplasms that require multimodality therapy.
ELECTRICAL TRANSITIONS IN PURE AND DOPED V2O3

Extensive electrical and thermal studies on transitions in (CrxV1-x)2O3, 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.03, and in (TixV1-x)2O3, 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.06, have been undertaken. An increase in Cr-doping (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.018) raises the temperature of the low-temperature transition and elevates the resistivity of the metallic phase ; it first sharpens and later diminishes the high-temperature transition. The latter (transition) in 1 at. % of Cr-doped V2O3 is characterized by stepwise discontinuities in resistivity and by sharp spikes in DSC scans. Experimental work on Ti-doped V2O3 shows that the size and temperature of the low-temperature transition (Tt) diminish drastically with increasing Ti content. At a Ti concentration of ca. 5.6 at. %, Tt drops abruptly from 35 to (presumably) 0 K. The activation energy of the semiconducting phase diminishes nearly exponentially to zero in this composition range. The above findings, in conjunction with other evidence obtained from resistivity and heat capacity measurements, suggest that the high-temperature transition in (CrxV1-x)2O3 system is not readily compatible with the Mott transition model but is consistent with the existence of Overhauser charge density waves. Further, the (TixV1-x)2O3 system, whose structure is essentially unaltered by Ti doping, provides a testing ground for theories on the abrupt disappearance of metal-insulator transitions.
Homocysteine and coronary atherosclerosis

Homocysteine is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for coronary artery disease. An understanding of its metabolism and of the importance of vitamins B6 and B12 and folate as well as enzyme levels in its regulation will aid the development of therapeutic strategies that, by lowering circulating concentrations, may also lower risk. Possible mechanisms by which elevated homocysteine levels lead to the development and progression of vascular disease include effects on platelets, clotting factors and endothelium. This review presents the clinical and basic scientific evidence supporting the risk and mechanisms of vascular disease associated with elevated homocysteine concentrations as well as the results of preliminary therapeutic trials.
Invariant theory, orbits and non-decomposable quadruples of subspaces having non-zero defect

Abstract Let V be a vector space having dimension n ⩾ 3 over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic 0. Quadruples of subspaces of V were classified by Gelf and Ponomarev; more recently, Howe and Huang explicitly described the homogeneous generatorss F i of the corresponding algebra of invariants. The purpose of this paper is to connect these two theories in the case where there is a non-decomposable quadruple, having non-zero defect, in the dimension class of the quadruples. We show that the non-decomposables form an open orbit characterized by the non-vanishing of each F i ; furthermore, the SL(V) -orbit of a non-decomposable is completely determined by the values of the F i . The orbit structure for decomposable quadruples where some F i does not vanish is more complicated but is completely described in three tables.
String field equations from the generalized sigma model

We propose a new approach for deriving the string field equations from a general sigma model on the world-sheet. This approach leads to an equation which combines some of the attractive features of both the renormalization group method and the covariant beta function treatment of the massless excitations. It has the advantage of being covariant under a very general set of both local and non-local transformations in the field space. We apply it to the tachyon, massless and first massive level, and show that the resulting field equations reproduce the correct spectrum of a left-right symmetric closed bosonic string.
Energetics of membrane transport in protoplasts

Examples are given to illustrate the recent use of isolated protoplasts in the study of membrane transport with the emphasis on the energetics of solute transport. A model is also presented for the mechanism of active solute transport at the plasmalemma.
Unicode Steganographic Exploits: Maintaining Enterprise Border Security

Unicode is rapidly becoming the preferred means for representing symbols used in creating multimedia content, especially for information that's presented in multiple languages. This article discusses a unicode vulnerability that makes such content susceptible to being used for creation of covert channel communications. We also developed a solution architecture, the unified secure message augmentation (USMA) service. The USMA service incorporates rules (in an XML vocabulary) that we can apply to unicode transmissions that will detect an attempt to transmit a potential exploit, alert network managers to the presence of the unicode anomaly, and take action to mitigate the exploit.
Transforming growth factor-β pathway: Role in pancreas development and pancreatic disease

