cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The International Finance Index and its Derivatives

The paper introduces three measures of the international financial sector and presents the ranking of countries based on these measures. The International Finance Index measures the absolute size, the International Finance Location Quotient measures the level of development, and the International Finance Diversity Index captures the degree of diversity and specialisation of a country's international financial services sector. Empirical analysis is conducted for 41 countries using the data from the BIS, the WFE, the IMF, and stock exchanges on cross-border loans and deposits, international debt securities, cross-listed stocks, as well as foreign exchange and OTC derivatives. The analysis confirms the leading position of the UK in international finance, and a relatively weak position of Japan. The paper also discusses the applicability of the International Finance Index and its derivatives in academic and policy research concerned with international financial development, and competition between financial centres.
Gated cardiac blood pool studies in atrial fibrillation: role of cycle length windowing

Cycle length windowing is gaining increasing acceptance in gated blood pool imaging of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The goals of this study were: to assess differences of ejection fraction (EF) in AF with and without windowing and to determine how EF varied with cycle length in patients with AF. Twenty patients with AF were prospectively studied by gated blood pool imaging, with simultaneous collection in each patient of 5–7 studies with cycle length windows spanning the cycle length histogram. Each window accepted beats of only a narrow range of cycle lengths. EF was determined for each of the narrow cycle length windows as well as for the entire gated blood pool study without cycle length windowing. For every patient an average of the windowed EFs was compared with the non-windowed EF. EF values were similar (mean windowed: 46.6; non-windowed: 45.5; P=0.16), and there was a good correlation between the two techniques (r=0.97). The data were then examined for a relationship of EF with cycle length. The difference from average windowed EF (ΔEF) was calculated for each window and plotted vs. the cycle length of the center of each window. No predictable linear or nonlinear relationship of ΔEF with window position was observed. Lack of predictable variation of EF with cycle length is likely due to lack of a predictable amount of ventricular filling for a given cycle length, as the amount of diastolic filling in AF depends on the random cycle length of the preceding beat. In summary, windowing in AF does not provide a clinically significant difference in EF determination. If cycle length windowing is used, the exact location of the window is not critical.
Embolization of the vasa recta in acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage: A report of five cases.

Purpose: To present our preliminary experience in embolization of the vasa recta in acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Effects of Aging on Cerebral Blood Flow in Dementia

Regional cerebral blood flow values were measured utilizing the 133Xe inhalation method in patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID) (n = 22, age 67.4 +/- 9.8 years), in patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) (n = 36, age 63.8 +/- 8.0) and in age-matched normal healthy volunteers (n = 50, age 67.5 +/- 9.3). Mean hemispheric gray matter flow values were significantly reduced in MID (P less than 0.01) and SDAT (P less than 0.01) patients compared with age-matched normal volunteers. In normal volunteers, mean flow values showed gradual declines with advancing age (r = -0.44, P less than 0.005). In MID patients there were significant decreases in flow values with advancing age (r = -0.43, P less than 0.05), but flow values were consistently lower than in age-matched normals. Reductions of flow were most evident in the distribution of both middle cerebral arteries. Unlike MID patients, patients with SDAT had diffusely reduced flow values over all age ranges without correlation with advancing age. Reductions of mean flow values in both dementia groups were significantly correlated with severity of dementia (P less than 0.05 for both groups). Cerebral blood flow reductions related to the aging process also contribute to decreased cerebral perfusion in patients with MID. This is not true in SDAT, where the disease process itself pre-empts cerebral blood flow reductions attributable to aging.
Assisting Students From Diverse Backgrounds With Challenging Behaviors: Incorporating a Culturally Attuned Functional Behavioral Assessment in Prereferral Services

The student population across U.S. schools has become increasingly diverse and has presented educators with a number of concerns in assisting students demonstrating challenging behaviors. Educators have historically had difficulties in distinguishing between cultural differences and genuine indicators of emotional and behavioral disorders. It is unfortunate that this difficulty has contributed to a disproportional representation of students from diverse backgrounds in the disability category of emotional and behavioral disorders. However, the functional behavioral assessment continues to serve as an effective process to better understand challenging behaviors, particularly when it is culturally attuned to the needs of diverse student populations. The authors discuss the significance in meeting the needs of diverse populations, provide an overview of the functional behavioral assessment process, and present considerations in creating a culturally attuned functional behavioral assessment.
Urban dependencies: New Forms of Use and Exchange in U.S. Cities

Changes in the international division of labor and the territorial organization of multinational corporations have altered the forms of urbanization in the United States. Like the "primate cities" of the Third World, North American cities have increasingly specialized in economic activities that provide neither a balanced employment base for local residents nor opportunities for autonomously generated growth based on the local market. We describe several emerging forms of cities—the headquarter city, innovation center, module production city, border entrepot, and retirement center. We argue that the urban future for average residents of such cities is bleak, and that efforts to change this future will require coordinated action among people in different cities and in the Third World.
Yersinia enterocolitica Type III Secretion ON THE ROLE OF SycE IN TARGETING YopE INTO HeLa CELLS

