cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bacterial lipopolysaccharide induces uncoupling protein-2 expression in hepatocytes by a tumor necrosis factor-alpha-dependent mechanism.

The liver is a target for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and participates in the metabolic response to endotoxemia. Recently published evidence indicates that LPS increases the expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) mRNAs in several tissues, including the liver. Because hepatocytes in the healthy liver do not express UCP-2, LPS was thought to induce UCP-2 in liver macrophages, which express UCP-2 constitutively. However, the present studies of cultured peritoneal macrophages indicate that LPS reduces steady state levels of UCP-2 mRNAs in these cells. In contrast, UCP-2 mRNAs are induced in hepatocytes isolated from LPS treated rats and transfection of these hepatocytes with UCP-2 promoter-reporter constructs demonstrates substantial increases in UCP-2 promoter activity. LPS induction of hepatocyte UCP-2 expression is virtually abolished by prior treatment of rats with neutralizing antibodies to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). Futhermore, TNFalpha treatment induces UCP-2 mRNA accumulation in primary cultures of hepatocytes from healthy rats. Thus, hepatocytes are likely to be important contributors to endotoxin-related increases in liver UCP-2 via a mechanism that involves the LPS-inducible cytokine, TNFalpha.
Hypoxia in invertebrates

Abstract o 1. Oxygen consumption (MO2) may be independent or dependent upon environmental partial pressure of O2 (PIO2). The degree of regulation depends upon the species, the physiologic state of the individual, as well as temperature and salinity of the environment. 2. A model of gas exchange is presented where MO2 depends upon the PO2 gradient between the environment and mitochondria and on the O2 conductance (GT) through the animal: MO2=Gr (PiO2−PmO2). 3. Regulators compensate for a fall in PIO2 by increasing O2 conductance such as via increased ventilation (VG) or circulation. Different strategies are evident by examining changes in VG and O2 extraction and percent utilization. 4. Three types of conformers are designated depending upon the extent to which they compensate anaerobically for a drop in P1O2. 5. Five types of recovery patterns from hypoxia are designated depending upon the nature of the O2 debt.
Effects of microtubule-inhibitors on nuclear migration and rhizoid differentiation in germinating fern spores (Onoclea sensibilis)

Germinating spores of the sensitive fern,Onoclea sensibilis L., undergo premitotic nuclear migration before a highly asymmetric cell division partitions each spore into a large protonemal cell and a small rhizoid initial. Nuclear movement and subsequent rhizoid formation were inhibited by the microtubule (MT) inhibitors, colchicine, isopropyl-N-3-chlorophenyl carbamate (CIPC) and griseofulvin. Colchicine prevented polar nuclear movement and cell division so that spores developed into enlarged, uninucleate single cells. CIPC and griseofulvin prevented nuclear migration, but not cell division, so that spores divided into daughter cells of approximately equal size. In colchicine-treated spores, MT were not observed at any time during germination. CIPC prevented MT formation at a time coincident with nuclear movement in the control and caused a disorientation of the spindle MT. Both colchicine and CIPC appeared to act at a time prior to the onset of normal nuclear movement. The effects of colchicine were reversible but those of CIPC were not. Cytochalasin b had no effect upon nuclear movement or rhizoid differentiation. These results suggests that MT mediate nuclear movement and that a highly asymmetric cell division is essential for rhizoid differentiation.
Nonlinear optimal control of vintage capital lifetime and irreversible investments

Abstract Vintage capital models such as Solow model, Ramsey model, two-factor model, and models with endogenous technological change are discussed to demonstrate a variety of applications of nonlinear integral models to mathematical economics and finance. For each model an optimal control problem is formulated and basic results about the existence and asymptotic behavior of a solution are provided.
Relaxation of mechanical stress in polyimide films by softbaking

Copyright (c) 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Polyimides are widely used in microelectronics for their excellent planarization, breakdown behavior and thermal stability. They are now used in optical integrated circuits, chip scale packages, multichip modules, flat panel displays and polymer research for the development of super car. However, their processing is affected by problems of micro-cracking and delamination due to large and non-uniformly induced stresses, which are caused mainly by intrinsic viscosity change in polyimide before and during the softbake cycles. No empirical relationship exists that could be used to avoid the danger of microcracking. The results for two different baking cycles at 90 and 110 °C are presented. The plots of viscosity vs. baking time show a rapid drop of viscosity and a gradual rise after a certain time. At the point of inflection the initial viscosity of the DuPont Polyimide, PI 2610, decreased from 3.56 Pa s at 25 °C to 0.268 Pa s at 90 °C and to 0.062 Pa s at 110 °C, giving relaxation times of 0.089 and 0.02 ns, respectively. These were extracted from the data using the model postulated by the authors. Similarly, Hitachis PIX L110 decreased in viscosity from initial 2.165 Pa s at 25 °C to 0.427 Pa s at 90 °C and 0.175 Pa s at 110 °C with relaxation times of 0.16 and 0.068 ns, respectively. The minimum viscosity versus baking time curves for various polyimides show onset of scission related relaxation could be due to thermally induced effects and will define the minimum thermal budget baking cycles.
Polystyrene degradation induced by stresses resulting from the freezing of its solutions

