cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dabigatran etexilate, a new oral direct thrombin inhibitor, for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Importance of the field: Warfarin is the only oral anticoagulant recommended for the prevention of ischemic stroke in atrial fibrillation. A newer and safer anticoagulant is needed because of increased hemorrhagic risks with warfarin, difficult-to-maintain therapeutic levels, and higher drug to drug and food interactions.Areas covered in this review: Dabigatran etexilate is a new, effective, reversible, rapid-acting, oral direct inhibitor of thrombin. This review focuses on the results of major Phase II and III trials conducted to evaluate the use of dabigatran in prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation.What the reader will gain: The objective of this paper is to discuss the use of dabigatran for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and to review its major advantages and disadvantages over warfarin.Take home message: After the recent publication of Phase III trial RE-LY (randomized evaluation of long-term anticoagulation therapy), the use of dabigatran in atrial fibrillation is mo...
Emerging Chinese Role in Shaping St. Petersburg's Urban Landscape: Interscalar Investment Strategies in the Development of a Residential Megaproject

The paper, by an American geographer, discusses the origin and development of a Chinese-financed residential megaproject (Baltic Pearl) located southwest of St. Petersburg's historical district. Viewing Baltic Pearl as reportedly the largest investment project undertaken outside China by a government-sponsored Chinese consortium, the author places it in the context of state-level Sino-Russian relations and Russian unease over the influx of Chinese migrants and culture. Reflecting the author's extensive field work in St. Petersburg and Shanghai, the focus of the paper is on the way the consortium was forced to adopt interscalar (i.e., both state and municipal/urban) strategies responsive to local conditions, providing a potentially useful precedent and model for Chinese and other investors seeking to penetrate Russia's urban markets.
Isolation and Characterization of a Monoclonal Anti-Quadruplex DNA Antibody from Autoimmune “Viable Motheaten” Mice†,‡

A cell line that produces an autoantibody specific for DNA quadruplex structures has been isolated and cloned from a hybridoma library derived from 3-month-old nonimmunized autoimmune, immunodeficient “viable motheaten” mice. This antibody has been tested extensively in vitro and found to bind specifically to DNA quadruplex structures formed by two biologically relevant sequence motifs. Scatchard and nonlinear regression analyses using both one- and two-site models were used to derive association constants for the antibody−DNA binding reactions. In both cases, quadruplexes had higher association constants than triplex and duplex molecules. The anti-quadruplex antibody binds to the quadruplex formed by the promoter-region-derived oligonucleotide d(CGCG4GCG) (Ka = 3.3 × 106 M-1), and has enhanced affinity for telomere-derived quadruplexes formed by the oligonucleotides d(TG4) and d(T2G4T2G4T2G4T2G4) (Ka = 5.38 × 106 and 1.66 × 107 M-1, respectively). The antibody binds both types of quadruplexes but has pre...
Factors influencing the effects of the triazine-phosphate insecticide azinphosmethy (Guthion) on potato

Studies conducted since 1961 revealed that three applications of the asymmetrically-substituted triazine-phosphate, azinphosmethyl (Guthion®), applied prior to bloom to red-skinned potatoes stimulated them to an average yield increase of 15% above that normally attributable to economic control of the potato-insect complex. A similar response also was recorded in studies with the variety, Norgold Russet. Yield increase averaged 17% following two applications; an apparent phytotoxic response was obtaintd when three applications prior to bloom were made, as yield increases only averaged 4%.
Amino acid vinyl esters: a new monomer palette for degradable polycationic materials

Toward the goal of developing degradable polycationic materials with tunable backbone charge densities and hydrophilicities, we report the optimized syntheses and polymerization activities of a series of N-Boc-protected amino acidO-vinyl ester (BAAVE) monomers derived from Boc-protected glycine, alanine, valine, and proline. The homopolymerization and copolymerization behaviors of these monomers under thermally initiated conventional free radical polymerization conditions are studied. By conducting copolymerizations of (N-tert-butoxycarbonyl)glycine vinyl ester (BGVE) with vinyl acetate (VAc) at various feed ratios and by analyzing the compositions of the resulting polymers produced at 88 °C using 1,1′-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile) (V-40) initiation, we find that the reactivity ratios are rBGVE = 1.61 ± 0.12 and rVAc = 0.82 ± 0.07. Treatment of poly(VAc-co-BAAVE) with neat CF3COOH selectively unmasks the Boc-protected amine functionalities to furnish cationic poly(VAc-co-AAVE·CF3COOH) copolymers. Alternatively, treatment of these random copolymers with methanolic HCl results in the complete hydrolysis of both the Boc-protecting groups as well as the acetate esters, enabling access to well-defined, hydrophilic, polycationic amino acid ester-functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) materials.
Prospects for an integrated trait and cultural psychology

