cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urea cycle metabolism: effects of supplemental ornithine or citrulline on performance, tissue amino acid concentrations and enzymatic activity in young pigs fed arginine-deficient diets.

Two experiments were conducted with young pigs to determine the efficacy of ornithine (Orn) or citrulline (Cit) as precursors of arginine (Arg). In Exp. 1, pigs were individually fed an Arg-deficient, semipurified diet (.18% Arg) supplemented with .3% Arg or an equimolar quantity of Orn or Cit. Supplemental Arg or Cit increased rate and efficiency of weight gain, but Orn addition was without effect. Free Arg in plasma 3 h post-prandial was increased by addition of either Arg or Cit to the basal diet. Liver Arg was elevated by dietary addition of Arg, Orn or Cit; kidney Arg and Orn were elevated only in pigs receiving supplemental Cit. Arginine or Cit addition to the diet increased Arg concentration in muscle tissue, but muscle Orn was unresponsive to any of the supplements fed. In Exp. 2, pigs were again fed the Arg-deficient, semipurified diet supplemented with .3% Arg or four times an isomolar quantity of ornithine. Arginine addition to the diet increased weight gain and feed efficiency, while Orn supplementation was without effect. Plasma Orn was increased by excess Orn, while plasma Cit was unaffected by supplemental Arg or Orn. Moreover, excess Orn increased free Orn and proline (Pro) in liver, kidney and muscle. Free Cit, however, increased only in liver from feeding excess Orn. In addition, excess Orn decreased both plasma ammonia and free glutamine (Gln) concentration in brain. Arginase activity was roughly 10, 40 and 100 times greater in hepatic tissue than in renal cortex, renal medulla or intestinal mucosa, respectively, while hepatic ornithine transcarbamoylase (OTC) activity was about 15 times greater than the activity present in mucosa tissue. Renal OTC activity was too low to be accurately measured.
Semi-invariants of binary forms and symmetrized graph-monomials

This article provides a method for constructing invariants and semi-invariants of a binary $N$-ic form over a field $k$ characteristics $0$ or $p > N$. A practical and broadly applicable sufficient condition for ensuring nontriviality of the symmetrization of a graph-monomial is established. This allows construction of infinite families of invariants (especially, skew-invariants) and families of $k$-linearly independent semi-invariants. These constructions are very useful in the quantum physics of Fermions. Additionally, they permit us to establish a new polynomial-type lower bound on the coefficient of $q^{w}$ in $(q - 1) {N + d \choose d}_{q}$ for all sufficiently large integers $d$ and $w \leq N d / 2$.
Prevention of Crime and Delinquency

Abstract Crime prevention is the act of stopping or reducing criminal activities, by either known or unknown offenders. This article explores various aspects of crime prevention, including the theoretical basis, as well as efforts by various criminal justice agencies, including law enforcement and correctional systems. Specific areas of interest, including substance abuse prevention and the role of firearms in crime, are also addressed.
Keeping Bits Safe: How Hard Can It Be?: As storage systems grow larger and larger, protecting their data for long-term storage is becoming more and more challenging.

These days, we are all data pack rats. Storage is cheap, so if there’s a chance the data could possibly be useful, we keep it. We know that storage isn’t completely reliable, so we keep backup copies as well. But the more data we keep, and the longer we keep it, the greater the chance that some of it will be unrecoverable when we need it.
Role of Information Technologies in Global Business Successes

Organizational leaders provide the primary impetus in defining, forming, and shaping corporate culture. Leadership literature emphasizes on the leader’s role in “articulating a vision” and the leader’s pivotal role in establishing culture by setting objectives and then removing hurdles by smoothing the path for attaining those objectives. Changes in communications technology and the speed at which information and people can now be transported around the world allow people from diverse cultures to work together in ways never possible. These recent changes in technology may have positive or negative impact on the role of the leaders, culture of the organization, and ability to compete. In this chapter, we discuss various attributes of organizational culture such as power distance, time orientation, individualism and how they are affected by the technological advancements. Information and communication technologies (ICT) enable organization with flexibility, virtual work, and work-life balance which in turn has impact on organizational culture and leadership styles. We will also discuss the management styles such as participative and consultative as well as empowering, directive leadership styles, and how they are influenced by technological changes.
COVID-19 Serology in New York State Using a Multiplex Microsphere Immunoassay