Solutions of polystyrene in p-xylene were frozen in liquid nitrogen. No changes in molecular weight and distribution were caused by freezing solutions for a series of narrow distribution polystyrenes with molecular weights of near 2 × 106 and lower. Likewise a commercial polystyrene of Mw = 234,000 showed no change, even after 45 cycles of freezing and thawing. However, an ultrahigh molecular weight polystyrene (Mw = 7.3 × 106) showed appreciable degradation even after a few freezing cycles of its solutions. The changes in molecular weight and distribution were analyzed by gel-permeation chromatography. The results depended very much on the choice of solvent, cooling rate, and concentration. The extent of degradation was found to depend on polymer concentration in two distinct ways. Indeed, two different degradation mechanisms have been distinguished at low and at high concentrations. The change between mechanisms took place between 1.0 and 2.5 g/l. for polystyrene in p-xylene. This appears to provide a rare measure of polymer-polymer interactions (entanglements) in dilute solutions. Degradation in the entanglement region proceeded via a random chain-scission mechanism as tested by the Scott method. In contrast, at low concentrations degradation was characterized by the formation of appreciable amounts of low molecular weight polystyrene. The presence of an antioxidant (Ionol) during freezing did not change the extent of degradation significantly.
1251 THE RELATIONSHIP OF EOSINOPHILS TO IN VIVO GRANULOPOIESIS IN PRETERM INFANTS

The possible role of the eosinophil in modulating granulopoiesis is not well understood. The eosinophil has been shown to inhibit granulopoiesis in vitro, possibly mediated through prostaglandin E. This prospective study was undertaken to define the association between eosinophilia and neutropenia in preterm infants. Eosinophilia is a common finding in preterm infants. By doing simultaneous absolute neutrophil and absolute eosinophil counts on preterm infants with eosinophilia on 27 different occasions, we demonstrated no correlation between circulating eosinophil and neutrophil counts in these preterm infants. We suggest that, in vivo, the presence of eosinophilia does not inhibit granulopoiesis in human premature infants. This is contrary to recent published retrospective data.
Use of Carbon Black as a Reference Material in Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

Abstract Variations in the visible photoacoustic spectra of carbon black samples from different sources have been observed. These variations indicate that some care must be exercised in the choice of a particular carbon black for use as a reference (perfectly absorbing) material in photoacoustic spectroscopy, particularly when quantitative information from weakly absorbing samples is desired. Of the carbon black samples investigated, Norit A decolorizing carbon most closely approximates a perfect absorbing material.
Glycylglutamine: Metabolism and Effects on Organ Balances of Amino Acids in Postabsorptive and Starved Subjects H. LOCHS, W. HUBL, S. GASIC, ET AL. American Journal of Physiology 262 (Endocrinology and Metabolism 25): E155-E160, 1992

The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate the effect of an intravenous infusion of the dipeptide glycylglutamine on organ fluxes of amino acids in postabsorptive and briefly starved human subjects and (2) to investigate the effect of starvation on the metabolism of glycylglutamine. Studies were carried out on 17 male subjects who were matched for age and weight. The postabsorptive group (N = 8) was fasted overnight (12 to 14 hours), whereas the briefly starved group (N = 9) was fasted for 84 to 86 hours before the experiment. On the day of the experiment, all subjects underwent catheterization of the hepatic, renal, right femoral, and antecubital veins and the right and left femoral arteries. During a 30-minute equilibration period, primed, constant infusions of indocyanine green dye and p-aminohippurate were begun to assess hepatic, muscle (right lower extremity), and renal plasma flow. After a 45-minute saline infusion control period, the dipeptide glycylglutamine (100 μmol/kg per hour) was infuse...
State-level recreational fishing regulations and fish consumption advisories in the United States: identifying opportunities for improved interagency collaboration.

