cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of Cetamolol in Hypertensive Patients with Normal and Compromised Renal Function

The efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic parameters of a 30-mg oral dose of cetamolol hydrochloride (Betacor), a new synthetic cardioselective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, were evaluated by studying 32 hypertensive patients with normal renal function or different degrees of renal impairment. After administration of cetamolol, serial blood and urine sample collections, as well as vital sign determinations for the next 48 hours, were performed in all patients (with the exception of urine collection, which was not possible in hemodialysis patients). Results indicate that cetamolol's pharmacokinetic parameters are significantly changed in patients who have moderate or severe renal impairment. Specifically, as the severity of renal impairment increased, the maximum serum concentration (Cmax) and the area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) increased, whereas the renal clearance (CLR), urinary excretion, and total body clearance (CL) decreased. Additionally, significant direct or inverse correlations for AUC, CL, CLR, and urinary excretion with creatinine clearance (CLCR) were demonstrated. In the subjects with mild renal impairment, the trends toward changes in the cetamolol pharmacokinetic parameters were evident, though small and not statistically significant. Although anuric, patients on hemodialysis still retained the ability metabolically to clear cetamolol at a rate of about one-third of that found in normal subjects. Reductions in blood pressure and heart rate also were found to be greater and more prolonged as the severity of renal impairment increased. There were no adverse drug or toxic effects noted in any of the study patients. Based on these findings, dosing recommendations are suggested for patients who have compromised renal function because of the effects of renal function on the pharmacokinetics of cetamolol.
The anatomy of amnesia

Information about the organization of memory in the brain and how brain structures participate in memory functions has come largely from neuropsychological studies of amnesia. The success of this approach turns on the important observation that disorders of learning and memory in man can occur as a relatively pure neurological entity. In this article Larry Squires examines the evidence which links specific brain structures with memory.
The partitioning of cations between coexisting single- and multi-site phases with application to the assemblages: orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene-olivine

Abstract The partitioning of cations between coexisting phases is a function of the number of energetically distinct cation sites available within each phase and the exchange free energies between the intracrystalline sites, as well as an inter-phase exchange energy, temperature and composition. The form of the function describing partitioning between a single-site phase and a phase containing two or more energetically distinct sites can be deduced from the cation exchange free energies between pairs of sites. In some cases the cation exchange free energies between pairs of sites can be deduced explicitly from the form of the partitioning curve. If a phase, φ2, containing equal numbers of two energetically distinct sites, α and β, with ideal solution of cations A and B on both sites, coexists in equilibrium with an ideal one-site phase, φ1, the standard state free energy of intercrystalline exchange between φ1 and φ2, ΔGT0, is , where XA1 is the mol fraction of species A in 1 measured at X A φ 2 = 1 2 . The standard state free energy of intracrystalline exchange between α and β in φ2, ΔGE0, is for ΔGT0 ≠ 0, where ( ∂X A φ 1 ∂X A φ 2 )′ is the slope of the observed partition function at X A φ 2 = 1 2 . For ΔGT0 = 0, ΔE0 = 2RT arc cosh [2( ∂X A φ 1 ∂X A φ 2 )′ − 1]. If φ1 is non-ideal, the expressions for ΔGT0 and ΔE0 are somewhat more complex. In the double-site phase, an enthalpy of mixing term arises when intracrystalline partitioning is imposed upon ideal mixing on the individual sites. This enthalpy is directly related to the free energy of exchange between the sites by the expression, H mix = (x A β −X A α ) 2 ΔG E 0 , where XAα and XAβ are the sublattice mol fractions. A single site-double site model is proposed to explain the Fe-Mg partitioning observed at different temperatures in the natural and experimental assemblages orthopyroxene-clino-pyroxene and orthopyroxene-olivine.
K+ CURRENTS AND K+ CHANNEL MRNA IN CULTURED ATRIAL CARDIAC MYOCYTES (AT-1 CELLS)

Atrial tumor myocytes derived from transgenic mice (AT-1 cells) maintain a well-differentiated cardiac biochemical and histological phenotype. In addition, they beat spontaneously in culture and exhibit long action potentials whose repolarization resembles that observed in native mammalian myocytes. In this study, we identified the major depolarization-activated outward currents in AT-1 cells; also, the presence of mRNAs that encode outwardly conducting ion channels was determined by cloning from an AT-1 cDNA library or by Northern hybridization. Among K+ channel isoforms, Kv2.1, minK, and Kv1.4 were readily detected in tumors and at 1 day in culture. Their abundance remained relatively stable (twofold or less change) after 14 days. The major outward current in AT-1 cells is a delayed rectifier that displays prominent inward rectification, activates rapidly (eg, 182 +/- 27 milliseconds [mean +/- SEM] at + 20 mV, n = 12), exhibits biexponential deactivation kinetics, and is extremely sensitive to the methanesulfonanilide dofetilide (IC50, 12 nmol/L). These characteristics identify this current as IKr, a delayed rectifier observed only in cardiac cells. IKr in AT-1 cells displayed slow inactivation: dofetilide-sensitive deactivating tails were greater after 1-second than after 5-second pulses. When IKr was blocked by > or = 0.5 mumol/L dofetilide, time-independent current was usually recorded (50 of 65 experiments); rapidly inactivating (6 of 65) or slowly inactivating (9 of 65) outward currents were occasionally observed. We conclude that AT-1 cells express mRNAs encoding cardiac K+ channels and display a cardiac electrophysiological phenotype.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Heterogeneity of Human Lactoferrin Due to Differences in Sialic Acid Content

