cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-Conditioning Habituation and Classically Conditioned Head Withdrawal in the Red-Eared Turtle (Chrysemys Scripta Elegans)

The effects of post-conditioning US habituation on the maintenance, extinction, and reconditioning of head withdrawal (CR, UR) in red-eared turtles were examined. The US was a hammer tap to the anterior portion of a turtle’s carapace. The CS was a 2-sec. green light. Following the acquisition of the CR, turtles were used in a chamber adaptation treatment or an habituation treatment. All turtles then received extinction and reconditioning. The extinction data show that the CR, well established to the CS, extinguished spontaneously subsequent to the habituation treatment. Extinction following the chamber adaptation treatment was characteristic of extinction occurring in a classical conditioning situation. The results suggest that the strength of the CR is directly dependent on the strength of the UR.
An Introduction to Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy and Implementation

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a general overview of the co-edited volume. Thus, we begin this chapter by providing an abbreviated discussion of the place of language in education policy, noting here the ways in which one might conceptualize a third generation of policy research. Then, we offer a description of the structure of the volume and provide the reader with key “signposts” that might serve to support their engagement with this volume. Finally, we offer a detailed listing of the chapter abstracts.
Additive effects in high-voltage layered-oxide cells: A statistics of mixtures approach

Abstract Li 1.03 (Ni 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 ) 0.97 O 2 (NMC)-based coin cells containing the electrolyte additives vinylene carbonate (VC) and tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphite (TMSPi) in the range of 0–2 wt% were cycled between 3.0 and 4.4 V. The changes in capacity at rates of C/10 and C/1 and resistance at 60% state of charge were found to follow linear-with-time kinetic rate laws. Further, the C/10 capacity and resistance data were amenable to modeling by a statistics of mixtures approach. Applying physical meaning to the terms in the empirical models indicated that the interactions between the electrolyte and additives were not simple. For example, there were strong, synergistic interactions between VC and TMSPi affecting C/10 capacity loss, as expected, but there were other, more subtle interactions between the electrolyte components. The interactions between these components controlled the C/10 capacity decline and resistance increase.
Wind-Driven Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics in a Chesapeake Bay Tidal Marsh-Estuary System

Controls on organic matter cycling across the tidal wetland-estuary interface have proved elusive, but high-resolution observations coupled with process-based modeling can be a powerful methodology to address shortcomings in either methodology alone. In this study, detailed observations and three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling are used to examine biogeochemical exchanges in the marsh-estuary system of the Rhode River, MD, USA. Analysis of observations near the marsh in 2015 reveals a strong relationship between marsh creek salinity and dissolved organic matter fluorescence (fDOM), with wind velocity indirectly driving large amplitude variation of both salinity and fDOM at certain times of the year. Three-dimensional model results from the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model implemented for the wetland system with a new marsh grass drag module are consistent with observations, simulating sub-tidal variability of marsh creek salinity. The model results exhibit an interaction between wind-driven variation in surface elevation and flow velocity at the marsh creek, with northerly winds driving increased freshwater signal and discharge out of the modeled wetland during precipitation events. Wind setup of a water surface elevation gradient axially along the estuary drives the modeled local sub-tidal flow and thus salinity variability. On sub-tidal time scales (>36 h, <1 week), wind is important in mediating dissolved organic matter releases from the Kirkpatrick Marsh into the Rhode River.
Long Range Intramolecular Linked Functions in the Ca2+ Transport ATPase of Intracellular Membranes

The complete cycle of ATP utilization coupled to Ca2+ transport is operated by a single 106 kD unit of membrane bound ATPase. The cycle begins with Ca2+ binding which is an absolute requirement for enzyme activation. Then, phosphoryl transfer from ATP to the enzyme produces changes leading to vectorial translocation and loss of affinity of the bound Ca2+. The Ca2+ binding and phosphorylation domains are separated by a distance of approximately 5 nanometers within the ATPase unit. Therefore the energy transduction mechanism requires long range coupling. Thapsigargin, which is a specific inhibitor of the Ca2+ ATPases of intracellular membranes, binds stoichiometrically and with extremely high affinity to the enzyme. The resulting inhibition affects distant functional domains, indicating that long range intramolecular linkages are also involved in the mechanism of this specific inhibition.
IN VITRO SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING VEIN MECHANICS

An In Vitro system has been designed and assembled that facilitates the study of vein mechanics. The system measures axial force, diameter, and transmural pressure while controlling axial strain and pressure. The major components of the system are: a vertical chamber, a perfusion and pressure clamping apparatus, force and pressure transducers and amplifiers, a TV camera and microprocessor based data acquisition and analysis sub-system.
Systems over Service: Changing Systems of Inequality through Congregational Political Engagement

