cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Unindicted Conspirator: High Healthcare Spending and the Rise of Third-Party Payment

Healthcare spending in the United States is dominated by government and insurers, which are collectively called third-party payers. In 1960, patients controlled how almost 50 cents of each dollar spent on health care was paid. That number is now down to just over 10 cents, with the rest controlled by third-party payers. This separation of payer from consumer is associated with a significant increase in real healthcare spending per capita, with poor quality, and with waste that amounts to about one-third of healthcare spending. However, this result is not a natural economic outcome. Rather, it is the consequence of public policy that can, and should, be amended or reversed.
Dietary Regulation of Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer’s Disease: Importance of Microbiota Metabolites

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that impacts 45 million people worldwide and is ranked as the 6th top cause of death among all adults by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While genetics is an important risk factor for the development of AD, environment and lifestyle are also contributing risk factors. One such environmental factor is diet, which has emerged as a key influencer of AD development/progression as well as cognition. Diets containing large quantities of saturated/trans-fats, refined carbohydrates, limited intake of fiber, and alcohol are associated with cognitive dysfunction while conversely diets low in saturated/trans-fats (i.e., bad fats), high mono/polyunsaturated fats (i.e., good fats), high in fiber and polyphenols are associated with better cognitive function and memory in both humans and animal models. Mechanistically, this could be the direct consequence of dietary components (lipids, vitamins, polyphenols) on the brain, but other mechanisms are also likely to be important. Diet is considered to be the single greatest factor influencing the intestinal microbiome. Diet robustly influences the types and function of micro-organisms (called microbiota) that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. Availability of different types of nutrients (from the diet) will favor or disfavor the abundance and function of certain groups of microbiota. Microbiota are highly metabolically active and produce many metabolites and other factors that can affect the brain including cognition and the development and clinical progression of AD. This review summarizes data to support a model in which microbiota metabolites influence brain function and AD.
Serial longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging data indicate non-linear regional gray matter volume recovery in abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals.

The trajectory of regional volume changes during the first year of sustained abstinence in those recovering from an alcohol use disorder is unclear because previous research typically employed only two assessment points. To better understand the trajectory of regional brain volume recovery in treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals (ALC), regional brain volumes were measured after 1 week, 1 month and 7.5 months of sustained abstinence via magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T. ALC showed significant volume increases in frontal, parietal and occipital gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), total cortical GM and total lobar WM, thalamus and cerebellum, and decreased ventricular volume over 7.5 months of abstinence. Volume increases in regional GM were significantly greater over 1 week to 1 month than from 1 month to 7.5 months of abstinence, indicating a non-linear rate of change in regional GM over 7.5 months. Overall, regional lobar WM showed linear volume increases over 7.5 months. With increasing age, smoking ALC showed lower frontal and total cortical GM volume recovery than non-smoking ALC. Despite significant volume increases, ALC showed smaller GM volumes in all regions, except the frontal cortex, than controls after 7.5 months of abstinence. ALC and controls showed no regional WM volume differences at any assessment point. In non-smoking ALC only, increasing regional GM and WM volumes were related to improving processing speed. Findings may indicate a differential rate of recovery of cell types/cellular components contributing to GM and WM volume during early abstinence, and that GM volume deficits persist after 7.5 months of sustained sobriety in this ALC cohort.
Improved electron fluxes from the synchronous orbit particle analyzer

[1] New electron responses have been evaluated for the synchronous orbit particle analyzer (SOPA) that Los Alamos National Laboratory flies on geosynchronous satellites. The new responses include for the first time a comprehensive treatment of bremsstrahlung photons, as well as actual dimensions and electronic noise. The new responses yield energetic (0.05–1.5 MeV) electron fluxes accurate to within a factor of 2. Whenever the electron energy spectra are sufficiently soft, the new electron fluxes agree reasonably well with previous estimates. However, for hard electron energy spectra often found after geomagnetically active times, significantly lower electron fluxes are obtained from the same observed counts. For such cases, previously obscured spectral features are clearly observed, and the plasma analyzer and SOPA electron fluxes show much better agreement.
Natural and industrial analogues for leakage of CO2 from storage reservoirs: identification of features, events, and processes and lessons learned

Instances of gas leakage from naturally occurring CO2 reservoirs and natural gas storage sites serve as analogues for the potential release of CO2 from geologic storage sites. This paper summarizes and compares the features, events, and processes that can be identified from these analogues, which include both naturally occurring releases and those associated with industrial processes. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) carbon dioxide can accumulate beneath, and be released from, primary and secondary shallower reservoirs with capping units located at a wide range of depths; (2) many natural releases of CO2 are correlated with a specific event that triggered the release; (3) unsealed fault and fracture zones may act as conduits for CO2 flow from depth to the surface; (4) improperly constructed or abandoned wells can rapidly release large quantities of CO2; (5) the types of CO2 release at the surface vary widely between and within different leakage sites; (6) the hazard to human health was small in most cases, possibly because of implementation of post-leakage public education and monitoring pro- grams; (7) while changes in groundwater chemistry were related to CO2 leakage, waters often remained potable. Lessons learned for risk assessment associated with geologic carbon sequestration are discussed.
Perturbation Pressure and Cumulus Convection

