cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results of total correction of tetralogy of Fallot with complete atrioventricular canal

Four patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TF) and complete atrioventricular canal (CAVC) underwent successful intracardiac repair. All patients had undergone preliminary palliative shunts. Associated cardiovascular lesions included muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) and left superior vena cava (one patient), bilateral main pulmonary artery stenosis (one patient), and right aortic arch (two patients). The diagnosis was suspected clinically by electrocardiographic evidence of right ventricular hypertrophy and left anterior hemiblock, by echocardiographic findings suggestive of CAVC with aortic dextroposition, and by the association with trisomy 21. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and cineangiography. Total correction consisted of closure of the VSD and atrial septal defect (ASD), reconstruction of the atrioventricular valves, and relief of the right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO). There were no early or late postoperative deaths. Surgically induced complete heart block did not occur. One patient underwent successful reoperation for residual VSD and right ventricular outflow aneurysm. Late hemodynamic evaluation revealed good results in all patients. We recommend a staged treatment plan consisting of preliminary systemic--pulmonary artery shunting for symptomatic children under 4 to 5 years of age and total correction for older children. With proper preoperative diagnosis and accurate intracardiac repair, good results may be obtained after total correction of TF and CAVC.
Country-of-Origin Effects in a Cross-Cultural Setting

The nature of the impact of Country-of-Origin (CO) on purchase behavior is far from clear. A theoretical structure of the relationships underlying CO effects is tested using LISREL and the generalizability of the findings are assessed across respondents belonging to two different cultural groups (US-born and Greece- born) residing in the US. Responses provided by US-born respondents appear to fit the a priori theoretical model more closely than those provided by Greece-born respondents. The complexity of the acculturation process of Greece-born respondents is offered as the likely reason for this inter-group difference.
Chappaquiddick Revisited: Scandal and the Modern-Mediated Apologia

The scandal surrounding Senator Edward M. Kennedy and the events of July 18, 1969, on Chappaquiddick Island reveal a template for understanding scandal in contemporary times. Revisiting his July 25th televised address to the people of Massachusetts illustrates how apologia (speaking in defense of oneself) impacted the narrative of scandal for decades to come. Kennedy’s speech, which took place one week after the car crash when he pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the crime scene, serves as a signal moment in which the nascent context for contemporary political-sexual scandal in a media-saturated environment was born.
Effective Instruction in APA Style in Blended and Face-to-Face Classrooms

Students at all levels struggle with using correct American Psychological Association (APA) style to format their papers and cite their sources. With increased access to online sources and electronic plagiarism checkers, it is more important than ever that even freshmen students understand and maste
Preadolescent Adversity Programs a Disrupted Maternal Stress Reactivity in Humans and Mice.

Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are one of the greatest predictors of affective disorders for women. Periods of dynamic hormonal flux, including pregnancy, exacerbate the risk for affective disturbance and promote hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, a key feature of affective disorders. Little is understood as to how stress experienced in late childhood, defined as preadolescence, alters the programming unique to this period of brain maturation and its interaction with the hormonal changes of pregnancy and postpartum. Methods Preadolescent female mice were exposed to chronic stress and examined for changes in their HPA axis during pregnancy and postpartum, including assessment of maternal-specific stress responsiveness and transcriptomics of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Translationally, pregnant women with low or high ACEs were examined for their maternal stress responsiveness. Results As predicted, preadolescent stress in mice resulted in a significant blunting of the corticosterone response during pregnancy. Transcriptomic analysis of the paraventricular nucleus revealed widespread changes in expression of immediate early genes and their targets, supporting the likely involvement of an upstream epigenetic mechanism. Critically, in our human studies, the high ACE women showed a significant blunting of the HPA response. Conclusions This unique mouse model recapitulates a clinical outcome of a hyporesponsive HPA stress axis, an important feature of affective disorders, during a dynamic hormonal period, and suggests involvement of transcriptional regulation in the hypothalamus. These studies identify a novel mouse model of female ACEs that can be used to examine how additional life adversity may provoke disease risk or resilience.
Evolution of cooperation and coordination via preferential detachment

Game theoretic models and computer simulations of the evolution of cooperation, coordination, culture, morality, and norms have played a significant role in the advancement of our understanding of how individual actions under differing incentive schemes produce different aggregated outcomes. This project presents preliminary results of extending existing research by demonstrating how a simple preferential detachment mechanism with learning (or population dynamics) on social networks can recreate the results of many previous models and produce compelling results on a much larger array of payoff structures. The ability to recreate the “good” outcomes using minimal assumptions and such a simple mechanism produces implications about sufficient mechanisms for the evolution of morality and insight into how to build the next generation of models for exploring these and other complex systems phenomena.
A Moderated Mediation Test of Minority Stress: The Role of Collective Action

