cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Effects of the most common cystic fibrosis-causing mutation on the secondary structure and stability of a synthetic peptide

Deletion of phenylalanine 508 (delta Phe-508) in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein causes approximately 70% of all cases of cystic fibrosis. This residue lies in a region of the protein that we have synthesized chemically and shown to bind adenine nucleotides (Thomas, P. J., Shenbagamurthi, P., Ysern, X., and Pedersen, P. L. (1991) Science 251, 555-557). A peptide lacking this critical residue, but otherwise corresponding to this crucial part of the protein, now also has been chemically synthesized and purified. This mutant peptide (P-66) exhibits a significant loss of beta-sheet structure as compared with the wild type peptide (P-67). Furthermore, urea denaturation of peptide structure reveals that P-66 is less stable than P-67. Although under non-denaturing conditions both peptides bind adenine nucleotides with high affinity, the loss of structural stability is reflected in the binding function of the peptides. Thus, P-67, in contrast to P-66, retains a significant capacity for nucleotide binding in 4 M urea. These results suggest a model for impaired delta Phe-508 CFTR function.
Therapeutic Studies on Ringworm-Infected Guinea Pigs1

It is well known that frequently there is a lack of correlation between in vitro observations and in vivo results in the evaluation of fungicidal compounds. Ultimately all antimycotic agents must be tested on infected animals to establish their practical worth. An epizootic of ringworm among guinea pigs caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes presented an opportunity to carry out therapeutic studies on a large group of infected animals. (1) The results of tests with 4 fungicidal preparations on spontaneously infected animals are presented in this paper.
Evaluation of Biotechnology Products

Biotechnology products have had a substantial impact on the health care system, including cost and patient care. In some hospitals, agents produced by biotechnology account for 10% or more of the pharmacy budget. As of May 1996, 29 biological products had been approved for use in the United States, including, in many instances, agents for diseases or conditions for which no drugs were previously available. These compounds are different molecules, often with very different types of properties from synthetic chemicals. They are relatively expensive compared with traditionally manufactured synthetic drugs. The increasing availability, individual characteristics, and relative expense of these products mandate a systematic method of evaluating them for use in various health care systems. Thirteen essential points must be considered when evaluating them for clinical use : availability of alternative agents ; indications (both labeled and unlabeled) ; glycosylation ; adverse events ; administration and pharmacokinetics ; monitoring needs ; shipping, handling, and storage ; stability ; pharmaco-economic studies ; concomitant drug costs ; special pharmacy procedures ; reimbursement ; and manufacturer's support.
ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF ROUTINE HAND WASHING

A broth rinse method was used to determine the indigenous bacteria of the hands of nursery personnel and to demonstrate its stability under the test conditions. The efficacy of five wash agents in removing infant-acquired organisms from the hands was then explored. All agents were equally effective including water when followed by drying on a paper towel. The data show that the routine-type quick hand wash usually employed by busy aides and nurses is effective in removing patient-acquired organisms and provide additional emphasis on the importance of the hand wash procedure in prevention of spread of bacteria from patient to patient.
Twenty Years and Counting: A Look at Waldorf in the Public Sector Using Online Sources

As the number of public Waldorf schools operating in the U.S. continues to grow, there is a need to examine the effectiveness of this approach in the public sector. This empirical study provides a beginning look at available quantitative and qualitative extant data on public Waldorf schools obtained from state and national websites. Available data included standardized tests and parent comment boards hosted by the independent source, GreatSchools.org. Public Waldorf schools were compared to their district standardized test scores in Reading and Math as well as matched comparison schools. Test score results suggested the Waldorf experience provided a slower academic build-up resulting in poorer test scores in the lower grades followed by higher levels of advanced performance in the 8th grade. Quantitative content analysis of parent comments supported the idea that public Waldorf is indeed a more holistic approach with greater emphasis on the arts, community and developmentally appropriate practice. Findings suggest standard measures of school quality may midjudge the effectiveness of holistic education particularly with regards to academics. Challenges for successfully bringing holistic education into the current cultural-political climate are discussed. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Garamond;}
Entry into the Endoplasmic Reticulum: Protein Translocation, Folding and Quality Control

Secretory proteins enter the ER after or concomitant with their synthesis on cytoplasmic ribosomes in a process known as translocation. In either case, nascent secretory proteins must be targeted to the translocation machinery at the ER membrane and must traverse the lipid bilayer of the ER through the translocation channel. Molecular chaperones in the cytosol and ER lumen assist translocation and facilitate protein folding and assembly in the lumen. Proteins that achieve their native conformation exit the ER and continue through the secretory pathway. Incompletely folded or unassembled proteins are recognized by a constitutively active quality control pathway in the ER that identifies aberrant proteins and targets them for destruction in the cytosol by the proteasome. This process is known as ER associated degradation (ERAD).
Preparing pharmacy students and pharmacists to provide tobacco cessation counselling.