Yersinia enterocolitica inject toxic proteins (effector Yops) into the cytosol of eukaryotic cells by a mechanism requiring the type III machinery. Previous work mapped a signal sufficient for the targeting of fused reporter proteins to amino acids 1-100 of YopE. Targeting requires the binding of SycE to YopE residues 15-100 in the bacterial cytoplasm. We asked whether SycE functions only to stabilize YopE in the bacterial cytoplasm, or whether the secretion chaperone itself contributes to substrate recognition by the type III machinery. Fusions of glutathione S-transferase to either the N or C terminus of SycE resulted in hybrid proteins that bound YopE but prevented targeting of the export substrate into HeLa cells. As compared with wild-type SycE, glutathione S-transferase-SycE bound and stabilized YopE in the bacterial cytoplasm but failed to release the polypeptide for export by the type III machinery. Thus, it appears that SycE functions to deliver YopE to the type III secretion machinery. A model is presented that accounts for substrate recognition of effector Yops, a group of proteins that do not share amino acid sequence or physical similarities.
Three-dimensional mathematical morphology algorithms

This paper discusses three-dimensional mathematical morphology using FCC (Face Centered Cubic) tessellation for executing both augmentation (dilation) and reduction (erosion). By treating gray level images as three-dimensional surfaces and using this tessellation with its 12-element neighborhood, the author has designed an architecture having flash-convolver speed for use in gray level image processing. The first step in this novel approach is to convert the gray level image into a binary surface by column encoding. After conversion the gray level image consists of volume elements (voxels) each of which has a binary value of either one or zero. The FCC convolution kernel is then ud to address each voxel and modify its value according a lookup table consisting of 213 = 8192 entries. This paper will describe the algorithms which can be executed using this methodology.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thoracic and lumbar paravertebral blocks for outpatient lithotripsy

Paravertebral nerve block has been used for a variety of surgical procedures to provide unilateral anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. We report the successful application of this regional anesthesia modality for outpatient lithotripsy. Preoperatively, thoracic and lumbar paravertebral nerve blocks with 0.5% ropivacaine were placed with ultrasound and nerve stimulator guidance for two patients with ureteral calculi. One patient scheduled for cystoscopy and ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy received general anesthesia intraoperatively. The second patient underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy with propofol intravenous sedation. Postoperatively, both patients reported pain scores of zero (Visual Analog Scale) for 24 hours and required no opioid rescue analgesia.
Communication and Eschatology: The Work of Waiting, an Ethics of Relief, and Areligious Religiosity

This article begins from an understanding of critical theory as being in need of something. The arguments made here develop a series of related concepts — the work of waiting, an ethics of relief, and areligious religiosity — that begin to address this need at the heart of critical theory. Built around a series of philosophical circumscriptions that sketch the outlines of these concepts, I argue that to participate in the radical continuation of the Enlightenment we need to return to an unlikely place — religion. To achieve this return, I offer an explication of Heidegger's address, The Principle of Reason (1996), focusing on his discussion of calculative reason, and Freud's Future of an lllusion (1961). This gives the vital context for understanding the various meanings comported by the metaphor of an ethics of relief. In light of this, I demonstrate that there is a space reserved for these ideas within contemporary critical theory as represented by the discourse ethics of Habermas. By intersecting the position I develop with two points in Habermas's work, I show that the concepts of the work of waiting, an ethics of relief, and areligious religiosity can begin a response to the need identified at the heart of critical theory.
Communication requirements and strategic mechanisms for market organization

