cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human monocyte spreading induced by factor B of the alternative pathway of complement activation.

Abstract A new method was developed for preparing homogeneous populations of human monocytes from EDTA-blood with >60% theoretical recovery and >95% viability. Monocytes prepared in this manner phagocytose carbonyl iron and latex particles and exhibit cellsurface receptors for IgG Fc, C3b, and C3bi. In contrast to cells isolated by commonly employed procedures monocytes prepared from EDTA-blood could be maintained in culture for 7 days in serum-free medium with a very low degree of spontaneous spreading (
Hypoxia sensitizes cells to nitric oxide-induced apoptosis.

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) can induce apoptosis in a variety of cell types. A non-toxic concentration of nitric oxide under normal oxygen conditions triggered cell death under hypoxic conditions (1.5% O2) in fibroblasts. Nitric oxide administered during hypoxia induced the release of cytochrome c, caspase-9 activation, and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential followed by DNA fragmentation and lactate dehydrogenase release (markers of cell death). Bcl-XL protected cells from nitric oxide-induced apoptosis during hypoxia by preventing the release of cytochrome c, caspase-9 activation, and by maintaining a mitochondrial membrane potential. Murine embryonic fibroblasts frombax −/− bak −/− mice exposed to nitric oxide during hypoxia did not die, indicating that pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members are required for NO-induced apoptosis during hypoxia. The nitric oxide-induced cell death during hypoxia was independent of cGMP and peroxynitrite. Cells devoid of mitochondrial DNA (ρ°-cells) lack a functional electron transport chain and were resistant to nitric oxide-induced cell death during hypoxia, suggesting that a functional electron transport chain is required for nitric oxide-induced apoptosis during hypoxia.
General solution of the chiral Schwinger model.

We work out the general solution of the chiral Schwinger model in the path-integral formalism and show that there is no mass generation in this model for the vector boson and that the theory is inconsistent.
The violence of silence: some reflections on access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in matters concerning the environment

The proposition put forth in this paper is that whether—and the extent to which—harm or potential harm to the environment (its natural resources, living beings, and their ecosystems) is identified, resisted, mitigated, or prevented is linked to the nature and scope of public access to information, participation in governmental decision-making, and access to justice—which are often referred to as “environmental due process” or “procedural environmental rights.” Using examples in the United States of attacks on law school clinics and denial of standing in court, this paper argues that restrictions on public access to information, participation in decision-making, and access to justice create legacies and “cultures of silence” that reduce the likelihood that future generations will be willing and able to contest environmental harm.
Microprogramming for probability distribution sampling

Microprogramming of special instructions for sampling of random variates from any probability distribution is a means of increasing sampling speed. The diversity of sampling techniques is narrowed to one general algorithm; conditional bit sampling. Conditional bit sampling, uses a high speed uniform random number generator based on feedback shift registers to sample one bit at a time. The probability of a bit being a one in the j-th position of a binary expanded variate is stored in a table of conditional probabilities. A comparison with the pseudorandom number yields a one or zero. The table of conditional probabilities is generated once and passed through an instruction to the microprogram which performs the sampling. One user instruction is issued for each variate returned.
Anharmonicity on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface

Abstract We have studied the temperature-dependent energy shift of surface vibrations on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O reconstructed surface using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Interatomic bonds involved in the observed vibrations were extracted from phonon slab calculations. The measured energy shifts can be directly related to the anharmonicity of the potentials between the vibrating atoms by using a simple Morse oscillator model. By comparing to bulk phonon measurements, we find that both the oxygen-copper and copper-copper bonds at the surface have bulk-like anharmonicity. This is in contrast to the clean surface where strong anharmonicity is observed.
An ethics of expertise based on informed consent

Ethicists widely accept the notion that scientists have moral responsibilities to benefit society at large. The dissemination of scientific information to the public and its political representatives is central to many of the ways in which scientists serve society. Unfortunately, the task of providing information can often give rise to moral quandaries when scientific experts participate in politically charged debates over issues that are fraught with uncertainty. This paper develops a theoretical framework for an "ethics of expertise" (EOE) based on the notion that scientists have responsibilities to provide information in a way that promotes autonomous decision-making on the part of the public and its representatives. Moreover, insofar as the principle of informed consent has developed in biomedical ethics as a way for physicians to promote autonomous decision-making on the part of their patients, this paper suggests that the informed-consent concept may suggest a set of criteria and guidelines that can help scientists to fulfill their similar ethical responsibilities to the public. In order to illustrate how the resulting EOE could provide practical guidance for scientific experts, the paper examines a case study involving the dissemination of information about the low-dose biological effects of toxic chemicals and carcinogens.
Effect of arginine vasopressin on coronary and systemic hemodynamics in man

