cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compromise of beneficial effects of reperfusion on myocardium supplied by vessels with critical residual stenosis.

Abstract Coronary thrombolysis in patients frequently unmasks high grade residual stenosis. To determine whether beneficial effects of reperfusion are compromised by critical residual coronary stenosis, 14 dogs were instrumented with an external left anterior descending coronary artery balloon occluder, Doppler flow probe and adjustable screw clamp. In eight of the dogs, critical stenosis (abolition of reactive hyperemia after a 20 s occlusion; 95.7 ± 1.0% cross-sectional area reduction) was induced before occlusion and maintained. In the control group (n = 6), no stenosis was induced Each dog was subjected to 2 h of myocardial ischemia followed by balloon deflation and 24 h of reperfusion. Myocardial blood flow assessed with microspheres was similar during balloon inflation in both groups and indicative of profound ischemia. Transmural blood flow to the reperfused zone assessed 1 min after balloon deflation was significantly greater in control dogs without residual stenosis (383% of normal compared with 120% of normal in dogs with stenosis) (p Thus, residual critical coronary stenosis compromises nutritional perfusion and salvage of reperfused myocardium after recanallzation. These observations underscore the need for prompt identification of patients with high grade residual stenosis early after coronary thrombolysis and the potential value of angioplasty or coronary surgery in selected patients soon after initial recanalization.
On monadic domination in Leibniz’s metaphysics

Etude de la relation de domination et de subordination des monades qui rend compte de la composition des substances et de la realite des corps dans la metaphysique de Leibniz. Au-dela de l'interpretation de R. M. Adams, l'A. montre que la domination monadique ne s'explique pas seulement en termes de perception et d'appetit, mais s'exerce par une influence ideale sur la monade subordonnee.
Nothing in ethics makes sense except in the light of evolution? Natural goodness, normativity, and naturalism

Foot (2001), Hursthouse (1999), and Thompson (2008), along with other philosophers, have argued for a metaethical position, the natural goodness approach, that claims moral judgments are, or are on a par with, teleological claims made in the biological sciences. Specifically, an organism’s flourishing is characterized by how well they function as specified by the species to which they belong. In this essay, I first sketch the Neo-Aristotelian natural goodness approach. Second, I argue that critics who claim that this sort of approach is inconsistent with evolutionary biology due to its species essentialism are incorrect. Third, I contend that combining the natural goodness account of natural-historical judgments with our best account of natural normativity, the selected effects theory of function, leads to implausible moral judgments. This is so if selected effects function are understood in terms of evolution by natural selection, but also if they are characterized in terms of cultural evolution. Thus, I conclude that proponents of the natural goodness approach must either embrace non-naturalistic vitalism or troubling moral revisionism.
Is Coping Style Linked to Emotional States in Heart Failure Patients

Background: Negative emotional states such as anxiety and depression are associated with increased mortality and morbidity in cardiac patients. Clinicians who counsel patients with heart disease often focus on enhancing coping skills to reduce negative emotions. Methods: To identify the relationship between 3 coping styles (active behavioral, active cognitive, and avoidance) and emotional states, we studied 84 advanced heart failure patients and used the Dealing with Illness-R Checklist to measure coping and the Profile of Mood States to measure emotional distress. Results: Patients who reported greater use of active behavioral coping demonstrated less fatigue and more vigor than patients who reported lower use of that coping style. When demographic and clinical variables were taken into account, the avoidance coping style was associated with significantly higher anxiety, anger, depression, confusion, and fatigue in patients with advanced heart failure. Conclusions: Incorporating interventions that support active behavioral coping in lieu of avoidance coping may improve the emotional well-being of patients with heart failure.
Cor pulmonale: its diagnosis and management.