Abstract A mechanism realizes an objective if, when agents are honest, the objective is met when the mechanism is used. A mechanism implements an objective if, when agents act strategically, the objective is met when the mechanism is used. This paper addresses the question: do we incur an ‘informational cost’, in terms of increased communication requirements, when we insist on implementation of the (constrained) Walrasian correspondence as opposed to, simply, its realization? Communication requirements of a mechanism are measured by the size of its message space. We prove the existence of a mechanism that implements the (constrained) Walrasian correspondence with a message space which is no larger than that of the competitive allocation mechanism. We explore implementation with quasi-games which generalize games in the sense that they have outcome correspondences. Since a quasi-game designer is free to specify a set of outcomes rather than a single outcome for each strategy profile, a smaller amount of information needs to be conveyed to the center. We prove our result using a quasi-game whose solution is well-defined and invariant with respect to alternative beliefs held by agents about selections from the set of out-of-equilibrium outcomes.
Defects at Center P Underlie Diabetes-Associated Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Detailed respiration studies on isolated liver mitochondria from streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats revealed a disease-associated decrease in the ADP/O ratio, a marker for mitochondrial ability to couple the consumption of oxygen to the phosphorylation of ADP. This decrease was observed following induction of respiration with glutamate/malate, succinate, or duroquinol, which enter the electron transport chain selectively at complexes I (NADH dehydrogenase), II (succinate dehydrogenase), or III (cytochrome bc1 complex), respectively. These data, coupled with studies using respiratory inhibitors (most importantly antimycin A and myxothiazol), localize at least a portion of this defect to a single site within the electron transport chain (center P in the Q-cycle portion of complex III). These results suggest that liver mitochondria from diabetic animals may generate increased levels of reactive oxygen species at the portion of the electron transport chain already established as the major site of mitochondrial free radical generation. The reduction in the ADP/O ratio occurred in mitochondria that do not have overt defects in the respiratory control ratio or in State 3 and State 4 respiration. The data in this paper suggest that defects in center P of the electron transport chain likely increase mitochondrial exposure to oxidants in the diabetic. This data may partially explain the evidence of altered exposure and/or response to reactive species in mitochondria from diabetics. This work thus provides further clues to the interaction between oxidative stress and diabetes-associated mitochondrial dysfunction. Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.
On exploring the basis for slow and fast oscillations in cellular systems

Abstract We show that interesting oscillatory patterns may arise from an immobilized enzyme system. when the enzyme has the properties that it is inhibited by a substrate, produces H + and has a pH-activity curve of bell-shaped form. In agreement with experimental observations in cellular excitations, the system generates fast oscillations that are superimposed on a slow cycle. at certain salt and enzyme concentrations.
The postextrasystolic T wave change

Abstract Microelectrophysiologic studies of canine and human ventricular myocardium demonstrate characteristic changes in the configuration of the transmembrane action potential upon abrupt rate change. Additional studies have shown also that these action potential changes, involving cellular repolarization (phase 2 and phase 3), correlate closely with the magnitude of the concurrent postextrasystolic contractile changes. Further experiments in normal anesthetized dogs demonstrate that the postextrasystolic T wave change relates significantly to the magnitude of the postextrasystolic contractile potentiation. In addition, depression of the contractile state by pentobarbital enhanced the relative magnitude of postextrasystolic contractile change, whereas enhancement of the contractile state by acetylstrophanthidin yielded a lessening of the relative magnitude of postextrasystolic contractile potentiation. However, the associated T wave relation persists, as a result of which the postextrasystolic T wave change is more prominent in the presence of myocardial depression of contractility. It has therefore been suggested that the postextrasystolic T wave change is basically a normal phenomenon correlating with the magnitude of postextrasystolic contractile change. The observed association of the postextrasystolic T wave change with myocardial disease may reflect the relatively greater postextrasystolic contractile change associated with depression of the contractile state. A review of clinical electrocardiograms appears to corroborate this contention, demonstrating that when other variables are excluded exhibition of the postextrasystolic T wave change relates significantly to the closeness of the coupling of the premature complex and the magnitude of the base line T wave.
Supersheet functional integration and the calculation of NSR scattering amplitudes involving arbitrarily many external Ramond strings

Abstract In this paper, supersheet functional integration techniques in the light-cone gauge are used to calculate tree-level NSR scattering amplitudes involving arbitrarily many external Ramond strings. Although the SO(1,9) Lorentz invariance has to be broken down to U(4), the two-dimensional superfield structure is preserved thereby allowing the amplitudes to be expressed as super-Koba-Nielsen formulae. Because these calculations are derived from the interacting quantum-mechanical string picture of Mandelstam, and not from the Polyakov ansatz of integrating over all super-vielbeins, they are manifestly unitary and their multiloop generalizations would not suffer from any total-derivative ambiguities.
The effects of progressive lateralization of the joint center of rotation of reverse total shoulder implants

Background: There has been a renewed interest in lateralizing the center of rotation (CoR) in implants used in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity of lateralization of the CoR on the glenohumeral joint contact forces, muscle moment arms, torque across the bone–implant interface, and the stability of the implant. Methods: A 3-dimensional virtual model was used to investigate how lateralization affects deltoid muscle moment arm and glenohumeral joint contact forces. This model was virtually implanted with 5 progressively lateralized reverse shoulder prostheses. The joint contact loads and deltoid moment arms were calculated for each lateralization over the course of 3 simulated standard humerothoracic motions. Results: Lateralization of the CoR leads to an increase in the overall joint contact forces across the glenosphere. Most of this increased loading occurred through compression, although increases in anterior/posterior and superior/inferior shear were also observed. Moment arms of the deltoid consistently decreased with lateralization. Bending moments at the implant interface increased with lateralization. Progressive lateralization resulted in improved stability ratios. Conclusions: Lateralization results in increased joint loading. Most of that loading occurs through compression, although there were also increases in shear forces. Anterior/posterior shear is currently not accounted for in implant fixation studies, leaving its effect on implant fixation unknown. Future studies should incorporate shear forces into their models to more accurately assess fixation methods. Level of evidence: Basic Science, Computer Modeling. 2015 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees.
Non-perturbative 2D quantum gravity and the generalized KdV hierarchy