Issues. Tobacco use and abuse is a major health risk for people across the world and is responsible for nearly 500 000 deaths in the USA annually. Currently, the accepted role of pharmacists is the provision of pharmaceutical care, which includes health promotion and prevention of disease. Pharmacists should work collaboratively with other health-care professionals to provide tobacco-cessation counselling to smokers. Approach. Recently, in the USA, a curriculum has been developed by faculty at a school of pharmacy and distributed to pharmacy schools across the nation in a train-the-trainer format. This curriculum has been implemented in varying degrees in schools across the USA. In addition, there are national efforts to increase the involvement of practising pharmacists in promoting tobacco cessation by offering comprehensive programs or by increasing awareness and referrals. Key Findings. The acceptance of the Rx for Change programs by schools of pharmacy has been high and the education and skills are being taught to most current pharmacy graduates. There is an increased emphasis on the role of pharmacists to assist in meeting national health goals including reducing tobacco-related risks. Implications. Numerous opportunities exist for pharmacists to provide tobacco cessation counselling. Barriers to implementation of programs include lack of confidence by pharmacists and a perceived lack of demand by patients. Conclusion. The consequences of tobacco use are well known. Pharmacists should enhance their involvement in health promotion and disease prevention and actively develop tobacco cessation counselling programs using available resources for the benefit of their patients. [Williams DM. Preparing pharmacy students and pharmacists to provide tobacco cessation counselling. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:533–540]
Enrolling Smokers from Health Systems into Quitline Services: ‘Results of two enrollment strategies’

Objective: To determine the effects of motivational interviewing (MI) counselling versus a minimal intervention control on the enrollment of smokers in the Minnesota QUITPLAN Helpline. Study design: Two-group randomized controlled trial of 235 community-dwelling adult smokers. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a three-session phone based motivational interviewing intervention (n = 118) or the control (n = 117) consisting of mailed printed materials about the Minnesota QUITPLAN helpline services. Data collection: Participants completed demographic and smoking-related survey questionnaire at baseline (by mail) and at weeks 4 and 26 (by phone) follow-up. Quitline enrollment status data was provided by the Minnesota QUITPLAN Helpline. Principal findings: At week 4 follow-up, a higher proportion of participants in the MI group (22.3%) had enroled in the Minnesota QUITPLAN Helpline compared to those in the control arm (13.6%; p = 0.098). At week 26 follow-up, enrollment rates were similar for MI (28.0%) and control (26.5%) arms. Of those who enroled in the Helpline, participants in the MI group reported completing more Helpline sessions than those in control group (4.9 vs. 3.2; p = 0.087). There was no significant interaction between readiness to quit and intervention for the outcome of enrollment in the Helpline. Conclusions: A minimal intensity control such as mailing printed materials resulted in quitline enrollment rates similar to a more resource intensive intervention like motivational interviewing and several folds higher than the current state or national averages. We recommend that health plans should consider mailing smoking cessation promotional messages to encourage smokers to enrol in quitlines.
Paclitaxel-functionalized gold nanoparticles.

Here we describe the first example of 2 nm gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) covalently functionalized with a chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel. The synthetic strategy involves the attachment of a flexible hexaethylene glycol linker at the C-7 position of paclitaxel followed by coupling of the resulting linear analogue to phenol-terminated gold nanocrystals. The reaction proceeds under mild esterification conditions and yields the product with a high molecular weight, while exhibiting an extremely low polydispersity index (1.02, relative to linear polystyrene standards). TGA analysis of the hybrid nanoparticles reveals the content of the covalently attached organic shell as nearly 67% by weight, which corresponds to ∼70 molecules of paclitaxel per 1 nanoparticle. The presence of a paclitaxel shell with a high grafting density renders the product soluble in organic solvents and allows for detailed 1H NMR analysis and, therefore, definitive confirmation of its chemical structure. High-resolution TEM was employed ...
The "New" Military Professionalism:

Data from an analysis of the Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States during its first decade of publication (in the 1880s) and from a number of more traditional historical studies challenge the belief that a new military professionalism of heightened political concern emerged in the U.S. Army after World War II. In the last third of the nineteenth century, American army officers frequently performed tasks of a civilian nature demanding considerable political skill. Other aspects of twentieth century "new professionalism" were apparent in their writing. Although the late nineteenth century was a period of significant professional development within the Army officer corps, it was neither a time of isolation for the officers nor an era in which their professional concerns were exclusively military.
Infrared spectra of inorganic phosphorus compounds

Abstract The infrared spectra of fifty-five inorganic phosphorus compounds including orthophosphates, phosphorofluoridates, pyrophosphates, imidodiphosphates, and metaphosphimates, have been examined. Particular attention has been given to an absorption band in the region near 3100 cm −1 , which is due to N—H stretching. The appearance of this band in cyclic phosphorus-nitrogen compounds indicates the structure —P(O)—NH— rather than —P(OH)⊷N—, and suggests that their nomenclature be reviewed.
Magnetospheric Plasma Physics

