cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Free and bound capillary waves as microwave scatterers: laboratory studies

Laboratory measurements of the fine space-time structure of short gravity-capillary waves, as well as Ku-band scattering at grazing and moderate incidence from wind waves in the large Delft Hydraulics Laboratory wind-wave channel are presented. This study was stimulated by the need to verify the processes that significantly contribute to scattering at grazing and moderate incidence. A scanning laser slope gauge was used for measuring capillary waves from 2-mm to 2-cm wavelengths and frequencies ranging up to 100 Hz. A dual-polarized (vertical, VV, and horizontal, HH), coherent, pulsed Ku-band scatterometer with good temporal resolution (3 ns) was used to obtain simultaneous Doppler spectra and the absolute cross section of scattered signals for grazing angles 6 and 25/spl deg/ and for winds in the range 2.5-12.5 m/s. Two-dimensional (2D) filtering and bispectral analyses were used to separate and study the influence of free and bound surface waves. The results of this study demonstrate that the frequency-wavenumber spectra of capillary waves consist of two parts. The first corresponds to free capillary waves, which satisfy the dispersion relationship. The second corresponds to bound parasitic capillary waves, which are located near the crests of steep wind waves. The phase velocity of these capillary waves is approximately equal to the phase velocity of the steep waves. Measurements of the Doppler frequency of the scattered signals show that the Doppler spectra also have a bimodal structure. While the first low-frequency part of the spectrum corresponds to the Bragg scattering from the free capillary waves, the highfrequency part is associated with Bragg scattering from the bound capillary waves on the crests of the steep waves. This type of scattering is predominant for the upwind direction of illumination (especially for HH-polarization).
Kinetics of Insulin Action In Vivo: Identification of Rate-Limiting Steps

To examine the kinetic steps in insulin9s in vivo action, we have assessed the temporal relationship between arterial insulin, interstitial insulin, glucose disposal rate (GDR), and insulin receptor kinase (IRK) activity in muscle and between portal insulin, hepatic glucose production (HGP), and IRK activity in liver. Interstitial insulin, as measured by lymph-insulin concentration (muscle only), and IRK activity were used as independent methods to determine the arrival of insulin at its tissue site of action. Euglycemic clamps were conducted in seven mongrel dogs and consisted of an activation phase with a venous insulin infusion (7.2 nmol · kg −1 · min −1 ,100 min) and a deactivation phase. Liver and muscle biopsies were taken to assess IRK activity. Arterial, portal, and lymph insulin rose to 636 ± 12, 558 ± 18, and 402 ± 24 pmol/1, respectively. GDR increased from 13.9 ± 0.6 to 41.7 ± 2.8, and HGP declined from 14.4 ± 0.6 to 1.1 ± 0.6 μmol · kg −1 · min −1 . Muscle and liver IRK activity increased significantly from 5.9 ± 0.9 to 14.6 ± 0.6 and 5.5 ± 0.7 to 23.7 ± 1.9 fmol P/fmol insulin receptor (IR), respectively. The time to half-maximum response ( t ½ a) for stimulation of GDR (19.8 ± 4.8 min) and suppression of HGP (21.5 ± 3.7 min) were similar. The t ½ a for stimulation of GDR, muscle IRK, and rise in lymph insulin were not significantly different from one another and were all markedly greater than that for the approach to steady state of arterial insulin (2.3 ± 1.2 min, P t ½ a for portal insulin (1.8 ± 0.8 min) was less than that for activation of liver IRK (11.3 ± 4.3, P P
Characteristics of ultra-compact polymer modulators based on silicon photonic crystal ring resonators

Ultra-compact polymer modulators were proposed and simulated, based on the hybrid integration of functional polymer materials with Si based photonic-crystal ring resonators (PCRRs). The simulations were carried out on device characteristics with an effective ring radius of 2.3 µm and tunable polymer index from 1.785 to 1.805. Investigating the loss, the cavity quality factor Q, and the free spectral range of such PCRRs, we found a 0.02 dB intrinsic loss that is independent of diameter, unlike the loss that varies inversely with diameter in microstrip resonators. Close to 100% drop efficiency at the drop channel of 1557.5 nm was obtained by design with a high spectral selectivity of Q greater than 1319 in the single-ring PCRR-based add-drop filters with ring radius of 1.2 µm.
Cloning and expression of bovine sodium/glucose cotransporter SGLT2.

