cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transforming growth factor β within fibrotic scleroderma lungs

Abstract purpose, patients, and methods: Since transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) has been implicated as an important mediator of pulmonary fibrosis, we measured TGFβ protein and gene expression in alveolar epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of fibrotic scleroderma lungs sampled by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). TGFβ protein was qualitatively examined by Western blot analysis, and quantitatively by radioreceptor assays. Gene expression was evaluated in BAL mononuclear cells by Northern blot analysis with quantification of relative gene expression by densitometric analysis of the autoradiograms. results: Normal and scleroderma subjects had a 24-kd protein that comigrated with defined human TGFβ and immunoreacted with anti-TGFβ antibody. The normal population had a significantly higher average TGFβ concentration (705 pM) compared with the scleroderma subjects (177 pM). The TGFβ gene was expressed in amounts that did not significantly differ between the scleroderma and normal groups. On an individual subject basis, the TGFβ concentration variability did not correlate with variations in BAL cellularity or TGFβ gene expression within the recovered mononuclear cells. conclusions: It is concluded that both normal and fibrotic lungs have TGFβ present at the alveolar epithelial surface. However, in the fibrotic scleroderma lungs, TGFβ protein content and gene expression were not increased at the alveolar epithelial surface. The simultaneous analysis of TGFβ protein content, gene expression, and cellular constituents within individual ELF specimens showed that the cellular components of the ELF do not appear to be major determinants of TGFβ protein concentration at the alveolar epithelial surface.
Some effects of electrolytes on collagen in solution.

Abstract Since collagen form an aqueous solution only when electrolytes are present, a study of the effects of electrolytes on dissolved collagen was carried out to obtain data which might lead to improved solubilization and fractionation techniques. Salting-out curves of collagen in phosphate buffer solutions were prepared. Dissolved collagen was constituted from phosphate buffer and citrate buffer solutions by various methods and the precipitated fibrils showed a variety of structural forms. Fibril morphology was related to solution history and an attempt was made to show that electrolytic environment influenced the aggregation of collagen molecules into organized structures through ion binding and electrostatic interaction.
Fiscal adjustment in Greece under the financial rescue program : the distributional effects on Greek households

On May 2, 2010, the European Commission (EC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a financial rescue program for Greece. The program aims to help the government of Greece deal with economic difficulties the country has faced, but, under the agreement, the government is required to implement strong fiscal adjustment. The rescue package sets drastic fiscal measures in reducing expenditures and increasing revenues, which amounts for 11 percent of gross domestic product over 3 years through 2013. Major adjustment measures are front-loaded and directly related to the living standard of the Greeks, and, therefore, assessing their impacts on the welfare of people in the country is a meaningful challenge. In so doing, this article decomposes the effects into ones stemming from revenue and expenditure measures. The measures considered are: (1) an increase in value-added tax (VAT) and excise rates; and (2) wage bill cut in the public sector and the elimination of old-age pension bonus. This article uses household survey data to examine distributional impacts. Section one gives introduction. Section two explains the empirical methodology. Section three describes the data used in this article and then section four discusses the results. Finally, section five concludes.
Computed tomography features of acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas.

It was with great interest reading Raman et al.’s article [1] on depicting computed tomography (CT) findings of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (ACC). The article significantly expands our current knowledge on the CT imaging characteristics of this very rare pancreatic malignancy. The diagnosis of ACC is typically difficult and is usually suspected based on the CT imaging characteristics of the lesion. Therefore, we wanted to discuss a patient with ACC using CT and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) findings that expand on the data presented by Raman et al. Our patient is a 58-year-old man who developed bleeding from isolated gastric varices. The bleeding was spontaneously resolved. CT of the abdomen showed large (9 cm) hypodense pancreatic mass, which occupied most of the body and tail of the pancreas. There was splenic and portal vein involvement and extensive collateral circulation (Fig. 1). CA 19-9 level was normal. EUS showed hypoechoic, heterogeneous pancreatic mass, and portal vein thrombosis (Fig. 2). EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) revealed acinar-like cells consistent with ACC. The patient underwent subtotal distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy and en-bloc resection of a portion of the portal vein, portal vein thrombectomy, and veno-venous bypass. All removed lymph nodes were negative for malignancy. The patient has been doing well with no evidence of recurrence over a follow-up period of 7 months. In our case, none of CT imaging characteristics suggesting ACC reported by Raman et al. [1] were present except for the large size of the mass. Specifically, there was no evidence of exophytic, cystic or necrotic component or enhancing tumor capsule. Indeed, these findings are not universally present in all cases (73 % exophytic lesion, 53 % cystic or necrotic component, and 53 % enhancing capsule) [1]. Therefore, based on CT imaging characteristics alone it might be impossible to distinguish ACC from the much more common pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Our case concurs with the conclusion Correspondence to: Disaya Chavalitdhamrong; email: disaya@gicapsule. com Fig. 1. Computed tomography of the abdomen shows large hypodense pancreatic mass.
Reassessment of Anticoagulant Therapy in Various Types of Occlusive Cerebrovascular Disease