The role of religious groups in changing inequality has usually been a bottom up approach. Whether it was serving meals to the needy or sheltering the homeless, the vast majority of religious groups have addressed problems of inequality, not by addressing the causes of hunger and homelessness, but rather by offering assistance to those already in need. Rarely have religious groups become engaged in explicitly political activities that challenge structures that create large scale inequality. In this article, I examine the first state level efforts by LA Voice, a congregation-based community group that has worked to ameliorate inequality through political organizing with churches in largely poor minority communities throughout Los Angeles. Drawing on extensive qualitative data from field research and interviews during their first campaign season in 2012, I examine how these religious groups organized around a controversial political issue—an important move away from their traditional community-based organizing—and how their understandings of faith informed this work. Specifically, LA Voice helped pass a state-level initiative that directly challenged systems of inequality; Proposition 30, which raised taxes on the wealthy to fund public education. This political work highlighted long known internal struggles between congregation members who fought these actions and those who recognized the need in their communities and enthusiastically took up this work. This article ends with a discussion of how these early efforts resulted in further engagement by other member congregations.
A Case For Shorter Queries, and Helping Users Create Them

Information retrieval systems are frequently required to handle long queries. Simply using all terms in the query or relying on the underlying retrieval model to appropriately weight terms often leads to ineffective retrieval. We show that rewriting the query to a version that comprises a small subset of appropriate terms from the original query greatly improves effectiveness. Targeting a demonstrated potential improvement of almost 50% on some difficult TREC queries and their associated collections, we develop a suite of automatic techniques to re-write queries and study their characteristics. We show that the shortcomings of automatic methods can be ameliorated by some simple user interaction, and report results that are on average 25% better than the baseline.
The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) as an Ecological Indicator for Agricultural and Forest Systems

The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) (Beaufils, 1973; Walworth and Sumner, 1987) has been used for the past 20 years as a diagnostic tool in evaluating the factors limiting plant productivity by insufficiency, excess or imbalance. DRIS is an holistic approach which involves the calibration of plant tissue composition, soil composition, environmental parameters and management practices as functions of plant performance. At present the calibration of plant composition in relation to plant performance has been developed far more than the others because of the more universal nature of this relationship (Beaufils, 1973; Walworth and Sumner, 1986a, 1987). Based on the diagnosis of the limiting factors, appropriate remedial fertilizer and other inputs can be made to increase the chances of enhancing the productivity of particular species. Alternatively, it would be possible to devise strategies to minimize the leakage of nutrients from a particular ecosystem into ground or surface waters or to diagnose at a very early stage, any potential decline in a man-made or natural ecosystem.
Growth and development of sorghum leaves under conditions of NaCl stress : spatial and temporal aspects of leaf growth inhibition

Elevated concentrations of NaCl in plant growth media cause a reduction in leaf growth. In grasses, where the leaf growth zone is a small part of the entire leaf, it is important to locate the expanding region and spatially quantify the extent of growth reduction under stress. This will allow comparisons and correlations with possible physiologically important factors. We studied the spatial distribution of growth within the intercalary growth zone of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench, cv. NK 265) leaves. Salinity (100 mM NaCl) shortened the length of the growth zone from 30 mm in the controls to about 24 mm, and reduced the maximal relative elemental growth rate (REG rate). The extent of growth inhibition varied with spatial location along the elongation region. The growth in the basal 3–9 mm of salinized plants was not affected. Young leaves, while still enclosed in the protected whorl of older sheaths and elongating rapidly, were affected more severely by the stress than emerged leaves. The distribution of growth along the leaf growth zone was not steady throughout the elongation period. The length of the elongation region of young nonemerged leaves increased with leaf age and reached a maximum of about 30 mm at leaf emergence. Toward the end of the elongation period, the growth zone shortened for both the control and salinized leaves, and was confined to more basal regions. The maximal REG rate increased after leaf emergence, the increase being larger in control than salinized leaves. Toward the end of the elongation period, when growth was no longer linear with respect to time, the maximum REG rate decreased and its position shifted closer to the leaf base. Growth profiles of leaves 8, 9 and 10 were similar in both control and salinized plants. This suggests that within that time frame of plant development, successive leaves are similarly affected by the stress, and that the length of time the plant was exposed to a steady level of salinity plays no role in specific leaf inhibition.
Attenuation of thrombin-mediated fibrin formation via changes in fibrinogen conformation induced by reaction with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, but not S-nitrosoglutathione

