cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systematic Study of Chromatographic Behavior vs Alkyl Chain Length for HPLC Bonded Phases Containing an Embedded Carbamate Group.

A series of HPLC bonded phases containing an internal carbamate group were studied by changing the terminal N-alkyl group from C(8)H(17) to C(18)H(37) in increments of two methylene units, i.e., C(8), C(10), C(12), C(14), C(16), and C(18). Each material was prepared via bonding of silica with the respective 3-(chlorodimethylsilyl)propyl N-alkylcarbamate silane. The materials were compared under reversed-phase conditions using a test mixture of nonpolar, polar, and basic compounds in a 65:35 (v/v) methanol/20 mM KH(2)PO(4)/K(2)HPO(4), pH 7, mobile phase. Retention factors were found to generally increase from the C(8) length to the C(12)-C(16) lengths but decreased for the C(18) length. Retention factors were also measured as a function of three ligand surface concentrations for the C(12), C(14), and C(18) materials. In this study, retention generally decreased with increasing surface concentration, especially for the C(18) chain length. Changes in particle surface area and porosity caused by bonding did not fully account for the observed changes in retention factors. Peak shapes for the basic analytes propranolol and amitriptyline were also studied as a function of N-alkylcarbamate chain length and surface concentration. Tailing factors were unaffected by chain length and only weakly dependent on surface concentration. By comparison, tailing factors decreased significantly as surface concentration increased for a set of conventional C(18) alkyl packings.
Recombinant Human CuZn Superoxide Dismutase (rhSOD) as an Adjunctive Therapy for Inhaled Nitric Oxide (NO)

Recombinant Human CuZn Superoxide Dismutase (rhSOD) as an Adjunctive Therapy for Inhaled Nitric Oxide (NO)
Endothelin ETB1 receptor-mediated relaxation of rabbit basilar artery

Abstract This study tests whether endothelin receptor agonist-induced relaxation of the cerebral vasculature is mediated via endothelin ET B1 receptor activation. Sarafotoxin S6c, an endothelin ET B receptor agonist, relaxed rabbit basilar artery constricted with serotonin in situ. BQ788 ( N - cis -2,6-dimethylpiperidinocarbonyl l -γ-MeLeu- d -Trp (COOCH 3 )-Nle), and RES-701-1 (Gly-Asn-Trp-His-Gly-Thr-Ala-Pro-Asp-Trp-Phe-Phe-Asn-Tyr-Tyr-Trp), endothelin ET B1/B2 and endothelin ET B1 receptor antagonists, respectively, prevented sarafotoxin S6c-induced relaxation. RES-701-1 was selective for the ET B1 receptor, as the endothelin-1 constriction elicited in the presence of BQ610 (homopiperidenyl-CO-Leu- d -Trp (CHO)- d -Trp-OH), an endothelin ET A receptor antagonist, was enhanced by RES-701-1, and relaxed by BQ788. These results represent the first demonstration of the presence of endothelin ET B1 receptors in the cerebral vasculature.
Salinity tolerance of citrus rootstocks: Effects of salt on root and leaf mineral concentrations

The effects of three concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) on seven citrus rootstocks were studied under greenhouse conditions. Leaf and root mineral concentrations and seedling growth were measured. Sodium chloride was added to the nutrient solution to achieve final osmotic potentials of −0.10, −0.20, and −0.35 MPa. Increasing the concentration of NaCl in the nutrition solution reduced growth proportionally and altered leaf and root mineral concentrations of all rootstocks. Significant differences in leaf and root mineral concentration among rootstocks were also found under stressed and non-stressed conditions. Salinity caused the greatest growth reduction in Milam lemon and trifoliate orange and the least reduction in sour orange and Cleopatra mandarin. No specific nutrient deficiency was the sole factor reducing growth and causing injury to citrus rootstocks. Sodium chloride sensitivity of citrus rootstocks in terms of leaf burn symptoms and growth reduction could be attributed more to Cl than to Na. Sodium and Cl concentrations were greater in the leaves than in the roots, particularly at the medium and high salinity levels. Root Cl was not useful for assessing injury because no differences were found in root Cl concentrations among rootstocks. Increasing salinity level did not affect the level of N and Ca in the roots but did reduce N and Ca levels in the leaves. No relationship in mineral concentration or accumulation seemed to exist between citrus leaves and roots. At the −0.10 MPa salinity level, sour orange, rough lemon, and Milam were not able to exclude either Na or Cl from their leaves. Trifoliate orange and its two hybrids (Swingle citrumelo and Carrizo citrange) excluded Na at the lowest salt level used, but were unable to exclude Na at the higher salinity levels. Similarly, Cleopatra mandarin excluded Cl at the lowest salt level, but was not able to exclude Cl at higher salt concentrations. Hence, the ability of citrus rootstocks to exclude Na or Cl breaks down at higher salt concentrations.
Use of Intravenous Peramivir for Treatment of Severe Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09

