cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Narrative Review of Clinical Decision Support for Inpatient Clinical Pharmacists

Objective Increasingly, pharmacists provide team-based care that impacts patient care; however, the extent of recent clinical decision support (CDS), targeted to support the evolving roles of pharmacists, is unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the literature to understand the impact of clinical pharmacists using CDS. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central for randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized trials, and quasi-experimental studies which evaluated CDS tools that were developed for inpatient pharmacists as a target user. The primary outcome of our analysis was the impact of CDS on patient safety, quality use of medication, and quality of care. Outcomes were scored as positive, negative, or neutral. The secondary outcome was the proportion of CDS developed for tasks other than medication order verification. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results Of 4,365 potentially relevant articles, 15 were included. Five studies were randomized controlled trials. All included studies were rated as good quality. Of the studies evaluating inpatient pharmacists using a CDS tool, four showed significantly improved quality use of medications, four showed significantly improved patient safety, and three showed significantly improved quality of care. Six studies (40%) supported expanded roles of clinical pharmacists. Conclusion These results suggest that CDS can support clinical inpatient pharmacists in preventing medication errors and optimizing pharmacotherapy. Moreover, an increasing number of CDS tools have been developed for pharmacists' roles outside of order verification, whereby further supporting and establishing pharmacists as leaders in safe and effective pharmacotherapy.
Decide + Be Ready: A Contraceptive Decision-Making Mobile Application for Servicewomen.

Women in the military have a high rate of unintended pregnancies, which is an issue both personally and with respect to the warfighting mission. One strategy to help servicewomen achieve family planning goals includes increasing education about and access to contraception. Research suggests that preference-sensitive decisions about contraceptives benefit from shared decision-making, and decision aids have been shown to facilitate this patient-centered approach. In this article, we describe the process by which we enhanced an existing evidence-based tool to meet the needs of military servicewomen and created Decide + Be Ready, a contraceptive decision-making mobile application. After extensive research into challenges faced by servicewomen with respect to contraceptive knowledge and access, we developed content for the decision aid and determined that a mobile app format would provide the privacy and convenience needed. Our team developed a prototype that, in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency Connected Health Branch, was tested with servicewomen and providers. User feedback shaped the final version, which can be accessed free from the App Store and Google Play. Early implementation has demonstrated patient and provider satisfaction. Obstacles to full implementation of Decide + Be Ready remain within the Military Health System. We lay out a roadmap for dissemination, implementation, and evaluation and explore the applications of the decision aid for health professions education in the realm of shared decision-making. Finally, we recommend consideration of decision aids for other health care decisions as a way to achieve patient-centered care, improve health outcomes, and potentially reduce costs.
Local Controllability of 2D and 3D Swimmers: The Case of Non-stationary Stokes Equations

In this chapter we will discuss local controllability (or steering) properties of swimmers in a fluid described by the non-stationary Stokes equations, with focus on the 2D case. Our approach is based on the finite-dimensional (in RK, K = 2, 3) Inverse Function Theorem and makes use of implicit (generalized) Fourier series representation for solutions to these linear fluid equations. In Chap. 8 we will generalize this approach to the nonlinear Navier–Stokes equations, while avoiding the aforementioned series representations.
Finite Element Output Bounds for Parabolic Equations: Application to Heat Conduction Problems

We present a Neumann-subproblem a posteriori finite element procedure for the efficient calculation of rigorous, constant-free, sharp lower and upper estimators for linear functional outputs of parabolic equations discretized by a discontinuous Galerkin method in time. We first formulate the bound procedure; we then provide illustrative numerical examples for problems of unsteady heat conduction.
The Performance Advantages of Electronic Control Diesel Engine for Passenger Cars

The diesel engine with an electronic control system which has been used in production passenger cars in Isuzu shows great advantages such as fuel economy, idle noise, cold startability and output performance by the help of the new commet V combustion chamber design. The new combustion chamber which differs in shape and throat area from the conventional commet V has been developed to be well matched to the electronic control system. The passenger car equipped with the electronic control diesel engine mentioned above provides the following four additional advantages: (1) Good acceleration response; (2) Idle speed control which is affected by engine coolant temperature, on-off of the air conditioning compressor and battery voltage; (3) Cruise control; and (4) Self-diagnostic system.
Participatory Governance?" Gender and Participation in Peru&#8217;s Local Institutions

Are participatory budgets truly “participatory”? If not, what does this mean for participatory governance projects meant to engage those citizens that have been left behind by corrupt or inefficient representative political institutions? This paper begins to analyze these issues by exploring gender and participatory budgeting in Peru.
A Priori Assertions Versus Empirical Inquiry: A Reply to Kleck

