cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extracellular Mg++ Manipulation Prevents the Proarrhythmic Activity of Cromakalim in Ischemic/Reperfused Diabetic Hearts

Cromakalim, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener, shows proarrhythmic activity at moderate doses (1–10 μmol/liter) in the ischemic and reperfused myocardium. We studied the effects of extracellular Mg++ ([Mg++]◦) on the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in isolated working hearts ( n = 12 in each group) subjected to 20 min of global ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion, a model eliciting a low incidence of reperfusion arrhythmias, obtained from 8-wk streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cromakalim, at a concentration of 3 μmol/liter, perfused 5 min before the induction of ischemia and throughout reperfusion increased the incidence of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia from their drug-free diabetic control values of 25 and 42% ([Mg++]◦ = 1.2 mmol/liter) to 92% (P < .05) and 100% (P < .05), respectively. Glibenclamide at a concentration of 3 μmol/liter prevented the proarrhythmiac activity of cromakalim. Increasing concentration of [Mg++]◦ to 2.4, 3.6 and 4.8 mmol/liter in the perfusion buffer, the arrhythmogenic effect of cromakalim was also abolished. Thus, with 2.4, 3.6 and 4.8 mmol/liter of [Mg++]◦ perfused before the administration of cromakalim and the onset of ischemia, the incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular tachycardia was reduced from 92% (in cromakalim treated group) to 67%, 42% (P < .05), and 25% (P < .05), respectively. The incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular tachycardia showed the same pattern. Elevated [Mg++]◦ prevented the cromakalim-induced cellular Na+ gain and K+ loss, measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. [Mg++]◦ could prevent the proarrhythmic activity of cromakalim, and the use of cromakalim as an antihypertensive or antiischemic agent may be of particular concern in the population of postischemic diabetic subjects who are known to be at high risk of sudden coronary death.
Transmission properties of the oscillating δ-function potential

We derive an exact expression for the transmission amplitude of a particle moving through a harmonically driven \ensuremath{\delta}-function potential by using the method of continued fractions within the framework of Floquet theory. We prove that the transmission through this potential as a function of the incident energy presents at most two real zeros, that its poles occur at energies $n\ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega}+{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{*}$ $[0lRe({\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{*})l\ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega}],$ and that the poles and zeros in the transmission amplitude come in pairs with the distance between the zeros and the poles (and their residue) decreasing with increasing energy of the incident particle. We also show the existence of nonresonant ``bands'' in the transmission amplitude as a function of the strength of the potential and the driving frequency.
The presentation of malignant lymphoma in the oral cavity and pharynx

The oral and oropharyngeal presentation of malignant lymphoma is an uncommon occurrence. We are reporting ten cases from our radiation center because this cancer is most likely to be first seen and recognized by the dental practitioner at the earliest stage when it is radiocurable. More advanced lesions, as in our series, become associated with systemic lymphomatous disease and patients have a poor survival rate. Only two of our ten patients survived the 5-year interval after diagnosis.
850-nm VCSELs optimized for cryogenic data transmission.

We report on the development of 850-nm high-speed VCSELs optimized for low-power data transmission at cryogenic temperatures near 100 K. These VCSELs operate on the n=1 quantum well transition at cryogenic temperatures (near 100 K) and on the n=2 transition at room temperature (near 300 K) such that cryogenic cooling is not required for initial testing of the optical interconnects at room temperature. Relative to previous work at 950 nm, the shorter 850-nm wavelength of these VCSELs makes them compatible with high-speed receivers that employ GaAs photodiodes.
Velocity correlations in dense gravity-driven granular chute flow

We report numerical results for velocity correlations in dense, gravity-driven granular flow down an inclined plane. For the grains on the surface layer, our results are consistent with experimental measurements reported by Pouliquen. We show that the correlation structure within planes parallel to the surface persists in the bulk. The two-point velocity correlation function exhibits exponential decay for small to intermediate values of the separation between spheres. The correlation lengths identified by exponential fits to the data show nontrivial dependence on the averaging time $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}t$ used to determine grain velocities. We discuss the correlation length dependence on averaging time, incline angle, pile height, depth of the layer, system size, and grain stiffness and relate the results to other length scales associated with the rheology of the system. We find that correlation lengths are typically quite small, of the order of a particle diameter, and increase approximately logarithmically with a minimum pile height for which flow is possible, ${h}_{\mathrm{stop}}$, contrary to the theoretical expectation of a proportional relationship between the two length scales.
Résultats de l’utilisation d’un antiplaquettaire ou d’une anti-coagulation chez les patients subissant une endartériectomie carotidienne

