cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of anti-hyperglycemic drugs on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in human coronary artery endothelial cells.

Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a critical role in progression of diabetes and development of complications, notably cardiovascular disease. Some of the contemporary anti-hyperglycemic drugs have been shown to inhibit ER stress. To extend these observations, the effects of various anti-hyperglycemic agents were screened for their effects on ER stress. Seven classes of anti-hyperglycemic drugs were screened including sulfonylureas, meglitinides, metformin, α glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinedione, glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors. ER stress was measured in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) either treated with tunicamycin (TM) or cultured in hyperglycemic conditions (27.5 mM dextrose). The ER stress was measured with the secreted alkaline phosphatase (ES-TRAP) assay. Mediators of the unfolded protein response, including activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), phospho-inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (pIRE1α), IRE1α, phospho-protein kinase R (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (pPERK), and PERK were measured by Western blot. Metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1, exendin 4, liraglutide, albiglutide, and lixisenatide) and SGLT-2 inhibitors (canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin) were the only anti-hyperglycemic drugs screened that reduced ER stress caused by pharmacological (tunicamycin) or hyperglycemic conditions. High-dextrose and TM increased IRE1α and PERK phosphorylation and ATF6 and GRP78 expression, while treatment with metformin, liraglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist) and dapagliflozin (a SGLT-2 inhibitor), suppressed IRE1α and PERK phosphorylation as well as ATF6 and GRP78 expression. Thus, the cardioprotective effects of metformin, some of the GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors may be partly related to their ability to reduce ER stress.
Strategic and contested use of food laws to ban smokeless tobacco products in India: a qualitative analysis of litigation.

Objective To understand how food laws are used, contested and interpreted to ban certain forms of chewing tobacco in India. Methods A qualitative study analysing all the tobacco-related litigation under the food laws in India. We used an inductive thematic analysis of the litigation contents. Results The tobacco industry systematically deployed litigation to (1) challenge the categorisation of smokeless tobacco products as food, and hence, questioned the use of food laws for regulating these products; (2) challenge the regulatory power of the state government in banning tobacco products via the food laws; and (3) challenge the applicability of the general food laws that enabled stricter regulations beyond what is prescribed under the tobacco-specific law. Conclusion Despite facing several legal challenges from the tobacco industry, Indian states optimised food laws to enable stricter regulations on smokeless tobacco products than were feasible through use of a tobacco-specific law.
Angelernte Arbeiter in der wissensbasierten politischen Ökonomie

Der kriseninduzierte Wandel der Arbeitswelt, die Ruckkehr der Massenarbeitslosigkeit und die Erosion des Normalarbeitsverhaltnisses sorgten fur eine gesellschaftsweite „Erschutterung“ (Castel 2008: 11), deren Folgen gegenwartig mit Begriffen wie Prekaritat, Exklusion, Ausgrenzung, Entkoppelung, Verwundbarkeit und Unsicherheit diskutiert werden. Im Zentrum der Debatte steht die Frage, wie die Gesellschaften im 21. Jahrhundert ihren sozialen Zusammenhalt gewahrleisten konnen, wenn das Erwerbsarbeitssystem nicht mehr wie im fordistischen Zeitalter als Garant fur Sicherheit und Wohlstand dienen kann, da fur eine wachsende Anzahl von Menschen die Zugange zur Lohnarbeit bruchig werden oder bereits blockiert sind. Die beruhmte Schere zwischen Arm und Reich spreizt sich immer weiter, sodass nicht mehr nur die traditionell randstandigen unteren gesellschaftlichen Gruppen unter ‘Wohlstandsdefiziten’ zu leiden haben.
Pulsed NMR Measurements of Ethyl Alcohol Absorbed in Grafoil

Previous experiments1) have shown that the large anisotropic diamagnetism2) of graphite determines the observed NMR linewidth of a fluid absorbed in Grafoil3,4). This linewidth intrinsic to liquids in Grafoil (ΔH ~ 0.25 gauss for a magnetic field of 7.05 Kgauss perpendicular to the Grafoil sheets) could be responsible for large magnetic field gradients over the small voids in the Grafoil. In that event pulsed NMR spin echo measurements of any fluid absorbed in Grafoil would exhibit the effects of bounded diffusion in a magnetic field gradient5,6). In order to test that hypothesis a series of spin echo measurements were made on a fluid of known coefficient of diffusion absorbed in Grafoil at room temperature. The results show factors that must be considered in interpreting NMR measurements on He3 in Grafoil.
Climax molybdenum mine

Abstract The Climax molybdenum mine, once dominant in a burgeoning molybdenum market, is now beset with a cyclical market showing little secular growth, lower prices from growing byproduct production, the development of other lower cost primary mines and idle capacity. It has abandoned its resources and closed most of its operations.
A distributed control system for the CMU rover