The diagnosis of cor pulmonale, heart disease secondary to lung disease, calls for close cooperation between the chest physician and the cardiologist. Inasmuch as the cardiac involvement is rooted in the underlying pulmonary dysfunction, therapy-if it is to be successful-must be directed at both pulmonary and cardiac aspects of the disease. I shall go even further and say that treatment of the cardio-circulatory complications will be successful only insofar as the nature and extent of the pulmonary disease is known and its consequences fully appreciated. I should like to make a distinction at this point between “primary” cor pulmonale (disease of the right side of the heart in which pulmonary hypertension is the basic lesion), and “secondary” cor pulmonale, in which the basic lesion lies not in the pulmonary circuit but beyond, in the left side of the heart. The damming back of blood into the pulmonary circulation because of obstructive lesions in the left side of the heart-mitral sten� osis, constrictive pericarditis resembling mitral stenosis in its effects, or tumor of the atrium, to mention but a few-may produce congestion of the pulmonary capillaries which, if not corrected, may progress into pulmonary edema and hypoventilation of the air sacs, thus heightening pulmonary arterial tension and affecting the right side of the heart. In this paper, I am not concerned with such “secondary” cor pulmonale, which must be attacked by correcting a co-existing lesion in the left side of the heart. Let me mention, however, that by far the most common diagnostic error made in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema with heart failure is to overlook associated heart disease due to other causes. Because of the nature of cor pulmonale, the murmur of a valvular lesion may be obscured, and the possibility of ischemic heart disease may be difficult to exclude. Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension In the patient with obvious failure of the right side of the heartin whom edema, distended neck veins, ascites, hepatomegaly and cyanosis are present-the diagnosis of cor pulmonale is made without hesitation. However, enlargement of the right ventricle is often a late sign in patients with cor pulmonale: In the absence of heart failure the heart size is likely to be normal; even if present, enlargement of the various cardiac chambers cannot be determined by physical examination in the patient with severe chronic pulmonary disease. The presence of an accentuated pulmonary second sound and a forceful subxiphoid pulse should be viewed with suspicion.’ Probably the most important clinical symptom of pulmonary hyper
Sex-specific splicing and polyadenylation of dsx pre-mRNA requires a sequence that binds specifically to tra-2 protein in vitro.

Abstract Somatic sex determination in Drosophila involves a hierarchy of regulated alternative pre-mRNA processing. Female-specific splicing and/or polyadenylation of doublesex (dsx) pre-mRNA, the final gene in this pathway, requires transformer (tra) and transformer-2 (tra-2) proteins. The mechanism by which these proteins regulate RNA processing has not been characterized. In this paper we show that tra-2 produced in Eacherichia coll binds specifically to a site within the female-specific exon of dsx pre-mRNA. This site, which contains six copies of a 13 nucleotide repeat, is required not only for female-specific splicing, but also for female-specific polyadenylation. These observations suggest that tra-2 is a positive regulator of dsx pre-mRNA processing.
Optimal light dose for interstitial photodynamic therapy in treatment for malignant brain tumors.

Background and objective The primary goal was to determine the maximal tolerable light dose that can be administered to patients undergoing multifiber interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT) of malignant brain tumors at a fixed dose of photosensitizer. Study design/materials and methods Eighteen patients (12 glioblastomas, 5 anaplastic astrocytoma, and 1 malignant ependymoma) were included in this study. The total light dose delivered to the tumor was divided into three groups of six patients each: 1,500-3,700 J, 3,700-4,400 J, and 4,400-5,900 J. Results Five patients (all glioblastomas) demonstrated postoperative permanent neurologic deficits. None of the patients in 1,500-3,700 J, two patients in 3,700-4,400 J, and three patients in 4,400-5,900 J had neurologic deficits. Glioblastomas recurred more often than anaplastic astrocytomas. Increasing the light dose did not make a difference in local/regional control of glioblastomas. Patients with anaplastic astrocytomas survived (mean, 493 days) longer than patients with glioblastomas (mean, 116.5 days) after PDT. Four patients had prolonged survival (more than a year) after PDT. Conclusions Increasing the total light dose delivered to the tumor increases the odds of having a permanent neurologic deficit but does not increase survival or time to tumor progression. There was no difference in local or marginal recurrence with increasing light dose. Recurrent anaplastic astrocytomas tend to do better than recurrent glioblastomas with PDT.
A dietary intervention for recurrent prostate cancer after definitive primary treatment: results of a randomized pilot trial.

OBJECTIVES Considerable evidence has shown that diet can affect both the incidence and the progression of prostate cancer. The objective of this study was to determine whether men in this situation could make a change to a diet emphasizing plant-based foods and fish and to examine the effect on quality of life (QOL) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity. METHODS A total of 36 men and their partners were randomly assigned to attend a series of 11 dietary and cooking classes that also integrated mindfulness practice as a support in making the change or a wait-list control group. Assessments were made of dietary intake, QOL, and PSA at baseline, after intervention (11 weeks), and 3 months after intervention. RESULTS The intervention group showed significant reductions in the consumption of saturated fat and increased consumption of vegetable proteins with accompanying reductions in animal proteins, including dairy products. They also showed increased QOL. Although no significant change was found in the rate of PSA increase between the two groups, the mean PSA doubling time for the intervention group was substantially longer at the 3-month follow-up visit than that of the controls. CONCLUSIONS Men with a increasing PSA level after primary treatment were able to make a change to a prostate-healthy diet, accompanied by increases in QOL. No significant difference was found in the log PSA slope between the two groups; however, the PSA doubling time increased substantially in the intervention group compared with that in the controls. Future trials should examine the effect of the prostate-healthy diet with a larger sample of men for a longer period.
Pentoxifylline Enhances the Radioprotective Properties of γ-Tocotrienol: Differential Effects on the Hematopoietic, Gastrointestinal and Vascular Systems

