cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racial and age-related differences in the activity of α-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminidase in man

Abstract Serum α- N -acetyl- d -glucosaminidase, essential for the degradation of heparan sulfate, was measured in the serum of 200 healthy individuals (male and female, whites and blacks) of various ages: 20 to 29 (group I); 30 to 39 (group II); 40 to 49 (group III), and 50 to 59 (group IV) years old. Blacks had two- to threefold higher enzyme activity than the whites of the corresponding age groups. These differences were statistically significant for all age groups in males, but only for groups i, II, and III in females. These observations suggest that other disease-relevant lysosomal enzymes be measured in various genetic groups individually in order to establish possible race-related “normal” values to be used for diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, we observed that in the overall population (white and black males and females combined), the enzyme activity decreased significantly with age (from 4.8 units/dl in group I to 3.3 units/dl in group IV). Since it has been postulated that the accumulation of GAG occurring in the vascular wall is involved in the pathogenesis of the early stages of human and experimental atherosclerosis, it is of interest to note that in the individuals 50 to 59 years old of various population groups, the levels of enzyme activity which we have observed are inversely related to the incidence of microscopically evident atherosclerotic lesions (fatty plaques and complicated lesions), as studied by McGill et al. (9).
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills

(1980). Teaching Problem-Solving Skills. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 87, No. 10, pp. 794-805.
Research in a defense economy

Increased recognition is being given by the government and industry to the significance of organized research and its importance to our defense economy. However, there is still much waste of research manpower which is an important national resource, the preservation of which is vital to our national existence.
Protein Kinase C: Structure, Function, and Regulation

The protein kinase C family of enzymes transduces the myriad of signals promoting lipid hydrolysis. The prevalence of this enzyme family in signaling is exemplified by the diverse transduction mechanisms that result in the generation of protein kinase C's activator, diacylglycerol. Signals that stimulate members of the large families of G protein-coupled receptors, tyrosine kinase receptors, or non-receptor tyrosine kinases can cause diacylglycerol production, either rapidly by activation of specific phospholipase Cs or more slowly by activation of phospholipase D to yield phosphatidic acid and then diacylglycerol(1, 2, 3) . In addition, fatty acid generation by phospholipase A2 activation modulates protein kinase C activity(3) . Thus, multiple receptor pathways feeding into multiple lipid pathways have the common end result of activating protein kinase C by production of its second messenger.
Functional regulation of alternatively spliced Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1) isoforms.

Abstract Alternative splicing of RNA transcripts is a general characteristic for NCX genes in mammals, mollusks, and arthropods. Among the family of three NCX genes in mammals, the NCX1 gene contains six exons, namely, A, B, C, D, E, and F, that make up the alternatively spliced region. Studies of the NCX1 gene transcripts suggested that 16 distinct gene products can be produced from the NCX1 gene. The exons A and B are mutually exclusive when expressed. Generally, exon A-containing transcripts are predominantly found in excitable cells like cardiomyoctes and neurons, whereas exon B-containing transcripts are mostly found in nonexcitable cells like astrocytes and kidney cells. Other alternatively spliced exons (C-F) appear to be cassette-type exons and are found in various combinations. Interestingly, exon D is present in all characterized transcripts. The alternatively spliced isoforms of NCX1 show tissue-specific expression patterns, suggesting functional adaptation to tissues. To investigate functional differences among alternatively spliced isoforms of NCX1, we expressed an exon A-containing transcript present in cardiac tissue (NCX1.1) and an exon B-containing transcript found in the kidney (NCX1.3) in Xenopus oocytes. We demonstrated that the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers expressed by exon A- and exon B-containing transcripts display differences in activation by PKA and by [Ca(2+)](i). We also observed that these two isoforms show differences in voltage dependence. Surprisingly, the alternatively spliced isoforms of NCX1 display greater functional differences among themselves than the products of different gene loci, NCX1, NCX2, and NCX3.
Is there visceral adipose tissue (VAT) intracellular hypercortisolism in human obesity

The fact that obesity is a prominent feature of Cushing’s syndrome (systemic hypercortisolism of adrenocortical origin) stimulated a 40-year search for evidence of systemic hypercortisolism in human obesity. That search has failed to find such evidence. For the past 15 years, however, studies have been done to evaluate a possible alternative type of hypercortisolism in obesity, namely visceral adipose tissue (VAT) intracellular hypercortisolism. The current review summarizes the evidence published so far about this possibility. There have been three types of evidence studied: direct measurement of the VAT levels of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I (11-HSD-1), which converts biologically inactive cortisone to biologically active cortisol; direct measurement of splanchnic cortisol production; and evaluation of the effect of a specific inhibitor of 11-HSD-1 on metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity, particularly diabetes mellitus. The results are complex and difficult to interpret. Our conclusion is that the presence of VAT intracellular hypercortisolism in human obesity is possible but unlikely.
REJOINDER TO AUSTIN, HUMPHREYS, AND HULIN: CRITICAL REANALYSIS OF BARRETT, CALDWELL, AND ALEXANDER