This paper describes a distributed software control structure developed for the CMU Rover, an advanced mobile robot equipped with a variety of sensors. Expert modules are used to control the operation of the sensors and actuators, interpret sensory and feedback data, build an internal model of the robot's environment, devise strategies to accomplish proposed tasks and execute these strategies. Each expert module is composed of a master process and a slave process, where the master process controls the scheduling and working of the slave process. Communication among expert modules occurs asynchronously over a blackboard structure. Information specific to the execution of a given task is provided through a control plan. The system is distributed over a network of processors. Real-time operating system kernels local to each processor and an interprocess message communication mechanism ensure transparency of the underlying network structure. The various parts of the system are presented in this paper and future work to be performed is mentioned.
Elements of Ml Programming

0. A Perspective on ML and SML/NJ. I. INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING IN ML. 1. Expressions. 2. Type Consistency. 3. Variables and Environments. 4. Tuples and Lists. 5. It's Easy It's "fun." 6. Patterns in Function Definitions. 7. Local Environments Using "let." 8. Exceptions. 9. Side Effects: Input and Output. II. ADVANCED FEATURES OF ML. 10. Polymorphic Functions. 11. Higher-Order Functions. 12. Defining New Types. 13. Programming with Datatypes. 14. The ML Module System. 15. Software Design Using Modules. 16. Arrays. 17. References. III. ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND FEATURES. 18. Record Structures. 19. Matches and Patterns. 20. More About Exceptions. 21. Counting with Functions as Values. 22. More About Input and Output. 23. Creating Executable Files. 24. Controlling Operator Grouping. 25. Built-In Functions of SML/NJ. 26. Summary of ML Syntax. Solutions to Selected Exercises. Index.
Pilot testing of an HIV medication adherence intervention in a public clinic in the Deep South

In the current age of fully suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, effective chronic management of the disease is theoretically possible. Despite this fact, actual clinical practice shows that only approximately 50% of those on ART reach this benefit. This has often been found because of incomplete adherence to ART. Poor adherence diminishes suppression of viral replication and allows the HIV virus to become resistant to the medicines. Resistant mutations naturally occur in the replication process and replicate freely in the presence of medications that apply selective pressure to susceptible virus (Bangsberg, 2008; Harman, Amico, & Johnson, 2005; Haynes, Yao, Degani, Kripalani, Garg, & McDonald, 2006).
Clore, G. Marius: Adventures in Biomolecular NMR

In this brief overview, I summarize my career in NMR from 1980 to the present. I describe the following developments that were made in my laboratory: the transferred NOE for probing the conformation of ligands bound to large proteins, assignment and structure determination of DNA and RNA, restrained molecular dynamics and simulated annealing for macromolecular structure determination, protein structure determination of small proteins, 3-D and 4-D heteronuclear NMR, structure determination of large proteins and complexes including both protein–DNA and protein–protein complexes up to ∼150 kDa, and finally methods based on paramagnetic NMR to probe NMR invisible, sparsely populated states of macromolecules. Keywords: solution state NMR; multidimensional NMR; three-dimensional structure determination; proteins; nucleic acids; dynamics; dipolar couplings; paramagnetic relaxation enhancement
Biologic cycling of silica across a grassland bioclimosequence

[1] The dynamics of biologic Si cycling in grassland ecosystems are largely unknown and likely to impact mineral weathering rates regionally and diatom productivity globally; key regulatory processes in the global Si cycle are closely tied to the global carbon cycle. Across a bioclimatic sequence spanning major grassland ecosystems in the Great Plains, soil biogenic silica depth distributions are similar to that of soil organic carbon; however, unlike soil organic carbon, quantities of soil biogenic silica decrease with increasing precipitation, despite an increase in annual biogenic inputs through litterfall across the same gradient. Though comprising only 1–3% of the total Si pool, faster turnover of biogenic Si and annual cycling by grasses should positively impact mineral dissolution. Our results suggest that the largest reservoir of biogenic Si in terrestrial ecosystems resides in soils, and emphasize the potential significance of grasslands in the global biogeochemical cycle of Si.
Trust, Satisfaction and Loyalty in Customer Relationship Management

SUMMARY In an attempt to increase customer loyalty amid increasingly competitive business environments, organizations are looking to customer relationship management (CRM) to help provide a solution. In spite of CRM failure rates cited as being as high as 70%, organizations continue to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on CRM implementations. Attempts of past research to resolve why failure rates are so high have tended to focus on technological factors such as database integration or factors internal to the organization such as system adoption or organizational culture. While these areas are important, reactions of customers may also play a role. This paper uses justice theory to investigate the potential impact that customer involvement in a CRM implementation may have on customer loyalty. Propositions are provided to guide future research.
Radical Normals: The Moral Career of Straight Parents as Public Advocates for Their Gay Children