Introduction Le nombre de de patients subissant des procedures vasculaires a qui sont prescrits du clopidogrel ou de la warfarine comme options therapeutique continue d’augmenter. Notre but etait d’analyser les resultats de l’utilisation d’un antiplaquettaire ou d’une anti-coagulation chez les patients subissant une endarteriectomie carotidienne (CEA). Methodes Une etude retrospective de 260 patients consecutifs subissant une CEA. Les donnees demographiques, les details operatoires, l’utilisation perioperatoire d’aspirine (ASA), de clopidogrel, ou de warfarine, et les resultats precoces et tardifs ont ete collectes. Les criteres d’evaluation incluaient le taux de morbidite et/ou mortalite postoperatoires et les complications hemorragiques. Resultats L’etude incluait 152 hommes et 108 femmes (âge moyen = 69,3 ans), avec un suivi moyen de 406 jours. En tout, 46% des endarteriectomies etaient realisees pour une lesion symptomatique. La technique d’endarteriectomie de l’eversion a ete appliquee chez 126 patients (48,5%), la pose d’un patch de Dacron dans 112 cas (43,1%), et d’un patch pericardique bovin dans 14 cas (5,4%). Parmi les patients, 171 prenaient de l’ASA, 50 prenaient du clopidogrel ± de l’ASA, et 10 prenaient de la warfarine (INR moyen = 1,62 ; extremes, 1,2-2,1) ; les 29 autres n’etaient sous aucune therapie antiplaquettaire. Tous les patients qui etaient sous warfarine ont subi une endarteriectomie par eversion. De facon generale, il y a eu 19 (7,3%) complications (12 majeures et 7 mineures). Le taux d’accident vasculaire cerebral (AVC) a 30 jours et le taux de mortalite et AVC etaient de 0,7% et 1,1%, respectivement. Les patients prenant du clopidogrel ont developpe davantage d’hematomes cervicaux (16% contre 1,7%, p = 0,0004) compares aux patients qui etaient sous ASA seule. Chez les patients prenant du clopidogrel, la reparation par patch de Dacron a eu comme consequence davantage d’hematomes que l’eversion (35% contre 4,2%, p = 0,012). Il n’y avait aucune difference des techniques d’endarteriectomie sur l’incidence d’hematome cervical chez les patients qui etaient sous ASA seule. Les patients prenant de la warfarine n’ont eu aucune complication perioperatoire et n’ont developpe aucun hematome cervical. Conclusions Dans cette etude, l’utilisation du clopidogrel au cours de la CEA avait comme consequence un risque significatif de developper un hematome cervical, en particulier en cas de patch en Dacron. Le risque d’hematome cervical chez les patients sous clopidogrel etait bien moindre lorsqu’une endarteriectomie par eversion etait realisee.
Bluetongue disease and the molecular epidemiology of viruses from the western United States

Abstract Prototype and field isolates of United States bluetongue viruses were evaluated for genetic heterogeneity by sequence analyses. Prototype viruses BTV 2, 10, 11, 13 and 17 from the United States, BTV 10 vaccine virus, and field isolates of BTV 10 and 17 from California were analyzed. Gene segment 2 from BTV 10 and 17 isolated in 1980–1981 and 1990 was sequenced along with gene segment 9 from BTV 10 isolates. The Wisconsin Package was used to analyze nucleotide sequences and to predict amino acid composition of the putative proteins. Phylogenetic analyses were done using DNADIST and FITCH programs of the PHYLIP Package, v. 3.4. Gene segment 2 segregated into two monophyletic groups of BTV 2 and 13 and BTV 10, 11 and 17. BTV prototype 10, isolated in 1953 and field isolates through 1980 were similar, whereas the 1990 isolates differed by 4.5%, indicating two BTV 10 monophyletic groups over 37 years. Gene segment 2 of BTV 17 prototype virus differed from the California isolates. Gene segment 9 of BTV 10 field isolates formed into two monophyletic groups. This gene segment reassorted with all serotypes. Gene segment 9 of the 1953 BTV 10 vaccine virus was essentially the same as gene segment 9 of the BTV 13 prototype virus, isolated in Idaho in 1967. This suggested that prototype BTV 13 is a reassortant virus with gene segment 9 derived from a vaccine virus parent.
Sodium parameters for AM1 and PM3 optimized using a modified genetic algorithm

Sodium is very important as a counterion in biology. However, when used with the most common semiempirical Hamiltonians, such as AM1 or PM3, sodium is modeled as a point charge that can accept no electron density, called a “sparkle”. To better model sodium, we derived two sets of sodium parameters, which treat sodium on the same footing as other atoms parametrized in semiempirical methods. One set is compatible with the AM1 parameter set, while the second is compatible with PM3. These parameters were derived using a modified genetic algorithm with a diverse set of 71 compounds. The average unsigned error for the heats of formation was 10.3 kcal/mol for AM1 and 10.5 kcal/mol for PM3.
Inducible ventricular tachyarrhythmia in children with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Adult patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) appear to have a substrate for ventricular arrhythmia inducibility, which is higher than that of the general population.1,2 Because it is unclear whether a similar susceptibility exists in the pediatric patient with WPW. a retrospective study was performed to examine the incidence of and factors associated with ventricular arrhythmia inducibility in children.
The Ambiguities of Rawls's Influence