The Na+-dependent glucose cotransporters (SGLT) are a family of glucose transporters that mediate an active, sodium-linked transport process against an electrochemical gradient. The SGLT are known to play important roles in absorption of dietary D-glucose and D-galactose from the intestinal lumen and in the reabsorption of D-glucose from the glomerular filtrate in kidney. To study the role and regulation of SGLT in tissues of lactating cows, we cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA of bovine SGLT1 and SGLT5. Open reading frame analysis predicted that bovine SGLT1 is composed of 664 amino acids with a molecular weight of approximately 73 kDa, and SGLT5 is composed of 597 amino acids with a molecular weight of approximately 65 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of bovine SGLT1 is 48% identical and 66% conserved relative to that of bSGLT5. The amino acid sequence of bovine SGLT1 is 97, 88, 87, 86, 85, and 84% identical to sheep, mouse, rat, horse, human, and rabbit SGLT1, respectively. In contrast, the amino acid sequence of bSGLT5 is relatively divergent among species, being 85, 64, and 48% identical to rabbit, human, and rat SGLT5, respectively. Bovine SGLT retain the characteristic structural features of SGLT1 proteins described in other species, including membrane-spanning helices and glucose transporter motifs. The major in vitro transcription and translation product of bovine SGLT1 cDNA migrated at an apparent molecular weight of 52 kDa. In the presence of canine microsomal membranes, the translation product increased to 53 kDa, suggesting glycosylation. The SGLT1 mRNA was most abundant in bovine intestine, at intermediate levels in bovine kidney, and at lower levels in bovine mammary gland, liver, and lung. No SGLT1 mRNA was detected in bovine spleen, skeletal muscle, or testes. Expression of SGLT5 mRNA was found predominantly in bovine kidney, only at very low levels in bovine testes, skeletal muscle, and spleen, and was essentially undetectable in bovine mammary gland, liver, lung, and small intestine. Abundance of SGLT1 mRNA in bovine mammary gland increased more than 4-fold during late pregnancy and early lactation. The sequence and expression data reported in this paper lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at unraveling the functional roles of SGLT in supporting milk production and maintaining glucose homeostasis during lactation.
Impact of transfusion of autologous 7- versus 42-day-old AS-3 red blood cells on tissue oxygenation and the microcirculation in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Stored red blood cells (RBCs) accumulate biochemical and biophysical changes. Maximum storage duration is based on acceptable in vitro characteristics and 24-hour survival, but not RBC function. Relatively little is known about the impact of RBC storage duration on oxygenation and the microcirculation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eight healthy subjects donated a double RBC apheresis, which were prestorage leukoreduced and processed in AS-3. Subjects were transfused 1 unit of RBCs at 7 and 42 days after blood collection. Measurements of percentage of tissue oxygenation in the thenar eminence muscle (StO2) and brain (SctO2) were recorded with Food and Drug Administration–cleared noninvasive devices. Sublingual microvascular blood flow (microcirculatory flow index [MFI]) was quantified before and after RBC transfusion using a video microscope. Raw electronic data for all measurements were analyzed by a blinded observer at a core laboratory. RESULTS: The only pre- versus posttransfusion change observed in measurements of SctO2, StO2, or MFI was a very small increase in SctO2, from 70.4 to 71.8 (means, p = 0.032) at 7 days. There was no significant difference in the amount of pre–post change at 7 days versus 42 days for any of the measures. CONCLUSION: Transfusion of 1 unit of 42-day-stored RBCs to healthy subjects has no overt detrimental effect on tissue oxygenation or the microcirculation assessed by clinically available monitors.
Electrochemical and AFM study of cobalt nucleation mechanisms on glassy carbon from ammonium sulfate solutions

Nucleation mechanisms of cobalt on a glassy carbon electrode (gce) from aqueous ammonium sulfate solutions were investigated through the electrochemical techniques of cyclic voltammetry (cv) and chronoamperometry (ca), coupled with atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies. The studied parameters were pH, cobalt concentration, temperature, scanning rate, and deposition potential. It was found that scanning in the cathodic direction produced two peaks, corresponding to cobalt and hydrogen reduction, respectively. Scanning in the anodic direction was characterized by cobalt dissolution, which was interrupted by formation of cobalt hydroxide, causing a second anodic peak. The amperometric study found progressive nucleation mechanisms, in contrast to the instantaneous nucleation mechanisms determined by the AFM study. An explanation for the contradictory nucleation mechanisms shown in the two studies is provided.
Estimating Production Efficiency in Men’s NCAA College Basketball: A Bayesian Approach:

Using Bayesian analysis with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation, we generate estimates of technical efficiency for each game played by an Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball team during the 2005-2006 season. The flexibility of MCMC, and its ability to provide an objective measure for assessing model fit, makes it preferable to maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of stochastic production frontiers. Within the context of men’s basketball, this article addresses the question of whether technical efficiency necessarily leads to success relative to one’s competitors. Results indicate that (a) technical efficiency does not vary significantly, either across or within teams, implying that teams in the A-10 play at very close and high levels of efficiency and (b) technical efficiency does not correlate strongly with productivity, suggesting that the fundamental quality of one’s resources are more important than an efficient use of those resources. In addition, parameter estimates suggest that a single t...
The Impact of Amazonian Deforestation on Dry Season Rainfall

