cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FerA is a Membrane-Associating Four-Helix Bundle Domain in the Ferlin Family of Membrane-Fusion Proteins

Ferlin proteins participate in such diverse biological events as vesicle fusion in C. elegans, fusion of myoblast membranes to form myotubes, Ca2+-sensing during exocytosis in the hair cells of the inner ear, and Ca2+-dependent membrane repair in skeletal muscle cells. Ferlins are Ca2+-dependent, phospholipid-binding, multi-C2 domain-containing proteins with a single transmembrane helix that spans a vesicle membrane. The overall domain composition of the ferlins resembles the proteins involved in exocytosis; therefore, it is thought that they participate in membrane fusion at some level. But if ferlins do fuse membranes, then they are distinct from other known fusion proteins. Here we show that the central FerA domain from dysferlin, myoferlin, and otoferlin is a novel four-helix bundle fold with its own Ca2+-dependent phospholipid-binding activity. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), spectroscopic, and thermodynamic analysis of the dysferlin, myoferlin, and otoferlin FerA domains, in addition to clinically-defined dysferlin FerA mutations, suggests that the FerA domain interacts with the membrane and that this interaction is enhanced by the presence of Ca2+.
Accounting for study participants who are ineligible for linkage: a multiple imputation approach to analyzing the linked National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Medicaid data

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey have been linked to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Medicaid Enrollment and Claims Files for the survey years 1999-2004. The linked data are produced by the National Center for Health Statistics' (NCHS) Data Linkage Program and are available in the NCHS Research Data Center. This project compares the usefulness of multiple imputation to account for data linkage ineligibility and other survey nonresponse with currently recommended weight adjustment procedures. Estimated differences in environmental smoke exposure across Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment status among children ages 3-15 years are examined as a motivating example. Comparisons are drawn across the three different estimates: one that uses MI to impute the administrative Medicaid/CHIP status of those who are ineligible for linkage, a second that uses the linked data restricted to linkage eligible participants with a basic weight adjustment, and a third that uses self-reported Medicaid/CHIP status from the survey data. The results indicate that estimates from the multiple imputation analysis were comparable to those found when using weight adjustment procedures and had the added benefit of incorporating all survey participants (linkage eligible and linkage ineligible) into the analysis. We conclude that both multiple imputation and weight adjustment procedures can effectively account for survey participants who are ineligible for linkage.
Cleaning durability of the applied materials EUV mask blanks (Conference Presentation)

In the absence of EUV pellicles, EUV masks need to be cleaned frequently. Even after the implementation of the pellicles, EUV masks need to be cleaned multiple times. When pellicle studs need to be removed, aggressive cleaning recipes are required to remove glue from the surface mask. Therefore, surfaces in contact with chemicals during mask cleaning should be stable against aggressive, acidic and basic chemicals. In addition to, chemical durability, EUV masks are repeatedly exposed to EUV and UV radiation. In particular, with increasing the EUV source power, it is expected that EUV mask surface be exposed to EUV light with energy densities > 5 W/cm2 as well as out-of-band radiation in UV region. Such high energy radiation can oxidize Ru cap layer or promote Ruthenium silicide formation under the capping layer. Such mechanism can result in Ruthenium peel –off by multiple cleaning of EUV masks. When acidic chemistries are used to remove particles from pattern EUV masks, absorber layer can be etched and as a result mask CD will change by multiple cleanings. During the chucking process in an EUV scanner, there might be dents form in the backside conductive layer (e.g. CrN) which results in thinning backside conductive layer in the certain areas. Meantime, more aggressive megasonic cleaning is required to remove micron size particles from the backside of the EUV masks. Combination of multiple chucking, dent formation and aggressive cleaning may result in damage in the backside film. Finally, in the EUV masks with OPC sub-resolution-assist-feature (SRAF) can be easily damaged by megasonic during cleaning. This paper will discuss cleaning durability challenges for sub 10 nm half pitch nodes when high power EUV sources expect to be used. In particular, we present our latest results of multiple cleaning of Applied Materials blanks with conventional cleaning chemistries. The change in the EUV reflectivity of Ru cap multilayers by 100x cleaning will be presented. Impact of cleaning on conventional absorber (TaN) and newly developed thin absorber films in Applied Materials will be discussed. The impact of the cleaning processes on the substrate and CrN backside conductive film will be presented. Multiple surface characterization techniques will be used for study of cleaning impact on different films.
TRIM72 promotes alveolar epithelial cell membrane repair and ameliorates lung fibrosis