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, leading to COVID-19, necessitated the development of new molecular and serological tests. Here, we describe a multiplexed serological assay developed as the global pandemic moved into New York State in the spring of 2020. The original microsphere immunoassay used a target antigen from the SARS-CoV-1 virus responsible for the 2003 SARS outbreak, but evolved to incorporate multiple SARS-CoV-2 protein antigens (nucleocapsid, spike and spike domains, spike and nucleocapsid proteins from seasonal human coronaviruses). Besides being highly versatile due to multiplex capabilities, the assay was highly specific and sensitive and adaptable to measuring both total antibodies and antibody isotypes. While determining the assay performance characteristics, we were able to identify antibody production patterns (e.g., kinetics of isotypes, individual variations) for total antibodies and individual antibody classes. Overall, the results provide insights into the laboratory response to new serology needs, and how the evolution and fine-tuning of a serology assay helped contribute to a better understanding of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2.
On Keynes's Description of the Elasticity of His LP (LM) Curve on page 207 of the General Theory ('The Most Striking Examples of a Complete Breakdown of Stability in the Rate of Interest, Due to the Liquidity Function Flattening Out in One Direction or the Other, Have Occurred in Very Abnormal Circumstances.'): Why It was Overlooked for 82 Years by Economists

J M Keynes’s clear and exact statement describing the elasticity of his LP (LM) equation can be contrasted with the complete and total failure on the part of the economics profession, for the last 82 years, to grasp what it was that he was talking about. Keynes’s statement on page 207, that "The most striking examples of a complete breakdown of stability in the rate of interest, due to the liquidity function flattening out in one direction or the other, have occurred in very abnormal circumstances.", can only mean one thing. Keynes was talking about the elasticities of his LP (LM) function. There was a vertical, completely inelastic, range of the LP (LM) function in Aggregate Income, Interest rate space and a horizontal, completely or infinitely elastic range, in Aggregate Income, Interest rate space. Moreover, Keynes supplied two precise, historical case studies describing empirical outcomes that would correspond to events in which either of the two extreme ranges, completely vertical and completely horizontal, occurred. Keynes’s repeated statements that it was possible to increase investment spending without increasing the rate of interest is obvious if you are in the horizontal range of the LP (LM) curve. It is shown in this paper that no economist grasped what Keynes was saying in spite of the many, many references to page 207 of the General Theory that have appeared in the literature on Keynes’s theory of the rate of interest for the last 82 years.
Abortion as an Instrument of Eugenics

Laws banning trait-selection abortion — prohibitions on abortion when had solely because of the race, sex, or specific disability of the child that otherwise would be born — pose a direct challenge to the Supreme Court’s constitutional abortion-law doctrine under Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey: Does the Constitution really confer a right to abortion when had because of the race, sex, or disability of the child that otherwise would be born – that is, abortion for reasons of eugenics? This essay argues that, under Roe and Casey, the answer is yes, but the constitutionally correct answer is no – and this highlights the errors and horrors of the Court’s abortion jurisprudence.
Using a Cross-Classified Multilevel Mediation Model (CC-M3) with Longitudinal Data Having Changes in Cluster Membership

Cluster memberships associated with the mediation effect are often changed due to the temporal distance between the cause-and-effect variables in longitudinal data. Nevertheless, current practices ...
Holographic imaging of mitochondrial optical density in living cells reveals that the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition is a two-stage process

Mitochondrial permeability transition is caused by the opening of the Cyclosporin A (CSA) dependent calcium-induced large pore, known as the Permeability Transition Pore (PTP). PTP activation is believed to be a central event in stress-induced cell death. However, the molecular details of PTP opening remain incompletely understood. PTP opening makes mitochondrial inner membrane permeable to the molecules up to 1.5 kDa in size. Solute equilibration with the media in combination with swelling due to the PTP opening make mitochondria optically transparent - a phenomenon that has been widely used as a bona fide "light-scattering" PTP detection method in isolated mitochondria. Here, we utilized holographic microscopy imaging to monitor mitochondrial optical density changes that occur during solute equilibration between matrix and cytoplasm and thus enabled us to assess PTP induction in living cells. This approach relies on label-free, real-time mitochondrial visualization due to refractive index (RI) differences between the mitochondrial matrix and cytoplasm in the intact cells. PTP activation was detected as the decrease in mitochondrial RI. These measurements were done in parallel with measurements of the mitochondrial membrane potential, using the fluorescent probe TMRM. In intact HAP 1 cells, we found that calcium stress caused CSA-sensitive depolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Unexpectedly, high-conductance PTP did not occur until after nearly complete mitochondrial membrane depolarization. In cells lacking c and {delta}; subunits of the ATP synthase, we observed calcium-induced and CSA-sensitive depolarization but not high-conductance PTP. We demonstrate that holographic imaging is a powerful novel tool with unique capabilities that allow measurement of PTP in living cells with high temporal and spatial resolution. We conclude that contrary to the widely accepted view, in living cells, high-conductance PTP is not the cause of calcium-induced membrane depolarization. Further, we provide direct evidence that ATP synthase is essential for high-conductance PTP, but not for calcium-induced CSA-sensitive membrane depolarization. We propose that PTP activation occurs as a two-phase process, where the first phase of the initial membrane depolarization is followed by the second phase of large pore opening that results in high-amplitude membrane permeabilization.
Putting Economics into the Security of the Transportation Supply Chain: Some Reflections