We begin by restating our principal finding. We found evidence that in the year after the AW-LCM ban was enacted, gun homicides declined 6.7% more than would have been expected based on preexisting trends. However, a number of factors made the interpretation of this finding problematic: (1) we could not make a reliable assessment of the statistical significance of the decline because of the short postban follow-up period and the relatively small effects (if any) likely to result from the ban; (2) the observed effect was larger than that which one would have expected from the ban, suggest ing that other factors played a role in the decline; and (3) national and local analyses of victims per gun murder incident and wounds per gunshot victim did not provide confirming evidence of an AW-LCM ban effect. Based on these ambiguous findings, we concluded by stating that "the ban has not produced a clear impact on gun violence, based on data available less than
Test method development for structural characterization of fiber composites at high temperatures

Test methods used for structural characterization of polymer matrix composites can be applied to glass and ceramic matrix composites only at low temperatures. New test methods are required for tensile, compressive, and shear properties of fiber composites at high temperatures. A tensile test which should be useful to at least 1000 C has been developed and used to characterize the properties of a Nicalon/glass composite up to the matrix limiting temperature of 600 C. Longitudinal and transverse unidirectional composite data are presented and discussed.
Executive Stock Option Exercises: Good Timing or Backdating?

Using a large sample of executive stock option exercises by the CEOs of U.S. firms during 1997-2005, I identify three popular exercise mechanisms with different backdating incentives. A cash exercise offers an incentive to exercise at a lower stock price, a stock exercise offers an incentive to exercise at a higher stock price, and a cashless exercise offers little opportunity for backdating. Given the different directions of incentive effects, it becomes critical to separate the three types of option exercises. Empirical results show that for cash exercises the average abnormal stock return is significantly negative before the reported exercise date and significantly positive afterwards. In contrast, stock exercises have the opposite stock return pattern. The market return follows similar but weaker patterns. I estimate that prior to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) around one out of eight cash exercises and one out of twenty stock exercises were backdated or otherwise manipulated. Finally, all return patterns become weaker after SOX shortens the reporting period.
Microfluidic assessment of functional culture-derived platelets in human thrombi under flow.

Despite their clinical significance, human platelets are not amenable to genetic manipulation, thus forcing a reliance on mouse models. Culture-derived platelets (CDPs) from human peripheral blood CD34 + cells can be genetically altered and may eventually be used for transfusions. By use of microfluidics, the time-dependent incorporation of CD41 + CD42 + CDPs into clots was measured using only 54,000 CDPs doped into 27 μL of human whole blood perfused over collagen at a wall shear rate of 100 sec −1 . With the use of fluorescence-labeled human platelets (instead of CDPs) doped between 0.25% and 2% of total platelets, incorporation was highly quantitative and allowed monitoring of the anti-αIIbβ3 antagonism that occurred after collagen adhesion. CDPs were only 15% as efficient as human platelets in their incorporation into human thrombi under flow, although both cell types were equally antagonized by α IIb β 3 inhibition. Transient transfection allowed the monitoring of GFP + human CDP incorporation into clots. This assay quantifies genetically altered CDP function under flow.
Making tech more inclusive: an interview with Ashe Dryden

Exposing the driving causes behind the lack of diversity in our communities, and how to use your privilege for good.
SPICES AND HERBS: THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND ITS DETERMINATION

Throughout the years numerous investigations concerning the inhibition of microorganisms by spices, herbs, their extracts, essential oils and various constituents have been reported. Many of these materials possess significant antimicrobial activity, which in many cases is due primarily to a particular constituent. Interpretation and comparison of results of various studies is complicated by variations in the methodology used for the determination of antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity varies depending on the microorganism, the spice or herb and the test medium. These and other factors are examined in the light of their effect on the outcome of the test method.
Interregional Wage Disparities, Relocation Costs, and Labor Mobility in Canada

This paper evaluates possible reasons why interregional wage differences might persist over long periods of time, such as a century or more. A general equilibrium model of interacting regions is developed which can consider explanations including interregional differences in production costs, changes in relocation (migration) costs, and differences in interregional transfer payments. Implications from the model are tested using panel microdata from the Canadian Labour Market Activity Surveys of 1989 and 1990. Key findings are that younger, better educated, native English-speaking workers, who presumably have better information and lower mobility costs, appear to have the smallest interregional wage differences. Thus, because the extent of spatial wage dispersion varies across workers with different characteristics, changes in the pattern of spatial wage disparities over time may be in part a demographic phenomenon.
ELIMINATING FLOW INDUCED BIREFRINGENCE AND MINIMIZING THERMALLY INDUCED RESIDUAL STRESSES IN INJECTION MOLDED PARTS

Eliminating flow-induced birefringence and stresses and reducing thermally induced stresses in the injection molded parts have been studied using rapid thermal response (RTR) molding technique. In the RTR molding, mold surface temperature can be rapidly raised above T g in the filling stage, while the normal injection molding cycle time is still maintained. Therefore, the melt can fill the cavity at temperatures above T g, which enables the flow-induced stresses to relax completely in a short time after filling and before vitrification. Residual stresses and birefringence in a RTR molded strip specimen are compared with the conventional molded parts by applying layer removal method and retardation measurement. For the material (Monsanto® Lustrex Polystyrene) and process conditions chosen, the birefringence level decreased as the RTR temperature approached and exceeded the glass transition temperature until it almost disappeared at a RTR temperature of 180°C. Reduction of magnitude and shift of peak locati...
Bone marrow determination of complement dependent and complement independent cellular cytotoxicity