In the present study, we extended minority stress theory by testing expectations of stigma, internalized heterosexism, and outness as mediators of the relations of heterosexist discrimination with ...
Exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles in physiological fluid induced synergistic biological effects in a keratinocyte model

Nanoparticles (NPs) possess distinctive physicochemical properties that in addition to differentiating them from their bulk counterparts can induce negative cellular consequences. Standard in vitro systems have served as the primary model for NP safety evaluations, but suffer from a lack physiological relevance. One way to overcome this limitation and evaluate NP characteristics under more accurate conditions is through the use of artificial physiological fluids, which mimic the composition of in vivo environments. In this study, we identified that copper oxide (CuO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs displayed modified behavior when dispersed in artificial interstitial fluid (IF) versus traditional media, including extensive agglomeration and increased particle deposition. When keratinocyte cells underwent CuO NP exposure, synergistic stress and toxicity responses occurred within an IF environment, correlating with augmented particle deposition. However, following IF incubation alone or concurrently with TiO2 NPs, which are not innately toxic, no combinatorial responses were identified. These results indicate that synergistic outcomes arise when toxic NPs undergo fluid-induced alterations to key physicochemical properties and behaviors. This study highlights the necessity of carrying out NP characterization and safety assessments in physiologically-representative environments; as altered behavior patterns have the potential to induce bioresponses not identified within traditional models.
‘Putin is playing chess and I think we are playing marbles.’ Vladimir Putin’s ‘soft power’ and the American Right:

The crisis in Ukraine and the Russian annexation of Crimea negatively affected Russia’s image in the United States and in Western Europe. At the same time, the dynamic of the Russian–U.S. relations during the crisis prodded several prominent American right-wing politicians and commentators to make statements about Vladimir Putin that reflected their own ‘desire for a tough leader who will dispense with niceties and embrace power’. This article explores the phenomenon of Vladimir Putin’s ‘popularity’ among the American conservatives through qualitative textual analysis of the coverage of his persona in several right-wing publications and blogs. The project engages with the concept of ‘soft power’ by raising the following conceptual question: can a leader who ‘wrestles bears and drills for oil’ leverage these characteristics as a type of ‘soft power’ when it comes to ‘winning the hearts and minds’ of certain international constituencies and under particular international circumstances?
Ovarian Reserve Testing

The general purpose of ovarian reserve testing is to assess the quantity and quality of the remaining oocytes in an attempt to predict reproductive potential. Ovarian reserve testing should be performed in women older than 35 years who have not conceived after 6 months of attempting pregnancy (or women less than 35 who have not conceived after 1 year) and women at higher risk of diminished ovarian reserve, such as those with a history of cancer or other medical condition treated with gonadotoxic therapy and/or pelvic irradiation, or women who have had ovarian surgery for endometriomas.
The effects of working memory load and attention refocusing on delay discounting rates in alcohol use disorder with comorbid antisocial personality disorder

Executive working memory capacity (eWMC) is central to adaptive decision-making. Research has revealed reduced eWMC and higher rates of impulsive decision making in individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs: DSM-IV Alcohol Dependence of Alcohol Abuse) and antisocial psychopathology (AP). Recent work has shown that placing a load on working memory (WM) further increases impulsive decision making on the delay discounting (DD) task in those with AUDs and AP. The current study examined the effects of an attention refocusing manipulation to offset the effects of this WM-load on DD rates in control subjects, those with AUDs without AP, and AUDs with AP (AUD-AP). Results revealed that 1) the AUD-AP group had higher DD rates (i.e., more impulsive decision-making) than the AUD group, followed by controls, and 2) attention refocusing after a load is placed on WM was associated with lower DD rates compared to the load without refocusing in both AUD groups, but not controls. Results suggest that refocusing attention after a cognitive load may be an effective cognitive strategy for reducing the impulsivity-enhancing effects of cognitive load on decision making in individuals with AUDs and AP.
Unusual Presentation for Unusual Infection: Disseminated Mycobacterium Avium-Intracellulare complex (MAC) in Patient with Sickle Cell Anemia Mimicking Blood Transfusion Reaction