Precise use of categorical terms and definitions is mandatory in discussing the use of anticoagulants in treating occlusive cerebrovascular disease. The components of the temporal profile of the disease are described. Six reports have appeared which describe the results of anticagulant therapy in transient cerebral ischemic attacks. From these six studies it is concluded that anticoagulant therapy significantly decreased the risk of cerebral infarction in patients who had attacks of transient focal cerebral ischemia. In the few carefully performed investigations of the use of anticoagulant for acute progressing stroke the evidence points to the lack of progression in patients receiving treatment when compared to individuals not getting such drugs. There continues to be a definite difference of opinion about the results of anticoagulant therapy in completed stroke. If anticoagulant is to be administered on a long-term basis, it must be considered dangerous and every effort made to control the level of anti...
Biaxial Flexing of a Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Composite

Abstract : Disks of silicon carbide continuous fiber-reinforced (90 DEG)4S aluminum were supported circumferentially on one side and the center of the other side with a pin. maxima principal tensile surface were determined during flexing with strain gages. Failure under monotonic loading initiated on the convex side of the disks with the formation of multiple breaks in the first layer of fibers. With further flexing, cracking extended to inner fiber layers. Finally, fracture extended through the convex surface layer of the aluminum matrix. On cyclic flexing, fiber cracking was found to be the failure mechanism whenever the cyclic principal surface strain range was 0.0035 or greater. For cyclic strain ranges less than 0.0035, slip bands and cracks were formed in the matrix in addition to the cracks formed in the fibers. The cyclic strain range limit for 10 to the 6th power cycles of life was found to approach 0.0015. the latter limit corresponded to a maximum cyclic fiber strain 0.00132, which is only 15% of the fiber strain to failure under monotonic uniaxial composite loading. Keywords: Metal matrix composites.
Perception, learning, and judgment in ecological psychology: Who needs a constructivist ventral system?

Norman's identification of a ventral system embodying a constructivist theory of perception is rejected in favor of an ecological theory of perception and perceptual learning. We summarize research showing that a key motivation for the ventral-constructivist connection, percept-percept coupling, confuses perceptual and post-perceptual processes
The Superiority of Pinacidil Over Adenosine Cardioplegia in Blood-Perfused Isolated Hearts

Abstract Background . Our laboratory has shown that the potassium-channel opener pinacidil is an effective cardioplegic agent. A theoretical benefit of cardioplegia with potassium-channel openers is that it arrests the heart at hyperpolarized membrane potentials, a state of minimal metabolic requirement. This study was designed to examine another nondepolarizing agent, adenosine, and to test the hypothesis that it could provide comparable cardioprotection or augment potassium-channel opener cardioplegia. Methods . Using the blood-perfused Langendorff technique, isolated rabbit hearts were arrested for 30 minutes of global normothermic ischemia. Cardioplegia consisted of either Krebs-Henseleit solution alone (control) or with pinacidil (50 μmol/L), adenosine (200 μmol/L to 1 mmol/L), or pinacidil + adenosine (200 μmol/L). Recovery of developed pressure and coronary flow were recorded. Results . Postischemic functional recovery for control, pinacidil, adenosine, and adenosine + pinacidil groups was 44.1% ± 3.4%, 59.5% ± 5.2% ( p Conclusions . Adenosine, alone or as adjunct to pinacidil cardioplegia, was not an effective cardioplegic agent, despite shorter times to electromechanical arrest than control. The ineffectiveness of adenosine suggests that the cardioprotective properties of potassium-channel openers involve mechanisms other than the avoidance of membrane depolarization.
Prolonged feeding studies in premature infants.

Summary Two hundred seventy-seven premature infants were fed formulas of varying composition in an attempt to evaluate growth (length and weight) and metabolic response. (The composition of the 5 formulas used is given in Table I.) Premature infants grew well for prolonged periods when fed formulas which provided 3.0 to 8.0 Gm. protein per kilogram per day. Infants fed formulas which provided more or less protein did not grow as well. Human milk formula alone did not support comparable growth of premature infants. Results obtained from feeding a formula of cow's milk with a protein content of 1.1 per cent were identical with those in infants who were fed human milk. Infants who were fed formulas which provided over 5 Gm. protein per kilogram per day had persistently elevated blood urea nitrogen levels and excreted large quantities of urinary phenols. Other biochemical or growth differences in premature infants who were fed the other specified formulas were small. There were no statistical differences in the serum protein values in infants who were fed 3 to 8 Gm. of protein per kilogram per day. In contrast, infants who were fed less protein have shown lowered serum protein values. The food efficiency ratio was identical for formulas with 1.5 to 4.1 Gm. of protein and lower in those with less. In contrast, the values for the protein efficiency ratio indicate better utilization of protein for the formulas with low-protein content than for those with higher-protein content. The lowest value was found for the formula with 4.1 per cent protein.
Inhibition of NF-AT Signal Transduction Events by a Dominant–Negative Form of Calcineurin