John Rawls is the towering figure of academic liberalism. A gentle, dignified, self-effacing man, he taught philosophy at Harvard for more than thirty years and from his commanding position exerted a decisive influence on his profession. Through his scholarship and teaching he played a major role in establishing the now-dominant understanding of liberalism in the academy and, more generally, of the method and purpose of the philosophical study of politics. Peter Berkowitz teaches at George Mason University School of Law and is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution (berkowitz@hoover.stanford.edu). He is the editor of the companion volumes Varieties of Conservatism in America (Hoover Institution Press 2004) and Varieties of Progressivism in America (Hoover Institution Press 2004). This essay weaves together (and in places corrects) the argument of “John Rawls and the Liberal Faith,” in The Wilson Quarterly , Spring 2002, pp. 60–69, and “The Academic Liberal,” in The Weekly Standard , Dec. 16, 2002.
Effects of cold electron density on the whistler anisotropy instability

[1] We confirm results from a previous derivation of the linear growth rate of the parallel propagating whistler wave instability when both cold and hot populations are present, and extend previous equations to describe the spatial growth rate. For moderate plasma beta, there is always a peak in the linear growth rate of the dominant mode with respect to the ratio of total plasma density to the hot plasma density. There is a similar peak in the linear convective growth rate for high anisotropy Ahot = T⊥ hot/T∥ hot − 1 but not for low anisotropy. We present these results for a large range of physical parameters. Our results can be used to quickly determine whether the growth rate will increase or decrease with respect to cold plasma density, and we demonstrate this for an event observed recently. We explain the observation that greater cold plasma density leads to a drop in the central frequency of the waves. Model equations can be used to predict the optimal cold plasma density for maximum temporal and spatial growth rate. A relativistic electromagnetic plasma dispersion code is used to show that the analytical formulas are roughly correct in the vicinity of the optimal cold density unless the thermal velocity is highly relativistic ∼0.5 c, where c is the speed of light. Comparison with the electromagnetic dispersion code WHAMP shows that our formulas are adequate for β∥ hot < 1 for realistic anisotropy.
Neurexins Are Functional α-Latrotoxin Receptors

Abstract α-Latrotoxin is a potent neurotoxin that triggers synaptic exocytosis. Surprisingly, two distinct neuronal receptors for α-latrotoxin have been described: CIRL/latrophilin 1 (CL1) and neurexin-1α. α-Latrotoxin is thought to trigger exocytosis by binding to CL1, while the role of neurexin 1α is uncertain. Using PC12 cells, we now demonstrate that neurexins indeed function as α-latrotoxin receptors that are at least as potent as CL1. Both α- and β-neurexins represent autonomous α-latrotoxin receptors that are regulated by alternative splicing. Similar to CL1, truncated neurexins without intracellular sequences are fully active; therefore, neurexins and CL1 recruit α-latrotoxin but are not themselves involved in exocytosis. Thus, α-latrotoxin is unique among neurotoxins, because it utilizes two unrelated receptors, probably to amplify recruitment of α-latrotoxin to active sites.
Managed Care and the Treatment of Skin Diseases: Dermatologists Do It Less Often

Background and Design: Data from the 1985 and 1992 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the 1992 National Health Interview Study were used to determine changes in total visit rates for patients with common skin disease and the proportion of all visits to dermatologists that were provided as part of managed care plans. The setting was a sample of office-based practitioners across the United States. The patients were from a sample of 106 200 office visits in 1985 and 1992 and 128 412 persons who provided data for a population-based interview study. The main outcome measure were number of visits per year and percentage increase from 1985 to 1992 by reason for visit, specialty of physician consulted, and type of insurance expected to pay for the visit and the percentage of persons with specific demographic characteristics who have managed care coverage. The changing source of payment for all office visits and visits for skins diseases as a result of managed care is assessed. Results: From 1985 to 1992, the percentage of office visits with managed care coverage more than doubled. The proportion of managed care patients with skin complaints cared for by dermatologists declined. The age-adjusted rates of visits for adults with managed care insurance to dermatologists are less than one third the rate for other adults without prepaid care. Conclusion: Managed care is rapidly growing as the source of payment for the office-based care of skin complaints. The role of dermatologists in providing this care is diminishing. Arch Dermatol. 1996;132:1039-1042
Baryogenesis without the out-of-equilibrium decay of superheavy bosons

The ''standard'' grand-unified-theory scenario for producing the baryon number-to-specific-entropy ratio of the universe involves the out-of-equilibrium decay of superheavy particles (> or approx. =10/sup 14/ GeV) whose interactions do not conserve B, C, or CP invariance. I discuss a scenario in which the baryon asymmetry is produced by B-, C-, and CP-nonconserving scatterings of massless fermions. In this model at least one fermion species must initially have a nonthermal distribution; the baryon excess generated can be larger than that produced by out-of-equilibrium decay. In order for this scenario to produce a significant baryon excess, the mass of the superheavy boson which mediates the scatterings must be > or approx. =3 x 10/sup 15/ GeV.
The utility of some modern techniques in understanding thyroid pathology