Arginine vasopressin is a potent constrictor of isolated arterial segments in vitro. However, it is disputed whether, in vivo, arginine vasopressin acts as either a systemic or coronary vasoconstrictor. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of arginine vasopressin on coronary and systemic vascular tone in man. Six patients undergoing routine diagnostic cardiac catheterization were studied. At angiography, all patients were found to have severe coronary artery disease. Cardiac and systemic pressures and coronary blood flow as well as serum arginine vasopressin and osmolality levels were measured before and after administration of hypertonic contrast dye and then following intravenous injection of an analog inhibitor of arginine vasopressin. At baseline, serum arginine vasopressin levels were within the normal range in all patients, but, following infusion of contrast dye, rose above physiological levels in 5 patients. In these latter patients, there were no significant changes in coronary and systemic hemodynamics between baseline (condition 1), following administration of contrast dye (condition 2) and 10 minutes after injection of arginine vasopressin inhibitor (condition 3). Mean coronary sinus blood flow (ml/min) and mean coronary vascular resistance (dyne.sec.cm-5) were 184 +/- 49 and 41,235 +/- 8275 during condition 1, 204 +/- 62 and 39,442 +/- 8781 during condition 2, and 192 +/- 75 and 44,930 +/- 11455 during condition 3. Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) and mean systemic vascular resistance (dyne.sec.cm-5) during conditions 1, 2 and 3 were 105 +/- 12 and 1454 +/- 174, 114 +/- 21 and 1432 +/- 210, and 114 +/- 15 and 1436 +/- 147, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
GABA activation of benzodiazepine receptors in native and Triton-treated membranes

Saturable binding of 3H-flunitrazepam (3H-FNZ) to native and Triton X-100-treated membranes of cerebral cortex was examined. GABA stimulated 3H-FNZ binding to the native membranes by increasing the affinity for radioligand from a dissociation constant, Kd (± SEM), of 1.54 ± 0.04 to 0.90 ± 0.03nM (p<0.001) with a small but significant increase in density of sites (± SEM) from 2.30 ± 0.03 to 2.47 ± 0.04 pmole/mg protein (p<0.025). The stimulation by GABA persisted after a preincubation with 10 μM GABA at 4° or 37°. GABA reduced the rate of dissociation of the bound radioligand from a half-life t (12) of 15.5 ± 0.3 to 26.4 ± 0.6 min (p<0.001) without changing the rate of association within the first min. The activation by GABA appeared 2–3 min later and continued up to 20 min of incubation. The delay in the activation may be due to the decrease in rate of dissociation. GABA activated 3H-FNZ binding in the Triton-treated membranes in a similar manner. With the native membranes, however, GABA caused a biphasic effect on the dissociation of bound 3H-FNZ suggesting two classes of benzodiazepine receptors with different sensitivities toward GABA.
Using Prototype:For Knowledge-Based Consultation And Teaching

The knowledge-based approach to software development involves formulating the domain knowledge in a declarative way and leaving the procedural control to an inference engine. An important problem with this method of developing software is that it is difficult to express and represent domain-dependent control knowledge, e.g. an expert's strategies. In this paper we propose the use of prototypes, based on an expert's typical cases, to represent domain-dependent control knowledge. We discuss both a consultation system and a knowledge-based tutor working with prototypes.
Fluid - particle mass transfer in a packed bed

Mass transfer coefficients have been measured for air flowing through a bed of naphthalene pellets. Results were obtained for ⅜-in. spheres and for ½, ⅜, and ¼-in. cylinders in a bed 4 in. in diameter and packed to heights varying from 5 to 10 in. Radial concentration profiles were obtained for some conditions, from which the radial variation of the mass transfer coefficient was determined. The point-values of kg follow an equation of the form kg = a Gb. From mixed outlet concentrations, values of kgav and jd, corrected for the effect of axial diffusion, have been obtained for all the pellet sizes as functions of mass velocity and Reynolds number, respectively.
Sex and respectability in an age of fertility decline: a Sicilian case study.

Religious conservatism has long regarded premarital sex and sex for reasons other than conception to be sacrilegious. Accordingly many in countries throughout the world both presently and in the past have engaged in sexual activity without taking contraceptive measures out of fear for retribution from religious institutions or because religious influences have effectively made preventive methods unavailable to the public. Despite these oft-accepted doctrine-based preconditions for engaging in sexual relations people have used condoms since before the nineteenth century to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases. Coitus interruptus however supplemented by abortion and abstinence was the main mode of preventing unwanted pregnancies until the spread of estrogen pills in the 1960s. Together they helped reduce total fertility in western Europe from 7-8 to 2-3 over the period 1870-1960. This paper discusses how the practice of coitus interruptus was reinterpreted in the late nineteenth century to represent virtue and restraint instead of licentiousness and encouraging of sexuality. Further it explains how these ideological and practical transitions occurred in a socially-stratified birth-controlling population in West Central rural Sicily over the period 1900-70. The gentry and artisans were first to embrace coitus interruptus and were followed by the peasants. This sequential pattern and the transition from high to low fertility are consistent with late twentieth century interpretations of coitus interruptus by Foucault and others as sexually restraining yet empowering. Adopting the practice enhanced access to respectability in a context of economic and cultural change. Moreover those who adopted the practice increasingly stigmatized other high-parity couples as being out of control of their sexual instincts and unworthy of respect.
Improving Regional-Model Estimates of Urban-Runoff Quality Using Local Data

