cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
La cocei : cultura y etnicidad politizadas en el istmo de tehuantepec

El dramatico exito del organismo izquierdista COCEI en Mexico, un pais controlado esencialmente por un partido, ha llamado la atencion de numerosos periodistas nacionales y extranjeros, de cientificos sociales y de escritores en el Istmo de Tehuantepec oaxaquefio. Atraidos en un principio por el inesperado triunfo de la COCEI en las elecciones municipales de Juchitan (1981), por la posterior destituci6n violenta que sufrieron por parte del gobierno mexicano (1983), y la naturaleza colorida del movimiento, estos observadores (asi como algunos intelectuales locales) nos inundaron con una producci6n de articulos, libros y tesis, que analizan la COCEI. La mayoria de estos escritos ha hecho enfasis en el elemento etnico de la cocEI, pero son pocos los casos en los que tales anailisis llegan a enlazarse con las complejidades de la etnicidad y la politica en el Istmo. Por lo tanto, el presente articulo intentara clarificar el papel de la etnicidad en la COCEI. Con este fin utilizare los datos obtenidos en la inves-
Online negative public sentiment does not matter? — Empirical evidence from social media and movie industry

Recently, as social networking websites become increasingly ubiquitous, there is also a surge in academia to study their potential impacts on business practice. One strand of literature focuses on the public sentiment expressed through social media and how such sentiment shape business environment. Previous researches have proved that public sentiment on social media does have an impact on movie's opening weekend box office. This study aims to specifically analyze both positive and negative sentiment by following this strand of research in movie industry. The results confirm that positive sentiment shares high covariance with profitability whereas negative sentiment becomes insignificant after controlling for the production budget. In other words, online negative sentiment towards a product does not necessarily affect profitability negatively.
Ion-Ion Interactions

If a potential electrolyte is added to an aqueous solution, it is conceivable that its dissociation may be so low that few ions are produced. It is also possible to make a solution from a true electrolyte so dilute that the number of ions in solution is very small. In both of these cases, the analysis completed in the previous chapter would be adequate to describe the interactions that cause the solution to deviate from ideality. These solutions would be so dilute that each and every ion in solution could, in a sense, look out past even its secondary hydration sheath and see only bulk water. These ions would thus seem to exist completely alone and isolated in solution.
Solving fuzzy relational equations through network training

Develops a neurallike network and a training algorithm for solving fuzzy relational equations. The fuzzy relational equation mu /sub Y/(y)=sup/sub x/( mu /sub X/(x) mu /sub R/(x,y)) is considered, where Y and R are known fuzzy sets and the problem is to determine mu /sub X/(x). The basic idea is to represent the right-hand side of the fuzzy relational equation by a neurallike network, and then train the network to match the desired target mu /sub Y/(y) using a gradient descent algorithm. The training data are generated by sampling the domains of x and y. It is proved that the training algorithm guarantees that the matching error decreases after a fixed number of steps of training. This approach is applied to solving a specific fuzzy relational equation. The results show that the training algorithm converges very fast and the solutions agree with intuition. >
A Review of “Asylum Denied: A Refugee’s Struggle for Safety in America”

Asylum Denied examines the complex bureaucratic and legal process asylum seekers must endure in order to find safe haven in America. The book opens with an introductory chapter written by co-writer...
Scale estimation for robots in urban search and rescue

Urban search and rescue (USAR) is the rescue of people trapped by disasters involving the collapse of man-made structures. Introducing robots to USAR has the potential to increase the speed and effectiveness of rescue operations considerably and make them safer for rescuers. Robots have been used in recent rescue operations, including the WTC terrorist attack, leading to the identification of several problems in robot-assisted search and rescue. This paper proposes a solution to one such problem that has been encountered repeatedly in the use of robots for USAR: the determination of the scale of unrecognizable objects in the camera views from the robot. We describe a procedure that would allow the extraction of size and orientation information using a laser pointer and camera mounted on a robot, and experiments that verify the effectiveness of this procedure have been shown.
Visual reasoning for informational retrieval from very large databases

When the database grows larger and larger, the user no longer knows what is in the database. Nor does the user know clearly what should be retrieved. How to get at the data becomes a central problem for very large databases. The author suggests an approach based upon data visualization and visual reasoning. The idea is to transform the data objects and present sample data objects in a visual space. The user can then incrementally formulate the information retrieval request in the visual space. By combining data visualization, visual query, visual examples and visual clues, he hopes to come up with better ways for formulating and modifying a user's query. A prototype system using the Visual Language Compiler and the VisualNet is then described. >
Use of dietary supplements by female seniors in a large Northern California health plan.

