cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ontological Argument

Ontological arguments are deductive arguments for the existence of God from general metaphysical principles and other assumptions about the nature or essence of God. There have been three very signifi cant developments in the history of ontological arguments. The fi rst is the ontological argument developed by St Anselm of Canterbury in the eleventh century. The second is the argument sketched by Descartes in the late seventeenth century and completed by Leibniz in the early eighteenth century. And the third development consists of the numerous ontological arguments of the twentieth century that explicitly utilize modal logic, particularly those of Malcolm, Hartshorne, Plantinga, and Godel. My chief aim in this chapter is to logically evaluate logical reconstructions of each of these six arguments. I shall also present and logically discuss two of my own explicitly modal ontological arguments. The logical evaluation of a logical reconstruction of an argument often requires that we explicitly identify assumptions that are only implicit in the author’s original presentation of the argument. And in some cases, it might involve the inclusion of “plausible” philosophical principles that are consistent with the author’s worldview, principles that strengthen the argument if we include them among the premises of the reconstruction. My modus operandi will be to make each of the arguments as strong as possible before critically evaluating them. Even though I shall try to remain reasonably faithful to the intent of the original author of each argument, my main objective will be logical instead of historical. A good deductive argument should be valid and have true premises. And if it is to be convincing it should not beg the question. Ontological arguments are frequently the target of parodies, perhaps more so than any other argument in philosophy. So in addition to checking the arguments we discuss for validity, truth, and question begging, I shall also test their vulnerability to being refuted by some of the well-known parodies in the philosophical literature. Like many other philosophical arguments of note, ontological arguments stand or fall on the acceptability of some very high-level and well-entrenched principles of metaphysics and logic. And, as we shall see, some ontological arguments are logically much stronger than what fi rst meets the eye.
Taking Constraints out of Constraint Databases

By providing a finite representation for data with infinite semantics, the Constraint Database approach is particularly appropriate for querying spatiotemporal data. Since the introduction of CDBs in the early 1990’s, several CDB prototypes have been implemented; however, CDBs have yet to prove their commercial viability.
Market Definition is Not Alchemy

Harvard Professor Louis Kaplow, a well-known critic of market definition in antitrust, has recently suggested that market definition is a form of alchemy. As a pure proposition of logic, he claims that anticompetitive effects must be modeled directly. This analytical approach assumes the result by concluding quantitative analysis is always possible and thus dismissing qualitative analyses as unnecessary approximations of reality. However, Lerner analysis, at the core of Kaplow’s approach, is, at its core, a monopoly model and it is far from clear that the model can be broadly applied to competitive situations. Entry may control the competitive process and by construction, entry is excluded from a Lerner-style evaluation. Likewise, Lerner analysis excludes various collusion models. The Merger Guidelines, developed in light of the relevant court precedents, set out a two-stage merger review process, with market definition considered first to define the “playing field” for the analysis and then competitive effects studied through a review of a wide range of relevant facts. Quantitative analysis of competitive effects, while possibly relevant in some special case situations, does not address all the relevant possibilities in a manageable way. Thus, market definition remains an important tool for antitrust policy. It is not alchemy.
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, wortmannin, inhibits insulin- induced activation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and associated protein kinase C translocation in rat adipocytes

We questioned whether phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and protein kinase C (PKC) function as interrelated signalling mechanisms during insulin action in rat adipocytes. Insulin rapidly activated a phospholipase D that hydrolyses phosphatidylcholine (PC), and this activation was accompanied by increases in diacylglycerol and translocative activation of PKC-alpha and PKC-beta in the plasma membrane. Wortmannin, an apparently specific PI 3-kinase inhibitor, inhibited insulin-stimulated, phospholipase D-dependent PC hydrolysis and subsequent translocation of PKC-alpha and PKC-beta to the plasma membrane. Wortmannin did not inhibit PKC directly in vitro, or the PKC-dependent effects of phorbol esters on glucose transport in intact adipocytes. The PKC inhibitor RO 31-8220 did not inhibit PI 3-kinase directly or its activation in situ by insulin, but inhibited both insulin-stimulated and phorbol ester-stimulated glucose transport. Our findings suggest that insulin acts through PI 3-kinase to activate a PC-specific phospholipase D and causes the translocative activation of PKC-alpha and PKC-beta in plasma membranes of rat adipocytes.
Performance Needs for Advanced Kinetic Energy Missiles' Inertial Measurement Units