Abstract The vitamin E analog γ-tocotrienol (GT3) is a potent radioprotector and mitigator. This study was performed to (a) determine whether the efficacy of GT3 can be enhanced by the addition of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor pentoxifylline (PTX) and (b) to obtain information about the mechanism of action. Mice were injected subcutaneously with vehicle, GT3 [400 mg/kg 24 h before total-body irradiation (TBI)], PTX (200 mg/kg 30 min before TBI), or GT3+PTX before being exposed to 8.5–13 Gy TBI. Overall lethality, survival time and intestinal, hematopoietic and vascular injury were assessed. Cytokine levels in the bone marrow microenvironment were measured, and the requirement for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was studied in eNOS-deficient mice. GT3+PTX significantly improved survival compared to GT3 alone and provided full protection against lethality even after exposure to 12.5 Gy. GT3+PTX improved bone marrow CFUs, spleen colony counts and platelet recovery compared to GT3 alone. GT3 and GT...
A NONLINEAR MODEL FOR ESTIMATING PROBABILITIES OF k EVENTS1

Abstract Equations are derived for the estimation of the parameters in a nonlinear model for the probability of more than two mutually exclusive and exhaustive events. The estimated probabilities are between zero and one and sum to one. The equations for least squares and maximum likelihood estimation are given, and it is pointed out that the maximum likelihood estimate has the form of weighted least squares with estimated weights giving more weight to low probability events.
Psychoanalysis and Nature: Commentary on Papers by Bodnar and Santostefano

This is a response to papers by Sebastiano Santostefano and Susan Bodnar. The response argues that the psychoanalytic view of constitutive conflict makes any assimilation of analysis and ecology very problematic. Patients may benefit from being in pleasant surroundings outside urban areas, but this is not psychoanalytic work. Psychoanalysis would entail them coming to understand why they are fueled by desires they do not recognize as their own. It would entail them working through how these desires have come to belong to them. Calling these desires natural or unnatural is not helpful, and it may be pernicious.
Photosynthesis and Stomatal Behavior in Sugarcane Leaves as Affected by Light Intensity and Low Air Flow Rates

Increased air flow and light intensity increased the rate of photosynthesis of attached sugarcane leaves. At constant, low flow rates greater photosynthetic rates, leaf porosity, and stomatal opening accompanied increased light intensity. At constant light intensity, greater photosynthetic rates but lesser porosity and lesser stomatal opening accompanied increased air flow. The highest rate of photosynthesis (53 mg dm–2 h–1) was observed when both air flow and light intensity were at a maximum, even though porosity was minimal and no stomata appeared open. It is concluded that stomataL resistance of sugarcane leaves does not control rates of photosynthesis except when that resistance is very high.
Some properties of D-mannose isomerase from Escherichia coli K12

A second-stage mutant of Escherichia coli K12 designated as strain 806 grew faster on D-lyxose than the mutant strain 805 previously described. Both mutants produced constitutively a novel enzyme, D-mannose isomerase, but strain 806 produced twice as much as strain 805. The enzyme could fortuitously convert D-lyxose to D-xylulose, which is a normal intermediate in the D-xylose catabolic pathway. The purified enzyme consisted of four subunits each with a molecular weight of about 40 000. In 0.14 M-Na2SO4, the tetramer dissociated completely into dimers. While the tetramer Km values for D-mannose and D-lyxose were 80 mM and 300 mM, respectively, the dimer Km values for these two sugars were both 300 mM. The amino acid composition of the enzyme was also determined.
Ultrahigh-field MRI whole-slice and localized RF field excitations using the same RF transmit array

In this paper, a multiport driving mechanism is numerically implemented at ultra high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide 1) homogenous whole-slice (axial, sagittal, or coronal) and 2) highly localized radio frequency (RF) field excitation within the same slices, all with the same RF transmit array (here chosen to be a standard transverse electromagnetic (TEM) resonator/coil). The method is numerically tested using a full-wave model of a TEM coil loaded with a high-resolution/18-tissue/anatomically detailed human head mesh. The proposed approach is solely based on electromagnetic and phased array antenna theories. The results demonstrate that both homogenous whole-slice as well as localized RF excitation can be achieved within any slice of the head at 7 T (298 MHz for proton imaging)
Determination of Open Boundary Conditions with an Optimization Method