Previous work using a 4 h rabbit thrombogenicity model has shown that a nitric oxide (NO)-generating polymer extracorporeal circuit (ECC) with infusion of S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP) preserved platelets even though platelets were activated, as shown by an increase in the glycoprotein p-selectin. The platelet preservation mechanism was shown to be due to a changing fibrinogen structure leading to attenuation of platelet aggregation. To understand the effects that SNAP, another RSNO, S-nitroso-glutathione (GSNO), as well as the non-RSNO, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), may have on human fibrinogen polymerization, this in vitro study evaluated the effects of released NO on thrombin-mediated fibrin formation and fibrinogen structure. Thrombin-induced fibrin formation at 300 μM SNAP (50 + 11% of baseline) was significantly reduced compared to SNAP's parent, N-acetyl-penicillamine (NAP), (95 ± 13%) after 1 h of RSNO exposure. GSNO, its parent, glutathione (GSH), and 1000 ppm NO gas did not attenuate the thrombin-mediated fibrin formation. SNAP, NAP and SNP exposure for 1 h, however, did not decrease thrombin activity by directly inhibiting thrombin itself. Changes in fibrinogen conformation as measured by intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence significantly decreased in the 300 μM SNAP (38 057 ± 1196 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)) and SNP (368 617 ± 541 MFI) groups versus the NAP control (47 937 ± 1196 MFI). However, infused 1000 ppm NO gas had no direct effect on the ITF after 1 h of incubation at 37 °C. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that fibrinogen degradation by 0.03 U ml−1 thrombin was concentration-dependently reduced after 1 h with SNAP but not with NAP or SNP. Western blotting analysis was done on the RSNOs, SNAP and NAP, and the non-RSNO, SNP, incubated fibrinogen solutions and the results showed that the percent level of the Aγ dimer with respect to total Aγ dimer + γ monomer was significantly reduced in the case of the SNAP group when compared to the SNP group. These results suggest that NO donors such as SNAP and SNP induce fibrinogen conformational changes by potentially nitrosating fibrinogen tyrosine residues. These NO-mediated fibrinogen changes induced via NO donors may provide another mechanism of NO for improving thromboresistance in ECCs.
Characteristics of opioid prescriptions for discharged pediatric emergency department patients with acute injuries.

This study describes the characteristics of opioid prescriptions for pediatric patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) with acute injuries, including type, formulation, quantity dispensed, and associations with patient age group and prescriber level of training. This retrospective cohort study enrolled all acutely injured patients receiving opioid prescriptions at discharge from an urban academic pediatric ED in a 1-year period. Electronic medical records were reviewed to abstract clinical and prescription data and prescriber level of training. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. We identified 254 patients with injuries who received opioid prescriptions at ED discharge during the study period (mean age 9.5 years, 65% male). The most common injury was fracture (71%). Oxycodone was the opioid most frequently prescribed (96.1%). Liquid formulations were prescribed in 51.6% of cases. The median number of doses prescribed per prescription was 12 (SD±9.1), with a range of 1–50. Residents wrote 72.9% of prescriptions and prescribed more doses than non-residents (15.5 vs 12.2, p=0.01). Post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) residents prescribed more doses than PGY1 or PGY3+ residents. Our data show wide variation in the number of opioid doses prescribed to acutely injured pediatric patients at ED discharge and frequent use of liquid formulation; both factors may place this population at risk for accidental ingestion. These findings also support the development of pediatric clinical guidelines to define appropriate quantities of opioids to prescribe, promote poisoning prevention strategies, and design post-graduate education for medical trainees about safe prescribing practices.
Aggressive Abdominal Lymphoma

A 76-year-old man presented with lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. The cause was a diffuse non-Burkitt’s lymphoma of the terminal ileum which had perforated. While a resection was performed, disease remained around the right ureter and invaded the small bowel and mesentery. He had lost 20 lbs. Two months after the completion of six courses of cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunomycin (doxorubicin), Oncovin (vincristine) (CHOP), a very large (12×12×6 cm) right lower quadrant subcutaneous mass was biopsied and diffuse non-Burkitt’s lymphoma was diagnosed. The mass grew during treatment with etoposide (VP-16) and prednisone.
Racial Sorting in Executive Recruitment in Higher Education

We investigate how two organizational diversity measures - the percentage of people of color in management and the race of the job leaver - shape the racial composition of administrators interested...
Supercooling in dormant flower buds of Forsythia, and the correlation between pistil size and bud hardiness.

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine if dormant buds of Forsythia taxa exhibit the deep supercooling characteristic. Specimens were collected from thirteen Forsythia taxa including: F. ...
Tracking Displaced People in Mali

Tracking people on the move is difficult and costly. However, there are times when it is important to know what happens to a group of people who moved. Such groups can include school leavers, resettled populations, released prisoners, or even participants in demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) programs. In the latter case, we may want to know how people fare after program participation. The security crisis in northern Mali created a need to track people on the move to answer urgent questions about their living conditions. Using mobile phone interviews, the Listening to Displaced People Survey collected information over an extended period, even when respondents moved between locations. Its approach can be applied to many other situations.
Long-term healing after complex anal fistula repair in patients with Crohn's disease.