Austin, Humphreys, and Hulin (1989), in their critique of Barrett, Caldwell, and Alexander (1985), disagree with most of the critical comments made about the concept of dynamic criteria. We contend that the burden of proof still rests upon the advocate of a concept. Adequate evidence has not been presented to support the dynamic criteria concept, and Austin et al. (1989) add no new evidence. Austin et al. (1989) claim dynamic criteria can be described as a simplex with correlations decreasing over time. The empirical support for the simplex is based on a few studies with no statistical tests. Evidence from educational, organizational, and experimental psychology is reviewed, and much of it refutes the concept of a pervasive simplex pattern. There is considerable evidence that validity coefficients are stable or may even increase over time. More evidence is required before the Ghiselli and Haire (1960) and Austin et al. (1989) concept of dynamic criteria can be accepted.
Effect of Geometric and Dynamic Parameters on Fluid Flow and Particle Dispersion in Human Lung Acini

Breathing, defined as the exchange of gases between the respiratory system and the environment, is an essential process for life. The human respiratory system can be divided into three parts: (i) nose, mouth, and nasopharynx, (ii) trachea, and (iii) lungs. The human lung can be further subdivided into conducting airways which are non-alveolated and comprise the upper part of lung, and the acini which consist of flexible, alveolated airways and are responsible for gas exchange [1]. The alveoli collectively provide a large surface area (∼70 m2) for efficient gas exchange [1]; oxygen diffuses into the blood through the alveolar epithelium, whereas carbon dioxide diffuses in the opposite direction from the blood to the lung.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Boisjoly on Ethics An Interview with Roger M. Boisjoly

Roger M. Boisjoly was honored as the James T. Pursell, Sr. Distinguished Fellow in Management Ethics at Auburn University in January 2001, the fifteenth anniversary of the Challenger disaster. The interview with him and interviewer commentary include an explanation of the causes of the Challenger disaster, the ethics affecting the situation before and after the disaster, the role of heuristics in making the decision to launch Challenger, career advice for professionals on being ethical, and developing ethical organizational cultures.
Angiotensin II stimulates p21-activated kinase in vascular smooth muscle cells role in activation of JNK

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been previously shown to stimulate the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family members. Little is known regarding the upstream signaling molecules involved in Ang II-mediated JNK activation. Ang II has been shown to activate the Janus kinase/signal transducer(s) and activator(s) of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway, suggesting similarities to cytokine signaling. In response to cytokines such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, the p21-activated kinase (PAK) has been identified as an upstream component in JNK activation. Therefore, we hypothesized that PAK may be involved in JNK activation by Ang II in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). AlphaPAK activity was measured by myelin basic protein phosphorylation in rat aortic VSMCs. In response to Ang II, alphaPAK was rapidly stimulated within 1 minute, with a peak (5-fold increase) at 30 minutes. AlphaPAK stimulation preceded activation of JNK in VSMCs. Ang II-mediated activation of both alphaPAK and JNK was Ca2+ dependent and inhibited by downregulation of phorbol ester-sensitive protein kinase C isoforms (by pretreatment with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate) but not by pretreatment with GF109203X. Activation of both PAK and JNK was partially inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitors but not by specific Src inhibitors, suggesting regulation by a tyrosine kinase other than c-Src. Finally, introduction of dominant negative PAK markedly reduced the JNK activation by Ang II in both Chinese hamster ovary and COS cells stably expressing the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R). Our data provide evidence for alphaPAK as an upstream mediator of JNK in Ang II signaling and extend the role of Ang II as a proinflammatory mediator for VSMCs.
Comparisons of WRF/Chem simulations in Mexico City with ground-based RAMA measurements during the 2006-MILAGRO

Abstract. Simulations using the fully coupled WRF/Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting – Chemistry) model at 3-km resolution in Mexico City have been performed to examine the temperature, relative humidity, wind, and gaseous criteria pollutants (CO, O3, NO, NO2, and NOy) during the MCMA-2006/MILAGRO field campaign. Comparison of the model simulations with measurements from the ground-based air quality monitoring network (RAMA) is presented. The model resolves reasonably well the observed surface temperature, relative humidity and wind speed; however, large discrepancies are identified between the simulated and the observed surface wind direction for wind speeds below 2 m s−1. The simulated chemical species concentrations (CO, O3, NO, NO2, and NOy) compare favorably with the observations. Simulated O3 concentrations agree especially well with the observations. The simulated 10 VOC species compare generally favorably with the observations at the T0 supersite although lower correlation coefficients and larger biases exist for propene, acetone and propanal, isoprene, and c10-aromatics when compared to the other VOC species. The model performs much better during daytime than nighttime for both chemical species and meteorological variables, although the model tends to underestimate daytime temperature and relative humidity. Simulations using combinations of the available PBL schemes and land surface models (LSMs) do not show a preferred combination in reproducing the observations. The simulated meteorological fields under the O3-South, O3-North and EI Norte weather episodes exhibit similar correlation coefficients and biases for the same variable. However, the model performs well for the O3-South episode but inferiorly for the El Norte events in resolving the observed chemical species.
A multi-model approach to the detection of web-based attacks