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous free living soil and water– borne organisms that cause numerous clinical syndromes including lymphadenitis, skin, soft tissue and pulmonary infections, however disseminated infection is almost exclusively in patient with severe immunocompromise (i.e:HIV, Hematological malignancy, and bone marrow transplant). Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is hard to diagnose as it is considered slow grower NTM. We describe a case of disseminated Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infection in teenager with sickle hemoglobinopathy with unique presentation mimicking pRBCs transfusion reaction. Patient presented on three different occasions with tachycardia, hypotension and fever within 2-24 hours following pRBCs pheresis, all three episodes were investigated and were negative for transfusion reactions. Patient had central venous catheter (CVC), frequent admissions for vaso-occlusive painful episode, on hydrocortisone for adrenal insufficiency and off Hydroxyurea for two months. Diagnosis of mycobacterium avium complex bacteremia was confirmed by two positive blood cultures, whole body CT scan showed liver nodules, spleen nodules and lung nodules. Pulmonary dissemination was confirmed by Biopsy and culture, Lymphocyte markers showed severe lymphopenia with absolute CD4 count of 64. Patient underwent treatment with three month of four antibiotics followed by 9 months of three antibiotics with removal of the central line, follow up scan showed decrease size and numbers of nodules, patient started tolerating pheresis within one month of the antibiotics initiation. NTM infection should be added to the list of pathogens in sickle cell patients with CVCs and fever and should be considered in frequent pRBC transfusion like reaction with negative workup. Routine blood culture can identify rapid growing NTM but specific mycobacterial blood culture is required in case of other NTM species (slow grower). As dissemination almost always occurs in those with impaired cellular immunity, HIV testing and lymphocyte markers should be performed Removal of involved CVCs is essential for the treatment as well as appropriate antimicrobial medications. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Joint versus sole physical custody: Outcomes for children independent of family income or parental conflict

Is joint physical custody (JPC) linked to any better or worse outcomes for children than sole physical custody (SPC) after considering family income and parental conflict? In the 60 studies publish...
Toward understanding the degradation without light soaking in hot-wire a-Si:H thin films and solar cells

The non-reversible degradation without light soaking has been observed in both thin films and solar cells fabricated using the hot-wire CVD technique. For solar cells, a 9.8% initial efficiency became 9.2% when measured after a few weeks of being stored in the dark. For the intrinsic layers, the conductivity increased in the air but remained steady in vacuum up to 700 hours. Also, the conductivity increased and activation energy decreases from an initial ∼0.95 eV to ~∼0.85 eV after several thermal cycles, even in a vacuum. We suggest that the degradation in both materials and solar cells come from the same origin: the upward shift of the Fermi-energy position from its initial value. In other words, the as-grown material is slightly p-type and gradually became slightly n-type after sitting in the air or after thermal annealing cycles in a vacuum. The shift in the Fermi-energy made the fill factor of the solar cell decrease and changes in the electronic properties of the i-layer. It is likely that adsorption of oxygen from water vapor is driving this degradation.
Directives in Japanese Workplace Discourse

Directives, utterances designed to get the recipient to do something, are ubiquitous in workplace discourse as well as in daily conversations, and have previously been studied in conjunction with concepts such as politeness, indirectness, entitlement, and contingency. This study investigates directive sequences observed in faculty meetings at Japanese secondary schools, focusing on three directive formulations: (1) -te kudasai; (2) directives with donatory verbs; and (3) to iu koto de. Rather than considering static social contexts unidirectionally affecting language use, this study adopts a discursive approach to directives and examines participants’ linguistic choices in issuing directives in conjunction with several interrelated factors: whether the requested action is considered routine, whether the directive is previously agreed upon, who issues the directive in what capacity, and so on.
An Exploration of the Utility of Digital Badging in Higher Education Settings.

The use of digital badges is a trend in today’s education and professional settings. We conducted an exploration to see how badges are being used in higher education. Digital badges and more specifically, open badges, are used in a multitude of learning contexts and serve many purposes. This study conducted interviews with individuals leading digital badge initiatives in higher education institutions. Our findings suggest that badges awarded for participation are valued less meaningful than skill-based badges. For skill-based badges, evidence of mastery must be associated with the badge along with the evaluation criteria. Badge purpose, transferability, and learning objectives were noted as the top priorities when implementing badge offerings in higher education contexts.
COMPARTMENTAL ANALYSIS AND THE THEORY OF RESIDENCE TIME DISTRIBUTIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the theory of tracer methods and compartmental analysis. It is almost precisely paralleled by the theory of residence time distributions and the analysis of first-order kinetics developed by chemical engineers, but, unfortunately, like almost parallel surfaces, the two areas have seldom been in contact. The biologist may be interested to learn what may be said in rigorous but quite general terms about tracer movements and to see an entirely different approach to compartmental analysis. The engineer needs to be acquainted with the complexity of biological problems and to get something more than a superficial knowledge of the subject before he can make a really useful contribution. The chapter also discusses a group of moderately complex problems whose solutions can be expressed in relatively simple terms. These problems are of a much lower order of complexity than that of biological systems, but it is still sufficient to give incentive for the development of simplifying methods.
Blood flow, tissue oxygenation, pH distribution, and energy metabolism of murine mammary adenocarcinomas during growth.