A number of evaluating techniques have moved from the research laboratory into the purview of the diagnostic pathologist and have been applied to the analysis of thyroid lesions. Some of these have already proved diagnostically and prognostically useful, whereas some have produced insights into pathogenesis of specific thyroid lesions and disorders. Rapid proliferation and application of these techniques should allow for increased understanding of human thyroid disease in the near future.
Fetal transcerebellar diameter in down syndrome

Objective To determine whether cerebellar hypoplasia in Down syndrome is established and clinically recognizable in the second trimester of pregnancy and to evaluate the screening utility of transverse cerebellar diameter measurements for Down syndrome fetuses. Methods Ultrasonographic biometry data obtained before genetic amniocenteses on 42 fetuses with Down syndrome and 1161 karyotypically normal fetuses were analyzed. Mean transverse cerebellar diameters stratified by gestational age were compared. A regression equation relating transverse cerebellar diameters to gestational age was calculated for 387 normal fetuses and applied to the remaining normal ( n = 774) and all Down syndrome fetuses. Ratios of observed to expected cerebellar diameters were calculated. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were calculated for various cutoff points and Down syndrome prevalences. Results Cerebellar diameters in Down syndrome fetuses were smaller than in normal controls at all gestational ages ( P Conclusions Cerebellar hypoplasia is developmentally established and sonographically recognizable in second-trimester Down syndrome fetuses. However, cerebellar size differences between normal and Down syndrome fetuses are too small to be clinically useful.
Development of a single-cell array for large-scale DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization

DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful cytogenetic assay, but conventional sample-preparation methods for FISH do not support large-scale high-throughput data acquisition and analysis, which are potentially useful for several biomedical applications. To address this limitation, we have developed a novel FISH sample-preparation method based on generating a centimetre-sized cell array, in which all cells are precisely positioned and separated from their neighbours. This method is simple and capable of patterning nonadherent human cells. We have successfully performed DNA FISH on the single-cell arrays, which facilitates analysis of the FISH results with the FISH-FINDER computer program.
Epinephrinee effects on cyclic amp-dependent protein kinases from rat diaphragms

Diaphragm extracts were subjected to electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels to separate the different molecular species of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Using cyclic [3H]AMP, three peaks of binding activity were observed. The peak closest to the origin (peak I) was associated with cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity and was abolished by incubation of the extracts with cyclic AMP prior to electrophoresis. The peak farthest from the origin (peak III) was devoid of kinase activity and was increased by incubation of extracts with cyclic AMP before electrophoresis; furthermore, when extracts were incubated with cyclic [3H]AMP before electrophoresis, essentially all the radioactivity appeared in peak III. Peak II, in an intermediate position, was also abolished by preincubation of the extracts with cyclic AMP and both its binding capacity and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity were lower than in Peak I. A peak of cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase (peak O) that migrated more slowly than peak II was also detected. From these and other data it is concluded that peaks I and II are cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and that peak III is the dissociated regulatory subunit, respectively. Peak O is cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase together with free catalytic subunits from cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Incubation of rat diaphragms with epinephrine resulted in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in peak I and increase in peak III. These changes correlated with the decrease of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase associated with peak I. No changes in Peak II were observed with epinephrine, but an increased peak O was noted. Changes in peak I and III correlated with the modification of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities. No regulatory subunits (peak III) were detected as phosphorylated forms in diaphragms previously equilibrated with 32P. Treatment with epinephrine produce no noticeable phosphorylation of these regulatory subunits.
Multiscale Discrete Approximations of Fourier Integral Operators Associated with Canonical Transformations and Caustics

We develop an algorithm for the computation of general Fourier integral operators associated with canonical graphs. The algorithm is based on dyadic parabolic decomposition using wave packets and enables the discrete approximate evaluation of the action of such operators on data in the presence of caustics. The procedure consists of constructing a universal operator representation through the introduction of locally singularity-resolving diffeomorphisms, thus enabling the application of wave packet--driven computation, and of constructing the associated pseudodifferential joint-partition of unity on the canonical graphs. We apply the method to a parametrix of the wave equation in the vicinity of a cusp singularity.
Effect of processing milk upon association of added iron with different protein fractions.

Abstract The influence of processing upon the association of added iron with various milk protein fractions was investigated. The order of association of iron with milk proteins (micrograms iron per gram protein) from raw and pasteurized milk was fat globule membrane protein, rennincoagulated casein, proteose-peptone, acid-precipitated casein, and whey proteins; and in the case of homogenized milk, rennin coagulated casein, fat globule membrane protein, acid-precipitated casein, proteose-peptone, and whey proteins.
Investigation of Ethylene Glycol Reforming as a Source of Reductants for Catalytic NOx Removal from Diesel Exhaust

Ethylene glycol (EG) reforming was investigated as a method to generate H2 and CO reductants for low-temperature lean NOx reduction. Stable production of H2 was obtained at 230 °C over a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst using a feed consisting of 2−5% O2 and >2.2% EG. The presence of H2O in the feed enhanced H2 production, as did Na modification of the catalyst. Water gas shift was determined not to contribute significantly to H2 production during EG reforming.
Post-Fordism and the NAFTA Debate