The optimization method proposed in this paper is for determining open boundary conditions from interior observations. Unknown open boundary conditions are represented by an open boundary parameter vector (B), while known interior observational values are used to form an observation vector (O). For a hypothetical B* (generally taken as the zero vector for the first time step and as the optimally determined B at the previous time step afterward), the numerical ocean model is integrated to obtain solutions (S*) at interior observation points. The root-mean-square difference between S* and O might not be minimal. The authors change B* with different increments dB. Optimization is used to get the best B by minimizing the error between O and S. The proposed optimization method can be easily incorporated into any ocean models, whether linear or nonlinear, reversible or irreversible, etc. Applying this method to a primitive equation model with turbulent mixing processes such as the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), an important procedure is to smooth the open boundary parameter vector. If smoothing is not used, POM can only be integrated within a finite period (45 days in this case). If smoothing is used, the model is computationally stable. Furthermore, this optimization method performed well when random noise was added to the ‘‘observational’’ points. This indicates that realtime data can be used to inverse the unknown open boundary values.
Dynamic actions of arachidonic acid and protein kinase C in pituitary stimulation by gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

The relative contributions of arachidonic acid (AA)- and protein kinase C-dependent pathways during the immediate LH response to short term stimulation by GnRH were analyzed in perifused anterior pituitary cells cultured on Cytodex beads. The LH response to a 2-min pulse of 10 nM GnRH was biphasic, with a rapid increase to an initial peak, followed by a second peak or shoulder before the gradual return to baseline release. Retinal, which inhibits activation of protein kinase C, reduced the total LH response to GnRH by 35–40% and advanced the termination of the response, but did not alter the height, position, or rate of onset of the initial LH peak. In contrast, pretreatment with the lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid decreased the total LH response to GnRH by 60%, reduced the magnitude and latency of the first LH peak, and shortened the duration of the response. Pretreatment with both retinal and nordihydroguaiaretic acid abolished the GnRHinduced LH release. Addition of 2-min pulses of AA ...
In vivo measurement of blood recirculation during "Y" type single needle dialysis.

A method has been described and validated for obtaining a sample of blood, without separate venapuncture, which has the same urea and creatinine composition as systemic venous blood during hemodialysis. Using this technique, recirculation in vivo during “Y” type single needle dialysis, measured in 20 bovine fistulas, ranged from 6.9% to 56.5% and averaged 19.4% of blood flow rate as calculated from blood urea nitrogen; and averaged 22.0% with a range of 3.3% to 62.1% of blood flow rate as calculated from serum creatinine concentration. These results suggest that fistula puncture methods and devices that eliminate recirculation in the ex vivo blood circuit should be used to maximize dialysis efficiency.
Alternative splicing of a 48-nucleotide exon generates two isoforms of the human calcitonin receptor

A portion of the human calcitonin receptor (hCTR) gene corresponding to the region of the porcine gene at which alternative splicing generates two CTR isoforms was isolated by polymerase chain reaction amplification of placental DNA. In contrast to the porcine CTR gene, in which two acceptor sites in exon 8 are separated by 48 nucleotides, we found a distinct 48-nucleotide exon in the hCTR gene that is present approximately 6400 basepairs from the up-stream exon, which corresponds to porcine exon 7, and approximately 1100 basepairs from the down-stream exon, which corresponds to porcine exon 8. Splicing of this exon accounts for the two isoforms of hCTR, containing or not containing a 16-amino acid insertion in the first putative intracellular loop. A region similar to the intron 7-exon junction in the porcine CTR gene is present in the human gene, but contains four extra nucleotides that shift the reading frame. Using probes derived from these introns in somatic cell and in situ hybridization analyses, w...
The United States and the Middle East at the End of the Cold War

Books reviewed in this article: Burton I. Kaufman, The Arab Middle East and the United States: Inter-Arab Rivalry and Super-Power Diplomacy Michael W. Suleiman (ed.), U.S. Policy on Palestine from Wilson to Clinton
Singular perturbations and time scales in artificial neural networks

The learning and computing processes in a recursive neural network of the Hopfield type are identified as slow and fast phenomena. The corresponding dynamical equations are cast to fit into the framework of the theory of singular perturbations and time scales. The issues of degeneration and asymptotic expansions arising in obtaining approximate solutions are addressed. >
Loss of SIMPL compromises TNF-α-dependent survival of hematopoietic progenitors

Objective Emerging work has revealed an integral role of the tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway in the regulation of hematopoiesis. TNF-α inhibition of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell growth involves type I TNF-α receptor (TNF-RI) and type II TNF-α receptor (TNF-RII). However, the role of TNF-RI vs TNF-RII in mediating this response is less clear. Full induction of NF-κB–dependent gene expression through TNF-RI requires the transcriptional coactivator SIMPL (substrate that interacts with mouse pelle-like kinase). To address the role of SIMPL in TNF-α-dependent signaling in hematopoiesis, endothelial cells and hematopoietic progenitors expressing SIMPL short hairpin RNA were characterized. Material and Methods In vitro gene expression and progenitor assays employing SIMPL short hairpin RNA were used to examine the requirement for SIMPL in TNF-α–dependent effects upon cytokine gene expression and hematopoietic progenitor cell growth. Competitive repopulation studies were used to extend these studies in vivo. Results SIMPL is required for full TNF-RI–dependent expression of NF-κB–controlled cytokines in endothelial cells. Hematopoietic progenitor cell expansion is not affected if progenitors lacked SIMPL or if progenitors are treated with human TNF-α, which signals through TNF-RI. In the absence of SIMPL, human TNF-α leads to a dramatic decrease in progenitor cell expansion that is not due to apoptosis. Loss of SIMPL does not affect the activity of transforming growth factor–β1 and interferon-γ, other known suppressors of hematopoiesis. Conclusions Suppression of myeloid progenitor cell expansion requires signaling through TNF-RI and TNF-RII. Signals transduced through the TNF-α–TNF-RI–SIMPL pathway support hematopoietic progenitor cell survival, growth and differentiation.
Physician Satisfaction with Two Order Entry Systems