The pancreas is a complex exocrine and endocrine gland that controls many homeostatic functions. The exocrine pancreas produces and secretes digestive enzymes, whereas, the endocrine pancreas produces four distinct hormones, chief among them being the glucose regulating hormone-insulin. Diabetes, pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer are some of the main afflictions that result from pancreas dysfunction. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) proteins are central regulators of pancreas cell function, and have key roles in pancreas development and pancreatic disease. Since expression levels and kinase activities of components of TGF-beta signaling are aberrantly altered in diseases of the pancreas, modulating the activity of TGF-beta provides a unique and rational opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Although TGF-beta still remains elusive in terms of our understanding of its multifunctional modes of action, research is moving closer to the design of approaches directed toward modulating its activities for therapeutic benefit.
Differential control of U1 small nuclear RNA expression during mouse development

During normal mouse development the relative amounts of two types of U1 small nuclear RNA's (U1 RNA) change significantly. Fetal tissues have comparable levels of the two major types of mouse U1 RNA's, mU1a and mU1b, whereas most differentiated adult tissues contain only mU1a RNA's. Those adult tissues that also accumulate detectable amounts of embryonic (mU1b) RNA's (for example, testis, spleen, and thymus) contain a significant proportion of stem cells capable of further differentiation. Several strains of mice express minor sequence variants of U1 RNA's that are subject to the same developmental controls as the major types of adult and embryonic U1 RNA. The differential accumulation of embryonic U1 RNA's may influence the pattern of gene expression during early development and differentiation.
Safety of Soviet-designed nuclear reactors: a general assessment and international efforts to upgrade their safety

This paper provides a general description of the various Soviet-designed reactor types operating in the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Eastern and Central Europe and the various safety issues associated with each reactor type, in terms of their design and operation. It also provides a general safety assessment and the technical potential for safety improvement for each reactor type (including potential short-term and longer-term actions). Other issues discussed, including their effect on safety, include organizational problems, lack of well established regulatory organizations, and the changing socio-political and economic situation. The condition of the Chernobyl sarcophagus and safety concerns related to it are addressed. Finally, international efforts and programs underway, including those originating in the USA, to provide financial and technical assistance to secure safety improvements and encourage indigenous improvements are noted.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Chaperone-mediated pathway of proteasome regulatory particle assembly

The proteasome is a large proteolytic machine that degrades ubiquitin-tagged proteins. Substrates are recognized and unfolded by the regulatory particle (RP) and translocated into a central proteolytic chamber called the core particle (CP) where degradation takes place. The CP associates with the RP at either one or both ends. The RP can be further subdivided into the base and lid. Two studies from Finley and colleagues elucidate the pathway of RP assembly. They report the identification of three molecular chaperones that assist in the assembly of the RP. Assembly of the base proceeds through a complex consisting of five proteins, called BP1, which functions as an intermediate in the process. These studies show that RP assembly is a highly orchestrated process. The proteasome is a large proteolytic machine that degrades ubiquitin-tagged proteins. Substrates are recognized and unfolded by the regulatory particle (RP) and translocated into a central proteolytic chamber, called the core particle (CP), where degradation takes place. Here, and in a complimentary study, the pathway of RP assembly is elucidated, demonstrating that RP assembly is a highly orchestrated process. The proteasome is a protease that controls diverse processes in eukaryotic cells. Its regulatory particle (RP) initiates the degradation of ubiquitin–protein conjugates by unfolding the substrate and translocating it into the proteasome core particle (CP) to be degraded1. The RP has 19 subunits, and their pathway of assembly is not understood. Here we show that in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae three proteins are found associated with RP but not with the RP–CP holoenzyme: Nas6, Rpn14 and Hsm3. Mutations in the corresponding genes confer proteasome loss-of-function phenotypes, despite their virtual absence from the holoenzyme. These effects result from deficient RP assembly. Thus, Nas6, Rpn14 and Hsm3 are RP chaperones. The RP contains six ATPases–the Rpt proteins–and each RP chaperone binds to the carboxy-terminal domain of a specific Rpt. We show in an accompanying study2 that RP assembly is templated through the Rpt C termini, apparently by their insertion into binding pockets in the CP. Thus, RP chaperones may regulate proteasome assembly by directly restricting the accessibility of Rpt C termini to the CP. In addition, competition between the RP chaperones and the CP for Rpt engagement may explain the release of RP chaperones as proteasomes mature.
Optimal regulation with order reduction of a power system