Magnetospheric Plasma Physics is volume 4 of an ongoing series of review books entitled Developments in Earth and Planetary Sciences organized by the Center for Academic Publications Japan. The series is intended to stress Japanese work; however, the present volume was written by seven internationally selected authors who have reviewed works from a broad range of sources. This volume is composed of articles drawn from five lecture series presented at the Autumn College o f Plasma Physics, International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, October–November 1979. The audiences for these lecture series were plasma and/or space plasma physicists, or students of the same, and the level and tone of this volume clearly reflect that condition.
Reverse hemolytic plaque assays: versatility in the study of secretion

The reverse hemolytic plaque assay has been used for several years to study hormone release from various endocrine cell types. The basic method utilizes a monolayer (consisting of indicator erythrocytes and the cells under study) that is fixed to the floor of an incubation chamber. Antibody directed against a peptide or protein is added to the chamber. Peptides released from the cells under study complex with the antibody and bind to protein-A on the surface of the indicator erythrocytes. The addition of complement causes the indicator cells to lyse, forming a "plaque" or zone of hemolysis surrounding the secreting cells. The size or rate of formation of these plaques can be used as indices to monitor peptide or protein release. In addition to this standard procedure, the plaque assay can be modified by using loose or unattached indicator cells and is termed the loose plaque assay (LPA). The LPA for a particular peptide can be used alone, sequentially with an assay directed toward another peptide, or repeatedly on the same cells to monitor release over time. In light of the fact that plaque assays do not compromise the function of living cells, it is possible to combine these plaque assays with other procedures such as immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, fluorescent microscopy, electrophysiology, and electron microscopy to explore other facets of the secretory process in conjunction with release. When taken together, the plaque assay has been quite useful in the study of endocrine cell secretion. Moreover, with the many adaptations possible, it should be particularly valuable in the future for the study of peptide release in other cell types such as neurons.
Laryngeal injuries after short-versus long-term intubation

Summary Forty-five patients were seen over a 5-year period with laryngeal injuries following endotracheal intubation (ETI). The mean duration of ETI was 5.6 days (2 hours to 37 days). Patients intubated for less than 24 hours were most likely to present with a vocal fold immobility or an anterior glottic web. Long-term intubation was associated with the development of subglottic stenoses and granulomas. Patients with vocal fold immobility were seen more often after ETI for surgical reasons and had a significantly higher incidence of previous intubation and tobacco usage. Subglottic stenoses were seen in younger patients intubated for medical reasons and associated with nasogastric tubes and longer periods of intubation.
RNA Editing: An I for editing

In vitro editing in mammalian nuclear extracts reveals adenosine-to-inosine conversions in glutamate receptor messenger RNAs.
Behavior of GeO2 in dehydration and consolidation processes of the VAD method

Kinetic studies have pointed out that the index profile of VAD fibers is closely related to the polymorphisms of GeO2 in the soot preform.1,2 This paper describes that, in practical VAD soot preforms, a radially selective chlorination of GeO2 produces a synthetic silica cladding in the dehydration of the soot, which leads to a low-loss fiber.
Modern disturbances to a long-lasting community-based resource management system: The Taos Valley acequias

Abstract Long-lasting community-based resource management systems have offered scholars important lessons in the study of human-environment relations. The examination of such systems has suffered from a sampling bias, however, in that it has focused disproportionately on successful systems. There are fewer studies that have explored the deterioration of such systems, particularly with an interdisciplinary approach. This shortfall is problematic given the increasing social and biophysical disturbances that communities are facing as they become more integrated into, and affected by, larger-scale processes. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the modern condition of a long-lasting community-based irrigation system known as the acequias in northern New Mexico. Using a mix of interview, survey, remote sensing, and census data, I examine the extent to which important indicators for the acequias have shifted in the last several decades and explore reasons for these changes. A mix of statistical and qualitative comparative techniques is used to conduct the analysis. By examining longitudinal data we find that the acequias are producing less than they have in the past and have mostly lost their common-property-based livestock pasturing system. While some of these changes can be attributed to similar declines in water availability, much of the change results from social drivers including demographic changes, regional-to-global market forces, and public policies. Overall the shift of the acequias to their current state is a result of their integration into a much larger-scale set of social and economic forces than they have experienced in the past. This shift will be very difficult to reverse, meaning the acequia farmers must adapt to the current condition. It is likely that these themes are common across many community-based resource management systems in many locations. In the future, further progress should be made in synthetically comparing such cases in ways that have already been done for long-lasting successful systems.
Evaluating Throughput and Delay in 3G and 4G Mobile Architectures

All mobile carriers these days have provided 3G and 4G services to their customers. The evolution of cellular networks from 3G to 4G has improved several performance metrics of the data communications. The focus of this paper is to evaluate two of the most important performance metrics: throughput and delay. We consider the cellular network as an integrate infrastructure that includes mobile and fixed nodes. Based on this model we calculate and analyze the throughput and delay. Our results illustrate that the throughput is increased while the delay is decreased in 4G data network compared to the previous 3G architecture. In addition, we evaluate how the delay affects the security of the network.
Cyclosporine A inhibition of microcystin toxins.