Many solid tumors are relatively resistant to non-surgical therapeutic assaults. A variety of factors are involved in the lack of responsiveness of these neoplasms including cellular heterogeneity due to genetic differences between cells, and physiological factors created by inadequate and heterogeneous vascular networks. Thus, properties such as tumor blood flow, tissue oxygenation, pH distribution and energy metabolism, factors which generally go hand in hand, markedly influence the therapeutic response. Since the strategic approach must consider the physiological microenviron-ment of the cells within a tumor mass and -if possible- should exploit the metabolic micromilieu in designing therapies, we have measured relevant parameters in a well established murine tumor cell line with a known size dependent increase in the radiobiologicaly hypoxic cell fraction.
The Role of Humor in Political Argument: How “Strategery” and “Lockboxes” Changed a Political Campaign

This Burkean rhetorical analysis examines the role of humor in framing political argument. In analyzing the persuasive relationship of humor in the political sphere with political humor in the entertainment sphere, this study concludes that comic framing of political discourse played an important argumentation role in the 2000 Presidential election. Specifically, the first Presidential debate is compared, contrasted, and analyzed with Saturday Night Live's parodies of the first debate. This analysis suggests that Bush utilized more effective roles as the ‘comic clown’ while Gore employed relatively less effective traditional and ‘tragic’ modes of performance.
Are We Guilty of Errors of Omission on the Potential Role of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems as Less Harmful Substitutes for Combusted Tobacco Use

Abstract Two of the more controversial tobacco control and regulatory strategies in recent years are the nicotine reduction and tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategies. They have become inextricably intertwined as a successful nicotine reduction policy might only be possible in an environment in which alternative, noncombusted forms of nicotine like electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are available to address the needs of those who were unable or unwilling to completely give up nicotine. Unfortunately, ENDS have emerged as particularly controversial, in part, because they are the first product to carry reduced risk potential while being broadly appealing to cigarette smokers across demographic groups and subpopulations, and to a much smaller extent nonsmokers including, and most controversial, adolescents. In an effort to better understand some of the reasons that make this a controversial topic, we review some of the relevant history and discuss a broader dilemma that faces practitioners and policy developers of medical and public health interventions, namely, weighing the potential consequences of errors of commission versus omission. Commission errors involve a salient, direct link between an action and associated adverse or unintended consequences while omission errors are typically less salient with a more indirect link between inaction and associated adverse consequences. Decision-making research demonstrates that humans have a bias towards avoidance of commission errors and insensitivity to omission errors. This bias may be contributing to some of the aforementioned difficulties in finding common ground regarding the potential contribution of ENDS to reducing the harm of combusted tobacco use.
Phase I clinical trials in refractory colorectal cancer (CRC): Do older adult patients benefit?

784Background: Current clinical trial data are largely driven by younger participants, yet half the population diagnosed with CRC are 70+. Upon progression, many CRC patients (pts) with refractory ...
Separation of amino acid enantiomers by gas chromatography with an optically active stationary phase (N-TFA-L-valyl-L-leucine cyclohexyl ester)

The resolution of amino acid enantiomers by gas chromatography on optically active stationary phases has been explained by the formation of hydrogen bonded diastereomeric association complexes. Structural considerations involving these complexes have led to the synthesis of a new phase, TFA-L-valyl-L-leucine cyclohexyl ester. Relative retention times and resolution factors have been determined for each enantiomeric pair of eleven amino acids and glycine. Investigations have uncovered some trends in resolution factors and relative retention times for amino acids on different dipeptide phases. These patterns led to an explanation for the difficulties found in resolving D, L-proline. Structural differences about the α-carbon in the dipeptide phase influence the elution pattern of TFA-amino acid isopropyl esters from the column. Particularly strong effects are found in the elution patterns of hydroxy amino acids on different dipeptide phases.
The Use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy Augmented With CBT to Treat Postpartum Trauma

Approximately 1% to 2% of women suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth, with obstetric emergencies being a key risk factor for birth-related PTSD. The current study a...
Stellate Ganglion Block

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) is a commonly performed intervention for sympathetically mediated pain in the head, neck and upper extremities in addition to forms of vascular insufficiency. This chapter includes a basic overview of the anatomy of the stellate ganglion in addition to the indications, procedural technique and complications associated with the procedure.
Abstract 18760: Homeostatic Intracellular Repair Response (HIR2) is Affected by Glycemic Control in Diabetics Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Background: We previously reported that HIR2 is activated in the human heart during cardiac surgery. The mechanism underlying HIR2 is adaptive autophagy, a beneficial stress response to ischemia, h...
THE ATROPINESTERASE-COCAINESTERASE SYSTEM OF ISOZYMES IN RABBITS: DISTRIBUTION OF PHENOTYPES AND THEIR GENETIC ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT . In an earlier note in Science the authors described a multizoned, six-phenotype system of rabbit serum esterases and showed that the atropinesterase and cocainesterase activity of rabbit serum are properties of that system. Phenotypes A and AF exhibited both activities. Phenotypes F, P, and S exhibited cocainesterase activity alone, whereas the serum of rabbits of phenotype M was incapable of hydrolyzing either substrate. Isozyme zone A, found only in phenotypes A and AF, is synonymous with atropinesterase. Isozyme zone S, common to phenotypes A, AF, F, P, and S, but lacking in phenotype M, is synonymous with cocainesterase.
Application of quadrature-based moment methods to the conditional moment closure