Women aged ≥ 65 years are high utilizers of prescription and over-the-counter medications, and many of these women are also taking dietary supplements. Dietary supplement use by older women is a concern because of possible side effects and drug-supplement interactions. The primary aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive picture of dietary supplement use among older women in a large health plan in Northern California, USA, to raise awareness among health care providers and pharmacists about the need for implementing structural and educational interventions to minimize adverse consequences of self-directed supplement use. A secondary aim was to raise awareness about how the focus on use of herbals and megavitamins that has occurred in most surveys of complementary and alternative therapy use results in a significant underestimate of the proportion of older women who are using all types of dietary supplements for the same purposes. We used data about use of different vitamin/mineral (VM) supplements and nonvitamin, nonmineral (NVNM) supplements, including herbals, from a 1999 general health survey mailed to a random sample of adult members of a large Northern California health plan to estimate prevalence of and characteristics associated with supplement use among women aged 65–84 (n = 3,109). Based on weighted data, 84% had in the past 12 months used >1 dietary supplement, 82% a VM, 59% a supplement other than just multivitamin or calcium, 32% an NVNM, and 25% an herbal. Compared to white, nonHispanic women, African-Americans and Latinas were significantly less likely to use VM and NVNM supplements and Asian/Pacific Islanders were less likely to use NVNM supplements. Higher education was strongly associated with use of an NVNM supplement. Prevalence did not differ by number of prescription medications taken. Among white, nonHispanic women, multiple logistic regression models showed that college education, good health, belief that health practices have at least a moderate effect on health, and having arthritis or depression significantly increased likelihood of NVNM use, while having diabetes decreased likelihood. An extremely high proportion of older women are using dietary supplements other than multivitamins and calcium, many in combination with multiple prescription medications. Increased resources should be devoted to helping clinicians, pharmacists, supplement vendors, and consumers become more aware of the safety, effectiveness, and potential side effects of dietary supplements.
Thermal safety of ultrasound-enhanced ocular drug delivery: A modeling study

Purpose: Delivery of sufficient amounts of therapeutic drugs into the eye for treatment of various ocular diseases is often a challenging task. Ultrasound was shown to be effective in enhancing ocular drug delivery in the authors’ previous in vitro and in vivo studies. Methods: The study reported here was designed to investigate the safety of ultrasound application and its potential thermal effects in the eye using PZFlex modeling software. The safety limit in this study was set as a temperature increase of no more than 1.5 °C based on regulatory recommendations and previous experimental safety studies. Acoustic and thermal specifications of different human eye tissues were obtained from the published literature. The tissues of particular interest in this modeling safety study were cornea, lens, and the location of optic nerve in the posterior eye. Ultrasound application was modeled at frequencies of 400 kHz–1 MHz, intensities of 0.3–1 W/cm2, and exposure duration of 5 min, which were the parameters used in the authors’ previous drug delivery experiments. The baseline eye temperature was 37 °C. Results: The authors’ results showed that the maximal tissue temperatures after 5 min of ultrasound application were 38, 39, 39.5, and 40 °C in the cornea, 39.5, 40, 42, and 43 °C in the center of the lens, and 37.5, 38.5, and 39 °C in the back of the eye (at the optic nerve location) at frequencies of 400, 600, 800 kHz, and 1 MHz, respectively. Conclusions: The ocular temperatures reached at higher frequencies were considered unsafe based on current recommendations. At a frequency of 400 kHz and intensity of 0.8 W/cm2 (parameters shown in the authors’ previous in vivo studies to be optimal for ocular drug delivery), the temperature increase was small enough to be considered safe inside different ocular tissues. However, the impact of orbital bone and tissue perfusion should be included in future modeling efforts to determine the safety of this method in the whole orbit especially regarding potential adverse optic nerve heating at the location of the bone.
En el Norte la Mujer Manda Gender, Generation, and Geography in a Mexican Transnational Community

This study explores generational and migration-related changes in gender and marriage in two locations of a transnational community of Mexicans: the sending community in western Mexico and the receiving community in Atlanta. The principal method was life histories, focusing on 13 women in Atlanta and their sisters or sisters-in-law in Mexico; life history informants' mothers and husbands were also interviewed. A generational paradigm shift in marital ideals has occurred, from an ideal of respeto (respect) to one of confianza (trust), characterized by cooperative decision making, heterosociality, a less gendered division of labor in social reproduction, and a new role for marital sexuality. Although women on both sides of the frontera (border) share this companionate ideal, economic opportunities, more privacy, and some legal protection from domestic violence gave women in Atlanta more leverage to push for these companionate marriages.
Studies of deep crustal layers by explosive shots

Our broad objective in beginning this program was to try and learn more about the nature of the Earth's crust, such as the kind of compensation occurring under mountain regions, the geological nature of large gravity anomalies and the correlation of isostatic adjustment with crustal structure. The immediate objective began as a project to determine the layering of the crustal structure underlying the region around Washington, D.C., and the Appalachian Highlands. The methods proposed were to use the best combination of refraction, vertical, and critical angle reflection of seismic waves resulting from controlled detonations of high explosives.
Are Radio Frequency or Cell Phone Fields Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans? [Health Effects]

The public domain and scientific community'sresponse to the recent International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announcement that, while incomplete and limited, the evidence is sufficiently strong to support a classification of possibly carcinogenic to humans for RF electromagnetic fields was mixed, to say the least. Although IARCs conclusion was not entirely unanimous, it acknowledged published scientific papers reporting an increased risks for gliomas (a type of malignant brain cancer) and acoustic neuromas (a nonmalignant tumor of the auditory nerve on the side of the brain) among heavy or long-term users of cellular mobile telephones [1]-[3].
Teaching preschool age autistic children to make spontaneous initiations to peers using priming.