Sociological research has examined straight parents in “traditional” family arrangements who become gay rights activists, but pays insufficient attention to how this puzzling identity comes into being. Drawn from observations and interviews of parents participating in a local chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) (2009 to 2010), this paper analyzes the parenting activities undertaken by straight parents of gay children as a moral career, involving stages of acceptance that can lead to eventual public advocacy. Paradoxically, these parents become radical normals through these stages; that is to say, they “do” the work of parenting by becoming gay rights advocates, motivated by commitments to conventional imperatives of loving and supporting a child. Using the conceptual scaffolding of the moral career, this paper identifies the mechanisms that move parents through these different career stages.
A price based dynamic spectrum allocation scheme

We develop a system model where multiple service providers (SPs), in the same geographic region, share a fixed spectrum, on a non-interference basis. This spectrum is allocated to end-users for transmission to the SPs. We assume that a user can obtain service from all the SPs. The quality of service depends on system parameters such as number of users and SPs, the channel conditions between the users and SPs and the total transmit power of each user. We adopt a user utility maximization framework to analyze this system. We introduce a spectrum price that enables a simple distributed spectrum allocation with minimal coordination among the SPs and users. Given the user utility functions and the system parameters, we characterize the spectrum price and the optimal bandwidth that the users should obtain.
Subunit heterogeneity of acetylcholinesterase.

Abstract Several different preparations of purified 11 S acetylcholinesterase have been examined for structural heterogeneity. While no contaminant protein was observed in any of the preparations, minor isozymic forms with catalytic activity were observed in addition to the major component both in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in isoelectric focusing. Major differences in the relative composition of the disulfide-reduced polypeptides among the preparations were found by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Several characteristics of these differences strongly suggest that they derive from a proteolytic fragmentation of a single subunit species. In particular, the apparent fragmentation in the crude enzyme solution is inhibited by benzethonium chloride, an inhibitor of proteolysis which also prevents the conversion of 18, 14, and 8 S acetylcholinesterase species to the 11 S form in fresh electric tissue extracts. No significant differences in the enzyme specific activity are observed among the preparations, an observation which indicates that fully active native enzyme molecules are composed of subunits which are heterogeneous with respect to discrete points of polypeptide cleavage.
State reference sources

Abstract The bibliography lists reference sources and mentions if states have depository arrangements and make their publications available in microformat. Such information is useful for developing collections of reference sources and for identifying reference concepts applicable to other states.
Infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of the interaction of nitric oxide with FeY zeolite

Abstract The time evolution of infrared spectra obtained from NO adsorbed on reduced FeY zeolite at room temperature is reported. Bands near 1845 and 1870 cm− formed quickly and remained invariant while bands at 1917 and 1815 cm− grew slowly over periods of hours. The intensity ratio of the latter two bands remained constant during growth and decay, and they were therefore attributed to a dinitrosyl species formed within the supercages. On evacuation at room temperature, the dinitrosyl species was converted to a mononitrosyl species with an absorption band at 1767 cm−. All bands disappeared on evacuation above 520 K. The dinitrosyl bands also disappeared on heating in NO but the absorption in the region 1855 to 1870 cm− did not, showing that the oxidized form of this material chemisorbed NO, presumably as a mononitrosyl species. The ir bands characteristic of NO adsorbed on reduced FeY were also eliminated by exposure of the sample to O2 at room temperature. In both of these cases, however, the extent of NO adsorption on oxidized FeY zeolite was significantly smaller than that on reduced FeY. Gravimetric studies showed that the total adsorption of NO grew slowly over a period of 20 h at room temperature to a value more than twice its initial value. This corresponded to the formation of increasing amounts of the dinitrosyl species. The data suggested that new sites were being formed in the supercages concomitant with the slow diffusion of iron to an accessible location. Mossbauer spectroscopy was used to probe those sites in the zeolite structure responsible for the different nitrosyl complexes observed in the infrared spectra. Reduced FeY zeolite showed two Fe2+ doublets due to iron cations of different coordination. Upon exposure to NO at room temperature, those Fe2+ cations of low coordination which were accessible to gases (at Sites II and II′) formed nitrosyl complexes. The infrared bands at 1845 and 1870 cm−1 are assigned to these complexes. Ferrous cations of high coordination (presumably at Site I) also formed nitrosyl complexes by migrating to sites of high accessibility. The dinitrosyl bands are assigned to these complexes. The mononitrosyl species at 1767 cm−1, which was formed from the dinitrosyl species upon evacuation, gave rise to a Mossbauer spectrum characteristic of highly coordinated iron. It is suggested that this low-frequency mononitrosyl species is due to NO adsorbed on iron cations at Site III′ in the supercages.
Accumulation of several heavy metals and lanthanides in mushrooms (Agaricales) from the Chicago region