We apply the theory of generalized KdV hierarchy to obtain the universal equations of a new class of two dimensional quantum gravity coupled to matter. We give an explicit expression of one of these equations which is identified with that of a known critical point of the two matrix model. We conjecture that these equations correspond to the multicritical points of the multimatrix model.
An Arabidopsis mutant with deregulated ABA gene expression: implications for negative regulator function

The physiological acclimation of plants to osmotic stresses involves a complex programme of gene regulation. In one signalling pathway, elevated levels of abscisic acid (ABA) activate a subset of stress genes. Because ABA responses lack a definable morphological phenotype, we have screened for mutants that exhibit deregulated ABA-responsive gene expression. To monitor this ABA response, a line of Arabidopsis thaliana carrying a transgene composed of the ABA-responsive Arabidopsis kin2 promoter fused to the coding sequence for the firefly luciferase gene, kin2::luc, was generated. Patterns of ABA-responsive luciferase activity were monitored by photon counting. In contrast to wild-type plants which display a transient activation of kin2::luc, an ABA deregulated gene expression mutant (ade1) exhibits both sustained and enhanced levels of transgene activity. Levels of kin2, cor47 and rab18 expression in ade1 plants are also enhanced and prolonged indicating that the molecular mechanism(s) altered in ade1 plants affects the regulation of other ABA-responsive genes. The mutant phenotype is specific for the ABA response as cold-inducible kin2 expression is unaltered in ade1 plants. Genetic analyses indicate that the ade1 mutant is a monogenic recessive trait. A role for negative regulator function in ABA signalling is discussed.
A Critical Review of Information Technology Innovations

The authors critically review the history of information technology innovations, from a national competitive advantage perspective. Definitions of key terms are grounded in a thorough literature review, to inform a future meta-analysis. The authors identify the most significant US-based innovations, which in turn are driving future IT development. Propositions are generated for future IT-related studies.
Gamers as Designers: A Framework for Investigating Design in Gaming Affinity Spaces

This article addresses recent approaches to uncovering and theorizing the design activities that occur in online gaming affinity spaces. Examples are presented of productive d/Discourse present wit...
Effect of Preconstruction Planning Effort on Sheet Metal Project Performance

The complexity of construction industry requires the identification of work tasks and the coordination of interactions among them. As a result, construction planning is considered to be one of the most critical steps toward success and is the main focus of past research. Consequently, little research has been performed regarding the preconstruction planning, which is the planning completed by the contractor in the period between project award and project execution. This paper focuses on sheet metal preconstruction planning, primarily that of mechanical and heating ventilations and air conditioning contractors. The research was completed in three phases: phase one gathered data on the current state of preconstruction planning, phase two developed a model sheet metal preconstruction planning process to be used by sheet metal contractors, and phase three validated the model preconstruction planning process. Based on project data collected for this research, projects that used a planning process similar to th...
A multiplexed, particle-based flow cytometric assay identified plasma matrix metalloproteinase-7 to be associated with cancer-related death among patients with bladder cancer

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to demonstrate the utility of a multiplexed, particle-based flow cytometric assay for the simultaneous analysis of a panel of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) using small volumes of plasma samples from patients with bladder cancer. In addition, the authors attempted to test the hypothesis that plasma levels of MMPs are associated with time to cancer-related death. METHODS: Plasma MMP concentrations (MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, -8, -9, and -12) in 135 patients presenting with high-grade ≥T1 bladder cancer were measured. Data regarding clinical and pathologic features was ascertained in a retrospective fashion. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was 30.4 months. At the time of analysis, 61 patients had died, including 45 (33.3%) who died of bladder cancer. Plasma MMP-12 was not measurable. For all other MMPs, the intra-assay coefficient of variation varied from 6.12% to 9.82%. MMP-1, -2, -3, -8, and -9 were not found to be significantly associated with time to cancer-related death. Plasma MMP-7 levels were significantly associated with time to cancer-related death after adjustment for competing clinical and pathologic features (hazard ratio [HR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.1-4.5 [P = .022]). The 5-year median cancer-specific survival rates for those patients with MMP-7 levels above and below the median value (300 pg/mL) were 73.6% (95% CI, 60.0-83.2%) and 48.0% (95% CI, 32.5-61.9%), respectively (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Multiplexed, particle-based flow cytometric assay allows for the high-throughput measurement of multiple plasma or serum proteins simultaneously. By using this new technology in a cohort of patients with bladder cancer, plasma levels of MMP-7 were identified as being significantly associated with time to cancer-related death Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Authentication of Canned Tuna and Bonito by Sequence and Restriction Site Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Products of Mitochondrial DNA