An inhibitory, "dominant-negative," form of the calcineurin catalytic (A) subunit was prepared, which lacks the calmodulin-binding domain, autoinhibitory domain and most of its catalytic core but possesses the regulatory (B) subunit binding domain. When tested for its ability to block calcineurin-dependent signaling in Jurkat cells, expression of this "B-subunit knock-out" (BKO) construct suppressed reporter gene activity driven by NF-AT, the pivotal promoter element for interleukin (IL)-2 gene induction. Immunoprecipitation of epitope-labeled BKO demonstrated for the formation of a tight complex with endogenous B subunit in Jurkat cells, consistent with an inhibitory mechanism that involves the sequestration of the B subunit. Furthermore, the sharply reduced NF-AT activity produced by co-transfecting BKO could be "rescued" by overexpression of transfected B subunit, suggesting that depletion of this subunit was responsible for the inhibition. These data suggest the potential utility of agents that disrupt calcineurin-mediated signal transduction pathways by blocking formation of the catalytically active dimer of calcineurin A and B subunits.
Migration and Trapping of Photoinjected Excess Electrons in Double-Stranded B-Form DNA But Not in Single-Stranded DNA

Photoexcitation of a pyrene derivative covalently bound to double-stranded calf thymus DNA with 355 nm Nd:YAG laser pulses (fwhm = 24 ps, 50 mJ/cm2/pulse) results in the efficient two-photon-induced ionization of the pyrenyl residues. By use of nanosecond transient absorption techniques, it is shown that the excess electrons injected into the DNA can reduce methylviologen cations (MV2+) that are noncovalently bound to the DNA but not MV2+ in the outer aqueous solution phase. In double-stranded DNA, this reduction of MV2+ to MV•+ occurs via two kinetic phases, a rapid one that is complete within ≤7 ns and a slower one (200−300 ns) due to the diffusive reduction of MV2+ by hydrated electrons. The appearance of the first, rapid reduction phase of MV2+ depends on the secondary structure of the DNA, since it is observed only in the double-stranded form but not in the denatured, single-stranded form. This rapid reduction phase is entirely eliminated upon the addition of magnesium ions, which displace the positi...
48 PARTIAL PURIFICATION OF THE NUCLEOSIDE TRANSPORTER FROM HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES

The nucleoside transporter of human erythrocytes can be identified by photolabelling with radiolabelled nitrobenzyl-thioinosine, a potent high affinity inhibitor of nucleoside transport in human erythrocytes and some somatic cells. The nucleoside transporter migrates as a broad band on SDS potyacrylamide gels with a molecular weight between 45,000 and 65,000 daltons. This band width probably reflects heterogeneous glycosylation. The nucleoside transporter from human erythrocytes has been partially purified by a combination of high pH washes to remove extrinsic proteins followed by ion exchange chromotography on DEAE-cellulose. In this fashion, the nucleoside transporter has been purified approximately 10 to 20 fold from human erythrocyte ghosts. However, the nucleoside transporter preparation was contaminated by the glucose transporter. Efforts are currently underway to generate proteolytic fragments of the nucleoside transporter that are distinct and separable from the glucose transporter and to separate the glucose transporter from the nucleoside transporter by immunoaffinity chromatographic techniques. The focus of these studies is to generate a sufficiently pure preparation of nucleoside transporter that can be used to obtain amino acid sequence or to generate antibodies that can be subsequently exploited for the isolation of molecular clones encoding the human nucleoside transport system.
SEVERE KETOACIDOSIS IN THE ALLOXAN DIABETIC RAT1

Treatment of non-ketotic alloxan diabetic rats for several weeks with daily injections of 4 to 6 units of protamine-zinc insulin resulted in marked weight gain, decreased glucosuria, and apparent restoration of normal health. When insulin was withdrawn, the animals developed abrupt weight loss, marked ketonemia, ketonuria, hyperglycemia, glucosuria, acidosis, Kussmaul respiration, coma, hypothermia, and death within 60–96 hours. Postmortem examination revealed severe fatty infiltration in the livers and kidneys. Gradual insulin withdrawal resulted in weight loss, transient ketonuria, and the slow return of the characteristic picture of severe non-ketotic alloxan diabetes. The severity of ketonemia was proportional to insulin dosage and to gain in body weight during therapy for 40 days with a range of doses from 0.5 to 4.0 units Protamine-zinc insulin daily.
DNA Adduct Bypass Polymerization by Sulfolobus Solfataricus DNA Polymerase Dpo4: Analysis and Crystal Structures of Multiple Base Pair Substitution and Frameshift Products with the Adduct 1,N2-Ethenoguanine.