CONTEXT Recreational fishing is regulated in 2 broad ways: natural resource-based management of fish stocks referred to here as "catch regulations," and public heath-based fish consumption advisories to reduce risks to humans from exposures to pollutants referred to as "consumption advisories." OBJECTIVE To examine the extent to which state regulatory agencies present recreational fish catch regulations and consumption advisories together and develop an ecologically based, public health argument for why these fishing regulations and advisories could be joined. DESIGN State-level catch regulations and consumption advisories were collected from 50 US states and analyzed for a variety of factors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Correlation between catch regulations and consumption advisories, by aquatic animal species and taxonomic family, and by state, were the main outcome measures. RESULTS State-level catch regulations were strongly predictive of state-level consumption advisories, by species (R = 0.87) or taxonomic family (R = 0.91). Within each state, however, fish catch regulations and consumption advisories were presented together in less than half of fishing guides. CONCLUSION Fish advisories and regulations are often produced by separate state regulatory agencies, indicating an opportunity for interagency collaboration to improve health communication messaging regarding recreational fishing and self-caught fish consumption.
A circulating pump for quantitative estimation of serial radioisotope uptake in vitro

Various possible applications of ceramic materials in the construction of fuel elements used at Hanford are reviewed. These uses might be: (1) a protective outer coating on the Al-jacketed U slugs, (2) a protective layer between the Al and U, (3) a seal to retard interdiffusion between the Al and U, (4) secondary protection on the ends barrier on the ends of the slug, and (6) sole protection of the U in atmospheres other than water. Possible ceramic materials for these applications are: (a) enamels for Al, U, and Zr, (b) stable anodized coatings for Al, and (c) a limited number of bodies for enclosure in the ends of the Al can. A number of enamels were developed for use on U, and it also was established that Zr could be enameled without need for unusual processes. Data were obtained that indicated improved resistamce to water cam be obtained from anodized Al by using unique sealing procedures. (auth)
An open-label trial of the glutamate-modulating agent riluzole in combination with lithium for the treatment of bipolar depression

Background Preclinical and clinical evidence indicate that the glutamatergic system might play a role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of riluzole, a glutamate-modulating agent, in bipolar depression. Methods This was an 8-week add-on study of riluzole in combination with lithium in acutely depressed bipolar patients aged 18 years and older. After open treatment with lithium for a minimum period of 4 weeks, subjects who continued to have a Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of ≥20 received riluzole (50–200 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Results Fourteen bipolar depressed patients entered the study. The linear mixed models for total MADRS score showed a significant treatment effect. No switch into hypomania or mania was observed. Overall, riluzole was well tolerated. Conclusions Although preliminary, these results suggest that riluzole might indeed have antidepressant efficacy in subjects with bipolar depression.
Potato phosphorylase II. Phosphate and sulfhydryl groups

Potato phosphorylase contains two moles of firmly bound organic phosphate/mole of enzyme which has been identified as pyridoxal-5-phosphate. Resolution of the enzyme and recombination with pyridoxal-5-phosphate were only partially successful because of denaturation of the enzyme at pH values below 5.5. In contrast to the corresponding mammalian enzymes, potato phosphorylase contains no serine phosphate. The specific phosphatase and the kinase for the serine phosphate groups of the mammalian enzyme had no effect on the potato enzyme. Potato phosphorylase was found to contain 6 moles of sulfhydryl groups per mole of protein. The enzyme is inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate and this inhibition is only partially reversed by the addition of cysteine.
Evaluation of liver transplant recipients.

The outcome of liver transplantation (LT) is dependent on many factors including graft quality, surgical techniques, postoperative care, immunosuppressive regimens and most importantly, careful pre-transplant recipient evaluation and selection. Currently, the expected 1-year and 5-year survival rates after LT are 85–95% and 75–85%, respectively. The improvement in outcomes and better awareness has resulted in an increasing demand for LT around the world including India. Transplant physicians have responded to this increased demand by developing several strategies including the use of older donors, grafts from hepatitis C positive donors or those with previous hepatitis B infection (positive hepatitis B virus [HBV] core immunoglobulin G [IgG] antibody), graft from nonheart beating donors, domino transplantation (liver from patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy transplanted into older recipients), split-liver grafts, and live donor liver transplant (LDLT). Currently, the only treatment that prolongs survival in those with end-stage acute or chronic liver failure is transplantation of either partial or full liver donor graft. Because of the enormous disparity in supply and demand for donor organs, costs, and potential morbidity and mortality of live donors in LDLT, it has become incumbent on the transplant community to ration the available organs in a way that provides the best outcomes and in the process, serves the best interest of the population as a whole. When evaluating a potential candidate for LT, it is imperative to determine whether the recipient is going to benefit from the procedure immediately and in the long-term. In this review, we will discuss the process of selection and optimal evaluation of potential LT recipients.
The use of Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Techniques for the Study of Polymer Miscibility and Deformation

The scattered amplitude from a collection of objects, each small as compared with the wavelength of the radiation, is given by
Quantification of layered silicate dispersion in polymer nanocomposites