Church (2000) discussed a possible integration of trait and cultural psychology perspectives, two dominant theoretical approaches in the study of culture and personality. In this article, I summarise the results of cross-cultural studies we have conducted to test elements of this integrated perspective, discuss prospects for an integrated approach, and note future research needs. The studies address the measurement of implicit theories regarding the traitedness versus contextuality of behaviour; culture, method, and the content of self-concepts; culture and explanations of everyday behaviours; accuracy and self-enhancement in trait assessments; cross-role consistency and its relation to adjustment; and cross-situational consistency and trait prediction of daily behaviour. Our results, and those of other researchers, indicate that an integration of trait and cultural psychology perspectives has potential. However, some findings suggest that cultural psychology hypotheses may be more consistently supported in comparisons of Americans with selected Asian cultures than in comparisons of individualistic and collectivistic cultures more generally. Thus, an integrated perspective may need to be recast using theoretical perspectives that go beyond individualism–collectivism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Envisioning nursing as a moral community

Nurses and others who contribute to nursing goals should identify themselves as a special moral community within the broader community of health care.
The preparation of active allergenic extracts

Abstract It has been possible, by the use of sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate buffered solutions, to prepare active allergenic extracts with the complete elimination of pigmentary oxidative products. A larger amount of active material is extracted by use of a buffered sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate extracting fluid than with the regular extracting fluids now in use, when equal weight by volume extractions are made. These new extracts give the same skin and serum neutralization point tests as do the regular extracts of the same age. The buffered sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate extracts are being investigated over a longer period of time to determine whether or not they will be more stable than the extracts now in general use.
Use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in the study of Faradaic electrode processes

Etudes, en particulier, sur l'exemple des reactions anodiques, sur des electrodes de platine, dans des solutions de KI, KBr ou KCl
d-amphetamine increases choice of cigarette smoking over monetary reinforcement.

Rationale: Psychomotor stimulants previously have been found to increase the frequency of cigarette smoking, but it is unclear whether this is due to a non-specific increase in general activity or a specific increase in the reinforcing effects of smoking. Objectives: To investigate whether d-amphetamine increases the relative reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking. Methods: Ninety minutes after d-amphetamine (7.5, 15 mg/70 kg) or placebo administration, 13 male and female subjects participated in 3-h sessions during which they could make a maximum of 20 choices between cigarette smoking (two puffs per choice), earning money ($0.25 per choice), or neither. In separate sessions, using the same subjects, the effects of d-amphetamine on the frequency of ad libitum smoking was assessed. Results: During choice sessions, d-amphetamine dose-dependently increased smoking choices from 4.2±0.6 to 5.7±0.6. During sessions in which subjects smoked ad libitum, d-amphetamine increased number of cigarettes smoked from 2.8±0.4 to 3.8±0.6. Breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels, a measure of smoke exposure, showed corresponding dose-related increases. Conclusions: These results are consistent with previous findings that d-amphetamine increases smoking and provide evidence that this effect is due to a drug-produced increase in the relative reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking.
Fabrication of conductometric gas-sensing films by selected area chemical-vapor deposition

A new selected-area chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) process to fabricate thin sensing films on a micromachined silicon-based, conductometric gas-sensor structure is reported. The CVD method is self-lithographic and does not require the use of masks to define the thin-film region. Since the films are deposited after silicon processing, the selection of film materials is not constrained by their compatibility with the etchants used in silicon micromachining. The presence of conductance electrodes underneath the growing film permits in-situ monitoring of film resistance. The rapid thermal response of the device allows precise termination of film growth once the film resistance has reached a value suitable for gas sensing. The application of this new CVD method is demonstrated for growth of thin platinum films, which are used for sensing of O 2 and H 2 gases.
Structures and chaotic fluctuations of granular clusters in a vibrated fluid layer.

Particles that oscillate with respect to a background fluid experience a long-range attraction and a short-range repulsion that give rise to clustering at a preferred separation. We have studied the structure and dynamics of these clusters for both small $(2lNl7)$ and large ($N=25$ or 48) clusters. For small clusters, the particles often form well-defined structures with chaotic fluctuations about the mean particle positions. However, for a given $N$, there are generally several different structures, e.g., both isosceles and equilateral triangles. The nearest neighbor spacings grow systematically with the dimensionless driving acceleration $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$. Large clusters are less rigid, and show much larger velocity fluctuations than do small clusters, for sufficiently large $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$. The fluctuation amplitude grows systematically with $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ for large clusters, but not for small ones. The instantaneous particle velocity is typically largest when a particle moves through a region where its probability density is low. Some of the observed phenomena suggest a variational model in which particles seek minima in an effective potential, and are perturbed by dynamically generated noise arising from the nonlinear interactions between particles. However, pairwise forces cannot account for all of the results. We discuss the nature of the fluctuations, including the low apparent dimension of the occupied set in configuration space for clusters of modest size.
Liarozole potentiates the cancer chemopreventive activity of and the up-regulation of gap junctional communication and connexin43 expression by retinoic acid and β-carotene in 10T1/2 cells