This paper looks at some of the ways in which economics can help us understand some of the security challenges confronting the modern supply chain, and considers ways in which it may reduce security threats. Supply chains have always been vulnerable, and this vulnerability has varied in its nature and severity over time. While there has been considerable time devoted to the technical responses to security issues, economic analysis has been relative Spartan. Here the author brings together a number of thoughts on some of the work that may be relevant to this topic and provides some commentary on these.
‘Keep the Citizens Poor’: Machiavelli's Prescription for Republican Poverty

Machiavelli consistently advises that well-ordered republics must ‘keep their citizens poor’. Although this maxim recurs throughout the Discourses, Machiavelli never directly elaborates on what thi...
Time-frequency concentrated basis functions

The notion of concentration is discussed, and concentration with respect to an operator is defined. This is related to the idea of concentration based on second moments in time and frequency. A class of signals B/sub w/( mu ) concentrated with respect to an operator W is introduced. A best n-dimensional approximating subspace for this class is shown to be the space spanned by the n signals most concentrated with respect to the operator defining the class. The case of approximating B/sub W/( mu ) with a subspace which is not maximally concentrated with respect to W, but which consists of signals which are maximally concentrated with respect to some other operator, is examined. This is motivated from time-frequency analysis where useful physical insight may be gained by decomposing a signal into elementary locally concentrated components. The tradeoff between error and concentration is discussed. >
Subsidized Lives and the Ideology of Efficiency

I. FROM “SPECIAL” TREATMENT TO “REDISTRIBUTIVE” TREATMENT 121 II. WHOSE EFFICIENCY? 128 III. WHOSE MORAL HAZARD? 138 IV. DEPENDENCE ON WHOM? 149
In Vitro Fertilisation: Regulation

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a fertility treatment, sometimes referred to more generically as an assisted reproductive technology (ART), designed to help couples who cannot get pregnant in the normal manner, establish a pregnancy. IVF treatment requires the creation of multiple pre-embryos for implantation into the patient's uterus. The development of IVF techniques has prompted the use of several regulatory models, such as free market approaches, industry self-regulation, laissez-faire legislation and prohibitive licensing systems. Each regulatory model has strengths and weaknesses in dealing with different types of moral concerns within the IVF debate, including reproductive autonomy, safety and dignity of the unborn, the creation and destruction of waste embryos, surrogacy and ownership issues. With varying models of regulation and conflicting moral views on the matter, international harmonisation of IVF regulations is unlikely. Key Concepts: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a general term used to describe a variety of fertility treatments from in vitro fertilisation to sperm donation where the ultimate goal is to achieve pregnancy. There is currently no strict definition. Conflicts of interest occur when an individual or group has multiple interests in a particular act or behaviour, which could unjustly influence the act or behaviour; common examples occur in law, medicine, business, politics and journalism. Industry self-regulation is where an industry or profession attempts to set up regulations to prevent, what the industry might think is, excessive governmental regulation of the industry. The auto industry in the USA is a prime example. In vitro fertilisation literally mean ‘within the glass’ fertilisation and occurs when an ovum is fertilised outside the body in a glass or plastic container like a Petri dish or test-tube. Hence, the phrase ‘test-tube’ baby. Laissez-faire approaches to regulation refer to a ‘let it be’ attitude and is typically associated with free markets and less government involvement. Pre-embryos are fertilised ova up to 14 days old before they are implanted into a uterus. Procreative (medical) tourism is the practice of travelling to a country other than one's own home country where a particular medical practice, in this case an ART of some kind, is legally permissible. Keywords: in vitro; fertility treatment; regulations; assisted reproduction; ART
Changing what's happening in HS and introductory college CS: keynote address

Computing has become ubiquitous. IT innovation drives our economy, underlies many of the advances we are making in science and engineering, and ensures our national security. IT has the highest projected job growth of any STEM field and its careers consistently rank near the top of "best job" lists. Yet student interest in computing has plummeted: the proportion of incoming college students who intend to major in computing has fallen by 70% this decade, 80% for women. College enrollments and degree production has also dropped dramatically and although some schools are reporting the beginnings of a turn around, we are still significantly under-producing the computing and IT degrees we will need to have for a competitive 21st workforce in global economy.
Culture and Cognitive Development in Phylogenetic, Historical, and Ontogenetic Perspective