Web-based vulnerabilities represent a substantial portion of the security exposures of computer networks. In order to detect known web-based attacks, misuse detection systems are equipped with a large number of signatures. Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep up with the daily disclosure of web-related vulnerabilities, and, in addition, vulnerabilities may be introduced by installation-specific web-based applications. Therefore, misuse detection systems should be complemented with anomaly detection systems. This paper presents an intrusion detection system that uses a number of different anomaly detection techniques to detect attacks against web servers and web-based applications. The system analyzes client queries that reference server-side programs and creates models for a wide-range of different features of these queries. Examples of such features are access patterns of server-side programs or values of individual parameters in their invocation. In particular, the use of application-specific characterization of the invocation parameters allows the system to perform focused analysis and produce a reduced number of false positives. The system derives automatically the parameter profiles associated with web applications (e.g., length and structure of parameters) and relationships between queries (e.g., access times and sequences) from the analyzed data. Therefore, it can be deployed in very different application environments without having to perform time-consuming tuning and configuration.
Cytologic and histopathologic evaluation of extruded canine degenerate disks.

Objective— To describe the cytologic and histopathologic appearance of degenerate disk material in dogs with Hansen type I intervertebral disk disease (IVDD). Study Design— Case series. Animals— Dogs (n=45) that had surgical intervention for Hansen type I IVDD (January–November 2007). Methods— Impression smears and histopathologic sections were prepared from surgically removed degenerate disk material. All slides were evaluated for overall cellularity, quantity and attributes of extracellular matrix, types of cells present, and their cytomorphology. Histopathologic sections were also examined for presence of neovascularization and hemorrhage. Results— Cytologically, 11 of 45 samples consisted of only extracellular matrix, 30 had evidence of inflammation, and 20 contained dysplastic spindloid cells. Histologically, hyaline cartilage predominated in 35 of 45 samples, fibrocartilage in 4, and spindloid cells in 6; 37 of 45 were inflamed, 37 were hemorrhagic, and 13 had neovascularization. Conclusions— The cytologic and histopathologic appearance of extruded degenerate disk material in dogs is variable and can include dysplastic spindloid cells. Clinical Relevance— The variability in cytologic findings and frequent presence of dysplastic spindloid cells suggest that cytology alone may not be a reliable tool to differentiate degenerate canine disk material from a mesenchymal neoplasm.
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Is Required for the Trophic, But Not the Survival-Promoting, Actions of NGF on Sympathetic Neurons

Nerve growth factor (NGF) supports target-dependent survival of sympathetic and other neurons during development; however, the NGF-regulated signaling pathways required for survival are not fully understood. Sympathetic neurons are able to abort acutely the cell death pathway initiated by NGF deprivation at early, as well as late, time points after readdition of NGF. We found that NGF-dependent phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3-K) activity inhibited an early cell death event proximal to c-Jun phosphorylation. However, PI-3-K activity was not required for NGF to inhibit the translocation of Bax from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria, nor was it required for NGF to inhibit the subsequent release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, two events required for NGF deprivation-induced apoptosis. MEK/MAPK activity did not account for any of these NGF-dependent events. When subjected to long-term PI-3-K inhibition in the presence of NGF, the majority of sympathetic neurons did not die. Those that did die exhibited significant differences in the characteristics of death caused by PI-3-K inhibition as compared with NGF deprivation. Additionally, PI-3-K inhibition in the presence of NGF did not induce release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, indicating that these neurons were unable to complete the apoptotic program. In contrast to its modest effects on survival, inhibition of PI-3-K induced marked decreases in somal diameter and metabolic function, as measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphen-yltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction, suggesting that PI-3-K is required for the trophic effects of NGF. Therefore, although PI-3-K is important for the trophic effects of NGF, it is not required for survival. Other, or at least additional, signaling pathways contribute to NGF-mediated survival of sympathetic neurons.
The impact of improved microarray coverage and larger sample sizes on future genome-wide association studies