Liarozole has been reported to inhibit P450 enzymes responsible for the catabolism of retinoic acid. This suggests that it may increase the effectiveness of cancer chemopreventive agents, such as retinoic acid, and pro-vitamin A carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, which may yield retinoids. To test this we have utilized the 10T1/2 cell assay system of neoplastic transformation. Simultaneous treatment with Liarozole (10(-5) M) potentiated by a factor of 1000 the ability of low concentrations of retinoic acid (10(-10) M) to inhibit carcinogen-induced neoplastic transformation, to up-regulate gap junctional communication and to increase connexin43 expression. When tested under conventional culture conditions, Liarozole itself partially suppressed neoplastic transformation and up-regulated gap junctional communication; this ability appears due to the presence of retinol in the serum component of cell culture medium. When assays for junctional communication and of connexin43 expression were performed under defined conditions, in the absence of serum, Liarozole was ineffective alone, yet still augmented the effects of retinoic acid. HPLC analysis of cell culture medium demonstrated that Liarozole (10(-5) M) completely protected retinoic acid (10(-6) M) from catabolism over a 48 h period. Potential effects of Liarozole on the activities of carotenoids were also examined. Inhibition of neoplastic transformation by the pro-vitamin A carotenoid beta-carotene, but not by the non-pro-vitamin A carotenoid canthaxanthin, was moderately potentiated by Liarozole. The augmentation of response to beta-carotene was more apparent when tested under defined conditions; here Liarozole strongly increased junctional communication and Cx43 expression. In contrast, Liarozole did not potentiate the activity of canthaxanthin under defined conditions, while increasing the activity of 4-keto retinoic acid, a likely metabolite. Liarozole also elevated connexin43 expression in early passage human fibroblasts. These data indicate that rapid catabolism of retinoic acid limits its in vitro activities, that a portion of the action of beta-carotene as a cancer preventive agent is due to its conversion to retinoic acid and that canthaxathin exerts its chemopreventive action largely independent of conversion to 4-keto retinoic acid.
New allele in the transferrin system of pigs, TfeAmes, an apparent mutation.

Summary. Evidence is presented for a new allele, TfEAmes, in the transferrin system of pigs. The spontaneous occurrence of this allele is shown to be the result of a probable mutation.
A model for predicting vessel failure probabilities including the effects of service inspection and flaw sizing errors

A numerical approach has been developed to predict the probability that a fabrication flaw in a reactor pressure vessel will extend by fatigue crack growth mechanisms and become a through-wall flaw. The fracture mechanics model treats the size of the flaw, the location of the flaw, and the parameters governing the fatigue crack growth rates as stochastic variables that are described by histograms that represent their statistical distributions. A latin hypercube approach forms the basis for efficient numerical calculations of vessel failure probabilities, in particular for those cases having very low probabilities that are not readily calculated by use of more conventional Monte Carlo simulations. A second aspect of the vessel failure model evaluates the benefits of in-service inspections at prescribed inspection time intervals and with prescribed nondestructive examination capabilities (probability of detection as a function of flaw size). A third aspect of the paper evaluates flaw sizing accuracy, and the impacts of flaw acceptance criteria. For representative values of flaw detection probability, flaw sizing errors, and flaw acceptance criteria, detection capability is the most limiting factor with regard to the ability of the in-service inspections to reduce leak probabilities. However, gross sizing errors or significant relaxations of current flaw acceptance standards could negate the benefits of outstanding probability of detection capabilities.
Performance of U-Pu-Zr fuel cast into zirconium molds☆

Abstract To investigate a means of eliminating quartz mold waste, U-3Zr and U-20.5Pu-3Zr fuel was injection cast into Zr tubes, or sheaths, and clad in 316SS. These elements and U-10Zr and U-19Pu-10Zr fuel elements, cast in the standard manner into disposable quartz molds, were irradiated in EBR-II to 2 at% burnup and removed for interim examination. Measurments of fuel column axial growth indicate that the Zr-sheathed fuel exhibited significantly less axial elongation than the standard-cast fuel (1.3 to 1.8% versus 4.9 to 8.1%). Fuel material extruded through the ends of the Zr sheaths, contacting the cladding in some cases. Transverse metallographic sections reveal cracks in the Zr sheath, indicating that the sheath is not a sufficient barrier between fuel and cladding to reduce fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI). FCCI effects will be monitored as the elements attain higher burnup.
Central nervous system neurons acquire mast cell products via transgranulation