Abstract Two solution algorithms are developed for the conditional moment closure (CMC) using quadrature-based moment methods (QBMM). Their primary purpose is to eliminate the necessity of the additional grid for the conditioning variable (e.g., mixture fraction). As in almost every probability-density-function (PDF)-based description, the main technical hurdle is the solution of the molecular-mixing term. Here the focus is on solving this term coupled with chemistry, as opposed to spatial transport. In the first algorithm (referred to as SA-CMC), this is done by semi-analytically solving an equation for the deviation variable of the conditional scalar mean in terms of Jacobi polynomials. The mixture-fraction space is represented by the Gauss–Lobatto quadrature rule and a β-PDF. In the second algorithm (referred to as QBMM-CMC), a closed set of differential equations is written for the joint moments of a scalar and the mixture fraction, thereby eliminating the need to assume a form for the mixture-fraction PDF. Both solution algorithms are tested for multi-step H2 combustion, and the expected results are achieved with at most six quadrature nodes. Since in the proposed algorithms the scalar mean is ensured to be constant during molecular mixing, it is further concluded that the proposed algorithms are accurate, computationally cost-effective, and straightforward alternatives for traditional CMC solution methods.
A Focal Concerns Perspective on Prosecutorial Decision Making in Cases of Intimate Partner Stalking

Despite millions of stalking victims contacting the police each year, suspects are rarely arrested or prosecuted. While prosecutors are ultimately the gatekeepers to holding defendants accountable,...
Skeletal muscle DNMT3A plays a necessary role in endurance exercise by regulating oxidative capacity of red muscles

Abstract Exercise interventions alter the DNA methylation profile in skeletal muscle, yet little is known about the role of the DNA methylation machinery in exercise capacity. In this study, we found that in oxidative red muscle, DNMT3A expression increases greatly following a bout of endurance exercise. Mice lacking Dnmt3a in skeletal muscle fibers had reduced tolerance to endurance exercise, accompanied by reduced oxidative capacity and reduced mitochondrial counts. Moreover, during exercise, the knockout muscles overproduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are major contributors to muscle dysfunction. In mechanistic terms, we demonstrated that Aldh1l1 is a key target of repression by DNMT3A in red muscles. DNMT3A directly regulated the Aldh1l1 transcription by binding to the Aldh1l1 promoter region and altering DNA methylation and histone modification. Enforcing ALDH1L1 expression, leading to elevated NADPH, led to overproduction of ROS by the NADPH oxidase complex (NOX) in myotubes, ultimately resulting in mitochondrial defects. Moreover, both genetic inhibition of ALDH1L1 and pharmacological inhibition of NOX rescued oxidative stress and mitochondrial decline in Dnmt3a-deficient myotubes, confirming the essential role of ALDH1L1-dependent ROS generation as a downstream effector of DNMT3A loss of function. Together, our results reveal that DNMT3A in skeletal muscle plays a pivotal role in endurance exercise by controlling intracellular oxidative stress.
Phase Transition and Spin Clustering of Neutron Stars in X-Ray Binaries

The spins of X-ray neutron star accretors in low-mass binaries are found to cluster at about 300 Hz with the exception of a few higher frequency objects. We find that a postulated phase transition induced by the centrifugally driven dilution in the density profile of the star can produce a similar feature. It takes from 107 to 109 yr, depending on the mass accretion rate, to expel the high-density phase from the core. The corresponding growth in the moment of inertia retards spin-up during this epoch. Normal mass accretion-driven spin-up resumes at its completion. A phase change triggered by the changing spin and the accompanying evolution of the moment of inertia has its analog in rotating nuclei as was discovered in the 1970s.
Perioperative evaluation of neonatal aortic arch thrombosis

Herein, we present a neonatal case of coarctation of the aorta, with aortic arch thrombus confirmed by echocardiography. We performed thrombus removal and aortic arch repair emergently. This critical condition necessitates quick preoperative evaluation with echocardiography. Moreover, postoperative evaluation using computed tomography is reasonable to assess an aortic arch configuration, and exclude the remnant thrombus.
Prozone rates in the solid-phase platelet crossmatch assay and correlation with class I HLA antibody levels.