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with complex traits. However, the genetic heritability of most of these traits remains unexplained. To help guide future studies, we address the crucial question of whether future GWAS can detect new SNP associations and explain additional heritability given the new availability of larger GWAS SNP arrays, imputation, and reduced genotyping costs. We first describe the pairwise and imputation coverage of all SNPs in the human genome by commercially available GWAS SNP arrays, using the 1000 Genomes Project as a reference. Next, we describe the findings from 6 years of GWAS of 172 chronic diseases, calculating the power to detect each of them while taking array coverage and sample size into account. We then calculate the power to detect these SNP associations under different conditions using improved coverage and/or sample sizes. Finally, we estimate the percentages of SNP associations and heritability previously detected and detectable by future GWAS under each condition. Overall, we estimated that previous GWAS have detected less than one-fifth of all GWAS-detectable SNPs underlying chronic disease. Furthermore, increasing sample size has a much larger impact than increasing coverage on the potential of future GWAS to detect additional SNP-disease associations and heritability.
Performance analysis of parallel ATM connections for gigabit speed applications

A system which uses multiple asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) virtual circuits operating in parallel in order to control two WAN hosts at gigabit speeds is studied. Packets in parallel channels can bypass each other, so reordering of packets before delivery to the host is required. Performance parameters of this system, including ATM channel delay, packet loss, and resequencing delay, are analyzed, using a model for an ATM channel that multiplexes ATM virtual circuits carrying bursty and nonbursty traffic. It is found that the mean and variance of packet delay through an ATM switch grow linearly with burst size, and that the delay distribution can be closely approximated by a normal distribution. It is shown that packet loss is log-linear in the ratio of buffer size to burst size, and for maximum bursts larger than 50 cells, a buffer size of twice the maximum burst size is sufficient to achieve packet loss probabilities less than 10/sup -9/. Resequencing delay is shown to be insensitive to burst size, but the variance is large and grows linearly with burst size. >
Climatology and Trends in the Forcing of the Stratospheric Ozone Transport

Abstract. A thorough analysis of the ozone transport was carried out using the Transformed-Mean Eulerian (TEM) tracer continuity equation and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40). In this budget analysis, the chemical net production term, which is calculated as the residual of the other terms, displays the correct features of a chemical sink and source term, including location and seasonality, and shows good agreement in magnitude compared to other methods of calculating ozone loss rates. This study provides further insight into the role of the eddy ozone transport and underlines its fundamental role in the recovery of the ozone hole during spring. The trend analysis reveals that the ozone hole intensification over the 1980–2001 period is not solely related to the trend in chemical losses, but more specifically to the balance between the trends in chemical losses and ozone transport. That is because, in the Southern Hemisphere from October to December, the large increase in the chemical destruction of ozone is balanced by an equally large trend in the eddy transport, associated with a small increase in the mean transport. This study shows that the increase in the eddy transport is characterized by more poleward ozone eddy flux by transient waves in the midlatitudes and by stationary waves in the polar region. Overall, this study makes clearer the close interaction between the trends in ozone chemistry and ozone transport. It reveals that the eddy ozone transport and its long-term changes are an important natural mitigation mechanism for the ozone hole. This work also underlines the need for diagnostics of the eddy transport in chemical transport models used to investigate future ozone recovery.
A look at the emerging science of innovation

Over the past 20 years I have focused on the synthesis process, the process of creation, of bringing together ideas and objects to fulfill and enable needs. Synthesis is a core engineering activity, the partner in the design and analysis cycle of engineering (and other) design. Synthesis is the basis of innovation, the enabler of creating that which is new. Over the past 20 years, research and practice in the area of synthesis and innovation has become more intricate, more complex, and more complete in its breadth of exploration and depth of understanding and delivery. Research in the area that was started over the past 10 to 20 years is now being commercialized, beginning to impact the way design is practiced. The state of the art of algorithms, theories, and processes for the computing basis of synthesis research today can be found in Formal Engineering Design Synthesis (Antonsson & Cagan, 2001). This discussion is not a review of the literature or state of the art, but rather my views of the field of innovation, its emergence into a scientific study, areas of focus for future research, and some of my experiences in each of these areas.
Exploiting temporal stability and low-rank structure for localization in mobile networks