This chapter addresses the proposition that the study of the role of culture in cognitive development must be conducted in a broad, historical perspective that includes the history of the human species, the cultural history of the human group into which children are born, and their engagement in the cultural practices that serve as the proximal environments of development. The issue of phylogenetic history is pursued in two complementary ways: evidence of a “two-way path of causation” between biological and cultural change in the process of hominization following the appearance of Australopithecus and comparative studies on nonhuman primates, especially chimpanzees and bonobos which has produced abundant recent evidence that these near cousins of homo sapiens manifest the presence of culture, defined as behavioral conformity spread or maintained by nongenetic means through processes of social learning. The importance of cultural history is discussed in terms of several strategies. The first is illustrated by “cross-sectional” studies from societies that have undergone very rapid cultural change; in this research, people of the same age who have or have not been exposed to the cultural change are compared. The second strategy involves “longitudinal” studies in which psychologists have been able to return to areas undergoing cultural change at intervals of approximately 20 years and studied the changes in cognitive performance among the population that have occurred in relation to the nature of the cultural change. The third strategy is to study cognitive changes associated with the historically specific institution of formal education. The fourth strategy, akin to the second, is to trace changes in IQ scores over historical time. The role of participation in cultural practices is analyzed in several ways including: cognitive development in “core domains” such as number, naive psychology, theory of mind and biology, noncore domains of social significance, and autobiographical memory. This work draws upon both within-culture and cross-cultural comparisons as key data. The chapter concludes by pointing to a variety of converging evidence to support the basic idea that the role of culture in cognitive development is indeed productively viewed in a broad developmental/historical perspective in which phylogeny, cultural-history, and participation in cultural practices in ontogeny are seen as co-constituting human ontogeny. Keywords: activity; co-evolution; core domain; culture; cultural practice; schooling; skeletal principle
Actinides: Inorganic & Coordination Chemistry

The Inorganic and Coordination Chemistry of the 5f elements (Actinides) is intermediate between that of the transition metals and the 4f elements (Lanthanides). The first four members of the actinide series, Ac, Th, Pa, and U, are all naturally occurring but have unstable nuclei, making them radioactive. The other elements in the actinide series (transuranium elements or transuranics) are also radioactive and have been made by man through a variety of nuclear transformation processes, for example, neutron irradiation, atom bombardment, and radioactive decay. The actinide series may be broken into two separate groups, the light or early actinides (Ac–Am) and the heavy or late actinides (Cm–Lr). The chemical behaviors of these two groups are distinct. The light actinides are capable of being stabilized in a variety of oxidation states, for example, II to VII, and have been found to exhibit a significant degree of covalency in binding ligands. The heavy actinides are more reminiscent of the lanthanides in that the most persistent oxidation state is the trivalent and the bonding predominately occurs through ionic interactions. This difference has led to a substantial number of studies into the role of the 5f orbitals in structure and bonding of the actinides. One of the ions that has received a great deal of attention is the ubiquitous actinyl ion, AnO22+/+. This ion is the stable form for all aqueous complexes of the pentavalent and hexavalent light actinides. The oxo ligands are always found in a trans geometry and are strongly bound (triple bond) through a combination of σ- and π-bonds with the 5f and 6d orbitals of the actinide metal center. While these strong covalent interactions exist with the axial oxo ligands, the bonding within the equatorial plane is primarily based on ionic interactions. The ability of the light actinides to access multiple oxidation states leads to rich and, sometimes, complex electrochemistry. For example, under acidic conditions the reduction potentials for PuO22+, PuO2+, Pu4+, and Pu3+ are all close to 1 V. The physical manifestation of these close reduction potentials is an aqueous solution in which the plutonium can exist in four different oxidation states simultaneously. By careful control of the conditions, oxidation state pure solutions can be obtained for quantitative and qualitative studies. The binding affinities of the actinide ions to ligands follow the general trend An4+ > An3+ ∼ AnO22+ ≫ AnO2+. Since the actinides are strong acids, the ions preferentially bond strong bases, for example, halides, oxygen donors, and so on. Owing to the greater degree of covalency in actinide complexes compared to the lanthanides, complexes with ligands having nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and selenium donors are also found. Keywords: actinides; f elements; transuranics; radioactivity; coordination chemistry; actinide contraction; relativistic effects; nuclear fuel
Phenolic glycolipids of Mycobacterium bovis: New structures and synthesis of a corresponding seroreactive neoglycoprotein

The glycolipid that characterizes the majority of isolates of Mycobacterium bovis and that has come to be known as M. bovis-identifying lipid is the phenolic glycolipid mycoside B described in the literature by others. However, when mycoside B obtained from M. bovis BCG, field isolates, and infected tissues was examined in detail, it was shown to be different from that described in the literature in some important respects. In particular, the glycosyl substituent is 2-O-methyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranose rather than 2-O-methyl-beta-D-rhamnopyranose. With this information, a seroreactive neoglycoprotein (neoantigen) containing the 2-O-methyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl substituent suitable for the serodiagnosis of bovine tuberculosis was synthesized. M. bovis also contains other minor seroreactive phenolic glycolipids, one of which is a deacylated form of mycoside B and another of which contains an alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl unit rather than 2-O-methyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranose.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Moral Responsibility, and Systems Thinking: Is There a Difference and the Difference it Makes