Complex anal fistula in Crohn’s disease (CD) poses a challenging problem. We sought to evaluate long-term surgical healing of complex anal fistula in CD through the two robust repair options—ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) and advancement flap (AF). A single-center retrospective study was conducted evaluating long-term healing rates in patients with CD with complex anal fistula undergoing LIFT or AF in 2008–2018. Fistula healing was defined as closure of external wounds, cessation of drainage and absence of pain. Short-term and long-term healing rates were compared. Cox proportional hazards model was performed to identify independent predictors of fistula healing. The study cohort included 60 CD patients undergoing LIFT (n = 38) or AF (n = 22). The AF group included 8 dermal flaps. Patients having LIFT were younger (35 years vs 43 years; p = 0.007), more likely to have a seton at the time of repair (92% vs 68%; p = 0.03) and less likely to have had prior repair attempts (34% vs 68%; p = 0.02). Short-term fistula healing occurred in 65% (n = 39) of the overall study cohort. However, at final follow-up, median 36 months (range 6–192 months), only 46% (n = 28) of repaired fistulas were healed. Considering the overall status of the cohort’s perianal health at final follow-up, including both repaired, secondary or novel anal fistulas, only 50% (n = 30) of all patients in the cohort had all fistula sites healed and maintained bowel continuity at final follow-up. On Cox proportional hazards analysis, LIFT independently predicted long-term fistula healing (hazard ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval 1.1–4.9; p = 0.03). Only a small number of patients (n = 5; 8%) required fecal diversion (n = 3) and/or proctectomy (n = 2). Repair of complex anal fistula in CD results in modest healing rates. LIFT independently predicts long-term healing. However, these results must be taken in context, considering differences in patient and fistula characteristics between groups. These results ought to be kept in mind when counseling CD patients with complex anal fistula.
Predictive Platforms of Bond Cleavage and Drug Release Kinetics for Macromolecule–Drug Conjugates

Macromolecule-drug conjugates (MDCs) occupy a critical niche in modern pharmaceuticals that deals with the assembly and combination of a macromolecular carrier, a drug cargo, and a linker toward the creation of effective therapeutics. Macromolecular carriers such as synthetic biocompatible polymers and proteins are often exploited for their inherent ability to improve drug circulation, prevent off-target drug cytotoxicity, and widen the therapeutic index of drugs. One of the most significant challenges in MDC design involves tuning their drug release kinetics to achieve high spatiotemporal precision. This level of control requires a thorough qualitative and quantitative understanding of the bond cleavage event. In this review, we highlight specific research findings that emphasize the importance of establishing a precise structure-function relationship for MDCs that can be used to predict their bond cleavage and drug release kinetic parameters.
Urban Park Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Urban parks and green spaces provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including social interaction and stress reduction. When COVID-19 closed schools and businesses and restricted social gatheri...
The Inflationary Wavefunction from Analyticity and Factorization

We study the analytic properties of tree-level wavefunction coefficients in quasi-de Sitter space. We focus on theories which spontaneously break dS boost symmetries and can produce significant non-Gaussianities. The corresponding inflationary correlators are (approximately) scale invariant, but are not invariant under the full conformal group. We derive cutting rules and dispersion formulas for the late-time wavefunction coefficients by using factorization and analyticity properties of the dS bulk-to-bulk propagator. This gives a unitarity method which is valid at tree-level for general $n$-point functions and for fields of arbitrary mass. Using the cutting rules and dispersion formulas, we are able to compute $n$-point functions by gluing together lower-point functions. As an application, we study general four-point, scalar exchange diagrams in the EFT of inflation. We show that exchange diagrams constructed from boost-breaking interactions can be written as a finite sum over residues. Finally, we explain how the dS identities used in this work are related by analytic continuation to analogous identities in Anti-de Sitter space.
Amor Dei pro omnibus

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "The word love comes from the Old English lufu, which is similar to the Old High German luba meaning to love which comes from the Old English lēof meaning dear, and the Latin lubēre meaning to please. So to love someone is to be pleased by and have the desire to please someone held dear to you. But what is love in the Christian sense of the word? Aside from speaking to God directly, the Bible is a good place to start, specifically the New Testament." This diversity vision is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol10/iss1/22
EVIDENCE Crime Against Minor Child: Compel Testimony of Spouse

The Act amends the provisions of the Code which prohibited the compulsion of testimony from one spouse against another in criminal proceedings. It provides that spouses may be compelled to testify against each other in proceedings in which the husband or wife is charged with a crime against a minor child. A spouse can be compelled to give evidence only as to the specific act for which the defendant is charged. April 16, 1987
Photosymbiotic associations in planktonic foraminifera and radiolaria

Foraminifera, radiolaria and acantharia are relatively large (>1 mm in most cases) unicellular eukaryotes that occur in pelagic oceanic communities. Commonly referred to as planktonic sarcodines, these organisms often harbor algal symbionts. The symbionts have been described as dinoflagellates, chrysophytes and prasinophytes based upon their morphology either in the host or as free-living organisms in culture. To investigate the molecular taxonomic affiliations of the algae, and to determine the sequence variability between symbionts from individual hosts, we examined the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences from symbionts isolated from planktonic foraminifera and radiolaria. The symbionts that we analyzed included dinoflagellates, prasinophytes and prymnesiophytes. We have, through our studies of planktonic sarcodine symbioses, and through comparison with other symbiotic associations (corals and lichens), observed that taxonomically distinct lineages of symbiotic algae are not uncommon. How do such different algae share the function of symbiosis, while other, more related algae, do not? We propose that there are commonalties that exist between symbiotic algae that confer symbiotic `competence', and the way to begin the search for these is to utilize the different algal symbiont lineages.
Data Management and Analysis Architecture for a More Efficient and Productive Bioinformatics Environment