Localization is a fundamental operation for many wireless networks. While GPS is widely used for location determination, it is unavailable in many environments either due to its high cost or the lack of line of sight to the satellites (e.g., indoors, under the ground, or in a downtown canyon). The limitations of GPS have motivated researchers to develop many localization schemes to infer locations based on measured wireless signals. However, most of these existing schemes focus on localization in static wireless networks. As many wireless networks are mobile (e.g., mobile sensor networks, disaster recovery networks, and vehicular networks), we focus on localization in mobile networks in this paper. We analyze real mobility traces and find that they exhibit temporal stability and low-rank structure. Motivated by this observation, we develop three novel localization schemes to accurately determine locations in mobile networks: (i) Low Rank based Localization (LRL), which exploits the low-rank structure in mobility, (ii) Temporal Stability based Localization (TSL), which leverages the temporal stability, and (iii) Temporal Stability and Low Rank based Localization (TSLRL), which incorporates both the temporal stability and the low-rank structure. These localization schemes are general and can leverage either mere connectivity (i.e., range-free localization) or distance estimation between neighbors (i.e., range-based localization). Using extensive simulations and testbed experiments, we show that our new schemes significantly outperform state-of-the-art localization schemes under a wide range of scenarios and are robust to measurement errors.
Channel cracking in low-k films on patterned multi-layers

This paper considers cracking of a low-k tensile film fabricated on top of a patterned multilayer. A finite element model has been established to study all the geometry effects of the top film and underlying layers. It is found that the driving force for film cracking, as calculated from the energy release rate, is greatly enhanced by the underlying layers of copper and low-k materials. The geometry dependence has been verified by a test structure. The results indicate that a low-k film that is intact when deposited on silicon may crack when integrated in a multilayer BEOL. IBM has successfully engineered a CVD SiCOH low-k film with reduced film stress and increased modulus without degrading the cohesive strength (or the dielectric constant). Accordingly, cracking of the film has been prevented even for the worst case interconnect structures.
A theoretical analysis of an alternative CUSUM statistic called CUSUM-slope for detecting signals from background noise in a low signal-to-noise environment

Article accompanying a poster presentation for the 2009 Computational Neuroscience Meeting. This article discusses a theoretical analysis of an alternative CUSUM statistic called CUSUM-slope for detecting signals from background noise in a low signal-to-noise environment.
The effects of algorithmic diversity on anomaly detector performance

Common practice in anomaly-based intrusion detection assumes that one size fits all: a single anomaly detector should detect all anomalies. Compensation for any performance shortcoming is sometimes effected by resorting to correlation techniques, which could be seen as making use of detector diversity. Such diversity is intuitively based on the assumption that detector coverage is different - perhaps widely different - for different detectors, each covering some disparate portion of the anomaly space. Diversity, then, enhances detection coverage by combining the coverages of individual detectors across multiple sub-regions of the anomaly space, resulting in an overall detection coverage that is superior to the coverage of any one detector. No studies have been done, however, in which measured effects of diversity amongst anomaly detectors have been obtained. This paper explores the effects of using diverse anomaly-detection algorithms in intrusion detection. Experimental results indicate that while performance/coverage improvements can in fact be effected by combining diverse detection algorithms, the gains are not the result of combining large, non-overlapping regions of the anomaly space. Rather, the gains are seen at the edges of the space, and are heavily dependent on the parameter values of the detectors, as well as on anomaly characteristics. Based on this study, defenders can be provided with knowledge of how combinations of diverse, sequence-based detectors behave to effect detection performance superior to that of a single detector.
Micropattern-assisted nanoassembly: Ordered nanocolloidal array on PEG microstructures

Assembly of colloidal arrays has attracted much attention over the past decade. Surface property and topology play important roles in the assembly of colloidal patterns and layers on various substrates. In this paper, we report on a novel micropattern-assisted nanoassembly (μPAN) method to organize highly ordered nanocolloidal arrays onto a nonfouling polymer surface. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel is used as the substrate material in the study, for its desired biological properties, low surface energy and photopatternability. A high-density array of PEG microwells is first fabricated on glass substrates with the minimal feature resolution of 1 µm using photolithography method. By simply controlling the colloidal concentration of the dipping solution, the dimensions of the microwells and pulling speed of the substrate, various well organized nanocolloidal patterns are assembled inside the PEG microwells. In addition, the effect of surface property is experimentally investigated. After oxygen plasma treatment, the nonfouling property of the PEG surface deteriorates significantly, leading to a complete surface coverage of nanocolloidal beads. The novel μPAN method allows organizing highly ordered nanocolloidal arrays in a predictable and robust fashion, and has potential applications in photonic crystal fabrication, biological sensing, analytical detection and nanoassembly.
Promoting Acceleration of Comprehension and Content Through Text in High School Social Studies Classes

Abstract:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Promoting Acceleration of Comprehension and Content Through Text intervention implemented with 11th-grade students enrolled in U.S. History classes. Using a within-teacher randomized design, the study was conducted in 41 classes (23 treatment classes) with 14 teachers providing the treatment. Students in the treatment condition performed significantly better than students in the typical instruction comparison condition on a measure of content acquisition at posttest (ES = 0.36), as well as 4 (ES =.22) and 12 (ES =.24) weeks following treatment. There were no differences between treatment and comparison groups on measures of social studies reading comprehension or more general reading comprehension.
Response to Letter by O'Kelly and Macdonald