A volume on leadership would be seriously incomplete without a contribution on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The essays on CSR in the present work offer insights that are important in this new century of corporate corruption and moral challenges. I shall take up the gauntlet by asking us to think more carefully about what we mean by the term, “corporate social responsibility.” There is today a vast and growing literature on CSR, illustrated most prominently by the new volume on CSR edited by Steve May, George Cheney and Juliet Roper published by Oxford University Press (2007). But just what do we mean by CSR? Is it sometimes a fig leaf to distract us from investigating corporate misconduct? Does the term serve as an umbrella term to cover a number of related corporate relationships and alliances? Or, is in fact the term referring to what I take to be the greatest challenge for companies today: the moral responsibility to create economic, environmental, social and moral value-addition in an age of distrust and disillusionment about business?
Colonic histiocytic neoplasm mimicking malignant histiocytosis and presenting as intussusception

It is now apparent that distinction between the so-called malignant histiocytosis and lymphoma can be made using panels of established immunohistochemical markers and/or genotypic analysis. Many, if not all, of the previously diagnosed cases of malignant histiocytosis have been shown to be of lymphoid, rather than histiocytic, lineage. We report a rare case of colonic histiocytic neoplasm accompanied by a lymphoreticular dissemination that mimicked that of malignant histiocytosis. In addition, barium studies and computed axial tomography confirmed an intussusception that subsequently developed. The histiocytic nature of the neoplastic cells was supported by immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and cytochemical studies. To our knowledge our case may represent the fifth documented case of a histiocytic malignancy reported in the literature. The relationship among the various cases will be discussed as well as the significance of the focal S-100 immunoreactivity observed in the present case.
Assessment of uncoupling activity of uncoupling protein 3 using a yeast heterologous expression system.

Uncoupling protein 3L, uncoupling protein 1 and the mitochondrial oxoglutarate carrier were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisae. Effects on different parameters related to the energy expenditure were studied. Both uncoupling protein 3L and uncoupling protein 1 reduced the growth rate by 49% and 32% and increased the whole yeast O2 consumption by 31% and 19%, respectively. In isolated mitochondria, uncoupling protein 1 increased the state 4 respiration by 1.8-fold, while uncoupling protein 3L increased the state 4 respiration by 1.2-fold. Interestingly, mutant uncoupling protein 1 carrying the H145Q and H147N mutations, previously shown to markedly decrease the H+ transport activity of uncoupling protein 1 when assessed using a proteoliposome system (Bienengraeber et al. (1998) Biochem. 37, 3–8), uncoupled the mitochondrial respiration to almost the same degree as wild-type uncoupling protein 1. Thus, absence of this histidine pair in uncoupling protein 2 and uncoupling protein 3 does not by itself rule out the possibility that these carriers have an uncoupling function. The oxoglutarate carrier had no effect on any of the studied parameters. In summary, a discordance exists between the magnitude of effects of uncoupling protein 3L and uncoupling protein 1 in whole yeast versus isolated mitochondria, with uncoupling protein 3L having greater effects in whole yeast and a smaller effect on the state 4 respiration in isolated mitochondria. These findings suggest that uncoupling protein 3L, like uncoupling protein 1, has an uncoupling activity. However, the mechanism of action and/or regulation of the activity of uncoupling protein 3L is likely to be different.
Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Among Incarcerated Women: I. Pretrial Jail Detainees

Background: There are little epidemiologic data on psychiatric disorders of women in jails. Accurate data on female jail detainees are critical because of their increasing numbers and their unique treatment needs. Methods: Using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, independent interviewers assessed a randomly selected, stratified sample of 1272 female jail detainees awaiting trial in Chicago, Ill. We tabulated lifetime and 6-month prevalence rates of disorders by race or ethnicity (African American, non-Hispanic white, Hispanic), age, and education and compared the jail rates with general population rates for women in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area program. We also examined whether or not psychiatric disorder was associated with the severity of the detainee's current arrest charges. Results: Over 80% of the sample met criteria for one or more lifetime psychiatric disorders; 70% were symptomatic within 6 months of the interview. The most common disorders were drug abuse or dependence, alcohol abuse or dependence, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Major depressive episode was the most prevalent major mental disorder. Rates were generally highest among non-Hispanic whites and among older detainees. Rates for all disorders were significantly higher than general population rates, except for schizophrenia. Most detainees with psychiatric disorders were arrested for nonviolent crimes. Conclusion: These results suggest substantial psychiatric morbidity among female jail detainees.
Photochemically induced reaction of 1, 4-dimethylcytosinewith isopropanol

Photoexcited 1, N4-dimethylcytosine (I) adds isopropanol to form 5,6-dihydro-1, N4-dimethyl-6-(2-hydroxy-2-propyl)cytosine (II) as the major product; a small amount of 5,6-dihydro-1-methyluracil (III) is formed as well.
Local and remote contributions to Arctic warming

[1] I investigate the relative impact of local and remote radiative forcing by tropospheric aerosols and ozone on Arctic climate using GISS climate model simulations. During boreal summer, Arctic climate is well-correlated with either the global or Arctic forcing. During other seasons, however, large-scale dynamics strongly influence the Arctic, so that the surface temperature response follows the global or Northern Hemisphere extratropical forcing much more closely. The decoupling is so strong that Arctic surface temperature trends often show the opposite sign to the local forcing. The analysis also demonstrates that ozone and aerosols affect Arctic climate more strongly per unit global forcing than well-mixed greenhouse gases, typically 2.5–5 times in non-summer seasons, making them powerful levers for influencing Arctic climate. However, controlling atmospheric burdens of climate-altering pollutants outside the polar region appears to be at least as important as controlling them within for mitigation of Arctic warming.
High-Impact Articles in Hand Surgery:

