cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Passthrough Estimates and the Choice of an Exchange Rate Index

We examine exchange rate passthrough into US import prices for 29 manufacturing industries using eight exchange rate indexes. These indexes vary by the number of currencies included; whether the weight on each currency is based on total trade with the United States or solely imports; and, whether the weights vary by industry. Our results indicate that passthrough is generally incomplete but varies across industries. Moreover, passthrough is sensitive to the exchange rate index. Using bootstrapped J-tests we show that major currency indexes perform better than their broad currency counterparts. When using a major currency index, industry-specific exchange rate indexes are preferred to aggregate indexes.
Patient Burden with Current Surveillance Paradigm and Factors Associated with Interest in Altered Surveillance for Early Stage HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer.

Introduction Optimal surveillance paradigms for survivors of early stage human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer are not well defined. This study aimed to characterize patient interest in and factors associated with an altered surveillance paradigm. Materials and methods We surveyed patients with Stage I or II HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer treated at a tertiary care institution from 2016 to 2019. Primary outcomes were descriptive assessment of patient knowledge, interest in altered surveillance, burdens of in-person appointments, and priorities for surveillance visits. Ordinal regression was used to identify correlates of interest in altered surveillance. Results Sixty-seven patients completed surveys from February to April 2020 at a median of 21 months since completing definitive treatment. A majority (61%) of patients were interested in a surveillance approach that decreased in-person clinic visits. Patients who self-identified as medical maximizers, had higher worry of cancer recurrence, or were in long-term relationships were less likely to be interested. Patients reported significant burdens associated with surveillance visits, including driving distance, time off work, and non-medical costs. Patients were most concerned with discussing cancer recurrence (76%), physical quality of life (70%), mortality (61%), and mental quality of life (52%) with their providers at follow-up visits. Conclusions Patients with early stage HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers are interested in altered surveillance approaches, experience significant burdens related to surveillance visits, and have concerns that are not well addressed with current surveillance approaches, including physical and mental quality of life. Optimized surveillance approaches should incorporate patient priorities and minimize associated burdens. Implications for practice The number of patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers is increasing, and numerous clinical trials are investigating novel approaches to treating these good-prognosis patients. There has been limited work assessing optimal surveillance paradigms in these patients. Patients experience significant appointment-related burdens, and have concerns such as physical and mental quality of life. Additionally, patients with early stage HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers express interest in altered surveillance approaches that decrease in-person clinic visits. Optimization of surveillance paradigms to promote broader survivorship care in clinical practice is needed.
Distributed Strategy Selection: A Submodular Set Function Maximization Approach.

Constrained submodular set function maximization problems often appear in multi-agent decision-making problems with a discrete feasible set. A prominent example is the problem of multi-agent mobile sensor placement over a discrete domain. Submodular set function optimization problems, however, are known to be NP-hard. This paper considers a class of submodular optimization problems that consist of maximization of a monotone and submodular set function subject to a uniform matroid constraint over a group of networked agents that communicate over a connected undirected graph. We work in the value oracle model where the only access of the agents to the utility function is through a black box that returns the utility function value. We propose a distributed suboptimal polynomial-time algorithm that enables each agent to obtain its respective strategy via local interactions with its neighboring agents. Our solution is a fully distributed gradient-based algorithm using the submodular set functions' multilinear extension followed by a distributed stochastic Pipage rounding procedure. This algorithm results in a strategy set that when the team utility function is evaluated at worst case, the utility function value is in 1/c(1-e^(-c)-O(1/T)) of the optimal solution with c to be the curvature of the submodular function. An example demonstrates our results.
The Rights of Secured Creditors after ResCap

This Article explores the extent of secured creditor’s rights in bankruptcy through an examination of In re Residential Capital. In particular, ResCap is used to ask whether secured creditors should have a right to value that comes into being solely by virtue of the bankruptcy process. Ultimately, this question is intertwined with the inquiry of whether bankruptcy reorganization needs to be treated as a day of reckoning at all.
Cyclic Stress Conditions Causing Liquefaction of Sand

Liquefaction of saturated sand was studied using a cyclic loading triaxial test. Quantitative data were obtained providing numerical values for the several important factors necessary to produce liquefaction. Under cyclic loading, four different conditions must be considered; initial liquefaction, partial liquefaction, complete liquefaction, and failure. At relative densities below about 50%, these three conditions occurred almost simultaneously, whereas for relative densities above about 80%, a considerable number of stress cycles were required after initial liquefaction to develop large strains defining a failure condition. There was an approximately linear relationship between the relative density and the stress required to cause initial liquefaction in a given number of cycles. It was also found that the magnitude of cyclic stress required to cause initial Iiquefaction increases almost linearly with confining pressure. Suggestions are presented as to applications of this type of data in predicting the susceptibility of a field deposit to liquefaction during an earthquake.
Modified protothreads for embedded systems

