cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital ulnar deficiency. Natural history and therapeutic implications.

SUMMARY We have reviewed the natural history of congenital ulnar deficiency in 15 limbs in our series and in 185 limbs in the literature. The natural history suggests that there is little progression of deformity. Specific variables for prognosis have not been determined. There are no data that discuss relative ulnar length or relative forearm shortening of the involved extremity. We compared function in our 15 limbs with standards of function in the general population. Based on our findings, treatment must be individualized to maximize function and should be conservative regarding ulnar deviation of the wrist, radial head dislocation, and preservation of forearm pronation and supination. Standard reconstruction of hand anomalies is most rewarding for functional results.
Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells and Liver Injury

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are highly specialized endothelial cells with unique morphology and function. The porous morphology of LSECs enhances hepatocyte oxygenation needed for oxidative drug metabolism and is necessary for high extraction clearance of drugs by the liver. LSECs can be the target of drugs metabolized by the LSEC or metabolized by neighboring hepatocytes. Acute drug-induced injury to LSECs can cause ischemia and hemorrhagic necrosis, whereas subacute and chronic injury can lead to idiopathic noncirrhotic portal hypertension, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, peliosis hepatis, and sinusoidal fibrosis.
Recovery of Motor Skill Following Deprivation of Direct Sensory Input to the Motor Cortex in the Monkey

Recovery of function following partial destruction of the central nervous system has been observed for a long time. It is well known that the motor deficit following a stroke is severest immediately after the attack but that the symptoms become less severe as time passes. The genesis of this functional recovery has been an intriguing question among neurologists and neurophysiologists. It has been known for a long time that section of a peripheral nerve produces loss of control of the body area previously innervated by the nerve but that as time passes the sectioned nerve sprouts from the proximal end and eventually reinnervates the same territory to restore the function. Whether the same process takes place when a part of the central nervous system is destroyed has been a challenging problem. Since it is well established that mitotic division of neurons does not occur after birth, the recovery of function must occur by rearrangement of remaining neurons. Ramon y Cajal (1928) studied this problem extensively. He transsected the spinal cord of young cats and dogs and examined the sprouting of nerve fibers following the lesion. He observed that large numbers of the severed intraspinal fibers sprouted new processes with cones of growth similar to those observed in the peripheral nerves. However, after 4 or 5 weeks, the number of sprouting fibers diminished and eventually the new fibers disappeared. He concluded that the processes of regeneration were followed by atrophy and absorption. Similar observations were made by other investigators and it was generally agreed that nerve fibers in the CNS commenced to regenerate but that, for some reason, the newly formed sprouts would not cross the transsection to make functional connections in the opposite side of the stump (Clemente, 1964).
Business Social Media Analytics: Definition, Benefits, and Challenges

Based on a review of 27 research papers related to social media analytics (SMA), we develop an integrated, unifying definition of Business SMA, providing a nuanced starting point for future Business SMA research. Our definition goes beyond being entirely customer-focused, encompasses both the external and internal organizational environs, and goes beyond intelligence gathering to also accommodate activities such as sense making, insight generation, problem/opportunity detection and solution/exploitation, and decision making. Further, we identify several benefits of Business SMA, and elaborate on some of them, while presenting recent empirical evidence in support of our observations. The paper also describes several challenges facing Business SMA today, along with supporting evidence from the literature some of which also offer mitigating solutions in particular contexts. Accordingly, this research study helps further an understanding of Business SMA and its many aspects, grounded in recent empirical work, and is a basis for further research and development.
Philippe Pinel's "Memoir on Madness" of December 11, 1794: a fundamental text of modern psychiatry.

Philippe Pinel's "Memoir on Madness" can now be precisely dated. It was read to the Society for Natural History in Paris on Dec. 11, 1794, soon after the fall of the Jacobin dictatorship. It is thus a political document, an appeal to the Revolutionary government to build asylums where the mentally ill could be decently treated. It is translated here for the first time. Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) served as "physician of the infirmaries" at Bicetre, the public hospice for men near Paris, from 1793 to 1795. In the "Memoir on Madness" he explains his "psychologic treatment," the principles of the humane method that made him the founder of psychiatry in France. Pinel states that mental illness is often curable. To arrive at a diagnosis, the physician must carefully observe a patient's behavior, interview him, listen carefully, and take notes. He must understand the natural history of the disease and the precipitating event and write an accurate case history. Diagnosis and prognosis can then be made. Periodic patterns of mental illness can be helpful for therapy. Usually only one faculty is affected. Patients with delusions may be malicious or murderous. They may have to be restrained; it was Pinel's assistant, Jean Baptiste Pussin, who removed the chains from the insane men at Bicetre Hospice in 1797 and replaced them with strait-jackets. Pinel followed suit at the Salpetriere, the public hospice for women, 3 years later. Pinel here states that one must "dominate agitated madmen while respecting human rights."
Applications of MPC to Building HVAC Systems

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings are an emerging application area for model predictive control (MPC) due to the significant cost benefits that can be achieved via load shifting in modern electricity markets. In this paper, we discuss some of the opportunities and challenges associated with applying MPC to commercial HVAC systems. After defining the control problem, a decomposition of the centralized MPC is presented and demonstrated for an example system. Recent work at the Stanford University campus is also highlighted to show these ideas in practice, and an outlook for the field is given.
Exceptional Human Longevity.