Abstract The dispersion of layered silicates strongly influences the performance of polymer/clay nanocomposites, making the ability to assess clay dispersion quantitatively essential to any effective product quality control effort. However, a quantitative description of dispersion that can be related directly to product performance remains a challenge. Here, we propose a methodology for quantifying clay dispersion, based on describing particle length distribution data obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs with a gamma probability distribution model, γ ( α , β ), where the parameter α , (which represents the mean number of platelets per particle), and β , (which represents the mean “effective platelet length”), are shown to be related to the degree of dispersion. Published data sets on a wide variety of polymer nanocomposites are then used to establish an explicit quantitative relationship between these parameters and the extent of dispersion. Specifically, we found that dispersion characteristics are captured effectively by a characteristic dispersion parameter, δ , defined along dispersion contours represented by the empirical relation δ = α + 0.05 β , where δ δ δ > 6.5 for intercalated composites. The proposed method is validated experimentally by using it to quantify the dispersion of polymer nanocomposites produced in our laboratory.
Transnational Municipal Networks in Climate Politics: From Global Governance to Global Politics

In a multilevel and multicentric governance arena, pathways and mechanisms of influence are several and non-state capacities for technical leadership and norm entrepreneurship prove more significant than is the case within a strictly multilateral framework. Among actors with such capacities are municipalities, which multiply their influence through horizontal and vertical relationships. Transnational municipal networks present opportunities for both intermunicipal dialogue and the pooling of global influence, highlighting the presence and influence of the city in the world. This paper examines the collective response of some cities to climate change, exploring the place of cities in global environmental politics through analysis of two transnational municipal networks: the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives' Cities for Climate Protection and the International Solar Cities Initiative. The article addresses the following questions: How might municipal efforts toward a climate-stable fu...
DOUBLE LABELING OF GABA AND CYTOCHROME OXIDASE IN THE MACAQUE VISUAL CORTEX : QUANTITATIVE EM ANALYSIS

In the primate striate cortex, cytochrome oxidase (CO)-rich puffs differ from CO-poor interpuffs in their metabolic levels and physiological properties. The neurochemical basis for their metabolic and physiological differences is not well understood. The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between the distribution of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)/non-GABA synapses and CO levels in postsynaptic neuronal profiles and to determine whether or not a difference existed between puffs and interpuffs. By combining CO histochemistry and postembedding GABA immunocytochemistry on the same ultrathin sections, the simultaneous distribution of the two markers in individual neuronal profiles was quantitatively analyzed. In both puffs and interpuffs, GABA-immunoreactive (GABA-IR) neurons were the only cell type that received both non-GABA-IR (presumed excitatory) and GABA-IR (presumed inhibitory) axosomatic synapses, and they had three times as many mitochondria darkly reactive for CO than non-GABA-IR neurons, which received only GABA-IR axosomatic synapses. GABA-IR neurons and terminals in puffs had a larger mean size, about twice as many darkly reactive mitochondria, and a higher ratio of non-GABA-IR to GABA-IR axosomatic synapses than those in interpuffs (2.3:1 vs. 1.6:1; P < 0.01). There were significantly more synapses of both non-GABA-IR and GABA-IR types in the neuropil of puffs than of interpuffs; however, the ratio of non-GABA-IR to GABA-IR synapses was significantly higher in puffs (2.86:1) than in interpuffs (2.08:1; P < 0.01). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the level of oxidative metabolism in postsynaptic neurons and neuronal processes is tightly governed by the strength and proportion of excitatory over inhibitory synapses. Thus, the present results suggest that (1) GABA-IR neurons in the macaque striate cortex have a higher level of oxidative metabolism than non-GABA ones because their somata receive direct excitatory synapses and their terminals are more tonically active; (2) the higher proportion of presumed excitatory synapses in puffs imposes a greater energy demand there than in interpuffs; and (3) excitatory synaptic activity may be more prominent in puffs than in interpuffs because puffs receive a greater proportion of excitatory synapses from multiple sources including the lateral geniculate nucleus, which is not known to project to the interpuffs. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Protecting Society from Child Sex Offenders: A Proposal for Lowering Recidivism Rates Through an Analysis of the Prevailing Social Policy and Methodology of the U.S and Denmark

This paper examines the current philosophy and methodology utilized in the United States and Denmark in dealing with child sex offenders and proposes post-release approaches that will reduce recidivism rates in order to better protect society in the future. After analyzing current classifications of child sex offenders, labeling theory is rejected in favor of a novel classification of offenders based on their victimization. The unreliability of current measures of recidivism rates is explored and proposals are set forth to reconfigure recidivism rates to effectively measure the value of post-release protocols. A study of the current laws and social policy of the U.S. and Denmark follows along with a critical analysis of post-release sanctions and treatments. I conclude with a proposal for a post-release protocol that should minimize recidivism of child sex offenders and provide the greatest protection to society.
The Effect of Phenformin on Lipolysis and the Concentration of Cyclic AMP and ATP in White Fat Cells

The effect of phenformin on lipolysis and the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP and ATP in vitro was examined in white fat cells isolated from epididymal adipose tissue of fasted rats. Incubations were performed in the presence and absence of glucose. Lipolysis was stimulated by theophylline and DL-arterenol plus theophylline. After 8 min of incubation phenformin inhibited lipolysis induced by DL-arterenol plus theophylline but, in contrast to insulin, it increased the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP. Phenformin also inhibits basal and theophyllineinduced lipolysis, but phenformin alone or in combination with theophylline has no appreciable effect on the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP. The mechanism by which phenformin is anti-lipolytic and yet is able to increase the concentration of cyclic AMP is unknown. The fact that phenformin can inhibit lipolysis under conditions where cyclic AMP concentration is either increased or unchanged suggests that the antilipolytic effect of ph...
The Talking Drawings Strategy: Using Primary Children's Illustrations and Oral Language to Improve Comprehension of Expository Text.