Extract: Differences in sialic acid content and not genetic polymorphism determine the observed electrophoretic heterogeneity of human lactoferrin, the iron-binding protein of external secretions. Lactoferrin molecules have at least one to four sialic acid residues. The asialo derivative is electrophoretically homogeneous.
Distribution of muscimol, QNB, and 5HT binding in the vertebrate diencephalon: a comparative study of eight mammals and three non-mammals.

The distribution of muscimol, quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB), and serotonin (5HT)-bound receptors in the diencephalon was examined by conventional receptor-binding methods in 11 species of amniotes including 2 reptiles, 1 bird, and 8 mammals, selected mostly on the basis of their differing last common ancestor with Anthropoids. We found that receptor binding can help define major subdivisions of the forebrain. The results show that in each of these species, the distribution of muscimol and QNB binding across the four major subdivisions of the diencephalon was consistent; densest in the dorsal thalamus, with hypothalamus and then either ventral thalamus or epithalamus with successively lesser amounts. However, the binding of serotonin (5HT) was most prevalent in the hypothalamus with equivalent amounts in the other diencephalic subdivisions. Myelin- and cell-stained materials showed that the pattern of high-density binding probably is not the secondary result of non-neurochemical factors such as differences in cell or neuropil density or in total available membrane. Perhaps more importantly, the receptor distributions suggest functional roles for major subdivisions across taxa. Results show that GABA-A and muscaranic Ach receptors are common in the dorsal diencephalon across vertebrate species and, therefore, are probably responsible for the gating of information to the cortex. Results show that serotonin is predominant in the hypothalamus. The lack of it in the dorsal thalamus indicates that it is probably not responsible for gating of information to the cortex. Results also show that in nonmammals the amount of GABA-A and muscaranic Ach differs from that found in mammals. For muscaranic Ach, the labeling in marsupials differs from that in placentals. Primates differ from other species (nonmammals and mammals combined) in the amount of 5HT found in the ventral diencephalon and the hypothalamus.
Biosynthesis of cytochrome f in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: analysis of the pathway in gabaculine-treated cells and in the heme attachment mutant B6

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii uses two c-type cytochromes for photosynthetic electron transfer: the thylakoid membrane-bound cytochrome f of the cytochrome b6f complex and the soluble cytochrome c6. Previously, a class of photosynthesis-minus, acetate-requiring mutants was identified which were deficient in both c-type cytochromes, and biochemical analyses of cytochrome c6 biosynthesis in these strains indicated that they were each blocked at the step of heme attachment to apocytochrome c6. In order to demonstrate that the deficiency in cytochrome f results from the same biochemical and genetic defect, cytochrome f biosynthesis was examined in the 136 mutant (a representative of this phenotypic class) and in spontaneous suppressor strains derived from 136. Pulse-radio-labeling experiments show that B6 synthesizes a form of cytochrome f that is rapidly degraded in vivo. This polypeptide is membrane associated and migrates with an electrophoretic mobility identical to that of standard apocytochrome f produced in vitro but slightly greater than that of standard holocytochrome f produced in vivo by wild-type cells. These findings suggest that the B6 strain is unable to convert apocytochrome f to holocytochrome f and that apocytochrome f is unstable in vivo. In the suppressed strains, accumulation of both holocytochrome f and holocytochrome c6 is restored. One suppressor mutation (strain B6R) displays uniparental inheritance whereas another (B6T3) displays Mendelian inheritance. In both cases, the three phenotypes, photosynthesis-plus, b6f + and cyt c6 + co-segregate in genetic crosses. This study therefore confirms that the dual cyt b6f/cytc6 − deficiency in B6 results from a single mutation that affects a step in holocytochrome formation that is common to the biosynthetic pathways of both plastidic c-type cytochromes. The study also confirms that pre-apocytochrome f synthesis, processing and association with the membrane is not dependent on heme attachment. Synthesis of cytochrome f does, however, appear to be dependent on heme availability. In cells depleted of tetrapyrrole pathway intermediates by gabaculine treatment, cytochrome f synthesis was significantly reduced. Since gabaculine treatment did not affect the stability of cytochrome f nor the accumulation of cytochrome f-encoding transcripts, the reduction is attributed to post-transcriptional regulation of preapocytochrome f synthesis via a pathway that is sensitive to the availability of heme or a tetrapyrrole pathway intermediate.
Genes with greater up‐regulation in the fracture callus of older rats with delayed healing