1,N2-Etheno(ϵ)guanine is a mutagenic DNA lesion derived from lipid oxidation products and also from some chemical carcinogens. Gel electrophoretic analysis of the products of primer extension by Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4) indicated preferential incorporation of A opposite 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT-5′, among the four dNTPs tested individually. With the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′, both G and A were incorporated. When primer extension was done in the presence of a mixture of all four dNTPs, high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the products indicated that (opposite 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′) the major product was 5′-GTGA-3′ and the minor product was 5′-AGTGA-3′. With the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT-5′, the following four products were identified by high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: 5′-AATGA-3′, 5′-ATTGA-3′, 5′-ATGA-3′, and 5′-TGA-3′. An x-ray crystal structure of Dpo4 was solved (2.1 A) with a primer-template and A placed in the primer to be opposite the 1,N2-ϵ-G in the template 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)TACT 5′. The added A in the primer was paired across the template T with classic Watson-Crick geometry. Similar structures were observed in a ternary Dpo4-DNA-dATP complex and a ternary Dpo4-DNA-ddATP complex, with d(d)ATP opposite the template T. A similar structure was observed with a ddGTP adjacent to the primer and opposite the C next to 1,N2-ϵ-G in 3′-(1,N2-ϵ-G)CACT-5′. We concluded that Dpo4 uses several mechanisms, including A incorporation opposite 1,N2-ϵ-G and also a variation of dNTP-stabilized misalignment, to generate both base pair and frameshift mutations.
Electronic structure and carrier dynamics of the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga 1¿x Mn x As

Infrared spectroscopy is used to study the doping and temperature dependence of the intragap absorption in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, from a paramagnetic, x=0.017 sample to a heavily doped, x=0.079 sample. Transmission and reflectance measurements coupled with a Kramers-Kronig analysis allow us to determine the optical constants of the thin films. All ferromagnetic samples show a broad absorption resonance near 200 meV, within the GaAs band gap. We present a critical analysis of possible origins of this feature, including a Mn-induced impurity band and intervalence band transitions. The overall magnitude of the real part of the frequency dependent conductivity grows with increasing Mn doping, and reaches a maximum in the x=0.052 sample where T-C saturates at the highest value (similar to70 K) for the series. We observe spectroscopic signatures of compensation and track its impact on the electronic and magnetic state across the Mn phase diagram. The temperature dependence of the far infrared spectrum reveals a significant decrease in the effective mass of itinerant carriers in the ferromagnetic state. A simple scaling relation between changes in the mass and the sample magnetization suggest that the itinerant carriers play a key role in producing the ferromagnetism in this system.
Equilibrium unfolding of dimeric and engineered monomeric forms of λ Cro (F58W) repressor and the effect of added salts: evidence for the formation of folded monomer induced by sodium perchlorate

The equilibrium unfolding transitions of Cro repressor variants, dimeric variant Cro F58W and monomer Cro K56[DGEVK]F58W, have been studied by urea and guanidine hydrochloride to probe the folding mechanism. The unfolding transitions of a dimeric variant are well described by a two state process involving native dimer and unfolded monomer with a free energy of unfolding, DeltaG(0,un)(0), of approximately 10-11 kcal/mol. The midpoint of transition curves is dependent on total protein concentration and DeltaG(0,un)(0) is independent of protein concentration, as expected for this model. Unfolding of Cro monomer is well described by the standard two state model. The stability of both forms of protein increases in the presence of salt but decreases with the decrease in pH. Because of the suggested importance of a N2 2F dimerization process in DNA binding, we have also studied the effect of sodium perchlorate, containing the chaotropic perchlorate anion, on the conformational transition of Cro dimer by CD, fluorescence and NMR (in addition to urea and guanidine hydrochloride) in an attempt both to characterize the thermodynamics of the process and to identify conditions that lead to an increase in the population of the folded monomers. Data suggest that sodium perchlorate stabilizes the protein at low concentration (<1.5 M) and destabilizes the protein at higher perchlorate concentration with the formation of a "significantly folded" monomer. The tryptophan residue in the "significantly folded" monomer induced by perchlorate is more exposed to the solvent than in native dimer.
Design, synthesis, and biological characterization of metabolically stable selective androgen receptor modulators.

A series of nonsteroidal ligands were synthesized as second-generation agonists for the androgen receptor (AR). These ligands were designed to eliminate metabolic sites identified in one of our first-generation AR agonists, which was inactive in vivo due to its rapid metabolism to inactive constituents. The binding affinity of these compounds was evaluated using AR isolated from rat ventral prostate. These second-generation compounds bound the AR in a high affinity and stereoselective manner, with Ki values ranging from about 4 to 130 nM. The ability of these ligands to stimulate AR-mediated transcriptional activation was examined in cells transfected with the human AR and a hormone-dependent luciferase reporter gene. Although some compounds were unable to stimulate AR-mediated transcription, several demonstrated activity similar to that of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, an endogenous steroidal ligand for the AR). We also evaluated the in vivo pharmacologic activity of selected compounds in castrated male rats...
Active secretion of oxygen into the eye of fish.