Abstract A method of order reduction is applied to optimally regulate a hydropower plant with one synchronous machine. A fifteenth order dynamic model is developed for the power plant and optimal as well as near-optimal feedback regulators are designed by the method of temporal decoupling. The resulting systems are simulated and their dynamic responses are compared.
Proactive Tobacco Treatment and Population-Level Cessation: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Current tobacco use treatment approaches require smokers to request treatment or depend on the provider to initiate smoking cessation care and are therefore reactive. Most smokers do not receive evidence-based treatments for tobacco use that include both behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy. Objective To assess the effect of a proactive, population-based tobacco cessation care model on use of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments and on population-level smoking cessation rates (ie, abstinence among all smokers including those who use and do not use treatment) compared with usual care among a diverse population of current smokers. Design, Setting, and Participants The Veterans Victory Over Tobacco Study, a pragmatic randomized clinical trial involving a population-based registry of current smokers aged 18 to 80 years. A total of 6400 current smokers, identified using the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical record, were randomized prior to contact to evaluate both the reach and effectiveness of the proactive care intervention. Interventions Current smokers were randomized to usual care or proactive care. Proactive care combined (1) proactive outreach and (2) offer of choice of smoking cessation services (telephone or in-person). Proactive outreach included mailed invitations followed by telephone outreach to motivate smokers to seek treatment with choice of services. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was 6-month prolonged smoking abstinence at 1 year and was assessed by a follow-up survey among all current smokers regardless of interest in quitting or treatment utilization. Results A total of 5123 participants were included in the primary analysis. The follow-up survey response rate was 66%. The population-level, 6-month prolonged smoking abstinence rate at 1 year was 13.5% for proactive care compared with 10.9% for usual care ( P = .02). Logistic regression mixed model analysis showed a significant effect of the proactive care intervention on 6-month prolonged abstinence (odds ratio [OR], 1.27 [95% CI, 1.03-1.57]). In analyses accounting for nonresponse using likelihood-based not-missing-at-random models, the effect of proactive care on 6-month prolonged abstinence persisted (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.17-1.51]). Conclusions and Relevance Proactive, population-based tobacco cessation care using proactive outreach to connect smokers to evidence-based telephone or in-person smoking cessation services is effective for increasing long-term population-level cessation rates. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT00608426
Effect of prednisone and hydroxychloroquine on coronary artery disease risk factors in systemic lupus erythematosus: A longitudinal data analysis

Abstract purpose: To determine the effect of prednisone dose and hydroxychloroquine dose on the coronary artery disease risk factors serum cholesterol level, mean arterial blood pressure, and weight in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. patients and methods: A longitudinal cohort study of 264 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was conducted. For all patients in the cohort, serum cholesterol, mean arterial pressure, weight, prednisone dose, hydroxychloroquine dose, and other potential confounding variables were recorded at each visit. Regression analysis appropriate for longitudinal data was used to assess the effect of prednisone on serum cholesterol and mean arterial pressure. To assess the effect of prednisone on weight, patients' weights were compared 90 days before and after a 10-mg or 20-mg increase in prednisone. results: A total of 3,027 patient visits were analyzed. In the regression model for serum cholesterol, a change in prednisone dose of 10 mg was associated with a change in cholesterol of 7.5 ± 1.46 (SE) mg% after adjustment for the other significant variables in the model, including sex, race, hydroxychloroquine dose, and proteinuria. In the regression model for hydroxychloroquine, the 200-mg and the 400-mg dose were both associated with lower serum cholesterol (8.9 ± 3.44 SE mg%). In the regression model for mean arterial blood pressure, a 10-mg change in prednisone dose led to a change in mean arterial blood pressure of 1.1 mm Hg after adjustment for age, weight, and antihypertensive drug use. A 10-mg increase in prednisone dose was associated with a mean weight change of 5.50 ± 1.23 (SE) lb. conclusions: Changes in prednisone dose led to definable changes in risk factors for coronary artery disease, even after adjustment for other variables known to affect these risk factors. According to longitudinal regression analysis, hydroxychloroquine therapy was associated with lower serum cholesterol.
Effects of secondary forces on a high affinity monoclonal IgM anti-fluorescein antibody possessing cryoglobulin and other cross-reactive properties