The rate of bone formation to bridge a fracture gap slows with age. To explore potential pathogenic mechanisms and possible negative-feedback responses by the skeleton to this reduced rate of healing, mRNA transcripts up-regulated more and/or longer were studied in older rats with delayed healing. Female rats at 6 (young), 26 (adult), and 52 (old) weeks of age received unilateral diaphyseal femoral fractures with intramedullary rod stabilization. At 0, 0.4, 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after fracture, the fracture site was harvested. Total RNA was extracted, cRNA was prepared, and the cRNA was hybridized to 54 Affymetrix U34A microarrays (three arrays/age/time point). Transcripts for 180 genes were identified as up-regulated more and/or longer in old rats with delayed fracture healing. Of these, 60 were selected for more intense review. Significantly more and/or longer expression was seen in genes related to myofibroblasts, cell proliferation, calcification inhibition, TGF-β activity, lipid metabolism, cell adhesion, and the cytoskeleton. Further study is needed to determine if these up-regulated transcripts are related to the pathological processes which slow healing or are related to attempts by the fracture tissue to stimulate bone to bridge the fracture gap. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:488–494, 2007
Acetaminophen: More harm than good for chickenpox?

Study objective To determine whether acetaminophen affects the duration or severity of childhood varicella. Design : Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting : Office- and hospital-based pediatric practices. Patients : Seventy-two children between 1 and 12 years of age entered the study. One child was withdrawn because of high fever, and three children did not complete the study; 31 received placebo and 37 received acetaminophen. Interventions : Acetaminophen, 10 mg/kg/dose, was given at 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm for 4 days. Placebo was given to the control group. Itching, appetite, activity, and overall condition were measured for 6 days. The time to last vesicle formation, time to total scabbing, and time to total healing were measured until complete resolution of the exanthem. Measurements and main results : The following results were better in the placebo group ( p Conclusions : These results provide evidence that acetaminophen does not alleviate symptoms in children with varicella and may prolong illness.
Power optimization for photovoltaic micro-converters using multivariable gradient-based extremum-seeking

It is well-known that distributed architectures such as micro-converters and micro-inverters for photovoltaic (PV) systems can recover between 10%–30% of annual performance loss or more that is caused by partial shading and/or module mismatch. In this work, we present a novel multivariable gradient-based extremum-seeking (ES) design to extract maximum power from an arbitrary micro-converter configuration of PV modules, that includes cascade and parallel connections. Conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) schemes for micro-converters (where each PV module is coupled to its own DC-DC converter) employ a decentralized control, with one peak seeking scheme per each PV module, thereby requiring one control loop and two sensors per module (one each for current and voltage). By contrast, the scheme that we present employs a single control loop with just two sensors, one for the overall array output current and the other one for the DC bus voltage. This centralized design provides more flexibility in tuning the parameters of the controller, and also takes into account interactions between PV modules. The computational effort of our design is not higher than that of the conventional scheme, and simulation results using Simulink's SimPowerSystems toolbox show that our proposed design outperforms the conventional one. Thus, our proposed design offers two benefits: (i) the balance-of-system (BOS) cost reduction as a result of the significantly lower number of sensors, and (ii) improved performance, both contributing towards reduced average cost/watt, and enhancing the economic viability of solar.
Thermal Modeling of a Multilayer Insulation System

An analytical investigation of a novel multilayer insulation concept was conducted using an extended analytical model. This model was developed to accommodate a multilayer screen wire insulation system with interstitial shim layers. The goal of this study was to provide a simplified model for evaluating this insulation system, which included either a single or multilayer composite structure in order to predict optimal performance. With the present model, the feasibility and performance characteristics of the insulation concept were predicted. The thermal predictions have demonstrated a very good comparison with previously published experimental data. By adding a radiative resistance to the model, improved performance predictions of overall thermal resistance/conductance were possible, leading to the extension of single layer analytical model to multiple-layered cases. From the parametric study, the key thermophysical property of the screen wire was found to be the wire's thermal conductivity. The present model provided excellent performance prediction capability for other screen wire materials, and these results were also validated with a comparison to previously published experimental results.
Anti-interleukin-10 antibody restores burn-induced defects in T-cell function☆☆☆