Chronic tissue injury was shown to induce progressive scarring in fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), while an array of repair/regeneration and stress responses come to equilibrium to determine the outcome of injury at the organ level. In the lung, type I alveolar epithelial (ATI) cells constitute the epithelial barrier, while type II alveolar epithelial (ATII) cells play a pivotal role in regenerating the injured distal lungs. It had been demonstrated that eukaryotic cells possess repair machinery that can quickly patch the damaged plasma membrane after injury, and our previous studies discovered the membrane-mending role of Tripartite motif containing 72 (TRIM72) that expresses in a limited number of tissues including the lung. Nevertheless, the role of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) repair in the pathogenesis of IPF has not been examined yet. In this study, we tested the specific roles of TRIM72 in the repair of ATII cells and the development of lung fibrosis. The role of membrane repair was accessed by saponin assay on isolated primary ATII cells and rat ATII cell line. The anti-fibrotic potential of TRIM72 was tested with bleomycin-treated transgenic mice. We showed that TRIM72 was upregulated following various injuries and in human IPF lungs. However, TRIM72 expression in ATII cells of the IPF lungs had aberrant subcellular localization. In vitro studies showed that TRIM72 repairs membrane injury of immortalized and primary ATIIs, leading to inhibition of stress-induced p53 activation and reduction in cell apoptosis. In vivo studies demonstrated that TRIM72 protects the integrity of the alveolar epithelial layer and reduces lung fibrosis. Our results suggest that TRIM72 protects injured lungs and ameliorates fibrosis through promoting post-injury repair of AECs.
Systems level profiling of arginine starvation reveals MYC and ERK adaptive metabolic reprogramming

Arginine auxotrophy due to the silencing of argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) occurs in many carcinomas and in the majority of sarcomas. Arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20) therapy exploits this metabolic vulnerability by depleting extracellular arginine, causing arginine starvation. ASS1-negative cells develop resistance to ADI-PEG20 through a metabolic adaptation that includes re-expressing ASS1. As arginine-based multiagent therapies are being developed, further characterization of the changes induced by arginine starvation is needed. In order to develop a systems-level understanding of these changes, activity-based proteomic profiling (ABPP) and phosphoproteomic profiling were performed before and after ADI-PEG20 treatment in ADI-PEG20-sensitive and resistant sarcoma cells. When integrated with metabolomic profiling, this multi-omic analysis reveals that cellular response to arginine starvation is mediated by adaptive ERK signaling and activation of the Myc–Max transcriptional network. Concomitantly, these data elucidate proteomic changes that facilitate oxaloacetate production by enhancing glutamine and pyruvate anaplerosis and altering lipid metabolism to recycle citrate for oxidative glutaminolysis. Based on the complexity of metabolic and cellular signaling interactions, these multi-omic approaches could provide valuable tools for evaluating response to metabolically targeted therapies.
Discrimination and Risky Sexual Behavior, Substance Use, and Suicidality among Transgender Individuals

Transgender identities are becoming increasingly common in the United States, and existing research provides ample evidence that risky sexual behaviors, substance use, and suicidality are prevalent...
Commentary on shifting paradigms: The top 100 most disruptive papers in core pediatric surgery journals.

Abstract This is a commentary on the manuscript by Sullivan G, Skertich N, Gulack B, et al., titled “Shifting Paradigms: The Top Most Disruptive Papers in Core Pediatric Surgery Journals”.
Revisiting ancient and modern liberty: On de Dijn’s Freedom: An Unruly History:

Annelien de Dijn’s Freedom: An Unruly History is a rich and thought-provoking work in intellectual history, tracing thinking and debating about political freedom in the West from ancient Greece to ...
A New Class of Entropy Stabilized Oxides: Commensurately Modulated A 6 B 2 O 17 (A = Zr, Hf, B = Nb, Ta) Structures

High entropy oxides (HEOs) have experienced a meteoric rise in the past decade. Here, we report a new class of entropy stabilized A6B2O17 (A = Zr, Hf; B = Nb, Ta) oxides whose enthalpies of formation have been determined by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. All four compounds have endothermic enthalpies of formation from binary oxides (AO2 and B2O5), indicating that these modulated phases are entropy stabilized. The unfavorable energetics of formation are counterbalanced by large configurational entropy arising from cation disorder. The calculated configurational entropy per formula unit for A6B2O17 is 4.50R J/mol·K, which is ~2.8 times higher than the maximum configurational entropy value of 1.61R for an equimolar five cation containing “high entropy oxide”. Based on X-ray and neutron diffraction data, measured enthalpies of formation and calculated configurational entropies, one can infer that all four compounds have a high degree of disorder.
A Systematic Review of Interventions Targeting Infertility-Related Distress: A Search for Active Ingredients

Various psychological interventions have been developed to combat negative mental and physical health effects of infertility. However, it is unknown if there are common elements, or "active ingredients," between interventions. This review examined which active ingredients were present among psychological interventions targeting the impacts of infertility. Using a predetermined search strategy, 72 articles and 22 active ingredients were identified. Relaxation/stress management was found to be the most common treatment element. Future research should investigate which active ingredients are most effective for reducing infertility-related stressors so clinicians and researchers can create and implement treatments that contain essential and effective components.
Adaptive Network Security Service Orchestration Based on SDN/NFV.