Oral antiviral agents to treat influenza are challenging to administer in the intensive care unit (ICU). We describe 57 critically ill patients treated with the investigational intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor drug peramivir for influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 [pH1N1]. Most received late peramivir treatment following clinical deterioration in the ICU on enterically-administered oseltamivir therapy. The median age was 40 years (range 5 months-81 years). Common clinical complications included pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation (54; 95%), sepsis requiring vasopressor support (34/53; 64%), acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis (19/53; 36%) and secondary bacterial infection (14; 25%). Over half (29; 51%) died. When comparing the 57 peramivir-treated cases with 1627 critically ill cases who did not receive peramivir, peramivir recipients were more likely to be diagnosed with pneumonia/acute respiratory distress syndrome (p = 0.0002) or sepsis (p = <0.0001), require mechanical ventilation (p = <0.0001) or die (p = <0.0001). The high mortality could be due to the pre-existing clinical severity of cases prior to request for peramivir, but also raises questions about peramivir safety and effectiveness in hospitalized and critically ill patients. The use of peramivir merits further study in randomized controlled trials, or by use of methods such as propensity scoring and matching, to assess clinical effectiveness and safety.
Formation of shallow Schottky contacts to Si using Pt‐Si and Pd‐Si alloy films

A series of codeposited alloy films of Pt‐Si with a composition changing from Pt75Si25 to Pt50Si50 and of Pd‐Si changing from Pd75Si25 to Pd67Si33 have been prepared on Si for a systematic study of shallow silicide contacts. The effects of alloy composition and heat treatment on the formation and properties of these contacts have been investigated by I‐V measurement of Schottky barrier height, glancing incidence x‐ray diffraction, and cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy. Shallow contacts with a depth of about 10 nm and with the Schottky barrier height of PtSi and Pd2Si have been achieved.
The general quartic valence force field of OCS

Abstract A set of force constants in the general quartic valence force field of OCS has been determined by least-squares adjustment to experimental spectroscopic data including the vibrational energies and the rotational constant in excited vibrational states. Account has been taken of the Fermi resonance coupling the states |v1, v2, l2, v3 > with |v1−1, v2 + 2, l2, v3 > and |v1, v2 + 2, l2, v3−1 > and the rotational dependence of the matrix element of the Fermi-resonance operator has been considered. Although there is a total of 117 pieces of experimental data we were unable to determine all 19 force constants and we had to assume some of the quartic interaction force contants to be zero.
LF/MF Whistler mode dispersive signals observed with rocket-borne instruments in the auroral downward current region

[1] The SIERRA sounding rocket launched 14 January 2002, northward from Poker Flat, Alaska, to an altitude of 735 km in active aurora. On the downleg, in the altitude range 500–700 km, the onboard high-frequency wave experiment detected structured whistler mode signals in the frequency range 100–1000 kHz, lasting nearly 200 s during which the rocket moved approximately 200 km downrange. The most prominent feature consisted of narrowband signals with frequency descending from 500 kHz to 250 kHz in about 0.5 s, with bandwidths ∼10 kHz, with frequency spacings ∼25 kHz, and with amplitudes in the range 10–400 μV/m. The structured whistler mode signals coincide with a region of Alfvenically accelerated electrons of the type often associated with the downward current region, poleward of the inverted-V electron structures usually associated with the upward current region. However, on short timescales there was no clear correlation between the whistler mode signals and the locally detected electron flux or density. Ray-tracing calculations indicate that concentrated sources of waves originating on the whistler mode resonance cone and moving upward through a model ionosphere, with speeds of 1000–5000 km/s, to rocket altitudes, exhibit the magnitude of dispersion of the observed structured whistler mode features. We evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the hypothesis that these concentrated sources could be associated with phase space electron holes shedding electrostatic whistlers as they move upward along the field line at altitudes much higher than the rocket in the downward current region.
Managing Urban Water Demand in Neoliberal Northern Mexico

During the last quarter century, the focus of water management in many parts of the world has turned from increasing water supplies through the construction of large hydraulic infrastructure, to reducing demand for the liquid by users. New neoliberal water management strategies focus on recovering delivery costs from users, increasing the efficiency of water systems, and decentralizing maintenance and operation. In northern Mexico, this decentralized management of water is accompanied by educational programs designed to create a "water culture" based on shared environmental and economic values and surveillance of water use by schoolchildren. This article explores the quotidian dynamics of one such water culture program and locates these dynamics within larger processes of neoliberal water governance. A main argument of this article is that demand management depends heavily on interventions in culture and social relations.
Metallic complexes of 2,2′-bipyridine-1,1′-dioxide☆

Abstract The preparation and characterization of metallic complexes of 2,2′-bipyridine-1,1′-dioxide (bipyO 2 ), a bidentate ligand which forms seven-membered rings, are reported. The compounds have been characterized by their electrical conductance and electronic spectra in dimethylformamide, magnetic moments, and infrared spectra. Compounds containing the complex cations, M(bipyO 2 ) 3 n + , (M = Al 3+ , Cr 3+ , Fe 3+ , Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Zn 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Hg 2+ ) and the compounds Co(bipyO 2 ) 2 Cl 2 , Cu(bipyO 2 )Cl 2 , [Ag(bipyO 2 ) 2 ]ClO 4 ·3H 2 O, and Pb(bipyO 2 ) 2 (ClO 4 ) 2 are reported.
The relationship between optic disc area and open-angle glaucoma: the Baltimore Eye Survey.