Abstract Background . Studies have shown that susceptibility to sepsis after severe injury correlated with reduced production of T-helper 1 (Th1) cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2] and interferon-γ [IFN-γ]) and a persistence of T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). The mechanisms responsible for this effect are not clear. We used a T-dependent antigen to study both the effect of burn injury on antigen-specific Th functions in vivo and the effect of anti-IL-10 antibody on these functions. Methods . Male A/J mice were anesthetized and given a 25% scald burn or a sham burn. On day 0 all mice were immunized with 100 μg trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNP) haptenated ovalbumin (TNP-OVA) in complete Freund's adjuvant. Mice (10 per group) were given 250 μg monoclonal rat antimurine IL-10 antibody (anti-IL-10 MAB) or control rat immunoglobin G (IgG) on day 0 and 100 μg anti-IL-10 MAB or IgG on day 2. On day 10 the mice were killed to obtain serum and spleen cells. TNP-specific serum antibody isotype titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Splenocyte proliferation and cytokine production in response to TNP-OVA or to anti-CD3 MAB were determined by tritiated thymidine incorporation and by ELISA, respectively. Results . Burn injury resulted in depressed levels of the TNP-specific IgG2a antibody isotype (Th1 dependent), whereas TNP-specific IgG1 and IgE (Th2 dependent) levels were not decreased in burn versus sham burn mice. Anti-IL-10 MAB but not IgG restored the IgG2a response. Burn injury also resulted in reduced TNP-OVA-specific proliferation of splenocytes, whereas anti-CD3 proliferation was equivalent in burn and sham mice. TNP-OVA-specific IL-2 and IFN-γ production were significantly reduced by burn injury. Anti-IL-10 MAB restored TNP-OVA-specific proliferation and antigen-specific IL-2 and interferon-γ production by splenocytes from burn mice. Conclusions . Burn injury induces the loss of antigen-specific Th1 cell function, and IL-10 acts as a trigger to down-regulate Th1 activity after injury.
Learning the Kinetics of Amyloid β Pore in Alzheimer's Disease Pathology

Increased synthesis of self-aggregating amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides caused by abnormal processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Aβ mediates it's effect by disrupting the integrity of cell membrane and interacting with plasma membrane channels. The soluble form of Aβ aggregates into calcium (Ca2+) - permeable pores in the membrane. Aβ pores promote uncontrolled increase in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration by allowing Ca2+ influx to the cell, in addition to enhancing the activity of Ca2+- permeable channels on the plasma membrane and intracellular compartments. The Ca2+ influx through Aβ pores upsets the otherwise fine-tuned micrometer-sized elementary Ca2+ release events and whole-cell Ca2+ response. The disrupted Ca2+ signaling in turn has the potential to alter cell function in many ways.Here, we have used computational modeling in conjunction with TIRF microscopy to study the function of Aβ pores in AD cells. TIRF microscopy was used to image Ca2+ flux through thousands of Aβ pores in parallel at the millisecond scale and single channel resolution. The fluorescence time-series from individual pores was idealized by extending the Maximum Likelihood-based method developed for separating signal from baseline in noisy quantal data (Bruno et al. 2013, Biophys. J. 105:68). The idealized data was used to developed data-driven models for the kinetics of Aβ pore at different stages of it's life. In addition to providing deep insights into the kinetics of Aβ pore, this study demonstrates that the massive imaging data obtained from thousands of channels in parallel using TIRF microscopy can be utilized for single molecule modeling in the same manner as electrical patch-clamp data. Employing the optical patch-clamp data for Markov chain modeling has the added advantage of the experiments being done under physiological conditions.
Inhibition of pre-mRNA splicing by antisense RNA in vitro: effect of RNA containing sequences complementary to exons.

The objective of the experiments described in this paper was to test the potential of antisense RNAs complementary to the internal portion of an intron to inhibit the splicing process and to determine the mechanism of such inhibition. The results obtained indicate that RNA fragments complementary to the internal portion of an intron can effectively inhibit the splicing of pre-mRNA. Inhibition was observed only with antisense RNA complementary to pre-mRNA suggesting that the inhibitory effect was due to the formation of a hybrid with the corresponding portion of the pre-mRNA's intron. The observed inhibition was not due to interference with possible intron elements essential for the splicing process, for the deletion of the sequences complementary to inhibitory antisense RNA from the corresponding pre-mRNA molecule did not affect the efficiency of a splicing reaction, and the addition of antisense RNA to pre-mRNA mutants carrying such deletions did not result in any inhibition. Our results indicate that the observed inhibition is a function of the length of the antisense RNA expressed as a fraction of an intron with which it interacts when antisense RNA is modified by incorporation of a "hinge" element, it loses its inhibitory potential suggesting that the inhibitory effect is probably due to limitation of conformational flexibility of an intron.
An in Vitro Diffusion Model for the Study of Calcification of Bovine Pericardium Tissue

Bovine pericardium (BP) is extensively used for the production of heart valve bioprostheses. BP has excellent mechanical properties but a limited lifespan because of intrinsic subsurface calcification in vivo. In this study, the in vitro mineralization of BP was investigated by a novel diffusion cell model. In two sets of experiments, glutaraldehyde-treated BP membranes were placed between two compartments, both of which contained calcium phosphate solutions made by equilibration of octacalcium phosphate (Exp I) or dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (Exp II) in phosphoric acid. The movement of calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), and protons through the BP membrane was followed throughout the diffusion process. Histology, scanning electron microscopy, wet chemical analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray analyses provided good evidence of subsurface mineralization of BP that resembled in vivo mineral deposition. Energy dispersive x-ray microanalyses found a Ca/P heterogeneity of the early subsurface mineral that formed in the membrane. The use of a diffusion cell to model BP calcification under well-characterized conditions has led to in vitro mineralization that more closely matches that observed in vivo. The results suggest that this in vitro diffusion model can be used to study the mechanism of pathological mineralization. This model has the potential to provide rapid, inexpensive, basic information about the mineralization process.
Sea-Surface Drift Currents Induced by Wind and Waves