Listening and reading comprehension can be assessed by analyzing children’s visual, verbal, and written representations of their understandings. “Talking Drawings” (McConnell, S. (1993). Talking drawings: A strategy for assisting learners. Journal of Reading, 36(4), 260–269 is one strategy that enables children to combine their prior knowledge with the new information derived from an expository text and “translate” those newly-acquired understandings into other symbol systems, including an oral discussion with a partner, a more detailed drawing, and written labels for the drawing. The Talking Drawings strategy begins by inviting children to create pre-learning drawings. These initial drawings are a way of taking inventory of a child’s current content knowledge about a particular topic. After pre-learning drawings are created and shared, children listen to or read an expository text (e.g., information book, passage from a textbook) on the same topic as their drawing. Pairs of students discuss the information and either modify their pre-learning drawings to be more detailed or create completely new drawings that reflect the recently-acquired information. Students are encouraged to label their drawings with words in a diagram or schematic fashion. By evaluating the “before” and “after” artwork, educators can identify advances in students’ reading and listening comprehension of the terminology, facts, and principles on a particular topic.
Atmospheres on the terrestrial planets: Clues to origin and evolution

Abstract Earth, Venus and Mars reached their final sizes in the first 100 Myr or so of solar system history. For part of that time the growing planets and the materials forming them were immersed in the Sun-like gases of the solar nebula, and so one would expect that their early volatile inventories were acquired from the nebula. But the compositions of atmospheres presently on these planets are not solar, and therein lies a complex and fascinating story of physical and chemical evolution over the past 4.5 Ga. Records of physical processing survive most clearly in the chemically inert noble gases, and data on the elemental and isotopic abundances of these trace constituents, now from Mars and Venus as well as Earth, point to atmospheric histories punctuated by enormous inputs of energy from early astrophysical sources long since vanished. Observational and theoretical advances during the past 30 years underpin current evolutionary models in which primordial solar-like atmospheric gases are fractionated by gravitational escape, driven on Earth by a giant Moon-forming impact, on Mars by sputtering at high altitudes, and on all three planets by adsorption of intense ultraviolet radiation from the young Sun. Residual atmospheres left behind after these outflows to space are augmented by planetary degassing, including species generated in their interiors by radioactive decay. Interplay over time of these mechanisms for loss and gain of atmospheric gases can account for many of the details of contemporary noble gas distributions. These of course are just models. However they have predictive power for compositions as yet unmeasured, particularly on Venus, and the modeling assumptions are in principle testable by experiment or theory. The fundamental question of whether nature actually shaped the atmospheres in this way is still unanswered, but at least we have an outline of how it might have happened.
Exercise, Obesity, and Cutaneous Wound Healing: Evidence from Rodent and Human Studies.

Significance: Impaired cutaneous wound healing is a major health concern. Obesity has been shown in a number of studies to impair wound healing, and chronic nonhealing wounds in obesity and diabetes are a major cause of limb amputations in the United States. Recent Advances: Recent evidence indicates that aberrant wound site inflammation may be an underlying cause for delayed healing. Obesity, diabetes, and other conditions such as stress and aging can result in a chronic low-level inflammatory state, thereby potentially affecting wound healing negatively. Critical Issues: Interventions which can speed the healing rate in individuals with slowly healing or nonhealing wounds are of critical importance. Recently, physical exercise training has been shown to speed healing in both aged and obese mice and in older adults. Exercise is a relatively low-cost intervention strategy which may be able to be used clinically to prevent or treat impairments in the wound-healing process. Future Directions: Little is know...
Thermodynamic Interaction Parameter of Star-Star Polybutadiene Blends

The value of the thermodynamic interaction parameter, χeff, for star–star polybutadiene blends was determined with small-angle neutron scattering. Blends in which the stars have the same number of arms and blends in which the stars have different numbers of arms are investigated. For star–star isotopic blends with components having the same number of arms, the presence of the junction point of the star leads to a value of χeff that is larger than that for an analogous linear–linear isotopic blend. However, changes in the value of χeff resulting from small dissimilarities in the number of arms of the two components in the isotopic star–star blends were too small to resolve. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 247–257, 2003
The Characteristics of Recovering Chemically-Dependent Manitoba Nurses