A large number of commercial and military applications call for the use of inertial measurement units (IMUS). These applications vary vastly, however a new era is dawning where the need for and utilization of IMUS which can navigate through steady-state high acceleration environments are growing. These instruments will have to be very near or completely solid state because of the high acceleration loading. The performance of these instruments will be characterized by broader dynamic range, minimal nonlinear effects, higher noise rejection capability, but not necessarily low drift rate performance. These performance characteristics are driven by flight times on the order of a few seconds. These instruments must also exhibit small volume, low power, and low cost. An example of this type of IMU is the one needed for the Advanced Kinetic Energy Missile (ADKEM). ADKEM is a hypervelocity multi-role tactical missile which requires inertial grade navigation performance through a 1000-g environment.
Montaigne and the Theatre of Conscience

This article proposes a new reading of Montaigne’s essay ‘De la gloire’ in the context of Ciceronian moral philosophy and in reference to Cicero’s metaphor of the theatre of conscience. His essay explores the tension between the ethical ideal of the primacy of individual conscience and the demoralizing reality of the need for external sanctions to enforce moral and religious norms. This tension leads Montaigne to a candidly irreligious consideration of the instrumental value of religion in society.
Clinical applications of new cerebrospinal fluid analytic techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system infections

Advances in molecular biology and immunology provide new, highly sensitive and specific techniques that can be applied to analysis of cerebrospinal fluid to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system (CNS) infections. In addition to improved accuracy and speed of diagnosis, these modalities may offer improved means of monitoring treatment efficacy, establishing prognosis, detecting organism resistance, and tracking epidemic sources. This brief review discusses a number of recent papers applying these methods, in order to illustrate their value and significance for clinical neurologic practice. Some of these applications are commonly available, whereas others are likely to enter the physician's armamentarium in the near future. As they do, they can be expected to improve the treatment of CNS infections.
National Borders on the World Wide Web

The internet is often seen as a significant contributor to the globalization of culture and the economy. It is also seen as an inherently international medium, unimpeded by national borders and removed from the jurisdiction of the nation-state. This paper argues that although geographic borders may be removed from cyberspace, the social structures found in the `real' world are inscribed in online networks. By surveying 4000 web sites, it is determined that the organization of the world wide web conforms to some degree to traditional national borders. Web sites are, in most cases more likely to link to another site hosted in the same country than to cross national borders. When they do cross national borders, they are more likely to lead to pages hosted in the United States than to pages anywhere else in the world.
917 PHYSIOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM FLUXES STIMULATED BY DEOXYGENATION OF SICKLE RED CELLS

Dehydration of sickle red blood cells (SSRBC) is an important pathophysiologio determinant. We have recently shown that the increase in sodium (Na) and potassium (K) permeability which occurs on deoxygenation of SSRBC (but not normal RBC) can contribute to dehydration, despite the balanced ratio of this cation leak. We measured net cation movements in SSRBC incubated in phosphate buffered saline with 0.1 mM ouabain. The “deoxy” fluxes of Na and K were defined by the difference in ion movements in cells equilibrated with 100% N2, vs. 21% 02. The deoxy fluxes of both Na and K were maximal at pH 7.4 - 7.5, and the ratio of deoxy Na influx to deoxy K efflux remained one, over pH 7.0 - 7.9. The increase in ion permeability in SSRBC occurred less than 10 min. after deoxygenation. Similarly, SSRBC cation fluxes returned to baseline within 10 min. upon reoxygenation. Deoxy cation fluxes were activated at pO2, levels of 30 to 45 torr., with both deoxy Na influx and deoxy K efflux showing similar pO2 dependence. These data demonstrate that the increased cation permeability triggered by deoxygenation of SSRBC occurs at physiologic pH and pO2, is rapid in onset and readily reversible. Futhermore, modulation of this transport system by pH and pO2 leads to parallel changes in both Na and K permability. These results suggest that deoxy Na/K fluxes are activated in vivo, and support the involvement of this phenomenon in the process of cellular dehydration of SSRBC.
Long-term regional hurricane hazard analysis for wind and storm surge

This paper introduces a new method to estimate the long-term regional hurricane wind and storm surge hazard. The output is a relatively small set of hurricane scenarios that together represent the regional hazard. For each scenario, the method produces a hazard-consistent annual occurrence probability, and wind speeds and surge levels throughout the study area. These scenarios can be used for subsequent evacuation or loss estimation modeling. This optimization-based probabilistic scenario (OPS) method involves first simulating tens of thousands of candidate hurricane scenarios with wind speeds and approximate surge depths. A mixed-integer linear optimization is then used to select a subset of scenarios and assign hazard-consistent annual occurrence probabilities to each. Finally, a surge model is used to estimate accurate surge depths for the reduced set of events. The method considers the correlation between winds and surge depths and the spatial correlations of each; it is computationally efficient; and it makes explicit the tradeoff between the number of scenarios selected and the errors introduced by using a reduced set of events. A case study for Eastern North Carolina is presented in which a final set of 97 hurricanes provides unbiased results with errors small enough for many practical uses.
Laparoscopic internal fixation is a viable alternative option for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion

Purpose: One of the major drawbacks of peritoneal dialysis (PD) is catheter migration and dysfunction. Preventing catheter migration is one of the main concerns. We compared laparoscopic internal fixation method with open surgical method for catheter migration rates. Methods: From January 2008 to August 2009, PD catheters were inserted by laparoscopic fixation (LF) method in 22 patients and by open surgery (OS) in 32 patients. Clinical data were reviewed retrospectively. The frequency of migration, peritonitis, and other complications were compared. Catheter and patient survival rates were also compared. Results: The mean age and sex ratio were not different between groups. Mean follow-up duration was 29.1 months in LF group and 26.1 months in OS group. More patients in LF group (27.3%) had history of laparotomy than in OS group (3.1%) (P = 0.01). The mean operation time was significantly longer in LF group (101.6 ± 30.4 minutes) than in OS group (72.4 ± 26.03 minutes) (P = 0.00). The cumulative incidence of catheter migration was 65.6% in OS group and 13.6% in LF group (P = 0.00). Migration-free catheter survival was higher in LF group (P = 0.001). There were no differences in complication rates between groups. Overall catheter survival was similar (P = 0.93). Patient survival rate at 2 years was not different (P= 0.13). Conclusion: Laparoscopic internal fixation of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheter significantly reduces migration rates without any addition of complications. Also, laparoscopic technique did not incur patient morbidity or mortality despite the requirement for general endotracheal anesthesia and longer operation time. Therefore, internal fixation can be afforded safely in patients with previous abdominal surgery as either a salvage or preventive measure in patients with repeated catheter migration.
Rates of rod accumulation and viral RNA synthesis during early and late stages of tobacco mosaic virus infection in young, expanding tobacco leaves.

Abstract Using a “third” leaf system for obtaining rapid TMV synthesis in young tobacco plants, TMV rod accumulation and TMV-RNA synthesis were measured during 4-hr intervals at “early” (log increasing) and “late” (approximately linear) stages of infection. TMV nucleoprotein rod accumulation, measured by analytical ultracentrifugation parallels kinetically 32 P incorporation into TMV-RNA in “third” leaves.
A simplified procedure for studies of intestinal immunity in rabbits

As interest in the development of oral vaccines continues to rise, alternative animal models for studies of mucosal immunity are needed. The present study examines a simplified procedure for delivering antigen to rabbit Peyer's patches via an indwelling cannula. The cannula was placed 3-4 cm proximal to the Peyer's patch, and was used to deliver four weekly doses of the potent mucosal immunogen, cholera toxin (CT). Anti-CT specific fecal secretory IgA (S-IgA), serum IgG and serum IgA were found in essentially equal amounts in rabbits with cannulas and in rabbits fitted with Thiry-Vella (T-V) isolated ileal loops. In contrast to animals with T-V loops, the intestinal flora of animals with cannulas contained less bacterial overgrowth with Pseudomonas sp. Further, the villus architecture remained histologically normal in appearance and there were fewer post-surgical complications associated with this technique than with T-V loops. This simplified technique should allow wider use of rabbits in studies of mucosal immunity.
Paramagnetic centers in particulate formed from the oxidative pyrolysis of 1-methylnaphthalene in the presence of Fe(III)2O3 nanoparticles.

The identity of radical species associated with particulate formed from the oxidative pyrolysis of 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MN) was investigated using low temperature matrix isolation electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (LTMI-EPR), a specialized technique that provided a method of sampling and analysis of the gas-phase paramagnetic components. A superimposed EPR signal was identified to be a mixture of organic radicals (carbon and oxygen-centered) and soot. The carbon-centered radicals were identified as a mixture of the resonance-stabilized indenyl, cyclopentadienyl, and naphthalene 1-methylene radicals through the theoretical simulation of the radical’s hyperfine structure. Formation of these radical species was promoted by the addition of Fe(III)2O3 nanoparticles. Enhanced formation of resonance stabilized radicals from the addition of Fe(III)2O3 nanoparticles can account for the observed increased sooting tendency associated with Fe(III)2O3 nanoparticle addition.
Aminoaciduria in vitamin D deficiency states in premature infants and older infants with rickets.