Bioinformaticians should not concern themselves with problems related to computing technologies, and only focus on analysis of biological data. In reality, however, they need to know quite a bit about computer hardware, networking, robotics, image processing, and many others that affect the collection, storage, analysis, and distribution of biological information. Computing technologies enable bioinformtics effectively only if proper management of data and computational resources accompanies their deployments. Bioinformatics organizations - pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, research institutions and the like - need an IT infrastructure that can handle vast, heterogeneous data produced internally or acquired from third parties, and manage diverse computational resources. The goal is to provide scientists with the data and computational resources they need in the right forms on-demand, relieving them from attending to IT issues. This paper describes an architecture that leverages current technologies for bioinformatics data management and analysis to minimize scientists' involvements in the IT minutia, in order to achieve a more efficient and productive bioinformatics environment.
Christian Moderns: Freedom and Fetish in the Mission Encounter

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Webb Keane Year: 2007 Pages: 336 Publisher: University of California Press ISBN: 978-0-520-24652-2 (soft cover). Prices: $21.95 USD(soft cover).
Sitting in Congress and Standing in Court: How Presidential Signing Statements Open the Door to Legislator Lawsuits

Federal courts have struggled to establish a consistent doctrine regarding when legislators have standing to sue in their official capacity. Presidential signing statements add a new element to this often unclear area of law. This Note argues that signing statements do not reach the level of vote nullification, the only injury that the Supreme Court has held sufficient for legislator standing. Despite this, signing statements can potentially injure legislators in a concrete and particularized manner sufficient for standing. When the President asserts the right to deny legislators information to which they are statutorily entitled, and follows through with that assertion, legislators who desire to challenge that action in federal court should be granted standing.
Constructive Engagement of Analytic and Continental Approaches in Philosophy: From the Vantage Point of Comparative Philosophy

CONTENTS Acknowledgements ... vii Notes on Transcription ... ix Contributors ... xiii General Introduction ... 1 Part One ANALYTIC AND CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE WESTERN TRADITION Introduction ... 7 Richard Tieszen Chapter One Husserl's Transcendental Phenomenology Considered in the Light of (Recent) Epistemology ... 11 Christian Beyer Chapter Two Meaning as Significance in Analytic and Continental Philosophy ... 33 A.P. Martinich Chapter Three Narrative Conceptions of the Self ... 55 Todd May Chapter Four Against Linguistic Exclusivism ... 71 Soren Overgaard Chapter Five Consciousness Experienced and Witnessed ... 91 David Woodruff Smith Chapter Six Analytic and Continental Philosophy, Science, and Global Philosophy ... 103 Richard Tieszen Chapter Seven Of Boundaries and What Falls Between the Cracks: Philosophy, Its History and Chinese 'Philosophy' ... 125 Mary Tiles Part Two CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF ANALYTIC AND CONTINENTAL APPROACHES BEYOND THE WESTERN TRADITION Introduction ... 147 Bo Mou Chapter Eight Philosophy Sans Frontieres: Analytic and Continental Philosophy-A View from the East ... 163 Graham Priest Chapter Nine Comparative Aspects of Africana Philosophy and the Continental-Analytic Divide ... 183 Tommy L. Lott Chapter Ten Meaning and Reality: A Cross-Traditional Encounter ... 199 Lajos L. Brons Chapter Eleven The Buddhist Challenge to the Noumenal: Analyzing Epistemological Deconstruction ... 221 Sandra A. Wawrytko Chapter Twelve A Daoist Perspective on Analytical and Phenomenological Methodologies in the Analysis of Intuition ... 243 Marshall D. Willman Chapter Thirteen Daoism as Critical Theory ... 261 Mario Wenning Chapter Fourteen On Daoist Approach to the Issue of Being in Engaging Quinean and Heideggerian Approaches ... 289 Bo Mou Index ... 321
Cholesterol, Δ5-Cholesten-3-One, and Δ4-Cholesten-3-One †††

Cholesterol,* Δ5-cholesten-3-one,* and Δ4-cholesten-3-one intermediate: Cholesterol dibromide product: cholesterol product: 5α,6β-Dibromocholestan-3-one product: Δ5-Cholesten-3-one product: Δ4-Cholesten-3-one Keywords: addition, to CC; addition, to CC; elimination, dehalogenation; oxidation, CHOH CO; oxidation, CHOH CO; Beilstein test, use of; cholestererol dibromide, skin irritant; capillary tube, evacuated
Chemotaxis of Rat Lymphocytes