Abstract Adoptive transfer of both bone marrow and thymus cells is needed in lethally irradiated syngeneic mice to elicit CICC and CDCC responses against SRBC as assayed by the 51 Cr-release cytotoxic test. The contribution of thymocytes to both CDCC and CICC was assessed by limiting dilution assays in BDF 1 and CDF 1 mice. Irradiated mice were reconstituted with a large number of bone marrow cells and graded limiting numbers of thymocytes, and were then immunized with SRBC. The limiting dilution plots conformed to the Poisson Model for both types of responses and both strains of mice. The numbers of thymocytes required for about 63% of the recipient spleens to be positive (i.e., the inoculum sizes containing one detectable antigen reactive unit) were similar for both CDCC and CICC ( 1 1.8 × 10 7 thymocytes) in both strains. Chi-square tests, at the 0.01 level of significance, were incompatible with the hypothesis that CICC and CDCC are independent of each other. Limiting dilutions of bone marrow cells with larger numbers of thymus cells, using CDF 1 mice, showed a non-Poisson curve for both CICC and CDCC. Chi-square values were compatible with the hypothesis of independent assortment of responses, as if the potential of the majority of precursors were restricted to either CICC or CDCC, but not to both. In contrast, BDF 1 mice showed a Poisson curve for CDCC and a non-Poisson curve for CICC. Chi-square values were also compatible with independent assortment of responses.
Upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor by H2O2 in rat heart endothelial cells

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive oxygen species generated by several metabolic pathways in mammalian cells. Endothelial cells are extremely susceptible to oxidative stress. H2O2 has been reported to increase the permeability in these cells. Using rat heart endothelial cell culture as a model system, we examined the effect of H2O2 on the gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent mitogen of endothelial cells and a vascular permeability factor. By Northern blot analysis we found that VEGF mRNA responded to H2O2 in a dose-and time-dependent manner. The induction was superinduced by cycloheximide and blocked by actinomycin D. N-Acetylcysteine, a synthetic antioxidant, was able to suppress the induction. H7, a protein kinase C inhibitor, could also block the induction. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed an enhanced binding of transcription factors, AP-1 and NF-kappaB. Immunoblot analysis showed that the amount of secreted VEGF was elevated in the medium 4 h after H2O2 stimulation. Our results demonstrate that VEGF gene expression is upregulated by H2O2 in these endothelial cells.
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF MELT-SPUN AND SINTERED Fe-Nd-B MAGNETS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

Mesure entre 20 et 350 C. La coercitivite decroit tres rapidement quand la temperature augmente et devient tres faible a des temperatures bien inferieures a la temperature de Curie. Etude de la variation thermique de l'aimantation sous champ en temperatures croissantes et decroissantes
Experimental and numerical studies of pressure drop in PbLi flows in a circular duct under non-uniform transverse magnetic field

Abstract Experiments and three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations are performed to investigate the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) characteristics of liquid metal (LM) flows of molten lead-lithium (PbLi) eutectic alloy in an electrically conducting circular duct subjected to a transverse non-uniform (fringing) magnetic field. An indirect measurement approach for differential pressure in high temperature LM PbLi is first developed, and then detailed data on pressure drop in this PbLi MHD flow are measured. The obtained experimental results for the pressure distribution are in good agreement with numerical simulations. Using the numerical simulation results, the 3D effects caused by fringing magnetic field on the LM flow are illustrated via distributions for the axial pressure gradients and transverse pressure differences. It has been verified that a simple approach for estimation of pressure drop in LM MHD flow in a fringing magnetic field proposed by Miyazaki et al. [22] i.e., a simple integral of pressure gradient along the fringing field zone using a quasi-fully-developed flow assumption, is also applicable to the conditions of the present experiment providing the magnetic interaction parameter is large enough. Furthermore, for two different sections of the LM flow at the entry to and at the exit from the magnet, it is found that the pressure distributions in the duct cross sections in these two regions are different.
Pediatric issues in complex emergencies

Complex emergencies represent the final pathway of disrupted states leading to conflict and war. Victims of complex emergencies are primarily civilians, with children predominating. The decade of the 1990s has led to the professionalization of relief workers and improved standards of care. Pediatric providers have assumed roles as consultants, advocates and practitioners of care, but future requirements call for increased capacity and capability to meet pediatric demands.
Cost‐effective staggered numerical integration of the wave equation

Finite-difference (FD) schemes for the numerical integration of the wave equation are generally designed with one of two criteria: (a) maximize the numerical accuracy order (as in the case of conventional FD operators); (b) minimize the simulation error of some physical feature of wave propagation (e.g. the dispersion relation) within a spectral frequency band (as introduced recently by Hotberg). The analysis of cost-effectiveness for a required error bound of the second schemes has neglected the role played by time discretization in the overall accuracy.
A Pilot Project to Develop Culturally and Linguistically-Appropriate Pesticide/Chemical Education Materials for Hmong Produce Growers