Children with autism rarely initiate social interactions with their peers. Currently available interventions have not increased autistic children' spontaneous initiations in natural settings without extensive teacher involvement. A “priming” strategy consisting of a low demand, high reinforcement session prior to the regular school activity was used to increase the spontaneous social initiations of 2 preschool age autistic boys to typically developing peers in a regular preschool classroom. Peers were also trained to independently respond to initiations. Implications for developing practical ways to improve autistic children's social functioning in regular school settings are discussed.
The devil is in the DNA.

In the current era of large-scale cancer genome sequencing, the interpretation of somatic sequence alterations is a formidable challenge. A new study of known mutations represents an important step in cataloging somatic mutations in individual tumors.
Lateral hypothalamus: early developmental expression and response to hypocretin (orexin).

Hypocretin is a recently discovered peptide that is synthesized by neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area (LH) and is believed to play a role in sleep regulation, arousal, endocrine control, and food intake. These functions are critical for the development of independent survival. We investigated the developmental profile of the hypocretin system in rats. Northern blot analysis showed that the expression of hypocretin mRNA increased from postnatal day 1 to adulthood. Both of the identified hypocretin receptor mRNAs were strongly expressed very early in hypothalamic development, and expression subsequently decreased in the mature brain. Immunocytochemistry revealed hypocretin-2 peptide expression in the cell bodies of LH neurons and in axons in the brain and spinal cord as early as embryonic day 19. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from postnatal P1-P14 LH slices demonstrated a robust increase in synaptic activity in all LH neurons tested (n = 20) with a 383% increase in the frequency of spontaneous activity upon hypocretin-2 (1.5 microM) application. A similar increase in activity was found with hypocretin-1 application to LH slices. Hypocretin-2 evoked a robust increase in synaptic activity even on the earliest day tested, the day of birth. Furthermore, voltage-clamp recordings and calcium digital imaging experiments using cultured LH cells revealed that both hypocretin-1 and -2 induced enhancement of neuronal activity occurred as early as synaptic activity was detected. Thus, as in the adult central nervous system, hypocretin exerts a profound excitatory influence on neuronal activity early in development, which might contribute to the development of arousal, sleep regulation, feeding, and endocrine control.
Volatilization of Benzene in a River

Abstract. Benzene is a volatile organic compound: when it contaminates a river, some of the substance will evaporate as it flows through. We examine the volumetric flow rate to find how volatilization affects the concentration levels of benzene as the substance flows through several consecutive sections of a river, using a specific example to illustrate the general method.
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of pentaammineosmium (III)/(II) and pentaammineruthenium (II) containing pyridine, pyrazine or 4,4′-bipyridine ligands at silver electrodes: vibrational assignments

Abstract Detailed vibrational assignments are described for surface-enhanced Raman (SER) spectra of pentaammineosmium (III), (II) and pentaammineruthenium (II) containing pyridine (py), pyrazine (pz) and 4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) ligands adsorbed at the silver—aqueous interface. The assignments are based on group symmetry analysis, deuteration effects and by comparison with corresponding normal Raman and i.r. spectra for the solid-phase complexes and surface and bulk Raman spectra for the corresponding free ligands. Most bands present in the normal Raman and/or i.r. spectra also appear in the SER spectra. This results from the high intensity of the SER spectra along with the relaxation of vibrational selection rules for adsorbed molecules. The appearance of intense SER spectra for Os (NH3)5py(III)/(II) and RuII(NH3)5py is noteworthy since, unlike free pyridine, these lack an available nitrogen for surface coordination. The results illustrate the virtues of electrochemical SER spectroscopy for examining the detailed vibrational properties of coordination compounds, including those in oxidation states [such as Os(II) here] that are difficult to obtain pure in bulk media.
Compressed sensing using a Gaussian Scale Mixtures model in wavelet domain

Compressed Sensing (CS) theory has gained attention recently as an alternative to the current paradigm of sampling followed by compression. Early CS recovery techniques operated under the implicit assumption that the transform coefficients in the sparsity domain are independently distributed. Recent works, however, demonstrated that exploiting the statistical dependencies between transform coefficients can further improve the recovery performance of CS. In this paper, we propose the use of a Gaussian Scale Mixtures (GSM) model in CS. This model can efficiently exploit the statistical dependencies between wavelet coefficients during CS recovery. The proposed model is incorporated into several recent CS techniques including Reweighted l 1 minimization (RL1), Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares (IRLS), and Iterative Hard Thresholding (IHT). Experimental results show that the proposed method improves reconstruction quality for a given number of measurements or requires fewer measurements for a desired reconstruction quality.
Determinants of body weight gain and association with neurodevelopmental outcome in infants operated for congenital heart disease.