Background There have been few attempts to identify classic papers within the hand surgery literature. This study used citation analysis to identify and characterize the top 50 highly cited hand surgery articles published in six peer-reviewed journals.
Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats

In the learned helplessness (LH) animal model of depression, failure to attempt escape from avoidable environmental stress, LH, indicates behavioral despair, whereas nonhelpless (NH) behavior reflects behavioral resilience to the effects of environmental stress. Comparing hippocampal gene expression with large-scale oligonucleotide microarrays, we found that stress-resilient (NH) rats, although behaviorally indistinguishable from controls, showed a distinct gene expression profile compared to LH, sham stressed, and naive control animals. Genes that were confirmed as differentially expressed in the NH group by quantitative PCR strongly correlated in their levels of expression across all four animal groups. Differential expression could not be confirmed at the protein level. We identified several shared degenerate sequence motifs in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of differentially expressed genes that could be a factor in this tight correlation of expression levels among differentially expressed genes.
Bevacizumab in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

To the Editor: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) (also known as the Osler–Weber–Rendu syndrome) is an inherited vascular dysplasia whose main features are mucocutaneous telangiectasias, e...
Circadian melatonin rhythm and excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson disease

IMPORTANCE Diurnal fluctuations of motor and nonmotor symptoms and a high prevalence of sleep-wake disturbances in Parkinson disease (PD) suggest a role of the circadian system in the modulation of these symptoms. However, surprisingly little is known regarding circadian function in PD and whether circadian dysfunction is involved in the development of sleep-wake disturbances in PD. OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between the timing and amplitude of the 24-hour melatonin rhythm, a marker of endogenous circadian rhythmicity, with self-reported sleep quality, the severity of daytime sleepiness, and disease metrics. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012, of 20 patients with PD receiving stable dopaminergic therapy and 15 age-matched control participants. Both groups underwent blood sampling for the measurement of serum melatonin levels at 30-minute intervals for 24 hours under modified constant routine conditions at the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Northwestern University. INTERVENTIONS Twenty-four hour monitoring of serum melatonin secretion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Clinical and demographic data, self-reported measures of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), and circadian markers of the melatonin rhythm, including the amplitude, area under the curve (AUC), and phase of the 24-hour rhythm. RESULTS Patients with PD had blunted circadian rhythms of melatonin secretion compared with controls; the amplitude of the melatonin rhythm and the 24-hour AUC for circulating melatonin levels were significantly lower in PD patients (P < .001). Markers of the circadian phase were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Compared with PD patients without excessive daytime sleepiness, patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale score ≥10) had a significantly lower amplitude of the melatonin rhythm and 24-hour melatonin AUC (P = .001). Disease duration, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores, levodopa equivalent dose, and global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score in the PD group were not significantly related to measures of the melatonin circadian rhythm. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Circadian dysfunction may underlie excessive sleepiness in PD. The nature of this association needs to be explored further in longitudinal studies. Approaches aimed to strengthen circadian function, such as timed exposure to bright light and exercise, might serve as complementary therapies for the nonmotor manifestations of PD.
Pyruvate Modulates Cardiac Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ Release in Rats Via Mitochondria‐Dependent and ‐Independent Mechanisms

The glycolytic product pyruvate has beneficial effects on cardiac contractile function. The postulated cellular mechanisms underlying the positive inotropic effect of pyruvate, however, are contradictory or have remained elusive. Therefore, we studied the effects of pyruvate on cardiac Ca2+ regulation, intracellular pH (pHi) and flavoprotein oxidation using fluorescence confocal microscopy in intact and permeabilized rat ventricular myocytes and single channel recordings from rat cardiac ryanodine receptors (RyRs) incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. In intact cells extracellular pyruvate (10 mm) elevated diastolic [Ca2+]i, which was due, at least in part, to a concomitant acidification of the cytosol. Furthermore, pyruvate increased the amplitude and slowed the kinetics of the electrically evoked [Ca2+]i transient, and augmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content. Recording of flavoprotein (FAD) fluorescence indicated that pyruvate caused a reduction of mitochondrial redox potential, which is proportional to an increase of the rate of ATP synthesis. Inhibitors of mitochondrial monocarboxylate transport (α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, 0.5 mm), adenine nucleotide translocation (atractyloside, 0.3 mm) and the electron transport chain (cyanide, 4 mm) abolished or attenuated the pyruvate-mediated increase of the amplitude of the [Ca2+]i transient, but did not change the effect of pyruvate on diastolic [Ca2+]i. Results from experiments with permeabilized myocytes indicated a direct correlation between ATP/ADP ratio and SR Ca2+ content. Furthermore, pyruvate (4 mm) reduced the frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ sparks by ≈50 %. Single RyR channel recordings revealed a ≈60 % reduction of the open probability of the channel by pyruvate (1 mm), but no change in conductance. This effect of pyruvate on RyR channel activity was neither Ca2+ nor ATP dependent. Taken together, these findings suggest that, in cardiac tissue, pyruvate has a dual effect on SR Ca2+ release consisting of a direct inhibition of RyR channel activity and elevation of SR Ca2+ content. The latter effect was most probably mediated by an enhanced SR Ca2+ uptake due to an augmentation of mitochondria-dependent ATP synthesis.
Use of Ionizing Radiation in Screening Examinations for Coronary Artery Calcium and Cancers of the Lung, Colon, and Breast