Protothreads are stackless lightweight threads that provide a mechanism for concurrent programming with very low overhead in any environment that supports an ANSI-C compiler. No processor-specific task switching code is required to implement them. In their published form they are not quite adequate for a priority-based based scheduler and thus are of questionable utility in an embedded system with real-time requirements. This article discusses the protothread library along with modifications and an example priority-based scheduler that may be of some utility in embedded systems environments lacking an RTOS.
Smarter, Better, Faster, Cheaper

(1976). Smarter, Better, Faster, Cheaper. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 212-214.
53. Bio-inspired cryoprotectants and microfluidics for cryopreservation

Cryopreservation of living cells, tissue, and organs has the potential to create a great impact on modern regenerative, transfusion, transplantation, and reproductive medicine. For instance, we have reported the preservation of human red blood cell morphology, mechanics, and function following vitrification in nanoliter volumes using an innovative cryo-printing approach that integrates naturally occurring cryo-inks, including ectoine and trehalose solutions. Further, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using a microfluidic chip system with continuous flow for the differentiation and extended culture of functional steroidogenic stem cell-derived embryonic bodies (EBs), the differentiation of EBs into cells expressing ovarian antigens in a microfluidic system, and the ability to cryopreserve this system with restoration of growth and functionality post freezing and thawing. These results present a platform for the development of a new therapeutic system for personalized medicine.
Problems with estimating vitamin C intakes

The vitamin C content of foods was examined from two national databases and new values were obtained by HPLC. HPLC values were lower in four of the five highest vitamin C contributors to the US diet (orange juice, grapefruit, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes), as well as in broccoli, red peppers, and cooked collard and mustard greens, compared with values from the other databases. When HPLC values were substituted in the Health Habits and History Questionnaire, the resulting estimates of dietary intake of vitamin C in two studies were lower. Despite these lower estimates of absolute intake, in one study the correlation between dietary vitamin C and plasma ascorbic acid was similar. In conclusion, the accuracy of the vitamin C content of foods is important for estimating the absolute amount of vitamin C intake in the population but may not change the ranking of people in epidemiological studies.
IL-6 Produced by Dendritic Cells from Lupus-Prone Mice Inhibits CD4+CD25+ T Cell Regulatory Functions

The B6. Sle1.Sle2.Sle3 triple congenic mouse (B6.TC) is a model of lupus coexpressing the three major NZM2410-derived susceptibility loci on a C57BL/6 background. B6.TC mice produce high titers of antinuclear nephrogenic autoantibodies and a highly penetrant glomerulonephritis. Previous studies have shown the Sle1 locus is associated with a reduced number of regulatory T cells (Treg) and that Sle3 results in intrinsic defects of myeloid cells that hyperactivate T cells. In this report, we show that B6.TC dendritic cells (DCs) accumulate in lymphoid organs and present a defective maturation process, in which bone marrow-derived, plasmacytoid, and myeloid DCs express a significantly lower level of CD80, CD86, and MHC class II. B6.TC DCs also induce a higher level of proliferation in CD4 + T cells than B6 DCs, and B6.TC DCs block the suppressive activity of Treg. B6.TC DCs overproduce IL-6, which is necessary for the blockade of Treg activity, as shown by the effect of anti-IL-6 neutralizing Ab in the suppression assays. The overproduction of IL-6 by DCs and the blockade of Treg activity maps to Sle1 , which therefore not only confers a reduced number of Treg but also blocks their ability to regulate autoreactive T cells. Taken together, these results provide a genetic and mechanistic evidence for systemic autoimmunity resulting from an impaired regulatory T cell compartment in both number and function and for Sle1 -expressing DCs playing a major role in the latter defect though their production of IL-6.
Color Gradients in Cooling Flow Cluster Central Galaxies and the Ionization of Cluster Emission Line Systems

Preliminary results are given for a program to measure color gradients in the central galaxies in clusters with a variety of cooling flow rates. The objectives are to search for extended blue continuum regions indicative of star formation, to study the spatial distribution of star formation, and to make a quantitative measure of the amount of light from young stars, which can lead to a measure of the star formation rate (for an assumed intial mass function). Four clusters with large Ṁs and large cluster Hα emission fluxes are found to have an excess of blue light concentrated to the centers of the cluster central galaxy. Assumption of a disk IMF leads to the conclusion that the starlight might play a major role in ionizing the emission line gas in these clusters.
Evolution of neural networks for the detection of breast cancer

This paper is based on a modified form of Fogel's evolutionary programming approach for evolving neural networks for the detection of breast cancer using fine needle aspirate data. A data visualization and preprocessing description is given, which not only depicts the benign and malignant raw data in graphical interpretative form but also includes a "symmetrized dot pattern" of this same data which may be used to corroborate the classification provided by the network. These evolved architectures routinely achieved a greater than 96% classification accuracy while, at the same time, achieving a much smaller type II error (calling a malignant sample benign). These results were obtained with different data sets using the same architecture, and were also obtained with the same data set over a family of evolved architectures.
Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Opening statement