Abstract Exceptional longevity represents an extreme phenotype. Current centenarians are survivors of a cohort who display delayed onset of age-related diseases and/or resistance to otherwise lethal illnesses occurring earlier in life. Characteristics of aging are heterogeneous, even among long-lived individuals. Associations between specific clinical or genetic biomarkers exist, but there is unlikely to be a single biomarker predictive of long life. Careful observations in the oldest old offer some empirical strategies that favor increased health span and life span, with implications for compression of disability, identification and implementation of lifestyle behaviors that promote independence, identification and measurement of more reliable markers associated with longevity, better guidance for appropriate health screenings, and promotion of anticipatory health discussions in the setting of more accurate prognostication. Comprehensive PubMed literature searches were performed, with an unbiased focus on mechanisms of longevity. Overall, the aggregate literature supports that the basis for exceptional longevity is multifactorial and involves disparate combinations of genes, environment, resiliency, and chance, all of which are influenced by culture and geography.
5-Aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylthioalkanoic Acids: A Highly Potent New Class of Inhibitors of Rho/Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor (MRTF)/Serum Response Factor (SRF)-Mediated Gene Transcription as Potential Antifibrotic Agents for Scleroderma.

Through a phenotypic high-throughput screen using a serum response element luciferase promoter, we identified a novel 5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylthiopropionic acid lead inhibitor of Rho/myocardin-r...
Magnetic resonance imaging based modeling of microvascular perfusion in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Abstract Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events, impaired lower extremity blood flow and microvascular perfusion abnormalities in the calf muscles which can be determined with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI). We developed a computational model of the microvascular perfusion in the calf muscles. We included 20 patients (10 PAD, 10 controls) and utilized the geometry, mean signal intensity and arterial input functions from CE-MRI calf muscle perfusion scans. The model included the microvascular pressure (pv), outflow filtration coefficient (OFC), transfer rate constant (kt), porosity (φ), and the interstitial permeability (Ktissue). Parameters were fitted and the simulations were compared across PAD patients and controls. Intra-observer reproducibility of the simulated mean signal intensities was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients >0.995). kt and Ktissue were higher in PAD patients compared with controls (4.72 interquartile range (IQR) 3.33, 5.56 vs. 2.47 IQR 2.10, 2.85; p = 0.003; and 3.68 IQR 3.18, 4.41 vs. 1.81 IQR 1.81, 1.81; p
Artificial water channels: toward and beyond desalination

Artificial water channels (AWCs) are synthetic mimics of biological water channel proteins, aquaporins. They combine the characteristic features of aquaporins, including a transmembrane orientation in biomimetic membrane matrices and the possibility of combining high water permeability with high water/solute selectivity, with higher processability and stability compared to protein channels. AWCs have thus emerged as a platform for biomimetic membrane development. During the last few years, remarkable progress has been made in AWC synthesis and characterization but bridging these advances to practical membrane development still remains a significant challenge. In this article, we review some recent concepts regarding permeability in water channels and its relevance to AWCs, common misconceptions and need for better clarity in permeability and selectivity characterization of AWCs, and prospective applications of channel-based membranes beyond desalination.
Modeling distributed forces within cell adhesions of varying size on continuous substrates.

Cell migration and traction are essential to many biological phenomena, and one of their key features is sensitivity to substrate stiffness, which biophysical models, such as the motor-clutch model and the cell migration simulator can predict and explain. However, these models have not accounted for the finite size of adhesions, the spatial distribution of forces within adhesions. Here, we derive an expression that relates varying adhesion radius ( R) and spatial distribution of force within an adhesion (described by s) to the effective substrate stiffness ( κsub ), as a function of the Young's modulus of the substrate ( E Y ), which yields the relation, κ sub = R s E Y , for two-dimensional cell cultures. Experimentally, we found that a cone-shaped force distribution ( s = 1.05) can describe the observed displacements of hydrogels deformed by adherent U251 glioma cells. Also, we found that the experimentally observed adhesion radius increases linearly with the cell protrusion force, consistent with the predictions of the motor-clutch model with spatially distributed clutches. We also found that, theoretically, the influence of one protrusion on another through a continuous elastic environment is negligible. Overall, we conclude cells can potentially control their own interpretation of the mechanics of the environment by controlling adhesion size and spatial distribution of forces within an adhesion.
Rethinking Arab Intellectual History: Epistemology, Historicism, Secularism