Abstract This study explored the differences in metal uptake in sporocarps of ectomycorrhizae-forming fungi relative to (1) fungal species; (2) collection location; (3) differential metal uptake and variation within single-species, single-area populations; and (4) mobile metal content of soil substrate for the fungi. In addition, this study examined levels of some of the lanthanides in these mushrooms, as lanthanide uptake in higher fungi has not been quantified to date. In 1995 and 1996, sporocarps from three species of ectomycorrhizal fungi (Amanita flavorubescens, Amanita rubescens, and Russula pectinatoides) were collected from Cowles Bog, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (near an industrial area) and the Palos forest preserves (near a residential area). Soil was also collected from the Cowles Bog plots; metals were extracted from the soil, either with local Lake Michigan water or with nitric acid. These two extractions were meant to simulate the natural soil equilibrium concentrations of soluble metals and the maximum possible effects of any fungal chelating chemicals, respectively. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer was used to analyze soil extracts and nitric acid digests of whole sporocarps for the target analytes. The metals found at elevated levels in the mushrooms included four of environmental interest (Ag, Cd, Ba, and Pb) and three lanthanides (La, Ce, and Nd). Significant differences in uptake of metals were observed between A. rubescens and R. pectinatoides, while A. rubescens and A. flavorubescens were not significantly different. With regard to location, more cadmium was found in Cowles Bog collections of A. rubescens, while Palos forest A. rubescens had more of the lanthanides and barium. Significant specimen-to-specimen variation occurred in all populations examined. Correlation analysis between pairs of trace elements within each sporocarp population revealed strong positive correlations between the lanthanides. Sporocarps concentrated more metal than was made available by the lake water extraction of soil and less metal than was made available by the nitric acid extraction of soil.
Direct Exposure of Mouse Ovaries and Oocytes to High Doses of an Adenovirus Gene Therapy Vector Fails to Lead to Germ Cell Transduction

Abstract The risk of insertion of adenovirus gene therapy DNA into female germ cells during the course of somatic gene therapy was stringently tested in the mouse by injecting up to 10 10 infectious particles directly into the ovary and by incubating naked oocytes in a solution of 2 × 10 8 particles/ml for 1 h prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The vector used was a recombinant adenovirus carrying the bacterial lacZ gene driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter (Adβ-gal). Ovaries were stained for LacZ activity, or immunochemically for LacZ, 5–7 days after injection. Although very large amounts of LacZ activity and protein were detected, all positive staining was in the thecal portion of the ovary, with no staining seen in oocytes. In another series of experiments, mice with injected ovaries were mated, and preimplantation embryos or fetuses were analyzed either for LacZ expression or by PCR for lacZ DNA. None of 202 preimplantation embryos stained positively for LacZ and none of 58 fetuses were positive for DNA by PCR analysis. Finally, more than 1400 eggs were fertilized after exposure to the vector prior to IVF and stained as morulae for LacZ activity. Fewer than 2% of the embryos stained positively for LacZ, and experiments indicated that the staining was due to incomplete washing of the eggs prior to IVF. These data provide strong evidence that adenoviruses cannot infect oocytes and that the risk of female germ-line transduction with such vectors is very low.
LeZi-update: an information-theoretic approach to track mobile users in PCS networks

The complexity of the mobility tracking problem in a cellular environment has been characterized under an informationtheoretic framework. Shannon’s entropy measure is identified as a basis for comparing user mobility models. By building and maintaining a dictionary of individual user’s path updates (as opposed to the widely used location updates), the proposed adaptive on-line algorithm can learn subscribers’ profiles. This technique evolves out of the concepts of lossless compression. The compressibility of the variable-to-fixed length encoding of the acclaimed LempelZiv family of algorithms reduces the update cost, whereas their built-in predictive power can be effectively used to reduce paging cost.
Needle biopsy and preoperative chemotherapy for massive unilateral and bilateral Wilms' tumor

Massive unilateral and bilateral Wilms' tumors present complex therapeutic questions. We report five cases in which we used radiological investigations, needle biopsy, and preoperative chemotherapy followed later by definitive surgery.
Pattern Discrimination Learning with Rhesus Monkeys

Rhesus monkeys were trained to criterion on a 2-stimulus and a 5-stimulus pattern discrimination task. The probabilities of response to the various stimuli throughout learning are examined for indi...
Two-particle correlations in high-energy collisions and the gluon four-point function

We derive the rapidity evolution equation for the gluon four-point function in the dilute regime and at small $x$ from the JIMWLK functional equation. We show that beyond leading order in ${N}_{c}$ the mean field (Gaussian) approximation where the four-point function is factorized into a product of two-point functions is violated. We calculate these factorization breaking terms and show that they contribute at leading order in ${N}_{c}$ to correlations of two produced gluons as a function of their relative rapidity and azimuthal angle, for generic (rather than back-to-back) angles. Such two-particle correlations have been studied experimentally at the BNL-RHIC collider and could be scrutinized also for $pp$ (and, in the future, also $AA$) collisions at the CERN-LHC accelerator.
NI-49SMART SUCKER: NEXT GENERATION SMART SURGICAL TOOL FOR INTRAOPERATIVE BRAIN TUMOR RESECTION USING TIME RESOLVED LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY

Primary brain tumors are highly lethal tumors where surgical resection is the primary treatment of choice. It has been shown that survival rate is directly related to the extent of tumor resection. In order to aid the surgeon in achieving near-complete resection, novel technologies are required. Time-resolved laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLIFS) promises to be one such technology, where the tissue is excited using an ultra-short laser and the corresponding fluorescence intensity decay is captured. Based on the fluorescence spectrum and the decay characteristics at various color bands from TRLIFS, differentiation of tumor from the normal brain tissue is possible in real-time. We built a portable TRLIFS system using custom optics and hardware (laser excitation: 355nm, 400ps pulse width, 5 uJ/pulse; PMT detector: Photek, rise time 80 picoseconds; digitizer: 7 Giga-samples per second) which is capable of providing the results in real time (every 50 milliseconds). We have designed a custom probe which is attached to a Roton sucker "Smart sucker" to collect the data during surgical resection from patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The histopathological diagnosis of the site under study with TRLIFS is confirmed with a biopsy and H-E staining. We will present our preliminary data from human brain tumor samples collected in-vivo. Our preliminary study shows that TRLIFS is capable of classifying low grade tumors with high sensitivity and specificity. This study will also demonstrate the potential of using the TRLIFS system to enhance the surgical instrumentation, aiding surgeons in near-complete excision of tumors and bringing these instruments into the next generation of smart tools.
A GRAMMAR OF CONVERSATION WITH A QUANTITATIVE EMPIRICAL TEST

A grammar of conversation was developed using three units of analysis: talk acts, turns at talk, and topic sequences. Statements, questions, agreements, and disagreements were used as categories of talk acts. Rules were stipulated covering the use of the four kinds of talk acts. From the rules and the definitions of the units of analysis, propositions were derived about the probable location of categories of talk acts in turns and sequences. Theorems and hypotheses were deduced from these propositions. Empirical tests of each of the 16 hypotheses were conducted on transcripts of police-civilian telephone calls, husband-wife decision-making sessions, and selected Watergate transcripts. of 48 possible tests, four could not be made due to lack of data. Forty-three of the remaining 44 were statistically significant. However, 16 tests showed marginal or poor power levels. The data tended to indicate that knowledge of the grammar of conversation permitted significantly better prediction of the occurrence of acts than would be expected by chance. Further, the grammar also predicted adequately for three diverse social and interpersonal situations.
Effects of sotalol on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram in patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia: relation to suppression of inducibility and changes in tachycardia cycle length.

AbstractObjectives. This study examines the effects of sotalol on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with spontaneous and inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia and correl...
Functional CD8+ CTLs in mucosal sites and HIV infection: moving forward toward a mucosal AIDS vaccine

The gastrointestinal and vaginal mucosa are the major routes of natural HIV transmission, with the former being the primary reservoir for virus replication. The crucial need for a global HIV vaccine underscores the effort to develop vaccines capable of eliciting mucosal immune responses. Vaccines that induce high levels of effective mucosal immunity should impact viral replication rate and prevent dissemination of virus from the mucosa into the systemic circulation. In our opinion, the major effort for effective HIV vaccine should be concentrated on generating protective immunity at the site of viral entry (i.e. the gastrointestinal and vaginal mucosae). Here we examine the current information regarding the role of mucosal immunity in prevention of HIV transmission and discuss strategies for mucosal AIDS vaccine development.
An investigation of vorticity amplification in stagnation flow

Recently a theory which could explain satisfactorily the strong sensitivity of stagnation-point heat transfer and skin friction on cylinders in cross flow to relatively small turbulent fluctuations in the free-stream was put forth by Sutera et al. [11. This mathematical model proposed that vorticity amplification due to stretching of vortex filaments in the strongly diverging flow near the stagnation point is the underlying mechanism. The basic physical ideas and mathematical formulations relating to vorticity amplification by stretching and the resulting effects on flow, heat transfer and skin friction at a two-dimensional stagnation point were set forth in Reference 1 and in a subsequent paper by Sutera E2]. This theory was later extended to the outer flow field, i.e., outside and far from the boundary layer, by Sadeh et al. I31. Thus, a detailed review of the vorticity-amplification theory need not be repeated here. The primary purpose of the present investigation was the experimental verification of the vorticity-amplification theory presented in References 1, 2 and 3. The experimental work was designed mainly to obtain quantitative evidence of vorticity amplification by stretching and its effects on the average boundary-layer profile. A search for the prezlicted vortex structure near the wall was also carried out.
The selective hemolytic action of drugs: clinical and mechanistic considerations.

The selective hemolytic action of drugs may be related to one of three different pathogenetic mechanisms: (1) a deficiency of an enzyme or metabolic pathway within the cell (enzymopathy); (2) the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin (hemoglobinopathy); or (3) the formation of antibodies against the drug or a drug-red cell complex. This report reviews the clinical presentation and the laboratory definition of these disorders, and also describes in vitro studies carried out to define the interrelationship between levels of glutathione and enzyme activity of cells exposed to sulfhydryl inhibitors.
Effects of acute ethanol administration on polyphosphoinositide turnover and levels of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in mouse cerebrum and cerebellum.