Resting and actively degranulating mast cells are found on the brain side of the blood-brain barrier. In the periphery, exocytosis of mast cell granules results in the release of soluble mediators and insoluble granule remnants. These mast cell constituents are found in a variety of nearby cell types, acquired by fusion of granule and cellular membranes or by cellular capture of mast cell granule remnants. These phenomena have not been studied in the brain. In the current work, light and electron microscopic studies of the medial habenula of the dove brain revealed that mast cell-derived material can enter neurons in three ways: by direct fusion of the granule and plasma membranes (mast cell and neuron); by capture of insoluble granule remnants and, potentially, via receptor-mediated endocytosis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, a soluble mediator derived from the mast cell. These processes result in differential subcellular localization of mast cell material in neurons, including free in the neuronal cytoplasm, membrane-bound in granule-like compartments or in association with small vesicles and the trans-Golgi network. Capture of granule remnants is the most frequently observed form of neuronal acquisition of mast cell products and correlates quantitatively with mast cells undergoing piecemeal degranulation. The present study indicates that mast cell-derived products can enter neurons, a process termed transgranulation, indicating a novel form of brain-immune system communication.
Estimates of past climate at Paleolake Chad, North Africa, based on a hydrological and energy-balance model

Modeling the combined hydrological and energy balances of Paleolake Chad and its drainage basin yields an estimate of at least 650 mm/yr for annual precipitation during portions of the early Holocene (10,000 to 5000 yr B.P.); the current rainfall in Chad Basin is 350 mm/yr. Two versions of the model are developed. The first version is one in which precipitation and lake area are linearly related. This version requires specification first of the area, net radiation, and Bowen ratio of the lake and second of the paleovegetation, net radiation, and Bowen ratio of the surrounding basin. In the second version of the model the ralationship between precipitation and lake area is nonlinear because the runoff ratio and Bowen ratio of the basin are made functions of precipitation. As the lake increases in area in response to increased precipitation, this version of the model allows for further increases in runoff (from the basin into the lake) as the vegetation changes from steppe to savanna and swamp. This nonlinear process may provide a partial explanation for the expansive paleolakes of the early Holocene. The results derived from both models are in good agreement with previously derived estimates of precipitation for North Africa during the early Holocene.
Changes in the Composition of Raw Tea Leaves from the Korean Yabukida Plant during High‐Temperature Processing to Pan‐Fried Kamairi‐Cha Green Tea

To develop a better understanding of compositional changes occurring during the production of commercial teas, we determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) changes in ingredient levels during each of several manufacturing steps used to produce Kamairi-cha, a premium green tea. Kamairi-cha uses pan-frying instead of the usual blanching technique to inactivate the enzymes responsible for producing traditional black tea. The resulting tea lacks the characteristic bitterness of green tea, producing a green tea that is described as sweet tasting. The processing steps used to produce this pan-fried tea were as follows: 1st roasting, 1st rolling, 2nd roasting, 2nd rolling, 1st firing, and 2nd firing. The results show that during production at temperatures up to 300 degrees C, raw leaves lost (in percent) 97.3 water, 94 two chlorophylls, 14.3 seven catechins, and 2.75 caffeine. A separate analysis showed that the final product contained 21.67 mg/g dry wt of the biologically active amino acid theanine. The results of this 1st report on changes in individual catechins and other tea ingredients in tea leaves during pan-frying make it possible to select production conditions that maximize levels of beneficial tea ingredients. The possible significance of the results for the human diet is discussed.
Ganglion mediated hydrogen ion and pepsin secretion in Gallus domesticus

1. 1. Gastric secretion in White Leghorn cocks was studied following the intravenous administration of gastrin pentapeptide and histamine acid phosphate. 2. 2. Both hydrogen ion and pepsin secretion were inhibited by hexamethonium when gastrin pentapeptide was administered. Only hydrogen ion secretion was inhibited by hexamethonium when histamine and phosphate was administered. 3. 3. Gastric secretion stimulated by histamine acid phosphate was not inhibited by atropine administration. 4. 4. Gallus domesticus may be capable of a separation of acid and pepsin secretion from the same cell type. The intramural ganglia may play an important role in the control of gastric secretion in this species.
The ClinSeq Project: Piloting large-scale genome sequencing for research in genomic medicine