H Y P E R A 2r I N O A C I D U R I A in rachitic infants was first reported by Jonxis and coworkers 1 in 1952. Further work by this group2, s demonstrated that the excessive loss of amino acids in the urine probably results from diminished reabsorption of amino acids by the renal tubule cells. Renal clearance studies a show that this is true of the basic amino acids; but, as yet, simultaneous clearances of all amino acids have not been reported in vitamin D-deficient infants. Cusworth and Dent 4 have recently reported an endogenous renal clearance study in an adult with osteomalacia whose daily diet contained approximately 20 units of vitamin D. The clearances of all amino acids were increased in this patient. Semiquantitative paper chromatographic studies in many patients
Retention of unassembled components of integral membrane proteins by calnexin

Quality control mechanisms prevent the cell surface expression of incompletely assembled multisubunit receptors such as the T cell receptor (TCR). The molecular chaperone function of calnexin (IP90, p88), a 90-kilodalton protein that resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in the retention of representative chains of the TCR-CD3 complex in the ER was tested. Truncation mutants of calnexin, when transiently expressed in COS cells, were exported from the ER and either accumulated in the Golgi or progressed to the cell surface. CD3 epsilon chains cotransfected with the forms of calnexin that were not retained in the ER exited the ER and colocalized with calnexin. Since engineered calnexin determined the intracellular localization of the proteins associated with it, it is concluded that calnexin interacts with incompletely assembled TCR components and retains them in the ER.
Quality Assurance and Safety of New Technologies for Radiation Oncology.

This article reviews suggested recommendations and procedures for quality assurance and safety tests of computer-controlled medical accelerators and the associated high-tech ancillary devices such as asymmetric collimators, dynamic wedge, multileaf collimators, and on-line electronic portal imaging devices for treatment verification, and technologies such as dynamic therapy and beam intensity modulation that are just coming on line. These new technologies are likely to lead to improved therapeutic ratios through the use of conformal physical dose distributions that cannot be achieved using traditional planning, delivery, and verification methods and, at the same time, provide more complete and through safety systems. However, these devices are not yet fully developed and thus come with some limitations and an increased potential for patient treatment error. To insure optimum use, a rigorous quality assurance program specifically designed for these technologies must be in place and the radiation oncology team should be constantly vigilant. In addition, provision should be made to provide for increased continuing staff education in the use of these technologies and complementary safety and quality assurance devices such as a record and verify system should be considered essential.
Autocorrelation functions for discrete random walks on disordered lattice.

We propose the structure of leading and correction terms in the mean end-to-end displacement and autocorrelation functions for the blind and myopic ant random walks in disordered lattices. The essential difference between the blind and myopic ants is that the blind ant can remain at a site for multiple time steps whereas the mypoic ant must always move. This structure incorporates the regular oscillations recently found in certain autocorrelation functions of myopic ant random walks on several disordered substrates. Some predictions of the proposed structure are confirmed on two- and three-dimensional lattices at the percolation threshold, using a numerical technique that performs the exact summation of all Brownian paths starting from all points of any given finite cluster on a lattice.
Longitudinal relationships between college education and patterns of heavy drinking: a comparison between Caucasians and African-Americans.

Abstract Purpose The current study compared longitudinal relationships between college education and patterns of heavy drinking from early adolescence to adulthood for Caucasians and African-Americans. Methods We analyzed data from 9,988 non-Hispanic Caucasian and African-American participants from all four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Growth curve modeling tested differences in rates of change and levels of heavy drinking from ages 13 to 31 years among non-college youth, college withdrawers, 2-year college graduates, and 4-year college graduates, and compared these differences for Caucasians and African-Americans. Results There were significant racial differences in relationships between college education with both changes in and levels of heavy drinking. Rates of change of heavy drinking differed significantly across the college education groups examined for Caucasians but not for African-Americans. In addition, Caucasians who graduated from 4-year colleges showed the highest levels of heavy drinking after age 20 years, although differences among the four groups diminished by the early 30s. In contrast, for African-Americans, graduates from 2- or 4-year colleges did not show higher levels of heavy drinking from ages 20 to 31 years than the non-college group. Instead, African-American participants who withdrew from college without an associate's, bachelor's, or professional degree consistently exhibited the highest levels of heavy drinking from ages 26 to 31 years. Conclusions The relationship between college education and increased levels of heavy drinking in young adulthood is significant for Caucasians but not African-Americans. Conversely, African-Americans are likely to be more adversely affected than are Caucasians by college withdrawal.
Seasonal Respiration of Transennella tantilla Gould

SYNOPSIS. A population of Transennella tantilla living on an intertidal sandflat became cold-adapted in late autumn. The nature of the adaptation, corresponding with Prosser's pattern IIIA, consists of a clockwise rotation of the respiratory rate-t temperature line and a rarely found intersection with the warm-adapted ratetemperature line within the normal range of habitat temperature. The incomplete temperature-compensation in metabolism puts the species in type 3 of Precht's classification. The seasonal change in the temperature-coefficient of respiration is believed to be induced in autumn andwinter by the characteristic temperature-regime of the tideflat, and in late spring and summer, as the result of the population's growth cycle. This study raises the need for thoroughness in measuring seasonal respiration as a function of size and temperature when investigating the energy flow of populations suspected of seasonal temperature-compensation. A plea is made for physiologists to present their data on respiration in a form more useful to ecologists working on the problems of energetics of a community.
Pathophysiology, management and treatment of smoke inhalation injury