Cyclosporine A (CyA) given i.v. at a dose of 1.25 mg/mouse blocks a subsequent i.v. lethal dose (1.7-1.8 x LD50) of microcystin-LR for 24 hr, and is about 50% protective at 48 hr. Conversely, the fraction of mice that can be rescued by CyA (0.2 mg/mouse) after a lethal dose of microcystin-LR decreases rapidly with a pharmacodynamic half-time of only about 100 sec. The prophylactic action of CyA was tested against lethal doses of four microcystins. The acute lethality of 1.7-1.8 x LD50 dose of microcystin-LR, -RR, -LY, or -LA given 1 hr after administration of 0.2 mg of CyA is 0%, 0%, 58%, or 100%, respectively. Even a 0.6 mg/mouse dose of CyA is ineffective prophylaxis against a lethal dose of microcystin-LA. The inhibitory potency of CyA on microcystin toxicity can be completely reversed by the single L-amino acid substitution of alanine for arginine in the microcystin.
An FPGA-Based Accelerator for Frequent Itemset Mining

In this article we describe a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based coprocessor architecture for Frequent Itemset Mining (FIM). FIM is a common data mining task used to find frequently occurring subsets amongst a database of sets. FIM is a nonnumerical, data intensive computation and is used in machine learning and computational biology. FIM is particularly expensive---in terms of execution time and memory---when performed on large and/or sparse databases or when applied using a low appearance frequency threshold. Because of this, the development of increasingly efficient FIM algorithms and their mapping to parallel architectures is an active field. Previous attempts to accelerate FIM using FPGAs have relied on performance-limiting strategies such as iterative database loading and runtime logic unit reconfiguration. In this article, we present a novel architecture to implement Eclat, a well-known FIM algorithm. Unlike previous efforts, our technique does not impose limits on the maximum set size as a function of available FPGA logic resources and our design scales well to multiple FPGAs. In addition to a novel hardware design, we also present a corresponding compression scheme for intermediate results that are stored in on-chip memory. On a four-FPGA board, experimental results show up to 68X speedup compared to a highly optimized software implementation.
Concentration trends and profitability in the US manufacturing sector: 1970—84

It has been suggested that the US economy is becoming more concentrated and less competitive. Concentration is also claimed to affect the return and risk of companies. In this paper, using the entropy technique, the concentration index for the manufacturing sector of the US economy has been computed and the concentration trend has been analysed. Furthermore, the impact of concentration on return and risk of manufacturing companies is investigated.
Motor Behavior Through Power System Disturbances

Most process plants employ automatic switching schemes to maintain operation through power system disturbances. An understanding of motor behavior through such disturbances is helpful in the application of selective fault clearing, fast bus transfer, and delayed bus transfer schemes. Results and conclusions of computer aided transient studies of major industrial plants performed over the past eight years are presented. Numerous computer printouts are plotted to illustrate the transient behavior of large synchronous and induction motors, large groups of smaller motors, and the power systems that serve them.
On the nature of equilibria in a Downsian model with candidate valence

Abstract I analyze mixed strategy equilibria in a Downsian model with two office-motivated candidates in which one candidate is endowed with a sufficiently large valence advantage that a voter might prefer this candidate even if the voter strictly prefers the other candidate's policies. There is a discrete one-dimensional policy space and the preferences of the median voter are uncertain. I show that there is a range of moderate policies with no gaps that are optimal for the advantaged candidate. There is also a range of liberal policies with no gaps and a corresponding range of conservative policies with no gaps that are optimal actions for the disadvantaged candidate. The upper and lower bounds on these ranges of policies vary in predictable ways with the size of the advantaged candidate's advantage.
Spatial Dependence of Trapped Holes Determined from Tunneling Analysis and Measured Annealing

Accurate predictions of the post-irradiation response of microelectronic circuits is an important and difficult problem. We present a tunneling model for MOS structures showing how the post-irradiation annealing deviates from a simple ln(t) dependence for a nonuniform spatial trap distribution. This model is applied to our measurements of post-irradiation response to extract spatial trap distributions for several oxides. Results of this analysis have important implications for testing and hardness assurance--accurate prediction of the long-term response of hardened circuits requires a measure of the deviation from logarithmic annealing.
Automatic probe artifact detection in MRI-guided cryoablation