ClinSeq is a pilot project to investigate the use of whole-genome sequencing as a tool for clinical research. By piloting the acquisition of large amounts of DNA sequence data from individual human subjects, we are fostering the development of hypothesis-generating approaches for performing research in genomic medicine, including the exploration of issues related to the genetic architecture of disease, implementation of genomic technology, informed consent, disclosure of genetic information, and archiving, analyzing, and displaying sequence data. In the initial phase of ClinSeq, we are enrolling roughly 1000 participants; the evaluation of each includes obtaining a detailed family and medical history, as well as a clinical evaluation. The participants are being consented broadly for research on many traits and for whole-genome sequencing. Initially, Sanger-based sequencing of 300–400 genes thought to be relevant to atherosclerosis is being performed, with the resulting data analyzed for rare, high-penetrance variants associated with specific clinical traits. The participants are also being consented to allow the contact of family members for additional studies of sequence variants to explore their potential association with specific phenotypes. Here, we present the general considerations in designing ClinSeq, preliminary results based on the generation of an initial 826 Mb of sequence data, the findings for several genes that serve as positive controls for the project, and our views about the potential implications of ClinSeq. The early experiences with ClinSeq illustrate how large-scale medical sequencing can be a practical, productive, and critical component of research in genomic medicine.
Influence of Sex Hormones and Phytoestrogens on Heart Disease in Men and Women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in men and women worldwide. According to the WHO, by 2015, almost 20 million people will die from CVD each year. It is well established that men and women differ not only in baseline cardiac parameters, but also in the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment outcomes of CVD. Women tend to develop heart disease later in life than men. This difference has been attributed to the loss of estrogen during the menopausal transition; however, the biological explanations for the sexual dimorphism in CVD are more complex and seem unlikely to be due to estrogen alone. The current controversy that has arisen regarding the effects of HRT on CVD in women is a case in point. In this review, the sex-based differences in cardiac (patho-) physiology are discussed with emphasis on the impact of sex hormones, hormone receptors and diet on heart disease.
Adult Stem Cell Transplantation: Is Gender a Factor in Stemness?

Cell therapy now constitutes an important area of regenerative medicine. The aging of the population has mandated the discovery and development of new and innovative therapeutic modalities to combat devastating disorders such as stroke. Menstrual blood and Sertoli cells represent two sources of viable transplantable cells that are gender-specific, both of which appear to have potential as donor cells for transplantation in stroke. During the subacute phase of stroke, the use of autologous cells offers effective and practical clinical application and is suggestive of the many benefits of using the aforementioned gender-specific cells. For example, in addition to being exceptionally immunosuppressive, testis-derived Sertoli cells secrete many growth and trophic factors and have been shown to aid in the functional recovery of animals transplanted with fetal dopaminergic cells. Correspondingly, menstrual blood cells are easily obtainable and exhibit angiogenic characteristics, proliferative capability, and pluripotency. Of further interest is the ability of menstrual blood cells, following transplantation in stroke models, to migrate to the infarct site, secrete neurotrophic factors, regulate the inflammatory response, and be steered towards neural differentiation. From cell isolation to transplantation, we emphasize in this review paper the practicality and relevance of the experimental and clinical use of gender-specific stem cells, such as Sertoli cells and menstrual blood cells, in the treatment of stroke.
Anatomic distribution and regulation of aromatase gene expression in the rat brain.

Recent evidence suggests that two cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450 arom ) mRNA transcripts are present in the rat brain. One of these contains the entire 5'-coding sequence and correlates with the presence of functional enzyme. We designed a new 255-base pair P450 arom probe (AROM255) that recognizes only this full-length P450 arom mRNA. Ribonuclease protection assays verified that the cRNA probe synthesized from this construct recognized a single RNA species in brain tissues that express aromatase activity, but not in the cingulate cortex, an area previously shown to contain only the alternate transcript. Moreover, the P450 arom mRNA content of the preoptic area was significantly lower in castrates than in intact males or testosterone (T)-treated castrates. We employed 33 P-labeled cRNA probes to examine the distribution of P450 arom mRNA by in situ hybridization. High levels of mRNA were detected in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BnST), and medial amygdala (MA). Lower levels were found in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and cortical amygdala. The magnitude of the hybridization signal in the BnST and MPN was greater in males than in females. Treatment with T propionate significantly increased hybridization signal in BnST, MPN, and MA. These results confirm the anatomic distribution of P450 arom mRNA within hypothalamic and limbic nuclei of the adult male rat and demonstrate that steady state concentrations are regionally regulated by T. Moreover, they demonstrate the necessity of using a molecular probe that can distinguish between P450 arom variants in the brain.
A Multi-Level Layered System Approach to On-Line Testing