BIOT1 first described the active secretion of oxygen gas. He found the gas mixture in the swim-bladders of fish captured from great depths in the Mediterranean to consist of 85 per cent of oxygen. At the hydrostatic pressure of 100 atmospheres obtaining at these depths, the partial pressure of oxygen in the swim-bladder must have been 85 atmospheres. Biot announced that the oxygen had entered the swim-bladder through “secretion”, and his discovery has been abundantly verified2–4. However, no other instances of oxygen secretion have been obtained despite the interest of a number of physiologists, notably Krogh and J. S. Haldane. We have now found large oxygen tensions in the eyes of marine teleosts.
Attachment to Companion Animals among Older Pet Owners

AbstractPsychometric properties are examined in a pet-attachment index used in a national probability survey of households including at least one resident aged 65 or older. Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was 0.58, indicating low but acceptable internal reliability. Internal structure was evaluated using principal-components analysis. Two factors were identified. Responses to individual questions in the index were associated with a number of respondent characteristics, including type of pet owned and gender and identity of primary caregiver. The results support the need for further work to develop a reliable and valid pet-attachment index for use in studies of the potential beneficial effects of owning companion animals.
Excitation Systems Performance witn Motor-Driven Exciters

Two criteria of satisfactory systems performance are the ability of the main generator to retain stability and the ability of the exciter set to recover after a disturbance. Normal emergency throw-over times are generally between one and two seconds. This study indicates that for these throw-over times a very substantial margin in system performance exists, with the use of a special design of motor-driven exciter set with an inertia constant H of 5 and a maximum torque of about 325 per cent rated. This exciter set does not require a shorter throw-over time than any other essential station auxiliary. The high torque characteristic of the induction motor enables satisfactory system performance to be obtained with voltage at the motor terminals as low as 70 per cent of normal both on steady state and on re-energization after throw-over. With this exciter, for a 3-phase short-circuit fault at or near the generator terminals, the maximum permissible switching time closely approaches the actual critical switching times which vary between approximately 11 and 20 cycles for the conditions studied. Practical switching times are generally below ten cycles. Additional special design considerations of the exciter set as presented in reference 1 further improve performance for the short-circuit fault operation.
Doubly re-entrant cavities to sustain boiling nucleation in FC-72

We report a micro- and nano-machined surface cavity on which boiling nucleation resumes after ceasing in perfluorohexane (i.e., FC-72, a Fluorinert™ from 3M™) for a short time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such success with FC-72, which has the lowest surface tension of all available liquids and completely wets any existing material including Teflon® so that all surface cavities get flooded once nucleation stops. Despite the wide usage in electronics cooling, FC-72 was never considered for boiling heat transfer because once cooled boiling would not restart without an excessive heating. Our result experimentally supports the half-century-old idea of doubly re-entrant cavities envisioned to facilitate more stable nucleation, encouraging further development.
Implications of gauge invariance for length versus velocity forms of the interaction with electric dipole radiation

Gauge invariance is used as a criterion to show that the “length” form of the interaction of electric dipole radiation with matter should be used instead of the “velocity” form. The conventional perturbation treatment of the interaction of electric dipole radiation with matter which gives the velocity form is criticized from the standpoint of gauge invariance. An alternative manifestly gauge-invariant formulation is given. For electric dipole radiation, this formulation implies that the length form of the interaction should be used when the atomic Hamiltonian is used as the unperturbed Hamiltonian. The length form of the interaction leads to the length form of dipole oscillator strengths.
Tibio-talar stability in bimalleolar ankle fractures: A dynamic in vitro contact area study

A dynamic weight-bearing model has been developed in a cadaveric ankle model to assess the contact areas of the talus in varying degrees of bimalleolar ankle fractures. A surgically created transverse fibula osteotomy with up to 6 mm of displacement did not cause a significant change in the contact area. Sectioning of the deltoid ligament, regardless of fibular displacement, created a 15% to 20% decrease in the contact area (P less than .001). This model represents a clinically relevant situation, as it examines motion of an unconstrained, axillary loaded ankle. Additional medial side disruption increases ankle instability by allowing anterior and lateral translation of the talus out of the mortise. Isolated lateral malleolar displacement does not appear to cause ankle instability.
JACK TIZARD MEMORIAL LECTURE DELINQUENCY, ENVIRONMENT AND INTERVENTION

Twenty years of Home Office research into delinquency prevention support Jack Tizard's belief that greater improvements in performance and behaviour are likely to attend efforts to change environments rather than inner dispositions. Situational measures which reduce opportunities for crime seem more effective than attempts to reform delinquents. Moreover, given that most delinquents desist from crime in early adulthood, minimal interference in their lives may be the best policy. For those requiring institutional placement, humane care rather than reform should be the goal.
Discontinuous Finite Element Modeling of Grain Growth Behavior of Polycrystalline Material