Response: We appreciate the comments by Drs O'Kelly and Macdonald regarding our article1 and largely agree with them. They raise 2 main points related to censoring at retreatment and to whether degree of aneurysm occlusion should be considered a confounder. Coil embolization encumbers patients and physicians with follow-up imaging and retreatment to a much greater extent than surgical clipping.2 If one considers this a part of the treatment regimen inherent in coil embolization it is actually not …
Pull Promotions and Channel Coordination

This paper recommends that manufacturers consider a pull price promotion as a coordination device in an independent channel of distribution. Uncoordinated decisions of both manufacturer and retailer to charge high prices can break down the effort to expand the market, resulting in losses to the channel as a whole. We show that manufacturers can enhance channel price coordination by designing pull price discounts that target price-conscious consumers. The increased price coordination improves total channel profits and consumer surplus. Supporting pull with push increases the probability of coordination.
Comparative study of effects of phenothiazine and iodine on thyroid uptake of I131.

Summary1. The effect of free iodide (Nal or KI) and phenothiazine N.F. (green) on the suppression of I131 uptake by thyroid in rats is studied and compared. Various related compounds and derivatives of phenothiazine are also surveyed. 2. Column chromatographic fractionation of phenothiazine N.F. (green) reveals that the activity described is strongly associated with its iodine content; however, phenothiazine N.F. (purified) with negligible amounts of iodine has some suppressing quality. 3. In continuous feeding experiments phenothiazine N.F. (green) when given in doses sufficient to partially suppress I131 uptake did not affect the weight of the thyroid gland, total body weight or any of the other organs studied. No component of phenothiazine N.F. (green) is goitrogenic. 4. A chromatographic method is described for studying the renal excretory levels of free iodide after rats are treated with Nal, phenothiazine N.F. (green) or a combination of both. Those animals receiving Nal or Nal and phenothiazine N.F...
Unique Toxicities and Resistance Mechanisms Associated with Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Anti-CD20 therapy has had a truly dramatic impact on treatment and outcome of patients with follicular lymphoma. Unfortunately, the majority of responses to single-agent rituximab are incomplete, and all patients with follicular lymphoma will experience disease progression at some point following rituximab therapy. Rituximab has multiple mechanisms of inducing in vivo cytotoxicity, including antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, direct apoptotic signaling, and possible vaccinal effects. The cellular microenvironment within follicular lymphoma has a profound impact on which mechanism is dominant, and confers resistance in many situations. Both tumor-associated and host-associated factors also contribute to rituximab resistance. There are multiple potential approaches to overcoming rituximab resistance, including rational biologic combination immunotherapy, engineered antibodies, and radioimmunoconjugates. Improved ability to overcome resistance will require further elucidation of critical signaling pathways involved in rituximab induced cytotoxicity and a comprehensive understanding of interactions between its multiple mechanisms of action.
Financial Performance Of Wide-Moat Companies

Morningstar has identified 85 companies with wide economic moats. According to Morningstar these firms enjoy structural advantages that create shareholder value. This paper confirms the historical outperformance of these companies.
Should Expressivism Be a Theory at the Level of Metasemantics

Michael Ridge argues that metaethical expressivism can avoid its most worrisome problems by going ‘Ecumenical’. Ridge emphasizes that he aims to develop expressivism at the level of metasemantics rather than at the level of (first-order) semantics. This is supposed to allow him to avoid a mentalist semantics of attitudes and instead offer an orthodox, truth-conditional or propositional semantics. However, I argue that Ridge's theory remains committed to mentalist semantics, and that his move to go metasemantic doesn't bring any clear advantages to the debate between expressivism and its opponents.
Magnetization and transport properties of α-CeNi0.78Co0.22Sb3

Abstract Single crystals of α-CeNi x Co 1− x Sb 3 ( x ∼0.8) were synthesized and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pbcm with unit cell parameters of a =12.6480(2) A, b =6.2060(4) A, and c =18.3860(8) A. Ferromagnetic ordering at 4.6 K with μ eff =2.43μ B /(Ce atom) is seen. The resistivity data indicate Kondo-like behavior similar to that of pure α-CeNiSb 3 .
Study Of The Growth Mechanisms of NbS2 Scales Using Marker Experiments

ABSTRACT Au thin films were deposited using electron beam evaporation onto the surface of Nb metal to serve as thin film markers to study the growth mechanisms of NbS2 scales. Scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) was used to measure the depth profiles for the compositions of Au, Nb, S, Si and O across the sulfide scale. Three other marker experiments were also studied. All four marker experiments indicated that the inward diffusion of sulfur is the dominant process responsible for the growth of NbS2 scales.
Use of an angiotensin II antagonist (saralasin) in the recognition of "angiotensinogenic" hypertension;.