The aim of this prospective study was to examine the determinants of growth failure and the association with neurodevelopmental outcome in infants undergoing open-heart surgery. In 107 infants undergoing open-heart surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD), we evaluated weight at birth, at surgery, and at one year of age (expressed as z-scores). Neurodevelopmental status was assessed before surgery and at one year of age. Median age at surgery was 3.9 months (range: 0.1-10.2). Mean [+/-standard deviation (S.D.)] weight z-score at birth was -0.27 (+/-1.45), before surgery -1.34 (+/-1.45) (P 3 (OR 3.22, P<0.05). Neurodevelopmental outcome at one year was not determined by growth failure. In conclusion, impaired body weight gain before surgery is followed by a catch-up growth after surgery. However, there is no relationship to neurodevelopmental outcome. Genetic comorbidity is the most significant factor for poor weight gain.
Large scale electronic structure calculations.

We formulate the Kohn-Sham density functional theory in terms of nonorthogonal, localized orbitals. Within this formulation we introduce a simple and effective method to localize the orbitals. Our approach leads to a plane-wave-based algorithm for total energy calculations whose computational complexity is of O(N), where N is the number of electrons. This opens the way to calculations of unprecedented scale. Our method appears to be of general character and applicable in other contexts such as quantum chemical or projected quantum Monte Carlo calculations.
THE LIMITED ROLE OF CHANGING AGE STRUCTURE IN EXPLAINING AGGREGATE CRIME RATES

Changes in the age structure are shown to have a limited impact on aggregate crime rates. Even the dramatic transformation of the age distribution accompanying the baby boom shifted crime rates by no more than 1 % per year. Projected changes in the age distribution between 1995 and 2010 will lead to slight declines in per capita crime rates. These results are at odds with recent predictions of an impending demographically driven crime wave. Such predictions have focused exclusively on a rise in juvenile crime and ignored the offsetting decreases among adults.
Predicted trends of core-shell preferences for 132 late transition-metal binary-alloy nanoparticles.

Transition-metal alloyed nanoparticles with core−shell features (shell enrichment by one of the metals) are becoming ubiquitous, from (electro-)catalysis to biomedical applications, due to their si...
A review of research on the happiness measures: A sixty second index of happiness and mental health.

Eighteen years of research using the Happiness Measures (HM) is reviewed in relation to the general progress of well-being measurement efforts. The accumulated findings on this remarkably quick instrument, show good reliability, exceptional stability, and a record of convergent, construct, and discriminative validity unparalleled in the field. Because of this, the HM is offered as a potential touchstone of measurement consistency in a field which generally lacks it.
Evidence for defective Rab GTPase-dependent cargo traffic in immune disorders

A fully functional immune system is essential to protect the body against pathogens and other diseases, including cancer. Vesicular trafficking provides the correct localization of proteins within all cell types, but this process is most exquisitely controlled and coordinated in immune cells because of their specialized organelles and their requirement to respond to selected stimuli. More than 60 Rab GTPases play important roles in protein trafficking, but only five Rab-encoding genes have been associated with inherited human disorders, and only one of these (Rab27a) causes an immune defect. Mutations in RAB27A cause Griscelli Syndrome type 2 (GS2), an autosomal recessive disorder of pigmentation and severe immune deficiency. In lymphocytes, Munc13-4 is an effector of Rab27a, and mutations in the gene encoding this protein (UNC13D) cause Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Type 3 (FHL3). The immunological features of GS2 and FHL3 include neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and immunodeficiency due to impaired function of cytotoxic lymphocytes. The small number of disorders caused by mutations in genes encoding Rabs could be due to their essential functions, where defects in these genes could be lethal. However, with the increasing use of next generation sequencing technologies, more mutations in genes encoding Rabs may be identified in the near future.
Data file two: a data storage and retrieval system

The Data File Two was conceived to meet the needs of a corporate headquarters in the $500 million sales category. The file would contain monthly sales data for the past two years and the customer master file, current month orders and sales, railcar locations, current year profit plans, personnel records, ledgers, one-year profit plan data, and five-year profit plan data. This file is assumed to be about 400,000 items.
The deterioration of deterrence effects of driving legislation: Have we been giving wrong signals to policymakers?