Abstract Wind-induced shell currents and wave-induced mass transports at various fetches of both clean and slick sea surfaces are separately estimated. At the clean surface, the ratio between wind-induced current and wind velocity decreases, while the ratio between wave-induced current and wind velocity increases, with increasing fetch. The total surface drift current, the sum of wind- and wave-induced components, decreases gradually with increasing fetch and approaches 3.1% of wind velocity at long fetches, comparing very favorably with measured values. At a slick surface, the wind-induced drift current is reduced due to a decrease of the wind-stress coefficient, and the wave-induced mass transport is increased due to an additional wave damping. As a result of these opposite effects, the total surface drift current at a slick surface differs much less significantly than individual components from that at a clean surface. It is also suggested that the surface mass transport can be calculated simply from c...
Post‐prostatectomy incontinence: Part II. The results of treatment based on urodynamic evaluation

One hundred seven men with post-prostatectomy incontinence, were initially evaluated with in-depth urodynamics. Fifty-four of these men underwent treatment based on urodynamic findings and were available for follow-up ranging from 12 to 84 months (mean 40 months). Treatment included anticholinergic therapy for patients with bladder dysfunction, artificial sphincter placement for those with only pure sphincteric insufficiency, or anticholinergics followed by an artificial sphincter in those with combined bladder dysfunction and sphincteric insufficiency. Excellent objective responses were obtained after therapy based on urodynamic findings. Forty-seven (87%) of the 54 treated men became “socially continent” (using two pads or less per day). Prior to treatment, 38 men used pads for incontinence with a mean of five pads per day, and the other 16 wore external catheters. With therapy based on urodynamic findings, no patients required an external catheter, and the mean number of pads used per day decreased to one. Urodynamic evaluation followed by appropriate treatment based on urodynamic findings is effective in significantly improving or eliminating post-prostatectomy incontinence. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The $\chi^2$ Test of Goodness of Fit

This paper contains an expository discussion of the chi square test of goodness of fit, intended for the student and user of statistical theory rather than for the expert. Part I describes the historical development of the distribution theory on which the test rests. Research bearing on the practical application of the test--in particular on the minimum expected number per class and the construction of classes--is discussed in Part II. Some varied opinions about the extent to which the test actually is useful to the scientist are presented in Part III. Part IV outlines a number of tests that have been proposed as substitutes for the chi square test (the $\omega^2$ test, the smooth test, the likelihood ratio test) and Part V a number of supplementary tests (the run test, tests based on low moments, subdivision of chi square into components).
Cytologic examination of aspirated material from cysts or cystlike lesions.

Abstract A number of cysts and cystlike lesions were examined by the use of cytologic techniques on aspirated material. Pathognomonic smears were obtained in a number of instances. It is suggested that this technique might permit a provisional diagnosis for the many cysts and cystlike lesions of the jaws.
MEASUREMENT OF PROTON INELASTIC CROSS SECTIONS BETWEEN 77 MeV AND 133 MeV

Abstract The proton inelastic cross sections of carbon, aluminium, copper, silver and lead have been measured in the energy range from 77 to 133 MeV using the external beam of the Harvard cyclotron. The measurements are made with a specially designed range telescope located in the external beam of the cyclotron. The cross sections are nearly constant in the energy range covered and average 0.225±0.005b for carbon, 0.423±0.009b for aluminium, 0.763±0.021b for copper, 1.060±0.025b for silver and 1.743±0.040b for lead. The lead and to some extent the silver inelastic cross sections seem to be decreasing with increasing energy within the 3% experimental error. The proton inelastic cross sections of the heavier elements, when corrected for the Coulomb repulsion of the nucleus, are significantly higher than the neutron inelastic cross sections. Optical model calculations can be interpreted as indicating a difference in the spatial distribution of protons and neutrons in these nuclei.
Teaching Business Ethics: Is There a Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality?

In light of the continued erosion of business ethics in America, the ongoing question is what are the nation's business schools doing to prepare ethically responsible future leaders of industry and government? This paper reports the findings of a survey mailed to every program accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The curriculum treatment of business ethics is identified at the undergraduate and the graduate levels in public as well as in private colleges and universities. In addition, the paper presents the status (required versus elective), credits, and enrollment patterns associated with institutions offering a special course whose primary focus is the ethical or moral component of business decisions. Depending on one's perspective, the results range from “encouraging” to “disappointing” and suggest that more can and should be done within the curriculum of American post-secondary higher education.
NSLS Marks Silver Anniversary

November 22, 2007, marked the 25th anniversary of the National Synchrotron Light Source's (NSLS) dedication. During the last quarter-century, Brookhaven National Laboratory's NSLS has made significant contributions to the field of synchrotron radiation, ranging from the Chasman-Green Lattice, novel insertion devices, and free electron laser research, to the development of numerous synchrotron experimental techniques and instrumentation.
Hyperglycemia and hyperglucagonemia following neurotensin administration