In this paper, a discontinuous finite element solution to the phase-field equations for the microstructure evolution of polycrystalline material is presented. The mathematical formulation and numerical implementation are discussed. Numerical studies are conducted on the interactions between multiple grain seeds with different orientations during solidification. The discontinuous numerical scheme is validated by the results reported in literature. The effects the pulling rate, the size and orientation of the grain seeds on the microstructure formation of interface are investigated using the presented model. Results show that the initial orientation of the grain seed plays a dominant role in the final crystallography of the crystals.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The fundamental theorems of prevision and asset pricing

We explore two connections between the concepts of coherence, as defined by de Finetti, and arbitrage-free asset pricing in financial markets. We contrast these concepts when random quantities may be unbounded. And we discuss some of the consequences for arbitrage theory when coherent previsions are merely finitely (but not countably) additive.
Safety Data on Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

Recent recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may lead to the increased use of the meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is useful for the detection of previously unrecognized reactions and for the monitoring of known reactions. Limitations of VAERS include underreporting and the inability to establish a causal relationship between vaccination and adverse events in most cases. From July 1990 through 31 October 1999, 110 adverse events were reported after receipt of meningococcal vaccine alone. Thirteen (12%) were serious, including 6 injection site reactions, 3 allergic reactions, 1 case of Guillain-Barre syndrome, and 3 miscellaneous events. Fever (30%), headache (17%), dizziness (15%), injection site hypersensitivity (13%), urticaria (12%), and paresthesia (10%) were among the most common events reported. Fever and injection site and allergic reactions are most likely causally linked to the vaccine. That there were few reports of serious adverse events, with >6 million doses having been distributed, and no clear signal of a previously unrecognized serious reaction is reassuring with regard to the safety of meningococcal vaccine.
Reconstruction of First Web Space Contractures.

ASSH Disclaimer: The material presented in this CME activity is mad ASSH for educational purposes only. This material is not intended to methods or the best procedures appropriate for the medical situation rather it is intended to present an approach, view, statement, or opin that may be helpful, or of interest, to other practitioners. Examinees agre this medical education activity, sponsored by the ASSH, with full knowled that they waive any claim they may have against the ASSH for reliance o presented. The approval of the US Food and Drug Administration is requ and drugs that are considered experimental. Instrumentation syst reviewed during this educational activity may not yet have received F
The Iris architecture and implementation

The goals of the Iris database management system are to enhance database programmer productivity and to provide generalized database support for the integration of future applications. Iris is based on an object and function model. Iris objects are typed but unlike other object systems, they contain no state. Attribute values, relationships and behavior of objects are modeled by functions. The Iris architecture efficiently supports the evaluation of functional expressions. The goal of the architecture is to provide a database system that is powerful enough to support the definition of functions and procedures that implement the semantics of the data model. An overview of the data model is provided, the architecture is described in detail, and implementation experience and usage of the system are discussed. >
Neoliberalisation and Place: Deconstructing and Reconstructing Borders

The territorial state defined by hard geographical space is not so much withering away as being increasingly enmeshed in a denser and more complex set of virtual political spaces that cut across traditional distinctions between inside and outside, public and private. Boundaries are less and less about distinctions between territorial units and constituencies and more and more about those between economic sectors with different asset structures, cross-cutting socio-cultural networks that span the local and the transnational, state agencies and public— private organisations with competing clienteles enmeshed in ‘transgovernmental networks’, and new groups of social and economic ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. Thus political action today involves a range of attempts to politicise what has previously been seen as a predominantly economic image of globalisation and to reinvent the social dimension of politics through new policy and coalition ‘spaces’ in both the developed and developing worlds.
The dorsal cochlear nucleus of the mouse: a light microscopic analysis of neurons that project to the inferior colliculus.

In the mouse dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), all members of a distinct class of large multipolar neurons were shown to project to the contralateral inferior colliculus by using retrograde horseradish peroxidase techniques. Typically, these multipolar neurons have the largest cell bodies in the nucleus and are distributed in layers 11, 111, and IV. Each contains a round, pale nucleus with a prominent nucleolus and conspicuous Nissl bodies. In Golgi preparations, however, two types of large cells could be distinguished on the basis of dendritic characteristics. Pyramidal cells form relatively flattened, slablike dendritic fields whose alignment contributes to the laminar organization of the DCN. They represent 7580% of the large cell population and are found in layer I1 and the superficial region of layer 111. Giant cells represent the other type of large multipolar neuron and are distributed in the deeper regions of layer I11 and in layer IV. Their ellipsoidal dendritic fields are formed by long and relatively unbranched dendrites that project across the laminae. The differences in dendritic morphology imply that each cell class segregates its afferent input in distinct ways and subserves different auditory functions.
Economic Determinants and Consequences of Child Maltreatment