Smoke inhalation injury continues to increase morbidity and mortality in burn patients in both the third world and industrialized countries. The lack of uniform criteria for the diagnosis and definition of smoke inhalation injury contributes to the fact that, despite extensive research, mortality rates have changed little in recent decades. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, as well as the procoagulant and antifibrinolytic imbalance of alveolar homeostasis, all play a central role in the pathogenesis of smoke inhalation injury. Further hallmarks include massive airway obstruction owing to cast formation, bronchospasm, the increase in bronchial circulation and transvascular fluid flux. Therefore, anticoagulants, antioxidants and bronchodilators, especially when administered as an aerosol, represent the most promising treatment strategies. The purpose of this review article is to provide an overview of the pathophysiological changes, management and treatment options of smoke inhalation injury based on the current literature.
The professional ethics course

A professional ethics program was recently developed and implemented as a comparative values course at the University of Puget Sound. This article is a report ontheprogram, “Professional Ethics fora Technological Era.”The program consists of two courses: “Ethics for a Technological Era,” and “Values: Conflict and Compromise.” The first course emphasizes skills necessary for ethical decision making. The second course follows through with an opportunity to apply these skills to a major social policy program. This article discusses the approach to ethics, and participation, and the theoretical approach, including role modeling, speakers, and reading and discussion material, for “Professional Ethics in a Technological Era.”
Nanofiltration Membranes Based on Rigid Star Amphiphiles

Rigid star amphiphiles (RSAs) of nanoscale dimension were synthesized and used to fabricate a new generation of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. NF membranes were prepared by direct percolation of methanol solutions of the RSAs through an asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) support film that had been previously conditioned with methanol and cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PES-MeOH-PVA support). The resulting RSA membranes (RSAMs) have been shown to exhibit significantly enhanced water permeability while maintaining high rejection of water contaminants compared to commercial NF membranes. The RSAMs were characterized with the goal of elucidating the structural changes brought about by deposition of RSA. Characterization techniques used included attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confocal microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS...
Phylogenies and the Comparative Method

Recent years have seen a growth in numerical studies using the comparative method. The method usually involves a comparison of two phenotypes across a range of species or higher taxa, or a comparison of one phenotype with an environmental variable. Objectives of such studies vary, and include assessing whether one variable is correlated with another and assessing whether the regression of one variable on another differs significantly from some expected value. Notable recent studies using statistical methods of this type include Pilbeam and Gould's (1974) regressions of tooth area on several size measurements in mammals; Sherman's (1979) test of the relation between insect chromosome numbers and social behavior; Damuth's (1981) investigation of population density and body size in mammals; Martin's (1981) regression of brain weight in mammals on body weight; Givnish's (1982) examination of traits associated with dioecy across the families of angiosperms; and Armstrong's (1983) regressions of brain weight on body weight and basal metabolism rate in mammals. My intention is to point out a serious statistical problem with this approach, a problem that affects all of these studies. It arises from the fact that species are part of a hierarchically structured phylogeny, and thus cannot be regarded for statistical purposes as if drawn independently from the same distribution. This problem has been noticed before, and previous suggestions of ways of coping with it are briefly discussed. The nonindependence can be circumvented in principle if adequate information on the phylogeny is available. The information needed to do so and the limitations on its use will be discussed. The problem will be discussed and illustrated with reference to continuous variables, but the same statistical issues arise when one or both of the variables are discrete, in which case the statistical methods involve contingency tables rather than regressions and correlations.
Suspended particulate concentrations in the St. Lawrence river (1985–1987) determined by centrifugation and filtration

Abstract Suspended particulate concentrations were determined by centrifugation of water for four sampling periods at different seasonal conditions throughout the St. Lawrence River between May 1985 and June 1987. Average concentrations of 0.9 mg l−1 were found to exit Lake Ontario with a nearly linear increase to 10 mg l−1 at Quebec City. In 1987, raw and centrifuged water samples were also sequentially filtered through a set of membrane filters with pore sizes of 8.0, 0.4 and 0.2 μm. For most raw water samples, filtration resulted in a lower total particulate retention than centrifugation. Exceptions were water samples with high levels of humic substances, especially those from the Ottawa River tributary. The divergence of filtration and centrifugation results is thought to reflect alterations of the suspended particles by the mechanical and gravitational forces acting on them during centrifugation. These effects may also produce changes in the contaminant partitioning between water and the particulates, especially in samples where such contaminants are not evenly distributed in the particulates. Our data indicate that the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in particulates of the size 0.2–0.4 μm is up to 10 times higher than in the larger particles found in St. Lawrence River water. The presence of high levels of humic substances in comparatively soft surface water will therefore lower the centrifuge efficiencies for the recovery of fine suspended particles. As a consequence, hydrophobic contaminants, such as PCB, which tend to adsorb onto clay and organic particulates, may only incompletely be recovered with these particles and remain in the centrifugate from which they can be determined by extraction with suitable solvents. The determination of contaminant partitioning factors between aquatic compartments will also be influenced by these effects.
Apoptotic adaptations from exercise training in skeletal and cardiac muscles