Arab intellectual history has been experiencing a resurgence of late, positioned as it is between the ascendancy of global intellectual history and the continued resilience of area studies. Such a precipitous conjuncture has led to a proliferation of Arab intellectual histories that belie the orientalist fallacy of the region as a “no idea producing area,” as once infelicitously described by Charles F. Gallagher. And yet the task of scholars of the Arab world is surely more complex than merely adding intellectuals and writers who have heretofore been ignored to the catalogue of intellectual history.
Managing Research and Development Across Government Departments: The

The virtual agency concept is now used within the United States Government to manage large research and development processes across departments. This paper examines the history of the virtual agency concept and its important characteristics. The paper identifies the potential benefits and associated risks involved in managing research and development within a virtual agency. Three cases are examined where the virtual agency concept has been applied to research and development programs in the United States: the High Performance Computing and Communications initiative, the Next Generation Internet, and the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles. The case studies indicate that the research and development process is attempting to balance formal process controls with the agility to adapt rapidly to new research opportunities. Virtual agencies can be used to improve organizational efficiency, improve knowledge transfer, increase interoperability through standards, provide better alignment of agency missions with national policy, and introduce increased flexibility into the research and development process. At the same time, the virtual agency concept has major risks including inefficiencies due to organizational complexity, the danger of collective myopia, the problem of adopting standards too early, the difficulty of reaching objectives in a loose organizational structure, and the problem of properly balancing the tension between agency mission objectives and national policy agendas.
Assessing the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on US Mortality: A County-Level Analysis

Covid-19 excess deaths refer to increases in mortality over what would normally have been expected in the absence of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, we take advantage of spatial variation in Covid-19 mortality across US counties to construct an Ordinary Least Squares regression model estimating its relationship with all-cause mortality. We then examine how the extent of excess mortality not assigned to Covid-19 varies across subsets of counties defined by demographic, structural, and policy characteristics. We estimate that 20.4% [95% CI (13.7%, 27.2%)] of excess deaths between February 1 and August 26, 2020 were ascribed to causes of death other than Covid-19 itself. Excess deaths not assigned to Covid-19 were even higher than predicted by our model in counties with high income inequality, low median income, low homeownership, and high percentages of Black residents, showing a pattern related to socioeconomic disadvantage and structural racism. Our work suggests that inequities in excess deaths attributable to Covid-19 may be even greater than revealed by data reporting deaths assigned to Covid-19 alone.
Positive anode sheath with ionization in an arc discharge

When the plasma is unable to provide the positive anode sheath with ions (small anode, low anode plasma conductivity, ablating anode), the ions must be generated inside the sheath itself. The Poisson equation for the sheath with ion generation is solved. The ion flux from the sheath to the neutral plasma is obtained as a function of the anode voltage drop. It is shown that in the case of highly intensive ion generation, the mode with monotonous potential ceases to exist. It is hypothesized that a double layer is formed. It is suggested that the analysis could be applicable to the anode layer of a glow discharge.
Reasons to Be Cheerful? The Short Supply of Optimism in Journalism Education

The Ethical Responsibilities of Journalism Vis-a-Vis the Economics of News Earlier this year, Dr. Ryan Thomas reached out to me about a potential topic for the Trends section of the journal. He had...
Ohio v. American Express: Implications for Non-Transaction Multisided Platforms

The Supreme Court’s decision in Ohio v. American Express settled a number of critical issues concerning multisided platforms—including whether each side of a platform constitutes a separate relevant product market. The ruling also addressed whether a prima facie assessment of competitive harm must incorporate the impact to consumers on all sides of a platform. The Court, however, potentially narrowed the scope of its ruling by making an explicit distinction between “transaction” and “non-transaction” platforms. We examine whether this is a meaningful distinction and explain how the Court’s logic applies to non-transaction platforms.
p53 is required for nuclear but not mitochondrial DNA damage-induced degeneration