Although ethanol is known for its central depressant action, its effect on the polyphosphoinositide (poly-Pl) signal transduction activity in brain has not been examined in detail. In this study, C57BI/6J mice were injected intracerebrally with [3H]inositol, and poly-PI turnover in brain was assessed by determining the levels of labeled inositol monophosphates (IP1) accumulated after intraperitoneal injection of LiCl (6 meq/kg body weight) 4 hr before killing. Using this experimental protocol, acute ethanol administration (by gavage) resulted in time- and dose-dependent decreases in the levels of labeled IP1 in both cerebrum and cerebellum as compared with controls. The ethanol-induced decrease in labeled IP1 correlated well with the decrease in levels of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (as measured by the radioreceptor assay) and the increase in blood ethanol concentration. Despite a 4-fold higher accumulation of labeled IP1 in the cerebrum compared with the cerebellum, there were no major differences in the steady-state levels of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (based on tissue weight) in either brain region. Intraperitoneal injection of atropine (50 mg/kg) (a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist) to the lithium-treated mice resulted in a 34% decrease in labeled IP1 as compared with controls. This result suggests that a substantial proportion of the signals transduced were due to activation of the muscarinic cholinergic receptor. Administration of ethanol (5 g/kg) to the atropine-treated mice resulted in a further decrease in labeled IP1 and longer sleep time as compared with those given ethanol alone. Taken together, these results indicate a relationship between the acute effect of ethanol and the poly-PI signaling activity in brain and modulation of the ethanol effect by compounds affecting the poly-PI signaling pathway.
Optimal Geometric Arrangement of Staggered Vertical Plates in Natural Convection

We document the geometric optimization of an assembly of staggered vertical plates that are installed in a fixed volume. The heat transfer is by laminar natural convection. The objective is to maximize the overall thermal conductance between the assembly of plates and the surrounding fluid. The geometric parameters that vary are the horizontal spacing between adjacent columns of plates, the number of plates mounted in each vertical column, the plate dimensions, and the stagger between columns. The optimization is performed numerically and experimentally in the range Pr = 0.72 and 10 3 ≤ Ra L ≤ 10 6 , where Ra L is the Rayleigh number based on the vertical dimension of the assembly (L). The results for the optimal horizontal spacing are correlated using formulas derived from the theory of the intersection of asymptotes (Bejan)
Measures of Obesity and Outcomes After Myocardial Infarction

Overweight and obesity have become increasingly common; worldwide, at least 1.1 billion adults are overweight and 312 million are obese, when overweight and obesity are defined conventionally as having a body mass index (BMI) of >25 kg/m2 and >30 kg/m2, respectively.1,2 In the general population, overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,3,4 and thus it is not surprising that in cohorts of patients with prevalent ischemic heart disease or acute coronary events, well over 50% are overweight or obese.5,6 Despite the association between obesity and cardiovascular risk in the general population, a multitude of studies have described an inverse correlation between BMI and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), including post-coronary revascularization patients and those with acute myocardial infarction (MI); the association between elevated BMI and improved survival has been termed the obesity paradox .7,8 Article p 482 In this issue of Circulation , Zeller et al9 further investigate the obesity paradox in a cohort of 2229 consecutive patients presenting with acute MI in the Cote d’Or region of France. In assessing the impact of obesity on mortality after MI, the group uses both BMI, a traditional index of obesity, as well as waist circumference, an alternate anthropometric index that is more specific for abdominal obesity. Approximately one-half of the subjects in the study were overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m2), one-quarter were obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) and one-half had increased waist circumference, which was defined as >102 cm in men and >88 cm in women. Left ventricular ejection fraction, type of MI, and acute treatment strategy did not generally differ by BMI or waist circumference values. Of note, BMI was inversely correlated with age and plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, whereas …
The power of representation and interpretation: Doubling statistical reasoning performance with icons and frequentist interpretations of ambiguous numbers

In an ongoing debate about statistical reasoning competency, one view claims that pictorial representations help tap into the frequency coding mechanisms, whereas another view argues that pictorial representations simply help one to appreciate general subset relationships. The present experiments used Bayesian reasoning problems, expressed in an ambiguous numerical format (chances) and with different pictorial representations, to better understand influences on performance across these representation types. Although a roulette wheel diagram had some positive effect on performance, both abstract icons and pictographs improved performance markedly more. Furthermore, a frequency interpretation of the ambiguous numerical information was also associated with superior performance. These findings support the position that the human mind is more easily able to use frequency-based information, as opposed to grasping subset relations, as an explanation for improved statistical reasoning. These results also provide ...
Source location capability of present and future high energy gamma ray telescopes