The effect of exercise on apoptosis in postmitotic tissues is not known. In this study, we investigated the effect of regular moderate physical activity (i.e., exercise training) on the extent of apoptosis in rat skeletal and cardiac muscles. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were trained (TR) 5 days weekly for 8 wk on treadmill. Sedentary rats served as controls (CON). An ELISA was used to detect mono- and oligonucleosome fragmentation as an indicator of apoptosis. Bcl-2, Bax, Apaf-1, AIF, cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved/active caspase-9, heat shock protein (HSP)70, Cu/Zn-SOD, and Mn-SOD protein levels were determined by Western analyses. Bcl-2 and Bax transcript contents were estimated by RT-PCR. A spectrofluorometric assay was used to determine caspase-3 activity. DNA fragmentation in ventricles of the TR group decreased by 15% whereas that in soleus of the TR group tended to decrease (P=0.058) when compared with CON group. Protein contents of Bcl-2, HSP70, and Mn-SOD increased in both soleus and ventricle muscles of TR animals when compared with CON animals. Apaf-1 protein content in the soleus of TR animals was lower than that of CON animals. Bcl-2 mRNA levels increased in both ventricle and soleus muscles of TR animals, and Bax mRNA levels decreased in the soleus of TR animals when compared with CON animals. Furthermore, HSP70 protein content was negatively correlated to Bax mRNA content and was positively correlated to Bcl-2 protein and mRNA contents. Mn-SOD protein content was negatively correlated to the apoptotic index, and caspase-3 activity and was positively correlated to Bcl-2 transcript content and HSP70 protein content. These data suggest that exercise training attenuates the extent of apoptosis in cardiac and skeletal muscles.
Determination of Semivolatile and Particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in SRM 1649a and PM 2.5 Samples by HPLC-Fluorescence

The concentrations of 15 "priority pollutant" semivolatile and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in three sets of samples supplied by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) as part of an interlaboratory analytical exercise. The purpose of the exercise, organized by NIST and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was to determine the comparability of measurements for various organic analytes among the participating laboratories, and to establish consensus values for SRM 1649a and interim materials. The commercially available SRM 1649a Atmospheric Urban Dust and two subsamples of this popular reference material were analyzed: an extract designated as Air Particulate Extract, and a resieved portion labeled Air Particulate I. The method used in our laboratory for the exercise consists of the extraction of the PAHs from the solid samples by ultrasonication, followed by separation and quantification using high-performance liquid chromatographyfluorescence...
Why Is Benevolent Sexism Appealing? Associations With System Justification and Life Satisfaction

Previous research suggests that benevolent sexism is an ideology that perpetuates gender inequality. But despite its negative consequences, benevolent sexism is a prevalent ideology that some even ...
Molecular contributions to neurovascular unit dysfunctions after brain injuries: lessons for target-specific drug development

The revised ‘expanded’ neurovascular unit (eNVU) is a physiological and functional unit encompassing endothelial cells, pericytes, smooth muscle cells, astrocytes and neurons. Ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury are acute brain injuries directly affecting the eNVU with secondary damage, such as blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption, edema formation and hypoperfusion. BBB dysfunctions are observed at an early postinjury time point, and are associated with eNVU activation of proteases, such as tissue plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinases. BBB opening is accompanied by edema formation using astrocytic AQP4 as a key protein regulating water movement. Finally, nitric oxide dysfunction plays a dual role in association with BBB injury and dysregulation of cerebral blood flow. These mechanisms are discussed including all targets of eNVU encompassing endothelium, glial cells and neurons, as well as larger blood vessels with smooth muscle. In fact, the feeding blood vessels should also be considered to treat stroke and traumatic brain injury. This review underlines the importance of the eNVU in drug development aimed at improving clinical outcome after stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Work in progress - Capstone project: Development of a Computer Graphics Technology conference