Methods of authenticating already canned fish were developed, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by sequencing and restriction site analysis. The canning process degrades DNA to fewer than 123 base pairs (bp) in length. Therefore, degenerate PCR primers were designed to amplify short (<123 bp) mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences known to differ at specific nucleotides among the species of interest. Sequences of canned tuna (Thunnus albacares, Thuunus alalunga, and Katsuwonus pelamis), bonito (Euthynnus affinis), and frigate mackerel (Auxis thazard) were reproducibly identified, and were used to determine which species or whether more than one species was present in individual cans. Restriction site analysis of two amplified regions of the cytochrome b gene demonstrated a faster and less expensive method than sequencing for distinguishing PCR products of different species. Thus, restriction site analysis of PCR products can be used in conjunction with sequencing to authenticate species in...
The ECM moves during primitive streak formation--computation of ECM versus cellular motion.

Galileo described the concept of motion relativity—motion with respect to a reference frame—in 1632. He noted that a person below deck would be unable to discern whether the boat was moving. Embryologists, while recognizing that embryonic tissues undergo large-scale deformations, have failed to account for relative motion when analyzing cell motility data. A century of scientific articles has advanced the concept that embryonic cells move (“migrate”) in an autonomous fashion such that, as time progresses, the cells and their progeny assemble an embryo. In sharp contrast, the motion of the surrounding extracellular matrix scaffold has been largely ignored/overlooked. We developed computational/optical methods that measure the extent embryonic cells move relative to the extracellular matrix. Our time-lapse data show that epiblastic cells largely move in concert with a sub-epiblastic extracellular matrix during stages 2 and 3 in primitive streak quail embryos. In other words, there is little cellular motion relative to the extracellular matrix scaffold—both components move together as a tissue. The extracellular matrix displacements exhibit bilateral vortical motion, convergence to the midline, and extension along the presumptive vertebral axis—all patterns previously attributed solely to cellular “migration.” Our time-resolved data pose new challenges for understanding how extracellular chemical (morphogen) gradients, widely hypothesized to guide cellular trajectories at early gastrulation stages, are maintained in this dynamic extracellular environment. We conclude that models describing primitive streak cellular guidance mechanisms must be able to account for sub-epiblastic extracellular matrix displacements.
Fear of Criminal Victimization on a College Campus: A Visual and Survey Analysis of Location and Demographic Factors

On a college campus, fear of crime may be driven by the physical characteristics of a specific location, as well as the demographics and the past experiences of respondents. Demographic and personal factors such as gender, residency, race, age, and class status can play a role in expressed fear as respondents intuitively assess the spaces for prospect, refuge, and escape. Photographs of various campus locations were used to present sample of students from a public university with various physical locations on campus. A survey was utilized as students assessed their reaction to each location in relation to fear of crime. Results were mixed in terms of personal characteristics. For example, males living on campus and full-time students were found to be less fearful than males living off campus and part-time students. Involvements in campus activities reduced fear for women, but increased it for men. The most fear producing location on campus was an enclosed walkway with almost no chance for escape, confirming that prospect, refuge, and escape are strong influences on fear (Nasar and Fisher, Sociology and Social Research, 76, 48–58, 1992).
Morphological response of blood platelets to increased venular permeability in vivo

Abstract Electron microscopy is used to investigate the response of blood platelets to isoproterenol and paracentesis-induced changes in the morphology and permeability of iridial venules in young (3–5 weeks) and older (6–8 months) rats. In isoproterenol-treated eyes of young and older rats, a notable response of the venular endothelium occurred at 1–5 min. Small patent gaps were occasionally seen between adjacent endothelial cells and numerous adlumenal protrusions and membranous vesicles of the endothelial cell were present. Individual platelets or small aggregates were closely associated with the adlumenal protrusions and membranous vesicles. Images suggestive of degranulation were seen in platelets from young animals. At 20 min, alterations of the endothelium were less prominent. In young rats, individual platelets were often surrounded by clusters of carbon particles, but were not adherent. In older rats, there was a marked adhesion of individual platelets to the endothelium in the immediate vicinity of patent gaps. Clusters of carbon particles were adhering to the platelet and dense alpha granules were characteristically present. At 2 hr, the endothelium appeared normal but in the older animal only, platelets were still adherent and associated with carbon particles. In the paracentesis experiments, patent gaps and adlumental protrusions and membranous vesicles of endothelial cells were again observed. In young rats at 20 min, small gaps were occasionally seen, and adlumenal modifications prominent. Clusters of a few platelets (less than six) were present. Within clusters platelets rarely came into close contact with one another, and possessed long pseudopods. An occasional platelet was closely associated with protrusions of the endothelium. At 1 hr the platelet response had subsided. Platelets were less numerous, and pseudopods less prominent. In older rats at 20 min, patent gaps were large and numerous. Large clusters of platelets with well-developed pseudopods were present and closely associated with carbon particles, fibrin, and a dense amorphous precipitate. Individual platelets with pseudopods were present within gaps. Degranulation was not observed. At 2–2.5 hr the endothelium had recovered. Degranulated platelets were seen adhering to the endothelium. The ultrastructural response of platelets described above, differs from that described by others in experiments designed to characterize in vivo changes in the morphology of platelets in the microcirculation. The significance of these results is discussed.
Multiple immunoreactive forms of met- and leu-enkephalin in fetal and neonatal rat brain and in rat gut.