Purpose To determine if eyes with larger optic disc area are more likely to have open-angle glaucoma or to have glaucoma at lower intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods Data were collected from a population-based sample of adults residing in East Baltimore, consisting of demographic information, ocular examinations, automated and static/kinetic visual field tests, IOP as measured by applanation tonometry, and image analysis of the optic disc. Optic disc area was calculated using refractive error to correct magnification. Open-angle glaucoma was defined by visual field and optic disc criteria. One eye from each of 75 patients with glaucoma was compared to those of 3,518 subjects without glaucoma. Results Although optic disc area was somewhat larger among patients with glaucoma than control subjects, in a regression model adjusting for age, gender, and race, the significance of this difference had a probability of 0.06. Among patients with glaucoma, disc area was not related to IOP level measured at study examination. Conclusion Disc area is a weak risk factor for open-angle glaucoma. Disc area did not differ between patients with glaucoma who had lower IOP and those who had higher IOP among a group with glaucoma that were identified in a population survey.
Mechanisms of endothelial cell ATP depletion after oxidant injury.

ABSTRACT: To investigate mechanisms of ATP depletion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells after oxidant injury, we studied the relationship between DNA damage, activation of the DNA-repairing enzyme poly ADP-ribose polymerase, NAD depletion, and ATP depletion. We found that oxidant stress generated with hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase and glucose-glucose oxidase resulted in profound DNA damage. When endothelial cells were exposed to 25 and 50 mU/ml xanthine oxidase for 60 min, the percentage of double-stranded DNA was significantly reduced (p<0.05) to 15.2 ± 1.2 and 4.6 ± 0.5%, respectively, compared to 75.7 ± 3.9% for control cells. When endothelial cells were exposed to 25 and 50 mU/ml glucose oxidase for 60 min, the percentage of double-stranded DNA was significantly (p<0.05) reduced to 35.0 ± 1.5% and 9.9 ± 7.7%, respectively, compared to 73.2 ± 2.4% for control cells. ATP and NAD levels declined simultaneously with DNA damage. Because activation of the DNA-repairing enzyme poly ADP-ribose polymerase can consume NAD sufficient to interfere with ATP synthesis, we studied NAD and ATP levels after oxidant injury when ADP-ribose polymerase was inhibited with 3-aminobenzamide and nicotinamide. When poly ADP-ribose polymerase was inhibited, NAD levels remained normal, but ATP depletion was not prevented. We conclude that oxidant injury to human umbilical vein endothelial cells results in profound DNA damage and NAD and ATP depletion. NAD depletion results from activation of poly ADP-ribose polymerase, but this phenomenon is not the mechanism of ATP depletion in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
The respiratory burst is not required for killing of intracellular and extracellular parasites by a lymphokine-activated macrophage cell line

The macrophage cell line, IC-21, was found to be incapable of producing the oxygen products associated with the respiratory burst. However, IC-21 cells were activated by lymphokine (LK) to kill intracellular (Leishmania donovani amastigotes) and extracellular (Schistosoma mansoni larvae) parasites, as well as tumor cells. In each case, the cytotoxicity exhibited by activated IC-21 cells and activated peritoneal macrophages was indistinguishable. However, nonactivated IC-21 cells were unable to kill L. donovani log-growth phase promastigotes, while nonactivated peritoneal macrophages destroyed greater than 90% of the initial infection. These results indicate that amastigotes and schistosome larvae are susceptible to killing by nonoxidative cytotoxic mechanism induced by lymphokine activation but, on the other hand, support the concept that the killing of log-growth phase promastigotes by nonactivated cells is dependent upon the respiratory burst. We propose that the IC-21 cell line may be a useful model for studying nonoxidative killing functions of activated macrophages.
Impaired renal function in progressive multiple sclerosis

The authors analyzed renal function in 25 patients with progressive MS. The mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 92 mL/min/1.73 m2, compared to the predicted GFR of 110 (p
Oligomerization of levoglucosan by Fenton chemistry in proxies of biomass burning aerosols

Reactions of levoglucosan with \( OH^{ \bullet } \) produced from Fenton chemistry were studied in solution serving as a proxy for biomass burning aerosols. Two modes of oligomerization (≤2000 u) were observed for reaction times between 1 and 7 days using matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOF-MS). Single-mass unit continuum mass distributions with dominant −2 u patterns were measured and superimposed by a +176/+162 u oligomer series. This latter oligomer pattern was attributed to a Criegee rearrangement (+14 u) of levoglucosan, initiated by \( OH^{ \bullet } \), forming a lactone (176 u). The acid-catalyzed reaction of any ROH from levoglucosan (+162 u) forms an ester through transesterification of the lactone functionality, whereupon propagation forms polyesters. Proposed products and chemical mechanisms are suggested as sources and precursors of humic-like substances (HULIS), which are known to possess a large saccharic component and are possibly formed from biomass burning aerosols (Andreae, Global Biomass Burning, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 3–21, 1991).
Iron Kα Fluorescent Line Profiles from Spiral Accretion Flows in Active Galactic Nuclei