During the computer graphics technology (CGT) departmental accreditation review at Purdue University, it was suggested that the CGT department enhance its interaction with the student body and community. CGT prepares visually oriented students for careers in creating and managing the production of computer graphics within a wide range of industries. A part of this initiative has been to take the existing Spring Show, Spring Banquet, Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meeting, and CGT 411 senior capstone presentations and merge them into what will become a larger CGT Conference. The Spring Show is a gallery and showcase of student work in the area of computer graphics, while the Spring Banquet is an event with a keynote speaker held to honor students and faculty for their achievements during the academic year. CGT 411 is a group based capstone course that attempts to identify, design, qualify, manage, create and present a final project relative to existing or emerging issues within the discipline. The CGT conference will serve as a showcase of student talent, emerging technologies, and myriad other facets of computer graphics as they apply to Purdue University, the CGT department, and the computer graphics industry. Potential participation was evaluated via surveys.
Dangerous Issues and Public Identities: The Negotiation of Controversy in Two Movement Organizations*

Social movement organizations frame not only their target issues, but their own organizational identities. In doing so, they are sometimes forced to make difficult decisions that pit principle against considerations of image. This article compares and contrasts episodes from two different movements: (1) Amnesty International's (AIUSA) expansion of its human rights agenda to include death penalty abolitionism and (2) the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) endorsement of drug legalization. Based upon documentary and interview data, I demonstrate that Amnesty's decision to work toward the abolition of capital punishment provoked intense internal debate based upon the prevalence within AIUSA at that time of a narrow conception of human rights, concern about the effect of anti-death penalty projects on the group's priorities, and the fear that the carefully crafted image the organization had built would be damaged by anti-death penalty work. The ACLU's endorsement of drug legalization provoked some of the same concerns, but issues of public identity management were far less evident. Instead, internal debates focused on the proper breadth of the organization's anti-prohibitionism. I suggest that the differences between the two cases may be understood in terms of contrasting organizational cultures, framing vocabularies, and membership profiles.
ASQ2 Encodes a TBCC-like Protein Required for Mother-Daughter Centriole Linkage and Mitotic Spindle Orientation

An intriguing feature of centrioles is that these highly complicated microtubule-based structures duplicate once per cell cycle, affording the cell precise control over their number. Each cell contains exactly two centrioles, linked together as a pair, one of which is a mother centriole formed in a previous cell cycle and the other of which is a daughter centriole whose assembly is templated by the mother. Neither the molecular basis nor the functional role of mother-daughter centriole linkage is understood. We have identified a mutant, asq2, with defects in centriole linkage. asq2 mutant cells have variable numbers of centrioles and centriole positioning defects. Here, we show that ASQ2 encodes the conserved protein Tbccd1, a member of a protein family including a tubulin folding cochaperone and the retinitis pigmentosa protein RP2, involved in tubulin quality control during ciliogenesis. We characterize mitosis in asq2 cells and show that the majority of cells establish a bipolar spindle but have defects in spindle orientation. Few asq2 cells have centrioles at both poles, and these cells have properly positioned spindles, indicating that centrioles at the poles might be important for spindle orientation. The defects in centriole number control, centriole positioning, and spindle orientation appear to arise from perturbation of centriole linkage mediated by Tbccd1/Asq2p.
Anton Boisen revisited.

Anton Boisen was both a psychologist of religion and a schizophrenic. His autobiography presents his “case history” but leaves many of his psychotic communications and experiences uninterpreted. This essay attempts to account for Boisen's most idiosyncratic psychotic products, drawing on theories of Jung and Bateson. Boisen and Jung both used experiences deriving from psychotic episodes to shape their subsequent life work. Boisen remained within liberal Protestantism, relinquishing his own “crazy” critique of Christianity developed during his mental illness. This critique is expressed through Boisen's notion of the “Family of Four”, a plan for world renewal that he himself never adequately interpreted.
Random walks in an exponential band

The behavior of a single random walker on a cubic lattice with energetic disorder is simulated. Site energies are selected at random from an exponential distribution, simulating thermally activated hopping in the Urbach band tail of a disordered semiconductor. The apparent fracton dimension d of the system [from S(t)\ensuremath{\propto}${t}^{d/2}$, where S(t) is the number of distinct sites visited] varies linearly with temperature for up to 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{5}$ simulation time steps. A separate examination of site visitation as a function of successful hop attempts and the hopping rate reveals more complex behavior.
Non-bank public and commercial bank portfolio behavior in the Brunner-Meltzer model: A review and clarification☆

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between a portfolio theoretic model of non-bank public and commercial bank behavior and the Brunner-Meltzer non-linear money supply hypothesis. We examine the recent modification of the Brunner-Meltzer macroeconomic model suggested by Friedman and Froewiss (1977), discuss its shortcomings, and argue that the unmodified model is valid if one adopts the monetary sector equilibria definition of Saving (1977).
The effect of ignoring dependence between failure modes on evaluating system reliability