This article situates the debate about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in on-going economic, social and political global restructuring, which has commonly been termed post-Fordism. The author examines two broad theoretical discourses, the neo-liberal and the State interventionist, which are useful for analyzing the debate about NAFTA and other free trade agreements. The author concludes that both discourses have overlooked particular realities of the post-Fordist transformation that will be important in future debates.
Adiabatic shear banding in dynamic plane strain compression of a viscoplastic material

Abstract Dynamic plane strain thermomechanical deformations of a thermally softening viscoplastic body subjected to compressive loads on the top and bottom faces are studied with the objective of exploring the effect of (a) modeling the material inhomogeneity by introducing a temperature perturbation or assuming the existence of a weak material within the block, (b) introducing two defects symmetrically placed on the vertical axis of the block. The effect of setting the thermal conductivity equal to zero is also studied in the latter case. It is found that, irrespective of the way the material inhomogeneity is modeled, a shear band initiates from the site of the defect and propagates in the direction of maximum shearing stress. The value of the average strain at the instant of the initiation of the band depends upon the strength of the material defect introduced. Once the shear band reaches the boundaries of the block it is reflected back, the angle of reflection being nearly equal to the angle of incidence.
Absorption of lawsone through human skin.

Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is the principal color ingredient in henna, a color additive approved with limitations for coloring hair by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under 21 CFR 73.2190. In 2002, the scientific committee on cosmetics and non-food products (SCCNFP), now known as the scientific committee for consumer products (SCCP), evaluated the safety of lawsone as a coloring agent in hair dye products of the European Union (EU). The SCCNFP concluded that lawsone was mutagenic and not suitable for use as a hair coloring agent. As a result, studies were conducted to measure the extent of lawsone absorption through human skin. Lawsone skin absorption was determined from two hair coloring products and two shampoo products, all containing henna. [14C]-Lawsone (sp. act. 22.9 mCi/mmol) was added to each commercial product and the products were applied to dermatomed, nonviable human skin mounted in flow-through diffusion cells perfused with a physiological buffer (HEPES-buffered Hanks' bala...
New evolutionary foundations: Theoretical requirements for a science of sustainability ☆

Abstract Ecological economics stands in theoretical and ethical opposition to many aspects of neoclassical economic theory. Despite their sound critiques of that theory, ecological economists have not settled on an alternative theory of human behavior. As a potential alternative, Norgaard’s socioecological coevolutionary framework remains underspecified in terms of variation, heredity, and selection. I review concepts and insights on human behavior from evolutionary biology and evolutionary social science in order to supply new theoretical tools for ecological economic problems, and help refine the coevolutionary framework. I argue that a synthetic evolutionary theory of human behavior provides a sufficient alternative to the neoclassical perspective, and that cultural evolutionary theory is a necessary prerequisite of a mature economic science, ecological, coevolutionary or otherwise. Finally, I suggest some potential topics that such a mature theory might begin to tackle.
Formation of a hafnium-transition metal bond; syntheses of (η5-C5H5)2 HfFe(CO)4 via nucleophilic displacement

Abstract Reaction of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 HfX 2 , (X = Cl, I), and Na 2 Fe(CO) 4 in THF yields (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 HfFe(CO) 4 , a dimer containing HfFe bonding. An isocarbonyl is formed as a minor product in the synthesis and also following dissolution of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 HfFe(CO) 4 in THF. The synthesis, spectra and properties of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 HfFe(CO) 4 are reported.
Systems Analysis of Small Signaling Modules Relevant to Eight Human Diseases

Using eight newly generated models relevant to addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV, heart disease, malaria, and tuberculosis, we show that systems analysis of small (4–25 species), bounded protein signaling modules rapidly generates new quantitative knowledge from published experimental research. For example, our models show that tumor sclerosis complex (TSC) inhibitors may be more effective than the rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors currently used to treat cancer, that HIV infection could be more effectively blocked by increasing production of the human innate immune response protein APOBEC3G, rather than targeting HIV’s viral infectivity factor (Vif), and how peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists used to treat dyslipidemia would most effectively stimulate PPARα signaling if drug design were to increase agonist nucleoplasmic concentration, as opposed to increasing agonist binding affinity for PPARα. Comparative analysis of system-level properties for all eight modules showed that a significantly higher proportion of concentration parameters fall in the top 15th percentile sensitivity ranking than binding affinity parameters. In infectious disease modules, host networks were significantly more sensitive to virulence factor concentration parameters compared to all other concentration parameters. This work supports the future use of this approach for informing the next generation of experimental roadmaps for known diseases.
Progress in Developing a Composite Tissue-Engineered Aortic Valve

This paper reviews the rationale for developing a tissue-engineered aortic valve by building up the complex microstructure from its basic components, and presents recent progress towards that goal. Over the past 4 years, we have been working on engineering the functional components of the composite valve the collagen fiber bundles, the elastin sheets, and the hyaluronan matrix that keeps the tissue hydrated. Most recently, we have been working on optimizing the geometry and material properties of the collagen constructs, by varying their size and aspect ratio, and the types of loading protocols the constructs experience during the culture process
Near-field investigation of the effect of the array edge on the resonance of loop frequency selective surface elements at mid-infrared wavelengths