BACKGROUND Solid-phase platelet crossmatch (PXM) testing is used to help manage patients with platelet transfusion-refractoriness. Recently, we published the first report of false-negative PXM results from prozone effect that was mitigated using sample dilution. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of PXM prozone effect and the levels of class I HLA antibodies (HLA-Abs) associated with positive PXM results and with false-negative PXM results from prozone effect. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional study of patients undergoing PXM testing from July 2019 through December 2020 was performed. All PXM tests were run simultaneously using undiluted and 1:4 diluted patient plasma. Prozone effect was defined as a negative PXM result using undiluted patient plasma but a positive PXM result using 1:4 diluted patient plasma. RESULTS Among 59 patients, 830 individual ABO-compatible PXM results yielded an overall positivity rate of 25.8% (214/830) and a false-negative rate from prozone effect of 4.7% (10/214). Among the 28 patients with class I HLA-Ab testing and no other anti-platelet antibodies, maximum HLA-Ab mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) was significantly associated with a positive PXM result (p 10300) maximum HLA-Ab MFI zones. Maximum HLA-Ab MFI, however, was not associated with prozone effect (p = .17; AUC approx. 0.6). DISCUSSION While there is a strong predictive association between class I HLA-Ab levels and positive PXM results, PXM prozone effect is a common occurrence not associated with class I HLA-Ab levels, so additional testing with diluted samples should be considered.
CPP impairs contextual learning at concentrations below those that block pyramidal neuron NMDARs and LTP in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

Abstract Drugs that block N-methyl- d -aspartate receptors (NMDARs) suppress hippocampus-dependent memory formation; they also block long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model of learning and memory. However, the fractional block that is required to achieve these effects is unknown. Here, we measured the dose-dependent suppression of contextual memory in vivo by systemic administration of the competitive antagonist (R,S)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP); in parallel, we measured the concentration-dependent block by CPP of NMDAR-mediated synapses and LTP of excitatory synapses in hippocampal brain slices in vitro. We found that the dose of CPP that suppresses contextual memory in vivo (EC50 = 2.3 mg/kg) corresponds to a free concentration of 53 nM. Surprisingly, applying this concentration of CPP to hippocampal brain slices had no effect on the NMDAR component of evoked field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPNMDA), or on LTP. Rather, the IC50 for blocking the fEPSPNMDA was 434 nM, and for blocking LTP was 361 nM – both nearly an order of magnitude higher. We conclude that memory impairment produced by systemically administered CPP is not due primarily to its blockade of NMDARs on hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Rather, systemic CPP suppresses memory formation by actions elsewhere in the memory-encoding circuitry.
Measurements of sub-jet fragmentation with ALICE

High-energy jets offer rich opportunities to study quantum chromodynamics, from investigating the limits of perturbative calculability to constraining the emergent properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). In these proceedings, we present new measurements of the fragmentation properties of jets. We report distributions of the sub-jet momentum fraction $z_r$ measured in pp and Pb-Pb collisions with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider. These measurements serve as input to test the universality of jet fragmentation in the QGP, and offer a path to elucidate jet quenching effects in the large-$z$ region.
Scenes from the Battlefield: A Feminist Resists the Writing Workshop

Scenes from the Battlefield: A Feminist Resists the Writing Workshop 109 I intend here to argue that the contemporary creative writing classroom, with its emphasis on the traditional workshop model of teaching, actively suppresses both feminist radical writing and avant-garde writing, and therefore is complicit in the more gener al tendency of academic institutions to perpetuate the racist, sex ist, elitist, and heterosexist status quo. You will note that I have chosen to separate into two categories "feminist radical writing" and "avant-garde writing." Despite the historically persistent presence of "experimentalist women writ ers," the category "avant-garde" still tends to connote a white male community, who, I would suggest, arrive at experimental writing from a different beginning of emphasis. As Hal Foster has said about the postmodern visual arts, there exists a postmodernism of reaction and a postmodernism of resistance. The avant-garde has tended to tend the progress of society, has tended to react to (con ventional and/or modernist) forms; while feminist radical writers have tended to resist forms, to effect revision of society's root prac tices. True enough: differences between avant-garde and feminist radical writers tend to be nuanced, and so alliances have tended to form. But these alliances are shaky. To explore this shaking a bit further, I turn to a recent contribu tion to the field of writing about avant-garde writing, Ronald Sukenick's Narralogues: Truth in Fiction. Sukenick writes, "Postmodernism in fiction may be considered, in part, a rebellion against the constraints of mimesis in favor of a return to the rhetorical tradition." Which rhetorical tradition? He recognizes that "rhetoric can be the blunt instrument of power" and that "forms of discourse embody our most profound, if veiled, political investments." Most resisting writers would agree with these observations, but shouldn't the vestments of that rhetorical tradi tion be undone? "Fiction is a matter of argument rather than of dramatic representation." Well, ok, fiction emerges from an author's authoritative point of view and should therefore be con
Chapter 2.3 Energetic heterogeneity of porous inorganic oxides: Adsorption and chromatographic studies