Annalisa Hultberg, MS; Michele Schermann, RN, MS; Palee Yang, RN1Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USAThe purpose of this projec...
Regulation of actin filament length in erythrocytes and striated muscle

Actin filaments polymerize in vitro to lengths which display an exponential distribution, yet in many highly differentiated cells they can be precisely maintained at uniform lengths in elaborate supramolecular structures. Recent results obtained using two classic model systems, the erythrocyte membrane cytoskeleton and the striated muscle sarcomere, reveal surprising similarities and instructive differences in the molecules and mechanisms responsible for determining and maintaining actin filament lengths in these two systems. Tropomodulin caps the slow-growing, pointed filament ends in muscle and in erythrocytes. CapZ caps the fast-growing, barbed filament ends in striated muscle, whereas a newly discovered barbed end capping protein, adducin, may cap the barbed filament ends in erythrocytes. The mechanisms responsible for specifying the characteristic filament lengths in these systems are more elusive and may include strict control of the relative amounts of actin filament capping proteins and side-binding proteins, molecular templates (e.g. tropomyosin and nebulin) and/or verniers (e.g. tropomyosin).
Interactive Response of the Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) and Selected Breeds of Beef Cattle

Statistically significant differences were observed in the population density of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.), on different breeds of beef cattle. The European breed Chianina had a population density of horn flies generally less than or equal to 50% than that of the British cattle breeds (Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, and Red Poll) and another European breed (Charolais). Generally, no significant difference existed among numbers of horn flies on Hereford, Polled Hereford, and Red Poll cows in 1988 or among Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, and Red Poll cows in 1989. Factors other than color appeared to be involved in the selective process between the horn fly and its host. Population densities on two white European breeds (Charolais and Chianina) were significantly different on all weekly intervals except for 4 wk in both 1988 and 1989. No significant difference existed among Charolais and British breeds except during 4 wk in 1988 and 3 wk in 1989. When weaning weights of all calves were adjusted for the effects of age to 205 d, sex of calf, and age of dam, the indirect effect of the horn fly on weaning weight showed a significant linear regression. Each 100 flies per cow caused a reduction of 8.1 kg in calf weaning weight. Cows within each breed with low numbers of horn flies weaned significantly heavier calves than cows with higher numbers of horn flies.
A Tele-Assessment System for Evaluating Elbow Spasticity in Patients with Neurological Impairments

A portable tele-assessment system was designed for remote evaluation of the elbow joint with spasticity and contracture in patients with neurological disorders. A master device and a slave device were used to drive a manikin arm and the patient's arm, respectively. The elbow flexion angle and torque were measured at both the master and slave devices, fed back to their counterparts. The examiner moved the manikin arm at selected velocities and haptically felt the resistance from the patient's elbow to evaluate the spasticity in terms of the velocity dependence of the resistance torque and the catch angle. To minimize the effect of network latency in the tasks with fast speed, a quasi real-time tele-operation scheme was developed which provided the examiner with transparent and stable haptic feeling of the patient's elbow. The tele-assessment system provided truthful haptic feeling through the internet and allowed us to evaluate the spasticity in elbows of patients post stroke quantitatively.
Efficiency of optical pumping in layered media.

Abstract In pursuit of a mechanism to produce a population inversion at far ultraviolet or X-ray wavelengths, we have carried out detailed calculations for optical pumping of a target resonance line by radiation in a second, nearly coincident, resonance line belonging to a different species. The latter material, called a converter, is modeled as an optically thick planar slab which is characterized by pure scattering, natural-broadening in the atom's frame, and a uniform source of excitation. The target material exists within the converter slab as a set of thin plane layers equidistant from each other and the slab boundaries. Removal of energy from the target (pump) transition by a lasing transition sharing its upper level is modeled by a large thermal destruction parameter ϵ in the target transition. The two lines are treated as overlapping two-level transitions with full radiative coupling to each other. The efficiency of the target layers in utilizing photons generated in the converter is studied as a function of thickness of the converter slab, number and thickness of the target layers, and the frequency offset between the two overlapping resonance lines.
Morphology and origin of the Fair Oaks Dunes in NW Indiana, USA

Abstract The Fair Oaks Dunes (FOD) of NW Indiana, USA is a large (~ 4500 km2) inland dune field associated with the late Wisconsin deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Meltwaters released by the Michigan, Saginaw, and Huron–Erie lobes transported fluvioglacial sediment through the Kankakee and Tippecanoe Valleys and their tributaries. The texture and composition of the sand in the FOD suggest a Saginaw Lobe origin of sediment with some Huron–Erie Lobe sediment. Sub-mature sand with sub-angular grains and a large feldspar content suggests relatively short distance of transport during two or possibly three dune-building and dune reworking events. We propose a model which explains the development of the dunes in three stages. Dune development began during the Bolling–Allerod (stage 1, ~ 15–13 ka) interval. During this stage anticyclonic easterly and north-easterly winds deflated the sand from outwash deposits and built transverse and barchanoid dunes on the western sides of the Tippecanoe Valley and paleo-channels. Further downwind, on the western and southwestern windward margins of the FOD, loess was deposited. During the early Younger Dryas (stage 2, ~ 12.5 ka) atmospheric circulation changed, and westerly winds reworked the original dunes to create a great variety of parabolic dunes. Simple, hemicyclic and lobate parabolic dunes developed in the western FOD, while further downwind, in the eastern and the southern FOD, more elongated hairpin and windrift dunes developed. On the upwind side of the dune field, loess deposits remained stable and were not remobilized during the second stage dune development. By the early Holocene the FOD dunes were stabilized until their minor remobilization during the Middle Holocene (stage 3). Minor disturbances caused by anthropogenic activities have occurred in last two centuries.
Predicted aerodynamics for a proposed personnel launch vehicle

The Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm has been modified to compute equilibrium flows over shapes at hypersonic velocities. As an initial test of the modified code, solutions were obtained for a paraboloid at Mach 6 wind-tunnel test conditions in CF4 gas and at Mach 16.85 flight conditions in equilibrium air that approximated the normal shock density ratio for the experimental test. Solutions for a lifting-body concept that is proposed for a Personnel Launch System were compared with test results at Mach 6 in CF4 over an angle-of-attack range of 15 to 35 deg and with results for nominal entry flight conditions at Mach 15.
Fungal Transformation of the Tricyclic Antidepressant Amoxapine: Identification of N-Carbomethoxy Compounds Formed as Artifacts by Phosgene in Chloroform used for the Extraction of Metabolites

The biotransformation of the antidepressant drug amoxapine by Cunninghamella elegans formed three metabolites, 7-hydroxyamoxapine, N-formyl-7-hydroxyamoxapine, and N-formylamoxapine; two other compounds were only present when chloroform was used in the extraction process. All five of the compounds were separated by reversed-phase HPLC, then analyzed by 1H NMR and mass spectrometry, and by 13C NMR when sample quantities permitted. The artifacts were identified as N-carbomethoxy-7-hydroxyamoxapine and N-carbomethoxyamoxapine. Phosgene is a decomposition product of chloroform that can form carbomethoxy compounds at the secondary nitrogen of a piperazine ring in an alcoholic solution. Since N-carbomethoxy compounds were not observed when ethyl acetate was used for extraction of the culture medium, they were considered artifacts and not metabolites. These findings suggest that chloroform should be tested for the formation of phosgene before using it to extract any compound with a piperazine ring or any other a...
The Churg Strauss syndrome (allergic granulomatous angiitis) : review and update

Abstract Objectives: Review the clinical and physiopathologic aspects of the Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), including recent data regarding treatment and possible etiologic and triggering factors. Methods: A search of the Medline database was conducted between 1966 and 2002, regarding CSS and related vasculitic conditions. Original articles were reviewed as well as major vasculitis textbooks, which were also examined for original references. Results: CSS has been increasingly recognized during the past few decades, but remains an uncommon disease of unknown cause. The disorder had been traditionally classified as a variant of polyarteritis nodosa until its updated description by Churg and Strauss in 1951. Although it shares various clinical laboratory and pathologic characteristics with polyarteritis nodosa and Wegener granulomatosis, a distinct combination of features makes it a separate entity. The presence of asthma, usually of adult onset, along with other allergic symptoms, peripheral and tissue eosinophilia, and systemic vasculitis should prompt the clinician to consider the diagnosis, seek potential confirmation with a tissue biopsy, and begin therapy to minimize complications and prevent permanent organ damage. The treatment of CSS has been mainly extrapolated from other vasculitides, and the literature addressing drug therapy for this specific syndrome is limited. Conclusions: CSS is a distinct entity that should be recognized and distinguished from other forms of vasculitis to provide the appropriate early treatment, which could prevent permanent organ damage.
Beyond Racial Threat: Failure of an Old Hypothesis in the New South

Former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke ran three statewide campaigns in Louisiana. This note presents a GLS analysis of his voting support. It suggests that whites living in racially heterogeneous parishes were no more likely to support Duke than those in less-diverse locales, contrary to the "racial threat hypothesis." Suburban whites were particularly likely to back Duke. Giles and Buckner (1993) present contrary results because their analysis contained measurement error and omitted variable bias, aggregated data for urban areas inappropriately, and used OLS on grouped data.
Verapamil suppresses d-amphetamine-induced place preference conditioning.

Abstract The effect of pretreatment with (±)-verapamil (5, 10 or 15 mg/kg, i.p.) on place preference induced with d-amphetamine (1 mg/kg, i.p. 40 min after verapamil) was studied in male rats. Place preference conditioning was performed using two-compartment shuttle boxes and 8 alternating stimulant/saline sessions. Verapamil dose-dependently suppressed amphetamine-induced place preference. No significant changes in place preference were observed following 8 alternating verapamil (no stimulant)/ saline sessions, irrespective of whether verapamil injections were paired with the originally less or the originally more preferred compartment. It appears that verapamil effectively suppresses the reinforcing properties of d-amphetamine in the paradigm used.
Reducing tobacco smoke in the environment of the child with asthma: a cotinine-assisted, minimal-contact intervention.