Abstract Many modeling studies have concluded that widespread deforestation of Amazonia would lead to decreased rainfall. Geosynchronous visible and infrared satellite data over southwest Brazil are analyzed with respect to percent cloudiness, and rain estimates are analyzed from both the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and Special Sensor Microwave Imager. The studies conclude that in the dry season, when the effects of the surface are not overwhelmed by synoptic-scale weather disturbances, shallow cumulus cloudiness, deep convective cloudiness, and rainfall occurrence all are larger over the deforested and nonforested (savanna) regions than over areas of dense forest. This paper speculates that this difference is in response to a local circulation initiated by the differential heating of the region's varying forestation. Analysis of the diurnal cycle of cloudiness reveals a shift in the onset of convection toward afternoon hours in the deforested and toward the morning hours in the savanna regions wh...
Visceral Pleural Invasion Does Not Affect Recurrence or Overall Survival Among Patients With Lung Adenocarcinoma ≤ 2 cm: A Proposal to Reclassify T1 Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background T1 (≤ 3 cm) tumors with visceral pleural invasion (VPI) are upstaged to T2a (stage IB) in the TNM classification. We investigated the effect of VPI on the cumulative incidence of recurrence (CIR) and overall survival (OS) of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) ≤ 2 cm (T1a) and 2 to 3 cm (T1b). Methods OS and CIR among patients with or without VPI were examined by tumor size (≤ 2 and 2–3 cm) in 777 patients with node-negative lung ADC ≤ 3 cm who underwent resection. Results Among patients with tumors ≤ 2 cm, VPI was not associated with either increased CIR ( P = .90) or decreased OS ( P = .11). Among patients with tumors 2 to 3 cm in size, the presence of VPI was associated with increased CIR ( P = .015) and decreased OS ( P P = .004]; OS, 76% vs 51% [ P Conclusions VPI stratifies prognosis in patients with lung ADC 2 to 3 cm but not in those with tumors ≤ 2 cm. Our proposed regrouping of a new stage IB better stratifies patients with poor prognosis, similar to published outcomes in patients with stage II disease, who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Beyond Prejudice? Young Whites’ Racial Attitudes in Post–Civil Rights America, 1976 to 2000:

A key finding from previous research on trends in Whites’ racial attitudes is that much of the decline in the expression of racial prejudice over the past seven decades can be attributed to the replacement of older, less tolerant White cohorts by younger, more tolerant cohorts of Whites in the U.S. population (i.e., cohort replacement). An implicit assumption of much of this work is that cohort replacement will continue to produce unidirectional liberalizing trends in Whites’ racial attitudes because of the more tolerant attitudes of each younger cohort. In this article, we reexamine the cohort replacement hypothesis focusing on young Whites’ racial attitudes and whether change is in substance or form. We develop a theoretical argument about the shifting nature of young Whites’ racial attitudes and understandings in the post–civil rights era by building on Forman’s concept of racial apathy and the expanding literature on color-blind racism, which posits that during the post–civil rights era, subtle forms ...
Dehumanization, Essentialism, and Moral Psychology

Despite its importance, the phenomenon of dehumanization has been neglected by philosophers. Since its introduction, the term “dehumanization” has come to be used in a variety of ways. In this paper, I use it to denote the psychological stance of conceiving of other human beings as subhuman creatures. I draw on an historical example – Morgan Godwyn's description of 17th century English colonists' dehumanization of African slaves and use this to identify three explanatory desiderata that any satisfactory theory of dehumanization needs to address. I then summarize and criticize the theories of dehumanization developed by Jacques-Philippe Leyens and Nicholas Haslam, focusing on what I take to be their misappropriation of the theory of psychological essentialism, and show that both of these approaches suffer from major difficulties. I finish with an assessment of the degree to which Leyens' and Haslam's theories satisfy the three desiderata mentioned earlier, conclude that they fail to address them, and offer a brief sketch of a more satisfactory approach to understanding dehumanization.
Computer Optimization of Biodegradable Nanoparticles Fabricated by Dispersion Polymerization.

Quality by design (QbD) in the pharmaceutical industry involves designing and developing drug formulations and manufacturing processes which ensure predefined drug product specifications. QbD helps to understand how process and formulation variables affect product characteristics and subsequent optimization of these variables vis-a-vis final specifications. Statistical design of experiments (DoE) identifies important parameters in a pharmaceutical dosage form design followed by optimizing the parameters with respect to certain specifications. DoE establishes in mathematical form the relationships between critical process parameters together with critical material attributes and critical quality attributes. We focused on the fabrication of biodegradable nanoparticles by dispersion polymerization. Aided by a statistical software, d-optimal mixture design was used to vary the components (crosslinker, initiator, stabilizer, and macromonomers) to obtain twenty nanoparticle formulations (PLLA-based nanoparticles) and thirty formulations (poly-ɛ-caprolactone-based nanoparticles). Scheffe polynomial models were generated to predict particle size (nm), zeta potential, and yield (%) as functions of the composition of the formulations. Simultaneous optimizations were carried out on the response variables. Solutions were returned from simultaneous optimization of the response variables for component combinations to (1) minimize nanoparticle size; (2) maximize the surface negative zeta potential; and (3) maximize percent yield to make the nanoparticle fabrication an economic proposition.
Structure-Based Drug Design – A Historical Perspective and the Future