Objectives: In the wake of the Institute of Medicine report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System (LT Kohn, JM Corrigan, MS Donaldson, eds; Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999), numerous advisory panels are advocating widespread implementation of physician order entry as a means to reduce errors and improve patient safety. Successful implementation of an order entry system requires that attention be given to the user interface. The authors assessed physician satisfaction with the user interface of two different order entry systems—a commercially available product, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). Design and Measurement: A standardized instrument for measuring user satisfaction with physician order entry systems was mailed to internal medicine and medicine-pediatrics house staff physicians. The subjects answered questions on each system using a 0 to 9 scale. Results: The survey response rates were 63 and 64 percent for the two order entry systems. Overall, house staff were dissatisfied with the commercial system, giving it an overall mean score of 3.67 (95 percent confidence interval [95%CI], 3.37–3.97). In contrast, the CPRS had a mean score of 7.21 (95% CI, 7.00–7.43), indicating that house staff were satisfied with the system. Overall satisfaction was most strongly correlated with the ability to perform tasks in a “straightforward” manner. Conclusions: User satisfaction differed significantly between the two order entry systems, suggesting that all order entry systems are not equally usable. Given the national usage of the two order entry systems studied, further studies are needed to assess physician satisfaction with use of these same systems at other institutions.
The Third Path: Prevention

Since the onset of the obesity epidemic, treatment of the problem has received overwhelmingly more attention than has prevention. While this remains true today, interest in obesity prevention is slowly starting to attract increasing attention, probably because of the growing realization that it may be easier, less expensive, and more effective—at both the personal and public-policy levels—to change behavior so as to prevent weight gain, or to reverse small gains, than to treat obesity after it has fully developed.
The Unknown Role of Mental Health in Global Development

In this paper, the author contrasts the substantial impact of mental health problems on global disability with the limited attention and resources these problems receive. The author discusses possible reasons for the disparity: Compared to physical disorders, mental health problems are considered less important, perhaps due to lower priority of disorders that primarily cause dysfunction rather than mortality, and skepticism that mental disorders are treatable in low-resource countries. He argues that achieving improved global health and development requires addressing problems causing disability, particularly mental health problems among populations in which the common mental disorders are frequent due to deprivation, war, and disasters. The author contends that services addressing the common mental disorders could be made widely and relatively cheaply accessible if provided by non-professional workers at the community level.
Soluble CD23 levels increase following lumiliximab dosing in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA LB-305 Abstract LB-305 is scheduld in a Late-Breaking Abstract session and is embargoed until Friday, April 11. It will be posted to the online Proceedings at that time.
The Ministry of Culture in Syria: history, production and restriction of official culture

The official aspect of Syrian culture has been for long shaped and controlled by wizarat al-thaqafa, or the Ministry of Culture in a country whose government for long prided itself as culturally progressive. The history of this important government department reflects the political developments of the country, and the cultural activities and materials it produces deeply influence the intellectual development of Syrian society. I argue in this article that even though the Ministry is part of the Syrian government and regime, it attempts to be a more independent and democratic enterprise that produces a great deal of cultural resources and allows artistic and intellectual spaces for the Syrian public. Many Syrian voices of dissent were provoked by the performance of the Ministry which is often viewed as an extension of the leading Ba’ath Party and its outdated literature and ideologies. This Ministry has impacted cultural movements within Syria, regardless of being sponsored by the regime, which has attempt...
Broadband shock-associated noise near-field cross-spectra

Abstract The cross-spectral acoustic analogy is used to predict auto-spectra and cross-spectra of broadband shock-associated noise in the near-field and far-field from a range of heated and unheated supersonic off-design jets. A single equivalent source model is proposed for the near-field, mid-field, and far-field terms, that contains flow-field statistics of the shock wave shear layer interactions. Flow-field statistics are modeled based upon experimental observation and computational fluid dynamics solutions. An axisymmetric assumption is used to reduce the model to a closed-form equation involving a double summation over the equivalent source at each shock wave shear layer interaction. Predictions are compared with a wide variety of measurements at numerous jet Mach numbers and temperature ratios from multiple facilities. Auto-spectral predictions of broadband shock-associated noise in the near-field and far-field capture trends observed in measurement and other prediction theories. Predictions of spatial coherence of broadband shock-associated noise accurately capture the peak coherent intensity, frequency, and spectral width.
Effect of fagarine on auricular fibrillation.