Probe or needle artifact detection in 3D scans gives an approximate location for the tools inserted, and is thus crucial in assisting many image-guided procedures. Conventional needle localization algorithms often start with cropped images, where unwanted parts of raw scans are cropped either manually or by applying pre-defined masks. In cryoablation, however, the number of probes used, the placement and direction of probe insertion, and the portions of abdomen scanned differs significantly from case to case, and probes are often constantly being adjusted during the Probe Placement Phase. These features greatly reduce the practicality of approaches based on image cropping. In this work, we present a fully Automatic Probe Artifact Detection method, APAD, that works directly on uncropped raw MRI images, taken during the Probe Placement Phase in 3Tesla MRI-guided cryoablation. The key idea of our method is to first locate an initial 2D line strip within a slice of the MR image which approximates the position and direction of the 3D probes bundle, noting that cryoprobes or biopsy needles create a signal void (black) artifact in MRI with a bright cylindrical border. With the initial 2D line, standard approaches to detect line structures such as the 3D Hough Transform can be applied to quickly detect each probe’s axis. By comparing with manually labeled probes, the analysis of 5 patient treatment cases of kidney cryoablation with varying probe placements demonstrates that our algorithm combined with standard 3D line detection is an accurate and robust method to detect probe artifacts.
Process mechanics and surface integrity by high-speed dry milling of biodegradable magnesium–calcium implant alloys

Abstract Compared to conventional metallic implant materials, biodegradable Mg–Ca alloys are attractive orthopedic biomaterials that avoid negative stress shielding and revision surgeries. However, the process mechanics and surface integrity by high-speed dry milling Mg–Ca0.8 are poorly understood. Key findings of the synergistic experimental and numerical study are: (a) Mg–Ca0.8 alloy is sensitive to strain rate and adiabatic softening; (b) high-speed dry milling can be safely performed using PCD tools with process characteristics of lamella structured chips and slight flank build-up; and (c) machined surface integrity is characterized by low roughness, highly compressive residual stress, increased microhardness, and microstructure without phase changes.
L-Dopa-Induced Release of Cerebral Monoamines

L-Dopa markedly increased the efflux of tritiated dopamine and tritiated serotonin from rat brain slices. This action appeared contingent on the decarboxylation of L-dopa to dopamine, since it could be blocked by an inhibitor of L-amino acid decarboxylase. Selective destruction of catecholamine-containing nerve terminals by 6-hydroxydopamine significantly decreased the uptake and release of tritiated dopamine but not that of tritiated serotonin. These observations support the hypothesis that a portion of exogenously administered L-dopa may enter central serotonin terminals and undergo decarboxylation to the amine with resultant displacement of the endogenous indoleamine from vesicular stores.
Hospital management of pit viper venenations.

AbstractMost previous articles about snakebite treatment have spent more time in describing first-aid measures than they have in describing the hospital management of snakebite victims. Thus, many questions about the defiitive management of pit viper venenations remain unanswered. This paper answers such questions as when to discontinue first aid treatment, how to test patients for horse serum (antivenin) sensitivity, how to desensitize a patient, how much antivenin to give and by what route of administration, and what the complications of snakebites and snakebite treatment are.
Thin subspaces of L 1(λ)

Abstract Let (S,Σ, λ) be a finite positive measure space. In their extension of Liapunov's theorem to infinite dimensions, Kingman and Robertson (in 1968) defined a subset N of the real L 1(λ) to be thin if for every A ∈ Σ with λ(A) > 0 there exists a φ 0 ∈ L ∞(λ) with φ 0 ≠O, supported on A that “annihilates N”. We prove that the φ 0 above can be chosen to have values ±1 a.e. on A, i.e. a “sign” in terms of a (2009) paper by Wulbert. A result of his follows from the known fact that when λ is non-atomic every finite dimensional subspaces of L 1(λ) is thin. Further, in this case when S is compact Hausdorff and A compact, we show that φ 0 may be chosen in C(A). Next we have a “splitting” of Liapunov's theorem in any dimension into “convex ranges” and “weakly compact ranges”, the latter for non-atomic measures. This approach is related to a 1978 result by K.M. Garg and the author. We observe the closed linear span of the Rademacher functions to be thin in L 1[0, 1].
Mitochondrial fission induced by platelet-derived growth factor regulates vascular smooth muscle cell bioenergetics and cell proliferation.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) develop a highly proliferative and synthetic phenotype in arterial diseases. Because such phenotypic changes are likely integrated with the energetic state of the cell, we hypothesized that changes in cellular metabolism regulate VSMC plasticity. VSMCs were exposed to platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF) and changes in mitochondrial morphology, proliferation, contractile protein expression, and mitochondrial metabolism were examined. Exposure of VSMCs to PDGF resulted in mitochondrial fragmentation and a 50% decrease in the abundance of mitofusin 2. Synthetic VSMCs demonstrated a 20% decrease in glucose oxidation, which was accompanied by an increase in fatty acid oxidation. Results of mitochondrial function assays in permeabilized cells showed few changes due to PDGF treatment in mitochondrial respiratory chain capacity and coupling. Treatment of VSMCs with Mdivi-1—an inhibitor of mitochondrial fission—inhibited PDGF-induced mitochondrial fragmentation by 50% and abolished increases in cell proliferation; however, it failed to prevent PDGF-mediated activation of autophagy and removal of contractile proteins. In addition, treatment with Mdivi-1 reversed changes in fatty acid and glucose oxidation associated with the synthetic phenotype. These results suggest that changes in mitochondrial morphology and bioenergetics underlie the hyperproliferative features of the synthetic VSMC phenotype, but do not affect the degradation of contractile proteins. Mitochondrial fragmentation occurring during the transition to the synthetic phenotype could be a therapeutic target for hyperproliferative vascular disorders.
Ground Zero(es) of the New World: Geographies of Violence in Junot Díaz and Edwidge Danticat