Porous inorganic oxides are energetically heterogeneous due to various types of surface hydroxyls, impurities as well as surface and structural irregularities. There exist many methods to extract information about energetic heterogeneity of inorganic oxides from the low-pressure adsorption isotherms, gas chromatographic data as well as thermode-sorption data. This heterogeneity is commonly characterized in terms of the adsorption energy distribution function. The current review presents a brief survey of the methods recommended especially to evaluate the adsorption energy distributions for porous inorganic oxides. A special emphasis is placed on the numerical procedures, which provide stable results. Some illustrations are given for porous silicas, which are the most popular inorganic oxides used as adsorbents, chromatographic packings and catalyst supports.
Chapter 8 Electron Transfer in Gaseous Positively Charged Peptides — Relation to Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Special theoretical tools are needed to carry out ab initio simulations of (i) electron transfer from a negatively charged donor (i.e., an anion donor) to a positively charged polypeptide and (ii) electron transfer within such a peptide from Rydberg orbitals on positive sites (e.g., protonated amines on side chains) to disulfide or amide bond sites. Basis sets capable of describing several Rydberg states as well as states with an electron attached to an SS σ* or OCN π* orbital must be used. Electron correlation is important to include for some states, and methods that allow one to obtain excited states of the same spin and spatial symmetry must be employed. Tools for treating surface hopping between states are also crucial. Examples of applying such tools to anion-to-peptide and intra-peptide electron-transfer processes are presented. It is demonstrated that intra-peptide electron transfer from Rydberg orbitals can occur over long distances (>15 A) and can take place in both through-space and through-bond paths. Similarities and differences with other electron-transfer processes in chemistry are also discussed.
Short-Term Own-Price and Spillover Effects of Distressed Residential Properties: The Case of a Housing Crash

Most previous empirical studies of price spillover effects of foreclosure on no-default transactions are based on data from a stable housing-market period. This study uses transactions for 2008 fro...
A Quarter Century of Economic Reforms in Ukraine: Too Late, Too Slow, Too Little (Ćwierć Wieku Ukraińskich Reform: Za Mało, Za Późno I Zbyt Wolno)

English Abstract: The first aim of this paper is to describe the main developments in the Ukrainian economy since its independence in 1991, focusing on the evolution of output, and the path of economic reforms — that is, to simply show what happened. The bottom line on that is well known: Ukraine’s economy performed very poorly, and its reforms moved quite slowly, lagging behind most of Central Europe and the Baltic, and even behind some FSU (Former Soviet Union) countries. This first task is a relatively easy one, though some measurement issues do need discussion. In comparison, the second aim — explaining why it happened, identifying the explanatory, causal factors — is much more difficult and contentious. Indeed, causation here means two dynamics: the relationship between performance and reform pace, and the underlying determinants of the slow reforms. The paper’s main effort will be to argue and present evidence that the poor economic performance is primarily due to the late and slow start on economic reforms. However, it only begins to point to the explanations for slow reforms and suggest a modeling approach to analyze this econometrically in future work.Polish Abstract: Niniejsze opracowanie ma na celu opisac glowne zmiany, jakie zaszly w ukrainskiej gospodarce od momentu odzyskania niepodleglości w 1991 roku, rownocześnie zwracając uwage na rozwoj produkcji i ściezki reform gospodarczych. Dobrze znanym faktem jest, iz gospodarka Ukrainy funkcjonowala bardzo slabo, a proces jej reformowania przebiegal dośc powoli, znacznie wolniej niz w wiekszości krajow Europy Środkowej i panstw Baltyckich, a nawet niektorych krajow bylego Związku Radzieckiego. Kolejnym, o wiele bardziej problematycznym i kontrowersyjnym celem opracowania jest wyjaśnienie, dlaczego tak sie stalo. W tym przypadku związek przyczynowy powiązany jest z dwoma relacjami: zaleznością miedzy wydajnością gospodarki i tempem reform, oraz czynnikami bedącymi przyczyną wolnego tempa reform. Najwazniejszym celem niniejszej pracy jest natomiast wykazanie oraz udowodnienie, ze slabe wyniki gospodarcze są przede wszystkim wynikiem poźnego rozpoczecia procesu reform oraz ich wolnego tempa. Jest ona jednak jedynie wstepem do pelnej analizy przyczyn opieszalości we wprowadzaniu zmian oraz propozycja sposobow zastosowania metod ekonometrycznych do zbadania tego problemu w przyszlości.
Gestational Age at Delivery and Doppler Waveforms in Very Preterm Intrauterine Growth‐Restricted Fetuses as Predictors of Perinatal Mortality