Rat lymphocytes obtained from spleens, lymph nodes, and thymus glands showed migratory responses to a variety of factors including fluids from mixed lymphocyte culture fluids from concanavalin A-stimulated cells, fluids from phagocytizing macrophages, and to anti-rat IgG. Migratory responses to the last factor were bimodal over a dose range of anti-Ig; at high concentrations of anti-Ig, the response appeared to be nonspecific, whereas, at low concentrations, the responses seemed to be chemotactic in character. When lymphocytes from spleens, lymph nodes, and thymic glands were compared, qualitative and quantitative differences on the responses were evident with use of the three attractants. When spleen lymphocytes were separated into T cell- and B cell-enriched fractions, T cells responded to the culture fluids from mixed lymphocyte cultures, whereas B cells seemed to respond poorly, if at all. Only B cells responded to anti-Ig. These findings may explain, at least in part, the accumulation of lymphoid cells at sites of inflammatory stimuli.
A Framework for Loop Distribution on Limited On-Chip Memory Processors

This work proposes a framework for analyzing the flow of values and their re-use in loop nests to minimize data traffic under the constraints of limited on-chip memory capacity and dependences. Our analysis first undertakes fusion of possible loop nests intra-procedurally and then performs loop distribution. The analysis discovers the closeness factor of two statements which is a quantitative measure of data traffic saved per unit memory occupied if the statements were under the same loop nest over the case where they are under different loop nests. We then develop a greedy algorithm which traverses the program dependence graph (PDG) to group statements together under the same loop nest legally. The main idea of this greedy algorithm is to transitively generate a group of statements that can legally execute under a given loop nest that can lead to a minimum data traffic. We implemented our framework in Petit, a tool for dependence analysis and loop transformations. We show that the benefit due to our approach results in eliminating as much as 30 % traffic in some cases improving overall completion time by a 23.33 % for processors such as TI's TMS320C5x.
Faulty chip identification in a multi chip module system

A built-in self test scheme for multi chip module (MCM) systems based on data compression is presented which not only detects faults but also identifies the faulty chip. It is assumed that a faulty chip may generate many erroneous outputs. In this approach outputs from all the chips in the MCM are compressed into two bits using two linear space compressors and compared with two reference signals generated for a fault free system in a comparator. If they differ fault is detected and the faulty chip is identified using N consecutive outputs from the comparators, where N=log/sub 2/(M+1) and M denotes the number of chips in the MCM. The approach can be implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) which can be part of an MCM. Multiple chip failures can be identified as long as the faults do not overlap during the N consecutive test patterns.
Impossibility and universality results for wait-free synchronization

A wait-free implementation of a concurrent data object is one that guarantees that any process can complete any operation in a finite number of steps, regardless of the execution speeds of the other processes. The problem of constructing a wait-free implementation of one data object from another lies at the heart of much recent work in atomic read/write registers, multiprocessor architectures, and concurrent data structures. In the first part of this paper, we introduce a simple and general technique, based on reduction to a consensus protocol, for proving statements of the form "there is no wait-free implementation of X by Y." We derive a hierarchy of objects such that no object at one level has a wait-free implementation in terms of objects at lower levels. In particular, we show that atomic read/write registers, which have been the focus of much recent attention, are at the bottom of the hierarchy: they cannot be used to construct wait-free implementations of many simple and familiar data types. Moreover, classical synchronization primitives such as test-and-set and fetch-and-add, while more powerful than read and write, are also computationally weak, as are the standard message-passing primitives. Nevertheless, in the second part of the paper, we show that there do exist simple universal objects from which one can construct a wait-free implementation of any sequential object. Copyright © 1988 Maurice P. Herlihy This paper will be published in the Proceedings of the Seventh ACM SIGACT-SIGOPS Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, August 1988. This research was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DOD), ARPA Order No. 4976 under contract F33615-87-C-1499 and monitored by the: Avionics Laboratory Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories Aeronautical Systems Division (AFSC) Wright-Patterson AFB, OHIO 45433-6543 The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the US Government.
Tools for the identification of bioactives impacting the metabolic syndrome: Screening of a botanical extract library using subcutaneous and visceral human adipose-derived stem cell-based assays

Plant extracts continue to represent an untapped source of renewable therapeutic compounds for the treatment and prevention of illnesses including chronic metabolic disorders. With the increase in worldwide obesity and its related morbidities, the need for identifying safe and effective treatments is also rising. As such, use of primary human adipose-derived stem cells represents a physiologically relevant cell system to screen for bioactive agents in the prevention and treatment of obesity and its related complications. By using these cells in a primary screen, the risk and cost of identifying artifacts due to interspecies variation and immortalized cell lines is eliminated. We demonstrate that these cells can be formatted into 384-well high throughput screens to rapidly identify botanical extracts that affect lipogenesis and lipolysis. Additionally, counterscreening with human primary stem cells from distinct adipose depots can be routinely performed to identify tissue specific responses. In our study, over 500 botanical extracts were screened and 16 (2.7%) were found to affect lipogenesis and 4 (0.7%) affected lipolysis.
Androgens affect the processing of secretory protein precursors in the guinea pig seminal vesicle. II. Identification of conserved sites for protein processing.

The guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium is an androgen-dependent tissue that synthesizes and secretes four major secretory proteins (SVP-1, SVP- 2, SVP-3, and SVP-4). Sequencing of near full-length cDNA clones corresponding to the two most abundant mRNAs produced by the seminal vesicle reveals that all four secretory proteins are cleaved from two secretory protein precursors. Amino acid sequences from purified SVP-2 match the central region of the predicted amino acid sequences from the smaller cDNA clone, GP2 (581 nucieotides). Similar analysis demonstrates that the predicted amino acid sequence from the longer cDNA clone, GP1 (1368 nucieotides), codes for the related proteins SVP-3 and SVP-4 as well as SVP-1. The 43.2 kilodalton polyprotein precursor coded by GP1 contains two different sets of 24 amino acid tandemly repeated sequences. The two secretory protein precursors have extensive regions of peptide sequence homology, particularly in regions where protein processing must occur to produce the mat...
Direct W-like geniculate projections to the cytochrome oxidase (CO) blobs in primate visual cortex: axon morphology.

The primate lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is composed of large, medium, and small cells located, respectively, in magnocellular (M), parvocellular (P), and specialized layers (intercalated and S-layers in simians, koniocellular (K) layers in prosimians). Several studies have examined the physiology and connections of M and P LGN cells and have concluded that they provide separate contributions to visual perception via separate pathways. Less is known about the structure and contributions of the small LGN cells. This study examined the distribution and structure of K LGN cell axons in the cortex of the prosimian, Galago crassicaudatus. Wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, or Phaseonlus vulgaris leucoagglutinin, was injected into the LGN K layers to demonstrate the overall axon projection pattern and the details of individual axons, respectively. Location of axons within striate cortex was specified relative to boundaries determined by Nissl or cytochrome oxidase (CO) stains on the same or adjacent sections. Our results show that K LGN axons end as single complex arbors within one CO blob zone in layer III; they never terminate in interblob zones. These axons also emit a collateral in layer I that arborizes more broadly and spans both CO blob and interblob zones. These data, together with data on K cell physiology and intralaminar cortical connections, suggest that the LGN small cell pathway could modulate the activity of the other two pathways in striate cortex and contribute directly to visual perception. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Continuous Measurement of Changes in Intracellular Calcium Concentration in Mouse Splenic T Cells Attached to a Glass Substrate.

Mitogen- and isoproterenol-induced changes of [Ca2+]i in T cells attached to a glass substrate were examined. Murine (C57BL/6) splenic T cells were attached to coverslips or 35-mm dishes (MatTek) precoated with Cell Tak® (3.5 µg/cm2). The cells were then loaded with fluorescent dye (2 µg/ml of fura2-AM or fluo3-AM) and changes in [Ca2+]i in a population of cells (using a spectrofluorometer) or in single cells (using a confocal microscope) were measured during continuous superfusion. Population measurements of [Ca2+]i demonstrated that concanavalin A (Con A, 2 or 5 µg/ml) caused an increase in [Ca2+]i that rose to a peak and then declined to a steady state. The concentration-response relationship (0.05–5 µg/ml) had an EC50 of ∼0.3 µg/ml. Isoproterenol decreased the Con A-induced elevation of steady state [Ca2+]i. In single cell studies, the increase in [Ca2+]i in response to Con A typically occurred in about 50% of the cells in a microscope field, and the delay before activation varied among cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Cell Tak® can be used to attach T cells to glass coverslips and will be useful for the study of signaling mechanisms in T cells.
The Utility of the “NAFLD Fibrosis Score” in Morbidly Obese Subjects with NAFLD

Background To date, the noninvasive diagnostic tests for hepatic fibrosis in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have proven to be suboptimal. We evaluated the validity of a recently proposed “NAFLD fibrosis score” to identify liver fibrosis in morbidly obese individuals with elevated and normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels.
Pancreatic fluid collections: Physiology, natural history, and indications for drainage

Pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) are a common manifestation of pancreatitis and can be seen in up to 50% of cases. Advances in cross-sectional imaging techniques have led to a greater understanding of the natural history of PFCs. This, combined with a lack of uniformity in the nomenclature of PFCs, has led to the revised Atlanta Criteria for pancreatic fluid collections, which designates 4 main types: acute peri-PFC (APFC), postnecrotic PFC (PNPFC), pancreatic pseudocyst, and walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN). Each of these fluid collections can be either sterile or infected. When present for >4 weeks from onset of acute pancreatitis, APFCs and PNPFCs become pseudocysts and WOPN, respectively. Rarely, cystic neoplasms can be mistaken for fluid collections, and distinguishing between the two is essential. APFC is common, the majority is self-limited, and therefore, treatment is not recommended unless infected. Pseudocysts have a mature wall and no intracystic necrosis, and can cause symptoms via compressive effects. Multiple factors of pseudocysts such as size, duration, and pancreatic ductal anatomy have been evaluated in attempts to predict their natural history. The presence of symptoms or infection should be the main indication for drainage, whereas size and duration are no longer strong indications for intervention. PNPFCs are seen in the setting of acute pancreatitis with necrosis; they have an unclear natural history, and when present for >4 weeks, they become WOPN. WOPN have mature walls and a variable amount of intracystic necrosis and debris. Distinguishing WOPN from pseudocysts is important and has therapeutic implications. PFCs can be diagnosed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography in most cases, although magnetic resonance imaging provides superior distinction of pancreatic ductal anatomy, necrosis, and intracystic debris and solid material. Endoscopic ultrasonography offers highly accurate views of fluid collections and is especially useful when endoscopic drainage is planned. Stronger adherence to uniform nomenclature, and more natural history studies for each type of PFC, will help us better understand and manage PFCs.
On the westergaard method of crack analysis

The Westergaard method of crack analysis, published almost thirty years ago, is shown to be invalid for a class of crack problems dealing with the infinite medium with cracks, under applied loads at infinity. The necessary modifications of the Westergaard method are derived from the complex potential formulation of Muskhelishvili. The examples of a single line crack in an infinite plate owing to biaxial tension and pure shear are discussed.
Surrogate and physician understanding of patients' preferences for living permanently in a nursing home.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients' willingness to live permanently in a nursing home and surrogate and physician understanding of that preference. DESIGN: Evaluation of cross-sectional interview data from a cohort study. SETTING: Five academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: Seriously ill hospitalized adults enrolled in the Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatments (SUPPORT). MEASUREMENTS: Patients' willingness to live permanently in a nursing home was measured on a 5-point scale ranging from “very willing” to “rather die.” Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify patient demographic and clinical characteristics associated with this preference. Surrogate and physician perceptions of patient preferences were compared with patients' responses, and factors associated independently with surrogate and physician understanding of patient preference were identified. RESULTS: Of 9105 patients, 3262 (36%) provided responses to the study question: 7% were “very willing” to live permanently in a nursing home, 19% “somewhat willing,” 11% “somewhat unwilling,” 26% “very unwilling,” and 30% would “rather die.” Older age was associated independently with less willingness to live permanently in a nursing home (odds ratio [OR]= .90 per decade; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85, 0.96). Patients with more education (OR = 1.03 per year; 95% CI:1.00,1.05) and more disabilities (OR = 1.05 per disability; 95% CI:1.01,1.09), and black patients (OR = 1.46 compared with white patients; 95% 0:1.20,1.76) were more willing to live in a nursing home. Surrogates understood 61% of patients' nursing home preferences but identified only 35% of patients who were willing to live permanently in a nursing home. Physicians identified 18% of patients willing to live permanently in a nursing home. CONCLUSION: Patient attitudes about living permanently in a nursing home can be elicited, cannot be reliably predicted from demographic and clinical variables, and are frequently misunderstood by surrogates and physicians. Elicitation of patient preferences regarding permanent nursing home placement should be explored before patients become unable to participate in decision making in order to enhance the concordance of patient preference with the way they spend the end of their lives.
The production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells by amphiphiles

Lysophosphatidylcholine, an endogenous detergent is an endothelium-dependent smooth muscle relaxant, which acts through the release of nitric oxide. It is known to activate a number of membrane-bound enzymes. Because of the relationship between detergent action, relaxation of endothelium-intact rabbit aortic strips and the release of nitric oxide, we considered the possibility that other amphiphiles also produce nitric oxide from endothelial cells. We therefore investigated the effect of digitonin on relaxation of precontracted rabbit aortic strips and the release of nitric oxide from freshly harvested bovine endothelial cells as determined by chemiluminescence. We found that both digitonin and LPC release nitric oxide and that this process is inhibited by the NO synthase inhibitor Nω-Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NNAME).
Biosynthesis of procollagen in rabbit sponge capsular tissue

Abstract An in vitro incubation system for the biosynthesis of rabbit ivalon sponge capsule collagen is described utilizing [ 14 C]proline as the labeling compound. Incorporation of isotope was obtained into a non-dialyzable proline-rich protein that was extractable with neutral salt and weak acid. This protein was lysed to the extent of 46–48 % by collagenase and behaved like the α 1 collagen peptide on a carboxymethyl-cellulose column.
Socioeconomic determinants of white and black males' life expectancy differentials, 1980.

Epidemiological transition theory suggests that two populations existing under disparate socioeconomic conditions would have different life expectancies as the result of cause-of-death differences. The effect of racial socioeconomic differentials on the total racial life expectancy differential are examined as they act through specific cause-of-death differentials. Results suggest that residential isolation of blacks has a strong effect on the total life expectancy differential as it acts through the racial homicide differential. The racial unemployment difference also has a strong effect on the total differential as it acts through the racial heart disease differential. Implications of the findings for reducing life expectancy differentials are discussed.