Substantial numbers of children in the advanced industrialized countries experience child abuse and neglect each year, resulting in considerable social, emotional, and economic costs to both the children themselves and to their societies as a whole. Yet, whereas scholars and policymakers have grown increasingly concerned with promoting child well-being, particularly among low income children, limited attention has been paid to child maltreatment. This paper reviews the existing research on the economic determinants and consequences of child abuse and neglect, drawing on theoretical and empirical studies from a wide range of disciplines. We first provide background information about child maltreatment in advanced industrialized countries. Next, we present current theory and empirical evidence regarding links between low income and child maltreatment. We then turn to the evidence on the long-term consequences of maltreatment. Finally, we conclude with a brief discussion of interventions to prevent abuse and neglect. We argue that results from a large number of studies clearly imply that economic resources play an important role in influencing risk for child abuse and (particularly) child neglect, although conclusive causal evidence has thus far been elusive. Furthermore, existing evidence that child abuse and neglect impose tremendous long-term costs both to victims and to society as a whole justifies heightened efforts to reduce child maltreatment. Finally, although a few proven programs exist, the evidence base with regard to effective policies and programs for preventing maltreatment is generally quite weak. Additional rigorous research across the advanced industrialized countries is necessary to promote a better understanding of the economic determinants and consequences of abuse and neglect, as well as the efficacy of policies and programs aimed at preventing child maltreatment and ameliorating its adverse effects.
Syllogistic Logics with Verbs

This article provides sound and complete logical systems for several fragments of English which go beyond syllogistic logic in that they use verbs as well as other limited syntactic material: universally and existentially quantified noun phrases, building on the work of Nishihara, Morita and Iwata (1990, Systems and Computers in Japan, 21, 96–111); complemented noun phrases, following our Moss (2007, Syllogistic Logic with Complements); and noun phrases which might contain relative clauses, recursively, based on McAllester and Givan (1992, Artifical Intelligence, 56, 1–20). The logics are all syllogistic in the sense that they do not make use of individual variables. Variables in our systems range over nouns, and in the last system, over verbs as well.
Pax3 Stimulates p53 Ubiquitination and Degradation Independent of Transcription

Background: Pax3 is a developmental transcription factor that is required for neural tube and neural crest development. We previously showed that inactivating the p53 tumor suppressor protein prevents neural tube and cardiac neural crest defects in Pax3-mutant mouse embryos. This demonstrates that Pax3 regulates these processes by blocking p53 function. Here we investigated the mechanism by which Pax3 blocks p53 function. Methodology/Principal Findings: We employed murine embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived neuronal precursors as a cell culture model of embryonic neuroepithelium or neural crest. Pax3 reduced p53 protein stability, but had no effect on p53 mRNA levels or the rate of p53 synthesis. Full length Pax3 as well as fragments that contained either the DNA-binding paired box or the homeodomain, expressed as GST or FLAG fusion proteins, physically associated with p53 and Mdm2 both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, Splotch Pax3, which causes neural tube and neural crest defects in homozygous embryos, bound weakly, or not at all, to p53 or Mdm2. The paired domain and homeodomain each stimulated Mdm2-mediated ubiquitination of p53 and p53 degradation in the absence of the Pax3 transcription regulatory domains, whereas Splotch Pax3 did not stimulate p53 ubiquitination or degradation. Conclusions/Significance: Pax3 inactivates p53 function by stimulating its ubiquitination and degradation. This process utilizes the Pax3 paired domain and homeodomain but is independent of DNA-binding and transcription regulation. Because inactivating p53 is the only required Pax3 function during neural tube closure and cardiac neural crest development, and inactivating p53 does not require Pax3-dependent transcription regulation, this indicates that Pax3 is not required to function as a transcription factor during neural tube closure and cardiac neural crest development. These findings further suggest novel explanations for PAX3 functions in human diseases, such as in neural crest-derived cancers and Waardenburg syndrome types 1 and 3.
A 60-GHz 38-pJ/bit 3.5-Gb/s 90-nm CMOS OOK Digital Radio

A 60-GHz fully integrated bits-in bits-out on-off keying (OOK) digital radio has been designed in a standard 90-nm CMOS process technology. The transmitter provides 2 dBm of output power at a 3.5-Gb/s data rate while consuming 156 mW of dc power, including the on-chip 60-GHz frequency synthesizer. A pulse-shaping filter has been integrated to support high data rates while maintaining spectral efficiency. The receiver performs direct-conversion noncoherent demodulation at data rates up to 3.5 Gb/s while consuming 108 mW of dc power, for a total average transceiver energy consumption of 38 pJ/bit in time division duplex operation. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the lowest energy per bit reported to date in the 60-GHz band for fully integrated single-chip CMOS OOK radios.
The 2C and 3C controllers: Multirate single-loop digital logic

Presentation des regulateurs 2C (2 coefficients) possedant quatre parametres ajustables et des regulateurs 3C ( 3 coefficients) possedant six parametres ajustables
SES differences in language processing skill and vocabulary are evident at 18 months