Abstract Astrophysical studies with high energy γ-ray telescopes will benefit significantly from improved capability of such telescopes to determine source locations. Instruments under construction use either direct measurement of γ-ray arrival directions (the EGRET instrument on the Gamma Ray Observatory) or coded aperture techniques (the Soviet-French GAMNA-I detector). A comparison of these two approaches shows that either can produce source locations of 5 to 10 arcmin, significantly better than previous results. The conventional telescope achieves this result by using the relatively small number of high energy, high resolution γ-rays, while the coded aperture technique requires high statistics but can use γ-rays of all energies. The coded aperture technique, however, is limited to only the brightest sources. Suggested future direct and coded aperture telescopes can yield better source locations. Conventional high energy γ-ray telescopes offer advantages over coded aperture systems for three reasons: the low statistics inherent in realistic astrophysical observations at these energies limit the operation of the coded aperture detectors; the conventional telescopes gain from the improvement of single photon angular resolution at higher energies; and the cosmic-ray-induced background is a potentially serious problem for coded aperture systems.
An unconventional indication for open kyphoplasty.

Abstract Background context Kyphoplasty is a means of treatment for painful osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures. Its efficacy has not yet been totally proven. Even though the conventional percutaneous kyphoplasty is a relatively safe procedure, it is not routinely recommended for use in vertebral body fractures that involve posterior cortical compromise/retropulsion or in fractures associated with neurological deficit. Purpose To see whether the open kyphoplasty procedure can be used in patients with painful vertebral body compression fractures who also have bony retropulsion into the spinal canal. Study design/setting This technical report is based on the experience of one patient. Methods A 79-year-old woman with a history of osteoporosis presented with a painful vertebral body compression fracture at T12. Magnetic resonance imaging of her lumbar spine demonstrated an acute compression fracture at T12 with significant decrease in vertebral body height and retropulsion of bone resulting in one-third reduction in canal width. She was not considered a candidate for percutaneous kyphoplasty. Three months after the injury, an open kyphoplasty was performed after a decompression laminectomy at T12. Results The fractured vertebral body was successfully reduced, and there was no leakage of polymethylmethacrylate into the spinal canal through the fractured posterior cortex using the open kyphoplasty procedure. One month after the operation, the patient was free from mid-back pain and was again able to walk. Conclusion Open kyphoplasty procedure allows direct visualization to the spinal canal. It can be performed safely and effectively in selected vertebral body compression fractures with retropulsed bone associated with neurological deficit.
Significance of Unilateral Submandibular Gland Excision on Salivary Flow in Noncancer Patients

Objectives/Hypothesis: Normal salivary flow is important for maintaining good oral hygiene. Lack of normal flow predisposes to an increased incidence of dental caries and symptomatic xerostomia. The submandibular glands are responsible for 70% of resting salivary flow. Removal of the submandibular gland is most commonly performed for sialolithiasis, chronic sialoadenitis, or as part of a neck dissection. The effect of unilateral gland resection for benign disease on resting salivary flow has not been well examined in the literature. Study Design: Case controlled study involving patients who had undergone a unilateral submandibular gland resection matched with normal control subjects. Method: Stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rates in surgical and control subjects were measured in a controlled setting. Results: Unstimulated salivary flow rates were 0.805 mL/min in the control group and 0.405 mL/min in the surgical group (P = .01). Stimulated salivary flow rates were not significantly different between the two groups (P >.05). Fifty-seven percent of patients in the surgical group and 14% in the control group had xerostomia (P <.05). Conclusion: Unilateral submandibular gland excision results in a decreased rate of resting salivary flow and an increase in subjective xerostomia.
The facilitative effects of shock and sensory deprivation on bar-pressing during extinction

Sixteen male rats were run under four conditions, sensory deprived with shock, sensory deprived without shock, shock without sensory deprivation, and a no shock, no deprivation condition. All Ss were housed in Skinner boxes throughout the entire experiment to test the effects of these conditions on the number of bar presses prior to and during extinction. The results indicate that sensory deprivation and shock generate the highest bar-press rate prior to and during extinction, and that there is an interaction between shock and sensory deprivation.
Analysis of slap segmentation and HBSI errors across different force levels

In a recent study, fingerprint data was collected across six different force levels. A total of 8,877 slap samples were ground truthed, and subsequently processed using a commercially available fingerprint segmentation tool. This paper delves deeper into understanding segmentation errors across the force levels. Out of the 8,877 slaps, 370 slaps failed to segment. In order to understand why there were errors, a detailed analysis was undertaken by ground-truthing the slap and segmented datasets. In addition to the ground-truthing, video analysis of the interactions enabled specific failures to be replayed and identified as performance or ergonomic, interaction, and usability (Human Biometric Sensor Interaction) errors. This paper will identify determining factors that would cause the slap segmentation tool to error, and provide guidance to those undertaking data collection activities where they would need to the use a segmentation tool.
Monstruos y poder en El obsceno pájaro de la noche de José Donoso