Most people understand a computation as a process evoked when a computational agent acts on its inputs under the control of an algorithm. The classical Turing machine model has long served as the fundamental reference model because an appropriate Turing machine can simulate every other computational model known. The Turing model is a good abstraction for most digital computers because the number of steps to execute a Turing machine algorithm is predictive of the running time of the computation on a digital computer. However, the Turing model is not as well matched for the natural, interactive, and continuous information processes frequently encountered today. Other models whose structures more closely match the information processes involved give better predictions of running time and space. Models based on transforming representations may be useful.
Introduction: Adenosine A2A receptor modulation of motor systems for symptomatic therapy in Parkinson’s disease

The modern era of treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) began with the work of Cotzias et al.,1 who demonstrated that sustained improvement in the symptoms of the disease could be obtained by long-term therapy with l-dopa. Although l-dopa remains the most effective agent available for the management of PD, it was not long before the shortcomings of this approach became apparent. The most common problems are related to the development of “motor complications:” wearing off and dyskinesias. These are observed in at least 40% of patients with PD after 4 to 6 years of treatment with l-dopa and in up to 70% of patients after 10 years of treatment.2 With time, the magnitude of beneficial effect that can be achieved …
Reference price and scarcity appeals and the use of multiple influence strategies in retail newspaper advertising

The use of scarcity and reference price techniques in 13,594 retail newspaper display advertisements across four major U.S. cities was evaluated in terms of frequency and usage strategies using framing and information‐processing perspectives. One or both of these techniques were found in 22.4% of the ads. Scarcity was used more frequently than reference pricing, and was strongly associated with the use of reference pricing. Limited time availability was found to dominate the use of scarcity tactics. Scarcity and reference pricing were also strongly associated with the use of other attention and persuasion tactics, such as color ads, larger ads, and “Sale” announcements. Given the extensive use of reference pricing and scarcity appeals, their association with each other, and their further association with other commonly recognized advertising tactics, additional research on the use of multiple influence strategies appears warranted. The authors thank Tiffani Oltmanns and Daniel Taraba for their assistance ...
Kinetics of oxide film growth on metal crystals - Thermal electron emission and ionic diffusion.

Thermal oxidation kinetics of oxide film growth on metal crystals, considering ion diffusion and thermionic electron emission
Turing Machines, Finite Automata and Neural Nets

This paper1 compares the notions of Turing machine, finite automaton and neural net. A new notation is introduced to replace net diagrams. “Equivalence” theorems are proved for nets with receptors, and finite automata; and for nets with receptors and effectors, and Turing machines. These theorems are discussed in relation to papers of Copi, Elgot and Wright; Rabin and Scott; and McCulloch and Pitts. It is shown that sets of positive integers “accepted” by finite automata are recursive; and a strengthened form of a theorem of Kleene is proved.
Purification and infrastructure of Aleutian disease virus of mink

ALEUTIAN disease of mink is an immune complex disease induced by viral infection. Major abnormalities include glomerulonephritis, arteritis, plasmacytosis and hypergam-maglobulinaemia1,2. Infectious virus-antibody complexes have been found in the serum of infected mink3, and deposits of viral antigen, antibody and complement have been demonstrated in glomerular and arterial lesions4–6. Detailed sudy of Aleutian disease virus (ADV) has been hampered by an inability to isolate and purify it by conventional techniques, mainly because ADV obtained from mink tissue is complexed with specific antibody7. The immune complexes are not sufficiently homogeneous for purification by physical or chemical properties. Applying techniques that dissociate antigen–antibody complexes to crude preparations of ADV, Cho and Ingram purified viral antigenic material8,9. With the electron microscope they observed virus-like particles in both immune precipitates and viral antigen from CsCl gradients. Although the immune precipitates were infectious for mink, lack of quantitative infectivity data on the CsCl gradient fractions prevented identification of these particles as ADV. We have now succeeded in purifying similar virus particles and have identified them as ADV by quantitative inactivity titration.
Plant water stress at various growth stages and growth and yield of soybeans