Most medical imaging tests are used for diagnostic purposes to evaluate symptomatic patients, but a select few are commonly used for screening, including computed tomography (CT) for coronary artery calcium screening, lung cancer screening, and colon cancer screening; and mammography for breast cancer screening. All of these tests use ionizing radiation. Concerns about potential risk associated with ionizing radiation have increased in recent years, with the increased use of medical imaging. Given that screening examinations are performed on asymptomatic patients, controlling radiation dose to as low as reasonably achievable in these examinations is especially important. The purpose of this article is to discuss issues associated with ionizing radiation in common imaging screening examinations, including metrics used to describe radiation dose, factors for variability in dose among patients, typical dose values in each type of screening examination, dose-reduction methods, and a discussion of risks associated with radiation from these tests. In a previous article by McNitt-Gray in 2003, radiation dose issues in CT screening examinations have been reviewed. 1 This article expands to include other screening examinations, such as breast cancer screening. Newly introduced dose metrics and dose-reduction techniques in the past 10 years are also included in this article.
A two-phased approach to the supply network reconfiguration problem

Abstract This study focuses on a supply network problem where resource inputs are constrained to achieve performance goals for the reconfigured distribution system. Simulated annealing is applied for solving this reconfiguration problem. The supply network is comprised of distribution centers that are geographically distributed and have differing operating and maintenance cost structures on distribution-related resources. The distribution planning methodology employed in the heuristics has two phases: Phase one incorporates a strategic-based decision making step in which the `best' set of distribution centers are selected open; Phase two incorporates an operationally-based decision making step in which the heuristics perturb the customer assignments and resource assignments. The heuristics are tested on a set of 450 problems of various sizes and structures. Computational results suggest that the simulated annealing heuristics generate near optimal solutions quickly and are well suited for evaluating supply network reconfiguration. Computational results also suggest that enhanced annealing heuristics proposed in this paper are better than the standard annealing approach. The supply network problem structure was exploited to achieve very good solution results.
Speed isn't everything in pediatric medical transport.

Aesop's familiar children's fable about the turtle and hare tells the story of an improbable race between these 2 animals. The highly favored, speedy, overconfident hare rushes ahead but then becomes distracted and pauses before finishing the race. The turtle plods along, slow and steady, passes the hare, and wins the race, proving that faster is not always better. In this issue of Pediatrics , Orr et al1 offer convincing evidence to dispute the premise that speed is what matters on transport. Their study offers support for what many pediatric practitioners have always suspected: taking pediatric intensive care to the child is better than rushing the child to the PICU. Their findings build on an earlier study that demonstrated improved survival in septic shock when appropriate therapy was initiated before PICU arrival.2 A more important determinant of survival is probably the initiation of appropriate care, not a specific location. Both specialized and general transport teams participate in the transport of children. Specialization typically refers to transport teams with extensive pediatric training that are primarily dedicated to the transport of neonates and children. General teams transport patients of all ages, with children usually constituting a much smaller proportion of their total transport volume. With their well-designed prospective, cohort study of transport team composition and experience with patient outcomes, Orr et al provide the strongest evidence yet that using a … Address correspondence to Mona L. McPherson, MD, MPH, Texas Children's Hospital, 6621 Fannin St, WT 6-006, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: mlmcpher{at}texaschildrens.org
A novel plasma proteinase potentiates α2-antiplasmin inhibition of fibrin digestion