Abstract A simple model of perturbation pressure in cumulus convection is presented. The results show that the buoyancy- and drag-induced perturbation pressures act against the prescribed forcing. The dynamic pressure is found to be a consequence of the Bernoulli effect and a balance for the centrifugal force which arises from the curved motion of the air. Quantitative calculations reveal that the pressure force is of the same order of magnitude as the buoyancy and drag and offers a plausible explanation for the acceleration of negatively buoyant air near the base of convective updrafts.
Determination of Ultratrace Selenium and Arsenic at Parts-per-Trillion Levels in Environmental and Biological Samples by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry with Flow Injection Hydride Generation Technique

Abstract Hydride vapor generation atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is a preferred method for determination of hydride-forming elements such as selenium and arsenic, particularly at ultratrace concentration levels. In this applied research, the hydride vapor generator-coupled atomic fluorescence spectroscopic system has been used to replace the atomic absorption spectroscopic detector, which is used in the ordinary hydride generation technique. Also, the successful analysis of samples using the flow injection hydride generation system (FIA-Hydride) is combined with the atomic fluorescence spectrometer. For better sensitivity, membrane dryers have been used that use a hygroscopic, ion-exchange membrane in a continuous drying process between hydride generator (separator) and atomic fluorescence detector to selectively remove water vapor from mixed hydride gas streams. The effects of carrier gas flow rate, different acids, and acid concentrations on sensitivity have been tested to select the best conditions. More than 200 times enhancement of sensitivity has been shown in the hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectroscopy system (Hydride-AFS). The instrument detection limit (IDL) and method detection limit (MDL), which takes into account sample preparation process effects, were determined. Detection levels of a few parts per trillion without a preconcentration stage and clean room are achieved for actual samples of selenium and arsenic. The widest linear dynamic range is about four orders of magnitude: between 0.025 and 250 ng/ml of selenium and arsenic. The present method is applied to determining selenium and arsenic in environmental samples such as surface water, soil, and fish tissue. The sediment standard (MASS-2) and water and tissue sample spike have been tested by the present method with good recoveries. Also, the analytical results for selenium and arsenic in surface water, sediment, and fish tissue obtained by the FIA-Hydride-AFS method and Hydride-AAS method are compared. As is clearly shown in these results, the present new FIA-Hydride-AFS method not only provides good agreement with the values obtained by the ordinary Hydride-AAS method, but the performance of this system suggests that it will be effective for the analysis of arsenic and selenium at ultratrace levels.
Ion Energies at the Cathode of a Glow Discharge

The energy distribution of ions striking the cathode in a glow discharge has been measured for a series of gases including hydrogen, helium, neon, and argon. Standard ultrahigh vacuum techniques were used to maintain a high degree of gas purity. The ions were detected by placing a small pinhole in the cathode of a glow discharge and analyzed for energy by means of a sector-type electrostatic analyzer. The ion species was determined with a conventional magnetic analyzer and the resulting ion beam intensity measured with an electron multiplier. An oscilloscope display gave the ion-energy distribution for a particular ion species. A simple theory involving assumptions that the ions originated in the negative glow and undergo primarily symmetrical charge transfer as they pass through the cathode dark space to the cathode gives results that are in most cases in good agreement with experiment. The charge-transfer cross sections determined are in reasonable agreement with other published data.
Palmitylation of the Vaccinia Virus 37-kDa Major Envelope Antigen IDENTIFICATION OF A CONSERVED ACCEPTOR MOTIF AND BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Computer-assisted alignment of known palmitylproteins was used to identify a potential peptide motif, TMDX1-12AAC(C)A (TMD, transmembrane domain; X, any amino acid; C, cysteine acceptor residues; A, aliphatic residue) responsible for directing internal palmitylation of the vaccinia virus 37-kDa major envelope antigen, p37. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to confirm this motif as the site of modification and to produce a nonpalmitylated version of the p37 protein. Comparative phenotypic analysis of the wild-type and mutant p37 alleles confirmed that the p37 protein is involved in viral envelopment and egress, and suggested that attachment of the palmitate moiety was essential for correct intracellular targeting and protein function.
Adsorption of clofibric acid and ketoprofen onto powdered activated carbon: effect of natural organic matter.