The integration of Software-Defined Network (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is an innovative network architecture that abstracts lower-level functionalities through the separation of the control plane from the data plane and enhances the management of network behavior and network services in real time. It provides unprecedented programmability, automation, and control for network dynamics. In this paper, we propose a flexible and elastic network security service management system for timely reacting to abnormal network behavior by orchestrating network security functions based on the technology of SDN/NFV. In designing the system, we address key challenges associated with scalability, responsiveness, and adversary resilience. The proposed system provides a real time and lightweight monitoring and response function by integrating security functions in the SDN/NFV domain. The SDN automatically learns the network conditions to orchestrate security functions for effective monitoring against attacks. The system is implemented based on an open-source SDN controller, RYU, and consists of three main agents; network monitoring, orchestration agents, and response agents. Experimental results have shown that our approach achieved low network latency with small memory usages for virtual intrusion detection systems.
Introduction to Clinical Research

The chapters in the second edition of this book reflect the combination of basic and clinical research (both patient- and population-oriented) principles. Importantly, we hope that they reflect the editors' view that these disciplines cannot be uniquely separated, but are part of a continuum that flows back and forth between them—often sharing similar tools and approaches to better understand the totality of human disease. As such, we believe the information contained herein will also be of value to our enlarging audience of Masters or Ph.D. trainees in clinical science or public health, medical students, students in other biomedical professional disciplines, clinical scientists in industry, practicing clinical investigators, and administrators in the broad field of clinical and translational research with a specific focus on the study of the individual subject. The disciplines of genetics and precision medicine will especially benefit from the new knowledge human inheritance.
Apologia Qva Respondet Dvabvs Invectivis Edvardi Lei

The publication by Erasmus of the Greek New Testament, with his own Latin translation and notes, aroused the fury of the conservative theologians as had no other act of the militant humanist’s career. Many who could not read it were profoundly suspicious of the Greek text. Many more, including those who knew some Greek, resented the Greek text and the Latin translation as an impious attempt to supplant the time-hallowed Vulgate, the foundation upon which had been reared most of the dogmas of the Church. Though the editor had been guided solely by the desire to establish the true text of the Scriptures according to the best obtainable sources, certain significant variations from the Vulgate, such as the omission of the passage concerning the Three Heavenly Witnesses (I John, v, 7), convinced them that the work was dangerous and inspired by heretical ideas. Above all, the conservatives were offended by the Annotationes — and with greater reason. For the notes, charmingly written, witty and discursive, were as unorthodox in manner as in matter. Their chief purpose was to clarify the literal sense of the text; but in so doing they challenged or destroyed many of the traditional interpretations that had been accepted as fundamental truths.
Stochastic Analysis of Daily River Flow

Optimum water resources design may be achieved using data generation techniques based on models statistically derived from historical records of a hydrologic variable. However, certain statistical techniques of time series analysis are restricted to series possessing the time-invariance property which hydrologic data might not possess. The analysis of river flow records in the light of this limitation is presented. To obtain a mathematical representation of daily streamflow, a trend-free model made up of an oscillatory component and an autoregressive process is postulated to apply to the records of five rivers. The oscillatory component is detected and isolated using spectral and fourier analyses, and Markov schemes are fitted to the standardized residual series. The adequacy of the models fitted is examined through a comparison of the theoretical variance with the computed variance resulting from the application of the model. The importance of the underlying series, which is the sequence generated in Monte Carlo techniques, is discussed.
Proteasome inhibitor PS-341 induced G2-M phase arrest and apoptosis in human glioblastoma multiforme

4006 The proteasome plays a pivotal role in the control of cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation in a variety of normal and tumor cells. PS-341, a novel boronic acid dipeptide that inhibits 20S proteasome activity, has been shown to have prominent activity both in vitro and in vivo systems, against various solid tumor types including breast, lung, colon, bladder, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and squamous cell cancers. Using 3 human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines and 5 primary GBM explants, we examined the effect of PS-341 on their proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, as well as expression of proteins involved in cell growth. We also explored whether the effect of PS-341 on GBM cells is dependent on the mutational status of p53. PS-341 markedly inhibited growth of GBM cell lines and explants with a mean IC50 of PS-341 at about 1x10 -7 M. The cells developed a cell cycle block at G2/M with a concomitant decrease in S phase (≈ 2-fold), an increase of p21 WAF1 , p27 KIP1 and a down-regulation of CDK2, CDK4 and E2F4. About 20 –40 % of the cells became apoptosis when exposed to 1x10 -7 M PS-341 for 24 hrs as shown by Tunel analysis. Immunoblot analysis of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) showed that a C-terminal 85 kDa apoptotic fragment was generated and levels of Bcl2 and Bcl-xl were decreased. These changes occurred in the cells irrespective of their p53 mutant status. One major effect of proteasome inhibition in many cell types is the inhibition of NF- k B translocation to the nucleus, due to blocking of the cytosolic degradation of I k -B. We found that PS-341 decreased nuclear NF- k B and transcriptional activity of NF- k B as measured by a reporter gene containing NF- k B binding sites fused to the luciferase gene. We conclude that PS-341 has profound effects on GBM cells including inhibiting their cell growth and inducing their G2/M phase arrest, apoptosis and accumulation of p21 WAF1 and p27 KIP1 in a p53-independent fashion, as well as inhibiting NF- k B nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. These findings suggested that PS-341 may be highly effective as a therapy for gliomas in patients.
The Effects of Aging on Skin