Abstract We have used radioimmunoassays with carboxyl-specific antisera to study the development of met- and leu-enkephalin in rat brain and gut from 13-days of fetal age through adulthood. Fractionation of HC1 extracts of fetal and neonatal brain tissues by HPLC revealed the presence of immunoreactive forms other than met- and leu-enkephalin. For example, HPLC separation of extracts of 16-day fetal brain yielded two peaks of leu-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity. One emerged at the position of leu-enkaphalin, the other eluted with about one-third the retention time. There were four peaks of met-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity, one with the retention time characteristic of met-enkephalin, the others with shorter retention times. In contrast, all of the met-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in adult brain eluted with the retention time characteristic of authentic met-enkephalin and all of the leu-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity eluted in the position of authentic leu-enkephalin. Multiple immunoreactive forms of met- and leu-enkephalin were found in extracts of both fetal and adult gut tissues.
Correlates of partner and non-partner aggression among patients with substance use disorders in an urban ED

Introduction: Violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among patients seeking care in urban emergency departments (EDs). Few studies have examined the relationship between substance use and violence among ED patients with substance use disorders. The urban ED is a critical location for intervening with patients with substance use disorders and violence. This study examined correlates of violence by patients with substance use disorders.Method: For this cross-sectional study, 1215 patients (64.7% males, average age 34.1 years, SD = 10.58) in an ED, with substance use disorder, completed Substance Abuse Outcome Module (Smith et al., 1996, Psychiatric outcomes module: Substance Abuse Outcomes Module (SOAM). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins), Addiction Severity Index (McLellan et al., 2006, The Addiction Severity Index at 25: Origins, contributions and transitions. American Journal on Addictions, 15(2), 113–124), Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979, Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence:...
Retinohypothalamic Projections: Correlations with Onset of the Adrenal Rhythm in Infant Rats

The retinofugal pathways of 2-, 3- and 4-week-old rats were studied by the Fink-Heimer method. Unequivocal terminal degeneration was found in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus at 3 and 4 weeks of age but not at 2 weeks of age. Closer examination of the interval between weeks 2 and 3 revealed that terminal degeneration was first demonstrable at 17 days, the same time at which a significant diurnal variation in serum corticosterone was detected. (Endocrinology 94: 1201, 1974)
Fast automated protein NMR data collection and assignment by ADAPT-NMR on Bruker spectrometers

Abstract ADAPT-NMR (Assignment-directed Data collection Algorithm utilizing a Probabilistic Toolkit in NMR) supports automated NMR data collection and backbone and side chain assignment for [U– 13 C, U– 15 N]-labeled proteins. Given the sequence of the protein and data for the orthogonal 2D 1 H– 15 N and 1 H– 13 C planes, the algorithm automatically directs the collection of tilted plane data from a variety of triple-resonance experiments so as to follow an efficient pathway toward the probabilistic assignment of 1 H, 13 C, and 15 N signals to specific atoms in the covalent structure of the protein. Data collection and assignment calculations continue until the addition of new data no longer improves the assignment score. ADAPT-NMR was first implemented on Varian (Agilent) spectrometers [A. Bahrami, M. Tonelli, S.C. Sahu, K.K. Singarapu, H.R. Eghbalnia, J.L. Markley, PLoS One 7 (2012) e33173]. Because of broader interest in the approach, we present here a version of ADAPT-NMR for Bruker spectrometers. We have developed two AU console programs ( ADAPT_ORTHO_run and ADAPT_NMR_run ) that run under TOPSPIN Versions 3.0 and higher. To illustrate the performance of the algorithm on a Bruker spectrometer, we tested one protein, chlorella ubiquitin (76 amino acid residues), that had been used with the Varian version: the Bruker and Varian versions achieved the same level of assignment completeness (98% in 20 h). As a more rigorous evaluation of the Bruker version, we tested a larger protein, BRPF1 bromodomain (114 amino acid residues), which yielded an automated assignment completeness of 86% in 55 h. Both experiments were carried out on a 500 MHz Bruker AVANCE III spectrometer equipped with a z -gradient 5 mm TCI probe. ADAPT-NMR is available at http://pine.nmrfam.wisc.edu/ADAPT-NMR in the form of pulse programs, the two AU programs, and instructions for installation and use.
Effect of a Recombinant N-Terminal Fragment of Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein (rBPI23) on Cerebrospinal Fluid Inflammation Induced by Endotoxin