Abstract In the Southern High Plains of the U.S.A., where water for irrigation is being depleted, drought-tolerant crops are extensively grown under limited irrigation where less water is applied than is required for potential evapotranspiration and maximum yield. This study was conducted (1) to determine the effects of plant water stress at various growth stages on growth and yield of soybeans [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and (2) to assess the adaptability of the soybean plant to limited irrigation in the stressful climate of the Southern High Plains. The 3-year study was conducted on Pullman clay loam (fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll). Soybeans (‘Douglas’, indeterminate, maturity group IV) were grown with different irrigation treatments designed to subject the plants to water deficits at different growth stages. Stress initiated during R1 (early flowering) or R2 (full bloom) and extending to R3 (beginning pod development) reduced seed yields by 9–13%. But, when stress was extended to R4.5, yields were reduced by 46%. Stress beginning at R3 and extending to R4.5 reduced yields by 19%. Stress imposed at R5 and relieved at R6 reduced yields 15% in one year and 46% in a more stressful year. Stress imposed at R5 and extending to the end of the growing period (5 weeks) reduced yields by 45% in the less-stressful year and by 88% in the other. Stress throughout the last 3 weeks of the growing period (beginning at R6) reduced yields by 21 and 65%, respectively, in the two years. Water-use efficiency was not increased under limited irrigation. Soybeans are amenable to limited irrigation under the stressful climate of the Southern High Plains, but their vulnerability to drought stress during seed development complicates management. They are more suited for limited irrigation than is corn ( Zea mays L.) but are less suited than are grain sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) or wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.).
The singlet system of the oxygen arc spectrum and the origin of the green auroral line

The oxygen arc spectrum has been investigated under varied conditions in the extreme ultraviolet. A number of observed lines have been arranged in the singlet system of terms. The values of the low terms 1D2 and 1S0 have been fixed.
Biographical Sketch: George L. Walton, MD and Walter E. Paul, MD

This biographical sketch on George L. Walton and Walter E. Paul corresponds to the historic text, The Classic: Contribution to the Study of Spinal Surgery: One Successful and One Unsuccessful Operation for Removal of Tumor (1905), available at DOI 10.1007/s11999-010-1664-2.
Supported rhenium complexes: almost uniform rhenium tricarbonyls synthesized from CH3Re(CO)5 and HY zeolite.

Supported rhenium complexes were prepared from CH3Re(CO)5 and dealuminated HY zeolite or NaY zeolite, each with a Si/Al atomic ratio of 30. The samples were characterized with infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. EXAFS data characterizing the sample formed by the reaction of CH3Re(CO)5 with dealuminated HY zeolite show that the rhenium complexes were bonded to the zeolite frame, incorporating, on average, three carbonyl ligands per Re atom (as shown by Re−C and multiple-scattering Re−O EXAFS contributions). The IR spectra, consistent with this result, show that the supported rhenium carbonyls were bonded near aluminum sites of the zeolite, as shown by the decrease in intensity of the IR bands characterizing the acidic silanol groups resulting from the reaction of the rhenium carbonyl with the zeolite. This supported metal complex was characterized by narrow peaks in the νCO region of the IR spectrum, indicating highly uniform species. In contrast, the species ...
Identifying Resources that Support Research and Publication in the Field of Early Childhood Education: Advice from an Education Librarian

Drawing on her experience and expertise as an education librarian the author of this article pinpoints some of the best resources that support research and publication in the field of early childhood education. Free and subscription-based databases are described, as well as print books, ebooks, and websites that cover a wide range of topics. This article serves as a comprehensive resource for early childhood educators and researchers who wish to keep up with the latest developments in early childhood education through research and professional development. Several resources are also provided for those early childhood teacher/scholars interested in writing for publication such as: databases of publishing opportunities, periodical directories, and step-by-step print and digital guides to academic writing and APA citation style.
α-bromoacetophenone derivatives as neutral protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors: Structure-activity relationship

A series of alpha-haloacetophenone derivatives was tested for inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and PTP1B. The results show that the bromides are much more potent than the corresponding chlorides, whereas the phenyl ring is remarkably tolerant to modifications. Derivatization of the phenyl ring with a tripeptide Gly-Glu-Glu resulted in a potent, selective inhibitor against PTP1B.
Thompsonʼs generalized characters and permutation characters

Abstract Given a property P of groups and a finite group G (not necessarily having this property) J.G. Thompson (1996) [5] defined an associated counting function χ P on G. For certain properties P he then establishes that χ P is a generalized character of G. We prove here that, under mild conditions on P , these functions are not only generalized characters but in fact lie in the permutation character ring of G.
ConcreteCom: a new communication paradigm for building structural health monitoring

Piezo-electric transducers (PZTs) as multi-functional devices can be effectively used both for sensing and actuation as well as for energy harvesting. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of utilizing PZTs as transceivers to communicate structural or control information via concrete conduits for building structural health monitoring. Extensive measurement study provides a detailed characterization of concrete channel properties. Using software defined radio technologies, we develop basic communication modules and successfully demonstrate the practicability of ConcreteCom, a new communication paradigm in support of data rate up to 10Kbps in our concrete beam testbed.
Which arteriovenous malformations should be given ablative treatment

This Viewpoint examines the management options for arteriovenous malformations and the grading scales that can be used to guide treatment decisions. The authors consider the natural history of unruptured arteriovenous malformations and evaluate the risks associated with available treatments.
Stochastic backgrounds of gravitational waves from cosmological sources : Techniques and applications to preheating

Several mechanisms exist for generating a stochastic background of gravitational waves in the period following inflation. These mechanisms are generally classical in nature, with the gravitational waves being produced from inhomogeneities in the fields that populate the early Universe and not quantum fluctuations. The resulting stochastic background could be accessible to next generation gravitational wave detectors. We develop a framework for computing such a background analytically and computationally. As an application of our framework, we consider the stochastic background of gravitational waves generated in a simple model of preheating.
Bioelectrical effects of hexoses on pancreatic islet cells.