Abstract Neurotensin (NT), a tridecapeptide of bovine hypothalamic origin, was injected into anesthetized rats to clarify the mechanism of its hyperglycemic effects. A dose-related hyperglycemic response was observed at 15 and 30 min after intraarterial injection of 2.5 and 5 μg/kg. Hyperglucagonemia was present with the higher dose and, in some experiments, with the lower dose. Minimal insulin responses were observed. In contrast, injection of NT into the lateral cerebral ventricle did not increase plasma glucose, insulin, or glucagon. Adrenal autotransplantation partially inhibited the hyperglycemia, markedly enhanced the insulin response, and did not affect the hyperglucagonemia. NT effects were unaltered by propranolol (2 mg/kg) whereas the effects of phentolamine (2 mg/kg) were similar to those of adrenal autotransplantation. Somatostatin infusion (1.5 μg/kg/min) blocked the glucagon and insulin responses to NT but only partially suppressed the hyperglycemia. The results suggest that NT hyperglycemia is mediated by effects on the pancreatic islets, the adrenal medulla, and possibly the liver, though effects on the sympathetic nervous system have not been excluded. The physiologic significance of NT in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism remains to be determined.
A model and design equations for the intermittent sand filter

Abstract Design parameters based upon influent suspended (SS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentrations and hydraulic loading rates were evaluated. Functional relationships and coefficients describing the efficiency of the ISF process were developed based upon laboratory data from filter units containing 0.17 mm effective sand size (e′) media. Adequate SS and VSS removals were observed for the 0.17 mm e′ sand filters. Field data from other studies using filter units containing 0.17, 0.40, and 0.68 mm e′ sand were also evaluated using the model. Sand sizes larger than 0.17 mm e′ did not produce effluents satisfying a federal secondary standard of 30 mg/1 of SS when the filter influent suspended solids were predominantly algae.
Intact parathyroid hormone levels in renal insufficiency.

To define the onset of the rise in intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in renal insufficiency, we conducted a cross-sectional study of parameters of mineral metabolism in patients with varying degrees of renal impairment. Using an immunoradiometric assay to measure intact PTH levels, we found elevations in intact PTH levels as creatinine clearance approaches 60 ml/minute (serum creatinine near 1.8) and a significant inverse relationship between indices of renal function and intact PTH levels (r=-0.60, P<0.001 for intact PTH and creatinine clearance). Calcium and phosphate levels correlate less strongly with the degree of hyperparathyroidism (r=-0.39, P<0.001 for total calcium; r=0.31, P<0.05 for phosphate). As a group, only patients with severe renal failure (creatinine clearance <20 ml/minute) had 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels below normal (11±4 [SEM] pg/dl, normal range 15–60). Intact and n-terminal PTH measurements correlate well in this patient population with varying degrees of renal insufficiency (r=0.9, P<0.001). Intact PTH can be elevated in patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency, thus efforts to prevent the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism in renal failure should be undertaken early in the course of renal insufficiency.
Synchrotron-radiation-induced deposition of boron and boron carbide films from boranes and carboranes II: Nido-2,3-diethyl-2,3-dicarbahexaborane

Boron-carbon thin films have been successfully deposited on Si (111) from the synchrotron radiation induced decomposition of the nido-2,3-diethyl-dicarbahexaborane, (CH3CH2)2C2B4H6. There are indications that molecular precursor states to complete dissociation exist, and that dissociation is the rate limiting step. As with deposition of boron from decaborane, there is an activation barrier to dissociation of diethylcarborane on Si (111). The composition of the growing film, as determined by the boron to carbon ratio, is strongly dependent upon the boron concentration at the surface of the substrate. The boron concentration of the film increases with increasing film thickness.
Stochastic analysis of CNFET circuits using enhanced logical effort model in the presence of metallic tubes

CNFETs have potentials to replace CMOS devices due to their higher current drive capability, ballistic transport, lesser power delay product and better thermal stability. The presence of metallic Carbon Nanotubes (m-CNTs) is one of the major fabrication challenges as it negatively impacts the performance, power and yield of CNFET-based circuits. We verified on larger circuit a newly developed capacitance-based Logical Effort (LE) model for ideal CNFETs, and adopted it to estimate the delay of CNFET-based circuits with the variation of the number of tubes in the channel. The variation results from the initial presence of metallic tubes, which are next removed by one of the known removal techniques. Our model results in fairly accurate delay estimation with maximum error less than 5% for a set of tested CNFET circuits.
Carbon sources in the DIII-D tokamak

Physical and chemical sputtering in the DIII-D divertors are distinguished by comparisons of emission rates of C I, CD, and C 2 radiation and by spectral profiles of C I lines. When flux measurements indicate chemical sputtering dominates, the effective C I temperatures (best fit to a thermal distribution) tend to lie in the range 1.0 ±0.2 eV, as expected for atoms coming from molecular dissociation. When P inj > 7 MW and n e < 5 × 10 13 cm -3 , molecular emissions are very weak, if present at all, and effective C I temperatures reach values 5-7 eV. In these cases, detailed examinations of the C I line profiles often reveal that they are asymmetric with shifted peaks. Such characteristics are consistent with expectations for physical sputtering, and attempts have been made to understand the line shapes by modeling them using Thompson flux distributions.
Prophylactic effect of antibiotic lock solution on bacteremia related to use of uncuffed hemodialysis catheters