Endotoxin triggers the subarachnoid inflammation of gram-negative meningitis. This study examined the ability of a recombinant N-terminal fragment of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (rBPI23) to block endotoxin-induced meningitis in rabbits. Intracisternal (ic) injection of 10-20 ng of meningococcal endotoxin induced high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and CSF pleocytosis and increased CSF lactate concentrations. ic administration of rBPI23 significantly reduced meningococcal endotoxin-induced TNF release into CSF (P < .005), lactate concentrations (P < .001), and CSF white blood cell counts (P < .01). No such effect was observed in animals receiving intravenous rBPI23. Concentrations of rBPI23 in CSF were high after ic administration but low or undetectable after systemic administration. Thus, high concentrations of rBPI23 can effectively neutralize meningococcal endotoxin in CSF, but low CSF concentrations after systemic administration currently limit its potential usefulness as adjunctive drug treatment in gram-negative meningitis.
Potentiometric titration of the fluorescence yield of spinach chloroplasts.

Abstract The fluorescence yield of spinach chloroplasts was measured as a function of oxidation-reduction potential under anaerobic conditions at pH 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0. The potentiometric-titration curve showed two fluorescence quenching processes, both quenching in the oxidized state. The complete titration curve could be reasonably fit with a Nernst equation for the sum of two one-electron-transfer reactions with different midpoint potentials. At pH 7.0 the two transitions had midpoint potentials of about −35 mV and −270 mV and both showed a pH dependence of about −60 mV per pH unit. The hypothetical quencher, Q, assumed to be responsible for light-induced fluorescence-yield changes in green photosynthetic systems could be ascribed to the more positive quenching component.
Protein structure-based method for identifying horizontal gene transfer

Genetics has traditionally focused on vertical gene transfer, which is the passing of the genetic material of an organism to its offspring. However, recent studies in genetics increased the awareness that horizontal gene transfer, which is the passing of the genetic material of an organism to another organism that is not its offspring, is also a significant phenomenon. Horizontal gene transfer is thought to play a major role in the natural evolution of bacteria, such as, when several different types of bacteria all suddenly develop the same drug resistance genes. Artificial horizontal gene transfer occurs in genetic engineering.This paper provides methods to detect horizontal gene transfer among bacteria using BLAST and DaliLite measures of protein sequence and structural similarities. This research is novel and unique because no previous horizontal gene transfer study worked directly on protein sequences and structures. The main method is a computer algorithm to detect horizontal gene transfer among different COG classifications of proteins. The paper also considers visual structural comparisons and sequence alignments using the 'Jmol' tool. Finally, the paper considers the possibility that the methods yield false positives.
EFFECT OF MILK PROTEINS AND STABILIZER ON ICE MILK QUALITY

Ice milk mixes were made with and without stabilizer/emulsifier as well as with and without milk protein isolate (sodium caseinate or whey protein isolate). The mixes were evaluated for rheological, freezing, melting, and sensory properties. Adding a stabilizer/emulsifier blend to ice milk changed its physical properties more than adding milk protein isolates. The mixes with stabilizer/emulsifier exhibited increased viscosity and chewiness and decreased drainage rate, iciness, and vanilla flavor intensity. The mixes with added caseinate exhibited increased viscosity compared with those with added whey protein isolate. Overall, the quality of ice milk mix was more dependent on stabilizer/emulsifier addition than on milk protein isolate addition.
The Transformation of Schooling: A Way Forward

Progressive change in education is often limited by leaving in place long standing school structures such as the classroom, the stop-go nature of schooling and the essentialist approach to planning. The author argues that technology is a key to altering these long standing aspects of schooling and suggests that UnEarth is particularly suited for this role because it is based on developing communities of difference as well as knowledge sharing and storage. UnEarth links students within the classroom to students outside, develops a building approach to schooling based on what students have learned in previous years, and allows teachers to personalize the curriculum.
Explanation and the Hard Problem

This paper argues that the form of explanation at issue in the hard problem of consciousness is scientifically irrelevant, despite appearances to the contrary. In particular, it is argued that the ‘sense of understanding’ that plays a critical role in the form of explanation implicated in the hard problem provides neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition on satisfactory scientific explanation. Considerations of the actual tools and methods available to scientists are used to make the case against it being a necessary condition, and work by J.D. Trout that exploits psychological research on the hindsight and overconfidence biases is used to show that it is not a sufficient condition. It is argued, however, that certain intellectual and moral concerns give us good reason to still try to meet the hard problem’s explanatory challenge, despite its extrascientific nature.
On the ethics and practice of contemporary social theory: from crisis talk to multiattentional method

Using an approach derived from the anthropology and sociology of knowledge, this article explores the historical emergence of European social theory and its contemporary place in the human sciences. I direct ethnographic attention to a sense of crisis or impasse in social theory’s capacity to frame and to analyze the complexity of contemporary relations in the world. By reanalyzing this crisis talk as a phenomenological reaction to the growing (sub)specialization of social theory, I offer a new way of thinking about social theory in terms of specialized analytical attentions. I also suggest how we can move from crisis talk to a new ethics of theoretical complementarity, inspired by Dilthey, which I term “multiattentional method.”
Management of Older Hypertensive Patients: Is There a Difference in Approach?