SummaryThe intravenous injection of fagarine in dogs with an auricular flutter or fibrillation caused by aconitine abolishes these arrhythmias within one minute and leads to the reappearance of sinus rhythm.
Quercetin Partially Preserves Development of Osteoblast Phenotype in Fetal Rat Calvaria Cells in an Oxidative Stress Environment.

Studies are needed to improve understanding of the osteoblast antioxidant response, and the balance between oxidative homeostasis and osteoblast differentiation. The flavonol quercetin aglycone (QRC) up-regulates the osteoblast antioxidant response in vitro without suppressing osteoblast phenotype, suggesting that QRC may preserve osteoblast phenotypic development in cells subsequently exposed to oxidative stress, which suppresses osteoblast differentiation. The aims of this study were to assess the extent that QRC pretreatment preserved development of the osteoblast phenotype in cells subsequently cultured with hydrogen peroxide, an oxidative stressor, and to characterize alterations in the osteoblast antioxidant response and in key antioxidant signaling pathways. We hypothesized that pretreatment with QRC would preserve phenotypic development after hydrogen peroxide treatment, suppress the hydrogen peroxide-induced antioxidant response, and that the antioxidant response would involve alterations in Nrf2 and ERK1/2 signaling. Results showed that treating fetal rat calvarial osteoblasts for 4 days (D5-9) with 300 μM hydrogen peroxide resulted in fewer alkaline phosphatase-positive cells and mineralized nodules, altered cell morphology, and significantly lower osteoblast phenotypic gene expression (P < 0.05). This suppression was partially blocked when cells were pretreated 12 h with 20 μM QRC. Hydrogen peroxide also produced sustained up-regulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and γ-glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), which was partially blocked in hydrogen peroxide-treated cells that first received QRC pretreatment. The alterations in the antioxidant stress response coincided with alterations in phosphorylated ERK1/2, but not Nrf2. These results suggest that QRC suppresses hydrogen peroxide-induced activation of the antioxidant response, and partially preserves osteoblast phenotypic development. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2779-2788, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intragroup Conflict: Unique Perspectives and New Questions

Intragroup conflict has received an immense amount of research attention in the past few decades (De Dreu & Weingart, 2003; De Wit, Greer & Jehn, 2012). However, many questions and inconsistencies remain (cf. De Wit et al., 2012). To better understand the phenomenon of intragroup conflict, scholars have called for researchers to explore alternate ways of capturing the multi-level dynamic nature of intragroup conflict (Korsgaard et al., 2008), to better understand how conflicts transforms (e.g., De Wit et al., 2012), and to explore other types of conflicts within teams beyond task, relationship and process (e.g., Bendersky & Hays, 2012). Together, these different perspectives can provide valuable insight for understanding the effects, and management, of intragroup conflict. In this symposium, we present four papers that address these important new research directions. The first two papers respond to the call for more multi-level studies of intragroup conflict, and show how social network analysis can be ap...
Receptor subtypes mediating adenosine-induced dilation of cerebral arterioles.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the receptor subtypes that mediate the dilation of rat intracerebral arterioles elicited by adenosine. Penetrating arterioles were isolated from the rat...
Ill-Posedness for the b -Family of Equations

For \(s 1\). The proof of ill-posedness depends on the value of b, where the most interesting case arises for \(b=3\), the Degasperis–Procesi equation. Considering that the b-family of equations is locally well-posed in \(H^s\) for \(s>3/2\), this work establishes 3 / 2 as the critical index of well-posedness in Sobolev spaces for \(b>1\).
Genetically modified crops in the European Union the regulatory framework and public acceptance

In both the United States and the European Union the fundamental concept for the food and environmental safety assessment of products derived from modern biotechnology is the concept of substantial equivalence, where the novel product is compared to a closely related product that has an accepted standard of safety. The concept was initially introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) (WHO, 1991). In 1992, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) elaborated the underlying concept and introduced the term “substantial equivalence” (OECD, 1993). The application of substantial equivalence has since been reinforced by international expert bodies (WHO, 1995; FAO, 1996) and has been adopted by regulatory authorities in most countries.
MPH Response Predictors in Attention Deficit Disorders

Response to methylphenidate (MPH) in 36 boys (7-12 years) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was examined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study at the National Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Oslo, Norway.
Should Preoperative Antibiotics Be Tailored According to Patient's Comorbidities and Susceptibility to Organisms?