Publisher Summary Data regarding age-related changes in skin structure and function are often conflicting and difficult to interpret. Multiple studies of blood flow present multiple conclusions. However, quantitative measurements permitted by bioengineering have allowed us to objectively and precisely study aging skin. Aging presents retraction of rete pegs and flattening of the epidermal-dermal junction. The anatomic facets of skin are infinite, making a complete review of age-related changes in skin structure problematic. This chapter focuses on certain readily quantifiable aspects of skin: blood perfusion, pH, thickness of strata, protein, glycosaminoglycan, water, and lipid content. Skin's acidity, an important part of the skin surface ecosystem and a contributor to defense against microbiological or chemical insults, plays a role in skin barrier homeostasis and stratum corneum desquamation. Collagen, which comprises approximately 70–80% of the dry weight of the dermis, is primarily responsible for skin's tensile strength. Collagen becomes less soluble, thinner, and sparser in intrinsically aged skin, but is thickened, fragmented, and more soluble with photoaging. Elastin is a long-lived protein in human skin; it appears to accumulate damage with age and sun-exposure. New elastin is synthesized in greater quantities in aged skin. The abnormal structure of this elastin prevents it from functioning as it does in young skin.
Analytic expressions for the electromagnetic mode density in finite, one-dimensional, photonic band-gap structures

Summary form only given. We derive an exact expression for the electromagnetic mode density, and hence the group velocity, for a finite N period, one-dimensional photonic band-gap structure. We begin by deriving a general formula for the mode density in terms of the complex transmission coefficient of an arbitrary index profile. Then we develop a formula that gives the N-period mode density in terms of the transmission coefficient of the unit cell. The special cases of mode-density enhancement and suppression at the photonic band edge and at mid gap, respectively are derived. The specific example of a quarter-wave stack is analyzed, and applications to 3D structures, spontaneous emission control, delay lines, band-edge lasers, and superluminal tunneling times are discussed.
Update: Approach to the Patient with Suspected Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator System Malfunction

T he evolution of technology has been described as either revolutionary or evolutionary. The former refers to advances in therapy that are dramatic. The latter describes advances in therapy that are more incremental. The changes in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) technology over the last two years fall into the latter category. ICD system malfunction was reviewed in 1998 and the general concepts remain unchanged [1]. ICDs may deliver therapies in response to the either atrial or ventricular arrhythmias, or they may fail to delivery therapy. Furthermore, they may fail to successfully treat a tachycardia because of either failure to detect the arrhythmia (non-detection) or frank failure of the therapy itself (non-conversion). The problems of multiple defibrillator shocks and arrhythmia detection failure are discussed elsewhere in this monograph (see also, this issue pp. 122–128). Non-detection may occur because of improper or phantom programming, ventricular tachycardia occurring below the detection rate of the ICD, detection enhancements preventing satisfaction of detection criteria, undersensing, and oversensing of pacemaker stimulus artifacts (detection inhibition). Furthermore, there can be nonconversion of ventricular arrhythmias due to problems with the arrhythmia therapy prescription, incessant tachycardias, and changes in the defibrillation threshold. Finally, there may be problems with pacing due to altered pacing thresholds, Twave sensing that inhibits pacing, and lead system failure.
The Determinants of Synthetic Lease Financing and the Impact on the Cost of Future Debt

The synthetic lease is a hybrid financing structure that allows a company to obtain many of the benefits of asset ownership, including capital lease treatment for tax purposes, while treating lease payments as operating expenses on the firm's income statement. Proponents of these off balance sheet transactions argue that the economic benefits to the firm and its shareholders outweigh the costs of complexity and opacity, while critics argue that the benefits of these transactions are the result of short-sighted opportunistic behavior by managers that lead to wealth extraction at the expense of other groups of stakeholders. I jointly examine (1) whether the structure of the synthetic lease provides favorable financing terms for firms that choose this type of transaction, and (2) the economic and financial accounting incentives that influence the manager's financing choice. I find evidence that supports both economic benefits associated with the lease, as well as managers using synthetic lease financing for opportunistic gains. Tests examining the role of the board of directors in the financing decision help to reconcile these two findings, as strong boards serve as a substitute for the opacity of the transaction, and prevent managers from opportunistic behavior. I also find that synthetic lease users have lower costs associated with future bank debt, and these savings do not appear to be the result of withholding information about the synthetic lease from lenders.
Enhancing the Efficacy of Bioherbicides