The adsorption of two acidic pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), clofibric acid and ketoprofen, onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated with a particular focus on the influence of natural organic matter (NOM) on the adsorption of the PhACs. Suwannee River humic acids (SRHAs) were used as a substitute for NOM. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to obtain adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms with and without SRHAs in the system. The adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption of clofibric acid was not significantly affected by the presence of SRHAs at a concentration of 5 mg (as carbon) L−1. An adsorption capacity of 70 to 140 mg g−1 was observed and equilibrium was reached within 48 h. In contrast, the adsorption of ketoprofen was markedly decreased (from about 120 mg g−1 to 70–100 mg g−1) in the presence of SRHAs. Higher initial concentrations of clofibric acid than ketoprofen during testing may explain the different behaviours that were ob...
Effects of size and size structure on predation and inter-cohort competition in red-eyed treefrog tadpoles

Individual and relative body size are key determinants of ecological performance, shaping the strength and types of interactions within and among species. Size-dependent performance is particularly important for iteroparous species with overlapping cohorts, determining the ability of new cohorts to invade habitats with older, larger conspecifics. We conducted two mesocosm experiments to examine the role of size and size structure in shaping growth and survival in tadpoles of the red-eyed treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas), a tropical species with a prolonged breeding season. First, we used a response surface design to quantify the competitive effect and response of two tadpole size classes across three competitive environments. Large tadpoles were superior per capita effect competitors, increasing the size difference between cohorts through time at high resource availability. Hatchlings were better per biomass response competitors, and maintained the size difference between cohorts when resource availability was low. However, in contrast to previous studies, small tadpoles never closed the size gap with large tadpoles. Second, we examine the relationship between body size, size structure, and predation by dragonfly nymphs (Anax amazili) on tadpole survival and growth. Hatchlings were more vulnerable to predation; predator and large competitor presence interacted to reduce hatchling growth. Again, the size gap between cohorts increased over time, but increased marginally more with predators present. These findings have implications for understanding how variation in resources and predation over the breeding season will shape population size structure through time and the ability of new cohorts to invade habitats with older conspecifics.
A benders decomposition approach to corrective security constrained OPF with power flow control devices

This paper studies a DC Corrective Security-Constrained OPF (SCOPF) in electricity networks in which the transmission lines are potentially instrumented with Distributed Flexible AC Transmission Systems (DFACTS). Hence, in the considered SCOPF, the transmission lines' reactance along with the generators' output are considered as control variables. The objective of this SCOPF model is to obtain minimum generation cost while maintaining the system N-1 secure. Benders decomposition is applied to solve the discussed DC SCOPF problem. Case studies for the IEEE 30-bus test system, the IEEE 39-bus test system and the IEEE 118-bus test system are presented. The performance of Benders decomposition is compared to a brute force approach, in which the DC SCOPF is solved as a single optimization problem, with respect to run-time and accuracy of the results.
Statistical tests of the broken-stick model of species-abundance relations.

The broken-stick model of MacArthur has been generally accepted as providing a good description of species-abundance relations for certain animal communities, such as birds and fishes. Most of the conclusions about the validity of the model, however, appear to have been reached either through visual comparison of observed and predicted abundance plots or through indirect results, such as the relation between diversity and number of species. As a basis for a more quantitative and direct test of the model, a sample of 130 breeding-bird censuses was selected from Audubon Field Notes . The theoretical and observed distributions of δ s (the difference between the two largest relative abundances) were compared; the agreement was considered to be marginally satisfactory. One possible source of bias in the test is that the argument of the broken-stick distribution is a continuous variable, while the observations are reported as discrete variables. An integer-variable analog of the broken-stick model was devised and the theoretical and observed distributions of N s (the largest absolute abundance) were compared. In this case the agreement was definitely unsatisfactory. The observed values of N s were generally larger than the theoretical median values, and almost one-half of them fell in the fourth quartile of the theoretical distribution.
GDNF induces mechanical hyperalgesia in muscle by reducing I(BK) in isolectin B4-positive nociceptors.

We have assessed the mechanism underlying glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the gastrocnemius muscle, using patch clamp electrophysiology, in vivo electrophysiology and behavioral studies. Cultured isolectin B4-positive (IB4+) dorsal root ganglion neurons that innervated this muscle were held under current clamp; the majority developed an increase in action potential duration (a factor of increase of 2.29 ± 0.24, compared to 1.13 ± 0.17 in control, P < 0.01) in response to GDNF (200 ng/ml) by 15 min after application. They also demonstrated a depolarization of resting membrane potential, but without significant changes in rheobase, action potential peak, or after-hyperpolarization. Large-conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels, which have recently been shown to play a role in the repolarization of IB4+ nociceptors, were inhibited under voltage clamp, as indicated by a significant reduction in the iberiotoxin-sensitive current. In vivo single-fiber recording from muscle afferents revealed that injection of iberiotoxin into their peripheral nociceptive field caused an increase in nociceptor firing in response to a 60 s suprathreshold stimulus (an increase from 392.2 ± 119.8 spikes to 596.1 ± 170.8 spikes, P < 0.05). This was observed in the absence of changes in the mechanical threshold. Finally, injection of iberiotoxin into the gastrocnemius muscle produced dose-dependent mechanical hyperalgesia. These data support the suggestion that GDNF induces nociceptor sensitization and mechanical hyperalgesia, at least in part, by inhibiting BK current in IB4+ nociceptors.
Heading in the rat: determination by environmental shape