ABSTRACT: Urban water-quality managers need load estimates of storm-runoff pollutants to design effective remedial programs. Estimates are commonly made using published models calibrated to large regions of the country. This paper presents statistical methods, termed model-adjustment procedures (MAPs), which use a combination of local data and published regional models to improve estimates of urban-runoff quality. Each MAP is a form of regression analysis that uses a local data base as a calibration data set to adjust the regional model, in effect increasing the size of the local data base without additional, expensive data collection. The adjusted regional model can then be used to estimate storm-runoff quality at unmonitored sites and storms in the locality. The four MAPs presented in this study are (1) single-factor regression against the regional model prediction, Pu; (2) least-squares regression against Pu; (3) least-squares regression against Pu and additional local variables; and (4) weighted combination of Pu and a local-regression prediction. Identification of the statistically most valid method among these four depends upon characteristics of the local data base. A MAP-selection scheme based on statistical analysis of the calibration data set is presented and tested.
The Missing Link: Peer Conferencing in Civics Education.

This article describes a method—Collaborative Civics Conference Protocol (3CP)—that teachers can use with any civics education program to engage students in meaningful collaborative assessment of each others’ thinking and writing and to make connections between civics activities and essential social studies content. Borrowing from the Writer's Workshop model and Seidel et al.'s (1997) peer conference protocol, 3CP provides teachers with a procedure to guide their students through substantive conversations about the process of civic engagement, as well as how their projects connect to the big ideas in history, geography, economics, and civics content. Similar to writer's workshop, 3CP compels students to take responsibility for their own learning and for contributing to the learning of their classmates. An essential component of the model, peer conferencing engages students as critical friends who share their thinking, planning, and writing who then give, receive, and react to feedback from their classmates.
Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic and Electrical Simulation of HgCdTe Pixel Arrays

We have investigated the combined electromagnetic and electrical response of HgCdTe-based pixel detector arrays with different geometries. We have computed the propagation of the optical signal in the detector structure by solving Maxwell’s curl equations using a finite-difference time-domain approach. From the field distribution inside the device, we have evaluated the optical carrier generation rate. Using this information in a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model based on a drift–diffusion approach, we have computed the quantum efficiency and photoresponse of a number of pixel geometries. Specifically, we have analyzed the response of both mesa-type and planar detector arrays with and without CdZnTe substrate. Furthermore, the electromagnetic response has also been evaluated for different metal contact dimensions and configurations. It is found that, for mesa-type arrays without the substrate, significant reflection effects take place in the device that lead to resonance peaks in the photoresponse.
Density functional theory study of vibrational spectra, 6: assignment of fundamental vibrational frequencies of benzene isomers: Dewar benzene, benzvalene, trimethylenecyclopropane, prismane, and 3,4-dimethylenecyclobutene

Abstract The molecular structures and vibrational spectra of Dewar benzene, benzvalene, trimethylenecyclopropane, prismane and 3,4-dimethylenecyclobutene have been investigated by density functional theory using Becke's exchange with Lee—Yang—Parr's correlation functionals and the 6–31G∗ basis set. Both the calculated structural parameters and vibrational frequencies are in good agreement with available experimental data. On the basis of the agreement between the calculated and experimental results, assignments of fundamental vibrational frequencies of Dewar benzene, benzvalene, and trimethylenecyclopropane were examined and some reassignments are proposed. The calculations also predict prominent IR and Raman spectral features of prismane and 3,4-dimethylenecyclobutene, which can assist experimental identification of these compounds and the assignment of observed spectral features when they are available.
Can Utility-Weighted Health-Related Quality-of-Life Estimates Capture Health Effects of Quality Improvement for Depression?

Background.Utility methods that are responsive to changes in desirable outcomes are needed for cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses and to help in decisions about resource allocation.Objectives.Evaluated is the responsiveness of different methods that assign utility weights to subsets of SF-36 items to
IODINE METABOLISM IN THYROIDECTOMIZED FROG LARVAE.