A significant body of work has been produced in the area of on-line testing of hardware. A large amount of this body of work originated in university research and has actually been adopted by industry to the point of permeating many of the current industrial products. Often, the techniques are well understood on a theoretical basis and constitute a legitimate science. On the other hand, it has been more difficult to establish the same level of scientific rigor in higher levels of on-line testing (unit, system, and software). Paradoxically, however, it is essential to take care of errors and failures at all level of the system hierarchy, inclusive of the application software level. This is particularly true for systems, which must guarantee continuous service delivery in spite of errors and malfunctions. As a result, the industry has implemented, for higher system levels, empirical methods, which are often not very well documented. This situation is less prevalent in the area of general purpose computing, but it is quite frequent in domain oriented real-time systems, such as telecommunication equipment. This paper discusses a few examples of on-line testing empirical techniques used in the telecommunication industry, and presents a few attempts at more rigorous approaches. It also outlines important directions for additional research.
Building Self-efficacy for Exercise Among Rural High School Students: It Takes Ongoing Practice

Background: Self-efficacy has been associated with adolescent exercise. Previous studies have revealed that self-efficacy is relatively resistant to change. Effective strategies to build self-efficacy among adolescents are needed. Purpose: To describe the changes in self-efficacy and leisure time exercise produced by the “Planning to be Active Curriculum” (PBA). These changes will be studied among insufficiently active and active adolescents. Methods: A treatment/control group design was implemented in 3 rural Appalachian high schools. PBA curriculum was received by the treatment group, and the control group received a sport-based curriculum. Measurements were collected at pretest, mid-intervention, and 2 weeks postintervention. Results: A significant decrease in self-efficacy was produced by PBA for the insufficiently active at intervention midpoint. These scores significantly increased by intervention posttest. This group also reported an increase from 1 to 3 days of moderate-intensity exercise per week...
Hemopressin and Other Bioactive Peptides from Cytosolic Proteins: Are These Non-Classical Neuropeptides?

Peptides perform many roles in cell–cell signaling; examples include neuropeptides, hormones, and growth factors. Although the vast majority of known neuropeptides are produced in the secretory pathway, a number of bioactive peptides are derived from cytosolic proteins. For example, the hemopressins are a family of peptides derived from alpha and beta hemoglobin which bind to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, functioning as agonists or antagonists/inverse agonists depending on the size of the peptide. However, the finding that peptides derived from cytosolic proteins can affect receptors does not prove that these peptides are true endogenous signaling molecules. In order for the hemopressins and other peptides derived from cytosolic proteins to be considered neuropeptide-like signaling molecules, they must be synthesized in brain, they must be secreted in levels sufficient to produce effects, and either their synthesis or secretion should be regulated. If these criteria are met, we propose the name “non-classical neuropeptide” for this category of cytosolic bioactive peptide. This would be analogous to the non-classical neurotransmitters, such as nitric oxide and anandamide, which are not stored in secretory vesicles and released upon stimulation but are synthesized upon stimulation and constitutively released. We review some examples of cytosolic peptides from various protein precursors, describe potential mechanisms of their biosynthesis and secretion, and discuss the possibility that these peptides are signaling molecules in the brain, focusing on the criteria that these peptides would have to fill in order to be considered non-classical neuropeptides.
"Citation Classics" Analysis: An Approach to Characterizing Interdisciplinary Research.

The Science Indicators series has paid little heed to interdisciplinary research. This article seeks (1) to distinguish multi- or interdisciplinary (IDR) research from single or monodisciplinary research, and (2) to characterize IDR, i.e., begin to describe how it differs from other research. A peculiar population of “over-cited” articles is defined by the Institute for Scientific Information's “Citation Classics.” A sample of 1981 classics (which appear weekly in Current Contents) was examined for suspected interdisciplinary (IDR) content and/or usage. Between 10 and 20% were identified as possibly IDR. A subsample of these was traced through SCI and JCR categories to construct 10-year citation histories. Content analysis of subject category concentration was also performed. We conclude that citation of a classic follows no set pattern. Time- and category-sensitive indicators are discussed.
Bottleneck effects on genetic variance for courtship repertoire.