Paul Ehrlich in his 1908 Nobel Prize address credits Emil Fischer with the idea that an antitoxin and a toxin could be envisioned to fit as atomic locks and keys. The idea one might someday visualize a receptor lock and design a specific receptor key has captivated those in drug discovery since. Max Perutz paved the way for structure based drug design when he found the solution to phasing x-ray diffraction intensities producing the first three dimensional structure of a protein, hemoglobin. This chapter covers the history of the first groups to employ single crystal x-ray diffraction of large biological molecules with the purpose of discovering a drug. The field has come to be known as Structure-Based Drug Design. Naturally, hemoglobin being involved with a genetic disease Sickle Cell Anemia as well as being a potential target to treat hypoxic diseases, was the first atomic lock to be chosen. The first industrial firm to specialize in using x-ray crystallography was Agouron who initially focused on folate proteins with the idea of discovering anti-tumor agents. Allied field advances in molecular modeling with the real time depiction of three dimensional images, computational chemistry which provided new Newtonian Force Fields to produce low energy structures and methods for docking small and large molecules to active sites, NMR for small proteins imaged in solution and electron diffraction methods that enable imaging of large membrane receptors that do not crystallize have provided those in Structure-Based Drug Design with unparalleled opportunities for not only inventing new medicines but in understanding what really occurs when an atomic key interacts with an atomic lock. Two approaches to Structure-Based Drug Design are covered: de novo design and iterative design. Take home lessons are presented from the first 10 years of Structure-Based Drug Design. A table of protein and receptor targets readily shows the dramatic expansion that occurred once the idea of Structure-Based Drug Design was adopted by all sizes of pharmaceutical houses and in academia. The chapter ends with a look to the future in five different areas that are branching out from the original Structure-Based Drug Design seed that took root.
Serum creatine kinase changes in Eastern equine encephalitis

In the published literature on Eastern equine encephalitis, a description of serum creatine kinase changes has not been found. Here, in three cases of Eastern equine encephalitis, there was a consistent pattern of levels of serum creatine kinase consisting of an increase to a maximum and then a decline. Case 1 : A man in his 70s was admitted to hospital 4 days after onset of headache and speaking difficulty. Medications included furosemide 10 mg, spironolactone 12 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 12 mg and simvastatin 10 mg/day. Physical examination demonstrated lethargy, meningeal signs and left upper extremity paresis and lower extremity paresis. Laboratory reported cerebrospinal fluid containing Eastern equine encephalitis virus nucleic acid meeting the criteria for a confirmed case.1 Elevation of serum total creatine kinase (CK) (normal 20–200 units/L) was noted 4 days after, and peaked 7 days after, onset of symptoms (figure 1). Creatinine kinase – myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB) levels were 3.1, 2.7, 1.9, 3.1, 13.9, 4.9, 2.6 and 2.9 ng/mL (normal 0.0–5.0) (figure 1). Serum troponin T levels were 0.1 and 0.1 ng/mL (normal 0.0–0.1). MRI of the brain shows abnormal left basal ganglia and bilateral caudate, thalamus, putamen and temporal lobes. At 5 days, parkinsonian rigidity developed. At 11 days, coma and apneic episodes developed. At 16 days after onset of symptoms, the patient was pronounced dead. Autopsy was not performed.2 Figure 1 Case …
Telegrams to Washington Using Memorials to Congress as a Measure of State Attention to the Federal Policy Agenda

This article argues that state legislative memorials to Congress are an underutilized tool in the study of federalism. A data set composed of the 4,119 memorials submitted to Congress from 1987 to 2006 was constructed to study the evolution of state priorities in intergovernmental policy and to examine attitudes toward state–federal relations. Analysis shows that memorials have been used by every state legislature to send substantive policy signals to Washington across a wide range of issues. The article concludes that the inclusion of memorials into the study of intergovernmental relations provides researchers rich insight into unexplored issues critical to our understanding of federalism.
ORDER EFFECTS IN CONSENSUS INFORMATION AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS

Summmy.-84 subjects read about an aggression experiment in which the target actor delivered severe shocks to a confederate. Two other partic~pants in the same session behaved either aggressively (high consensus) or not aggressively (low consensus) and del~vercd their shocks either before or after the target actor. Causal attributions to the actor, the confederate, and the circumstances were obtained. Significant order effects and an interaction of consensus X order suggested that order is important when consensus is presented sequentially. In their concern for the perceived causes of behavior, attribution theorists have postulated a number of informational variables ideally employed by observers. One valuable source of information postulated by major theorists (Heider, 1958; Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967) is consensus: whether or not an actor's behavior is zlso performed by others in that situation. As formalized by Kelley (1967), high consensus behaviors are viewed as having been caused by some aspect of the situation, and behaviors which are low in consensus are causally attributed to the actor. Experimental manipulations of consensus have varied. One popular paradigm is that devised by McArthur (1972) in which subjects are presented with one-sentence descriptions of behavior, e.g., John laughed at the comedian. Consensus information is then appended to the behavioral description in another sentence, e.g., almost everyone (high consensus) or hardly anyone (low consensus) else laughed at the comedian. More recently, Nisbett and Borgida (1975) have presented consensus in the form of base rates. A behavior is described and subjects are then presented with raw numbers, frequency distributions, or percentages of people who performed the target behavior. Partly because of the nature of these manipulations, many factors which may potentidy mediate the effects of consensus have not been realized. As with other informational variables postulated in theories of social perception, consensus often unfolds sequentially. As such, temporal considerations become important. For example, Feldman, Higgins, Karlovac, and Ruble (1976) manipulated consensus in videotaped sequences of actors making a choice
Cutting the Gordian Helix — Regulating Genomic Testing in the Era of Precision Medicine