After a 75-sec intratrial delay, rats that had been shown the location of hidden food within a rectangular box correctly dug at that location in a second identical box, which had been moved into the same position within the room. For some rats, the opposing ends of the boxes were differentiated by distinctive corner panels; for others, there were no panels. When, during the delay interval, the turntable supporting both boxes was rotated by more than 180°, so that the second box no longer took the place of the first box within the room, the rats showed performance decrements. Nevertheless, 4 subjects selected the correct location significantly more often than the rotationally equivalent location, which corresponds to the correct location when the ends of the box are confused. The amount of rotation had no significant effect for any rat. In a final phase, the rats were denied perceptual access to cues outside the test box, which now had differentiating corner panels for all rats. Despite the distinctive panels, no rat showed a significant difference between correct digs and rotational errors; that is, no rat reliably distinguished one end of the box from the other. Results confirm previous findings that rats rely primarily on environmental shape to establish their heading. They ignore distinctive features of the surfaces that define environmental shape, even when the shape by itself is insufficient to establish a unique orientation.
Computation of magnetostrictive materials

Magnetostriction is the phenomena of the deformation of ferromagnetic materials in external magnetic fields.3'14 In the early 1970's certain rare earth intermetallic compounds eg, TbDyFe2 (Terfenol), were discovered to exhibit high magnetostriction at room temperatures. Since then such materials have been of intense interest. There is however not yet a generally accepted coherent theoretical model and the principal mechanisms of magnetostriction still remain to be clarified. Recent advances in the understanding of microstructural behavior in modern materials1'2'6'8 have enabled James and Kinderlehrer to propose a phenomenological energy functional:10 E(y,m) = j{W(Vy(x),m(y(x))) — He m(y(x))} dx + J IVU(i)I2di (1) where y is the deformation of the material y:—1R3, w=y(11), m : w —4 1R3, and U is related to m by Maxwell's equation: V•(—VU+m,)=O inlEt3
DEPT polarization transfer for the INADEQUATE experiment

Abstract A DEPT polarization-transfer INADEQUATE experiment is presented. Calculated results for several spin systems are compared with experimental results in simple compounds. Effective enhancement relative to proton-decoupled INADEQUATE is a factor of two or greater, similar to INEPT-INADEQUATE. Polarization transfer to nonprotonated carbons via DEPT-INADEQUATE is demonstrated. Relative peak intensities in INADEQUATE NMR spectra are shown to give additional information regarding peak assignment. Several experimental difficulties are discussed and solutions proposed which help to suppress spectral artifacts and to maximize polarization-transfer efficiency.
Hypothetical and Real Consequences in Experimental Auctions for Insurance against Low Probability Risks

Laboratory experiments have provided useful information about how people behave in risky siluations. In particular, such experiments have allowed for the observation of many deviations from the predictions of expected utility theory. There is some dispute, however, over the effect ofthe use of real versus hypothetical money in these experiments and over the Impact of experience. In this paper we describe auction experiments in which subjects faced a low-probability risk with either hypothetical or real-money consequences and varying amounts of experience. Using hypothetical payoffs resulted in behavior that provides a reasonable qualitative prediction of behavior with real consequences, but that seems to indicate a less diligent attitude toward spending the money as well as less concern about the risk.
Application of Benveniste's convergence results in the study of adaptive IIR filtering algorithms

It is shown that the weak convergence results of A. Benveniste et al. (IEEE Trans. Automat. Contr., vol.AC-25, p.1042-58, Dec. 1980) can be used to prove convergence of some adaptive infinite impulse response (IIR) filtering algorithms. The association of the algorithms with some ordinary differential equations for constant gains, which parallels the theory of L. Ljung et al. (1983), is suitable for constant-gain adaptive filtering applications. Convergence proofs for a prefiltering algorithm, for a simple constant-gain version of the recursive maximum-likelihood algorithm, and for the well-known simple hyperstable adaptive recursive filter (SHARF) algorithm are given as examples. >
λ Anomaly in the Heat Capacity of Solid Hydrogen at Small Molar Volumes

Apparatus for the determination of properties of solid hydrogen at volumes between 15 and 23 cc/mole is described. The results of measurements on the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ anomaly in the heat capacity of solid hydrogen containing large concentrations of orthohydrogen are reported for molar volumes from 15.8 to 22.6 cc. The $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ temperature was found to vary with intermolecular separation $R$ as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$, with a small contribution from a higher exponent. This is in agreement with the expected relative contributions of electric quadrupole and valence interactions to the intermolecular potential. The relative contribution of the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ anomaly to the total anomalous entropy was estimated. The $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ anomaly was found to have at least two distinct peaks.
Alignment of phylogenetically unambiguous indels in Shewanella.