Bottleneck effects on evolutionary potential in mating behavior were addressed through assays of additive genetic variances and resulting phenotypic responses to drift in the courtship repertoires of six two-pair founder-flush lines and two control populations of the housefly. A simulation addressed the complication that an estimate of the genetic variance for a courtship trait (e.g., male performance vigor or the female requirement for copulation) must involve assays against the background behavior of the mating partners. The additive "environmental" effect of the mating partner's phenotype simply dilutes the net parent-offspring covariance for a trait. However, it there is an interaction with this "environmental" component, negative parent-offspring covariances can result under conditions of high incompatibility between the population's distributions for male performance and female choice requirements, despite high levels of genetic variance. All six bottlenecked lines exhibited significant differentiation from the controls in at least one measure of the parent-offspring covariance for male performance or female choice (estimated by 50 parent-son and 50 parent-daughter covariances for 10 courtship traits per line) which translated to significant phenotypic drift. However, the average effect across traits or across lines did not yield a significant net increase in genetic variance due to bottlenecks. Concerted phenotypic differentiation due to the founder-flush event provided indirect evidence of directional dominance in a subset of traits. Furthermore, indirect evidence of genotype-environment interactions (potentially producing genotype-genotype effects) was found in the negative parent-offspring covariances predicted by the male-female interaction simulation and by the association of the magnitude of phenotypic drift with the absolute value of the parent-offspring covariance. Hence, nonadditive genetic effects on mating behavior may be important in structuring genetic variance for courtship, although most of the increases in genetic variance would be expected to reflect inbreeding depression with relatively rare situations representing the facilitation of speciation by bottlenecks.
Chemotherapy Dosing with Elevated Liver Function Test Results in Acute Leukemia

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of massive blast infiltration of the liver by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) manifested by worsening liver function test (LFT) results and concern over how to dose chemotherapy in this patient.CASE SUMMARY:A 36-year-old male presenting with productive cough, abdominal pain, and lower back pain was diagnosed with pre-B cell ALL. Of note, the patient developed worsening LFT results within the first few days of diagnosis. Because of concern over increasing liver dysfunction and the need to administer vincristine and daunorubicin with induction therapy, a transvenous liver biopsy was performed, revealing massive lymphoblast infiltration.DISCUSSION:A short course of prednisone was given to determine whether the LFT abnormalities would reverse with treatment. Once a downward trend in the abnormalities was noted, full-dose induction chemotherapy was administered.CONCLUSIONS:It is important to discern the cause of elevated LFT values in patients with acute leukemia who require induc...
Physiologic Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

A flow-limited physiologic pharmacokinetic model is presented for the analysis of the distribution and disposition of some polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in several animal species. Analysis of the pharmacokinetic parameters in the model gives insight into congener-to-congener and species-to-species comparisons. For example, the partition coefficient for parent compound of all congeners is greatest in the fat tissue. Clearance of PCBs occurs predominantly as metabolites into the urine and feces. Rates of metabolism vary considerable among congeners in all species studied, and there is no apparent scaling factor, such as body weight or surface area, for predicting rates of metabolism from species to species. Physiologic pharmacokinetic models are useful didactic tools for assessing models of distribution of PCBs.
A multivariate model for assessing eating patterns and their relationship to cardiovascular risk factors: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Eating patterns were studied in 1275 adolescents and young adults (aged 12-24 y). Factor analysis of 64 foods consumed weekly revealed 17 eating-pattern factors, accounting for 57% of the item variance. Factor I (12 food items from either the seafood or meat group) accounted for 8% ofthe variance, factor II (snacks), 5%, and factors HI (fats and pasta) and IV (beef and chicken), 4% each. Remaining factors accounted for from 1.9% to 3.9%. The factors were effective in discriminating eating patterns across race and gender. Sig- nificant age effects were also noted for 10 ofthe 17 factors. Eating patterns for persons in the upper or lower quartiles differed consistently for specific cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Use ofthis statistical model to identify differences in eating patterns by race, gender, and CV risk factors during maturation can assist health professionals in targeting food sources for changing eating behavior. Am J C/in Nutr l989;49: 1320-7.
A uniformly valid insulated antenna theory

The authors describe a uniform insulated antenna theory, valid through transition to bare antennas. The transition of the insulated antenna solution to the bare antenna solution is characterized by two parameters: the equivalent bare antenna parameter and the Sommerfeld numerical distance. The error incurred in using WKG theory (Wu, King and Giri, 1973) is discussed. >
Result verification and trust-based scheduling in peer-to-peer grids

Peer-to-peer grids that seek to harvest idle cycles available throughout the Internet are vulnerable to hosts that fraudulently accept computational tasks and then maliciously return arbitrary results. Current strategies employed by popular cooperative computing grids, such as SETI@Home, rely heavily on task replication to check results. However, result verification through replication suffers from two potential shortcomings: (1) susceptibility to collusion in which a group of malicious hosts conspire to return the same bad results and (2) high fixed overhead incurred by running redundant copies of the task. In this paper, we first propose a scheme called Quiz to combat collusion. The basic idea of Quiz is to insert indistinguishable quiz tasks with verifiable results known to the client within a package containing several normal tasks. The client can then accept or reject the normal task results based on the correctness of quiz results. Our second contribution is the promotion of trust-based task scheduling in peer-to-peer grids. By coupling a reputation system with the basic verification schemes - Replication and Quiz - a client can potentially avoid malicious hosts and also reduce the overhead of verification for trusted hosts.
Cosmetic devices based on active transdermal technologies