Mid-infrared scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy, in combination with far-field infrared spectroscopy, and simulations, was employed to investigate the effect of mutual-element coupling towards the edge of arrays of loop elements acting as frequency selective surfaces (FSSs). Two different square loop arrays on ZnS over a ground plane, resonant at 10.3 µm, were investigated. One array had elements that were closely spaced while the other array had elements with greater inter-element spacing. In addition to the dipolar resonance, we observed a new emergent resonance associated with the edge of the closely-spaced array as a finite size effect, due to the broken translational invariance.
Control of lateral tape motion using extrapolated position estimation

Magnetic tapes are still widely used for long term archival storage because of their high capacity, low cost, and high reliability. A major challenge to increasing their storage capacity is lateral tape motion (LTM), which can cause the tape to strike flanges on the tape reel, damaging the fragile tape edge. In this paper we present a method for steering the tape onto the reel to prevent such damage. Since the tape radius is changing, we must estimate the tape position by extrapolating from two photonic sensors. Actuation is provided by a tilted rotary guide. We present a method for calibrating the sensors to compensate for nonlinearities as the tape moves in two dimensions within the gap of the sensor while the reel winds and unwinds. We then show how to combine the identified dynamics at the two sensors to estimate the position at the tape nip and how to implement a complex proportional integral lead controller to compensate for LTM. Experimental results show significant reduction in LTM at the reel.
Structural analysis and complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of thiele's ester

The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of ‘Thiele's ester,’ i.e. dimethyl 3α 4α, 7α, 7α-tetrahydro-4,7-methano-1H-indene-2,6-dicarboxylate, have been assigned completely by using a combination of one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques. The results thereby obtained afford the first unambiguous assignment of the structure of Thiele's ester that has been made solely on the basis of NMR spectral analysis. The structure obtained is fully consistent with that of Thiele's ester established previously by chemical methods.
Web‐based tutor for interactive design of single‐span and continuous steel beams

The senior author developed the approach of interactive computer-aided design of steel structures on the first-generation personal computers in mid-1980s. The goal of this research is to develop web-based courseware to complement undergraduate teaching of structural steel design. Java Applets are being developed for interactive design of steel beams, compression members, beam-columns, connections, and plate girders. In this article, an example applet, called Beam Tutor, is presented for design of single-span and multi-span steel beams. It can design a variety of beam types such as simply-supported, cantilever, propped, fixed, and multi-span continuous beams subjected to a multitude of loadings including linearly varying load according to two different codes of the American Institute of Steel Construction: Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Specifications. With the help of the web-based courseware, students can find answers to many what-if scenarios quickly. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 20: 383–389, 2012
Interaction of ethanol with β-carotene: Delayed blood clearance and enhanced hepatotoxicity

Because we had found that ethanol interacts with retinol, we investigated whether it also affects its precursor, β-carotene. In 14 baboons fed ethanol (50% of total energy) for 2 to 5 yr with a standard amount of β-carotene (one 200-gm carrot/day), levels of β-carotene were much higher than in controls fed isocaloric carbohydrate, both in plasma (122.5 ± 30.9 nmol/dl vs. 6.3 ± 1.4 nmol/dl; p < 0.005) and in liver (7.9 ± 1.1 nmol/gm vs. 1.8 ± 0.5 nmol/gm; p < 0.001). Even 20 days after withdrawal of the carrots, plasma β-carotene levels remained higher in alcohol-fed baboons than in controls (10.1 ± 3.8 nmol/dl vs. < 0.1 nmol/dl). Next, the diet was supplemented with β-carotene beadlets: in four pairs of baboons given a low dose of β-carotene (3 mg/1,000 kcal), plasma levels were significantly higher in alcohol-fed animals than in controls, even when expressed per cholesterol (although the latter increased with alcohol intake). Seven pairs of animals were given a higher dose (30 mg/1,000 kcal) of β-carotene for 1 mo, followed, in four pairs, by 45 mg for another month. On cessation of β-carotene treatment, plasma levels decreased more slowly in the alcohol-fed baboons than in the controls. Percutaneous liver biopsy specimens revealed that liver concentrations of β-carotene correlated with plasma levels but were higher in the alcohol-fed baboons than in the control baboons, whereas the β-carotene-induced increase in liver retinoids was lower (p < 0.02). Furthermore, the ethanol-induced liver depletion of total retinoids (432 ± 103 nmol/gm vs. 1,711 ± 103 in controls; p < 0.001) was not corrected (637 ± 149 vs. 2,404 ± 74; p < 0.001), despite the massive supplementation with β-carotene. Moreover, in the animals fed alcohol with β-carotene, multiple ultrastructural lesions appeared, with autophagic vacuoles, abundant myelin figures, degenerated mitochondria and increased blood levels of the mitochondrial enzyme glutamic dehydrogenase. The histological changes were either absent or much less prominent in the baboons given β-carotene with the control diet or in animals fed the ethanol or control diets without β-carotene. Thus the combination of an increase in plasma and liver β-carotene after ethanol and a relative lack of a corresponding rise in retinol suggests interference with the conversion of β-carotene to vitamin A. Because of an associated exacerbation of the liver toxicity, we conclude that β-carotene must be administered cautiously in the presence of heavy alcohol consumption because the optimal human therapeutic dose remains to be defined. (HEPATOLOGY 1992;15:883–891).
Competency modeling for the final frontier: Supporting psychosocial health and performance in low earth orbit