In early 2008, two writers born on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola—Junot Diaz from the Dominican Republic, and Edwidge Danticat from Haiti—garnered unprecedented plaudits from the anglophone literary establishment in the United States. Diaz was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, for his brilliant novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; Danticat won the top prize in biography from the National Book Critics Circle for her family memoir Brother, I'm Dying. Reading Diaz and Danticat's prize-winning books alongside and in conversation with one another, this essay traces how each writer seeks not merely to illuminate their nations' hidden histories of violence, but to base their approach to those histories in a shared Caribbean identity—and in a conception of the Caribbean as the origin-place for what Diaz famously called the fuku americanus—“the curse or doom of the New World.” In both Diaz and Danticat's work, “Caribbean discourse” serves not merely as a means of limning their own nation's hurts but of understanding the cause and effects of historical traumas in the longue duree of the Americas at large—up to, and including, the epochal attacks of September 11, 2001.
Preparation of YCo5, PrCo5 and SmCo5 anisotropic high-coercivity powders via mechanochemistry

Abstract Polydispersed RCo5 powders consisting mostly of single crystal particles with an average size ranging from 280 nm to 400 nm have been prepared mechanochemically for R=Y, Pr, Pr–Sm and Sm. The synthesis included (i) mechanical activation of a mixture of rare earth oxides, Co, Ca and CaO, (ii) short annealing and (iii) separation of the RCo5 particles through a multi-step washing process. The highest room-temperature coercivities of the oriented YCo5, PrCo5 and SmCo5 powders were 20.6, 19.1 and 41.5 kOe, respectively. This improvement compared to traditionally ground powders is attributed to a lower density of crystalline defects. An investigation of a broad, 1050–1320 K, range of the synthesis temperatures revealed nearly universal evolution of crystalline anisotropy of the particles and their remanent magnetization, significant variations in the particle growth rate—with growth of the YCo5 particles being the most sluggish—and, surprisingly, no correlation between the average size of the particles and their coercivity. These findings extend the practical limits associated with hard magnetic materials and demonstrate that the hard magnetic properties of the mechanochemically synthesized YCo5 and PrCo5 powders are similar to those of traditionally prepared SmCo5.
Convergent and roundoff error properties of reflection coefficients in adaptive spatial recursive least squares lattice algorithm

The spatial recursive least-squares lattice (RLSL) algorithm is considered and the convergent properties as well as the finite-precision roundoff effects of the reflection coefficients are studied in detail. It is shown that when the forgetting factor lambda is set equal to one, the reflection coefficients can converge to a constant with probability one with the rate of convergence being O(1/T/sup 3/2/) where T is the number of terms involved. When O >
Symptomatic pulmonary embolus during lower extremity deep venous thrombolysis: the role of IVC filters

Learning Objectives 1. Determine the prevalence of trapped thrombus in IVC filters during lower extremity deep venous thrombolysis 2. Determine the prevalence of symptomatic pulmonary embolus (PE) requiring evaluation with pulmonary angiography 3. Discuss the role of IVC filters in preventing symptomatic PE Background IVC filters are known to trap thrombus during lower extremity thrombolysis, but also are known to serve as a nidus for thrombosis. The role of IVC filters in preventing clinically important PE in thrombolysis patients remains uncertain. Clinical Findings/Procedure Details Between January 2003 and December 2011, 64 patients underwent 76 lower extremity thrombolysis procedures at a single institution. Venograms were retrospectively evaluated for presence or placement of an IVC filter and for trapped thrombus in the filter at any time during the lysis. Pulmonary angiography within one year was also reviewed. A filter was in place for 53 procedures (70%). Trapped thrombus could be evaluated in 43 cases; of these, thrombus measuring an average of 9 mm (range 4 - 16 mm) was present in 16 cases (37%). CT or conventional pulmonary angiography was performed following only 11 procedures (14%), all in patients with a filter in place (Fisher exact p = 0.018). Four were positive for PE (36%, 5% of procedures). Conclusion and/or Teaching Points Trapped thrombus was seen in a relatively high proportion of IVC filters, but symptoms requiring evaluation for PE were an unusual event and clinically apparent PE a rare event. Filters did not protect against either evaluation for PE or presence of PE, and therefore their role in thrombolysis remains unclear.
Treatment of bipolar disorders during pregnancy: maternal and fetal safety and challenges