Information about potential risk factors and characteristics of chemically-dependent nurses is imperative to the development of primary and secondary prevention strategies. However, little is known about nurses who become dependent on chemicals, especially outside of the United States. In Canada, there is a dearth of studies. The purpose of this descriptive replication study is to provide information about the characteristics of chemically-dependent nurses in Manitoba, Canada, and to determine whether these characteristics are unique to one Canadian province or resemble an international profile. The study utilized an anonymous mailed survey to collect quantitative data from 22 recovering nurses. The majority of characteristics of the Manitoba nurses were similar to those found in American studies, thus adding further support to patterns emerging in the data base.
New lot-sizing formulations for less nervous production schedules

Previously scheduled production plans frequently need to be updated because of demand uncertainty. After making a comprehensive de"nition of nervousness which includes costs for changes in production schedule and quantity, we suggest three methodologies. Two methods are modi"ed versions of very well-known methods: the Wagner}Whitin algorithm and the Silver}Meal heuristic. However, our de"nition of nervousness and its consequences for altering predetermined production volumes make the well-known property of producing either zero or a sum of several periods’ demand suboptimal. Therefore a third method, a new mixed integer linear programming formulation, is proposed which is shown to be more e!ective in some cases. Numerical analyses are carried out for a wide range of possible cases, through which we provide insights to the most appropriate algorithm in a parameterized space. Scope and purpose Uncertainty in demand forecasts and a rolling horizon create volatility in lot-sizing results. This volatility is characterized by frequent changes in predetermined production schedules and is highly undesirable for production managers. It causes nervousness in the system in terms of canceling existing setups, introducing new setups, and altering the production volumes. In this paper, we propose new cost structures for these changes, and o!er several models that identify less nervous production schedules in a rolling horizon basis. For practitioners, this work identi"es the most preferable algorithm for a variety of system parameters. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
LONG-TERM RESULTS OF NEPHRON SPARING SURGERY FOR LOCALIZED RENAL CELL CARCINOMA: 10-YEAR FOLLOWUP

Purpose: Partial nephrectomy is effective for renal cell carcinoma when preservation of renal function is a concern. We present the 10-year followup of patients treated with nephron sparing surgery at our institution.Materials and Methods: Partial nephrectomy was performed in 107 patients with localized sporadic renal cell carcinoma before December 1988. Tumors were symptomatic in 73 patients (68%) and indications for surgery were imperative in 96 (90%). Of the patients 42 (39%) had renal insufficiency preoperatively. All patients were followed a minimum of 10 years or until death.Results: At the end of the followup interval 32 patients (30%) had no evidence of recurrence, 28 (26%) died of metastatic renal cell carcinoma and 46 (42%) died of unrelated causes. Cancer specific survival was 88.2% at 5 and 73% at 10 years, and was significantly affected by tumor stage, symptoms, tumor laterality and tumor size. Long-term renal function was stable in 52 patients (49%).Conclusions: Partial nephrectomy is effect...
Reducing the Space Complexity of Pipelined Routing Using Modified Range Encoding

Interconnect delays are becoming an increasingly significant part of the critical path delay for circuits implemented in FPGAs. Pipelined interconnects have been proposed to address this problem, where long distance routes are pipe-lined using registers available in the configurable interconnect architecture. Unfortunately, pipelined interconnects are much harder to route than simple interconnects. QuickRoute is a fast, heuristic router based on PathFinder for pipelined interconnects. While its performance scales well with circuit size, it requires O(N2) space and in practice can only be used for circuits with up to about 10,000 nodes. This paper describes an efficient solution to this space problem based on arithmetic coding, a technique widely used in data compression. We show that this reduces the space complexity to O(NlogN) while only slightly affecting performance. This result will allow pipelined routing to be used even for very large FPGA architectures. Experiments show that memory usage is reduced by 90% even for our relatively small coarse-grained benchmark circuits.
Teamwork in the performing arts

This paper addresses the nature of teams and teamwork in the performing arts, including symphony, chamber orchestra, chorus, and jazz, as well as musical theater, straight theatre, improv, ballet, and puppetry. The results of an interview study of performing arts leaders in these domains are reported. These results suggest an "ecology" of performance. The characteristics of this ecology strongly influence the nature and roles of teams, as well as how teams are created and supported. Potential relationships among the attributes of this characterization are discussed.
Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences reveal three cryptic lineages in the widespread neotropical frog Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Leptodactylus fuscus is a neotropical frog ranging from Panama to Argentina, to the east of the Andes mountains, and also inhabiting Margarita, Trinidad, and the Tobago islands. We performed phylogenetic analyses of 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, tRNA-Leu, and ND1 mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences from specimens collected across the geographic distribution of L. fuscus to examine two alternative hypotheses: (i) L. fuscus is a single, widely distributed species, or (ii) L. fuscus is a species complex. We tested statistically for geographic association and partitioning of genetic variation among mtDNA clades. The mtDNA data supported the hypothesis of several cryptic species within L. fuscus. Unlinked mtDNA and nuclear markers supported independently the distinctness of a ‘northern’ phylogenetic unit. In addition, the mtDNA data divided the southern populations into two clades that showed no sister relationship to each other, consistent with high differentiation and lack of gene flow among southern populations as suggested by allozyme data. Concordance between mtDNA and allozyme patterns suggests that cryptic speciation has occurred in L. fuscus without morphological or call differentiation. This study illustrates a case in which lineage splitting during the speciation process took place without divergence in reproductive isolation mechanisms (e.g. advertisement call in frogs), contrary to expectations predicted using a biological species framework. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 87 , 325‐341. No claim to original US government works.
Advances in high-resolution imaging--techniques for three-dimensional imaging of cellular structures