Plant pathogenic pseudomonads are inhibited by certain amino acids due to feedback inhibition or repression of key biosynthetic enzymes in amino acid biosynthesis pathways. As it turns out, plants are similarly inhibited by certain amino acids. These inhibitions can play a large role in plant pathology. For instance, Frenching disease of tobacco is caused by rhizosphere bacteria that overproduce the amino acid isoleucine. We found that overproduction of an inhibitory amino acid would greatly enhance the virulence of a plant pathogen greatly increasing its efficacy as a bioherbicide for control of noxious weeds.
Measurement and use of retention data from high-performance gradient elution : Contributions from “non-ideal” gradient equipment

Abstract Equipment for high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) gradient elution generally distorts the gradient selected by the operator, which in turn affects the retention of solutes separated by gradient elution. A theoretical analysis describes these gradient distortions as a function of equipment design and operating conditions. Comparisons of theory with experimental data show generally good agreement. As a result, it is now possible to select gradient conditions for minimal gradient distortion, or to correct for the effect of gradient distortion on solute retention. This will be shown in later papers to allow the use of gradient elution in new ways for more efficient method development and optimization of separation by HPLC.
The conformational basis of energy transduction in membrane systems: V. Measurement of configurational changes by light scattering

Abstract Changes in the energy state of the cristal membrane of beef heart mitochondria can be followed continuously by light-scattering measurements at 90 ° to the incident beam. Only two of the three configurational transitions established by electron microscopy can be directly measured by the light-scattering technique. The correlation between the configurational changes deduced from the interpretation of electron micrographs, and the configurational changes implicit in the light-scattering measurements has been tested in a wide spectrum of experiments and found to hold in all cases. It has been concluded that the electron microscopic and light-scattering techniques both measure configurational change in the cristal membrane. The transition of cristae from the aggregated to the orthodox modality, and the oscillation of mitochondria between the energized uptake of K + and swelling, and the de-energized release of K + and shrinking, are phenomena which are readily analyzed by the method of light scattering in combination with that of electron microscopy.
Perceptual segmentation and component selection in compact sinusoidal representations of audio

This paper presents two fundamental enhancements in a hybrid audio signal model consisting of sinusoidal, transient, and noise (STN) components. The first enhancement involves a novel application of a perceptual metric for optimal time segmentation for the analysis of transients. In particular, Moore and Glasberg's model of partial loudness is modified for use with general signals and then integrated into a, novel time segmentation scheme. The second and perhaps more significant STN enhancement is concerned with a new methodology for ranking and selection of the most perceptually relevant sinusoids.
Characterizing mobility from the prosthetic limb user's perspective: Use of focus groups to guide development of the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility.

Background:Input from target respondents in the development of patient-reported outcome measures is necessary to ensure that the instrument is meaningful.Objectives:To solicit perspectives of prost...
A developmental switch affecting growth of fatty rats.

Fatty (fa/fa) rats accumulate more adipose mass than their littermates soon after birth, but they first appear obese during the fourth week of life. We analyzed the effects of fagenotype on growth ...
An AID to preliminary design of missile prelaunch checkout equipment

The purpose of a missile prelaunch confidence checkout is to assure the commander that the weapon contains no undetected mission-failure-causing defects and, indeed, is ready to perform its assigned mission. If all the prelaunch tests that would be desirable cannot be scheduled because of the operational necessity to launch within a limited amount of time, then engineering and operational evaluations must be employed to determine the theoretically optimum content of the limited checkout and also the required capability of the checkout equipment. As an aid in preliminary design, perhaps as an objective point of departure for design compromises, this paper addresses the problem of making these design decisions from an operational viewpoint and, by use of reliability estimates as the basis for the analysis, develops (1) quantitative criteria for the value of inclusion of individual checks in the checkout, (2) an expression for the required efficiency of the checkout equipment, and (3) a mathematical method for determining the content of a theoretically optimum checkout. The latter result is for the case exemplified by ballistic missiles where, in general, all missile functions are energized prior to launch and where one operational constraint is dominant, namely, time allowed for checkout. The determination of the optimum checkout content can be done graphically, and the method developed can also be used to ascertain the launch confidence achieved by the checkout equipment of present missile systems.
Ischemic heart disease in women: many questions, few facts.