Treating pregnant women with bipolar disorder is among the most challenging clinical endeavors. Patients and clinicians are faced with difficult choices at every turn, and no approach is without risk. Stopping effective pharmacotherapy during pregnancy exposes the patient and her baby to potential harms related to bipolar relapses and residual mood symptom-related dysfunction. Continuing effective pharmacotherapy during pregnancy may prevent these occurrences for many; however, some of the most effective pharmacotherapies (such as valproate) have been associated with the occurrence of congenital malformations or other adverse neonatal effects in offspring. Very little is known about the reproductive safety profile and clinical effectiveness of atypical antipsychotic drugs when used to treat bipolar disorder during pregnancy. In this paper, we provide a clinically focused review of the available information on potential maternal and fetal risks of untreated or undertreated maternal bipolar disorder during pregnancy, the effectiveness of interventions for bipolar disorder management during pregnancy, and potential obstetric, fetal, and neonatal risks associated with core foundational pharmacotherapies for bipolar disorder.
Ultrastructural changes in omental resistance artery in women with preeclampsia

Abstract Objective: The reduced function that is played by the endothelium has been suggested in the pathophysiologic condition of resistance arteries during preeclampsia. Our aim was to determine whether morphologic changes occur in these arteries in patients with preeclampsia. Study Design: The omental resistance arteries were isolated from 11 women with preeclampsia and 10 normotensive pregnant women; the preparations were analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Results: On light microscopic examination, no differences were apparent between both groups of women in cross-sectional preparations of the omental resistance arteries. However, after electron microscopic examination, characteristic changes were found in the subendothelial region of the resistance arteries from women with preeclampsia compared with specimens from normotensive pregnant women. The thickness of elastic lamina was irregular, and the basement membrane was, in part, incomplete. Thus, the arrangement of the location of endothelial cells was changed in the resistance arteries that were taken from women with preeclampsia. Conclusion: These results indicate that ultrastructural changes develop in the subendothelial region of omental resistance arteries in women with preeclampsia. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;189:216-21.)
The parting of the way: The changing relationship between religion and nationalism in contemporary Ireland

(1996). The parting of the way: The changing relationship between religion and nationalism in contemporary Ireland. The European Legacy: Vol. 1, Fourth International Conference of the International Society for the study of European Ideas, pp. 740-755.
Delay optimal queue-based CSMA

In the past year or so, an exciting progress has led to throughput optimal design of CSMA-based algorithms for wireless networks. However, such an algorithm suffers from very poor delay performance. A recent work suggests that it is impossible to design a CSMA-like simple algorithm that is throughput optimal and induces low delay for any wireless network. However, wireless networks arising in practice are formed by nodes placed, possibly arbitrarily, in some geographic area.In this paper, we propose a CSMA algorithm with per-node average-delay bounded by a constant, independent of the network size, when the network has geometry (precisely, polynomial growth structure) that is present in any practical wireless network. Two novel features of our algorithm, crucial for its performance, are (a) choice of access probabilities as an appropriate function of queue-sizes, and (b) use of local network topological structures. Essentially, our algorithm is a queue-based CSMA with a minor difference that at each time instance a very small fraction of frozen nodes do not execute CSMA. Somewhat surprisingly, appropriate selection of such frozen nodes, in a distributed manner, lead to the delay optimal performance.
The Merging of Shi and Shang in Travel: The Production of Knowledge for Travel in Late Ming Book

Spaces and their boundaries—geographical and otherwise—are socially constructed. Travel is a major means for the engendering of geographical spaces. Humans travel for a great variety of reasons, producing different types of spaces, and corresponding knowledge. Particular spatial organizations embody the specific reasons for and the manner in which sojourners undertake travel. This paper examines the role of long distance travel in the production of specific knowledge of the Chinese empire for two different groups during the late Ming period—the shi (literati-officials) and the shang (merchants). As reflected in the merging of publications for merchants and literati, the act of travel and the very need for it brought these two groups closer together socially. The shi in late Ming China traveled great distances for three major reasons: to take civil service exams, to assume official duties, and to take up teaching or writing jobs. Merchants traveled for business reasons: to acquire materials and products, to sell goods, to negotiate contracts, and to operate shops. But increasingly, these two groups crossed paths with greater intensity and frequency. The travel they undertook brought them into closer social interaction. The knowledge they needed converged so much that commercial publishers found it logical to publish travel guides for both constituencies under one cover. This new genre of publications also provided ethical prescriptions and practical information that both merchants and literati needed. The different levels of literacy among literati and merchant communities prompted publishers to adopt a writing style that mixed the classical style of the literati and a simple plain style easily comprehensible to the merchants. The increase in the use of the term shishang in book titles that included travel guides and other types of knowledge attested to the subtle shift in the production of geographical knowledge, which was no longer organized primarily by imperial interests.
Comments on "The art of back-of-the envelope ray tracing" [with reply]

The author argues that the original paper ("The art of back-of-the envelope ray tracing", Rolland et. al, see ibid., vol.44, p.365-72, 2001) contains unnecessary, confusing, or incomplete information and they discuss the justifications for the criticisms given. The original authors' responses to these comments are also included in the paper.
Pathology of acute experimental Actinobacillus seminis mastitis in ewes.