We present 6.4 keV iron Kα fluorescent line profiles predicted for a relativistic black hole accretion disk in the presence of a spiral motion in Kerr geometry, the work extended from earlier literature motivated by recent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The velocity field of the spiral motion, superposed on the background Keplerian flow, results in a complicated redshift distribution in the accretion disk. An X-ray source attributed to a localized flaring region on the black hole symmetry axis illuminates the iron in the disk. The emissivity form becomes very steep because of the light-bending effect from the primary X-ray source to the disk. The fluorescent line is calculated for various spiral waves with different X-ray source height. It is found, regardless of the source height, in the predicted broad-line profile that (1) a ubiquitous multiple peak along with a classical double-peaked structure generally appears; (2) such a multiple peak can be categorized into two types, sharp subpeaks and periodic spiky peaks; (3) a tightly packed spiral wave tends to produce more spiky multiple peaks, whereas (4) a spiral wave with a larger amplitude seems to generate more sharp subpeaks; (5) the effect seems to be less significant when the spiral wave is centrally concentrated; and (6) the line shape may show a drastic change (forming a double-peaked, triple-peaked, or multiple-peaked feature) as the spiral wave rotates with the disk (phase-dependent line). Our results emphasize that around a rapidly rotating black hole an extremely redshifted iron line profile with a noticeable spikelike feature can be realized in the presence of the spiral wave. Future X-ray observations, from Astro-E2, for example, will have sufficient spectral resolution for testing our spiral-wave model, which exhibits unique spikelike features. Furthermore, they may be able to allow us to identify the characteristics of the spiral wave occurring in the innermost accretion disk.
Activity and Convention

This paper develops Lewis’ notion of convention within a framework that mixes cognitive science with some more social theories of activity like distributed cognition and activity theory. The close examination of everyday situations of convention-based activity will produce some interesting issues for a cognitive theory of behavior. Uncertainty, dynamics, and the complexities of the performance of convention-based activities that are distributed over time and/or place, are driving factors in the analysis that is presented. How the actors reason and manage their collaboration is characterized as pragmatic action. During the course of recurrent activities, the participants adapt previously learned convention-based activities to new circumstances. The coordinating representations that are a part of the design of the context mediate parts of the activity. As they act, the participants learn.
T-lymphopoietic capacity of the mouse intestinal epithelium

Small intestine intraepithelial lymphocytes (i-IELs) comprise a heterogeneous population of T cells that are part of the gut-associated lymphoid tissues. Recent studies indicate that murine i-IELs are greatly enriched for extrathymic T cells. Yet there is disagreement as to which i-IELS are extrathymic and which are not, and many aspects of intestinal T-cell development remain controversial. In this article, the developmental lineages of murine i-IELs are examined, and the thymopoietic potential of the intestine epithelium is discussed. A mechanism is described whereby all intestinal T cells develop extrathymically, and a concept of intestinal T cells is presented which suggests that lineages of i-IELs need to be viewed according to developmental factors exclusive of thymus dependency.
Anthrax lethal toxin and Salmonella elicit the common cell death pathway of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis via distinct mechanisms

Caspase-1 cleaves the inactive IL-1β and IL-18 precursors into active inflammatory cytokines. In Salmonella-infected macrophages, caspase-1 also mediates a pathway of proinflammatory programmed cell death termed “pyroptosis.” We demonstrate active caspase-1 diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm and localized in discrete foci within macrophages responding to either Salmonella infection or intoxication by Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LT). Both stimuli triggered caspase-1-dependent lysis in macrophages and dendritic cells. Activation of caspase-1 by LT required binding, uptake, and endosome acidification to mediate translocation of lethal factor (LF) into the host cell cytosol. Catalytically active LF cleaved cytosolic substrates and activated caspase-1 by a mechanism involving proteasome activity and potassium efflux. LT activation of caspase-1 is known to require the inflammasome adapter Nalp1. In contrast, Salmonella infection activated caspase-1 through an independent pathway requiring the inflammasome adapter Ipaf. These distinct mechanisms of caspase-1 activation converged on a common pathway of caspase-1-dependent cell death featuring DNA cleavage, cytokine activation, and, ultimately, cell lysis resulting from the formation of membrane pores between 1.1 and 2.4 nm in diameter and pathological ion fluxes that can be blocked by glycine. These findings demonstrate that distinct activation pathways elicit the conserved cell death effector mechanism of caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis and support the notion that this pathway of proinflammatory programmed cell death is broadly relevant to cell death and inflammation invoked by diverse stimuli.
Online SOC and SOH estimation for multicell lithium-ion batteries based on an adaptive hybrid battery model and sliding-mode observer