Hypertension is the most common reason Americans visit a physician. Recent analyses from the Framingham Heart Study and others have shown that there will be 70 million hypertensive Americans by the year 2020 and that the overwhelming majority of hypertensives will be 65 years of age or older (what we used to call elderly). The lifetime risk of Americans who live to age 85 years of becoming hypertensive is approximately 90% for both men and women. These individuals, even if they develop an elevated blood pressure late in life, are at significantly increased risk of the many medical complications attributable to hypertension (coronary artery disease, strokes, heart failure, chronic renal disease, and more). Older hypertensives are more likely to have an elevated systolic blood pressure and a low diastolic blood pressure, both of which are related to a loss of article compliance and have an increase in left ventricular mass and a decrease in peripheral resistance. We now have a substantial body of evidence from well done clinical trials that older hypertensives benefit as much or more than younger patients from antihypertensive therapy, so there is no longer any justification for withholding medication from any hypertensive patient whose competing risk or other medical problems are not a contraindication to treatment. These same studies, and practice-based analyses, have shown that the major barrier to reaching blood pressure goal is our failure to reduce systolic blood pressure to <140 mm Hg in most patients and to <130 mm Hg in diabetics and those with renal failure. The basis for all antihypertensive therapy, especially in older people, is thiazide diuretics with either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers, or calcium entry blockers as appropriate add-on treatment. The choice of the second agent depends on other factors, such as comorbidity, lifestyle, and affordability. We must be more aggressive in getting the message out that older hypertensives benefit from treatment and we must overcome the clinical inertia that seems to be a factor in the decision of many physicians not to treat an older patient. No older person should suffer a preventable, life-threatening event or become confined to a wheel chair if attention to lifestyle issues and a few pills a day could avoid that outcome.
Photodissociation of solid oxygen with tunable ultraviolet laser light: ozone production monitored via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

Laser irradiation of solid oxygen with monochromatic ultraviolet light (210–250 nm) generates specifically oriented ozone species. Previously unobserved absorption features, tentatively assigned to ozone dimers, are detected with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy near the two features attributed to a single isolated ozone and to an O…O3 complex in each of the ν1, ν2, ν3, and ν1 + ν3 regions. Decreasing the wavelength from 250 to 210 nm increases the achievable concentration of the ozone species by more than a factor of 50, and increases the ratio of the dimer to monomer absorptions.
Recovery of heat‐stressed yeasts in media containing plant oleoresins

Conner, D.E. & Beuchat, L.R. 1985. Recovery of heat-stressed yeasts in media containing plant oleoresins. Journal of Applied Bacteriology59, 49–55. Oleoresins from seven plants (allspice, cinnamon, clove, garlic, onion, oregano, and thyme) were tested for their effects on eight genera of sublethally heated food-spoilage and industrially important yeasts (Candida lipolytica, Debaryomyces han-senii, Hansenula anomala, Kloeckera apiculata, Lodderomyces elongisporus, Rhodotorula rubra, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Torulopsis glabrata). All heat-stressed yeasts had increased sensitivity to oleoresins in recovery media. Heated cells were most sensitive to cinnamon oleoresin, a lethal effect being observed to concentrations as low as 5 μg/ml. Results indicate that all eight yeasts underwent metabolic and/or structural injury as a result of exposure to elevated temperature. Whilst changes in sensitivity to oleoresins were not the same for all yeasts, it is concluded that the oleoresins may have a pronounced synergistic or additive effect on thermal inactivation of yeasts in foods. Furthermore, carryover of oleoresins in low dilutions of food to enumeration media could adversely influence the recovery of heat-stressed cells, thus resulting in apparent low populations.
An approach to eriolanin. Synthesis of α-methylene lactones of trans-1,3-dihydroxycyclohexanes

Abstract A new synthesis of α-methylene lactones is discussed which incorporates an intramolecular epoxide opening with a vinyl anion.
The influence of barium on calcitonin secretion in the pig.

Summary The calcitonin secretagogue action of the barium ion was examined by the intravenous infusion of barium in vivo , by incubation with thyroid slices in vitro and by the perfusion of isolated whole thyroids in vitro . Plasma and media calcitonin levels were determined by means of a porcine calcitonin radioimmunoassay. The results of both the in vivo and in vitro experiments indicate that barium is capable of stimulating the calcitonin secretory system.