Electrical activity of superfused mouse pancreatic islets was monitored intracellularly with microelectrodes. Glucose, mannose and fructose caused increased frequencies of firing. Electrical responses to varying concentrations of sugars were rapid, reversible, independent of the order in which the concentrations were presented, and could be described by a simple adsorption isotherm. Half-maximal stimulation by glucose and mannose occurred at about the concentrations reported to elicit half-maximal insulin secretion. Fructose, a weaker secretory stimulus, elicited half-maximal electrical responses at higher concentrations. Galactose, a very weak secretory stimulus, caused increased electrical activity in only a small percentage of cells. However, in those cells it was about as potent a stimulus as was glucose. (Endocrinology 94: 142, 1974)
Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy study of L-zeolite- and silica-supported platinum catalysts

NMR studies of CO adsorbed on small Pt particles show evidence of changes in the metallic nature of these particles with size. Large particles on silica or the exterior of zeolite crystallites have conduction-band electrons that cause a Knight shift for adsorbed CO. Small particles in zeolite cavities are diamagnetic clusters, and yield spectra for linear and bridging carbonyls similar to those of transition-metal cluster compounds. 13C NMR of CO offers a simple probe of metal dispersion and particle size for these Pt catalysts and other noble metal systems.
Light-stimulated morphogenesis in the fruiting myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca

When the fruiting myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca, a gliding prokaryote, is starved on an agar surface, the cells form multicellular aggregates resulting from morphogenetic movements. In the presence of incandescent light, each aggregate develops into a structurally complex fruiting body, possessing a stalk and several sporangia. In contrast, this pattern of development is not seen when cultures are incubated in the dark. The cells form irregular interconnecting aggregates, which rarely develop into fruits. However, aggregates formed in the light will develop into fruits even if placed in the dark, suggesting that the light produced a relatively stable alteration in the phenotype of the cells.
"Their days are spent in gambling and loafing, pimping for prostitutes, and picking pockets": male juvenile delinquents on Lagos Island, 1920s - 1960s.

In recent times, Lagos Island has been hit by a cyclical crescendo of juvenile crime perpetrated by “Area Boys,” jobless youths who deal in robbery, extortion, and blackmail. Such deviant behavior ...
The Prescriptivism Incompleteness Theorem

(Here 'in such a case' is short for 'in a situation where the positions of myself and Smith are exactly reversed.') By RGRE, for example, if I hold that it would be all right for me to hit Smith but I refuse to consent to or permit the idea of Smith hitting me in such a case, then I am logically inconsistent-I am refusing to accept the logical consequences of my right-judgment. R. M. Hare is the foremost supporter of the view that 'moral judgments are universal or universalisable prescriptions, permissions or prohibitions'; he makes extensive use of OGREs and RGREs.2 I don't find any WGREs in his writings, but I imagine he would accept that 'Giving women equal legal rights would be wrong' entails 'In such a case: don't give me equal legal rights'. The prescriptivism incompleteness theorem seeks to show that, since
Exposure to inhibitors of the renin‐angiotensin system is a major independent risk factor for acute renal failure induced by sucrose containing intravenous immunoglobulins. A case‐control study

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2012; 21: 320–322 DOI: 10.1002/pds.2273 The following error was identified post-publication: On page 320, left column, page 321, right column and page 322, left column, the author to which Onuigbo is referring to is stated with the wrong name, i.e. first name as family name. It should say ‘Moulis et al.’ instead of ‘Guillaume et al’ We apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused.
Laser and Mach-Zehnder interferometry for in-situ monitoring of crystal growth and concentration variation

Interferometry is an essential field of optical metrology and is adapted in many applications in optics, crystal growth, and industry. Crystal growth rate is one of the critical parameters for the growth of optical quality single crystals. A laser interferometry technique has been developed and applied successfully for crystal growth rate measurement from solution. A He-Ne laser at the wavelength of 633 nm with an output power of 1.5 mW was used in this experiment. The beam was incident on the crystal growing from solution. As the crystal is growing, the path length of the front and back surface reflected beams changes hence the phase factor of the detector output signal changes continuously. This phase change is directly related to the growth of crystal. The growth rate of the LAP crystal was found to be 6.5 plus or minus 0.1 nm/s. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer, also, has been applied to study the variation of concentration at the interface of the growing crystal from solution.
Necrotizing Vaso-Occlusive Retinitis

We studied two adult patients with fulminating, necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis, and documented the progressive course of retinal necrosis, vitreoretinal interface contraction, and consequent retinal detachment. The systemic criteria for Behcet's disease were present in one patient, and partially fulfilled in the second.
On the Observational Evidence for Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei

We show that the double-peaked emission lines observed in the active galaxy 3C 390.3 cannot be produced by two line-emitting streams (generated by a two-sided jet). The reason for this is that, as we show, the emitting region on the receding jet is obscured from view by the accretion disk, leaving the accretion disk as the only viable site for the production of these lines.
Does Ventricular Fibrillation Cause Myocardial Stunning During Defibrillator Implantation

Induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF) is an important part of the process of inserting implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), allowing the measurement of defibrillation thresholds. However, animal studies have revealed that repeated cycles of VF and defibrillation result in depressed left ventricular (LV) function and reduced cardiac output. Short intervals of VF do not affect myocardial contractility but longer periods produce heart failure. Induced VF was used in a canine model to study profound myocardial stunning leading to heart failure, as well as the therapeutic potential of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, amrinone (combined with epinephrine and norepinephrine). Amrinone was found to significantly (p < 0.05) increase contractility when added to a stable preparation supported by epinephrine and norepinephrine infusion; amrinone or catecholamines alone had no effect. In the clinical setting, the following factors may affect LV contractility during ICD surgery: catecholamines released as a result of hypotension; negative VF; ischemia; antiarrhythmic drugs; anesthetics; and bradycardia after device testing. Patients (n = 125) have tolerated ICD insertion well. Early data reveals no significant changes in ejection fraction. Though rare, death due to myocardial stunning and LV power failure can occur during ICD insertion. It may be possible to use arterial pressure monitoring to predict this event in vulnerable patients.
Proton hyperfine splitting in the ESR spectra of a stable hydroxynitroxide and its esters application to an ESR assay procedure for alkaline phosphatase

Abstract A pronounced difference in resolution of the proton superhyperfine splitting of the ESR signals of the nitroxide 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol-1-oxyl (I) and its phosphatase (II) and acetate (III) esters is observed at millimolar concentrations of the nitroxides in aqueous solution at pH 8. This is ascribed to the fact that the charge on the ester group acts as a barrier to the close approach of teh molecules and thus leads to a decreased rate of electron spin exchange for the charged species. The g values of this series of nitroxides are observed to vary in the order II > III > I. Radical II is a substrate for alkaline phosphatase, from Escherichia coli, while radical I is one of the cleavage products. A semiquantitative ESR asasy of alkaline phosphatase activity is described, in which the observable parameters are the loss of proton splitting and the shift in g value as the substrate (II) is hydrolyzed to product (I).
The frequency and fitness consequences of communal breeding in a natural population of burying beetles: a test of reproductive skew

Reproductive cooperation occurs in diverse taxa and a defining characteristic of these social systems is how reproduction is shared. Both male and female burying beetles ( Nicrophorus spp.) facultatively form associations to bury a carcass and rear a single brood, making burying beetles a model system for testing skew theory. 2. In this study, 50% of 40 - 45 g carcasses and 75% of 55 - 60 g ones were buried by more than one male and/or female Nicrophorus tomentosus . 3. Females were significantly more likely to cooperate on 55 - 60 g carcasses than on 40 - 45 g ones. 4. Analysis of parentage of 13 broods using microsatellite loci as genetic markers showed that maternity analysis of only 2% of the young excluded all females captured leaving the brood chamber after burial. Males previously mated with resident females or displaced by resident males fathered 7% of the young. 5. The male and female remaining the longest were usually the parents of the most offspring, and reproductively dominant individuals also tended to be the largest. 6. Although all but two or three individuals that helped to bury the carcass produced some offspring, reproduction was often not shared equitably. Reproduction of females was significantly skewed on six of nine 40 - 45 g carcasses but shared fairly equitably on all three 55 - 60 g ones. Reproduction was skewed among males on 7 of 10 broods. 7. Both males and females relinquished a greater proportion of the brood as the days of assistance from all consexuals increased.
Reliable determination of furosine in human serum and dialysate proteins by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Furosine, formed by hydrolysis of 1-deoxy-fructosyl-lysine (fructose-lysine), is a product of the Amadori rearrangement of glucose and ϵ-NH2-lysine. Fructose-lysine can react further with tissue and circulating proteins to produce advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Peritoneal dialysate used in the treatment of patients with end-stage renal failure contains high concentrations of glucose which may lead to intraperitoneal formation of AGEs. To quantitate the kinetics of formation and peritoneal clearance of glycated peritoneal dialysate proteins, we developed an effective approach to the measurement of furosine in clinical samples of serum and peritoneal dialysate.
Formation of Catalytic Metal-Molecule Contacts

We describe a new strategy for the in situ growth of molecular wires predicated on the synthesis of a trifunctional "primed" contact formed from metal-carbon multiple bonds. The ruthenium-carbon pi bond provides structural stability to the molecular linkages under ambient conditions, and density functional calculations indicate the formation of an efficient conduit for charge carriers to pass between the metal and the molecule. Moreover, the metal-carbon pi bond provides a chemically reactive site from which a conjugated molecular wire can be grown in situ through an olefin metathesis reaction.
Mass views of the future: A report from the Netherlands