The new Precision Medicine Initiative will require advances in our regulatory frameworks, especially for genomic testing. The FDA has been exploring radical new approaches, aiming to promote rapid innovation while ensuring safety and efficacy.
Standards-Based Grading Practices Among Practicing Music Educators: Prevalence and Rationale

This study sought to describe the prevalence of Standards-based grading (SBG) among practicing music teachers and report the rationale teachers provided for or against its use. Participants were mu...
Submixture model to predict nepheline precipitation in waste glasses

High-alumina high-level waste (HLW) glasses are prone to nepheline precipitation during canister-centerline cooling (CCC). If sufficient nepheline forms, the chemical durability of the glass will be significantly impacted. Overly conservative constraints have been developed and used to avoid the deleterious effects of nepheline formation in U.S. HLW glasses. The constraints used have been shown to significantly limit the loading of waste in glass at Hanford and therefore the cost and schedule of cleanup. A 90-glass study was performed to develop an improved understanding of the impacts of glass composition on the formation of nepheline during CCC. The CCC crystallinity data from these glasses were combined with 657 glasses found in the literature. The trends showed significant effects of Na2O, Al2O3, SiO2, B2O3, CaO, Li2O, and potentially K2O on the propensity for nepheline formation. A pseudo-ternary submixture model was proposed to identify the glass composition region prone to nepheline precipitation. This pseudo-ternary with axes of SiO2 + 1.98B2O3, Na2O + 0.653Li2O + 0.158CaO, and Al2O3 was found to divide glasses that precipitate nepheline during CCC from those that do not. Application of this constraint is anticipated to increase the loading of Hanford high-alumina HLWs in glass by roughly one-third.
Effect of FDI on Environment and Environmental Protection Policy in Using FDI in China

The environmental pressure brought by FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) to China has been an increasingly common topic.It is the current and later policy tropism to protect environment all-sidey and keep continual use of the environmental elements in making use of FDI in China.Environmental effect of FDI is a "double blade sword".This article first analyzes the environmental effect of FDI and the terms of its positive effect,and then analyzes the environmental effect of FDI in China.The analysis shows that in China the enlargement of FDI stock-induced economic scale and the change of FDI stock-induced economic composition deteriorate the environment,while the FDI stock-induced technology transfer improves the environment.The different environment control degree of each district in China results in the regional transfer of industrial pollution at a certain degree.We should change the economic growth way,actively introduce the advanced technique represented by the resources-economized and environment-friendly modes, adjust the industrial direction to FDI,blaze new trail in environmental control system,and establish the long-term strategy and programming for sustainable development to achieve the positive environment effect of FDI.
The -175T----C mutation increases promoter strength in erythroid cells: correlation with evolutionary conservation of binding sites for two trans-acting factors

A point mutation at position -175 has been detected in Agamma as well as Ggamma globin genes in individuals with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). To prove that this single point mutation results in increased promoter strength, we transfected erythroid and nonerythroid cell lines with constructs containing normal and mutant promoters linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. Differences in transfection efficiency were controlled by cotransfection of pRSVgpt. In K562 erythroleukemia cells, the -175 HPFH promoter directed three- to fourfold more CAT activity than its wild type counterpart. However, in HeLa cells the two promoters were similar in strength. The -195 to -165 region of the gamma-globin promoter contains binding sites for two proteins: a ubiquitously distributed octamer binding protein, OBP, and the erythroid-specific protein, GF-1. We find that while the GF-1 binding site is highly conserved among related primate gamma-globin genes, the octamer binding site is not. The evolutionary conservation of GF-1 as well as its erythroid-specific distribution suggest that this protein is important in gamma-globin gene expression. A role for OBP in the regulation of gamma-globin, if any, must have arisen recently in primate evolution.
Long-term performance of a rechargeable glucose electrode in vitro

A rechargeable glucose sensor now under development performed satisfactorily for over eight months at 25 degrees C and over 90 days at 37 degrees C without recharging. A prototype sensor was operated through three recharge cycles, which increased the life of the sensor more than two months. This demonstrates the potential for reducing the frequency of surgical replacements. Earlier work utilized three forms of carbon upon which glucose oxidase was immobilized. Recent work reported herein demonstrates that the longer-performing sensor is realized with ultra-low-temperature isotropic (ULTI) carbon powder. Due to its fine particle size, the ULTI carbon with immobilized enzyme acts as a liquid suspension. The sensor is stable and there is no detectable degradation of the sensor components from one recharge cycle to the next.
Metolazone and spironolactone in cirrhosis and the nephrotic syndrome