Abstract Background Preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis remains one of the most important strategies for preventing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Current guidelines recommend giving universal antibiotic prophylaxis to all total joint arthroplasty patients regardless of their medical conditions or immune status; however, no studies have evaluated the individualizing of antibiotics. The aims of this study were (1) to determine if comorbidities influence the organism profile of PJIs, and (2) to investigate if the efficacy of two different perioperative antibiotics (cefazolin or vancomycin) for preventing PJI is affected by patient's comorbidities. Methods Using an institutional database of 1022 PJIs, the influence of different patient's comorbidities on the organism profile was evaluated. To investigate the influence of perioperative antibiotics (cefazolin or vancomycin monotherapy) on PJI rate, 8575 primary total joint arthroplasties were identified, crossmatched for PJI, and analyzed based on the comorbidities of the cohort. The PJI rate of each antibiotic within each comorbidity was compared. Results Although no comorbidities were associated with an increased rate of Gram-positive infections or Gram-negative infections, metastatic disease (odds ratio [OR] 5.71, P = .018), congestive heart failure (OR 2.2, P = .010), chronic pulmonary disease (OR 1.76, P = .015), and diabetes mellitus (OR 1.66, P = .019) were associated with antibiotic resistant organisms. However, there was no difference in the PJI rate between cefazolin and vancomycin monotherapy when stratifying for diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, and hypothyroidism. Conclusion The results of the present study support the current recommendations of a universal antibiotic prophylaxis protocol rather than an antibiotic regimen individualized to a patient's comorbidities.
Customary International Law in Historical Context: The Exercise of Power Without General Acceptance

Many international legal norms were not developed by the participation or acceptance of the overwhelming majority of states. If customary international law (CIL) is an inductive, decentralized method of law making formed by consistent state practice and the general acceptance of norms, then historically few CIL norms met either of these requirements. Non-western nations and societies as well as less powerful western nations played little role in the formation of international legal norms. Their views were, by and large, ignored and considered irrelevant.The claim here is that if one looks back at how norms were actually articulated and justified during the sixteenth century through much of the twentieth century, state practice and general acceptance played a minor role in the formation of CIL norms. Even many norms that were labeled as CIL had their roots in an assumed universal natural law and remained deductive despite the label of “custom.” Rather, CIL development during this long gestation period might be characterized as dominated by the exercise of military and economic power and justified by western legal maxims using a deductive methodology. This disconnect between how norms were actually determined and formal customary international law theory raises significant questions about the legality and legitimacy of many purported CIL norms.This chapter begins with a brief analytical discussion of the history of international legal thought. Second, I examine the development of the law of state responsibility, with particular attention to the international minimum standard for compensation for expropriation. This body of law is an ongoing example of the use of power to impose norms, sometimes by force, contrary to the views of a significant group of states. Third, I examine the conflicted history of the customary international law of the territorial sea that culminated in a set of significantly different standards in a treaty regime. Finally, I examine the history of the persistent objector principle that threatens to undermine the claim of the legitimacy of customary international law as a form of norm creation.
Microstructure, Texture and Mechanical Properties of the 14YWT Nanostructured Ferritic Alloy NFA-1

The 14YWT FCRD NFA-1 is a nanostructured variant of ODS ferritic steels. It is processed by ball milling FeO and argon atomized Fe-14Cr-3W-0.4Ti-0.2Y (wt%) powders, followed by hot extrusion, annealing and cross-rolling to produce ≈10 mm thick plates. The plate contains a bimodal distribution of highly textured, pancake-shaped, generally submicron, grains. NFA-1 also contains a large population of microcracks lying in planes normal to the plate thickness direction. The microcracks form on {001} planes and propagate in \( \left\langle {110} \right\rangle \) directions along low angle subgrain boundaries formed during high-temperature deformation. Tensile tests in directions parallel to the extrusion (L) or cross-rolling (T) manifest high strength and good ductility over a wide range of temperatures. In contrast, loading in the short plate thickness (S) direction, perpendicular to the microcrack faces, manifests a much lower strength, and almost zero ductility, with flat, faceted cleavage fracture surfaces up to ≈100 °C. However, tensile ductility in the S orientation increases at higher temperatures above with a brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT). The L, T and S properties are reasonably similar (isotropic) above ≈200 °C. At lower temperatures, deformation in both tensile and fracture toughness tests is accompanied by extensive delamination due to propagation of the microcracks. Delamination has relatively modest effects on tensile properties, but actually improves fracture toughness, either by relaxing triaxial stress in thin delaminated ligaments near the tip, or crack deflection, depending on the specimen orientation. Elastic-plastic toughness (KJc) of NFA-1 undergoes a cleavage BDT at ≈−175 °C, with stable crack tearing initiation just beyond general yielding at higher temperatures.
Materials for microbolometers: vanadium oxide or silicon derivatives