Human α2-antiplasmin (α2AP), also known as α2-plasmin inhibitor, is the major inhibitor of the proteolytic enzyme plasmin that digests fibrin. There are 2 N-terminal forms of α2AP that circulate in human plasma: a 464-residue protein with Met as the N-terminus, Met-α2AP, and a 452-residue version with Asn as the N-terminus, Asn-α2AP. We have discovered and purified a proteinase from human plasma that cleaves the Pro12-Asn13 bond of Met-α2AP to yield Asn-α2AP and have named it antiplasmin-cleaving enzyme (APCE). APCE is similar in primary structure and catalytic properties to membrane-bound fibroblast activation protein/seprase for which a physiologic substrate has not been clearly defined. We found that Asn-α2AP becomes cross-linked to fibrin by activated factor XIII approximately 13 times faster than native Met-α2AP during clot formation and that clot lysis rates are slowed in direct proportion to the ratio of Asn-α2AP to Met-α2AP in human plasma. We conclude that APCE cleaves Met-α2AP to the derivative Asn-α2AP, which is more efficiently incorporated into fibrin and consequently makes it strikingly resistant to plasmin digestion. APCE may represent a new target for pharmacologic inhibition, since less generation and incorporation of Asn-α2AP could result in a more rapid removal of fibrin by plasmin during atherogenesis, thrombosis, and inflammatory states.
PEARL INCIDENCE IN Mytilus edulis L. AND ITS COMMERCIAL RAFT CULTIVATION IMPLICATIONS

The presence of pearls in Mytilus edulis L. from Gulf of Maine waters may be the result of infection by a parasitic trematode (probably Gymnophallus bursicola) morphologically very similar to the pearl-forming distome described by various European workers. Techniques have been devised for the removal and grading of pearls from individual specimens of Mytilus edulis and for quantifying differences between pearl incidence and age structure of studied populations. The relationship between number of pearls per mussel and age has been defined for one rafted and one shore population of mussels in South Bristol, Maine. No significant age-independent differences were found between the 2 populations with regard to the quantity of pearls present. The harvesting of mussels from floating structures which have been in the water for less than 5 years (i.e., raft cultivation of Mytilus edulis) should provide a method of obtaining a quality product even in areas where the presence of pearls in natural stocks of mussels has proven a deterrent to the commercial utilization of this species.
Inactivation of Msx1 and Msx2 in neural crest reveals an unexpected role in suppressing heterotopic bone formation in the head

In an effort to understand the morphogenetic forces that shape the bones of the skull, we inactivated Msx1 and Msx2 conditionally in neural crest. We show that Wnt1-Cre inactivation of up to three Msx1/2 alleles results in a progressively larger defect in the neural crest-derived frontal bone. Unexpectedly, in embryos lacking all four Msx1/2 alleles, the large defect is filled in with mispatterned bone consisting of ectopic islands of bone between the reduced frontal bones, just anterior to the parietal bones. The bone is derived from neural crest, not mesoderm, and, from DiI cell marking experiments, originates in a normally non-osteogenic layer of cells through which the rudiment elongates apically. Associated with the heterotopic osteogenesis is an upregulation of Bmp signaling in this cell layer. Prevention of this upregulation by implantation of noggin-soaked beads in head explants also prevented heterotopic bone formation. These results suggest that Msx genes have a dual role in calvarial development: They are required for the differentiation and proliferation of osteogenic cells within rudiments, and they are also required to suppress an osteogenic program in a cell layer within which the rudiments grow. We suggest that the inactivation of this repressive activity may be one cause of Wormian bones, ectopic bones that are a feature of a variety of pathological conditions in which calvarial bone development is compromised.
Self-Surveillance by Adolescents and Young Adults Transitioning to Self-Management of a Chronic Genetic Disorder

Adolescents and young adults with Marfan syndrome (MFS) use information from self-surveillance to manage their disorder. Thirty-seven male and female adolescents with MFS aged 14 to 21 years were interviewed. They identified 58 distinct self-surveillance behaviors that fell into four categories and multiple subcategories (SCs): tracking phenotype (SCs: physical appearance, physical fitness, medical problems, and other observations); tracking medical care (SCs: medical evaluations and treatments, and pharmacotherapy); tracking behavior (SCs: personal choices and social relations); and tracking emotions (SCs: positive emotional impact and negative emotional impact). The frequency and range of self-monitoring increased with the age of the child. On average, a child of 14 self-monitored from 1 to 3 times per day, whereas a person aged 21 might self-monitor many more times per day. The patient-parent-physician relationship is the context for teaching adolescents and young adults self-surveillance skills. Self-surveillance by patients is first-line symptom assessment and an adjunct to medical monitoring.
Metabolism of 11-hydroxysteroids by cerebral tissues in vitro.

Abstract Rat cerebral cortical homogenates are able to convert cortisol-4- 14 C, corticosterone-1,2- 3 H and 11β-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione-1,2- 3 H to their 11-keto derivatives in significant amounts. Reversibility of the reactions was established when cortisone-1,2- 3 H, 11-dehydrocorticosterone-1,2- 3 H and adrenosterone-1,2- 3 H were used as substrates. Oxidation and reduction at C-11 are enhanced by the addition of TPN and TPNH respectively; however, the oxidation of cortisol at C-11 does not appear to be affected by DPN. Homogenates of hypothalamus, subcortex and cerebellum also are able to convert corticosterone to 11-dehydrocorticosterone. Homogenates of dog cortex are able to metabolize cortisol to cortisone. Guinea pig brain does not appear to have significant capacity to oxidize cortisol or corticosterone at C-11.