Eighteen patients with hepatic cirrhosis or nephrotic syndrome and having edema and/or ascites were treated during successive periods with metolazone 5 to 40 mg/day, spironolactone 100 mg/day, and with both diuretics concurrently. Metolazone alone produced a marked diuresis, natriuresis, and weight loss in 8 patients. Spironolactone alone had little effect, but the addition of metolazone renewed diuresis and natriuresis and resulted in additional substantial weight losses in all patients responsive to metolazone alone. Concurrent spironolactone and metolazone also induced moderate diuretic effects in some patients who failed to respond to either drug alone. The drugs were well tolerated; the administration of spironolactone with metolazone prevented decreases in serum potassium, which had occurred during treatment with metolazone alone.
Greater Than the Sum of Parts: Complexity of the Dynamic Epigenome

Information encoded in DNA is interpreted, modified, and propagated as chromatin. The diversity of inputs encountered by eukaryotic genomes demands a matching capacity for transcriptional outcomes provided by the combinatorial and dynamic nature of epigenetic processes. Advances in genome editing, visualization technology, and genome-wide analyses have revealed unprecedented complexity of chromatin pathways, offering explanations to long-standing questions and presenting new challenges. Here, we review recent findings, exemplified by the emerging understanding of crossregulatory interactions within chromatin, and emphasize the pathologic outcomes of epigenetic misregulation in cancer.
Facilitated detection of adventitious agents using genetically engineered cell lines.

Proposals to expand the number and types of cellular substrates used in the production of live attenuated vaccines, especially to include those of tumour origin, have raised concerns about the current capacity to detect adventitious agents that may be present in vaccine stocks. Detection of unknown agents is especially difficult because the culture systems used may not be optimal We hypothesize that failure to grow certain viruses in culture may be the result of the cellular suicide mechanism, known as apoptosis, killing virus-infected cells before the virus can effectively replicate and spread. Our earlier work with an HIV-1 culture system which over-expresses the cellular anti-apoptotic gene, bcl-2, demonstrated that interfering with the apoptotic programme could facilitate HIV-1 expression and accelerate the kinetics of an acute spreading HIV-1 infection. These findings may have implications for improving cell culture detection systems to screen for potentially harmful infectious agents in current and developmental vaccine substrates. In this paper, we briefly review earlier work and discuss future studies aimed at manipulating the cellular apoptotic programme to facilitate the replication of adventitious and transforming viral agents in vitro.
Investigating Interrelationships among Sales Training Evaluation Methods

Today numerous training options are available to sales organizations, and sales training teams use various means to report training effectiveness. This study utilizes Kirkpatrick’s (1959; 1960) training evaluation model and examines the interrelationships among its four levels of sales training evaluation (i.e., reactions, knowledge acquisition, behavior change, and organizational outcomes). Empirical results indicate that sales trainees’ use of training materials at work is positively related to achieving sales training outcomes, including improving (1) organizational commitment, (2) sales effectiveness, and (3) customer relations. Furthermore, trainees who had positive reactions to training were more likely to learn the material, and trainees with higher levels of knowledge retention were more likely to apply the material in the work environment. Implications are discussed that may aid sales firms to better evaluate training solutions provided by vendors and to develop more effective and accountable sal...
Structures of Some New Complex Gangliosides of Fish Brain

Three novel trisialogangliosides of fish brain, GT3, GT2 and GT1c, have been isolated in their intact forms and their structures characterized. The discovery of these ganglioside species provides essential links for a new possible biosynthetic pathway leading to the major tetrasialoganglioside, GQ1c, of the fish brain.
Vertical Integration and Political Control

Party elites recognize the significance for their regimes of ‘dilemmas of local politics’ (Chapter 1), and are cognizant of demands for leadership expertise, horizontal integration, and the articulation of citizen or community interests which are evident within sub-national systems.
Processing Beyond Drawing: A Case Study Exploring Ideation for Teaching Design

Designers’ internal thought processes can be externally expressed and represented through sketching and other forms of communication. Novice designers often struggle to communicate their ideas. Thi...
Lecture 4: The Negro’s Sociological Position in the United States

In this lecture Locke provides a sociological account of the experiences of African Americans in the United States. Here Locke seeks to establish a clear understanding of the history, and current condition of African Americans in the United States. Locke’s purpose is to make the particular segment of the larger African diasporic community in the Americas constituted by Afrodescendant people in the United States more accurately and critically understood to other parts of the diaspora. Equipped with that understanding, Locke is able to use Afrodescendant peoples in the United States as a test case for exploring the range of potential efforts aimed at ameliorating the myriad problems facing Afrodescendant populations in the Americas.
Answering Controlled Natural Language Questions on RDF Knowledge Bases.