Abstract High levels of alignment errors associated with gaps have generally meant their exclusion from phylogenetic analysis. Conserved inserts and deletions (indels) may in some cases be less subject to errors than amino acid substitutions for inferring the history of genomes and identifying recently laterally transferred genes, but alignment error near gaps must be evaluated prior to using indels as phylogenetic characters. A method is presented for evaluating the phylogenetic unambiguity of gaps in multiple sequence alignments by allowing a defined amount of pairwise alignment ambiguity. This work considers the bacterial genus Shewanella, which is of particular interest for applications of bioremediation and environmental engineering. Understanding the genetic history of these species is vital for these applications. A set of pairwise dynamic programming alignments is constructed to test positions in multiple alignments for phylogenetic unambiguity, and a whole genome scan is done on protein sequences...
KGB in transition: The Bakatin interregnum

(1993). KGB in transition: The Bakatin interregnum. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 327-338.
Two-Dimensional Electrons in a Magnetic Field. III. Many-Body Effects,

A many-body theory is given to show that the magnetic properties of a two-dimensional electron system are dependent on the filling factor ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ defined as the ratio of the ideal Fermi energy against the field energy. Explicit results are obtained for absolute zero and large values of this factor. The internal energy is evaluated explicitly in consideration of the ideal, first-order exchange and ring contributions. The result converges for all ${r}_{s}$ because for the ring contribution no small-momentum-transfer assumption is made and for low densities a rigorous analytical continuation is adopted. When plotted against ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, the internal energy shows parabolic variations in a periodic way until it approaches the average kinetic energy for large ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The ideal susceptibility shows zigzag changes characteristic of absolute zero when it is plotted against ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. It is zero at ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}^{\ensuremath{-}1}=2m+1$, where it jumps from $\ensuremath{-}2m$ to $2(m+1)$, $m$ being an integer. The Coulomb interaction suppresses the zigzag variations for small ${r}_{s}$ and inverts the oscillating pattern at ${r}_{s}$ \ensuremath{\sim}0.7. The oscillations thereafter may be considered characteristic of a liquid state rather than a gaseous state as they are somewhat different from those for small ${r}_{s}$. The susceptibility is convergent for all ${r}_{s}$.
Wing Rock Due to Aerodynamic Hysteresis

An analysis is presented using control theory concepts to show that aerodynamic hysteresis of the form of relay action can lead to lateral-directional limit cycle motions. These limit cycle motions are usually described in a colloquial sense as airframe wing rock. The aerodynamic details leading to wing-rock oscillations will vary with airframe configuration, and usually the exact description of the aerodynamic nonlinearity is difficult to obtain or predict. The purpose of the studies described herein is to promulgate a flight mechanics analysis technique which by virtue of its simplicity offers the analyst an insight into potential candidate aerodynamic mechanisms.
Prediction of locoregional extension and metastatic disease in prostate cancer: a review.

Despite efforts to enhance the accuracy of prediction of extraprostatic disease, approximately 40% of the men undergoing radical prostatectomy are found at surgery to have non-organ-confined cancer. Predictive algorithms based on multivariate regression analysis and neural networks are widely available and are superior to our standard empirical methods of clinical staging. These algorithms have been validated in diverse and well-characterized patient groups. For enhancement of the predictive value, data input must be standardized and improved input variables must be incorporated. In addition to the three "classic" staging parameters, i.e., pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA), biopsy pathology, and digital rectal examination, new variables now show promise in predicting disease extent and may be integrated in future predictive models. This review focuses on our present methods for prediction of locoregional spread and distant metastases in men with clinically localized prostate cancer.
Variation in cellular glutathione peroxidase activity in lens epithelial cells, transgenics and knockouts does not significantly change the response to H2O2 stress.