Active transdermal technology, commonly associated with drug delivery, has been used in recent years by the cosmetic industry for the aesthetic restoration of skin and delivery of cosmetic agents. In this article, we provide an overview of the skin's structure, various skin types, skin's self-repair mechanisms that are stimulated from the usage of cosmetic devices and discuss cosmetic applications. Summaries of the most common active transdermal technologies such as microneedles, iontophoresis, sonophoresis, lasers and microdermabrasion will be provided, in relation to the marketed cosmetic devices available that incorporate these technologies. Lastly, we cover combinations of active technologies that allow for more enhanced cosmetic results, and the current limitations of cosmetic devices.
Global epidemiology of canine rabies: past, present, and future prospects

The rabies virus, a public health scourge from ancient times, is currently respon- sible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths a year, almost all transmitted via dog bites. It causes considerable economic impacts on developing countries, primarily in Africa and Asia, which can least afford these losses. However, despite its almost 100% case fatality rate, canine rabies is a completely preventable disease, and historic examples of canine rabies elimination in the developed world attest to this. Over the last decade, programs based on eliminating the source of the disease from dogs have shown success in reducing the public health burden of canine rabies in developing countries, notably across Latin America, and this has contributed to the growing evidence base necessary to change attitudes toward the feasibility of global canine rabies elimination. More recently, assessments of the current economic burden of canine rabies and the potential cost savings achievable through mass dog vaccinations have been added to this evidence base. Tools and support are available from the international community to help countries move progressively toward canine rabies elimination, and there is optimism that global
Justifying conflicts of interest in medical journals: a very bad idea

A series of articles in the New England Journal of Medicine has questioned whether the conflict of interest movement has gone too far in its campaign to stop the drug industry influencing the medical profession. Here, three former senior NEJM editors respond with dismay
Seventy percent of complete responders remain in continuous remission: Five-year follow-up of 300 patients treated with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) as initial therapy of CLL

7008 Background: The early results of 224 CLL patients receiving the FCR regimen were previously reported (JCO 23:4079). Mature follow-up data (median 62 months for survivors) is now available for ...
On Generating Pythagorean Triples

(1971). On Generating Pythagorean Triples. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 78, No. 4, pp. 378-379.
Adenylate cyclase system of human skeletal muscle: Subcellular distribution and general properties

Abstract The subcellular localization of adenylate cyclase was examined in human skeletal muscle. Three major subcellular membrane fractions, plasmalemma, sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, were characterized by membrane-marker biochemical studies, by dodecyl sulfate polycrylamide gel electrophoresis and by electron microscopy. About 60% of the adenylate cyclase of the homogenate was found in the plasmalemmal fraction and 10–14% in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. When the plasmalemmal preparation was subjected to discontinuous sucrose gradients, the distribution of adenylate cyclase in different subfractions closely paralleled that of (Na + + K + )-ATPase. The highest specific activity was found in a fraction which setteled at the 0.6–0.8 M sucrose interface. The electron microscopic study of this fraction revealed the presence of flattened sacs of variable sizes and was devoid of mitochondrial and myofibrillar material. The electron microscopy of each fraction supported the biochemical studies with enzyme markers. The three major membrane fractions also contained a low K m phosphodiesterase activity, the highest specific activity being associated with sarcoplasmic reticulum. The plasmalemmal adenylate cyclase was more sensitive to catecholamine stimulation than that associated with sarcoplasmic reticulum or mitochondria. The catecholamine-sensitive, but not the basal, enzyme was further stimulated by GTP. The plasmalemmal adenylate cyclase had typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to ATP and the apparent K m for ATP was approx. 0.3. mM. The pH optimum for that enzyme was 7.5. The enzyme required Mg 2+ , and the concentration to achieve half-maximal stimulation was approx. 3 mM. Higher concentrations of Mg 2+ (about 10 mM) were inhibitory. Solubilization of the plasmalemmal membrane fraction with Lubrol-PX resulted in preferential extraction of 106 000- and 40 000-dalton protein components. The solubilized adenylate cyclase lost its sensitivity for catecholamine stimulation, and the extent of fluoride stimulation was reduced to one-sixth of that of the intact membranes. It is concluded that the catalytically active and hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase is predominantly localized in the surface membranes of the cells within skeletal muscle. (That “plasmalemmal” fraction is considered likely to contain, in addition to plasmalemma of muscle cells, plasmalemma of bloodvessel cells (endothelium, and perhaps smooth muscle) which may be responsible for a certain amount of the adenylate cyclase activity and other propertiesobserved in that fraction.) The method of preparation used in this study provides a convenient material for evaluating the catecholamine-adenylate cyclase interactions in human skeletal muscle.