The fast growth in number, size and availability of rdf knowledge bases (kb) is creating a pressing need for research advances that will let people consult them without having to learn structured query languages, such as sparql, and the internal organization of the kbs. In this demo, we present our Question Answering (QA) system that accepts questions posed in a Controlled Natural Language. The questions entered by the users are annotated on the y, and an ontology driven autocompletion system displays suggested patterns computed in real time from the partially completed sentence the person is typing. By following these patterns, users can enter only semantically correct questions which are unambiguously interpreted by the system. This approach assures high levels of usability and generality, which will be demonstrated by (i) the superior performance of our system on well-known QA benchmarks, (ii) letting attendees suggest their own test questions, and (iii) accessing an assortment of rdf kbs that, besides the encyclopedic DBpedia from Wikipedia, will include others on specialized domains, such as music and biology.
Interference-Free Detection of Genetic Biomarkers Using Synthetic Dipole-Facilitated Nanopore Dielectrophoresis

The motion of polarizable particles in a nonuniform electric field (i.e., dielectrophoresis) has been extensively used for concentration, separation, sorting, and transport of biological particles from cancer cells and viruses to biomolecules such as DNAs and proteins. However, current approaches to dielectrophoretic manipulation are not sensitive enough to selectively target individual molecular species. Here, we describe the application of the dielectrophoretic principle for selective detection of DNA and RNA molecules using an engineered biological nanopore. The key element of our approach is a synthetic polycationic nanocarrier that selectively binds to the target biomolecules, dramatically increasing their dielectrophoretic response to the electric field gradient generated by the nanopore. The dielectrophoretic capture of the nanocarrier–target complexes is detected as a transient blockade of the nanopore ionic current, while any nontarget nucleic acids are repelled from the nanopore by electrophores...
Schindler's List, Inglourious Basterds, and the Problem of Evil in American Cinema

The relationship between the cinema and history is distorted to sheer absurdity in Inglorious Basterds, a film that forces the viewer to look at these gross distortions of our familiar Holocaust and World War II genre. Within such a deformed space of Holocaust witnessing, the audience is implicated by the reflexivity of the cinematic apparatus in a climactic ending sequence: we look at Nazis looking at Nazis killing, and everybody laughs. The American audience laughs at the absurdity; the Nazis - Hitler and Goebbels among them - laugh at the screen of Nazi brutality; and Frederick Zoller (playing himself) laughs maniacally at the death of allied soldiers and his brutal efficiency. Within two cinemas, the cinema of the American audience, and the Parisian cinema house of Shoshanna, we all have a part to play in the entertainment of death. Inglorious Basterds is a celebration of the cinema, but it is also a disruption of the relationship between the screen and the Holocaust. A close analysis of the closing sequence in which Hitler is cut to pieces by a wave of bullets shows how our incitement to look at the Holocaust and Hitler is fulfilled by an incitement to violence. The Nazi pole of evil that is fixed so strongly in a landmark Hollywood Holocaust film like Schindler’s List is amplified to such an extreme in the Basterds that it casts the entire dynamic of identity/difference and good/evil into doubt. This analysis engages William Connolly’s Identity/Difference, a work of political theory that reveals a troubling tenor in postmodern politics and culture in which finding evil in the other is integral to identity formation. This paper will argue that Inglorious Basterds radically amplifies the good/evil dynamic in such a way that forces viewers into an agonistic reflection of their identity.
An Exploration of Professional Knowledge Needed for Reading and Responding to Student Writing

This study explored the knowledge elementary teachers need for one core practice: reading and responding to students’ writing. Forty-five preservice teachers read and responded to an elementary stu...
De Coney Island a La Isla del Coco

Este artigo analisa a historia e significância do Coney Island Park cubano. Argumento que o parque alegoriza uma serie de tendencias urbanisticas e geopoliticas de Havana ao longo do seculo XX, e figura como uma referencia significativa para o cinema, a literatura e as filosofias da historia cubana. O artigo comeca com a leitura das cronicas de Marti e Meza sobre o parque do Brooklyn, analisa um filme de 1906 sobre o Parque Palatino, ‘el Coney Island Cubano', e considera o desenvolvimento, na era republicana, dos parques e dos suburbios de Marianao e Playa, desenhados para incluirem parques de diversoes. O artigo, entao, desenterra a historia do parque Coney Island construido em Havana nos anos de 1950, cujo proprietario era um executivo estadunidense, executado em 1961 por conduzir atividades contrarrevolucionarias dentro do proprio parque. Mesmo quando uma disputa da Guerra Fria acontecia no parque real, Jose Lezama Lima se distanciava destas ideologias, na literatura, para introduzir os parques de diversoes no seu romance de 1966 Paradiso como espacos de reflexao sobre os temas da originalidade, desejo e substituicao -- temas centrais para os proprios parques, e para a tradicao intelectual de Cuba. O artigo, finalmente, termina com a historia da construcao chinesa de parques, pos-2008, concebidos dentro da “Batalla de Ideas”.
Regulation of Phosphoinositide Phospholipases by G-Proteins

Many hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors exert their effects by activating a phospholipase C (PI-PLC) that hydrolyses phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PtdInsP2), producing inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3), which releases Ca2+ from intracellular stores, and 1,2-diacylglycerol, which activates protein kinase C. There are two basic mechanisms by which these agonists activate PI-PLC. In the case of growth factors, activation of their receptors results in autophosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues to which γ-isozymes of PI-PLC and certain other cytoplasmic proteins become associated by virtue of their Srchomology (SH2) domains. In the case of hormones, neurotransmitters and certain other agonists whose receptors contain seven membrane-spanning segments, the signal is transduced by G-proteins to β-isozymes of PI-PLC.
Task-relevant perceptual features can define categories in visual memory too