The effects of secondary forces on monoclonal IgM anti-fluorescein antibody 18-2-3 reactivity were investigated and the results correlated with similar studies characterizing anti-fluorescein mAbs 4-4-20 and 9-40. mAb 18-2-3 was considered an important model for further elucidation of secondary forces since it possessed ligand binding properties similar to mAb 4-4-20, such as a similar affinity, but due to a very different primary structure it was idiotypically and metatypically distinct. mAb 18-2-3 also possessed cryoglobulin (anti-Ig) and extensive cross-reactive properties (e.g. anti-phenyloxazolone) suggestive of an atypical anti-fluorescein active site. The reactivity of mAb 18-2-3 with model fluorescein-peptides was modulated by secondary forces in a manner that differed from both mAbs 4-4-20 and 9-40. Thus, the effects of secondary forces seemed to vary with each monoclonal antibody even though each of the immunoglobulins studied were specific for the same homologous ligand. Results indicated that secondary forces impacted immune complex stability, variable domain conformation and protein dynamics. Models were postulated to account for secondary effects on the mAb 18-2-3 active site relative to mAbs 4-4-20 and 9-40. Levels of hydration, active site architecture and local amino acid dynamics were among the models cited.
Cellular Aging in Werner's Syndrome: A Unique Phenotype?

Werner's syndrome is commonly regarded as a model for the study of premature aging. There are, however, a variety of clinical and pathologic anatomical features that clearly distinguish it from aging in normal individuals. In this paper we report on in vitro cytogenetic and cell fusion studies that indicate cultured fibroblast-like cells derived from Werner patients differ from cells of normal donors. Despite these discordances with "natural" aging, however, Werner's syndrome, like several other "segmental progeroid syndromes," may prove useful for the investigation of selected aspects of the aging process and of age-related diseases.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects of tolazoline following intravenous administration to horses.

Abstract Tolazoline is an α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, used in veterinary medicine to antagonize the central nervous system depressant and cardiovascular effects of α2 receptor agonists. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects of tolazoline when administered subsequent to detomidine in the horse were recently reported, although the reversal of the sedative and cardiovascular effects following detomidine may not be complete. The current study therefore investigated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects of tolazoline when administered as a sole agent. Nine healthy adult horses were administered tolazoline (4 mg/kg IV) and blood samples were collected at time 0 (prior to drug administration) and at various times up to 72 h post drug administration. Plasma samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and resulting data analyzed using compartmental analysis. Systemic clearance, steady state volume of distribution and terminal elimination half-life were 0.820 ± 0.182 L/h/kg, 1.68 ± 0.379 L/kg and 2.69 ± 0.212 h, respectively. Tolazoline administration had no effect on chin to ground distance, but the heart rate decreased (relative to baseline) and the percentage of atrial–ventricular block increased in all horses within 2 min of administration. Packed cell volume and glucose concentrations were also increased throughout the sampling period. While not commonly used as a sole agent, caution is indicated whenever tolazoline is administered since the effects may be unpredictable.
Omlet: a revolution against big-brother social networks (invited talk)

With the wide-spread adoption of proprietary social networks like Facebook and mobile chat platforms like Wechat, we may be heading to a future where all our communication are monetized and our online transactions are mediated by monopolistic big-data companies. This talk describes a new anti-data monetization movement led by Omlet, an open messaging service and distributed computing platform that spun out of 4 years of research at Stanford University. With Omlet, (1) users can own their data and have them hosted on cloud services of their choice and (2) distributed "p2p webapps" enable phones and other internet of things to interact with each other without having its communication be monetized. Introduced in March 2014, Omlet is already seeing traction, as it is being distributed on millions of Android phones, by Asus and other yet-to-be-announced device makers. This paradigm shift to decentralized computation not only safeguards users' data privacy, it fosters open competition and innovation, and provides an efficient and scalable foundation to handle the billions of phones and devices. Software engineering researchers can help make this a reality by making distributed mobile app development on such a platform accessible.
Molecular Determinants of Binding between Gly-Leu-Phe-Gly Nucleoporins and the Nuclear Pore Complex

The vertebrate nucleoporin Nup98 can be expressed in two distinct forms from differentially spliced mRNAs, either as a 98-kDa protein or as the 195-kDa Nup98/Nup96 polyprotein. Both forms undergo autoproteolytic processing to generate the 90-kDa Nup98 and either an 8-kDa tail or the nucleoporin Nup96. An equivalent cleavage event occurs in one yeast ortholog, Nup145, to produce Nup145N and Nup145C. We previously proposed that Nup145N, and possibly the other orthologs Nup116 and Nup100, might bind to Nup145C as demonstrated for Nup98 and Nup96. Here we have further investigated the interaction of both yeast and vertebrate Gly-Leu-Phe-Gly nucleoporins with the nuclear pore. We find that dynamic Nup98 binding can be recapitulated in vitro and that simultaneous translation and folding as a polyprotein are not required to allow subsequent binding between Nup98 and Nup96. We show that Nup145N and Nup145C do indeed bind to each other, and we have determined the dissociation constants for these interactions in vitro. Additionally, we characterize two sites of molecular interaction for each binding pair. Of the yeast orthologs, Nup116 binds far less robustly to Nup145C than does Nup145N, and Nup100 binding is barely detectable. Thus, we conclude that Nup116 and Nup100 likely use means of incorporation into the nuclear pore complex that are distinct from those used by Nup145N.
The internet public library: an online learning laboratory for digital libraries