While the consequences of nuclear DNA damage have been well studied, the exact consequences of acute and selective mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage are less understood. DNA damaging chemotherapeutic drugs are known to activate p53-dependent apoptosis in response to sustained nuclear DNA damage. While it is recognized that whole-cell exposure to these drugs also damages mtDNA, the specific contribution of mtDNA damage to cellular degeneration is less clear. To examine this, we induced selective mtDNA damage in neuronal axons using microfluidic chambers that allow for the spatial and fluidic isolation of neuronal cell bodies (containing nucleus and mitochondria) from the axons (containing mitochondria). Exposure of the DNA damaging drug cisplatin selectively to only the axons induced mtDNA damage in axonal mitochondria, without nuclear damage. We found that this resulted in the selective degeneration of only the targeted axons that were exposed to DNA damage, where ROS was induced but mitochondria were not permeabilized. mtDNA damage-induced axon degeneration was not mediated by any of the three known axon degeneration pathways: apoptosis, axon pruning, and Wallerian degeneration, as Bax-deficiency, or Casp3-deficiency, or Sarm1-deficiency failed to protect the degenerating axons. Strikingly, p53, which is essential for degeneration after nuclear DNA damage, was also not required for degeneration induced with mtDNA damage. This was most evident when the p53-deficient neurons were globally exposed to cisplatin. While the cell bodies of p53-deficient neurons were protected from degeneration in this context, the axons farthest from the cell bodies still underwent degeneration. These results highlight how whole cell exposure to DNA damage activates two pathways of degeneration; a faster, p53-dependent apoptotic degeneration that is triggered in the cell bodies with nuclear DNA damage, and a slower, p53-independent degeneration that is induced with mtDNA damage.
Development of a Screening Tool for Social Determinants of Health at a Federally Qualified Health Center

Background: Adverse social conditions in childhood contribute to an increased burden of acute and chronic disease in adult life. Childhood exposure to poverty, financial stress, food insecurity, housing instability, and poor housing quality is associated with stress, academic and cognitive deficits, socio-emotional difficulties, and poor health status. Screening for social determinants of health (SDH) in pediatric practices increases referrals to community-based resources, decreases social needs, and improves parent-reported child health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) therefore recommends screening for SDH at every health supervision visit from birth until age 21. However, …
Physical Therapy Management of an Individual With Post-COVID Syndrome: A Case Report.

Objective The purpose of this case report is to provide the clinical presentation and physical therapist management for a patient with post-COVID syndrome. Secondarily, the report highlights the importance of assessing cognitive and emotional health in patients with post-COVID syndrome. Methods (case description) A 37-year-old woman tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and developed mild COVID-19 disease but did not require supplemental oxygen or hospitalization. The patient experienced persistent symptoms, including dyspnea, headaches, and cognitive fog. On day 62, they participated in an outpatient physical therapist evaluation that revealed deficits in exercise capacity, obtaining 50% of their age-predicted 6-minute walk distance. They had minor reductions in muscle strength and cognitive function. Self-reported quality of life was 50, and they scored above established cut-off scores for provisional diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results The patient participated in biweekly physical therapist sessions for 8 weeks, which included aerobic training, strengthening exercises, diaphragmatic breathing techniques, and mindfulness training. Metabolic equivalent for task levels increased with variability over the course of the program. The patient's muscle strength, physical function, and exercise capacity improved. 6-Minute walk distance increased by 199 m, equating to 80% of their age-predicted distance. Quality of life and PTSD scores did not improve. At evaluation after physical therapy, the patient was still experiencing migraines, dyspnea, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion This case report described the clinical presentation and physical therapist management of a person with post-COVID syndrome, a novel health condition for which little evidence exists to guide rehabilitation examination and interventions. Physical therapists should consider cognitive function and emotional health in their plan of care for patients with post-COVID syndromes. Impact This case alerts physical therapists to post-COVID syndrome-which can include debilitating symptoms of decreased aerobic tolerance, anxiety, PTSD, and cognitive dysfunction-and to the role that therapists can play in assessing these symptoms and managing these patients.
Abstract P105: Associations Of Subclasses, Content And Function Metrics Of High-density Lipoprotein With Carotid Intima-media Thickness In Women Transitioning Through Menopause Swan Hdl And Swan Heart Studies

Objective: Higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) may not always be cardio-protective in midlife women. Novel metrics of HDL including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectr...
The COVID-19 Patient in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit

COVID-19 continues to rampage around the world. Noncritical care-trained physicians may be deployed into the intensive care unit to manage these complex patients. Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, it is also associated with significant pathology in the brain, heart, vasculature, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys. This article provides an overview of COVID-19 using an organ-based, systematic approach.
Political Ideology in the Arab World: Accommodation and Transformation

Arab nationalism and Islamism have been the two most potent ideological forces in the Arab region across the twentieth century. Over the last two decades, however, an accommodation of sorts has been developing between liberals, socialists and Islamists, to protest unpopular foreign and domestic policies, such as those aimed at cooperation with Israel or the war in Iraq. By examining the writings of Arab nationalist, socialist and Islamist intellectuals, and through numerous interviews with political participants from different persuasions, Michaelle Browers traces these developments from the 'Arab age of ideology', as it has been called, through an 'age of ideological transformation', demonstrating clearly how the recent flow of ideas from one group to another have their roots in the past. Political Ideology in the Arab World assesses the impact of ideological changes on Egypt's Kifaya! [Enough!] movement and Yemen's joint meeting parties.
Institutions, Immigration and Identity