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare gestational age at delivery and the performance of middle cerebral artery (MCA), ductus venosus (DV), and umbilical artery Doppler parameters in the prediction of perinatal mortality and morbidity in intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses delivered at 32 weeks or earlier. Methods. The study population consisted of 41 patients with IUGR fetuses. Delivery occurred for maternal or fetal indications. Two-tailed Χ 2 and Fisher exact tests, an independent t test, and logistic regression were used for the analysis. P <.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Gestational age at delivery ranged between 23.1 and 32 weeks (median, 27.6 weeks). There were 17 perinatal deaths. Ninety-four percent of the perinatal deaths occurred when the fetuses were delivered before 29 weeks. No fetus survived when delivered before 25 weeks. Two parameters predicted the perinatal mortality: gestational age at delivery (odds ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.88) and the combination of abnormal MCA peak systolic velocity + DV reversed flow (odds ratio, 10.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-57). For each week of pregnancy, there was a reduction in perinatal mortality of 48%. No Doppler parameters were significantly associated with perinatal morbidity. Conclusions. Gestational age at delivery and the combination of abnormal MCA peak systolic velocity + DV reversed flow in very preterm IUGR fetuses were the best parameters in predicting perinatal mortality. The decreased perinatal mortality that is found for each week IUGR fetuses remain in utero should be taken into account when a decision to deliver an IUGR fetus before 30 weeks is made.
Decoding a class of nonbinary codes using neural networks

A method for decoding RS (Reed Solomon) codes which used fixed decoding time and does not depend upon the number of errors present in messages is presented. The method is much simpler compared to existing decoding algorithms for RS codes. However, for large values of p (where p>or=0.2), the performance degrades significantly because for large noise levels the improvement obtained by error correction codes is less significant and is not necessarily worth the calculations and improved error correction techniques. This technique has not only resulted in improvement in signal to noise ratio and error correction capabilities but also saves the bandwidth. This savings was achieved by shortening the block length of RS code by omitting information symbols that do not reduce its minimum distance, and therefore any shortened RS code is also a maximum distance separable code. The use of neural network approaches improved the speed of computation, the simplicity, and robustness in addition to improvement in error correction and signal to noise ratio. >
NMR structure determination of the hypothetical protein TM1290 from Thermotoga maritima using automated NOESY analysis.

The 115-residue hypothetical protein TM1290 is a member of the COG1433 protein family, and it has sequence similarity to NifX and the C-terminal domain of NifB (Shah et al., 1999). These proteins are involved in the biosynthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) of dinitrogenase, an enzyme which catalyzes the reduction of nitrogen gas to ammonium in an ATPand reductant-dependent reaction (Rubio et al., 2002). This paper documents the first de novo protein structure determination using the algorithms ATNOS (Herrmann et al., 2002a) for automated NOESY peak picking and NOE identification, and CANDID (Herrmann et al., 2002b) for automated NOE assignment, which enables direct feedback between the 3D protein structure and the raw NMR data during protein structure refinement.
Pharmacomechanical coupling: the role of calcium, G-proteins, kinases and phosphatases.

The concept of pharmacomechanical coupling, introduced 30 years ago to account for physiological mechanisms that can regulate contraction of smooth muscle independently of the membrane potential, has since been transformed from a definition into what we now recognize as a complex of well-defined, molecular mechanisms. The release of Ca2+ from the SR by a chemical messenger, InsP3, is well known to be initiated not by depolarization, but by agonist-receptor interaction. Furthermore, this G-protein-coupled phosphatidylinositol cascade, one of many processes covered by the umbrella of pharmacomechanical coupling, is part of complex and general signal transduction mechanisms also operating in many non-muscle cells of diverse organisms. It is also clear that, although the major contractile regulatory mechanism of smooth muscle, phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of MLC20, is [Ca2+]-dependent, the activity of both the kinase and the phosphatase can also be modulated independently of [Ca2+]i. Sensitization to Ca2+ is attributed to inhibition of SMPP-1M, a process most likely dominated by activation of the monomeric GTP-binding protein RhoA that, in turn, activates Rho-kinase that phosphorylates the regulatory subunit of SMPP-1M and inhibits its myosin phosphatase activity. It is likely that the tonic phase of contraction activated by a variety of excitatory agonists is, at least in part, mediated by this Ca2+-sensitizing mechanism. Desensitization to Ca2+ can occur either through inhibitory phosphorylation of MLCK by other kinases or autophosphorylation and by activation of SMPP-1M by cyclic nucleotide-activated kinases, probably involving phosphorylation of a phosphatase activator. Based on our current understanding of the complexity of the many cross-talking signal transduction mechanisms that operate in cells, it is likely that, in the future, our current concepts will be refined, additional mechanisms of pharmacomechanical coupling will be recognized, and those contributing to the pathologenesis diseases, such as hypertension and asthma, will be identified.
Convergence of recursive adaptive and identification procedures via weak convergence theory

Results and concepts in the theory of weak convergence of a sequence of probability measures are applied to convergence problems for a variety of recursive adaptive (stochastic approximation-like) methods. Similar techniques have had wide applicability in areas of operations research and in some other areas in stochastic control. It is quite likely that they will play a much more important role in control theory than they do at present, since they allow relatively simple and natural proofs for many types of convergence and approximation problems. Part of the aim of the paper is tutorial: to introduce the ideas and to show how they might be applied. Also, many of the results are new, and they can all be generalized in many directions.