This demonstration explores the Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org), a shared online facility for testing innovations in digital libraries and for training a skilled work force in digital library services, systems, and collections. Hypatia 2.0 and QRC software used in IPL's digital library collections and services are shown, with discussion of IPL in education, digital collections, digital reference services, digital library systems, and research.
1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) decreases glutamate uptake in cultured astrocytes

Abstract: The deleterious effect of the parkinsonian neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra is well established. In addition, increased glutamatergic drive to basal ganglia output nuclei is considered a likely contributor to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. One possibility for the increased excitatory tone may be related to an impairment in glutamate uptake. As astrocytes possess efficient transport mechanisms for both MPTP and glutamate, we have examined the effect of this agent on d-aspartate uptake into these cells. Treatment of cultures with 50 µM MPTP for 24 h decreased uptake by 39%. Kinetic analysis revealed that this effect was due to a 35% decrease in Vmax with no change in the Km. Treatment with deprenyl, a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, produced a complete reversal of MPTP-induced uptake inhibition, but was ineffective following exposure of cells to the MPTP metabolite, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). Removal of MPTP from cultures resulted in a complete restoration of glutamate uptake after 24 h. These results show that MPTP reversibly compromises glutamate uptake in cultured astrocytes, which is dependent on the conversion of MPTP to MPP+. Such findings suggest that the glutamate transporter in astrocytes plays an important role in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity and possibly in parkinsonism.
An extensive form solution to the adverse selection problem in principal/multi-agent environments

When agents have quasi-linear preferences, every incentive compatible social choice function can be implemented by a simple extensive form mechanism, even if agents are allowed to use mixed strategies. The second stage of the mechanism, which is used to elicit the agents' true preferences, is not reached in equilibrium; it gives agents strict dominant strategies, so equilibrium outcomes are not sensitive to agents' beliefs off the equilibrium path. This solves the multiple equilibrium problem of a principal facing several agents: the mechanism implements any solution to the principal's second best maximization problem. The specification of incentive compatibility constraints in the principal's problem presupposes a precise knowledge of the agents' beliefs. However, the above mechanism can be modified to implement the principal's second best (to within arbitrarily small perturbations of transfers), regardless of the agents' conditional beliefs.
Laser desorption of metal cluster ions from modified metal surfaces

Abstract Small metal cluster ions have been generated by direct laser desorption of modified or “activated” surfaces. Activation is achieved through electrochemical roughening and laser toughening of polished metal surfaces, leading to enhanced signals for Cu n + ( n =2, 3), Ag n + ( n =3, 5), and Au n + ( n =2, 3). These ions have been observed using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, and the effects of laser power on their production have been investigated. Low-energy collision-induced dissociation of Au 3 + has been observed to produce predominantly Au + .
Stroke: Recovery inhibitors under attack

Once a blood vessel supplying the brain has been blocked, the opportunity to prevent brain damage is fleeting. An alternative strategy might be to guide the damaged area onto the path to recovery. See Letter p.305 Stroke is a leading cause of disability because of the brain's limited capacity for recovery. The functional recovery that does occur derives in part from the transfer of brain function to the tissue bordering the stroke site. A study in a mouse model shows that stroke reduces excitation in neurons adjacent to the stroke site by impairing transport of GABA, leading to a build-up of this inhibitory neurotransmitter. Genetic or pharmacological blockade of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors improves behavioural recovery. Critically, the treatment remains successful when there is a delay between stroke and therapy. This work identifies novel pharmacological targets for neural recovery after stroke and possibly other brain injuries.
A spectrophotometric procedure for the analysis of nucleic acid purines and pyrimidines, and its application to fish sperm nucleic acids.