Abstract The possibility has been explored of using a specific angiotensin II antagonist, saralasin (P-113, 1-sar-8-ala-angiotensin II) to recognize patients whose hypertension depends upon excessive angiotensin II activity. Among 60 hypertensive patients, saralasin infusion reduced blood pressure in 16 "responders," but not in 44 "nonresponders." The "responders" had the following findings: elevated plasma renin activity in renal vein (or veins) or peripheral veins or both (16 of 16); reduced renal blood flow, shown by arteriography, isotopic studies or pyelography (15 of 16), or progressive azotemia (one of 16); and reduction in blood These findings indicated that angiotensin II probably caused hypertension in the "responders." One "nonresponder" had renal vein levels of plasma renin activity suggestive of angiotensinogenic hypertension. Since hypertension was invariably angiotensinogenic when it was reduced by saralasin and, with one possible exception, was never angiotensinogenic in "nonresponders," t...
Origins of the movement’s strategy: The case of the Serbian youth movement Otpor:

Using the case of the Serbian social movement Otpor (Resistance), this article argues that learning is critical to the development of an effective movement strategy. This article specifies three learning mechanisms: (1) participation in previous protest campaigns, (2) the cross-national diffusion of ideas, and (3) within-movement deliberation practices. The empirical analysis is based upon semi-structured interviews with former movement participants. This research seeks to contribute to the comparative democratization literature by tracing the development of the movement’s strategy in a hybrid regime falling somewhere between democracy and dictatorship.
Cu-Deficient Plasmonic Cu2–xS Nanoplate Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

Cation deficient transition metal sulfides have attracted increased attention due to their unique properties that arise from degenerate p-doping, particularly their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and related optical properties. Here, we present the first study of their electrocatalytic activity. We developed a facile one-pot method to prepare p-doped copper sulfide nanoplates with tunable LSPR at moderate temperature (below 100 °C) without any hot injection or rapid mixing step. The doping level was controlled by varying the concentration of cation precursor (Cu2+) to finely tune the LSPR wavelength without changing the nanoplate size or morphology. Cu2–xS nanoplates with three different doping levels were tested for their electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution. Importantly, increasing the concentration of free holes in Cu2–xS significantly enhanced the ORR catalytic activity. Furthermore, to improve the electrical conductivity, the most heavily ...
Calcium Content of Arteriolar Walls in Normotensive and Hypertensive Rats.

SummaryHypertension was produced in rats by narrowing one renal artery and removing the opposite kidney. These rats were then divided into 2 evenly matched groups. The rats in one of the groups were almost cured of hypertension; the rats in the other group remained hypertensive. The amount of calcium in the walls of the mesenteric arterioles was compared in the two groups. The hypertensive group, on the average, had 13% more arteriolar calcium than the “normotensive” group (P=0.01). Since calcium is known to promote the contraction of the muscle protein, actomyosin, the increased calcium content in the hypertensive arterioles may be partially responsible for their narrowed lumens.
Venous malformations: PIK3CA mutations guide new treatments.

The Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K) pathway has been extensively studied in tumors due its roles in promoting cellular growth and proliferation [1]. The most common PI3K mutations are in the PIK3CA gene encoding the p110α catalytic subunit, including the “hotspot” activating mutations E545K and H1047R that can lead to constitutive signaling of the pathway [1]. Consequently, activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt can promote proliferative and cell growth pathways through regulation of mTOR and other intermediates [1]. In addition to driving tumorigenesis, hotspot PIK3CA mutations have also been shown to drive a wide spectrum of non-malignant over-growth disorders collectively termed the PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum [2]. More recently, mutations in PIK3CA have been identified in venous malformations (VMs) [3], the most frequent form of vascular malformations with a frequency of about 1 in 5000 people in the general population [4]. These painful and often disfiguring lesions are characterized by endothelial cell overgrowth, loss of supporting mural cells, and a disorganized extracellular matrix resulting in dilated and distended vessels in a variety of tissues, with common occurrence in the cutaneous layer of the skin [4].
439 UNIVERSAL SCREENING OF NEWBORN INFANTS FOR CONGENITAL CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION AND HEARING LOSS