Space agencies recognize the need to support psychosocial health and performance during long-duration missions. This article discusses some issues inherent in developing training in this unique work context and outlines efforts to apply a psychosocial competency model. The model focuses on eight specific performance areas: self-care/self-management, communication, cross-cultural, teamwork and group living, leadership, conflict management, situation awareness, and problem solving and decision making.
Development of obliterative bronchiolitis in a murine model of orthotopic lung transplantation.

Orthotopic lung transplantation in rats was first reported by Asimacopoulos and colleagues in 1971 1. Currently, this method is well accepted and standardized not only for the study of allo-rejection but also between syngeneic strains for examining mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury after lung transplantation. Although the application of the rat and other large animal model 2 contributed significantly to the elucidation of these studies, the scope of those investigations is limited by the scarcity of knockout and transgenic rats. Due to no effective therapies for obliterative bronchiolitis, the leading cause of death in lung transplant patients, there has been an intensive search for pre-clinical models that replicate obliterative bronchiolitis. The tracheal allograft model is the most widely used and may reproduce some of the histopathologic features of obliterative bronchiolitis 3. However, the lack of an intact vasculature with no connection to the recipient's conducting airways, and incomplete pathologic features of obliterative bronchiolitis limit the utility of this model 4. Unlike transplantation of other solid organs, vascularized mouse lung transplants have only recently been reported by Okazaki and colleagues for the first time in 2007 5. Applying the basic principles of the rat lung transplant, our lab initiated the obliterative bronchiolitis model using minor histoincompatible antigen murine orthotopic single-left lung transplants which allows the further study of obliterative bronchiolitis immunopathogenesis6.
Morphology and distribution of Miocene slope incisions off New Jersey: Are they diagnostic of sequence boundaries?

High-resolution multichannel seismic reflection profiles confirm that middle–late Miocene continental slope canyons off New Jersey are rare, in contrast to their prevalence on the slope today. Localized canyon incision occurred in two physiographic settings bounded by declivity breaks: steeper clinoform fronts and more shallowly dipping regions seaward of clinoform toes. Canyons incising Miocene clinoform fronts are U and V shaped, relatively small, closely spaced, and localized along strike. They apparently developed independently of known fluvial inputs, although rivers probably discharged sediment near paleo-shelf edges (clinoform breakpoints) during Miocene relative sea-level lowstands. However, not all clinoform fronts are incised; nonchannelized downslope sediment transport also appears to have been a common process. V-shaped canyons are the most common type recognized seaward of clinoform toes; occasional amphitheater-shaped failures also occur. Rare canyons with partly aggradational banks may reflect either overbank and/or levee or contour-current deposition. Many Miocene canyons definitely incise sequence boundaries; they may all do so. This implies that canyons formed during relative sea-level lowstands, in accord with the classic sequence stratigraphic model of siliciclastic depositional systems. However, depth of incision on clinoform fronts decreases downslope, whereas seaward of toes it decreases upslope; development of canyon systems in the two settings is not linked by a single set of processes. Therefore, the presence or absence of canyon incision on this margin must be dictated not only by fluctuations in sea level, but by subtle changes in local conditions or regime variables. These include the efficiency of downslope sediment transport, rate of sediment supply, grain size, and possible slope collapse related to fluid escape.
Analytic treatment of leading-order parton evolution equations: Theory and tests

We recently derived an explicit expression for the gluon distribution function G(x,Q{sup 2})=xg(x,Q{sup 2}) in terms of the proton structure function F{sub 2}{sup {gamma}}{sup p}(x,Q{sup 2}) in leading-order (LO) QCD by solving the LO Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi equation for the Q{sup 2} evolution of F{sub 2}{sup {gamma}}{sup p}(x,Q{sup 2}) analytically, using a differential-equation method. We showed that accurate experimental knowledge of F{sub 2}{sup {gamma}}{sup p}(x,Q{sup 2}) in a region of Bjorken x and virtuality Q{sup 2} is all that is needed to determine the gluon distribution in that region. We rederive and extend the results here using a Laplace-transform technique, and show that the singlet quark structure function F{sub S}(x,Q{sup 2}) can be determined directly in terms of G from the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi gluon evolution equation. To illustrate the method and check the consistency of existing LO quark and gluon distributions, we used the published values of the LO quark distributions from the CTEQ5L and MRST2001 LO analyses to form F{sub 2}{sup {gamma}}{sup p}(x,Q{sup 2}), and then solved analytically for G(x,Q{sup 2}). We find that the analytic and fitted gluon distributions from MRST2001LO agree well with each other for all x and Q{sup 2}, while those from CTEQ5L differ significantly from each othermore » for large x values, x > or approx. 0.03-0.05, at all Q{sup 2}. We conclude that the published CTEQ5L distributions are incompatible in this region. Using a nonsinglet evolution equation, we obtain a sensitive test of quark distributions which holds in both LO and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD. We find in either case that the CTEQ5 quark distributions satisfy the tests numerically for small x, but fail the tests for x > or approx. 0.03-0.05--their use could potentially lead to significant shifts in predictions of quantities sensitive to large x. We encountered no problems with the MRST2001LO distributions or later CTEQ distributions. We suggest caution in the use of the CTEQ5 distributions.« less
Grafting of High-Density Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Monolayers on Si(111)