Children with asthma who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke are at increased risk for adverse health consequences. An experimental design was used to evaluate a minimal-contact intervention aimed at modifying parents' smoking behavior in their homes. All subjects received counseling on the health effects of passive smoking and advice to quit smoking inside the home. Treatment subjects were also mailed the results of a urine cotinine test on their child and a self-help manual. More treatment (35%) than control (17%) subjects reported smoking outside their homes at posttest (and their children's cotinine levels were lowers, but this difference was not statistically significant.
OLFACTORY RESPONSIVENESS TO DIACETYL

Odor thresholds in the headspace over aqueous solutions of diacetyl (butane-2,3-dione) were measured in quadruplicate by a forced-choice procedure in 53 individuals. Mean individual thresholds varied over a factor of 256, with the group average at .005 μg/ml. Thresholds showed a modest negative correlation with suprathreshold intensity ratings. Intensity ratings were distributed bimodally, consistent with the existence of insensitive and sensitive groups and suggesting the possibility of a specific anosmia for this compound.
Effects of the chlorotriazine herbicide, cyanazine, on GABAA receptors in cortical tissue from rat brain☆

Chlorotriazine herbicides disrupt luteinizing hormone (LH) release in female rats following in vivo exposure. Although the mechanism of action is unknown, significant evidence suggests that inhibition of LH release by chlorotriazines may be mediated by effects in the central nervous system. GABA(A) receptors are important for neuronal regulation of gonadotropin releasing hormone and LH release. The ability of chlorotriazine herbicides to interact with GABA(A) receptors was examined by measuring their effects on [3H]muscimol, [3H]Ro15-4513 and [35S]tert-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) binding to rat cortical membranes. Cyanazine (1-400 microM) inhibited [3H]Ro15-4513 binding with an IC50 of approximately 105 microM (n=4). Atrazine (1-400 microM) also inhibited [3H]Ro15-4513 binding, but was less potent than cyanazine (IC50 = 305 microM). However, the chlorotriazine metabolites diaminochlorotriazine, 2-amino-4-chloro-6-ethylamino-s-triazine and 2-amino-4-chloro-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine were without significant effect on [3H]Ro15-4513 binding. Cyanazine and the other chlorotriazines were without effect on [3H]muscimol or [35S]TBPS binding. To examine whether cyanazine altered GABA(A) receptor function, GABA-stimulated 36Cl- flux into synaptoneurosomes was examined. Cyanazine (50-100 microM) alone did not significantly decrease GABA-stimulated 36Cl- flux. Diazepam (10 microM) and pentobarbital (100 microM) potentiated GABA-stimulated 36Cl- flux to 126 and 166% of control, respectively. At concentrations of 50 and 100 microM, cyanazine decreased potentiation by diazepam to 112 and 97% of control, respectively, and decreased potentiation by pentobarbital to 158 and 137% of control (n = 6). Interestingly, at lower concentrations (5 microM), cyanazine shifted the EC50 for GABA-stimulated 36Cl- flux into synaptoneurosomes from 28.9 to 19.4 microM, respectively (n = 5). These results suggest that cyanazine modulates benzodiazepine, but not the muscimol (GABA receptor site) or TBPS (Cl- channel), binding sites on GABA(A) receptors. Furthermore, at low concentrations, cyanazine may slightly enhance function of GABA(A) receptors, but at higher concentrations, cyanazine antagonizes GABA(A) receptor function and in particular antagonizes the positive modulatory effects of diazepam and pentobarbital.
Interface Reactions Between Glazes and the Crystal Phases in a High-Talc Tile Body

A study was made to determine the glaze attack on several mineral phases found in a fired talc-containing tile body. The effects of the chemical attack on the changes in the physical properties of the glaze were measured, using index of refraction and coefficient of expansion data. The glaze reaction at the interface was decreased when certain equivalents of BaO were substituted for PbO and when MgO replaced Na2O. Cristobalite showed greater solubility in the glaze than quartz, talc, or tremolite.
Biomonitoring of a bio-active particulate: Blood pressure surveillance of sodium azide

Sodium azide (NaN3) is a fine white crystalline powder that acts as the active agent for nitrogen generation in passenger car air bags. It is also used in medical laboratories as an antimicrobial agent and in the 1950s was used as a three-times-aday therapeutic agent for hypertension, because of its vasodilatory action. Control of exposure during its manufacture is difficult. An occupational health and exposure surveillance program has been developed at the only U.S. sodium azide manufacturing plant in order to identify and assess health effects from chemical exposure (particularly sodium azide and hydrazoic acid) and to contribute to the exposure minimisation program of the plant (Rippen et al., 1996). This program includes both air sampling and bio-monitoring surveillance. The bio-monitoring surveillance is based on the hypotensive effect of sodium azide exposure and examines changes in employee blood pressure measurements across the work shift. These analyses provide guidance for engineering, process and work practice changes in order to secure a safe working environment.
Long‐Range Interaction of Helium Atoms. A. Calculations