This paper suggests that the apparently observed initial success of legislation to control drunken driving accidents by law enforcement and sanctions, followed by a return of accident levels to initial trends may be an artifact of failure to properly model the accident process. The point is illustrated by simulating a model of accidents in which drunken driving is controllable with a change in laws. It shows that this control effect can easily be swamped by other plausible accident inducing forces. Finally, it is argued that the cost of failing to maintain efforts to control drunken driving may be greater than the social costs of maintaining high enforcement levels and stiff penalties.
Quantum mechanical study of the oxidation pathway of the oxygen-evolving catalyst, [(bpy)2(H2O)RuIII–O–RuIII(H2O)(bpy)2]+4*

Quantum mechanical density functional calculations are performed for the various oxidized forms of the water-oxidation catalyst [(bpy)2(H2O)RuIII– O–RuIII(H2O)(bpy)2]+4 (where bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine). Two possible structural forms of [(bpy)2(H2O)Ru–O–Ru(H2O)(bpy)2]+4 are investigated. One has two of the interior to two waters bpy ligands and the other has the two water ligands exterior. Our calculations show the interior form to be around 4 kcal/mol lower in energy. The calculated electronic structures for the interior form [(bpy)2(H2O)Ru–O–Ru(H2O)(bpy)2]+4 and the exterior from [(bpy)2(H2O)Ru–O–Ru(OH)(bpy)2]+4 compare well with structures determined from X-ray crystallography. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 83: 143–149, 2001
A numerical model of the balance equations in a periodic domain and an example of balanced turbulence

Abstract The Balance Equations represent rotating, stratified fluid motions and therefore are of potential utility in studies of geophysical phenomena. In this paper we present numerical algorithms for this model. The most novel aspect resolves the implicit structure of the time-derivative terms in the Balance Equations with iterative, predictor-corrector methods which combine time-stepping and iteration. The discrete spatial operations are low-order, finite-differences which exactly conserve certain integral properties of the model. The numerical performance of the model is evaluated, and comparisons with other geophysical models are made—the more highly approximated Quasigeostrophic Equations (QG) and the more fundamental Primitive Equations (PE). We find that the Balance Equations are an excellent Intermediate Model: their computational cost is closer to that of the less expensive QG, but they quite accurately represent the evolution of the vorticity field of the more accurate PE, even when fluid advection rates are comparable to the Coriolis frequency (i.e., the Rossby number is order one) and a substantial gravity wave component is generated in the PE. In addition, the existence of a solvability barrier at large Rossby number is demonstrated. As an illustration of a physical phenomenon for which the Balance Equations are well suited, solutions are examined for the slow viscous decay of broad-band, large-scale, baroclinic initial conditions at finite Rossby number (i.e., balanced turbulence). Several departures from the more familiar geostrophic turbulence are found: the enstrophy cascade is stronger, the baroclinic energy conversion is stronger, and there is a tendency to form isolated frontal structures in the vorticity field.
Regulatory oversight of biochemical pesticides by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: health effects considerations.

Abstract The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) enables the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that pesticide use in commerce will not result in unreasonable adverse effects to humans and the environment. Currently, two classes of pesticides are recognized: conventional chemical pesticides and biological pesticides. The latter group is divided into biochemical and microbial pesticides. The recent resurgence of biochemical pesticides as effective pest control agents has increased the number of applications for experimental use permits and for product registration. The fundamental information and data necessary to evaluate such products by the Health Effects Division (HED) of OPP are discussed, as well as the criteria for the classification of a pesticide as a biochemical versus a conventional chemical pesticide. In accordance with the Agency′s effort to encourage the development of pesticides less toxic to humans and the environment, the scientific basis for providing future regulatory relief and reduced data requirements for biochemical pesticides is discussed.
Inhibition and Alternate Substrate Studies on the Mechanism of Carbapenam Synthetase from Erwinia carotovora

The Erwinia carotorova carA, carB, and carC gene products are essential for the biosynthesis of (5R)-carbapen-2-em-3-carboxylic acid, the simplest carbapenem β-lactam antibiotic. CarA (hereafter na...
Aging attenuates radiation-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in rat brain.

Abstract The present study was designed to examine the effect of aging on radiation-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in rat brain. Male F344 × BN rats (4, 16, and 24 months of age) received either whole brain irradiation with a single dose of 10 Gy γ-rays or sham-irradiation, and were maintained for 4, 8, and 24 h post-irradiation. The mRNA expression levels of various pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, adhesion molecules, chemokine, and matrix metalloproteinase were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The acute inflammatory responses to irradiation, including overexpression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were markedly attenuated in the hippocampus of middle-aged and old rats compared with young groups. Specifically, a significant age-dependent decrease in TNF-α expression was detected 8 and 24 h after irradiation and a similar age-related attenuation was observed in IL-1β, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 expression 4 and 8 h post-irradiation. MCP-1 expression was reduced 4 h post-irradiation and MMP-9 expression at 8 h post-irradiation. These results provide evidence for the first time that radiation-induced pro-inflammatory responses in the brain are suppressed in aged animals.
Simulation of Nanoparticle Permeation through a Lipid Membrane