This paper proposes an adaptive hybrid battery model-based high-fidelity state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) estimation method for rechargeable multicell batteries. The hybrid battery model consists of an enhanced Coulomb counting algorithm for SOC estimation and an electrical circuit battery model. A variable-length sliding window least squares (VSWLS)-based online parameter identification algorithm is designed to estimate the electrical parameters of the electrical battery model, which are then used as the parameters of an adaptive discrete-time sliding-mode observer (ADSMO) for terminal and open-circuit voltage estimation of a battery cell. The error of the SOC estimated from the enhanced Coulomb counting algorithm is then corrected by using the SOC obtained from the ADSMO-estimated open-circuit voltage. This leads to an accurate, robust real-time SOC estimation. In addition, the maximum capacity of the cell is estimated to determine the SOH of the cell. The proposed method is validated by simulation and experimental results for a four-cell cylindrical lithium-ion battery pack.
Source characteristics and communication discrepancy as determinants of attitude change and conformity

Abstract In a design with two levels of source credibility, two degrees of attitude stability, and four levels of communication discrepancy, unstable subjects changed opinions of verticality and were differentially affected by source credibility, whereas stable individuals changed less and showed no prestige effect. For the stable subjects there was no prestige by discrepancy interaction, and trend analyses showed that opinion change was a curvilinear function of discrepancy. In an extension of the design (over seven discrepancy levels) for the unstable subjects, there was no source prestige by discrepancy interaction but significant main effects for source prestige and communication discrepancy. The trend tests showed that the attitude change curves for the highly and mildly credible sources were curvilinear when the discrepancy dimension was adequately sampled. A procedure was introduced to test for genuine, as opposed to situationally dependent, conforming change. Neither the unstable nor the stable subjects showed significant signs of genuine cognitive change. However, both evidenced opinion conformity which persisted in a posttreatment for the unstable but not the stable subjects. The results support social judgment theory, but are not in accord with dissonance predictions.
Mapping foreign policy behavior: An assessment and evaluation of events structures

Employing events indices for cooperation and conflict from the COPDAB data set, the graphic structuring process established by Steven Brams, and several alternative methods of quantifying the resulting event digraphs, this paper examines the utility of the graphic structuring process in efforts at explanation and prediction. Arguing that if the graphic structure represents an underlying structural order in the foreign policy behavior of states, predictability should exist between the graphic portrayal and other behavioral structures around it. Despite face validity in the sociometric qualities of the digraph results, little predictive capability was uncovered. The paper explains the testing process, disc asses the test results, and proposes alternative uses for the structural mapping procedure.
Relationship between enzyme properties and disease progression in Canavan disease

Canavan disease (CD) is a fatal neurological disorder caused by defects in the gene that encodes for a critical metabolic enzyme. The enzyme aspartoacylase catalyzes the deacetylation of N-acetylaspartate to produce acetate required for fatty acid biosynthesis in the brain. The loss of aspartoacylase activity leads to the demyelination and disrupted brain development that is found in CD patients. Sixteen different clinical mutants of aspartoacylase have been cloned, expressed and purified to examine their properties and the relationship between enzyme properties and disease phenotype. In contrast to numerous cell culture studies that reported virtually complete loss of function, each of these purified mutant enzymes was found to have measureable catalytic activity. However, the activities of these mutants are diminished, by as little as three-fold to greater than 100-fold when compared to the native enzyme. Many of these mutated enzyme forms show decreased thermal stability and an increased propensity for denaturation upon exposure to urea, but only four of the 16 mutants examined showed both diminished thermal and diminished conformational stability. Significantly, each of these lower stability mutants are responsible for the more severe phenotypes of CD, while patients with milder forms of CD have aspartoacylase mutants with generally high catalytic activity and with either good thermal or good conformational stability. These results suggest that the loss of catalytic function and the accumulation of N-acetylaspartate in Canavan disease is at least partially a consequence of the decreased protein stability caused by these mutations.
The generality of the characteristics of “competent” people

Abstract The purpose of this research was to determine the degree to which positive relationships between self-descriptions and/or interpersonal descriptions and ratings of competence generalized over different situations. Generality was found for the interpersonal descriptions but not for the self-descriptions. Three possible explanations for the results were suggested.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome during a Change from Haloperidol to Risperidone

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) in a patient whose therapy was being switched from haloperidol to risperidone.CASE REPORT:A 57-year-old African-American man, treated for schizophrenia with haloperidol for several years, developed NMS within 48 hours of the addition of low doses of risperidone and mirtazapine to his regimen. Symptoms, which included fever, generalized rigidity, and altered mental status, resolved after discontinuation of psychotropics, supportive management, and several weeks of treatment with bromocriptine and dantrolene. He was subsequently treated with olanzapine without adverse effects.DISCUSSION:Several cases of NMS have been reported with risperidone, but none under these circumstances. NMS most likely occurred in this patient as a result of the additive dopamine2 receptor blocking of haloperidol and risperidone. Sympathetic hyperactivity secondary to mirtazapine may also have been a contributing factor. If NMS may be induced by the simultaneous use...
Concepts in Hernia Repair, Surgery for Necrotizing Fasciitis, and Drainage of Subphrenic Abscess