Abstract 1. 1. A spectrophotometric method for the analysis of nucleic acid purines and pyrimidines is described. Data which illustrate the optimum conditions for perchloric acid hydrolysis of DNA are presented. Heterocyclic base recovery in terms of phosphorus or nitrogen is 98–100% complete. 2. 2. Purine and pyrimidine contents of five species of salmon sperm DNA were studied. Hydrolysis conditions which gave complete recovery in terms of phosphorus also yielded unitary values for the following base ratios: adenine/thymine, guanine/cytosine, and purine/pyrimidine.
Light-fronts approach to electron-positron pair production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

The authors solve, in an ultrarelativistic limit, the time-dependent Dirac equation describing electron-positron pair production in peripheral relativistic heavy ion collisions using light front variables and a light-fronts representation, obtaining nonperturbative results for the free pair-creation amplitudes in the collider frame. Their result reproduces the result of second-order perturbation theory in the small charge limit while nonperturbative effects arise for realistic charges of the ions.
A polymer NMR cell for the study of high-pressure and supercritical fluid solutions

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) offers researchers unique, highly localized molecular information. The importance of this technique is well established in studies using chemical shift, spin coupling, and relaxation times providing detailed structural information, determining chemical equilibria and kinetics, and understanding molecular dynamic processes. However, the widespread application of NMR spectroscopy to high-pressure liquids and supercritical fluids has been limited due to the complexity of the necessary instrumentation. One approach to these studies is to build a dedicated high-pressure probe. Another involves the utilization of a high-pressure cell designed to fit in commercially available probes. Here we present the design and implementation of a simple, three-piece, high-pressure NMR cell constructed of high-performance polymers. The present cell has pressure capabilities of up to 400 bar; however, the ultimate temperature and pressure limits will be determined by the specific polymer chosen...
Hierarchical nanostructured copper oxide and its application in arsenic removal

A facile two-step process was developed to synthesize hierarchical nanostructured CuO. First, copper acetate reacts with ethylene glycol to produce organocopper precursors with tunable morphologies; second, the organocopper precursors are calcinated to produce CuO structures which preserve the morphology of the precursors. The product consists of nanometer-sized CuO crystallites self-organized into micrometer-sized monoliths with tunable complex structures, including microplates, doughnut-like structures, and multilayer microspheres. The doughnut-like CuO structure possesses high removal capacity for As(III) and can be easily separated and recycled during water treatment processes.
Kung Fu Hustle: Transnational production and the global Chinese-language film

AbstractIn recent years a number of Chinese-language films have successfully gone global, appealing to large audiences in Asia and the West and generating Hollywood-level box-office receipts. Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004) is an exemplary and unique instance of this development. It is also an exemplary work of transnational cinema, one that allows us to see the strategic enmeshment of the Hong Kong, Chinese and Hollywood film industries. This article explores Kung Fu Hustle's transnational mode of production and reads it in relation to the film's visual and narrative style.
Salmonella septic arthritis in systemic lupus erythematosus and other systemic diseases

Salmonella infection is an important problem in immunocompromised patients. The synovium is a particular metastatic focus of Salmonella infection and can result in many disabilities of life. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients were highly susceptible to Salmonella infection. In the past 6 years, 41 patients with Salmonella septic arthritis have been treated in our hospital. Eleven patients had an underlying systemic disease of SLE which presented with a distinctive clinical course. Alcoholic liver disease (six cases) was another common underlying systemic disease. The most frequent predisposing articular factor was avascular necrosis (16 cases). The hip joint was the most commonly involved site. Salmonella group B was the most common serotype (30/41). Seventy-three per cent (8/11) of the SLE group had involvement of two or more joints compared with only three out of 30 patients in the non-SLE group. The sex differentiation shows a predominance of young females (10/11) in the SLE group and middle-aged males in the non-SLE group. Moreover, in the SLE group, all 11 patients shared the risk of lupus nephritis and steroid use. Ten patients had Salmonella group B bacteraemia and five had urinary tract infections simultaneously. In the non-SLE group, there were 10 patients with a history of steroid use, three with antecedent enteritis, 12 with bacteraemia, and three with necrotising fasciitis. Seven patients in each of the groups had a recurrent course. However, three patients in the non-SLE group had died during the episode of septic arthritis.
EQUIVARIANT COHOMOLOGY AND HOLOMORPHIC INVARIANT

Using equivariant cohomology, we construct a family of holomorphic invariants which include the famous Futaki invariant and its generalization to singular variety as special cases. We are also using this viewpoint to compute the generalized Futaki invariant for complete intersections.