A fundamental goal in biology is to determine how cellular organization is coupled to function. To achieve this goal, a better understanding of organelle composition and structure is needed. Although visualization of cellular organelles using fluorescence or electron microscopy (EM) has become a common tool for the cell biologist, recent advances are providing a clearer picture of the cell than ever before. In particular, advanced light-microscopy techniques are achieving resolutions below the diffraction limit and EM tomography provides high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) images of cellular structures. The ability to perform both fluorescence and electron microscopy on the same sample (correlative light and electron microscopy, CLEM) makes it possible to identify where a fluorescently labeled protein is located with respect to organelle structures visualized by EM. Here, we review the current state of the art in 3D biological imaging techniques with a focus on recent advances in electron microscopy and fluorescence super-resolution techniques.
Education, Values, and Valuing in Cosmopolitan Perspective

AbstractIn this article we describe a cosmopolitan orientation toward the place of values in human life. We argue that a cosmopolitan outlook can assist people in engaging the challenges of being thrown together with others whose roots, traditions, and inheritances differ. We show that cosmopolitanism implies neither an elite nor an aloof posture toward human affairs. On the contrary, the concept illuminates how people everywhere can retain individual and cultural integrity while also keeping themselves open to the larger world. A cosmopolitan outlook positions people to consider not just the specific values they subscribe to, but also their ways of holding and enacting them. This move provides people valuable distance from values although not a break with them. It helps people consider the value of valuing as well as the value of reflecting upon values. We examine three arts, or artful methods, that can fuel this orientation. They are hope, memory, and dialogue: three familiar concepts that we accent in ...
Comparing Public, Private, and Market Schools: The International Evidence

Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? This question cannot be reliably answered by looking exclusively at domestic evidence, much less by looking exclusively at existing “school choice” programs. Though many such programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace, being too small, too restriction laden, or both. To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, we must cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of decades of international research comparing market and government provision of education and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to the United States. In more than 150 statistical comparisons covering eight different educational outcomes, the private sector outperforms the public sector in the overwhelming majority of cases. Moreover, thi...
Abstract 393: Reticulon-4B Protects Against Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induced Platelet Apoptosis and Hyperactivation in Diabetes

Background: Hyperglycemia triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is one of the major causes for platelet hyperactivation and apoptosis in diabetes mellitus (DM). Reticulon-4B (aka Nogo-B) mainly localizes to the ER, and has been shown to influence the ER morphology, ER-Golgi trafficking, apoptotic balance, vesicle formation and protein trafficking in cells. The present study is aimed to investigate the role of Nogo-B on platelet function in DM. Methods and Results: Nogo-B is highly expressed in platelets from healthy individual. Platelets from DM patients and diabetic mice have decreased Nogo-B level. Using Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mouse model, we show that loss of Nogo (Nogo-/- mice) decreased platelet number, increased mean platelet volume and prolonged bleeding time compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Platelets from Nogo-/- mice were hyperactive with higher JONA and P-selectin surface expression compared to WT mice. Loss of Nogo increased thrombin and collagen induced platelet aggregation. Furthermore, platelets from diabetic Nogo-/- mice show elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreased mitochondria membrane potential and increased apoptosis, which can be rescued by antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Mechanistically, we show Nogo-B prevented sequestration of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 induced by hyperglycemia, subsequently protected against platelet mitochondrial damage, ROS production, caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that Nogo-B protects against ER stress induced platelet apoptosis and hyperactivation in DM by regulating Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 sequestration and mitochondrial damage. This novel pathway may provide therapeutic targets for thrombotic complications in diabetes mellitus.
Chalcogen bonding interactions between reducible sulfur and selenium compounds and models of zinc finger proteins.