A strategy has been developed for the grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) monolayers onto the atomically flat Si(111) surface. This process involves the direct interaction of the HO-functional group on PEG with a chlorine-terminated silicon surface. The resulting monolayers show exceptional flatness, with mean roughness on the angstrom scale. Film thickness is determined by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Results for different molecular weights reveal that the grafted PEG molecules are in a brushlike configuration at low molecular weight (MW = 200, 300) and a more coil-like configuration at higher molecular weight (MW = 1000, 2000). The surface density of grafted PEG molecules is significantly higher than those reported in the literature and decreases with increasing molecular weight, from 92% at MW = 300 to 35% at MW = 2000. Both the brushlike and the coil-like configurations show excellent properties of protein resistance.
Double iterative optimisation for metabolic network-based drug target identification

The goal of drug discovery is to find molecules that manipulate enzymes in order to increase or decrease the production of desired compounds while incurring minimum side-effects. An important part of this problem is the identification of the target enzymes, i.e., the enzymes that will be inhibited by the drug molecules. We present novel and scalable algorithms for finding a set of enzymes, whose inhibition stops the production of a given set of target compounds, while eliminating minimal number of non-target compounds. Experimental results are presented for the E. coli metabolic network to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our iterative method.
Near-infrared characterization of ENABLE grown superconducting nanowire single photon detectors

We characterize the near-infrared response of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors grown with the Energetic Neutral Atom Beam Lithography&Epitaxy technique. These SNSPDs show single photon sensitivity, MHz count rate, low-timing jitter, and detection efficiency ∼10−3.
Perceiving nonverbal messages: Effects of immediacy and encoded intent on receiver judgments

This study deals with whether a perceiver will distinguish between nonverbal messages sent with specific intent versus those representing a more spontaneous “gestalt” and the extent to which these diverse behavioral modes correlate with the degree of immediacy reflected in the nonverbal behaviors. Despite evidence that largely purposeful nonverbal behaviors are physically different from those encoded with less clear intent, participants (N = 62) saw most nonimmediate behaviors as intentionally sent while immediate behaviors were seen as more unintentional. Behaviors indicative of immediacy were also viewed as directed toward the perceiver and resulted in more favorable evaluations of the message sender. Individuals behaving with greater immediacy were interpreted as being more competent and evaluated more favorably than those using low immediacy. Type of intent had little impact on social perceptions.
Some aspects of householding in the medieval Icelandic commonwealth

Cet article refute la these recente selon laquelle le menage islandais du moyen âge ressortait, pour la typologie, a la famille nucleaire. Pour se documenter sur les types de menage l'auteur a choisi parmi les textes des sagas et des documents legaux, seuls temoignages ecrits de l'epoque. La nature de ces temoignages demande des reserves quant aux conclusions, mais il faut bien constater la presence frequente d'une variete de menages complexes. Les donnees suggerent une forte classe de gens de maison aux perspectives diverses. Le mariage entre eux n'est pas exclus, mais il est impossible d'en etablir la frequence. En effet leur grande mobilite creait des liens d'affection avec differents menages. Enfin, l'auteur souligne que la typologie generalement admise de Laslett pourrait n'etre d'aucune utilite pour decrire les diverses formes d'accomodation.
Normative observations on neuropsychological test performances in old age

Abstract As part of a study of dementia, 162 normal volunteers in the age range of 65–84 years were given a battery of nine neuropsychological tests assessing temporal orientation, short-term memory, language functions, and visuoperceptive capacity. When compared to subjects less than 65 years of age, the group showed little evidence of generalized decline in cognitive function before the age of 80 years. The 80–84 years subgroup showed a higher overall failure rate on the tests than the younger subgroups. Nevertheless, 70% of the subjects in the 80–84 years subgroup made no more than one failure on the nine tests. There were substantial differences among the tests in respect to their sensitivity to the effects of aging. The largest decline in performance was shown on tests of short-term visual memory, serial digit learning, and facial recognition. The other verbal, memory, and visuoperceptive tests were performed well up to the age of 80 years. The findings are interpreted as providing limited support fo...