The debate over immigration has been a central part of America’s political, social, and economic history. Concerns over the impact of immigration on American identity can be traced back to the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson worried that immigrants from monarchies would fail to support a republican system of government. George Washington was concerned that immigrants would engage in activities that would challenge a federal government. Benjamin Franklin, questioning the costs imposed by immigration from Germany, called the German immigrants “the most stupid of their own nation,” and raised concerns that “through their indiscretion, or ours, or both, great disorders may one day arise among us.” Franklin, however, also realized the benefits of immigration when he noted that German immigrants were, “excellent husbandmen, and contribute greatly to the improvement of a country.” At the heart of Franklin’s concern was the fear that open immigration would erode the unique identity that made America what it was.Over two hundred and fifty years later, Franklin’s concern remains a central issue in American society. When one considers the magnitude of immigration in the United States, it becomes clear why the issue is so controversial. There are more immigrants living in the U.S. today – 31 million – than ever before. Approximately 1.2 million immigrants arrive in the United States each year. One out of every nine U.S. citizens is an immigrant. About half of the workers entering the U.S. labor force in the 1990s were born in foreign countries.
Quantum computing and cloud computing: humans trusting humans via machines

In this paper we use Levels of Abstraction and an object-oriented model of trust to analyze quantum computing and cloud computing to identify important ethical concerns. The method of Levels of Abstraction aids in identifying broad social concerns of both methods of computation. Both methods of computation have the potential to deeply impact societal trust of computing.
Fostering Teacher Candidate Dispositions in Teacher Education Programs.

The role of teacher preparation programs is to ensure that candidates are effectively prepared in the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to be an effective educator. However, dispositions have always been a challenge to the field of teacher education, particularly in response to assessing dispositions and in answering the question; can dispositions be taught? Many professionals in education and career counseling believe that candidates come endowed with the dispositions needed to be an effective teacher and this “endowment” is the reason the candidate has chosen the career of teaching. Though, to a certain degree this premise may hold true, this article discussing a study done in an early childhood teacher preparation program with teacher candidates and demonstrated dispositions can be “taught” if there is intentionality with effective teaching methods related to dispositions. Pre and post assessment results of 99 teacher candidates are compared in an introductory early childhood education course to measure candidates’ tendencies to act in ways conducive to appropriate professional dispositions. A teaching intervention related to dispositions is also discussed and provided the premise that with intentional and effective teaching, comes intentional and effective learning.
Large Line Widths in HH Objects - The Bow Shock Model

The line widths of Herbig-Haro objects sometimes exceed 400 km s–1 within an object only about 1500 AU in size. Many of the line profiles are double-peaked, with the stronger of the two peaks occurring near zero radial velocity. These unusual spectral characteristics together with the observed mixture of high and low excitation lines provide essential clues to the geometry and physics of the radiative shocks responsible for the emission. In this paper the predictions of a radiative bow shock model are briefly reviewed, with special emphasis placed on the explanation of broad-lined HH objects.
Correlating Surrogate Endpoints with Overall Survival at the Individual Patient Level in BRAFV600E-Mutated Metastatic Melanoma Patients Treated with Vemurafenib

Purpose: Surrogate endpoints are needed that correlate with overall survival (OS). We analyzed individual patient tumor data from a phase III trial of vemurafenib versus dacarbazine (BRIM3) to identify criteria for tumor measures that correlated with OS. Correlates were validated using a separate data set from a phase II trial of vemurafenib (BRIM2). Experimental Design: Deidentified tumor measurements and OS data from BRIM3 and from BRIM2 were analyzed. Target tumor measurement data and nontarget tumor data were available from pretreatment, weeks 6,12, and every 9 weeks thereafter. In the BRIM3 data set, associations of OS with both early tumor response (first 12 weeks) and time to progression (TTP) were assessed. Different definitions of response and progression were explored. Findings were validated using the BRIM2 data set. Results: Thresholds of early response were explored ranging from any degree of tumor shrinkage to 100% tumor shrinkage. Correlation was weak at all thresholds tested. TTP, however, was more strongly correlated with OS. The strongest correlation was seen when progression was defined as ≥50% increase in the sum of tumor diameters or appearance of new tumors. This was confirmed by similar analyses in the BRIM2 cohort. Conclusions: TTP defined as ≥50% increase in the sum of tumor diameters or appearance of new tumors was more strongly associated with OS than early tumor shrinkage in melanoma patients treated with RAF inhibitor. In future trials, consideration should be given to replacing response rate with TTP or PFS as preferable clinical endpoints in early-phase studies. Clin Cancer Res; 22(6); 1341–7. ©2015 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 1299][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/22/1299?iss=6
Improved full-spectrum k-distribution implementation for inhomogeneous media using a narrow-band database