A metric of nanoparticle toxicity is the passive permeability rate through cellular membranes. To assess the influence of nanoparticle morphology on this process, the permeability of buckyball-sized molecules through a representative lipid bilayer was investigated by molecular-dynamics simulation. When C60 was compared with a prototypical opened C60 molecule and a representative combustion-generated particle, C68H29, the calculated free-energy profiles along the permeation coordinate revealed a sizable variation in form and depth. The orientation of the anisotropic molecules was determined by monitoring the principal axis corresponding to the largest moment of inertia, and free rotation was shown to be hindered in the bilayer interior. Diffusion constant values of the permeant molecules were calculated from a statistical average of seven to 10 trajectories at five locations along the permeation coordinate. A relatively minor variation of the values was observed in the bilayer interior; however, local resistance values spanned up to 24 orders of magnitude from the water layer to the bilayer center, due primarily to its exponential dependence on free energy. The permeability coefficient values calculated for the three similarly sized but structurally distinct nanoparticles showed a significant variance. The use of C60 to represent similarly sized carbonaceous nanoparticles for assessments of toxicity is questioned.
National Courts, Domestic Democracy, and the Evolution of International Law: A Reply to Eyal Benvenisti and George Downs

† Benvenisti and Downs, ‘National Courts, Domestic Democracy, and the Evolution of International Law’, 20 EJIL (2009) 59, http://ejil. oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/20/1/59. * Professor, University of Chicago Law School. Email: tginsburg@uchicago.edu. The application of the tools of international relations, particularly those associated with rational choice analysis, to problems of international law has generated many important insights in the last two decades. In a recent issue of this Journal, Eyal Benvenisti and George Downs, two scholars who individually and jointly have contributed much to this research programme, provide a fascinating interpretation of a recent trend in democracies toward judicial constraint of executives in foreign affairs matters. Placing this development in the broader context of interjudicial cooperation and globalization, they argue that courts are increasingly coordinating across borders to constrain their national executives. This requires resolution of a transnational collective action problem among judges. The piece is creative, well-argued, and might even be correct. But, as I will argue, it might not be. The fact that courts cooperate and coordinate is observationally equivalent to other plausible theories of what courts are doing. These theories are simpler and also consistent with the basic story Benvenisti and Downs want to tell.
A description of a behavioral group treatment for depression

Abstract This article describes a behavioral group treatment for depression that develops client coping skills for managing multidimensional sources of depression and enhances skill transference to client surroundings
Notch signaling reveals developmental plasticity of Pax4+ pancreatic endocrine progenitors and shunts them to a duct fate

Relatively little is known about the developmental signals that specify the types and numbers of pancreatic cells. Previous studies suggested that Notch signaling in the pancreas inhibits differentiation and promotes the maintenance of progenitor cells, but it remains unclear whether Notch also controls cell fate choices as it does in other tissues. To study the impact of Notch in progenitors of the beta cell lineage, we generated mice that express Cre-recombinase under control of the Pax4 promoter. Lineage analysis of Pax4(+) cells demonstrates they are specified endocrine progenitors that contribute equally to four islet cell fates, contrary to expectations raised by the dispensable role of Pax4 in the specification of the alpha and PP subtypes. In addition, we show that activation of Notch in Pax4(+) progenitors inhibits their differentiation into alpha and beta endocrine cells and shunts them instead toward a duct fate. These observations reveal an unappreciated degree of developmental plasticity among early endocrine progenitors and raise the possibility that a bipotent duct-endocrine progenitor exists during development. Furthermore, the redirection of Pax4(+) cells from alpha and beta endocrine fates toward a duct cell type suggests a positive role for Notch signaling in duct specification and is consistent with the more widely defined role for Notch in cell fate determination.
Identification and characterization of Rhox13, a novel X-linked mouse homeobox gene

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors whose expression organizes programs of development. A number of homeobox genes expressed in reproductive tissues have been identified recently, including a colinear cluster on the X chromosome in mice. This has led to an increased interest in understanding the role(s) of homeobox genes in regulating development of reproductive tissues including the testis, ovary, and placenta. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel homeobox gene of the paired-like class on the X chromosome distal to the reproductive homeobox (Rhox) cluster in mice. Transcripts are found in the testis and ovary as early as 13.5 days post coitum (dpc). Transcription ceases in the ovary by 3 days post partum (dpp), but continues in the testis through adulthood. The Rhox13 gene encodes a 25.3 kDa protein expressed in the adult testis in germ cells at the basal aspect of the seminiferous epithelium.
The photochemistry of sulfur dioxide excited within its first allowed band (3130 Å) and the “forbidden” band (3700–;4000 Å)