Abstract This investigation examines the contribution of glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx-1) in degrading H2O2in lens preparations. Rabbit (N/N1003A) and normal and GSHPx-1 transfected mouse (αTN4-1) lens epithelial cell lines and normal and GSHPx-1 transgenic and knockout mouse lenses were utilized. GSHPx-1 activity in the cell lines was increased from two-fold to about four-fold, in the lenses from transgenics more than four-fold and the lenses from knockouts had less than 3% of normal GSHPx-1 activity. The transgenic and knockout mice as well as their lenses appeared normal for up to 3 to 4 months, the longest period of observation. The preparations were subjected to oxidative stress by placing them either in a medium containing 120 or 300μ m H2O2or utilizing photochemical stress where the H2O2levels normally rise to about 100μ m over a few hours in the presence of a normal lens. With all preparations, it was found that either markedly increasing or eliminating GSHPx-1 activity had only a small effect on the system's ability to metabolize H2O2. 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), an inhibitor of GSSG reductase (GSSG Red) and 3-aminotriazole (3-AT), an inhibitor of catalase, also had little effect. However, the addition of both inhibitors caused a marked decrease in H2O2degradation. Examination of the distribution of GSHPx-1 in the lens indicated that the activity per milligram of protein was evenly distributed between the epithelium and the remainder of the lens in the normal lens and was about 1.7-fold greater in the epithelium of transgenic lenses than in the remainder of the lens. Surprisingly, the distribution of GSSG Red was quite different with eight- to ten-fold more activity in the epithelium. Catalase was also found to be concentrated in the epithelium. With H2O2exposure, a rapid loss of non-protein thiol (NP-thiol) was found in cell cultures and in the epithelia of cultured lenses. However, the remainder of the lens showed little change in NP-thiol. The variation of GSHPx-1 activity did not influence the NP-thiol changes which occurred more rapidly and to a greater extent in the presence of BCNU. The addition of BCNU also caused a decrease in total lens NP-thiol. Examination of thymidine incorporation and choline transport, indicators of nuclear and membrane function, also reflects the H2O2degradation data, showing little difference in the degree to which H2O2effects these parameters in lenses from normal and transgenic animals. Catalase activity is four- to six-fold greater than GSHPX-1 activity in the αTN4-1 cell lines, about three-fold lower in the rabbit cell line and, remarkably, about 18-fold lower than the peroxidase in the normal mouse lens. In spite of such observations, the consistent overall conclusion is that GSHPx-1 and catalase function together but when GSHPx-1 is knocked out or GSSG Red is inhibited, catalase is able to protect the system from H2O2stress. Indeed, the young mouse does not appear to require GSH Px-1 for normal function.
Training and Development of Clinical Research Personnel through the Glaxo Professional Development Program

Employees in clinical research and its supportive functions bring a heterogeneous collection of formal educations, health care training, scientific training, and work experiences to their positions in the pharmaceutical industry. To promote their success in industry, in 1985 Glaxo established a three-part intracompany Professional Development Program. The first part of this program is the Core Program which facilitates assimilation of new employees into productive roles in clinical research and support areas. The Core Program concentrates on teaching the fundamental aspects of good clinical practices (GCPs). A total of 332 employees completed this Core Program during its initial five years of operation. This program currently graduates about 80–100 employees per year. The second part of the Professional Development Program is a Continuing Education Program to support the continued professional growth of personnel who complete the Core Program. In 1990, 270 employees completed continuing education programs...
Preliminary phylogeny of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales) inferred from nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data

Valerianaceae is a relatively small (ca. 350 species), but morphologically diverse angiosperm clade. Sequence data from the entire ndhF gene, the trnL-F intergenic spacer region, the trnL intron, the matK region, the rbcL-atpB intergenic spacer region and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA were collected for 21 taxa within Dipsacaceae and Valerianaceae (1 and 20, respectively). These data were included in several phylogenetic analyses with previously published sequences from Dipsacales. Results from these analyses (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis) are in strong agreement with many of the conclusions from previous studies, most importantly: (1) Valerianaceae is sister to Dipsacaceae; (2) Triplostegia is more closely related to species of Dipsacaceae than to Valerianaceae; and (3) Valeriana appears not to be monophyletic, with Valeriana celtica falling outside the remainder of the species of Valeriana sampled here (with very strong support). With the exception of V. celtica, these data support two major clades within Valeriana; one that is exclusively New World and another that is distributed in both the Old and New World. Although the species of Valerianaceae and its sister group Dipsacaceae plus Triplostegia, are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and the data imply that Valerianaceae diversified initially in Asia (the Himalayan Patrinia and Nardostachys falling at the base of the clade), the center of modern species diversity for the group is in the Andes of South America with as many as 175 species restricted to that region. Although the exclusively South American taxa form a clade in the chloroplast and combined ITS and chloroplast analyses, support values tend to be low. Future studies will need to include additional data, in the form of both characters and taxa, before any strong conclusions about the character evolution, diversification, and biogeography of the South American valerians can be made.
Bilingualism and Aging

Language mediates not only the social relationship systems, but also the control of cognitive processes. Potential differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in age-associated cognitive declin...
The mechanism of activation of rabbit plasminogen by urokinase. Lack of a preactivation peptide.