SUMMARY Sequential pathological changes were studied for 9 days after inoculating Actinobacillus seminis in the mammary gland of sheep. The inoculated mammary glands became enlarged (2 to 4 times normal), turgid or consolidated and contained creamy or greenish-yellow viscid contents. A. seminis was isolated from all inoculated udders at necropsy. Microscopically, the reaction in the udder to A. seminis may be divided into 4 overlapping phases; acute purulent, subacute purulent, necrotising, and proliferative. It was concluded that A. serninis was pathogenic for the ovine mammary gland, the clinical and pathological findings were nonspecific, and that A. seminis could survive within ovine mammary tissue for a least 9 days after inoculation.
Verrucous carcinomas of the head and neck, including those with associated squamous cell carcinoma, lack transcriptionally active high-risk human papillomavirus

Summary Most oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and histologic variants harbor transcriptionally active human papillomavirus (HPV). While HPV DNA can be found in many non-oropharyngeal head and neck carcinomas, transcriptionally active HPV is rare. Verrucous carcinoma is a variant with bland cytology, warty appearance, locally destructive growth, and lack of metastasis when lacking a frankly invasive carcinoma component. Studies have shown variable rates of HPV DNA and p16 protein expression in such tumors but still have not clearly addressed if the virus has biological activity or clinical relevance in the positive cases. Department files were searched for verrucous neoplasms, including pure verrucous carcinoma, verrucous carcinoma with dysplasia or minimal invasion, and SCC arising in verrucous carcinoma (ie, having a major component of frankly invasive carcinoma). p16 immunohistochemistry, HPV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and E6/E7 mRNA reverse transcription PCR for high-risk HPV types were performed. Of the 49 cases, 6 (12.2%) showed strong (>50%) staining for p16. HPV DNA was detected in 7/49 (14.3%) cases, but only one case was positive for both p16, and HPV DNA. A total of 36 cases yielded sufficient RNA for RT-PCR (18 verrucous carcinomas, 13 atypical verrucous carcinomas, and 5 SCC arising in verrucous carcinoma). All 36 were negative, including the four p16-positive and three HPV DNA–positive tumors tested. Although a minority of verrucous carcinoma lesions are p16 and HPV DNA positive, transcriptionally active high-risk HPV is uniformly absent. These findings argue that verrucous carcinoma and its related squamous cell carcinomas are not HPV-driven tumors.
Training, Experience, and Child Care Providers' Perceptions of Inclusion.

Abstract Teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs have been shown to affect their behavior. This study investigated center- and home-based child care providers’ perceptions of inclusion-related needs and barriers and (a) the providers’ participation in disability-related training, and (b) their current experience working with children with disabilities. A mailed survey was used to gather demographic data, information on training and experience, and to rate a list of needs and concerns. Younger and African American caregivers working in center-based programs were more likely to attend training and serve children with disabilities. Participating in training and serving children with disabilities was positively associated with caregivers’ perceptions of needs and barriers, but not with child care providers’ attitudes. Results indicate that program and provider characteristics are related to participation in disability-related training and serving children with disabilities that, in turn, are related to perceptions of needs and barriers. Further investigation of the mechanisms associated with training and its influence on attitudes, beliefs and practice of parents and special education teachers, as well as child care providers is indicated.
Ionic mechanisms of electronic inhibition and concealed conduction in rabbit atrioventricular nodal myocytes.

BACKGROUNDThe term "concealed conduction" is used in electrocardiography when a proximal (atrial or ventricular) impulse penetrates the atrioventricular (AV) node but fails to traverse it completely. Its penetration into the node is inferred by its after effects on the propagation of succeeding impulses. Concealed AV nodal conduction is a well-established phenomenon, but its precise cellular and subcellular mechanisms are unknown. It has been suggested that concealed conduction results from a transient impairment of excitability caused by the subthreshold depolarization (ie, electrotonic inhibition) that is elicited downstream of the site of block.METHODS AND RESULTSWe studied the ionic mechanism of electrotonic inhibition and concealed conduction in single myocytes isolated from the rabbit AV node. Cells were paced using just-threshold current pulses delivered at a constant (basic) cycle length of 1 second. Appropriately timed interpolation of a conditioning pulse of depolarizing but subthreshold current...