Abstract Thyroidectomized larvae were exposed to solutions of I131-sodium iodide and diiodotyrosine (DIT), and various tissues were hydrolyzed enzymatically, chromatographed in three different solvent systems, and examined with a radiochromatogram scanner. The results indicated that there is no extrathyroidal synthesis of thyroxine in the larvae. Saline solutions of diiodotyrosine (0.2%, 0.25%), which had been solubilized by addition of NaOH, induced shortening of tail tips cultured in vitro. It is likely that traces of thyroxine were formed chemically in vitro and that this accounts for the metamorphic activity of these concentrated diiodotyrosine solutions. Metamorphic responses of thyroidectomized larvae were obtained by immersion in 0.05% diiodotyrosine in tap water (pH 7.0) without adjustment of the pH. The injection of thyrotropin into the larvae during the week following thyroidectomy did not promote regeneration of the thyroid gland nor subsequent metamorphic activity.
Tetanic stimulation and cyclic adenosine monophosphate regulate segregation of presynaptic inputs on a common postsynaptic target neuron in vitro

SUMMARY Previous studies indicated that Aplysia sensory neurons (SNs) compete when reestablishing synapses with a motor cell target (L7) in vitro. The competition is characterized by a cell number-dependent decrease in the efficacy of each connection, an increase in the elimination of SN varicosities, a reduction in the formation of new SN varicosities, and the segregation of varicosities of each SN to restricted portions of the target axons. The changes do not require spike activity, since both the SNs and L7 do not fire spontaneously. Here, we examined whether adding activity to SNs during the early stages of synapse formation with stimuli known to evoke facilitatory responses in stable SN-L7 connections-tetanic stimulation or increase in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (CAMP)-would modulate the intrinsic segregatory process. Tetanic stimulation to one SN increased synapse efficacy and the number of varicosities of the stimulated SNs while reducing the functional changes by the nonstimulated SNs in the same cultures. An increase in the stability of preexisting varicosities contributed to the overall increase in varicosities evoked by tetanus. The functional changes evoked by tetanus were not expressed when the same tetanic stimulation was also given to the other SN, or when L7 was hyperpolarized during the tetanus to the SN. Raising CAMP levels in one SN increased synapse efficacy and the rate of new varicosity formation by the injected SNs without affecting the development of the connections formed by the noninjected SNs. These results suggest that different forms of presynaptic and postsynaptic activities in neurons can regulate specific aspects of the competitive process associated with the fine-tuning of connections formed by converging presynaptic inputs. 0 1996 John
Growth in the Concurrent Use of Antipsychotics With Other Psychotropic Medications in Medicaid-Enrolled Children

Objective Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have increasingly been prescribed to Medicaid-enrolled children; however, there is limited understanding of the frequency of concurrent SGA prescribing with other psychotropic medications. This study describes the epidemiology of concurrent SGA use with 4 psychotropic classes (stimulants, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and α-agonists) among a national sample of Medicaid-enrolled children and adolescents 6 to 18 years old between 2004 and 2008. Method Repeated cross-sectional design was used, with national Medicaid Analytic eXtract data (10.6 million children annually). Logit and Poisson regression, standardized for year, demographics, and Medicaid eligibility group, estimated the probability and duration of concurrent SGA use with each medication class over time and examined concurrent SGAs in relation to clinical and demographic characteristics. Results While SGA use overall increased by 22%, 85% of such use occurred concurrently. By 2008, the probability of concurrent SGA use ranged from 0.22 for stimulant users to 0.52 for mood stabilizer users. Concurrent SGA use occurred for long durations (69%–89% of annual medication days). Although the highest users of concurrent SGA were participants in foster care and disability Medicaid programs or those with behavioral hospitalizations, the most significant increases over time occurred among participants who were income-eligible for Medicaid (+13%), without comorbid ADHD (+15%), were not hospitalized (+13%), and did not have comorbid intellectual disability (+45%). Conclusion Concurrent SGA use with other psychotropic classes increased over time, and the duration of concurrent therapy was consistently long term. Concurrent SGA regimens will require further research to determine efficacy and potential drug–drug interactions, given a practice trend toward more complex regimens in less-impaired children/adolescents.
Are Politicians Office or Policy Motivated? The Case of U.S. Governors' Environmental Policies

Abstract Are elected politicians primarily motivated by holding office, thus choosing environmental policies accordingly? Or are they motivated by the chance to implement their preferred environmental policies? Do governors have character, in the sense that they promise and implement environmental policies consistent with their own preferences? To answer these questions, we study the differences in environmental spending across both re-electable and lame duck governors from the two main political parties. In our empirical analysis, we make use of parametric and non-parametric regression-discontinuity approaches. While re-electable governors do not set significantly different policies, lame duck governors do. We argue that in the area of environmental policy governors appear to be primarily office motivated and lack character.
NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OVULE FORMATION IN EXCISED PISTILS OF NIGELLA

The nutritional requirements for ovule formation in Nigella sativa L. were investigated by growing excised pistils on defined media. Pistils grown on a medium containing the minerals of Murashige and Skoog produced significantly more ovules than on a medium containing the minerals of Bilderback. When the nitrogen, sulfate, and phosphate of the Bilderback medium were adjusted to levels comparable to those of the Murashige and Skoog medium, a similar number of ovules was formed. The effect of different forms and concentrations of nitrogen on ovule formation and pistil growth was investigated. High concentrations of nitrate (40 mM) favored pistil growth and ovule formation, but comparable levels of ammonium were toxic. When ammonium at concentrations above 10 mM was added to nitrate media, ovule formation was inhibited. A medium containing low concentrations of ammonium (10 mM) and nitrate (5 mM) supported more ovule formation and pistil growth in young pistils than a low-nitrate (5 mM) medium without ammonium. However, ovule formation on a medium containing 10 mM ammonium and 5 mm nitrate was significantly less than on a medium containing only 15 mM nitrate. Low concentrations of organic nitrogen in the form of a-alanine (1 mM) and ,y-aminobutyric acid (5 mM) supported ovule formation and pistil growth similar to a high
Image browsing in slow medical liquid crystal displays.