We begin with a perspective on one of surgery’s most ancient and vexing problems in adults. Inguinal hernia repair now constitutes 35% of all abdominal surgeries submitted to the American Board of Surgery by general surgeons applying for recertification [1]. Rutkow et al., who have a keen interest in socioeconomic issues, reported that nearly 700,000 operations are performed annually [2]. Clearly, this mechanical problem has vast associated medical and economic costs that fuel an interest in this operation that has not abated. Moreover, Smith found 3,100 published citations in the MEDLINE literature search over a 10-year period at the end of the twentieth century dedicated to one aspect or another of groin hernia repair [3]. No wonder surgeons remain bemused and skeptical when a new technique is acclaimed as the ultimate solution. Finally, and again drawing from the American Board of Surgery recertification database, the average number of inguinal hernia repairs performed annually by an individual surgeon was only 35 [1]. This simple fact is important to bear in mind when discussing multiple new and vastly different operative approaches, each of which may have a different learning curve.
Advances in the synthesis of InAs and GaAs nanowires for electronic applications

Summary New materials and device concepts are in great demand for continual (opto)electronic device scaling and performance enhancement. Arsenide III-V semiconductor nanowires promise novel device architectures and superior (opto)electronic properties. Recent insights into the growth and optimal control over the InAs and GaAs nanowire morphology and distinguished key physical aspects in their growth are discussed. Direct correlation of individual nanowire crystal structure with their electronic transport properties is also presented.
Mechanisms of Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning in Cortico–Striatal Circuits 2: Evidence from fMRI

The frontal lobes may be organized hierarchically such that more rostral frontal regions modulate cognitive control operations in caudal regions. In our companion paper (Frank MJ, Badre D. 2011. Mechanisms of hierarchical reinforcement learning in corticostriatal circuits I: computational analysis. 22:509--526), we provide novel neural circuit and algorithmic models of hierarchical cognitive control in cortico--striatal circuits. Here, we test key model predictions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our neural circuit model proposes that contextual representations in rostral frontal cortex influence the striatal gating of contextual representations in caudal frontal cortex. Reinforcement learning operates at each level, such that the system adaptively learns to gate higher order contextual information into rostral regions. Our algorithmic Bayesian ‘‘mixture of experts’’ model captures the key computations of this neural model and provides trial-by-trial estimates of the learner’s latent hypothesis states. In the present paper, we used these quantitative estimates to reanalyze fMRI data from a hierarchical reinforcement learning task reported in Badre D, Kayser AS, D’Esposito M. 2010. Frontal cortex and the discovery of abstract action rules. Neuron. 66:315‐ 326. Results validate key predictions of the models and provide evidence for an individual cortico--striatal circuit for reinforcement learning of hierarchical structure at a specific level of policy
Increased resistance to oxidative stress in transgenic plants that overexpress chloroplastic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase.

Abstract Transgenic tobacco plants that express a chimeric gene that encodes chloroplast-localized Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) from pea have been developed. To investigate whether increased expression of chloroplast-targeted SOD could alter the resistance of photosynthesis to environmental stress, these plants were subjected to chilling temperatures and moderate (500 mumol of quanta per m2 per s) or high (1500 mumol of quanta per m2 per s) light intensity. During exposure to moderate stress, transgenic SOD plants retained rates of photosynthesis approximately 20% higher than untransformed tobacco plants, implicating active oxygen species in the reduction of photosynthesis during chilling. Unlike untransformed plants, transgenic SOD plants were capable of maintaining nearly 90% of their photosynthetic capacity (determined by their photosynthetic rates at 25 degrees C) following exposure to chilling at high light intensity for 4 hr. These plants also showed reduced levels of light-mediated cellular damage from the superoxide-generating herbicide methyl viologen. These results demonstrate that SOD is a critical component of the active-oxygen-scavenging system of plant chloroplasts and indicate that modification of SOD expression in transgenic plants can improve plant stress tolerance.
Unified Declarative Platform for Secure Netwoked Information Systems

We present a unified declarative platform for specifying, implementing, and analyzing secure networked information systems. Our work builds upon techniques from logic-based trust management systems, declarative networking, and data analysis via provenance. We make the following contributions. First, we propose the Secure Network Datalog (SeNDlog) language that unifies Binder, a logic-based language for access control in distributed systems, and Network Datalog, a distributed recursive query language for declarative networks. SeNDlog enables network routing, information systems, and their security policies to be specified and implemented within a common declarative framework. Second, we extend existing distributed recursive query processing techniques to execute SeNDlog programs that incorporate authenticated communication among untrusted nodes. Third, we demonstrate that distributed network provenance can be supported naturally within our declarative framework for network security analysis and diagnostics. Finally, using a local cluster and the PlanetLab testbed, we perform a detailed performance study of a variety of secure networked systems implemented using our platform.
Fast convergence of distributed joint spreading sequence and power control algorithms

In this paper a distributed iterative algorithm is developed for joint spreading sequence design and power control in the uplink of CDMA systems. Simultaneous iterations are implemented using gradient approaches for convex cost functions with nonlinear QoS constraints. Performing parallel iterations instead of round robin iterations, the algorithm convergence speed is significantly increased. Different from conventional approaches the algorithm convergence speed will not explicitly depend on the number of active users. Moreover, the efficiency of our method increases by increasing the number of active users.
Mechanistic analysis of massive endocytosis in relation to functionally defined surface membrane domains