Purpose Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an important cause of permanent hearing loss in children. Detection of congenital CMV infection allows early identification of infants at risk of hearing loss. The study objective is to determine if universal screening of newborns for CMV is a useful adjunct to universal hearing screening. Methods Between 3/8/04 and 8/29/04, infants born at four Utah hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley were screened for congenital CMV infection by cell culture assay of saliva. Each sample was run in duplicate. The population sampled corresponded to 31% (1555/5090) of the infants born at the hospitals during the study interval. Concurrently, all infants underwent hearing assessment. Normal newborn nurseries used otoacoustic emission (OAE) screening, whereas Newborn Intensive Care Units used OAE or automated auditory brainstem evoked response (AABR) audiometry for initial hearing assessment. Results Six infants (0.39%) were congenitally infected with CMV. None of the CMV positive infants failed the newborn hearing screen. The cost of the CMV assay was approximately $20 per infant, corresponding to approximately $5200/CMV-positive infant. Concurrently, 98% of the 5090 infants passed their initial hearing screen. On subsequent evaluation, 2 infants who failed their initial screen have normal hearing. Follow-up evaluations of the remaining 20 infants are in progress. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility of universal screening for CMV. Compared with other regions of the United States, Utah appears to be a low prevalence state for congenital CMV infection. Using the approaches employed in this study, the cost of statewide screening for CMV would be approximately $1.1 million annually. Universal hearing screening alone will not identify infants at risk of subsequent hearing loss due to congenital CMV infection.
Bridge Scour Assessment Using Curvature of Horizontally Displaced Mode Shapes

The ability to ensure the resiliency and to predict the future performance of coastal bridges is very dependent on identifying damages in critical components of the bridge rapidly after an event. Traditional vibration-based damage detection efforts focused mainly on the detection of fatigue cracking. Although detecting fatigue cracking is important, it does not contribute significantly to the total number of bridge failures in the United States. A critical review of the up-to-date literature showed that hydraulic loading, including scour, is responsible for about 50% of failed bridges. To this end, the focus of current research is the development and evaluation of damage features capable of rapidly identifying and quantifying the extent of deterioration of critical coastal bridge structures due to scour at submerged piers following extreme storm events without underwater instrumentations. This paper illustrates the use of the curvature of horizontally displaced mode shapes and introduces a Modified Curvature Damage Factor in which the difference in curvature of all significant mode shapes can be summarized by a single quantity to study the effect of scour on the dynamic response of the structure.
Neonatal Drug Intoxication: Local Anesthetics

Among the many drugs that may acutely affect the newborn, the local anesthetics have been especially well studied. This type of drug poisoning is discussed in terms of clinical manifestations; transplacental passage, biotransformation, and drug elimination; and treatment and prognosis.
Object-Oriented Databases

Object orientation can also be applied to database technology. An object-oriented database management system differs from an object-oriented programming language in that its focus is on efficient management of a large amount of data and on providing for data access and manipulation. The typical overall organization of an object-oriented database and its relationship to the application is explained in this chapter. The classes that are defined for such a database reflect the classes that exist in the application. Examples illustrate how to benefit from the persistent storage of objects offered by the database that also offers database-specific features such as handling of transactions, data access authorization, locking, and concurrency. The state of the art in commercially available object-oriented database systems is discussed.
Towards the Design of a Cross Platform Solution for Efficient Colorimetric Tests

Every year millions of crime related events are reported, many of which are drug-related. Illegal drugs are among the prime factors for criminal activity, making illicit drug evidence an important type of chemical evidence. Identifying the exact drug is difficult since majority of the seized substances are in the form of white powders. Colorimetric drug tests are used to tentatively identify the substances. We report an automated application using the Android platform for interpretation of presumptive drug test results.
Organizational models for service delivery

The organizations in the business of IT service delivery have conventionally adopted the team structure of dedicated customer teams to deliver services. A dedicated team is assigned to address all requirements that are specific to the customer. However, this way of organizing service delivery leads to inefficiencies in using expertise and available resources across teams in a flexible manner. In contrast the shared services model became very popular in the last decade, but soon faced challenges of losing customer focus. This gives rise to the question of what is the best way of grouping shared resources across customers. Especially, with the large variations in the technical and domain skills required to address customer requirements, what should be the service delivery model for diverse customer profile? This chapter looks at different dimensions one can organize delivery by and recommends patterns based on customer profiles, business functions technologies, geographies and operational characteristics.
Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy Associated With SCN2A Mutation Responsive to Oral Mexiletine.

Abstract Background Genetic alterations are significant causes of epilepsy syndromes; especially early-onset epileptic encephalopathies and voltage-gated sodium channelopathies are among the best described. Mutations in the SCN2A subunit of voltage-gated sodium channels have been associated with benign familial neonatal-infantile seizures, generalized epilepsy febrile seizures plus, and an early-onset infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Method We describe two infants with medically refractory seizures due to a de novo SCN2A mutation. Results The first child responded to intravenous lidocaine with significant reduction in seizure frequency and was successfully transitioned to enteral mexiletine. Mexiletine was subsequently used in a second infant with reduction in seizure frequency. Conclusion Class 1b antiarrhythmic agents, lidocaine and mexiletine, may be useful in infants with medically refractory early infantile epileptic encephalopathy secondary to mutations in SCN2A .