Prophylactic effect of antibiotic lock solution on bacteremia related to use of uncuffed hemodialysis catheters
The Optical Array: An Alternative to Scattering or Extinction for Airborne Particle Size Determination

Abstract An electro-optical technique is described for the measurement of the size distributions of cloud and precipitation particles. The technique utilizes a linear array of photodetectors as a size measuring grid in a typical shadowgraph-type imaging system. Several instruments have been designed and are described in various stages of testing and development. A thorough description of one such instrument and preliminary field data are given.
An acoustic Casimir effect

Abstract Theoretical and experimental results are presented for the force law between two rigid, parallel plates due to the radiation pressure of band-limited acoustic noise. Excellent agreement is shown between theory and experiment. While these results constitute an acoustic analog for the Casimir effect, an important difference is that band-limited noise can cause the force to be attractive or repulsive as a function of the distance of separation of the plates. Applications of the acoustic Casimir effect to background noise transduction and non-resonant acoustic levitation are suggested.
Delivery of multiple transgenes to plant cells.

The use of transgenic technologies for the genetic manipulation of plant species has had a profound impact on basic plant research and biotechnology. Overexpression of heterogonous genes, for example, is widely used for the introduction of novel traits into transgenic crop plants. Overexpression can
The Role of Parasympathetic Modulation of the Reentrant Arrhythmic Substrate in the Genesis of Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia

The influence of parasympathetic activity on the reentrant arrhythmic substrate in the genesis of sustained ventricular tachycardia remains unclear. To assess this influence, we studied the heart rate variability in 59 patients referred for invasive electrophysiological testing. In addition, the presence of late potentials and high grade ventricular ectopy, and the left ventricular ejection fraction was determined. The 28 patients with inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia were found to have lower heart rate variability by time- and frequency-domain measurements over 24 hours when compared to the 31 subjects who were noninducible. PNN50 was 4% in the inducible patients, whereas it was 9% in the subjects who were noninducible (P = 0.03). Similarly, HFP24H was 9 and 14 msec, respectively (P = 0.02). MAXHFP1H also differed (20 vs 27 msec [P = 0.04]) but not MINHFP1H (5 vs 6 msec). There was no association between heart rate variability and late potentials, degree of ventricular ectopy, or left ventricular ejection fraction. Thus, vagal tone does not appear to correlate with the presence of late potentials, ventricular ectopy, or left ventricular dysfunction. Low mean as well as maximal vagal tone, in contrast to minimal vagal tone, predicts inducibility of sustained ventricular tachycardia. Our data suggest that the inability to modulate parasympathetic tone appears to be an important determinant in the genesis of reentrant sustained ventricular tachycardia.
Chelation of Calcium by Lactose: Its Role in Transport Mechanisms

Lactose, like other sugars and polyols, prevents or delays the precipitation of calcium ion in the presence of bicarbonate buffer. That an uncharged calcium-lactose complex is formed was demonstrated by the use of paper electrophoresis and of calcium-45 as a label for the complex. Enhancement of the intestinal absorption of calcium ion by sugars could result from a complex of low molecular weight.
Sublinear estimation of entropy and information distances

In many data mining and machine learning problems, the data items that need to be clustered or classified are not arbitrary points in a high-dimensional space, but are distributions, that is, points on a high-dimensional simplex. For distributions, natural measures are not ep distances, but information-theoretic measures such as the Kullback-Leibler and Hellinger divergences. Similarly, quantities such as the entropy of a distribution are more natural than frequency moments. Efficient estimation of these quantities is a key component in algorithms for manipulating distributions. Since the datasets involved are typically massive, these algorithms need to have only sublinear complexity in order to be feasible in practice.We present a range of sublinear-time algorithms in various oracle models in which the algorithm accesses the data via an oracle that supports various queries. In particular, we answer a question posed by Batu et al. on testing whether two distributions are close in an information-theoretic sense given independent samples. We then present optimal algorithms for estimating various information-divergences and entropy with a more powerful oracle called the combined oracle that was also considered by Batu et al. Finally, we consider sublinear-space algorithms for these quantities in the data-stream model. In the course of doing so, we explore the relationship between the aforementioned oracle models and the data-stream model. This continues work initiated by Feigenbaum et al. An important additional component to the study is considering data streams that are ordered randomly rather than just those which are ordered adversarially.
Role of tyrosinase as the determinant of pigmentation in cultured human melanocytes