Rationale and Objectives Statistics show that radiologists are reading more studies than ever before, creating the challenge of interpreting an increasing number of images without compromising diagnostic performance. Stack-mode image display has the potential to allow radiologists to browse large three-dimensional (3D) datasets at refresh rates as high as 30 images/second. In this framework, the slow temporal response of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) can compromise the image quality when the images are browsed in a fast sequence. Materials and Methods In this article, we report on the effect of the LCD response time at different image browsing speeds based on the performance of a contrast-sensitive channelized-hoteling observer. A stack of simulated 3D clustered lumpy background images with a designer nodule to be detected is used. The effect of different browsing speeds is calculated with LCD temporal response measurements from our previous work. The image set is then analyzed by the model observer, which has been shown to predict human detection performance in Gaussian and non-Gaussian lumpy backgrounds. This methodology allows us to quantify the effect of slow temporal response of medical liquid crystal displays on the performance of the anthropomorphic observers. Results We find that the slow temporal response of the display device greatly affects lesion contrast and observer performance. A detectability decrease of more than 40% could be caused by the slow response of the display. Conclusions After validation with human observers, this methodology can be applied to more realistic background data with the goal of providing recommendations for the browsing speed of large volumetric image datasets (from computed tomography, magnetic resonance, or tomosynthesis) when read in stack-mode.
Using Stepanov's method for exponential sums involving rational functions

Abstract For any additive character ψ and multiplicative character χ on a finite field F q , and rational functions f , g in F q ( x ) , we show that the elementary Stepanov–Schmidt method can be used to obtain the corresponding Weil bound for the sum ∑ x ∈ F q ⧹ S χ ( g ( x ) ) ψ ( f ( x ) ) where S is the set of the poles of f and g . We also determine precisely the number of characteristic values ω i of modulus q 1 / 2 and the number of modulus 1.
A two stage procedure for selecting δ∗-optimal means in the normal model

Suppose π1,…,πk are k normal populations with πi having unknown mean μi and unknown variance σ2. The population πi will be called δ∗-optimal (or good) if μi is within a specified amountδ∗ of the largest mean. A two stage procedure is proposed which selects a subset of the k populations and guarantees with probability at least P∗ that the selected subset contains only δ∗-optimal πi ’s. In addition to screening out non-good populations the rule guarantees a high proportion of sufficiently good πi’S will be selected.
Microarray analysis of cytokine activation of apoptosis pathways in the thyroid.

It has been suggested that Fas-mediated apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Our previous studies have demonstrated that normal primary thyroid epithelial cells are resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis, but the resistance can be overcome by pretreatment with a combination of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and IL-1β. To understand the molecular mechanism responsible for the IFN-γ/IL-1β effects, we profiled changes in the transcription induced by these two cytokines in normal human thyroid cells, using cDNA microarrays. We found that IFN-γ/IL-1β showed a significant increase in apoptosis-related genes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), receptor-interacting protein 2 (RIP2), and caspases 10. These increases were confirmed by other methods, including real-time PCR and Western blot. Furthermore, the sensitization of primary thyroid epithelial cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis by IFN-γ/IL-1β was significantly blocked by a general caspase inhibitor, z-VAD, or by t...
Application of Mechanistic Chemical Kinetics to Thermoset Composites Processing

Mechanistic chentical kinetics for diaminodiphenyl sulfone-cured tetra glycidyl 4,4' diaminodiphenyl methane epoxy resins have been incorporated into a composite cure model. The results are in reasonable agreement with expermental data for carbonlepoxy composite laminates from the literature. The mechanistic model is shown to be more flexible than a widely used empirical rate law, because modern formulation changes can be accommodated without re-characterizing the resin. Furthermore, the mechanistic model estimates the relative amounts of chemical linkages formed during the cure reactions. These data offer insight into the physical and chemical properties of the resin. The effects of formulation and cure cycle changes on the temperature distributions and linkage ratios are investigated through the cure model.
Fabrication and Characteristics of Radial Position Sensitive Detectors