Although Konkle, Brady, Alvarez, and Oliva (2010, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 139(3), 558) claim that visual long-term memory (VLTM) is organized on underlying conceptual, not perceptual, information, visual memory results from visual search tasks are not well explained by this theory. We hypothesized that when viewing an object, any task-relevant visual information is critical to the organizational structure of VLTM. In two experiments, we examined the organization of VLTM by measuring the amount of retroactive interference created by objects possessing different combinations of task-relevant features. Based on task instructions, only the conceptual category was task relevant or both the conceptual category and a perceptual object feature were task relevant. Findings indicated that when made task relevant, perceptual object feature information, along with conceptual category information, could affect memory organization for objects in VLTM. However, when perceptual object feature information was task irrelevant, it did not contribute to memory organization; instead, memory defaulted to being organized around conceptual category information. These findings support the theory that a task-defined organizational structure is created in VLTM based on the relevance of particular object features and information.
Consumer research, retailers and robots

Today, there are persistent and ongoing questions about how technology will impact the future of the existing retail marketplace. In this paper, we argue that consumers, not manufacturers, retailers or even technologists will control that marketplace. In this exploratory study, we first review the various technologies under consideration. We follow that with an analysis of a big data set (n = 16,228) of US consumer responses to an online study on retail search and purchase. We find that no one technological solution appears to dominate consumer search or purchase patterns in ten major consumer retail product categories at the time of the study. We conclude that retail technological development is dependent on consumer acceptance and adoption of that technology. We speculate that voice-activated personal intelligent agents have the most likelihood of success in the US retail marketplace in the next five to seven years.
Interferon with antitumor immunity

IFN-γ directs homeostatic differentiation of tissue APCs but may subvert aspects of tumor immune surveillance.
Assessment of diagnostic image quality of computed tomography (CT) images of the lung using deep learning

For computed tomography (CT) imaging, it is important that the imaging protocols be optimized so that the scan is performed at the lowest dose that yields diagnostic images in order to minimize patients’ exposure to ionizing radiation. To accomplish this, it is important to verify that image quality of the acquired scan is sufficient for the diagnostic task at hand. Since the image quality strongly depends on both the characteristics of the patient as well as the imager, both of which are highly variable, using simplistic parameters like noise to determine the quality threshold is challenging. In this work, we apply deep learning using convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict whether CT scans meet the minimal image quality threshold for diagnosis. The dataset consists of 74 cases of high resolution axial CT scans acquired for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. The quality of the images is rated by a radiologist. While the number of cases is relatively small for deep learning tasks, each case consists of more than 200 slices, comprising a total of 21,257 images. The deep learning involves fine-tuning of a pre-trained VGG19 network, which results in an accuracy of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.748 – 0.773) and an AUC of 0.78 (SE: 0.01). While the number of total images is relatively large, the result is still significantly limited by the small number of cases. Despite the limitation, this work demonstrates the potential for using deep learning to characterize the diagnostic quality of CT scans.
Use of antibiotic envelopes to prevent cardiac implantable electronic device infections: A meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION The rates of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections have risen over the past decade and are associated with increased hospitalizations and mortality. A number of preventative strategies have been developed including an antibiotic coated envelope, but it has yet to gain widespread use. METHODS A meta-analysis was performed on controlled studies of the antibiotic envelope. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies comparing infection rates with and without the use of an antibiotic envelope. Studies including both new implants and pulse generator replacements were included in the analysis. RESULTS Five studies were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 4,490 patients underwent CIED implantation, 1,798 with an antibiotic envelope and 2,692 without an envelope. In the pooled cohort, the envelope was associated with a 69% relative risk reduction in CIED infection (0.31 [0.17, 0.58] 95% CI, P = 0.0002). Propensity matched data from three studies were analyzed to ensure accurate comparison. In the risk-matched cohort, infections were significantly lower in the envelope group (3 vs. 26, P < 0.0003). CONCLUSION The use of antibiotic envelopes in CIED implant is associated with a significantly lower rate of infection.
Echocardiographic Recognition of Intra-Atrial Baffle Dysfunction

The outlook for children with dextro-transposition of the great vessels has improved considerably since the introduction of the Mustard procedure1 . This technique involves the placement of a patch or baffle, constructed from the pericardium or a synthetic material, in the atria to achieve physiologic correction. A previous report from our laboratory described the echocardiographic patterns presented by the intra-atrial baffle as well as validation of its identification using ultrasonic contrast studies2 . Complications do occur as a consequence of the use of the intra-atrial baffle. These include systemic venous and pulmonary venous obstruction as well as leakage resulting from shrinkage and detachment. It would, therefore, be useful if echocardiography could identify malfunction of the intraatrial baffle.