Abstract We have obtained direct evidence which we interpret to prove that an amino terminal peptide need not be released from rabbit plasminogen prior to its conversion to plasmin by urokinase. The single chain plasminogen molecule possesses an amino terminal amino acid sequence of NH2-glu-pro-leu-asp-asp. When this plasminogen is activated to plasmin by urokinase in the presence of the Kunitz bovine trypsin-plasmin-kallikrein inhibitor (BTI), a two chain disulfide linked molecule of plasmin is obtained. The heavy chain of this plasmin is directly derived from the original amino terminus of plasminogen since it possesses the identical amino terminal sequence as does native plasminogen. When the same plasminogen activation is carried out in the absence of BTI, the heavy chain of the plasmin obtained has a molecular weight of 6,000–8,000 less than the heavy chain of the plasmin obtained in the presence of this inhibitor. In addition, the heavy chain of this latter plasmin has an amino terminal sequence which differs from the original native plasminogen. These data show, in agreement with others, that the activation of plasminogen by urokinase is accompanied by the loss of an amino terminal peptide from plasminogen but also show, in contrast to the human plasminogen system, that cleavage of the internal peptide bond, leading to plasmin formation, can occur without cleavage of the amino terminal peptide.
In vitro destabilization of plant viruses and cDNA synthesis

DNA copies of a wide range of RNA viruses can be made by the direct addition of appropriately treated, purified virus particles to a reverse transcription reaction. Therefore, many problems associated with RNA isolation can be circumvented. Virus particles can be sufficiently destabilized by adjustments of salt content, buffer, pH or by the use of physical force supplied by a freeze/thaw cycle so that RNA in sufficient quantity and physical condition is available for the synthesis of in some cases, full length cDNAs. cDNAs have been made of viruses in the bromo-, poty-, carla-, ilar-, potex-, tobra and tobamovirus groups. Reported here are experiments with cowpea chlorotic mottle virus and bean common mosaic virus.
Science, religion, and constructivism: Constructing and understanding reality

There have been debates about the place of religion in science and in what ways knowledge that is produced through religion can aid in the learning and teaching of science. The discord between science and religion is mainly focused on whose knowledge is better in describing and explaining the reality. Constructivist epistemology seems to give some scholars hope in the possibility that the discord between science and religion can be ameliorated and that their expressions of reality can co-exist. In this forum contribution I present some Hindu perspectives to re-interpret how science and Hinduism explain reality. I have used only few Hindu perspectives based on selected Hindu writings, particularly Vedanta, to expand on objectivity and reality. Finally, I recommend that social constructivism may be a better framework in keeping science and religion discord at bay.
Microstructural behaviour and mechanical hardening in a Cu-Ni-Cr alloy

In this investigation electron microscopy and diffraction have been employed to characterize the development of the modulated structures and associated sideband phenomena in a Cu-31.6 Ni-1.7Cr alloy and the microstructural behaviour has been correlated with the age-hardening response. The microstructural behaviour is consistent with the notion of spinodal decomposition of a rather asymmetric alloy within the ternary miscibility gap in the temperature range 650 to 750° C. The modulated structures which form during precipitation tend to undergo a morphological change during subsequent coarsening involving the sequence: cuboids → rods → platelets (or rafts); the driving force for this transformation is the minimization of the surface and strain energy of the coherent two-phase mixtures. Precipitate-free or denuded zones have been observed to develop after prolonged ageing apparently resulting from preferential loss of coherency and coarsening of particles in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. This microstructural heterogeneity gives rise to a “discontinuous coarsening” reaction eventually involving the migration of high-angle boundaries. The mechanical strengthening accompanying the formation of the aligned and periodic precipitate morphologies can be accounted for quantitatively in terms of the interaction of dislocations with the internal stress fields associated with the coherent precipitates.
Necrotizing pancreatitis: a surgical approach independent of documented infection

Background Strategies for the management of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis remain controversial. While consensus opinion supports operative necrosectomy for the treatment of infected pancreatic necrosis, the timing for surgical intervention is not completely resolved. Further, the indication for the surgical management of sterile pancreatic necrosis is also subject to debate. Methods The objective of this study was to evaluate outcome measures for the surgical management of necrotizing pancreatitis, independent of documented infection. A retrospective review was undertaken between 1994 and 2002 at a single county hospital. Results Twenty-one patients with CT-documented necrotizing pancreatitis underwent operative pancreatic necrosectomy with laparostomy within 21 days of initial diagnosis and had an average of three reoperations. Average length of stay (LOS) in the ICU was 36 days and in the hospital 67 days. Ten patients had documented infected necrosis based on initial intra-operative cultures, while I I had sterile necrosis. Overall, 95% (20/21) of the patients had a complication, with an average of three complications per patient. Common complications included ARDS (71%), sepsis (33%), renal failure (24%), and pneumonia (24%). The overall mortality rate was 14% (3/21), with a mean follow-up of 469 days. Discussion The surgical management of acute necrotizing pancreatitis, independent of documented infection, can be undertaken within 3 weeks of diagnosis with an acceptable morbidity and a low mortality rate. Creation of a laparostomy to enable ready, atraumatic debridement of the retroperitoneum is a safe alternative to standard repeat laparotomies and thus represents a useful adjunct to the surgical management of necrotizing pancreatitis.
Good Communication Is Essential to the Success of Engineering Projects