Abstract In early 1970 a sample survey was carried out in the Netherlands to gauge public opinion concerning contemporary Dutch society and popular views about the likelihood and desirability of certain social changes over the next ten years. It was generally agreed that the Dutch enjoy a high standard of living with sufficient leisure time, but that they are oppressed not only by pollution, but also by having little say in running the country. More leisure is anticipated for the future, but also more pollution and no advances towards social equality nor towards public participation in decision-making.
A universal transgene silencing approach in baculovirus–insect cell system

Baculovirus-insect cell system (BICS) is considered one of the most efficient eukaryotic gene expression systems. This system has also been used for producing different recombinant baculoviruses with increased insect toxicity as potential biopesticides. Establishing a universal gene silencing (UGS) system is very important due to the increasing number of studies using RNA interference (RNAi) with BICS. In this work, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was used as the RNAi consistent target sequence located downstream of a depressant insect-neurotoxin gene, LqqIT2 used as a model of the gene of interest. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and inverted repeats of EGFP gene (IR-EG) were examined in targeting the EGFP-LqqIT2 (EL)-fusion mRNA or LqqIT2-EGFP (LE)-bicistronic mRNA for degradation. Suppression efficiencies using these inducers were examined transiently and stably in uninfected and infected insect Sf9 cells. Moreover, RNAi showed persistence for 4 and 8 days in baculovirus-infected as well as uninfected Sf9 cells, respectively. Bicistronic RNA seems an efficient way to lower cost and effort of the gene silencing approach while maintaining the biological activity of the protein of interest when the RNAi is not in use.
Cerebral blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass: Influence of temperature and pH management strategy

Because disordered autoregulation of cerebral blood flow may underlie neurologic injury associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), we studied the effects of normothermic (37°C) and hypothermic (18°C) CPB on cerebral vascular reactivity in 6 to 8-week-old piglets. Hypothermic CPB animals were subdivided into alpha-stat and pH-stat groups (n = 6 animals each group) according to acid-base management protocol. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral oxygen consumption (CMRO 2 ), cerebral vascular resistance (CVR), and CBF response to hypercapnia were examined before, during, and 1 hour after CPB and used to calculate CVR per millimeter of mercury change in arterial partial pressure of CO 2 : (CVR normocapnia − CVR hypercapnia )/(PaCO 2 hypercapnia − PaCO 2 normocapnia ). Before CPB, CBF, CMRO 2 , and vascular reactivity to elevated CO 2 were similar in the three groups; these parameters remained unchanged by normothermic CPB. However, during hypothermic CPB, CBF and CMRO 2 decreased in both alpha-stat and pH-stat groups; in the alpha-stat group, CBF decreased from 27 ± 5 mL · min −1 · 100 g −1 (normothermic CPB) to 5 ± 1 mL · min −1 · 100 g −1 (hypothermic CPB) ( p 2 decreased from 1.8 ± 0.21 to 0.24 ± 0.04 mL · min −1 · 100 g −1 ( p −1 · 100 g −1 ( p 2 decreased from 1.63 ± 0.07 to 0.31 ± 0.09 mL · min −1 · 100 g −1 ( p −1 · min −1 · 100 g −1 · mm Hg CO 2 −1 [hypothermic CPB]; p = not significant), but was preserved by pH-stat management (0.057 ± 0.009 to 0.113 ± 0.006 mm Hg · mL −1 · min −1 · 100 g −1 · mm Hg CO 2 −1 ) ( p 2 , and hypercapnic reactivity in all groups. We conclude that in this model of the immature animal on CPB (1) hypothermic CPB causes a profound decrease in CBF and CMRO 2 , (2) cerebrovascular reactivity to CO 2 is decreased during hypothermic CPB with alpha-stat but not pH-stat management of arterial blood gases, and (3) regardless of method of blood gas management during CPB, CBF, CMRO 2 , and hypercapnic reactivity are restored to pre-CPB values after CPB.
A balanced non-cephalic reference electrode

Abstract A method is described for minimizing cardiac potential by balancing the voltage between two points on opposite sides of the heart. Advantage can be taken of the cancellation thus obtained to utilize the base of the neck as a common reference for EEG recording. In the interpretation of electroencephalograms made with a common reference electrode (“monopolar” recording) account must be taken of the fact that activity at the reference electrode produces “universal” patterns, and that only differences are ascribable to the exploring electrodes. A relatively quiet reference facilitates interpretation, and the balanced reference electrode recommended here is relatively quiet even when focal abnormality occurs in the inferior portions of the brain. Petit mal discharges and true temporal spikes usually spread only slightly to the ears. In contrast, the anterior temporal spike discharge is commonly picked up with high voltage from the ear on the affected side and a temporal slow-wave focus also usually spreads to the ipsilateral ear.
Using Ecological Inference Point Estimates as Dependent Variables in Second‐Stage Linear Regressions