This research revealed both similarities and striking differences in early language proficiency among infants from a broad range of advantaged and disadvantaged families. English-learning infants (n = 48) were followed longitudinally from 18 to 24 months, using real-time measures of spoken language processing. The first goal was to track developmental changes in processing efficiency in relation to vocabulary learning in this diverse sample. The second goal was to examine differences in these crucial aspects of early language development in relation to family socioeconomic status (SES). The most important findings were that significant disparities in vocabulary and language processing efficiency were already evident at 18 months between infants from higher- and lower-SES families, and by 24 months there was a 6-month gap between SES groups in processing skills critical to language development.
Review of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Cost Variance Within a Regional Health Care System

Background:Examination of value in health care has become a national priority in the United States. Regional variation in health care costs is an area of focus among national policy experts. Procedural cost data can be used to provide physicians with information to evaluate costs and value.Purpose:To perform a cost review for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery to document the degree of variation in costs for ACL reconstruction.Study Design:Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:A procedural cost review was performed for isolated ACL reconstructions within a 22-surgeon, 7-hospital system. Five consistent cost categories under the influence of the surgeon were identified and were analyzed for cost variation among surgeons: tibial fixation, femoral fixation, graft choice, sutures, and tools or disposable instruments.Results:For these 5 categories, the total costs to perform an ACL reconstruction (in 2013 US dollars) ranged from $392.80 to $4670.31, a difference of $4277.51 and a m...
Copyright protection of J2EE Web applications through watermarking

Three techniques - code obfuscation, software watermarking, and code tamper-proofing - have been proposed to protect the copyright of software. But they face challenges when they are applied to Web applications, in which servers and clients are connected through Internet protocols, such as HTTP and TCP/IP. These protocols are intrusion prone. The proposed research aims at protecting the originality and copyright of Web applications through watermarking. The presented technique includes watermark embedding, key obfuscation, and watermark retrieval through Internet protocols and Java based Web application techniques in a stealthy way. Experimental tests demonstrate the feasibility of the algorithm
Can Strategic Culture Change? The Impact of India'S Strategic Partnership with the United States

This paper examines how well the concept of "strategic culture" explains the tendency for India's foreign policy to lag behind its rapidly expanding economic interests. Realist analyses of Indian foreign policy and security strategy tend to find that the country is not living up to its potential. This leads to a consideration of strategic culture as an explanatory variable for India's suboptimal performance. The strategic culture aspects of political military culture (civil-military relations) and military culture (martial traditions of the armed forces) tend to point towards a strategic culture that has been shaped by civilian politicians and bureaucrats. The dominance of civilians and general exclusion of the military from decision-making has hindered India from becoming a power that regularly uses the military as an instrument of policy. The factor of domestic strategic culture (including attitudes towards the use of violence and the domestic political order) explains the short-term focus of Indian leaders and the lack of strategic vision. Structural factors, such as the entrenched foreign affairs and defense bureaucracy, produce a narrow and procedural focus and prevent the development of strategic analyses and planning. In conclusion, the strategic culture concept appears to play a significant role in explaining India's suboptimal foreign policy and security strategy. On the basis of those findings, one must expect the India-US relationship to move forward slowly on a number of issues and on future interactions. The possibility of an eventual alliance between the two powers is unlikely given India's strategic culture.
Effect of growth media on cell envelope composition and nitrile hydratase stability in Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain DAP 96253

Rhodococcus is an important industrial microorganism that possesses diverse metabolic capabilities; it also has a cell envelope, composed of an outer layer of mycolic acids and glycolipids. Selected Rhodococcus species when induced are capable of transforming nitriles to the corresponding amide by the enzyme nitrile hydratase (NHase), and subsequently to the corresponding acid via an amidase. This nitrile biochemistry has generated interest in using the rhodococci as biocatalysts. It was hypothesized that altering sugars in the growth medium might impact cell envelope components and have effects on NHase. When the primary carbon source in growth media was changed from glucose to fructose, maltose, or maltodextrin, the NHase activity increased. Cells grown in the presence of maltose and maltodextrin showed the highest activities against propionitrile, 197 and 202 units/mg cdw, respectively. Stability of NHase was also affected as cells grown in the presence of maltose and maltodextrin retained more NHase activity at 55 °C (45 and 23 %, respectively) than cells grown in the presence of glucose or fructose (19 and 10 %, respectively). Supplementation of trehalose in the growth media resulted in increased NHase stability at 55 °C, as cells grown in the presence of glucose retained 40 % NHase activity as opposed to 19 % without the presence of trehalose. Changes in cell envelope components, such mycolic acids and glycolipids, were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC), respectively. Changing sugars and the addition of inducing components for NHase, such as cobalt and urea in growth media, resulted in changes in mycolic acid profiles. Mycolic acid content increased 5 times when cobalt and urea were added to media with glucose. Glycolipids levels were also affected by the changes in sugars and addition of inducing components. This research demonstrates that carbohydrate selection impacts NHase activity and stability. Cell envelope components such as mycolic acids are also influenced by sugars and inducers such as cobalt and urea. This is information that can be useful when implementing rhodococcal catalysts in industrial applications.