A large fraction of endocytosis in eukaryotic cells occurs without adaptors or dynamins. Here, we present evidence for the involvement of lipid domains in massive endocytosis (MEND) activated by both large Ca transients and amphipathic compounds in baby hamster kidney and HEK293 cells. First, we demonstrate functional coupling of the two MEND types. Ca transients can strongly facilitate detergent-activated MEND. Conversely, an amphipath with dual alkyl chains, ditridecylphthalate, is without effect in the absence of Ca transients but induces MEND to occur within seconds during Ca transients. Ca transients, like amphipaths, enhance the extraction of lipids from cells by β-cyclodextrins. Second, we demonstrate that electrical and/or optical signals generated by selected membrane probes are nearly insensitive to MEND, suggesting that those probes segregate into membrane domains that are not taken up by MEND. Triphenylphosphoniums are increasingly excluded from domains that internalize as the carbon chain length increases from 4 to 12. The small cationic membrane dye, FM 4–64, binds well to domains that internalize, whereas a closely related dye with a larger hydrophobic moiety, di-4-ANEPPDHQ (ANEPPDHQ) is excluded. Multiple carrier-type ionophores and a small amphipathic anion, niflumic acid, are also excluded. Probes with modest MEND sensitivity include the hydrophobic anion, dipicrylamine, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, and NBD-phosphatidylethanolamine. Third, we demonstrate that large Ca transients can strongly enhance the extracellular binding of several membrane probes, monitored electrically or optically, consistent with a more disordered membrane with more amphipath-binding sites. Fluorescence shifts of ANEPPDHQ report increased disorder of the extracellular monolayer after large Ca transients, consistent with an increased propensity of the membrane to phase separate and vesiculate. Collectively, the results indicate that >50% of the outer monolayer is ordered and can be selectively internalized during MEND responses initiated by two very different cell perturbations.
A REINVESTIGATION OF THE SEGMENTATION OF THE CRAYFISH ABDOMEN AND THORAX, BASED ON A STUDY OF THE DEEP FLEXOR MUSCLES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE SKELETON AND INNERVATION. I. THE SKELETON AND INTERSEGMENTAL MEMBRANES.

Recent physiological studies on the crayfish Procambarus clarki (Girard), Astacura, Decapoda, have suggested the existence of certain anomalies between the classical interpretation of the segmentation of the crayfish and the more recently established segmental innervation patterns. An extensive reinvestigation of the skeletal segmentation has been undertaken, based on the dissection of both fresh and fixed specimens of this and two other crayfish species, to decide to what extent misinterpretation of the skeletal structure might provide an explanation of these apparent anomalies. As a result of this attempt to provide a self- consistent analysis of the crayfish skeleton, it has been necessary to conclude that the epimeral plate is tergal rather than pleural in origin, that the basal segment of the thoracic legs contains a subcoxal element, that this subcoxa exists as a free leg segment in the last thoracic legs and that the abdominal pleural folds are in part homologous with the subcoxae of the thorax. On the other hand it has not been necessary to diverge from the classical account of the segmentation, except to recognize the existence of a seventh abdominal segment (segment XXI) posterior to the uropod segment.
Measuring and Visualizing Urban Network Dynamics

An urban area is a complex, dynamic system of networks through which information, capital and power propagate across and within nodes of activities. While innovations in information technology are making it easier for transactions in these networks to occur over greater distances, the importance of spatial proximity in such networks is still very much relevant. Economic, social and other types of benefits drive activities to co-locate, where one may view the process as one of preferential attachment. The physical agglomeration of activities that arises out this process, at any point in time, is what we characterize in this chapter as the “backbone” of region. We hypothesize that such a feature is not static, but rather, it shifts in space over time in response to changing constraints and circumstances.
Superluminescence in Green Emission GaInN/GaN Quantum Well Structures under Pulsed Laser Excitation

We report nonlinear optical investigation of green emission GaInN/GaN multi-quantum structures grown along c- and m-axes on sapphire and bulk GaN substrates, respectively. Under intense pulsed photo excitation, we observed strong superluminescence near the lasing condition in c-plane grown quantum well structures with full width at half maximum of 6 nm. The superluminescence couples out of the edge of the sample in a mode pattern consistent with gain in a high mode of the waveguide. The wavelength of the superluminescence is 474 nm. The threshold intensity of superluminescence was found to be 156 kW/cm2. Increasing pump intensity leads to a strong photoluminescence blueshift as large as 380 meV in samples grown along the c-axis on sapphire substrate, while under the same excitation conditions, the blue shift for the m-axis grown structure on bulk GaN substrate is less than 10 meV. The large emission blueshift is hereby attributed to the internal piezoelectric field in the c-axis grown structure. We observe a gain value of 20 cm-1 together with internal absorption losses of 2.3 – 6.0 cm-1 for the superluminescent samples.
The posterior approach to popliteal-crural bypass