The paper discusses the fabrication and performance of radial position sensitive detectors, These detectors are made on n-type annular silicon wafers using boron implantation to form the resistive layer for charge division and for the junction. Aluminum is evaporated on the opposite side for the back contact. The detectors so obtained have typical position resolution of 0.6 mm and integral nonlinearity of better than 0.1% for 7 mm <radius <20 mm.
Creating value through the supply chain as an organisation brand

Understanding and management of a company's ‘moments of truth’ is the heartland of future, added-value brand management. Maintaining a company's licence to operate, and delivering on today's real business imperative should be part of its strategy. The business imperative is customer loyalty, however it is defined, and absolutely everyone in an organisation has a role and responsibility to achieve it. Up to 75 per cent of a company's stock price is directly or indirectly influenced by its reputation and image and a new concept of Unique Organisation Value Proposition™ (UOVP) offers a tool that, along with a moment-of-truth management process, can provide real customer added-value and corporate differentiation.
Post-approval translational research itself has diverse ethics.

Ethical oversight has become an important component of translational research. Novel therapies, derived by basic research (bench to bedside translational research) present a special set of risks in...
Energy and Macronutrient Intake of Type 2 Diabetics Participating in a Clinical Trial of Pharmacologic Induction of Weight Loss

Abstract Forty-four overweight subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial of pharmacologic induction of weight loss. All subjects received intensive nutrition counseling, an exercise prescription, instruction on behavioral management, and were randomly assigned to fenfluramine 20mg three times daily and phentermine 37.5mg daily (n=23) or dual placebos (n=21). Drug therapy continued until September 1997 when fenfluramine was withdrawn from the US market. Dietary intake was assessed by administration of a food frequency questionnaire (Block 95) at baseline, 2, 6, and 12 months. Mean ± SEM baseline data for the placebo group and the active drug group, respectively, were: Weight (kg) 106 ± 4, 108 ± 4; kilocalories 2991 ± 445, 3053 ± 482; carbohydrate (%) 36.9 ± 1.5, 40.2 ± 2.5; protein (%) 15.8 ± 1.9, 14.8 ± 1.1; fat (%) 47.8 ± 2.6, 44.7 ± 2.5. Changes from baseline (* placebo vs. active, p * −491±1833.1±1.31.0±0.8−4.2±1.56 MonthsPlacebo (n=13)−2.7±1.4−636±2415.2±1.70.6±0.8−6.2±1.6Active (n=13)−9.6±1.5 * −284±2774.6±2.8−0.3±0.7−4.5±2.612 MonthsPlacebo (n=8)−2.5±2.5−670±3104.2±2.1−0.1±1.4−4.8±2.0Active (n=8)−8.1±1.6−605±277−3.4±5.14.5±3.3−4.6±4.5 Body weight was reduced at all time points for both groups, but was significantly reduced in the drug treatment groups at 2 and 6 months. Although a reduction in reported total energy intake was observed in both groups, no significant difference was detectable between groups. The reported change in intake was accounted for primarily by a reduction in fat intake.
Towards a Practical Survivable Intrusion Tolerant Replication System

The increasing number of cyber attacks against critical infrastructures, which typically require large state and long system lifetimes, necessitates the design of systems that are able to work correctly even if part of them is compromised. We present the first practical survivable intrusion tolerant replication system, which defends across space and time using compiler-based diversity and proactive recovery, respectively. Our system supports large-state applications, and utilizes the Prime BFT protocol (providing performance guarantees under attack) with a compiler-based diversification engine. We devise a novel theoretical model that computes how resilient the system is over its lifetime based on the rejuvenation rate and the number of replicas. This model shows that we can achieve a confidence in the system of 95% over 30 years even when we transfer a state of 1 terabyte after each rejuvenation.
The Political Incorporation of Cuban Americans: Why Won't Little Havana Turn Blue?

This article examines the political implications of the changing demographics of the Cuban American community. Over the past decade, pundits have predicted a massive shift in Cuban American voting ...
Whole mantle discontinuity structure beneath Hawaii

[1] We examined mantle structure beneath the southeast Hawaiian Islands using multiple ScS reverberations from four earthquakes from the island of Hawaii and recorded at station KIP on the island of Oahu. We find an unusually deep 410-km discontinuity and a transition zone thickness of 227 km, corresponding to a temperature increase of 87 K above the global average. Other reflectors include a lid-low-velocity zone boundary, a weak 520-km discontinuity, and smaller discontinuities at 224 km, 288 km, and 1000 km. Whole mantle travel time is near the global average, which we attribute to an inclined or branching plume, lowermost mantle anisotropy, and estimate bias due to a possible ultra-low velocity zone atop the core.
Cucurbitane Glycosides from Siraitia grosvenorii

Systematic phytochemical studies of the extract of Luo Han Go (Siraitia grosvenorii) furnished six known cucurbitane glycosides, namely, mogrosides IVa, mogrosides V and VI, isomogroside V, 11-oxomogroside V, and siamenoside I. The structures of all the isolated compounds were characterized on the basis of extensive spectral and chemical studies. Though the partial NMR spectral data has been reported for some of the isolated compounds previously, the complete 1H and 13C NMR spectral assignments of all the isolated compounds are reported herewith for the first time based on COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY spectroscopic data.
Natural History of Congenital Complete Atrioventricular Block