En el ensayo “Monstruos y poder en El obsceno pajaro de la noche ” se estudia, desde los distintos conceptos de monstruosidad propuestos por Foucault en su obra Los anormales , la manera en la que la figura del monstruo se constituye como eje central desde el cual puede analizarse la novela El obsceno pajaro de la noche del autor chileno Jose Donoso. En el presente trabajo se examina la manera segun la cual, dentro de la novela, la figura del monstruo se instala como una amenaza a las convenciones sociales aceptadas proponiendo otro discurso, en el que se subvierten los valores y se revela aquello que para la continuidad de un cuerpo social debiese permanecer oculto. Dentro de este contexto se examina la forma en la que los personajes se configuran en tanto seres marginales que, sin embargo, hacen de aquel caracter subalterno y socialmente secundario una fuente de ilimitado poder, radicado principalmente en el conocimiento directo de las debilidades de la estructura social. El monstruo, asi, aparece como un ser esencialmente subversivo y transgresor, lo que dentro de la novela estudiada puede comprenderse como un ataque a lo socialmente establecido al tiempo de permitir, asimismo, una lectura alegorica con respecto a las instituciones y a los valores sobre los cuales se establecen las sociedades modernas en general y la chilena de la decada de los setenta en particular.
Imbalanced forest ecosystems: Assessments and consequences

Abstract Few ecosystems can maintain an ideal balance of available resources for primary producers, decomposing organisms, and consumers. When nutrition is optimal for plants, their tissue may be toxic for many consumers and their detritus nutritionally imbalanced for decomposers. Even conditions favoring high rates of primary production soon lead to limitation in light and possibly other resources. Because of the integrated nature of ecosystems, stress induced in one part permeates the entire system. With chronic stress induced by climatic change or air pollution, we might expect reductions in canopy leaf area, decomposition rates, and root mineral uptake, and increases in herbivory, pathological activity, and leaching of material into or through the rooting zone. Each of the six responses can be simply assessed. As a general index of stress to forest ecosystems, we may monitor changes in the ability of folaige to produce wood. Below a particular level of production, trees become susceptible to a variety of insects and diseases. Through an experimental approach, we can identify the relative importance of constraining factors and predict the consequences of management options.
mGlu5 negative allosteric modulators: a patent review (2013 - 2016).

Introduction: The design and development of small molecule negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) has been an area of intense interest for over a decade. Potential roles have been established for mGlu5 NAMs in the treatment of diseases such as pain, anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Parkinson's disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia (PD-LID), fragile X syndrome (FXS), autism, addiction, and depression. Areas covered: This review begins with an update of the clinical trial efforts with mGlu5 NAMs. Following that update, the review summarizes small molecule mGlu5 NAM patent applications published between 2010 and 2012. These summaries are subdivided into three separate groups: inventions related to improvements in drug properties and/or developability, new chemical entities that contain a disubstituted alkyne, and new chemical entities that do not contain a disubstituted alkyne. Expert opinion: Given the abundant promise found within the mG...
Low-level (submicromole) environmental 14C metrology ☆

Abstract Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of environmental 14C have been employed during the past decade at the several micromole level (tens of μg carbon), but advanced research in the atmospheric and marine sciences demands still higher (μg) sensitivity, an extreme example being the determination of 14C in elemental or “black” carbon (BC) at levels of 2–10 μg per kg of Greenland snow and ice (Currie et al., 1998). A fundamental limitation for 14C AMS is Poisson counting statistics, which sets in at about 1 μg modern-C. Using the small sample (25 μg) AMS target preparation facility at NOSAMS (Pearson et al., 1998), and the microsample combustion–dilution facility at NIST, we have demonstrated an intrinsic modern-C quantification limit (mQ) of ca. 0.9 μg, based on a 1-parameter fit to the empirical AMS variance function. (For environmental 14C, the modern carbon quantification limit is defined as that mass (mQ) corresponding to 10% relative standard deviation (rsd) for the fraction of modern carbon, σ(fM)/fM.) Stringent control, required for quantitative dilution factors (DL), is achieved with the NIST on-line manometric/mass spectrometry facility that compensates also for unsuspected trace impurities from vigorous chemical processing (e.g., acid digestion). Our current combustion blank is trivial (mean: 0.16 ± 0.02 μg C, n=13) but lognormally distributed (dispersion [σ]: 0.07 ± 0.01 μg). An iterative numerical expression is introduced to assess the quantitative impacts of fossil and modern carbon blank components on mQ; and a new “clean chemistry” BC processing system is described for the minimization of such blanks. For the assay of soot carbon in Greenland snow/ice, the overall processing blank has been reduced from nearly 7 μg total carbon to less than 1 μg, and is undetectable for BC.
Ethical attributes in computing and computing education: An exploratory study

There is an ongoing concern about workplace ethics. Many voices say that our educational system ought to do something about it, but they do not agree about how to do this. By the time students reach post‐secondary education, they will have already developed a general moral sense. The concern is whether their moral sense is sufficient for ethical situations in the workplace. If not, post‐secondary education is expected to close the gap. In order to do this, educators need information about what is missing. Educators can set clear, work‐related objectives and use classroom activities to reach those objectives based on an identification of these gaps.