The interaction of two nonoverlapping helium atoms is evaluated using the many‐electron theory of atoms and molecules with a Hirschfelder—Linnett‐type of pair function, a Hylleraas intra‐atomic correlation function, and a two‐term atomic Hartree—Fock orbital. Previous work (previous paper) showed that the ``nonoverlapping'' region is separations over 3.7 A. In atomic units we find V=−1.353R6−13.25R8−52.45R10−94.45R10 for the dipole—dipole (using three variable parameters), dipole—quadrupole (two parameters), quadrupole—quadrupole (one parameter), and dipole—octupole (one parameter) interactions. The accepted correct value of the first coefficient is about 1.47. About 21% of the R−6 coefficient is due to three‐electron effects which arise as matrix elements between the two‐electron terms in the wavefunction. Neglecting intra‐atomic correlation effects we obtain a coefficient of −1.644 for the first term. An error of 25% results if only a one‐term atomic orbital is used. The relation of these results to man...
Mechanisms of anthracycline cardiac injury: can we identify strategies for cardioprotection?

Abstract Anthracycline antibiotics have saved the lives of many cancer victims in the 50 plus years since their discovery. A major limitation of their use is the dose-limiting cardiotoxicity. Efforts focusing on understanding the biochemical basis for anthracycline cardiac effects have provided several strategies currently in clinical use: limit dose exposure, encapsulate anthracyclines in liposomes to reduce myocardial uptake, administer concurrently with the iron chelator dexrazoxane to reduce free iron-catalyzed reactive oxygen species formation; and modify anthracycline structure in an effort to reduce myocardial toxicity. Despite these efforts, anthracycline-induced heart failure continues to occur with consequences for both morbidity and mortality. Our inability to predict and prevent anthracycline cardiotoxicity is, in part, due to the fact that the molecular and cellular mechanisms remain controversial and incompletely understood. Studies examining the effects of anthracyclines in cardiac myocytes in vitro and small animals in vivo have demonstrated several forms of cardiac injury, and it remains unclear how these translate to the clinical setting. Given the clinical evidence that myocyte death occurs after anthracycline exposure in the form of elevations in serum troponin, myocyte cell death seems to be a probable mechanism for anthracycline-induced cardiac injury. Other mechanisms of myocyte injury include the development of cellular “sarcopenia” characterized by disruption of normal sarcomere structure. Anthracyclines suppress expression of several cardiac transcription factors, and this may play a role in the development of myocyte death as well as sarcopenia. Degradation of the giant myofilament protein titin may represent an important proximal step that leads to accelerated myofilament degradation. An interesting interaction has been noted clinically between anthracyclines and newer cancer therapies that target the erbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase. There is now evidence that erbB2 signaling in response to the ligand neuregulin regulates anthracycline uptake into cells via the multidrug-resistance protein. Therefore, up-regulation of cardiac neuregulin signaling may be one strategy to limit myocardial anthracycline injury. Moreover, assessing an individual's risk for anthracycline injury may be improved by having some measure of endogenous activity of this and other myocardial protective signals.
Vorticity flux through the Yucatan Channel and Loop Current variability in the Gulf of Mexico

[1] Recent observations (the CANEK Program [Candela et al., 2002]) suggest that potential vorticity (PV) flux anomaly (VFA) at Yucatan Channel may serve as a useful indicator of Loop Current variability, including Loop Current extension, retraction, and eddy shedding. Intuitively, anticyclonic VFA extends the Loop Current into the Gulf of Mexico and cyclonic VFA causes retraction or even shedding. However, this intuition is inconsistent with PV conservation. The problem is reexamined here by careful analyses of the relation between VFA and Loop Current variability using (1) the results of a 15-year numerical simulation of shedding specified with simple forcing, and (2) CANEK and satellite observations. Both model and observations indicate that Loop Current eddy shedding or retraction tends to occur shortly (1� 2 months) after the influx of VFA at Yucatan has turned anticyclonic, and that these events are sometimes preceded by a more prolonged period of influx of cyclonic VFA. These findings suggest that contrary to intuition, influx of cyclonic VFA tends to extend the Loop Current into the Gulf, thus making the Loop Current more susceptible to retract or shed an eddy, and influx of anticyclonic VFA may then ‘‘trigger’’ retraction or eddy shedding. However, the Loop Current’s behaviors are much more complex than can be prescribed by these simple rules. A much longer observational data set, coupled with more refined model experiments and sophisticated analyses, is required to further quantify the phenomenon. INDEX TERMS: 4520 Oceanography: Physical: Eddies and mesoscale processes; 4255 Oceanography: General: Numerical modeling; 4576 Oceanography: Physical: Western boundary currents; 4243 Oceanography: General: Marginal and semienclosed seas; KEYWORDS: vorticity flux, Loop Current, Yucatan Channel Citation: Oey, L.-Y. (2004), Vorticity flux through the Yucatan Channel and Loop Current variability in the Gulf of Mexico, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C10004, doi:10.1029/2004JC002400.
The adaptable somatic repertoire