After at least 2 decades of growing awareness on coronary heart disease in women, we are left with many questions, few answers, and plenty of opinions. Review articles, books, sessions at scientific meetings, and commentaries regarding various aspects of heart disease in women have proliferated. These reports have highlighted important sex differences in the pathophysiology, presentation, and treatment of ischemic heart disease and have denounced pervasive sex-related disparities in referral and treatment for heart disease as a major reason for outcome differences between the sexes. Such activities have been useful in driving attention to heart disease in women, an area largely ignored by the scientific community and the public just 15 to 20 years ago. However, we must recognize that to date, limited data substantiate many of these statements; such recognition is important to guide future research efforts. A careful look at recently published literature reveals only modest advancements toward clarifying sex-based differences in the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease and sex-based differences in outcome. At the same time, key questions concerning strategies for prevention and treatment of heart disease in women remain unanswered, and cardiovascular clinical trials continue to include fewer women than men.1 A fundamental question is whether the mechanisms underlying ischemic heart disease in women differ from those in men. This is an important question because if pathophysiology differs in women, such differences can inform strategies for prevention, detection, and treatment that would be most effective for women. That pathophysiology may differ in women compared with men is suggested by several factors. First, despite having more symptoms and physical limitations,2,3 women have less obstructive coronary heart disease than men along the entire spectrum of acute coronary syndromes4 and when referred for revascularization.5,6 Second, the syndrome of chest pain without obstructive coronary artery disease …
Reducing MAC layer handoff latency in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs

With the growth of IEEE 802.11-based wireless LANs, VoIP and similar applications are now commonly used over wireless networks. Mobile station performs a handoff whenever it moves out of the range of one access point (AP) and tries to connect to a different one. This takes a few hundred milliseconds, causing interruptions in VoIP sessions. We developed a new handoff procedure which reduces the MAC layer handoff latency, in most cases, to a level where VoIP communication becomes seamless. This new handoff procedure reduces the discovery phase using a selective scanning algorithm and a caching mechanism.
Capitalist Rationality: Comparing the Lure of the Infinite

With the use of Bruner’s concept of story, broad generalizations from the US, and political philosophy, this article suggests that comparisons between music programs throughout the world are meaningless unless we acknowledge how pervasive, insidious, and menacing is the rhetoric of the global market economy. Political philosophy is one process of inquiry that can provide a way of reflecting upon educative constructs that affect all educators. One way to begin thinking about the process of comparison is to examine educational statements from government websites throughout the world. While in many cases these statements are not referred to as manifestos, the rhetoric in use on these government sanctioned websites not only boldly states the goal of education in terms of global markets and competition but also does so by co-opting discourse that was originally intended to speak for oppressed populations.
Getting Acquainted in Interracial Interactions: Avoiding Intimacy but Approaching Race

It is important to understand the content dimensions that influence the quality of intergroup interactions. The present research organized potential conversation content according to theoretically relevant underlying dimensions and investigated Whites' willingness to discuss topics of varying content with a Black partner. Specifically, it investigated Whites' willingness to engage in intimate self-disclosure and their willingness to discuss controversial and race-related topics with White versus Black interaction partners. Results across two experiments indicated an unwillingness among Whites to discuss both intimate and race-related topics with a Black partner. In addition, this research examined the role played by participants in the interaction (i.e., asking vs. answering) and found that although Whites were unwilling to ask Black relative to White partners about race-related topics, they were more willing to answer Black relative to White partners about such topics.
Economic growth and structural change in Tsarist Russia: A case of modern economic growth?

(1972). Economic growth and structural change in Tsarist Russia: A case of modern economic growth? Soviet Studies: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 418-434.
Work in progress — Developing a graduate consortium in engineering education

Graduate students engaged in engineering education research have always informally networked in small clusters at engineering education themed conferences. As the graduate student population has grown, so too has a widespread desire to develop a larger, more formalized student network. An effort supported by engineering education faculty and interested graduate students is currently underway to create a formal consortium to network and support students. This paper provides a brief overview of the tentatively planned programs and events that demonstrate the progress to date of the Graduate Engineering Education Consortium for Students (GEECS). Presenting our early development is intended to provide a basis for our decisions to date. Exhibition of the consortium through this media also intends to raise awareness and attract other students who may not be aware of the planned consortium and the benefits and resources that it may provide to enhance their experience.
Giant intracranial aneurysms: evolution of management in a contemporary surgical series.

BACKGROUND Many significant microsurgical series of patients with giant aneurysms predate changes in practice during the endovascular era.
Histopathology of aflatoxicosis in the marine shrimp Penaeus stylirostris and P. vannamei.