Abstract A new implementation to determine the correlated k values as used in full-spectrum correlated k-distribution methods for inhomogeneous media is presented, which conserves radiative emission and significantly improves the accuracy of the full-spectrum correlated k-distribution method in strongly inhomogeneous media. In addition, an update of a previous high-accuracy, compact narrow-band k-distribution database is given. The new narrow-band database utilizes the latest spectroscopy databases to ensure accuracy at elevated temperatures and pressures. Differences between the two versions of narrow-band k-distribution databases as a result of the change of spectroscopy databases are illustrated.
Preparation and characterization of antioxidant nanospheres from multiple α-lipoic acid-containing compounds

The purpose of this study was to prepare and characterize antioxidant nanospheres composed of multiple α-lipoic acid-containing compounds (mALAs). It was found that the nanospheres were remarkably stable under physiologic conditions, maintained the antioxidant property of α-lipoic acid, and could be destabilized oxidatively and enzymatically. The preparations were simple and highly reproducible providing a new strategy for the development of nanometer-sized antioxidant biomaterials. The nanospheres may find applications as antioxidant therapeutics and oxidation-responsive antioxidant nanocontainers in drug delivery for pathological conditions characterized by oxidative stress including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Leverage, governance and wealth effects of asset purchasers

Abstract We examine a sample of 670 firms that announce asset purchases. We hypothesize that buyer announcement returns should be higher in the presence of better monitoring and better governance. Consistent with the monitoring hypothesis, we find that buyers with higher private debt make purchase decisions that increase shareholder value. Consistent with the governance hypothesis, we find that returns are higher for buyers that have lower antitakeover provisions in place. Consistent with the managerial discretion hypothesis, buyer announcement-period returns increase with buyer leverage. Consistent with the liquidity hypothesis, we find that announcement-period returns decrease with the seller's Z-score, suggesting that buyers benefit from the lower liquidity of assets sold by sellers with lower debt capacity and higher financial distress. We also find that buyer announcement-period returns are directly related to their operating performance in the post-purchase year.
Measurement of the Titanium Vacuum Chamber Eddy Current Fields and Pole Face Winding Corrections for the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS)

The titanium vacuum chambers (TVC) which will be installed in the ZGS are equipped with pole face windings for correction of the eddy current fields. A prototype of the chamber and correction windings has been installed in a spare magnet block test fixture for measurement of the eddy current fields as a function of radial position and time. The ten difference signals from 20 test coils are read into a SEL-810A computer. The computer displays the measured gradient on a scope, either as a function of radial position at a selected time during the magnet pulse or as a function of time at a selected position. Thus, the result of applying compensating pulses to the pole face windings can be shown directly.
Effect of taurine on ethanol-induced sleep time in mice genetically bred for differences in ethanol sensitivity.

Long Sleep (LS) and Short Sleep (SS) mice were used in this study to investigate the interaction between ethanol and taurine. Sleep time (hypnosis) was selected as an index of ethanol-induced central nervous system depression. In order to achieve a similar degree of central nervous system depression with ethanol, SS and LS mice received 5.3 and 3.0 g/kg, IP, of ethanol, respectively. When taurine (7.5, 15 and 25 μmol/kg) was administered intracerebroventricularly (ICV) to LS and SS mice immediately after regaining the righting reflex following ethanol injection, a return to sleep time was produced. This effect of taurine was immediate in onset and occured in a dose-dependent fashion. LS mice exhibited a greater effect from taurine administration than SS mice. In another experiment LS and SS mice were given ICV TAG, a taurine antagonist (6-aminomethyl-3-methyl-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1, 1-dioxide HCl), which significantly reduced the effect of taurine to produce a return to sleep time in the presence of ethanol. TAG did not affect ethanol-induced sleep time. In control experiments, in the absence of ethanol, neither taurine (25 μmol/kg, ICV) nor TAG (1 μmol/kICV) caused a significant loss of the righting reflex (sleep time). When pentobarbital (50 mg/kg, IP) was injected instead of ethanol in the sleep time experiments, taurine (7.5, 15 and 25 μmol/kg, ICV) produced a return to sleep time in LS and SS mice that resembled the effect of taurine with ethanol in SS mice. These results indicate that taurine (ICV) can enhance the central depressant action of ethanol and pentobarbital and that the greatest effect of taurine occurred with LS mice in the presence of ethanol. It is possible that taurine may have some role in the central nervous system depressant properties of ethanol.
Noise Reduction and Atmospheric Correction for Coastal Applications of Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery

Abstract The Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) has three visible bands centered at 485 nm, 560 nm, and 660 nm which can be used for ocean applications. This article presents a method for deriving the bottom albedo from the TM in coastal waters. Our study of historical TM images shows degradation of the sensor through time. Pattern noise in the imagery in Bands 2 and 3 was analyzed and removed using a combination of Fourier filtering and edge-detection techniques. Noise was first examined over clear and deep nearby oceanic waters, and the filter algorithms developed there were applied to the entire image. To estimate water-leaving radiance from the satellite sensor, Rayleigh and aerosol path radiance were removed. Radiance due to aerosol scattering was calculated for offshore pixels assuming a marine aerosol type, and it was removed as a constant from the entire scene. The TM sensor calibration was validated by comparing water-leaving radiance values over the clear waters of the Florida current with known, normalized water-leaving radiance values. Corrections for water path radiance and water-column attenuation of bottom-reflected radiance were made for regions of known depth, allowing the bottom albedo and vegetative pixel fraction to be determined for shallow reef areas in the Florida Keys.
Urothelium Patterns Bladder Smooth Muscle Location

Abstract Purpose Smooth muscle differentiation is induced in the embryonic bladder by the centrally located urothelium in the undifferentiated mesenchyme in the periphery adjacent to the serosa. We hypothesize that under the appropriate signal the entire undifferentiated bladder mesenchyme is capable of smooth muscle differentiation and that the epithelium patterns fibromuscular development. Material and Methods Embryonic bladders of wild-type and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) mice were separated into urothelial and mesenchymal components prior to smooth muscle differentiation (E12.5-E13). The urothelial layer (GFP) was recombined and grafted with the mesenchyme (wild-type) in a: 1) normal orientation (orthotopic fashion); 2) with the urothelium on the serosal surface (heterotopic); 3) with the urothelium in both orthotopic and heterotypic locations; 4) with the urothelium implanted into an ectopic location within the bladder mesenchyme; 5) embryonic bladder mesenchyme alone (controls) and 6) bladder epithelium alone (controls). Patterning experiments were also performed by combining epithelium of non-urothelial cell origin with embryonic bladder mesenchyme. After two weeks of growth under the renal capsule, the tissue recombinants were evaluated for smooth muscle patterning using immunohistochemistry. Results Smooth muscle developed in its normal peripheral location adjacent to the serosa when the urothelium was placed in an orthotopic position. Smooth muscle developed in an abnormal position in the prospective submucosal zone when the urothelium was placed on the serosal surface. In all cases, a zone of smooth muscle inhibition was observed adjacent to the epithelium whether the urothelium was in an orthotopic or heterotypic position. Bladder mesenchyme grafted alone did not grow and bladder epithelium grafted alone did not grow. Epithelium of non-urothelial origin induced and patterned smooth muscle, but in a variable tissue specific manner. Conclusions The full thickness of bladder mesenchyme is capable of smooth muscle differentiation dependent on the location of urothelium.
Hydrogen bond lifetimes and clustering of methanol in carbon tetrachloride solutions.

NMR experiments and ab initio calculations suggest that methanol forms small cyclic hydrogen bond clusters (4−6 molecules) in the condensed phase. In contrast, molecular dynamics simulations have indicated that methanol will form large branched chains that extend to include hundreds of molecules. In this paper, we performed a series of simulations examining the structure and dynamics of methanol/carbon tetrachloride mixtures. We show that two simulation models are capable of reproducing the trends in the experimental NMR data despite the fact that they indicate that the structure of the liquid is dominated by large branched chains. We hypothesize that the experimental results can be described by variations in the hydrogen bond lifetime with methanol concentration.
Pol II-expressed shRNA knocks down Sod2 gene expression and causes phenotypes of the gene knockout in mice.

RNA interference (RNAi) has been used increasingly for reverse genetics in invertebrates and mammalian cells, and has the potential to become an alternative to gene knockout technology in mammals. Thus far, only RNA polymerase III (Pol III)–expressed short hairpin RNA (shRNA) has been used to make shRNA-expressing transgenic mice. However, widespread knockdown and induction of phenotypes of gene knockout in postnatal mice have not been demonstrated. Previous studies have shown that Pol II synthesizes micro RNAs (miRNAs)—the endogenous shRNAs that carry out gene silencing function. To achieve efficient gene knockdown in mammals and to generate phenotypes of gene knockout, we designed a construct in which a Pol II (ubiquitin C) promoter drove the expression of an shRNA with a structure that mimics human miRNA miR-30a. Two transgenic lines showed widespread and sustained shRNA expression, and efficient knockdown of the target gene Sod2. These mice were viable but with phenotypes of SOD2 deficiency. Bigenic heterozygous mice generated by crossing these two lines showed nearly undetectable target gene expression and phenotypes consistent with the target gene knockout, including slow growth, fatty liver, dilated cardiomyopathy, and premature death. This approach opens the door of RNAi to a wide array of well-established Pol II transgenic strategies and offers a technically simpler, cheaper, and quicker alternative to gene knockout by homologous recombination for reverse genetics in mice and other mammalian species.
A cocaine-sensitive active dopamine transport in human lymphocytes☆