Abstract Purpose: An evaluation of the posterior approach to popliteal-crural bypass was performed to assess the feasibility and results of this technique. Methods: A posterior approach to the popliteal and crural vessels was performed in 21 patients in the prone position over a 24-month period, with use of lesser saphenous vein and a novel exposure of the crural arteries through the vein harvest incision. Results: Diabetes mellitus was present in 17 (81%) patients, and all had limb-threatening ischemia with rest pain (15 patients, 71%), ulceration (7 patients, 33%), and gangrene (8 patients, 38%). The inflow site was the supragenicular popliteal artery in four patients (19%) and the infragenicular popliteal artery in 17 patients (81%). The outflow sites were the tibioperoneal trunk in six patients (29%), the peroneal artery in nine patients (43%), the posterior tibial artery in four patients (19%), and the anterior tibial artery in two patients (10%). The distal anastomosis was performed in the proximal one third of the crural artery in 16 (76%) of the patients, with a mean lesser saphenous vein graft length of 11.2 ± 1.7 cm. The toe-brachial pressure indexes rose from 0.20 ± 0.07 to 0.77 ± 0.16 ( p = 0.001), all wounds healed without complication, and 19 patients (90%) were discharged with open bypass grafts and salvaged extremities. The 6-, 12-, and 18-month primary graft patency rates were 88%, 88%, and 83%, respectively (Kaplan-Meier methods). Conclusions: Thus the posterior approach to infragenicular occlusive disease represents a durable alternative to traditional approaches; sparing the greater saphenous vein, facilitating exposure of the proximal crural arteries, and minimizing the wound healing problems commonly experienced with standard techniques. (J VASC SURG 1994;19:74-80.)
Mammary carcinoma suppression by cellular retinoic acid binding protein-II.

Retinoic acid (RA) modulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, and is used in chemotherapy and chemoprevention in several human cancers. RA exerts its pleiotropic activities by activating the nuclear receptors, retinoic acid receptor (RAR), which, in turn, regulate transcription of multiple target genes. In cells, RA also associates with cellular RA-binding proteins [cellular RA binding proteins (CRABPs)-I and -II]. Recent studies revealed that CRABP-II functions by “channeling” RA to RAR, thereby enhancing the transcriptional activity of the receptor. In search for a biologically meaningful role for CRABP-II, we examined its effect on RA-induced growth inhibition in RA-resistant tumors. Stable expression of CRABP-II in mammary carcinoma SC115 cells enabled activation of RAR, considerably sensitized the cells to RA-induced growth inhibition, and dramatically suppressed their tumorigenicity in immunodeficient mice. Similarly, injection of an adenovirus expressing CRABP-II into mammary carcinomas that spontaneously develop in TgN( MMTVneu )202Mul mice resulted in a significant delay in tumor growth and in prolonged survival rates. Remarkably, in both mouse models, administration of exogenous RA had no additional beneficial effect, indicating that endogenous levels of RA are sufficient for maximal tumor suppression on CRABP-II overexpression. The observations reveal that CRABP-II plays a critical role in sensitizing tumors to the growth-suppressive activities of RA in vivo .
Complete asymmetric amplification of ethylenediammonium sulfate using an abrasion/grinding technique

Complete asymmetric amplification of ethylenediammonium sulfate was achieved under continuous dissolution/crystallization conditions using an abrasion/grinding method.
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: 15 Years Later

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) lasted five to six times longer--8,000 to 12,000 hours--than comparable incandescent bulbs and consumed 75% less energy. By July 2008, prices had fallen as low as $2 or so per bulb, compared with $0.25 for standard bulbs. But manufacturers had yet to crack the code on how to get consumers to choose these innovative energy-efficient light bulbs over standard bulbs.
The Relationship Between Poverty and Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Good maternal health is of fundamental importance to a country’s well-being and ability to prosper, and there are few times when maternal health is more at risk than in the period surrounding childbirth. Protecting the health of mothers during reproduction safeguards their future contributions to society and ensures the health and productivity of future generations. If either the health of mothers or their newborn offspring is compromised, there will be serious negative consequences for their families, communities, and the entire process of economic and social development. This is why the United Nations has set as one of its eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the reduction of the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by two-thirds in the developing world by the year 2015.
Up the River Without a Procedure: Innocent Prisoners and Newly Discovered Non-DNA Evidence in State Courts

Since 1989, post-conviction DNA testing has exonerated 162 innocent defendants. Nevertheless, few criminal cases - 10-20% - have any biological evidence suitable for DNA testing, suggesting that documented DNA exonerations are just the tip of the innocence iceberg. In cases that lack biological evidence, prisoners seeking to assert their innocence often must present non-scientific "newly discovered evidence," such as recantations by trial participants, statements by previously unknown witnesses or confessions by the actual perpetrator. Without a doubt, non-DNA cases are difficult for defendants to overturn given the subjectivity involved in assessing most forms of new evidence and the absence of a method to prove innocence to a scientific certainty. This inherent difficulty, however, is exacerbated by the fact that inmates typically must resort to burdensome state court procedures that remain little-changed from their ancient British roots and that ultimately fail to provide potentially innocent defendants with adequate access to the courts. To improve such access, I recommend in this Article that states revamp their procedures in this area by, among other reforms, abandoning statutes of limitations, directing each submission to a judge other than the original trial judge, and adopting a de novo standard of appellate review for summary denials of innocence claims.