An update of studies on the natural history of congenital complete AV block is presented. A risk for heart failure, syncope, and sudden death is present at any age including fetal life. Unfavorable prognostic signs in utero are low and decreasing ventricular rate (VR), hydrops, AV valve regurgitation, and low aortic flow velocity. Indications for pacing in infancy are congestive heart failure, ventricular rate < 55 beats/min in isolated block and < 65 beats/min with associated disease, prolonged OTc, syncope attacks, frequent ventricular ectopic beats, and alternating ventricular pacemakers. Indications for immediate pacing in childhood and adult life are syncope, presyncope, VR rates lower than median for age, periods of junctional exit block, prolongation of QTc and mitral regurgitation, and change of ventricular pacemaker. Pacing is recommended to all patients older than 15 years.
Identification of a Novel SCAN Box-related Protein That Interacts with MZF1B THE LEUCINE-RICH SCAN BOX MEDIATES HETERO- AND HOMOPROTEIN ASSOCIATIONS

Abstract The SCAN box orleucine-rich (LeR) domain is a conserved motif found within a subfamily of C2H2 zinc finger proteins. The function of a SCAN box is unknown, but it is predicted to form α-helices that may be involved in protein-protein interactions. Myeloid zinc finger gene-1B (MZF1B) is an alternatively spliced human cDNA isoform of the zinc finger transcription factor, MZF1. MZF1 and MZF1B contain 13 C2H2 zinc finger motifs, but only MZF1B contains an amino-terminal SCAN box. A bone marrow cDNA library was screened for proteins interacting with the MZF1B SCAN box domain and RAZ1 (SCAN-related protein associated with MZF1B) was identified. RAZ1 is a novel cDNA that encodes a SCAN-related domain and arginine-rich region but no zinc finger motifs. Co-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that the SCAN box domain of MZF1B is necessary for association with RAZ1. By yeast two-hybrid analysis, the carboxyl terminus of RAZ1 is sufficient for interaction with the MZF1B SCAN box. Furthermore, MZF1B and RAZ1 each self-associate in vitro via a SCAN box-dependent mechanism. These data provide evidence that the SCAN box is a protein interaction domain that mediates both hetero- and homoprotein associations.
Denoising by BV-duality

In this paper we apply Meyer's G-norm for image processing problems. We use a definition of the G-norm as norm of linear functionals on BV, which seems to be more feasible for numerical computation. We establish the equivalence between Meyer's original definition and ours and show that computing the norm can be expressed as an interface problem. This allows us to define an algorithm based on the level set method for its solution. Alternatively we propose a fixed point method based on mean curvature type equations. A computation of the G-norm according to our definition additionally gives functions which can be used for denoising of simple structures in images under a high level of noise. We present some numerical computations of this denoising method which support this claim.
On-shell recursion relations for gravity

We extend the argument presented by Benincasa, Boucher-Veronneau, and Cachazo to show that graviton tree amplitudes are well behaved under large complex deformations of the momenta of a pair of like-helicity gravitons. This shows that Britto-Cachazo-Feng-Witten recursion relations for gravity amplitudes can be constructed using such shifts, providing an alternative proof to the recent one by Arkani-Hamed and Kaplan. By using auxiliary recursion relations the cancellations which are hidden when using covariant Feynman diagrams become manifest.
Radial flow hepatocyte bioreactor using stacked microfabricated grooved substrates

Bioartificial liver (BAL) devices with fully functioning hepatocytes have the potential to provide temporary hepatic support for patients with liver failure. The goal of this study was to optimize the flow environment for the cultured hepatocytes in a stacked substrate, radial flow bioreactor. Photolithographic techniques were used to microfabricate concentric grooves onto the underlying glass substrates. The microgrooves served to protect the seeded hepatocytes from the high shear stresses caused by the volumetric flow rates necessary for adequate convective oxygen delivery. Finite element analysis was used to analyze the shear stresses and oxygen concentrations in the bioreactor. By employing high volumetric flow rates, sufficient oxygen supply to the hepatocytes was possible without an integrated oxygen permeable membrane. To implement this concept, 18 microgrooved glass substrates, seeded with rat hepatocytes cocultured with 3T3-J2 fibroblasts, were stacked in the bioreactor, creating a channel height of 100 microm between each substrate. In this bioreactor configuration, liver-specific functions (i.e., albumin and urea synthesis rates) of the hepatocytes remained stable over 5 days of perfusion, and were significantly increased compared to those in the radial flow bioreactor with stacked substrates without microgrooves. This study suggests that this radial flow bioreactor with stacked microgrooved substrates is scalable and may have potential as a BAL device in the treatment of liver failure.
Ophthalmologic Complications of Systemic Disease

The human eye, as an organ, can offer critical clues to the presence of systemic disease. This article discusses the various ophthalmologic manifestations of systemic disease that can be evident on examination by an emergency department provider, as well as some findings that can be discerned with specialty consultation. The following topics are reviewed with respect to potential ocular signs and complications: syphilis, herpes zoster, Lyme disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Reiter's syndrome, Kawasaki's disease, temporal arteritis, endocarditis, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Indications for emergent ophthalmologic consultation are also emphasized.
Estrogen-dependent expression of the chicken very low density apolipoprotein II gene in serum-free cultures of LMH cells.