Summary Somatic mutation introduces singles nucleotide substitutions in and around the rearranged kappa variable gene, V k167 , but not the constant gene. The high frequency of mutations is most easily explained by a mechanism of error-prone repair which occurs during several cycles of cell division. Mutations may accumulate with time after joining of the V- and J-gene segments because IgG and IgA antibodies contain more amino acid substitutions than IgM antibodies. Many variant anti-phosphorylcholine antibodies have a higher affinity for antigen than their germ-line-encoded counterparts.
Altered Gene Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Receptor Tyrosine Kinase B in Postmortem Brain of Suicide Subjects

Background Suicide is a major public health concern. Although authors of many studies have examined the neurobiological aspects of suicide, the molecular mechanisms associated with suicidal behavior remain unclear. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most important neurotrophins, after binding with and activating receptor tyrosine kinase B (trk B), is directly involved in many physiological functions in the brain, including cell survival and synaptic plasticity. The present study was performed to examine whether the expression of BDNF and/or trk B isoforms was altered in postmortem brain in subjects who commit suicide (hereafter referred to as suicide subjects) and whether these alterations were associated with specific psychopathologic conditions. Methods These studies were performed in prefrontal cortex in Brodmann area 9 and hippocampus obtained in 27 suicide subjects and 21 nonpsychiatric control subjects. Levels of messenger RNA and protein levels of BDNF and trk B were determined with competitive reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and Western blot technique, respectively. The level of neuron-specific enolase messenger RNA as a neuronal marker was also determined in these brain areas. Results Messenger RNA levels of BDNF and trk B were significantly reduced, independently and as a ratio to neuron-specific enolase, in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in suicide subjects, as compared with those in control subjects. These reductions were associated with significant decreases in the protein levels of BDNF and of full-length trk B but not trk B's truncated isoform. These changes were present in all suicide subjects regardless of psychiatric diagnosis and were unrelated to postmortem interval, age, sex, or pH of the brain. Conclusions Given the importance of BDNF in mediating physiological functions, including cell survival and synaptic plasticity, our findings of reduced expression of BDNF and trk B in postmortem brain in suicide subjects suggest that these molecules may play an important role in the pathophysiological aspects of suicidal behavior.
A Quantitative Systems Approach Reveals Dynamic Control of tRNA Modifications during Cellular Stress

Decades of study have revealed more than 100 ribonucleoside structures incorporated as post-transcriptional modifications mainly in tRNA and rRNA, yet the larger functional dynamics of this conserved system are unclear. To this end, we developed a highly precise mass spectrometric method to quantify tRNA modifications in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our approach revealed several novel biosynthetic pathways for RNA modifications and led to the discovery of signature changes in the spectrum of tRNA modifications in the damage response to mechanistically different toxicants. This is illustrated with the RNA modifications Cm, m(5)C, and m(2) (2)G, which increase following hydrogen peroxide exposure but decrease or are unaffected by exposure to methylmethane sulfonate, arsenite, and hypochlorite. Cytotoxic hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide is conferred by loss of enzymes catalyzing the formation of Cm, m(5)C, and m(2) (2)G, which demonstrates that tRNA modifications are critical features of the cellular stress response. The results of our study support a general model of dynamic control of tRNA modifications in cellular response pathways and add to the growing repertoire of mechanisms controlling translational responses in cells.
Immune-associated toxicities induced by in vivo and in vitro exposure to interferon-alpha alone or in combination with nucleoside analogs

Abstract The present studies examine whether immune-associated toxicities develop in rodents exposed to recombinant human interferon-alpha A/D (rHuIFN-alpha) alone or in combination with anti-retroviral nucleoside analogs. Four findings have emerged from these studies: (1) lymphocyte cell number and functional activity are suppressed after subchronic (1,8 or 10 day) in vivo exposure to therapeutic doses of rHuIFN-alpha; (2) lymphocyte-associated toxicities lessen as in vivo exposure time to rHuIFN-alpha is extended; (3) T-cell-dependent antibody production is decreased after in vitro exposure of both antigen-specific T- and B-cells to rHuIFN-alpha; and (4) in vivo-induced leukocyte toxicities associated with either rHuIFN-alpha or the nucleoside analogs alone do not synergize when the therapies are combined. These data suggest that certain key immune parameters should be monitored carefully in the early stages of IFN-alpha therapy.
The determinants of foreign direct investment: An analysis of US manufacturing industries

This study explores the determinants of foreign direct investment by analyzing the variation across US manufacturing industries in the extent of outward foreign direct investment. Three types of industry characteristics are hypothesized to explain this variation. Empirical support is found for four sources of ownership-specific advantages favoring foreign direct investment, new technology created through research and development, marketing abilities, organizational techniques and capital cost advantages. Support is found for the role of production scale economies in favoring centralization and hindering foreign direct investment, but results suggest only a weak role for transport costs in favoring decentralization and foreign direct investment. Producer concentration, perhaps reflecting oligopolistic competition, is positively related to foreign direct investment.