The practice of using point estimates produced by the King ecological inference technique as dependent variables in second-stage linear regressions leads to second-stage results that, in general, are inconsistent. This conclusion holds even when all assumptions behind King's ecological technique are satisfied. Second-stage inconsistency is a consequence of the fact that King-based point estimates of disaggregated quantities contain errors correlated with the true quantities the estimates measure. Our findings on second-stage inconsistency, as well as a fix that we propose, follow from econometric theory in conjunction with an analysis of simulated and real ecological data sets.
How Learning and Evolution Interact: The Case of a Learning Task which Differs from the Evolutionary Task:

It has been reported recently that learning has a beneficial effect on evolution even if the learning involved the acquisition of an ability which is different from the ability for which individual...
Harmonic retrieval of analog signals

A harmonic retrieval algorithm, analogous to that of V. Pisarenko (1973), is derived for extracting harmonics from analog data. The analog hardware required consists of integrators and power meters. The power meter outputs are sampled and a Hankel matrix is formed from these quantities. A minimum matrix pencil problem involving this Hankel matrix is then solved to extract the frequency estimates and the power levels of the signal harmonics. >
Utility of N-acetylcysteine to prevent acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) after heart surgery is associated with increased mortality. We sought to determine whether prophylactic perioperative administration of N -acetylcysteine (NAC) prevents postoperative AKI in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing cardiac surgery (clinical trials.gov identifier NCT00211653). Methods In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial, 102 patients with chronic kidney disease who underwent heart surgery at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center were randomized to either NAC (n = 50) 600 mg PO twice daily or placebo (n = 52) for a total of 14 doses (3 preoperative). The primary outcome was maximum change in creatinine from baseline within 7 days after surgery. Secondary outcome was AKI (ie, >0.5 mg/dL or ≥25% increase in creatinine from baseline). Results Creatinine increased in both groups (0.45 ± 0.7 mg/dL in NAC vs 0.55 ± 0.9 mg/dL in placebo, P = .53) and peaked on postoperative day 5. Acute kidney injury occurred in 41 patients (22 NAC vs 19 placebo, P = .44) by postoperative day 5, but persisted in only 14 (7 NAC vs 7 placebo, P = .94) by day 30. In multivariable analysis, perioperative NAC was unassociated with AKI (relative risk 1.2, 95% CI, 0.8-1.9, P = .34). Five patients (3 NAC vs 2 placebo, P = .68) underwent hemodialysis, and 5 (2 NAC vs 3 placebo, P = 1.0) died perioperatively. There was no difference in lengths of stay in the intensive care unit (4.9 ± 7 days in NAC vs 6.5 ± 9 days in placebo, P = .06) and the hospital (13.2 ± 13 days in NAC vs 16.7 ± 17 days in placebo, P = .12). Conclusion Prophylactic perioperative NAC administration does not prevent AKI after cardiac surgery.
Target site insensitivity and mutational analysis of acetylcholinesterase from a carbofuran-resistant population of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)

The BERTS strain of Colorado potato beetle (CPB) was found to be highly resistant to N-methyl carbofuran but relatively susceptible to azinphosmethyl. N-Methyl carbofuran resistance was found to correlate well with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) insensitivity. In becoming resistant to N-methyl carbofuran, the AChE of the BERTS strain became more sensitive to N-propyl carbofuran inhibition. This negative cross-insensitivity correlated well to the increased relative toxicity of the BERTS strain to N-propyl carbofuran compared to the susceptible SS strain. BERTS beetles were sorted into BERTS-R and BERTS-S substrains using their AChE activity profiles. Sequence comparisons of AChE cDNAs from the two substrains revealed the presence of the point mutation that results in the S291G substitution previously found in the AChE of the azinphosmethyl-resistant AZ-R strain of CPB. A novel mutation present only in BERTS-S CPB, however, resulted in an additional I392T substitution in the AChE and apparently reverses the resistance conferring properties of the S291G substitution.
Daily and hourly estrous running in intact, spayed and estrone implanted rats.

Abstract Daily and hourly running rates of spayed female rats implanted with estrone or injected with estradiol benzoate (EB) were examined to determine whether estrous periodicity in activity occurs in the absence of hormone fluctuations. No evidence of a 4–5 day estrous cycle was found in the estrone implanted or in the EB injected gonadectomized females. Periodicity did not appear when amplitude of running was reduced by injections of the antiestrogen, MER-25. The major difference in hourly rates of running found on the 4 days was that intact animals took fewer rests during the latter part of the night when in estrus. Estrone implanted animals' hourly running pattern did not vary over days. It was concluded that hormonal fluctuation rather than intrinsic neural rhythmicity was the major determinant of estrous running periodicity in the rat.