Abstract The acute and subacute toxicity of aflatoxin B1 to the marine shrimp Penaeus stylirostris and P. vannamei (Order: Decapoda, Class: Crustacea) was investigated. Experimental shrimp were exposed to a range of concentrations of the toxin directly by intramascular injection (from 2 to 160 μg aflatoxin B1/g body weight), or by multiple per os dosing with the feed (from 53 to 300 μg aflatoxin B1/g feed) for up to 25 days. The histopathogenesis of aflatoxicosis in the aflatoxin-exposed animals was followed and found to be time and dose dependent in the hepatopancreas, mandibular organ, and in the hematopoietic organs. Less significant and/or inconsistent lesions were also observed in other organs and tissues, but a time-dose dependency was not noted. The principal lesions of aflatoxicosis in penaeid shrimp occur in the hepatopancreas and the mandibular organ. In the former organ, subacute and acute aflatoxicosis is expressed as necrosis of the hepatopancreatic tubule epithelium that proceeds from the proximal (older) portion of the tubules, in the center of the organ, to the peripheral (younger) tubule tips. A marked intertubular hemocytic inflammation followed by encapsulation and fibrosis of affected tubules follows in subacute aflatoxicosis, but is not as developed as in acute aflatoxicosis. The mandibular organ in aflatoxicosis displays a necrosis of the peripheral epithelial cells of the cords within the gland that progresses proximally to the central vein. Only a slight hemocytic inflammation accompanies the degenerative changes in this latter organ.
RECENT INVESTIGATIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANTERIOR LOBE OF THE PITUITARY BODY UPON GROWTH, AND ON THE PROPERTIES OF THE GROWTH-CONTROLLING CONSTITUENT, TETHELIN

THE well-known clinical manifestations of hyper-activity of the anterior lobe of the pituitary body all point towards an intimate association between the physiological activity of this organ and the growth of certain tissues, particularly the bones and epidermis. If the incidence of the hyperactivity be preadolescent the resultant is usually some measure of gigantism, while if the incidence of hyperactivity be post-adolescent the manifestations are usually of the acromegalic type. With the realization of these relationships which resulted from the clinical investigations of Marie and many others during the closing years of the preceding century, it was inevitable that attempts would be made to reproduce in the laboratory some of the clinical manifestations of hyperpituitarism by the administration of pituitary tissue to animals. Many of the earlier investigations in this field were, however, vitiated by the failure to distinguish between the physiological actions of the anterior and posterior lobes. Embry...
Effects of turbulent combustion modeling errors on soot evolution in a turbulent nonpremixed jet flame

Abstract Due to the long time scales associated with soot evolution and its sensitivity to the background thermochemical state, even small errors in a turbulent combustion model have the potential to lead to large errors in soot evolution. For example, in turbulent jet flames, small upstream errors in the temperature and species concentrations could lead to large errors in soot volume fraction downstream. In this work, an algorithm is developed for propagating upstream errors in the thermochemical state, specifically, the temperature, into soot predictions downstream. The algorithm is based on a stochastic collocation approach that perturbs the reaction progress variable in the flamelet model at an upstream location and lets this error passively propagate downstream in the soot and combustion models (i.e., the hydrodynamic field is unaffected). The approach is applied to the simulation of Delft Flame III, a natural gas turbulent nonpremixed piloted jet flame for which both upstream temperature measurements and downstream soot volume fraction measurements are available. The results indicate that upstream errors in temperature, which are within the experimental uncertainty, can lead to errors in the soot volume fraction downstream up to 30%; the downstream error in the temperature is comparable in magnitude to the upstream perturbation. Further analysis reveals that the primary source of the downstream error in soot volume fraction is the accumulation of errors in the soot precursor mass fraction with downstream distance.
The medicare-HMO revolving door - The healthy go in and the sick go out

Background Enrollment in Medicare health maintenance organizations (HMOs) is encouraged because of the expectation that HMOs can help slow the growth of Medicare costs. However, Medicare HMOs, which are paid 95 percent of average yearly fee-for-service Medicare expenditures, are increasingly believed to benefit from the selective enrollment of healthier Medicare recipients. Furthermore, whether sicker patients are more likely to disenroll from Medicare HMOs, thus raising average fee-for-service costs, is not clear. Methods We used Medicare enrollment and inpatient billing records for southern Florida from 1990 through 1993 to examine differences in the use of inpatient medical services by 375,406 beneficiaries in the Medicare fee-for-service system, 48,380 HMO enrollees before enrollment, and 23,870 HMO enrollees after disenrollment. We also determined whether these differences were related to demographic characteristics and whether the pattern of use after disenrollment persisted over time. Results The r...
Contrast Sensitivity in Retinal Disease

Central vision in patients with retinal disorders has been studied with sinusoidal grating patterns. Impaired detection of fine high-contrast gratings has been observed in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma despite 20/20 vision. Abnormal contrast sensitivity to coarse gratings occurred in patients with certain macular disorders and occasional glaucoma patients, some with near-normal Snellen acuity. Thus, contrast sensitivity measurements demonstrate central visual deficits not apparent with Snellen testing.
Atrial fibrillation: Dronedarone and amiodarone—the safety versus efficacy debate