Human lymphocytes possess a cocaine-sensitive high-affinity transport system for [3H]dopamine. [3H]Dopamine uptake was saturated with increasing dopamine concentrations and followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The uptake was temperature, sodium, and chloride dependent and was affected by the co-addition of ouabain, phloridzin, potassium cyanide, gramicidin, and other metabolic inhibitors. The uptake of dopamine was blocked significantly in a concentration-dependent manner by cocaine and its congeners. Furthermore, preliminary evidence is presented linking the possible relationship between decreased lymphocyte [3H]dopamine uptake and chronic cocaine abuse in humans.
The capacity of the Kanerva associative memory

Asymptotic expressions for the capacity of an associative memory proposed by P. Kanerva (1984) are derived. Capacity is defined as the maximum number of random binary words that can be stored at random addresses so that the probability that a word is in error is arbitrarily small when it is retrieved by an n-bit address containing fewer than delta n errors, delta >
Synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles by condensation of the conjugate base of open‐chain reissert compound analogs with vinyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (schweizer's salt)

Reaction of the conjugate base of several open-chain Reissert compound analogs with vinyltriphenylphosphonium bromide is shown to afford a convenient route to substituted pyrroles. The condensation is a two-step process involving an initial reversible addition to form an unstabilized Wittig reagent followed by an intramolecular Wittig reaction upon the carbonyl group of the tertiary amide functionality with concomitant elimination of HCN. Several applications to the synthesis of 1,2,5-trisubstituted pyrroles are presented, together with attempts to expand this methodology to the synthesis of other heterocyclic systems.
On Monte Carlo methods for estimating the fisher information matrix in difficult problems

The Fisher information matrix summarizes the amount of information in a set of data relative to the quantities of interest and forms the basis for the Cramer-Rao (lower) bound on the uncertainty in an estimate. There are many applications of the information matrix in modeling, systems analysis, and estimation. This paper presents a resampling-based method for computing the information matrix together with some new theory related to efficient implementation. We show how certain properties associated with the likelihood function and the error in the estimates of the Hessian matrix can be exploited to improve the accuracy of the Monte Carlo-based estimate of the information matrix.
Raman Spectroscopy for Probing guest-host interactions in Metal Organic Frameworks

Spectroscopic techniques such as IR and Raman are very powerful to understand guest-host interactions. Although these techniques are complementary, Raman spectroscopy has not been widely implemented as a tool to characterize these interactions. This study illustrates the use of Raman spectroscopy not only to probe the interactions experienced by a guest molecule but also to detect structural changes occurring in the framework upon loading. Weak interactions of adsorbed molecules with the framework are reflected in frequency and intensity variations in both Raman and IR absorption lines, as shown for the case of CO2, N2 and CH4 with Zn(bdc)(ted)0.5.
Direct calorimetric measurement of grain boundary and surface enthalpies in yttria-stabilized zirconia.

We measured the change in enthalpy with grain size of a dense nanograined yttria-stabilized zirconia by oxide melt solution calorimetry and derived a grain boundary enthalpy, 0.73 ± 0.19 J m−2. Surface enthalpies of nanopowders are 2.21 ± 0.14 J m−2 (anhydrous surface) and 1.60 ± 0.09 J m−2 (hydrous surface). The grain boundary enthalpy is about a factor of two smaller than the enthalpy of the anhydrous surface, suggesting that densification which maintains nanosized grains is indeed thermodynamically driven. This is the first direct calorimetric measurement of grain boundary enthalpy in a ceramic.
Ishi, the last American

Ishi in Two Worlds. Produced and directed by Richard Thompson and available on videotape from CRM Films. CRM Films, 1960, 20 mins. The Last of His Tribe. HBO feature telefilm and videotape. A River City Production. Produced and directed by Harry Hook. Co‐produced by Robert Lovenheim. HBO, 1992. Approx. 90 mins. Ishi, the Last Yahi. Dramatic Documentary Film. Rattlesnake Productions, Inc., 1992. Produced and directed by Jed Riffe and Pamela Roberts. Color, 56 mins. Information on world‐wide rights and rental pricing available from Filmmaker Jed Riffe, Saul Zaentz Film Center, 2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; tel. (510) 841–2337.
A hierarchical Bayesian model for pattern recognition

The success of automated classification hinges on the choice of the representation of the data. Much research has focused on feature extraction techniques that can identify highly informative representations of a dataset. In this paper, we adapt for the purposes of classification a hierarchical Bayesian model developed by Karklin and Lewicki to model the neurophysiological properties of the cortex. The hierarchical nature of the cortex enables it to capture successively abstract and nonlinear features within its stimulus. We show empirically that the properties of natural images that motivated this model are also present in non-homogenous data typical of classification tasks. We also propose a discriminative training method for the model that enables it to preferentially select features that best distinguish the output class labels. Finally, the performance of the model was tested on handwritten digit recognition and face recognition. We found that classification using features extracted from the model achieved greater performance than classification using the nonlinear features of Kernel Fisher Discriminant analysis alone.