The quantum yields of SO3 formation have been determined in pure SO2 and in SO2 mixtures with NO, CO2, and O2 using both flow and static systems. In separate series of experiments excitation of SO2 was effected within the forbidden band, SO2(3B1) , and within the first allowed singlet band at 3130 A. The values of Φ were found to be sensitive to the flow rate of the reactants. These results and the apparently divergent quantum yield results of Cox [10], Allen and coworkers [24, 26, 29], and Okuda and coworkers [11] were rationalized quantitatively in terms of the significant occurrence of the reactions SO + SO3 2SO2 (2), and 2SO SO2 + S [or (SO)2] (3), in experiments of long residence time. From the present rate data, values of the rate constants were estimated, k2=(1.2±0.7) × 106; k3=(5±4) × 105 l˙/mole · sec. Φ values from triplet excitation experiments at high flow rates of NOSO2 and CO2SO2 mixtures showed the sole reactant with SO2 leading to SO3 formation in this system to be SO2(3B1); SO2(3B1) + SO2 SO3 + SO(3Σ−) (la); k=(4.2±0.4) × 107 l./mole · sec. With excitation of SO2 at 3130 A both singlet and triplet excited states play a role in SO3 formation. If the reactive singlet state is 1B1, the long-lived fluorescent state, SO2(1B1) + SO2 SO3 + SO (1 Δ or 3Σ−) (lb), then k=(2.2±0.5) × 109 l./mole · sec. From the observed inhibition of SO formation by added nitric oxide, it was found that the SO3-forming triplet state, generated in this singlet excited SO2 system, had a relative reactivity toward SO2 and NO which was equal within the experimental error to that observed here for the SO2(3B1) species. Either SO2(3B1) molecules were created with an unexpectedly high efficiency in 3130 A excited SO2(1B1) quenching collisions, or another reactive triplet (presumably 3A2 or 3B2) of almost identical reactivity to SO2(3B1) was important here.
Sodium channels from human brain RNA expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Basic electrophysiologic characteristics and their modification by diphenylhydantoin.

Abstract We describe the expression and characterization of sodium channels from human brain RNA in the Xenopus oocyte. The expressed channel, studied by whole-cell voltage clamp, reveals characteristic selectivity for sodium as the permeant ion, voltage-dependent gating, and block by nanomolar concentrations of tetrodotoxin. Such channels are not seen in control oocytes injected with solvent only. The anticonvulsant diphenylhydantoin (DPH) inhibits the expressed channel in a voltage- and use-dependent manner, much like the effect seen in primary mammalian neuronal preparations. The inhibition of the expressed human sodium channel by DPH can be described by models previously developed to explain block of Na channels by local anesthetics. The preferential block of Na channels during depolarization helps explain the selectivity of DPH for neurons involved in seizure activity.
Albedo boundaries on Mars in 1972: Results from Mariner 9

Abstract A map of “albedo” boundaries (light and dark markings) on Mars was prepared from Mariner 9 images. After special digital processing, these pictures provide detailed locations of albedo boundaries, which is significant in interpreting recent eolian activity. Derivation of absolute albedo values from the spacecraft data was not attempted. The map correlates well with telescopic observations of Mars after the 1971 dust storm.
Real-time, in situ measurements of atmospheric optical absorption in the visible via photoacoustic spectroscopy—II. Validation for atmospheric elemental carbon aerosol

Abstract Photoacoustic spectroscopy has been applied to real-time measurements of atmospheric elemental carbon (EC) aerosol in ambient air in Dearborn, Michigan. The spectrometer used a photoacoustic cell constructed to operate in the azimuthal mode with acoustic resonant enhancement. The light source was an argon ion laser with the wavelength selected at 514.5 nm. The technique measures optical absorption and was calibrated with NO2 which has a known absorption coefficient. The instrument signal was shown to be quite sensitive to temperature and humidity, so frequent calibration was necessary as the ambient conditions changed. No influence from atmospheric light scattering species was found. Since visible light absorption in the atmosphere is due almost entirely to EC aerosol and NO2 gas, interference from atmospheric NO2 was eliminated by removing it from the sample with a denuder. Optical absorption of the atmospheric aerosol was converted to EC concentration using an absorption coefficient of 10 m2 g−1. Realtime, in situ atmospheric measurements were validated by correlating photoacoustic EC concentrations integrated over several hours with companion filter samples analyzed thermally. Regression of these data gave y = 1.10 (±0.13)x−0.10 (±0.22) with r = 0.926, where y was photoacoustically determined carbon and x was filter carbon in μm−3. The detection limited was 0.3 μgCm−3.
Current status of PCB toxicity to mink, and effect on their reproduction.