Abstract Reducible sulfur and selenium (r-S/Se) compounds, defined as sulfur and selenium compounds not in the lowest − 2 oxidation state (e.g., − 1 to + 6), release Zn 2 + from zinc-sulfur proteins such as zinc fingers (ZFs) and metallothionein. A series of density functional theory calculations was performed on donor–acceptor complexes between r-S/Se compounds and models of the Cys 2 His 2 , Cys 3 His and Cys 4 ZF sites. These S ⋯ S/Se chalcogen bonding interactions consist of the donation of electron density from a S lone pair on the ZF model to a S/Se–X antibonding molecular orbital of the r-S/Se compound. The strength of the interaction was shown to be dependent upon the Lewis basicity of the ZF model (Cys 4 > Cys 3 His > Cys 2 His 2 ) and the Lewis acidity of the r-S/Se compound as measured by the energy of the S/Se–X antibonding orbital. Interactions with the softer r-Se compounds were stronger than the r-S compounds, consistent with the greater reactivity of the former with ZF proteins.
Celecoxib reduces glucocorticoids in vitro and in a mouse model with adrenocortical hyperplasia

Primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD), whether in the context of Carney complex (CNC) or isolated, leads to ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome (CS). CNC and PPNAD are caused typically by inactivating mutations of PRKAR1A, a gene coding for the type 1a regulatory subunit (R1α) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Mice lacking Prkar1a, specifically in the adrenal cortex (AdKO) developed CS caused by bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH), which is formed from the abnormal proliferation of fetal-like adrenocortical cells. Celecoxib is a cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) inhibitor. In bone, Prkar1a inhibition is associated with COX2 activation and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production that, in turn, activates proliferation of bone stromal cells. We hypothesized that COX2 inhibition may have an effect in PPNAD. In vitro treatment of human cell lines, including one from a patient with PPNAD, with celecoxib resulted in decreased cell viability. We then treated AdKO and control mice with 1500 mg/kg celecoxib or vehicle. Celecoxib treatment led to decreased PGE2 and corticosterone levels, reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis of adrenocortical cells, and decreased steroidogenic gene expression. We conclude that, in vitro and in vivo, celecoxib led to decreased steroidogenesis. In a mouse model of PPNAD, celecoxib caused histological changes that, at least in part, reversed BAH and this was associated with a reduction of corticosterone levels.
STIM1 activation is regulated by a 14 amino acid sequence adjacent to the CRAC activation domain.

Oligomerization of the Ca2+ sensor, STIM1, in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, caused by depletion of ER Ca2+ stores, results in STIM1 coupling to the plasma membrane Ca2+ channel protein, Orai1, to activate Ca2+ influx in a process known as store-operated Ca2+ entry. We use fluorimetry-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor changes in STIM1 oligomerization in COS7 cells transfected with STIM1 constructs containing selected truncations, deletions, and point mutations, and labeled with donor and acceptor fluorescent proteins at either the luminal (N-terminal) or the cytoplasmic (C-terminal) ends. Our results with sequential truncations of STIM1 from the C-terminus support previous evidence that the CRAC activation domain (CAD/SOAR, human sequence 342–448) is an oligomer-promoting segment of STIM1, and they show that truncation just after CAD/SOAR (1–448) causes significantly elevated basal cytoplasmic Ca2+ and spontaneous STIM1 clustering. We find that a 14 amino acid sequence just C-terminal of CAD/SOAR (449–462) prevents spontaneous clustering and activation of STIM1 in COS7 cells. In response to store depletion, C-terminally labeled STIM1 without CAD/SOAR clusters together with CAD/SOAR-containing STIM1 constructs. However, these donor-acceptor pairs do not undergo a stimulated increase in FRET, exhibiting instead a decrease in FRET consistent with a stimulated conformational extension in full length STIM1. We find that the 14 amino acid sequence plays a regulatory role in this process. Overall, our FRET results provide evidence in live cells that Ca2+ store depletion stimulates a conformational extension in the cytoplasmic segment of STIM1 that accompanies its oligomerization.
Hyperbolic systems of conservation laws with a symmetry

Hyperbolic systems of conservaiton laws with a symmetry are studied. Some peculiar phenomena for such systems are shown. Admissibility criteria for solutions to such systems are discussed. propagation and cancellation of initial oscillations for the systems are classified. As a byproduct of this study, an existence theorem of global solutions for the Cauchy of the systems is established.
From Idea to Innovation: The Role of LDRD Investments in Sandia's Recent Successful B61 Experiments.

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, authorized by U.S. Congress in 1991, enables Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories to devote a small portion of their research funding to high-risk and potentially high-payoff research. Because it is high-risk, LDRD-supported research may not lead to immediate mission impacts; however, many successes at DOE labs can be traced back to investments in LDRD. LDRD investments have a history of enabling significant payoffs for long-running DOE and NNSA missions and for providing anticipatory new technologies that ultimately become critical to future missions. Many of Sandia National Laboratories’ successes can be traced back to investments in LDRD. Capabilities from three LDRDs were critical to recent tests of the B61-12 gravity bomb—tests that would previously have only been performed experimentally.