Microbolometer arrays are the most used technology in thermal infrared imaging. Recent progress in materials and fabrication techniques for these devices have sparked much competition. Vanadium oxide (VOx) has been and is currently the most used material for commercial use of bolometers, followed by amorphous silicon (a-Si). However, other silicon derivatives, such as silicon-germanium (a-SiGe, poly-SiGe, and a-GexSi1-xOy) have shown promise in the recent years. Extensive research is performed to search for different bolometer materials that combine performance, lowcost, and convenience for uncooled thermal infrared imaging applications. In this review article, we discuss materials derived from VOx and Si and their fabrication process used in microbolometers, as well as important figures of merit such as temperature coefficient of resistance, responsivity, detectivity and resistivity.
Effects of separated absorption and emission spectra on degenerate four-wave mixing in organic dyes

Degenerate four-wave mixing in a separated absorption-gain system, such as that of an organic dye, is studied by using a four-level model. The effects of the nonlinearity arising from the displaced emission spectrum are found and compared with the results of the two-level model of Abrams and Lind [ Opt. Lett.2, 94 ( 1978); Opt. Lett.3, 205 ( 1978)]. A nonsymmetric saturation behavior over the width of the absorption line is shown to exist that can be detrimental to the phase-conjugate reflectivity. Otherwise, minor differences are seen from the two-level case.
Improving time-domain prediction of vortex-induced vibration of marine risers

The prediction of the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of marine risers becomes a critical issue as the offshore exploration and production moving into deepwater and ultra-deepwater regions. In this paper, a time-domain model, based on a forcing algorithm and on high Reynolds number experimental data, was further developed to predict the VIV of rigid and flexible risers. The forcing algorithm was integrated into a global-coordinate-based finite-element program. At each time step, the hydrodynamic forces on a riser, including added mass, lift and drag forces, were calculated for each element based on two non-dimensional state variables—the amplitude ratio and the reduced velocity. The state variables were determined from a zero up-crossing analysis of the time history of the cross-flow displacement. Validation studies were carried out for a full-scale rigid riser segment in a uniform flow and a flexible riser in a stepped current. The predicted motions of the risers were compared with experimental data and the motions predicted by other numerical models.
A comparison of statistical methods for examining persistence in engineering

This paper compares three methods for examining the relationship of multiple factors related pertaining to student motivation on the degree outcome (persistence in an engineering major). A study was conducted in which all first year engineering students at one institution were invited to complete a survey designed to measure students' motivations and attitudes towards engineering. The survey was based on Future Time Perspective (FTP) theory, which considers how students' perceptions of the future impact their perceptions of present tasks, and their goal orientation. The survey was distributed early in students' first semester (n=979, 82% response), and the current major of these students was collected two and a half years later (Spring 2016). Three statistical methods were used to determine what factors have a significant effect on the likelihood that a student will persist in engineering: two sample t-tests, simple logistic regression analysis, and multiple logistic regression analysis with all factors and pairwise interactions in the model. When considering all factors simultaneously, there is evidence that students with positive perceptions of the future are more persistent toward their goals, indicating that FTP is a relevant theory for examining interactions between student motivation and persistence in engineering.
Seasonal Masculinities: The Seasonal Contingencies of Doing Gender

Researchers continue to stress interactions between humans and nonhuman animals, plants, and materials inform how gender is done. A number of works also emphasize gender is done differently dependi...
Composition of miner's lettuce (Montia perfoliata).

Miner's lettuce, a wild, edible plant that grows prolifically in the western U.S., was analyzed for proximate composition, vitamins, minerals, and oxalic and phytic acids. In the raw state, it contained 20 kcal per 100 gm, and 33 per cent of the adult U.S. RDA for ascorbic acid, 22 per cent of the vitamin A allowance, and 10 per cent of the iron. Oxalic acid concentration was low. Nutrient density ratios, compared with 100 kcal of the U.S. RDAs, were greater than one for all constituents analyzed. In terms of nutrient content, miner's lettuce also compared favorably with twenty-one other green, leafy vegetables.
Faith Development in the Lives of HIV-Positive Adults

Studies of religious faith consistently document the important role of religion in the lives of adults. Investigations of adult religious faith also suggest that a life crisis can stimulate faith development. However, these earlier studies do not explain how a life-threatening crisis changes adult religious faith. This study examines the impact of an HIV-positive diagnosis on adult religious faith development. Interviews were conducted with 18 HIV-positive men and women under 45 years of age. The researchers found that an HIV-positive diagnosis affects faith development in these ways: the perspective of faith shifts from a religious to a spiritual orientation for which the participants feel a stronger sense of ownership; the concept of God changes from an authoritarian to an empowering figure, and views of the self are transformed to include others.