Experiments were conducted from 1968 to 1974 to investigate reproductive complications and mortality in mink fed Great Lakes coho salmon and to ascertain the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) on this fur bearer. The results of mink feeding trials indicated that coho salmon, as such, were not responsible for the loss of reproduction in the adult, or the kit mortality. Mink diets that contained other species of Great Lakes fish caused similar reproductive complications, but to a lesser degree. Rancidity, mercury poisoning and chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide contamination of the fish were all discounted as being responsible for the problem. The clinical signs and lesions noted in mink that died while receiving diets that contained Lake Michigan coho salmon were very similar to those observed in mink fed on rations that contained supplemental PCB's. These included anorexia, bloody stools, fatty liver, kidney degeneration, and hemorrhagic gastric ulcers. Analyses of tissues from mink that died when fed 30% Lake Michigan coho salmon or 30 ppm supplemental PCB diets showed similar PCB residues. PCB toxicity experiments revealed that mink are very sensitive to these compounds and that the lethal dose varied inversely with the chlorine content of the PCB's although only Aroclor 1254 exerted a detrimental effect on reproduction when fed at a low level (2 ppm) for 8 months. The reproductive failure encountered in feeding mink Lake Michigan coho salmon and Aroclor 1254 was shown to be of a non-permanent nature.
High-speed phase-shifting profilometry

A microscopic 3-D shape measurement system based on a new high-speed phase shifting technique is developed and experimented. By taking advantage of the color channel switching characteristic of a commercial Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) based video projector, a potential 3-D shape measurement speed of up to 100 frames/sec can be achieved. A computer generated color fringe pattern is projected onto an object surface. The red, green and blue channels of this pattern are programmed to be sinusoidal fringe patterns with 120 degrees in phase difference. When the color filter of the projector is removed, three grayscale fringe patterns are actually projected in sequence with a cycle time of approximately 10 ms. Through a stereomicroscope, the fringe patterns generated by the DMD is projected onto a small surface area of the object and then captured by a CCD camera via the same microscope objective. The 3-D microscopic shape of the object surface is reconstructed by using a phase wrapping and unwrapping algorithm. Experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of this technique for high-speed surface profile measurement.
Mitral annular size and shape in sheep with annuloplasty rings

Abstract Background: Mitral annuloplasty is an important element of most mitral repairs, yet the effects of various types of annuloplasty rings on mitral annular dynamics are still debated. Recent studies suggest that flexible rings preserve physiologic mitral annular area change during the cardiac cycle, while rigid rings do not. Methods: To clarify the effects of mitral ring annuloplasty on mitral annular dynamic geometry, we sutured 8 radiopaque markers equidistantly around the mitral anulus in 3 groups of sheep (n = 7 each: no ring, Carpentier-Edwards semi-rigid Physio-Ring [Baxter Healthcare Corp, Edwards Division, Santa Ana, Calif], and Duran flexible ring [Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, Minn]). Ring sizes were selected according to anterior leaflet area and inter-trigonal distance (Physio-Ring 28 mm, n=7; Duran ring 31 mm, n=5, and 29 mm, n=2). After 8 ± 1 days of recovery, the sheep were sedated and studied by means of biplane videofluoroscopy. Mitral annular area was calculated from 3-dimensional marker coordinates without assuming circular or planar geometry. Results: In the no ring group, mitral annular area varied during the cardiac cycle by 11% ± 2% (mean ± SEM; maximum=7.6 ± 0.2, minimum=6.8 ± 0.2 cm 2 ; P ≤ .001). Mitral annular area was fixed in the Physio-Ring group (4.6 ± 0.1 cm 2 ) and, surprisingly, also static in the Duran ring group (4.8 ± 0.1 cm 2 ; P = .26 vs Physio-Ring). Furthermore, mitral annular 3-dimensional shape changed in the no-ring group during the cardiac cycle, but not in the Physio-Ring or Duran groups. Conclusions: Mitral annular area and shape did not change during the cardiac cycle after ring annuloplasty, regardless of ring type. Thus mitral annular area reduction, independent of intrinsic ring flexibility, is the chief mechanism responsible for the salutary effects of mitral ring annuloplasty. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:302-9)
Diagnostic value of HMGAs, p53 and β-catenin in discriminating adenocarcinoma from adenoma or reactive atypia in ampulla and common bile duct biopsies.

Aims Biopsies from the ampulla of Vater and the common bile duct often pose diagnostic challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of HMGA1, HMGA2, β-catenin and p53 in biopsy specimens, in order to evaluate the potential diagnostic value of these proteins in differentiating adenocarcinoma from reactive atypia or adenoma. Methods and results Forty-eight biopsies (10 from the common bile duct and 38 from the ampulla) were selected for immunohistochemical studies; they included 14 cases of reactive atypia, 12 adenomas, and 22 adenocarcinomas. Expression of HMGA1 was seen in 21% of the reactive atypia cases, 42% of adenomas, and 91% of adenocarcinomas. HMGA2 was positive in 14% of reactive atypias, 42% of adenomas, and 86% of adenocarcinomas. The staining intensity of HMGA1 and HMGA2 was also significantly higher in adenocarcinomas than in adenomas or reactive atypias. Interestingly, coexpression of HMGA1 and HMGA2 was found in 86% of adenocarcinomas, 0% of reactive atypias, and 8% of adenomas. p53 and β-catenin expression seemed not to provide additional value for discriminating adenocarcinoma from reactive atypia or adenoma. Conclusions HMGA1 and HMGA2 might serve to discriminate between reactive atypia, adenoma and adenocarcinoma in ampulla and common bile duct biopsies.