Variations in human pigmentation among different racial groups are due to differences in the production and deposition of melanin in the skin. Although melanin synthesis is known to be controlled by the rate-limiting enzyme tyrosinase, the role of this enzyme as the principal determinant of skin pigmentation is unclear. Results from studies with human melanocyte cultures derived from different racial skin types reveal an excellent correlation between the melanin content of melanocyte cultures and the in situ activity of tyrosinase. Melanocytes derived from black skin have up to 10 times more tyrosinase activity and produce up to 10 times more melanin than melanocytes derived from white skin. However, the higher level of tyrosinase activity in melanocytes derived from black skin is not due to a greater abundance of tyrosinase. Results from immunotitration experiments and Western immunoblots reveal that the number of tyrosinase molecules present in white-skin melanocytes may equal the number found in highly pigmented black skin types. Moreover, approximately equivalent levels of tyrosmase mRNA are present in white and black skin cell strains. In contrast, melanocytes derived from red-haired neonates with low tyrosinase activity contain low numbers of tyrosinase molecules and low levels of tyrosinase mRNA. These results show that tyrosinase activity and melanin production in most light-skinned people is controlled primarily by a post-translational regulation of pre-existing enzyme and not by regulating tyrosinase gene activity. In contrast, melanocytes from red-haired (type I) people have low levels of tyrosinase protein and mRNA, suggesting that transcriptional activity of the tyrosinase gene is suppressed.
Long-term administration of calcitonin for hypercalcemia secondary to recurrent parathyroid carcinoma.

A patient with hypercalcemia secondary to recurrent parathyroid carcinoma was treated for 44 days with intramuscular and intravenous injections of porcine calcitonin and on day 45 with synthetic salmon calcitonin. There was no sustained control of serum calcium during this period, but the concentration decreased transiently with intravenous administration of both types of calcitonin. No serial measurements of serum calcium were made following intramuscular administration; therefore, it is not known whether this route of administration produced similar results. Dosage and route of administration of calcitonin warrant further investigation in controlling hypercalcemia secondary to parathyroid hormone excess. No difference in the degree or duration of decreasing the serum calcium concentration was noted following comparable doses of intravenous infusions of porcine calcitonin and of synthetic salmon calcitonin on separate days. Parathyroid hormone levels measured during the infusion of synthetic salmon calcitonin remained elevated at essentially the same level before and after the infusion. A steady decline in urinary phosphorous excretion during the treatment period could not be explained with certainty.
Towards smart polymeric drug carriers: self-assembling γ-substituted polycaprolactones with highly tunable thermoresponsive behavior

Synthesis and ring opening polymerization of a new γ-substituted e-caprolactone monomer, γ-(2-methoxyethoxy)-e-caprolactone is reported. Amphiphilic diblock copolymers comprised of poly[γ-(2-methoxyethoxy)-e-caprolactone] and thermosensitive poly{γ-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy-e-caprolactone} as the hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks, respectively, were prepared. The copolymers exhibited fully biodegradable backbones and highly tunable thermoresponsive behavior in the range of 31–43 °C. Additionally, the copolymers were shown to self-assemble in aqueous media above their respective critical micelle concentrations, on the order of 10−2 g L−1. Due to their thermosensitive, self-assembling, and biodegradable properties, these copolymers demonstrate potential for the use in polymeric micellar drug delivery systems.
Correlated activity in the spinocerebellum is related to spinal timing generators

Encoding of information by neuronal populations implies a correlation of neural activity across cells. Therefore recent evidence for correlated activity in different parts of the nervous system has been interpreted as a possible mechanism for functional coupling or coordinated information processing. We compared the activity in the mossy fiber projection, the dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) with the responses of Purkinje cells in the spinocerebellum for evidence of correlated activity. A principal component analysis of post-stimulus spike activity revealed temporal patterns of correlated Purkinje cell activity in all parts of the spinocerebellum evoked by rapid, small amplitude passive joint rotations in anesthetized cats. The same basic temporal patterns were induced in DSCT neurons by joint rotations and also by direct nerve stimulation, showing that the patterning resulted from centrally generated rather than peripheral timing. The evidence implies that spinal timing generators, activated by mechanical stimulation of the ipsilateral hindlimb, transmit temporally correlated activity to the cerebellum via spinocerebellar pathways resulting in a coherent modulation of activity in diverse areas of the cerebellar cortex thereby providing the basis for a functional coupling.
Calculations related to quantum stochasticity, an example of overlapping avoided crossings

In plots of eigenvalues of the Schrodinger equation versus a perturbation parameter, many avoided crossings are found in the classically stochastic regime for the system studied. None were observed in the classically quasi-periodic regime. Overlapping avoided crossings are suggested as a mechanism for making the vibrational wavefunction a “statistical” one.
The RbSr systematics in acid-leached clay minerals

Abstract Hydrochloric-acid leaching of four illites, two montmorillonites and one each of mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite and vermiculite increases both the Rb Sr and 87 Sr 86 Sr ratios. Calculated RbSr dates are higher for the acid-treated samples than those for the corresponding untreated samples. The RbSr dates for three illites are 10–15% higher than and, for one illite, nearly in agreement with their commonly accepted stratigraphic ages. Leachate 87 Sr 86 Sr ratios for the illites range from 0.7124 to 0.7277, the lowest value being found for the illite with the highest percentage of expandable layers. Leaching of Sr from the clay minerals may produce only a small change in 87 Sr 86 Sr ratio of the carbonate phase during dissolution of limestones containing less than 20% clay minerals.