The estrogen-responsive Leghorn strain M chicken hepatoma (LMH) cell line provides a model system for studying the estrogen-dependent, liver-specific expression of avian genes. Serum-free culture conditions have been established that allow expression of apolipoprotein B, very low density apolipoprotein II (apoVLDLII), serum albumin, and transferrin at levels detectable by Northern blot analysis. Regulation of apoVLDLII mRNA by estrogen occurred in an appropriate time-and dose-dependent manner in serum-free cultures of the LMH cells. The expression of apoVLDLII mRNA in serum-free culture was at least 100-fold higher than that expressed in cultures containing 10% serum. The level of estrogen receptors in LMH cells cultured with 10% serum was approximately 2000 receptors per cell, and in serum-free culture approximately 1000 receptors per cell. When these cells were transfected with estrogen receptor DNA and cultured in serum-free medium, apoVLDLII mRNA was decreased relative to that expressed in cells transfected with a control plasmid. These results indicate that when the LMH cells are cultured without serum, estrogen receptors are not the limiting factor for the expression of the apoVLDLII gene.
Managerial Discretion and the Contingent Valuation of Corporate Securities

Modigliani and Miller argued that one must consider an entire firm as a primary asset and the stock and bonds it issues only derivatives on that asset. This line of reasoning leads to valuation of corporate securities as contingent claims, with the equity holders9 option to declare bankruptcy and default on the debt providing an importance source of value to the shareholders. However, empirical evidence typically finds that stock prices are higher than the contingent valuation model would suggest. Garbade argues that management has a great variety of strategic options that it may exercise on behalf of the shareholders, and such studies do not fully take them into account. Valuing these options precisely may well be beyond our capabilities, although they can be easily seen in specific examples. Such “strategic options” can help to explain why some callable bonds are called “early” or “late,” and how management may use dividend payouts to transfer value from bondholders to equity holders. A general principle that emerges is that strategic options are exercisable for the benefit of the stockholders, so that failing to fully take account of them will cause contingent valuation models to underprice a firm9s stock and overprice its bonds.
Studies of nanosecond pulse surface ionization wave discharges over solid and liquid dielectric surfaces

Surface ionization wave discharges generated by high-voltage nanosecond pulses, propagating over a planar quartz surface and over liquid surfaces (distilled water and 1-butanol) have been studied in a rectangular cross section test cell. The discharge was initiated using a custom-made, alternating polarity, high-voltage nanosecond pulse plasma generator, operated at a pulse repetition rate of 100?500?Hz, with a pulse peak voltage and current of 10?15?kV and 7?20?A, respectively, a pulse FWHM of ?100?ns, and a coupled pulse energy of 2?9?mJ/pulse. Wave speed was measured using a capacitive probe. ICCD camera images demonstrated that the ionization wave propagated predominantly over the quartz wall or over the liquid surface adjacent to the grounded waveguide placed along the bottom wall of the test cell. Under all experimental conditions tested, the surface plasma ?sheet? was diffuse and fairly uniform, both for positive and negative polarities. The parameters of ionization wave discharge propagating over distilled water and 1-butanol surfaces were close to those of the discharge over a quartz wall. No perturbation of the liquid surface by the discharge was detected. In most cases, the positive polarity surface ionization wave propagated at a higher speed and over a longer distance compared to the negative polarity wave. For all three sets of experiments (surface ionization wave discharge over quartz, water and 1-butanol), wave speed and travel distance decreased with pressure. Diffuse, highly reproducible surface ionization wave discharge was also observed over the liquid butanol?saturated butanol vapor interface, as well as over the distilled water?saturated water vapor interface, without buffer gas flow. No significant difference was detected between surface ionization discharges sustained using single-polarity (positive or negative), or alternating polarity high-voltage pulses. Plasma emission images yielded preliminary evidence of charge removal from the liquid surface between the pulses on a microsecond time scale. Products of the plasma chemical reaction that accumulated in the ionization wave discharge over the liquid butanol?saturated butanol vapor interface were detected ex situ, using FTIR absorption spectroscopy. Reaction products identified include CO, alkanes (CH4,C2H6, C3H8), alkynes (C2H2), aldehydes (CH2O) and lighter alcohols (CH3OH).