Assuming independence between failure modes makes system reliability calculation simple but it adds approximation error. Interestingly, error due to ignoring dependence can be negligible for a highly reliable system. This paper investigates the reasons and the factors affecting the error. Error in system probability of failure (PF) is small for high reliability when tail-dependence is not very strong or the ratio between individual PFs is large. We created various conditions using copulas and observed the effect of ignoring dependence. Two reliability-based design optimization problems with a 2-bar and a 10-bar trusses are presented to show the effect of error on the optimum design and the system PF calculation. For the 10-bar truss, there were 5 % error in system PF and mass penalty less than 0.1 % in the optimum design for a target system PF of 10?7 even though five truss failures were strongly correlated.
Evaluation of Spray Characteristics in Pharmaceutical Tablet Coating Processes: The Influences of Drum Rotational Speed and Drying Air Flow Rate

In this study, drop size, velocity, and volume flux for sprays produced by a pharmaceutical nozzle (Spraying Systems 1/4-JAU-SUE15A-PA67288–45°-SS) were characterized using a Fiber-PDA system (Dantec). Spraying was performed in a 120 cm (24 in) diameter tablet pan-coater (Accela-Cota Model 10, Thomas Engineering, UK). The separate influences of drum rotational speed and drying air flow rate were studied by making measurements at four different pan-coater operating conditions: stationary drum with drying air turned on/off, and 8 rpm rotating drum with drying air turned on/off. For each case, four different spraying conditions (liquid supply rate and atomizing air pressure) were used. PDA scans were performed along the spray semi-major and semi-minor axes at two different axial distances (7.5 and 10 cm) from the atomizer tip. Results were as follows. When both the drying air and drum rotation were absent, increasing liquid supply rate while operating the atomizer at the lower of two atomizing air pressures decreased drop size. The opposite occurred when operating at the higher of the two atomizing air pressures. This suggests that the nozzle operated as a simplex pressure-swirl atomizer at lower levels of atomizing air pressure, but as an air-assist atomizer at higher levels of atomizing air pressure. Regardless, liquid supply rate had no significant effect on drop velocity. In contrast, a decrease in atomizing air pressure or an increase in axial distance always led to an increase in drop size and a decrease in drop velocity. Supplying drying air to the pan-coater resulted in up to a 6 m/s increase in drop velocity, but had mixed effects on drop size. When the spray gun was operated as an air assist atomizer, supplying drying air to the drum led to an increase in D32 . The reverse was observed when the gun operated as a simplex pressure-swirl atomizer. These two observations are most evident when operating at the lower liquid supply rate (70 g/min), suggesting that they may have arisen from drop evaporation. Increasing the drying air supply rate also reduced spray extent and volume flux magnitude. Adding drum rotation to the process generally led to (i) increased drop size and (ii) increased drop velocity. (i) likely arose from the transport of small drops away from the spray zone, while (ii) likely resulted from changes in droplet trajectories. Both are the result of the gas-phase swirling motion that is due to the drum rotation. (i) was most noticeable when the nozzle was operated as an air-assist atomizer. In addition, drum rotation decreased spray volume flux magnitude at the spray center, but increased it at other locations, essentially making the spray more dumbbell-shaped. Finally, the influence of drum rotation on drop velocity diminished when drying air flow was included. This was because the drying air momentum helped the drops oppose the effects of the swirling flow induced by the drum rotations.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The employment effects of tariffs in an efficient bargain model

Abstract This paper analyzes the implications of protection in an open macroeconomic model with rationing where wages and employment are determined by a bargaining mechanism. We show the conventional conclusion that tariffs can be expansionary under fixed exchange rates only holds unambiguously in one of the three regimes in the analysis. Moreover, under classical unemployment, the employment effect of tariffs is negative.
Solvent exchange in AlFx (H2O 6−x3−x (aq) complexes: Ligand-directed labilization of water as an analogue for ligand-induced dissolution of oxide minerals

We demonstrate, using dynamic 17O-NMR spectroscopy, that fluoride ions in the inner-coordination sphere of AlFx(H2O)6−x3−x(aq) complexes (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) progressively enhance, by orders of magnitude, the rate of exchange of waters from the innersphere to the bulk solvent. At 298K, the rate of the elementary ligand-exchange reaction increased approximately linearly with each fluoride substitution from about 2 s−1 for the fully hydrated [Al(H2O)63+(aq)] complex to about 2 × 104 s−1 for the difluoro [AlF2(H2O)4+(aq)] complex. A similar effect can be expected for isoelectronic complexes, such as the hydrolysis product: AlOH(H2O)52+(aq). By hypothesis, a similar phenomenon accounts for fluoride-enhanced release of metals from a dissolving mineral surface. If so, it should be possible to predict the effectiveness of different adsorbed ligands to enhance dissolution of minerals from spectroscopic rate measurements on dissolved complexes, as was recently shown for aminocarboxylate ligands and NiO(s) (Ludwig et al., 1995, 1996).