Amiodarone effectively maintains sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation, and although dronedarone is less effective it has a better safety profile. The choice of antiarrhythmic drug (or nonpharmacological strategy) depends on the ultimate goal of therapy, which should be considered in the context of the patient's clinical presentation and the treatment tailored to the individual.
Internal and scattered electric fields in the discrete dipole approximation

The calculated scattering matrix elements and interior electric fields for a dielectric sphere based on the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) are compared with the exact Mie solution for homogeneous and composite spheres. For homogeneous spheres the macroscopic average field produced at each DDA dipole site by the incident field combined with the field from all DDA sites is found to be approximated by the factor (n12+2)/3 multiplied by the Mie macroscopic field, where n1 is the refractive index. This holds to surprising accuracy, considering the finite wavelength and the small number of dipoles used in the DDA approximation. The approximate relation is most accurate near the center of the sphere and least accurate at the interface. The relation also holds for electric fields within composite spheres, with poorer agreement near each interface, where the refractive index changes. The dependence of this relation on parameters of the model is examined.
Enantioselective Synthesis of α− and β−Boc-protected 6-Hydroxy-pyranones: Carbohydrate Building Blocks

As part of a larger effort aimed at using the tools of asymmetric synthesis for medicinal chemistry, chemists have been seeking new methods for the de novo asymmetric synthesis of carbohydrates. One broadly applicable asymmetric approach involves the use of α- and β-6-t-butoxycarboxy-2H-pyran-3(6H)-ones as carbohydrate precursors. This article describes the enantioselective synthesis of α- and β-Boc protected 6-hydroxy-pyranones. Keywords: (S)-1-(Furan-2-yl)ethanol, (2S, 6R)-6-Hydroxy-2-methyl-2H-pyran-3(6H)-one, tert-Butyl ((2S,6S)-6-methyl-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-yl) carbonate, Boc-pyranones, Pd-catalyzed glycosylation
DNA-Modified Electrode for the Detection of Aromatic Amines

A new electrochemical biosensing strategy has been developed for trace measurements of toxic aromatic amine compounds. The device relies on the intercalative collection of aromatic amines onto the immobilized dsDNA layer followed by potentiometric stripping quantitation of the accumulated species. The enhanced sensitivity, accrued from the DNA collection process, is coupled to new selectivity dimensions provided by the structural requirements for such intercalative binding. The extent and rate of the accumulation are strongly dependent upon the structure of the aromatic amine species. Having the amino substituent in a slightly different position produces a dramatic effect upon the response. Nanomolar detection limits are obtained after a 10-min accumulation. Applicability to river water and groundwater samples is demonstrated. Such DNA-based devices hold great promise for environmental screening of toxic aromatic amines and for elucidating molecular interactions between intercalating pollutants with DNA.
Evidence for involvement of protein kinase C in the cellular response to interferon alpha.

Abstract Phospholipid/Ca2(+)-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C; PKC) appears to be involved in the signal-transduction pathway mediated by human leukocyte interferon (IFN) in HeLa cells. IFN treatment results in a rapid increase in [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding to intact cells, indicating an activation of PKC. In addition, inhibitors of PKC (H7 and staurosporine) block the induction of antiviral activity by IFN against vesicular stomatitis virus. PKC inhibitors also block the accumulation of IFN-stimulated mRNAs in the cytoplasm of HeLa cells and suppress the transcriptional induction of IFN-stimulated genes. Activation of IFN-stimulated genes is mediated through a DNA response element that is necessary and sufficient for the transcriptional response to IFN. IFN treatment induces the appearance of several DNA-binding factors that specifically recognize the response element, and the appearance of these factors is suppressed by PKC inhibitors. This observation provides evidence that PKC activity is involved during IFN-stimulated signal transduction. Although activation of PKC appears to be required for the response to IFN, agonists of PKC activity alone do not turn on expression of IFN-stimulated genes.
The RHIC Lattice

An antisymmetric lattice for the proposed Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory is presented, which has been designed to have (1) an energy range from 7 GeV/amu up to 100 GeV/amu; (2) a good tunability of s* and betatron tune; (3) freedom in the choice of crossing angle between beams; and (4) capability of operating unequal species, for example, proton on gold. Suppression of structure resonances is achieved by a proper choice of the phase advances across the insertion and the arc cells.
Predicting acceptance of diversity in pre-kindergarten classrooms

Abstract This study examined classroom-level contributors to an acceptance of diversity in publicly supported pre-kindergarten classrooms across 11 states. Classroom composition, process quality, and teacher characteristics were examined as predictors of diversity-promoting practices as measured by the ECERS-R, acceptance of diversity construct. Findings reveal that emotional climate, bilingual classrooms, family poverty levels within classrooms, and Latino teacher ethnicity are predictive of diversity-promoting classrooms; while classroom-level ethnic sameness to teacher prohibits diversity-promoting practices in pre-kindergarten classrooms.