This question is posed to experienced engineers: Do you recall during your days as an engineering student when you discounted the importance of English and other communication courses and instead gave all of your attention to your technical courses (e.g., electric circuits, programming, or thermodynamics)? But all of us would realize as we graduated from engineering school and started working in the real world that communication is absolutely critical to making sure that our engineering projects are a success since we depend on many different members of our organization (e.g., budget personnel to get required funding or seek guidance from field support people on how system will be used by customers) and outside our group (e.g., customers who tell us what features are important to them). Without clear lines of communication, our ideas would stay within our own small development teams instead of becoming mature products. While this is obvious to those of us who have become experienced engineers, the real question is: Why is it lost to us when we are in engineering students?
Effect of mirex on the activities of various rat hepatic mixed-function oxidases.

Mirex (dodecachlorooctahydro-1,3,4-metheno-2H-cyclobuta[cd]pentalene) was orally administered to male and female rats at daily dosages of 5, 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg for 5 days and its effects on aniline hydroxylas,p-nitroanisoleO-demethylase, ethyl morphine-N-demethylase, and UDP-glucruonyltransferase activities in the liver were studied. Liver-to-body weight ratios show significant increases at all of the doses tested, reaching maximum of 206 and 230 per cent of controls at a dose of 25 mg/kg for males and females, respectively. Metabolism of each of the substrates is altered by each dose of mirex fed. Aniline hydroxylase activity is decreased at all levels tested and the reduction is progressive with the dose. The Mirex content of rat liver microsomes is, by analysis, 9.69, 14.75, and 36.73 µg per 0.2gram-equivalents of liver microsomes from male rats treated at 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, respectively. Aniline hydroxylase activity is not affected by addition of up to 400 µg of mirex to the reaction mixtures, using liver preparations from untreated animals.p-Nitroanisole demethylation activity is induced to a maximum in animals treated at 5 mg/kg. Ethyl morphine demethylase is induced to a maximum by 10 mg/kg in male and 25 mg/kg in female rats. Higher doses manifest a reversal ofp-nitroanisole-and ethyl morphine demethylase activities in both the sexes. Although the UDP-glucuronyl transferase specific activity is unaffected by mirex pretreatment, total activity in the liver increases to a maximum of 173 and 149 percent of controls at 25 mg/kg in males and females, respectively. Thus, it appears that chronic low doses of mirex seriously alter hepatic mixed-function oxidase systems of exposed animals, although mirex is not a substrate for any of these enzymes.
HIERARCHICAL TRAPPING ON A ONE-DIMENSIONAL LATTICE

The effect of the nonconservation of the total probability in the presence of a hierarchy of transition rates is studied by renormalization group techniques and confirmed by numerical simulations on a one-dimensional lattice. The model can be considered as the static (or ideal chain) counterpart of the Hubermann-Kerszberg model. It is found that critical exponents are always nonuniversal in the presence of a hierarchy and jump discontinuously to universal values in the limit of no hierarchy. Qualitative agreement with recent simulations is found.
Core transform design for high efficiency video coding

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the next generation video coding standard currently being developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC). It employs various coding unit sizes 2 K ×2 K , where K is a positive integer with the typical values from 3 to 6; it also uses larger transform sizes up to 32×32. This raises the interest in seeking high performance higher order integer transforms with low computation requirements. This paper presents approaches to designing order- N ( N =4, 8, 16, 32) integer transforms, by which the derived integer transforms have special symmetry structures to ensure the matrix factorization. The proposed set of high order integer transforms with well selected elements demonstrates excellent coding performance, compared with the core transform design in HEVC.
WU NUMBERS OF SINGULAR SPACES

IN THIS paper we consider the following question: for how singular a space is it possible to define cobordism invariant characteristic numbers? This question was one of the motivations behind the development of intersection homology: there are many singular spaces (complex algebraic varieties, for example) for which Whitney [40], Chern [28], and L [ 1 S] classes can be defined, but these are homology classes and cannot necessarily be multiplied so as to give characteristic numbers. It was hoped ([18]) that these classes could, in certain cases, be lifted canonically to intersection homology groups where their products could be formed. Thus, as a space is allowed to become more and more singular, it should become possible to multiply fewer and fewer characteristic classes, and so the corresponding cobordism groups would be determined by fewer and fewer characteristic numbers. This approach has (so far) failed completely, except in the “extreme” cases where there is a single characteristic number (for example, in Sullivan’s theory of mod 2 Euler spaces ([40], Cl]), where the Euler characteristic is the only cobordism invariant, or in P. Siegel’s theory of mod 2 Witt spaces ([37], [ 15]), where the intersection homology Euler characteristic is the only cobordism invariant. We will exhibit four interesting classes of singular spaces with increasingly severe singularities: