cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ischemic preconditioning via epsilon protein kinase C activation requires cyclooxygenase-2 activation in vitro

The signaling pathway of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) induction following ischemic preconditioning (IPC) in brain remains undefined. To determine role of COX-2 in ischemic preconditioning, we used two in vitro models: mixed cortical neuron/astrocyte cell cultures and organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. We simulated IPC by exposing cell or slice cultures to 1 h or 15 min of oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD), respectively, 48 h prior to ischemia. To mimic ischemia in vitro, we exposed cell or slice cultures to OGD of 4 h or 40 min, respectively. In cell cultures, these experiments revealed that COX-2 induction peaked at 24 h following IPC in cell culture. Inhibition of COX-2 activation with 50 μM NS-398 (a COX-2 selective inhibitor) abolished IPC-mediated neuroprotection in both in vitro models. Next, we tested whether e protein kinase C (ePKC) and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation was involved in IPC-mediated neuroprotection and COX-2 expression in cell culture. Cell cultures were treated with an ePKC-specific activating peptide (ψeRACK, 100 nM) for 1 h, and 48 h later were exposed to OGD. ePKC activation increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation and COX-2 induction and conferred neuroprotection similar to IPC. Additionally, inhibition of either ePKC or ERK1/2 activation abolished COX-2 expression and neuroprotection due to ischemic preconditioning. These results demonstrate a crucial role for the ePKC→ERK1/2→COX-2 pathway in the induction of neuroprotection via ischemic preconditioning.
Destabilizing the identity–territory nexus: Rights-based discourse in Sri Lanka’s new political geography

This paper describes the changing discourses of territory in Sri Lanka and their utility in conflict relations. The primordial homeland has been at the center of Sri Lanka’s armed struggle, in which both Sinhalese and Tamil nationalisms have used claims of ancient and ethnically determined territories to justify their right to self-determination, territorial sovereignty, and armed struggle. This identity–territory nexus based on historical argument has been destabilized in Sri Lanka, however. Scholarly findings suggest that historical linkages between ethnicity and territory in Sri Lanka are highly problematic and are no longer effectual means for adjudicating territorial desires in Sri Lanka and producing stable homelands. I argue that rights-based territorial discourses have emerged to enhance the old historical justifications for territorial authority. New narratives based upon fulfilling or denying human rights have been put to work linking authority to territory based upon moral fitness and unfitness, political legitimacy and illegitimacy, and ultimately, upon which political actor deserves to rule the territorially bound population under its control. The first part of the paper examines historical narratives linking national homelands to identity as well as scholarly work that deconstructs this linkage. In part two, external sovereignty and political legitimacy are discussed as the starting point for understanding how rights-based discourses justify territorial claims. In part three, accusations related to human rights violations are described as an important vehicle for shaming political adversaries, undermining their legitimacy, and making and unmaking territorial claims in Sri Lanka.
Investigation of underwater pressure records and simultaneous sea surface patterns

An investigation to determine the extent to which underwater pressure recordings may be used to characterize sea-surface conditions has been in process during the past six months. On the basis of information derived from consistent photographic recordings of sea-surface patterns and simultaneous underwater pressure records at Woods Hole and Bermuda, it appears possible to derive the average interference pattern of the sea surface from the underwater recordings.
Photon-echo measurements on the trivalent thulium ion

Photon-echo measurements are reported for the trivalent thulium ion, which differs from all other rare-earth ions in having a single isotope of nuclear spin 1/2. Echo decays on the 3H6(1) ↔ 3H4(1) transition of LaF3:Tm3+ and YAG:Tm3+ were magnetic-field dependent at 1.5 K, showing that the dephasing originates from spin fluctuations of nuclei in the host crystals. Coherence times in the range of 7 to 100 μs were measured, corresponding to homogeneous linewidths of tens of kilohertz. The echo decays were nonexponential, providing evidence for spectral diffusion that is due to a distribution of 19F and 27A1 nuclear spin-flip times in the respective hosts.
Urban crime and the price of heroin

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between a price index for retail heroin and monthly crimes reported to police. A time series model is presented and estimated whose estimable parameters include the price elasticity of demand for heroin and the elasticity of crime with respect to price. Based on data for Detroit, it is estimated that a 50% increase in the price would result in a 14% increase in the total property crime and a 13% decrease in the quantity of heroin consumed. The largest effects would be on burglaries and robberies in poor nonwhite neighborhoods.
Cortisol in synovial fluid from normal and diseased canine joints--a preliminary report.

Cortisol was determined in synovial fluid from normal and diseased canine joints. It was found that the amount of cortisol was considerably increased in diseased joints.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition, in asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction and early heart failure

Benefit achieved through use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in patients with reduced left ventricular (LV) systolic function is not confined to those with clinical manifestations of heart failure. Although rates of adverse clinical events are lower in asymptomatic patients, within this population ACE inhibitors have been shown to prevent adverse ventricular remodelling, prevent the development of clinical heart failure, reduce rates of hospitalization for heart failure and, in some studies, reduce mortality. Most of the benefit derived appears to be associated with preventing the progression of LV hypertrophy, dilatation, and dysfunction, resulting in prevention of heart failure. Additionally, the incidence of myocardial infarction is decreased, although the exact physiological basis for this benefit remains uncertain. Given the enormity and growth of heart failure as a public health problem and the potential for influencing the underlying pathophysiology, ACE inhibitor treatment offers substantial benefit for patients with asymptomatic LV systolic dysfunction.
Renal function in suckling and fasting pups of the northern elephant seal.

Abstract Elephant seals fast for prolonged periods without access to water. This is made possible, in part, by reductions in urine production. However, the mechanisms involved in reducing urine production are not understood. In this study, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured in five northern elephant seal pups ( Mirounga angustirostris ) via the inulin clearance technique. Measurements were made during day 9 and day 18–22 of nursing and the second and eighth week of the postweaning fast. Plasma aldosterone and cortisol concentrations, quantified by radioimmunoassay, were measured in eight other weanlings during the second and eighth week of the fast. Mean GFR was 79.3±29.3 ml/min during the early suckling period and 78.2±17.1, 89.8±52.7, and 80.4±12.2 ml/min during the late suckling, early fasting and late fasting periods, respectively. Differences between nursing and fasting were insignificant, possibly because reduced protein oxidation during suckling and rapid recruitment of protein for tissue synthesis obviated the need for postprandial hyperfiltration. Alternatively, maintenance of GFR during fasting may facilitate urea concentration by compensating for reductions in the fractional excretion of urea. It is further hypothesized that aldosterone is primarily responsible for mediating renal water reabsorption in this system.
Trajectory-based optimal linearization for nonlinear autonomous vector fields

This paper deals with an optimal approximation in the least square sense of nonlinear vector fields. The optimal approximation consists of a linearization along a trajectory that approximates the nonlinear solution from the initial state to the equilibrium position. It is shown that the optimal linearization can be seen as a generalization of the classical linearization. Furthermore, the optimal linearization can approximate the derivative at the equilibrium point, and the order of the method is the same as the nonlinearity, since the approximation depends on the initial state. We also show that the method can be used to study the asymptotic stability of the equilibrium of a nonlinear vector fields, especially in the nonhyperbolic case. Simulation shows good agreement between the linearized and the nonlinear systems.
Identification and localization of rab6, separation of rab6 from ERD2 and implications for an ‘unstacked’ Golgi, in Plasmodium falciparum

The rab6 gene product in mammalian cells and yeast is localized to and regulates protein transport in the medial and trans Golgi cisternae, as well as the trans Golgi network. We have identified a homologue in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum which displays a rab-like sequence that is 62.4% identical to mammalian rab6. In addition the parasite gene (Pfrab6 gene) contains an N-terminal hydrophobic domain, unique to P. falciparum. Antibodies developed to Pfrab6 localize protein in 4–7 well-resolved sites in a ring-stage parasite, as detected by high resolution fluorescence microscopy. This suggests that there are multiple, distinct foci of medial/trans Golgi membranes in a ring. ERD2 is a cis Golgi marker in mammalian cells. The plasmodial homologue of ERD2 (PfERD2) is concentrated in a single perinuclear region in a ring-stage parasite. This site is distinct from the Pfrab6 membranes, indicating that early and late Golgi markers can be segregated in P. falciparum. Mammalian cells contain a single Golgi complex where cis medial and trans markers are tightly staked in closely apposed cisternae. In P. falciparum-rings however, rab6-associated membranes are not invariably ‘stacked’ with an ERD2 structure. In immunoelectron microscopy studies, both the PfERD2- and Pfrab6-associated membranes appear tubulovesicular in nature, devoid of cisternal morphology. Hence the Golgi of ring stage parasites may comprise of multiple, ‘unstacked’ tubulovesicular clusters, suggesting a primitive organization of the organelle in Plasmodia.
Additive toxic effects of phenobarbital and itrumil.

In 6 out of 75 patients treated with Itrumil® (Na-5-iodo-2-thiouracil) in doses varying from 200–600 mg. daily and simultaneously receiving phenobarbital in doses of 1 to 4 grains per day, manifestations such as generalized pruritus and maculopapular rash were observed. These reactions appeared usually during the first week of treatment. In all cases, the toxic manifestations were eliminated when the phenobarbital was discontinued. The discontinuance of Itrumil did not cause the toxic reactions to disappear. In 1 case, when phenobarbital was readministered, the toxic signs re-appeared. Four of the cases are summarized as follows: S. M., a 42-year-old female with acute hyperthyroidism, had been treated previously with methylthiouracil (200-400 mg. dairy) and phenobarbital (3 grains daily) without any toxic reactions. On the seventh day of treatment with Itrumil (200 mg. daily) and phenobarbital (3 grains daily), a scattered pustular-papular rash on face, arms, legs and chest was noted, together with marked...
Cybersecurity and Economics

Estimates of losses to cybercrime vary widely. In 2010, Internet crime loss by individuals totaled $560 million. Phishing alone resulted in $120 million per quarter. A Symantec-commissioned StrategyOne report found that 65 percent of computer users have spent 28 hours and $300 dealing with cybercrime; McAfee estimated a $1 trillion global cost. A single botnet ring took $100 million before the FBI managed to stop it. The UK government estimates that each year the country loses 27 billion to cybercrime, which extrapolated to the US population and converted to dollars would be approximately $210 billion. The UK's response will be 650 million for cybersecurity. A few years ago, Consumer Reports gave a relatively low number for US cybercrime loss-$7 billion over two years, whereas The Washington Post suggested a cost of $105 billion per year. Another large study estimated that cyberfraud and the like cost between 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent of global GDP, or approximately $100 to $200 billion.
Amiloride-induced stimulation of HCO3− reabsorption in turtle bladder

Amiloride in the mucosal fluid (at concentrations of 5 . 10(-6) M to 10(-4) M) reversibly stimulates the HCO-3-dependent moiety of the short-circuiting current (Isc) in ouabain-treated turtle bladders bathed by Na-free Ringer solutions with or without Cl-. This effect is uniquely different from the known inhibitory effect of this agent on Na+ transport. Thus, any comprehensive hypothesis on the action of amiloride over a wide dosage-response range should take into account its effect on HCO-3 transport.
Evaluating alternative estimators of fishery management reference points

Abstract Fishery management plans for U.S. fisheries are required to specify status determination criteria (e.g. whether the stock is overfished and whether overfishing is occurring) and typically use harvest control rules to adjust target and limit fishing mortality and catch levels to prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield and rebuild overfished stocks. The status determination criteria are based on the concept of the fishing mortality rate ( F MSY ) that maximizes long-term catch as the upper limit on the allowable rate of fishing and the associated B MSY , the spawning biomass which produces MSY, is the target for rebuilding of overfished stocks. In practice, proxies for the biological reference points F MSY and B MSY are often employed. Although several methods exist for estimating these quantities, it is unclear which performs best. Simulation is therefore used to evaluate alternative estimators for these quantities. These estimators differ in terms of whether a stock–recruitment relationship is estimated, and whether a prior based on Bayesian meta-analysis is used as a penalty on steepness, a critical parameter of the stock–recruitment relationship. The simulations consider three life histories: a long-lived unproductive rockfish, a moderately long-lived and productive flatfish, and a hake, which is also moderately long-lived and productive, but exhibits highly variable recruitment. Results indicate that estimator performance varies among reference points. However, estimators of B 0 , the average spawning biomass in the absence of exploitation, and stock depletion based on a fitted stock–recruitment relationship generally perform best. B 0 is estimated either better (the rockfish and flatfish) or similarly (the hake) to stock depletion. Estimating B MSY from the fit of the stock–recruitment relationship performed best for the rockfish and flatfish life histories; average recruitment estimators proved to be best for the flatfish and hake life histories. Proxy methods of calculating B MSY generally performed relatively poor in comparison to the non-proxy measures. The performance of estimators of biological reference points was generally better for the rockfish and flatfish life histories, which were similar, than for the hake life history. Estimator performance was generally poorer in the presence of high recruitment variability.
Model stellar atmospheres - I. Numerical techniques.

Abstract We present a series of new numerical techniques and novel uses of existing techniques to solve the model stellar atmosphere problem. The techniques are applied to the fully linearized LTE problem and procedures for generalizing to the non-LTE problem are indicated. We also show that the usual angle quanrature schemes, particularly the n = 3 double Gauss scheme, can introduce significant errors in the calculation of the mean intensity. Alternative schemes are presented that substantially improve on this.
The domain of production and operations management and the role of Elwood Buffa in its delineation

Abstract Production and operations management (POM), as we know it today, was established in the 1960s in response to various drivers. Elwood Spencer Buffa first published his textbook, Modern Production Management, in 1961. He had degrees in business and engineering and had worked as an industrial engineer. He was also part of the UCLA–RAND academic complex whose operations researchers coined the term management science and conceived the idea of The Institute of Management Sciences. Buffa coined the term operations management and consolidated knowledge from various streams of production management, including operations research and industrial engineering, into a coherent managerial framework. Modern business education had started to emerge around 1959 after reports from the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation recommended improving research and analytical approaches. Many business schools created courses in POM. At the time, no single book covered what we now call production and operations management. The POM faculty at most business schools, including Columbia's Graduate School of Business, adopted Buffa's book enthusiastically when they introduced courses in “production management”. Buffa was an extraordinary visionary who covered supply chain management, design for manufacturing, quality management, service operations, and computer applications and the automated factory. The POM community pursued these issues more actively 2 or 3 decades later.
The fifth-order contribution to the oscillations in photon echoes of anharmonic vibrators

Abstract Vibrational photon echo experiments on the CO stretching mode of carbon monoxide bound to hemoglobin revealed pronounced oscillations with a beat frequency which corresponds to the anharmonicity of the vibrator. Intensity-dependent measurements show that the oscillatory signal is due to interference between the third- and fifth-order polarization. Such oscillations cannot occur in the third-order signal unless the inhomogeneous width exceeds the anharmonicity. An expression is derived which simultaneously describes the intensity dependence, the phase, and the damping of such oscillatory signals.
Workshop Dealing with NSF's Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts Criteria

Since all NSF proposals are evaluated using the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria, applicants need to address these in a convincing way to make their proposal competitive. The goal of this interactive workshop is to increase the participant's ability to design projects and write proposals that respond effectively to these two criteria. The workshop consists of a series of small group activities that will encourage participants to update their conceptual understanding of the issues by correcting their misconceptions and by connecting new knowledge to their current understanding. The workshop will address three issues: (1) activities that contribute to a project's intellectual merit, (2) activities that contribute to a project's broader impacts, and (3) defining and critiquing a project's intellectual merit and broader impacts. The workshop will be lead by a group of NSF program directors from the Division of Undergraduate Education and the Engineering Education and Centers Division of NSF
Hospital adoption of automated surveillance technology and the implementation of infection prevention and control programs.

Background This research analyzes the relationship between hospital use of automated surveillance technology (AST) for identification and control of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) and implementation of evidence-based infection control practices. Our hypothesis is that hospitals that use AST have made more progress implementing infection control practices than hospitals that rely on manual surveillance. Methods A survey of all acute general care hospitals in California was conducted from October 2008 through January 2009. A structured computer-assisted telephone interview was conducted with the quality director of each hospital. The final sample includes 241 general acute care hospitals (response rate, 83%). Results Approximately one third (32.4%) of California's hospitals use AST for monitoring HAI. Adoption of AST is statistically significant and positively associated with the depth of implementation of evidence-based practices for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and ventilator-associated pneumonia and adoption of contact precautions and surgical care infection practices. Use of AST is also statistically significantly associated with the breadth of hospital implementation of evidence-based practices across all 5 targeted HAI. Conclusion Our findings suggest that hospitals using AST can achieve greater depth and breadth in implementing evidenced-based infection control practices.
Tone formality in English-language University Web sites around the world

This study investigated whether the degree of syntactic formality used in English-language Web sites differs among countries. It reports results of a content analysis of university Web sites in 20 countries where English is used as a primary or secondary national language. Results indicate that the written tone of university Web sites is significantly more formal in countries where English is a secondary language. Contrary to some assertions, U.S. sites do not differ significantly in overall tone formality from the non-U.S. sites taken together.
Incremental Test Generation for Software Product Lines

Recent advances in mechanical techniques for systematic testing have increased our ability to automatically find subtle bugs, and hence, to deploy more dependable software. This paper builds on one such systematic technique, scope-bounded testing, to develop a novel specification-based approach for efficiently generating tests for products in a software product line. Given properties of features as first-order logic formulas in Alloy, our approach uses SAT-based analysis to automatically generate test inputs for each product in a product line. To ensure soundness of generation, we introduce an automatic technique for mapping a formula that specifies a feature into a transformation that defines incremental refinement of test suites. Our experimental results using different data structure product lines show that an incremental approach can provide an order of magnitude speedup over conventional techniques. We also present a further optimization using dedicated integer constraint solvers for feature properties that introduce integer constraints, and show how to use a combination of solvers in tandem for solving Alloy formulas.
Multistatic radar imaging from sparse measurements

We consider the problem of multistatic radar imaging in the case when the sources and receivers are sparse and irregularly spaced. The key to handling sparse sources and receivers is the development of a data-weighting scheme that compensates for nonuniform sampling. To determine the appropriate weights, we formulate a criterion for measuring the optimality of the point-spread function, and solve the resulting optimization problem using regularized least-squares. Once the weights are determined, they can be used to compute the point-spread function and thus determine resolution, and they can also be applied to the measured data to form an image. Tests of our minimization scheme with different regularization parameters show that, with appropriate weighting, individual scatterers can be resolved at sub-wavelength scales even when the data are noisy and the locations of both sources and receivers are uncertain. The example shows that the weights determined by our method improve the resolution relative to reconstructions with constant weights.
Transesophageal assessment of coronary flow velocity reserve during “regular” and “high”-dose dipyridamole stress testing☆

To assess the effect of regular and high-dose dipyridamole on coronary flow velocity in the left anterior descending artery (LAD), and to determine whether assessment of coronary flow velocity reserve (CVFR) is more sensitive for detection of ischemia than standard echocardiographic criteria, 47 patients were studied prospectively: 16 patients with stenosis of the LAD, 18 patients with angiographically normal LADs, and 13 patients with minimal disease. Patients underwent transesophageal echocardiographic study of wall motion and LAD flow velocity at baseline and at hyperemia, and for angina and electrocardiographic changes. The mean CFVR values after 0.56 mg/kg and after 0.84 mg/kg of dipyridamole were similar: 2.52 ± 0.87 versus 2.62 ± 0.90. A CFVR <2.3 (normals mean −2 SDs) was more sensitive (88% at both doses) for the detection of underlying coronary obstruction than was wall motion monitoring (44% and 75%, respectively). The combination of CFVR <2.3 and wall motion monitoring was more sensitive than either index alone (94% at both 0.56 and 0.84 mg/kg). The rate-pressure product was not significantly different at the two doses of dipyridamole. When flow response is the end point of stress testing, as with transesophageal monitoring, the 0.56 mg/kg dose of dipyridamole is adequate, but when ischemia is the end point (as with wall motion monitoring by 2-dimensional echocardiography), the dose of 0.84 mg/kg is more sensitive.
Patellar tendon versus hamstring tendon autografts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a randomized controlled trial using similar femoral and tibial fixation methods.

BackgroundControversy remains over the most appropriate graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.HypothesisThere is no significant difference in outcomes after 4-strand hamstring and patellar tendon autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions using similar fixation techniques.Study DesignRandomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.MethodsBetween August 2000 and May 2003, 64 Keller Army Hospital patients with complete anterior cruciate ligament tears were randomized to hamstring (n = 32) or patellar tendon (n = 32) autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Operative graft fixation and rehabilitative techniques were the same for both groups. Follow-up assessments included the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation score, Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee score, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. Postoperative radiographs were analyzed for tunnel location and orientation.ResultsEleven women and 53 men were randomized. Eighty-three perc...
PlayByPlay: collaborative web browsing for desktop and mobile devices

Collaborative web browsing tasks occur frequently, such as one user showing another how to use a web site, several users working together on a search task, or even one user sending an interesting link to another user. Unfortunately, tools for browsing the web are commonly designed for a single user. PlayByPlay is a general purpose web collaboration tool that uses the communication model of instant messaging to support a variety of collaborative browsing tasks. PlayByPlay also supports collaborative browsing between mobile and desktop users, which we believe is useful for on-the-go scenarios. We conducted user studies of the desktop and mobile versions of PlayByPlay and found the system to be usable and effective.
Peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-gamma agonists and 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)(12,14)-PGJ(2) induce apoptosis in normal and malignant B-lineage cells.

The research described herein evaluates the expression and functional significance of peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) on B-lineage cells. Normal mouse B cells and a variety of B lymphoma cells reflective of stages of B cell differentiation (e.g., 70Z/3, CH31, WEHI-231, CH12, and J558) express PPAR-γ mRNA and, by Western blot analysis, the 67-kDa PPAR-γ protein. 15-Deoxy-Δ 12,14 -PGJ 2 (15d-PGJ 2 ), a PPAR-γ agonist, has a dose-dependent antiproliferative and cytotoxic effect on normal and malignant B cells as shown by [ 3 H]thymidine and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays. Only PPAR-γ agonists (thiazolidinediones), and not PPAR-α agonists, mimicked the effect of 15d-PGJ 2 on B-lineage cells, indicating that the mechanism by which 15d-PGJ 2 negatively affects B-lineage cells involves in part PPAR-γ. The mechanism by which PPAR-γ agonists induce cytotoxicity is via apoptosis, as shown by annexin V staining and as confirmed by DNA fragmentation detected using the TUNEL assay. Interestingly, addition of PGF 2α , which was not known to affect lymphocytes, dramatically attenuated the deleterious effects of PPAR-γ agonists on B lymphomas. Surprisingly, 15d-PGJ 2 induced a massive increase in nuclear mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, and pretreatment with PGF 2α blunted the mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. This is the first study evaluating PPAR-γ expression and its significance on B lymphocytes. PPAR-γ agonists may serve as a counterbalance to the stimulating effects of other PGs, namely PGE 2 , which promotes B cell differentiation. Finally, the use of PGs, such as 15d-PGJ 2 , and synthetic PPAR-γ agonists to induce apoptosis in B-lineage cells may lead to the development of novel therapies for fatal B lymphomas.
Pre-death grief in Parkinson's caregivers: A pilot survey-based study

Abstract Objective To evaluate the evidence for pre-death grief in caregivers (CGs) of persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to compare non-motor PD symptoms (cognitive decline, depression, hallucinations) versus motor symptoms (fluctuations of mobility) for associations with CG grief reactions. Background Prolonged grief in response to loss has been associated with negative outcomes and decreased well-being in caregivers (i.e. spouse or adult child) of relatives with dementia. In Parkinson's disease (PD) the negative impact of providing care has been referred to as caregiver strain. Grief has not been explored in PD caregivers, and understanding grief may offer new insights for future intervention. Methods Volunteer caregivers (n = 74) filled out the Marwit and Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MM-CGI-SF) which measures 3 types (i.e. subscales) of grief: Personal Sacrifice and Burden, Heartfelt Sadness and Longing, Worry and Felt Isolation. This scale also provided a total grief score. Volunteer caregivers also responded to self-reported UPDRS questions about the motor and non-motor symptoms of their PD relative (i.e. spouse or parent). T-tests were used to correlate CG subscales of grief with patient variables. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the predictive contribution of motor and nonmotor symptoms to grief. Results Grief based on the total score was found in 17% of CGs. Grief was significantly higher in CG's whose relative had more severe symptoms. The type of grief experienced was similar across all three subscales. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that nonmotor symptoms explained slightly more of the variance (14–23%) than motor symptoms (11–17%). Conclusions This study revealed that pre-death grief is a significant finding in PD caregivers. The severity of symptoms and the presence of nonmotor symptoms, especially cognitive decline, predict caregivers who are at greatest risk of prolonged grief; however it should be kept in mind that motor symptoms also contribute.
Efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin and docetaxel in patients with locally advanced and metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Summary Background and aims Platinum-based doublets are recommended as treatment for advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, chemotherapy must be tailored to limit side effects. A phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin combined with docetaxel for NSCLC. Methods Patients with stage IIIB or IV, chemotherapy-naive NSCLC received docetaxel 70mg/m 2 , oxaliplatin 130mg/m 2 , and pegfilgrastim 6mg every 21 days for up to six cycles. Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), secondary endpoints were progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and safety. Results Twenty-nine patients were treated; 93% had stage IV disease and 28% had brain metastases. In 27 evaluable patients with follow-up, there were 10 partial responses for an ORR of 37% (90% confidence interval [CI], 22–55%). Median PFS was 4.6 months (95% CI, 2.6–6.5 months); 12-month PFS was 14.8% (95% CI, 3.4–34.0%). Median OS was 10.9 months (95% CI, 8.9–16.8 months); 12-month OS was 40% (95% CI, 19–61%) and 18-month OS was 16% (95% CI, 1–46%). In 29 treated patients, there were no unusual or unexpected adverse events. The most common grade 3 and 4 toxicities were anemia (14% of patients) and hyperglycemia (10%); there were only two reports of neutropenia; both were grade 1 or 2. Conclusion These phase II findings suggest that the combination of oxaliplatin and docetaxel is active and well tolerated, and should be further investigated as a feasible treatment alternative for patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC.
Hepatitis Associated with Low-Dose Venlafaxine for Postmenopausal Vasomotor Symptoms

Objective:To report a case of drug-induced hepatitis associated with low-dose venlafaxine.Case Summary:A 60-year-old white woman receiving venlafaxine 75 mg daily for vasomotor symptoms presented after one month of therapy with nonspecific complaints, including abdominal pain. A series of diagnostic and laboratory tests revealed an enlarged liver and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) up to 372 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) up to 99 U/L, γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) up to 962 U/L, and alkaline phosphatase up to 758 U/L. All potential hepatotoxic medications were discontinued. Within one week after stopping venlafaxine, her liver function test results showed marked improvement. Almost 4 weeks after discontinuing therapy, venlafaxine 37.5 mg was reinitiated. Her ALT, AST, GGT, and alkaline phosphatase again increased to 269, 49, 256, and 263 U/L, respectively, 6 days after resuming therapy. Upon discontinuation of venlafaxine, her liver function abnormalities resolved.Discussion:This case is si...
OLD AND NEW IDEAS ON RESERVE REQUIREMENTS

THE OLDER VIEW of bank reserves is that they are primarily for liquidity. This view, on the evidence of the Patman investigation, is still held by many bankers and apparently by most spokesmen for state banking authorities. It would probably be expressed in nearly all texts published twenty-five or more years ago but in very few of the recent texts. The prevailing current view is that the primary importance of reserves lies in their being a means of limiting and controlling the volume of bank deposits. This is the view expressed by, among others, the representatives of the Federal Reserve System and by many bankers, especially those in metropolitan areas. There is still another aspect of required reserves that deserves more attention than it has received. That is that they are nonearning assets. Opposition to the control of credit by means of higher reserve requirements is not so much to the control as it is to the enforced holding of non-earning assets. The public relations problem of credit control could undoubtedly be simplified by making it less expensive to the banks controlled. One of the most interesting points in the entire Patman discussion of reserves is the reason given by several member bankers why they did not favor subjecting non-members to the same reserve requirements as member banks. Because non-member banks are not subject to these requirements, they said, the Reserve authorities are inhibited from making greater use of this instrument. That is to say, they approved exempting non-member banks on the ground that this was a check on the raising of reserve requirements. The influence of direct pecuniary considerations on the attitude of bankers and others toward credit control is manifest in the current enthusiasm of lenders of all types for the policies of the Federal Reserve which have resulted in higher interest rates. It would be pleasant to believe that this particular Accord, the remarkable accord between Federal Reserve authorities on the one side and bankers and other lenders on the other side in agreeing that higher interest rates are desirable, was based wholly on broad economic considerations. It seems possible, however, that it is influenced
Heavenly Perspectives, Mirrors of Eternity: Thomas Traherne's Yearning Subject

The chance appearance in a London bookstall of Thomas Traherne's manu scripts of poems and meditations1 early in the twentieth century coincided with Modernist interests in seventeenth-century poetry.2 This coincidence nat urally included Traherne in Modernist studies of lyric poetry. Modernist ahis toricism, however, relegated Traherne to a secondary place among already established poets such as Donne, Herbert, and Marvell: his work did not con form to standards that established poetry as "classic," such as compressed met aphors, double entendres, "telescoping images," and formal unity. In his essay "Mystic and Politician as Poet" (Listener 3 [1930]: 590-91), T. S.Eliot exercises his Modernist detachment from cultural context, deeming Traherne "more a mystic than a poet,"3 a writer attentive to contemporary religious and political ideology at the cost of language and form. Thus, Eliot dismisses Traherne from the pantheon of worthy poets. Ironically, while modernist requirements for in clusion into the canon eschew historical and cultural circumstance, the cul tural circumstance of Traherne's discovery is the very criterion that placed him
The fine structural aspects of brain oedema and associated microvascular and glial changes

The brain is unique among the various organs of the body in several ways. Perhaps the most obvious is its almost total confinement within the rigid, bony calvarium. Another well-known difference between the mature brain and many other organs is the blood-brain barrier, which somehow results in the poor penetration of certain molecules into the brain parenchyma that readily permeate most other tissues. The purpose of this presentation is to outline the fine structural alterations observed under various oedematous conditions. Particular attention will be paid to the endothelium of the small vessels of the brain and the surrounding cerebral parenchyma.
Ethanol Attenuates Histiotrophic Nutrition Pathways and Alters the Intracellular Redox Environment and Thiol Proteome during Rat Organogenesis

Ethanol (EtOH) is a reactive oxygen-generating teratogen involved in the etiology of structural and functional developmental defects. Embryonic nutrition, redox environment, and changes in the thiol proteome following EtOH exposures (1.56.0 mg/ml) were studied in rat whole embryo culture. Glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (Cys) concentrations with their respective intracellular redox potentials (Eh) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. EtOH reduced GSH and Cys concentrations in embryo (EMB) and visceral yolk sac (VYS) tissues, and also in yolk sac and amniotic fluids. These changes produced greater oxidation as indicated by increasingly positive Eh values. EtOH reduced histiotrophic nutrition pathway activities as measured by the clearance of fluorescin isothiocyanate (FITC)-albumin from culture media. A significant decrease in total FITC clearance was observed at all concentrations, reaching approximately 50% at the highest dose. EtOH-induced changes to the thiol proteome were measured in EMBs and VYSs using isotope-coded affinity tags. Decreased concentrations for specific proteins from cytoskeletal dynamics and endocytosis pathways (α-actinin, α-tubulin, cubilin, and actin-related protein 2); nuclear translocation (Ran and RanBP1); and maintenance of receptor-mediated endocytosis (cubilin) were observed. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis also identified a decrease in ribosomal proteins in both EMB and VYS. Results show that EtOH interferes with nutrient uptake to reduce availability of amino acids and micronutrients required by the conceptus. Intracellular antioxidants such as GSH and Cys are depleted following EtOH and Eh values increase. Thiol proteome analysis in the EMB and VYS show selectively altered actin/cytoskeleton, endocytosis, ribosome biogenesis and function, nuclear transport, and stress-related responses.
Contributions to the history of psychology: XVII. Martin Sonn: Psychoacoustician (1939-1974).

Martin Sonn, a psychoacoustician on the staff of Raytheon Submarine Signal Division, Associate Editor of the Jorrrnal o f the Acortstical Society o/ America, and research associate in the Boston University School of Medicine, died unexpectedly in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 17, 1974. Born in New York City, he received the BSEE degree from the University of Hartford in 1962; the MS degree i n general/theoretical psychology from the University of Bridgeport in 1964; the P h D degree in experimental psychology from the Graduate School, Brantridge Forest, Sussex, in 1966; and the EdD degree in audiology from Boston University in 1972. At Raytheon his research dealt with auditory and visual signal detection theory, human decision-making quantification and electronic and acoustic signal processing. While on sabbatical leave at Boston University he conducted research on fabrication of a multimicroelectrode array for cochlear implant as a treatment for sensorineural deafness (1972) . H e was cited for his work in this area by the American Institute for Physics in 1972. He was a fellow of the Washington Academy of Sciences, an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, and a member of the Acoustical Society of America, IEEE, and Psi Chi Honorary Society in Psychology. As a member of the American National Standards Institute Working Group for Revision of Acoustical Terminology, S1.l, he authored the recently accepted ANSI revised standard ( 1 7 7 3 ) , also published separately as Psychoacoustical Terminology (1969) . Marty began his professional career as an electronics engineer, then pursued psychophysics. H e entered the defense industry and, through sonar, developed interests in both applied decision making and auditory function. His last major project, involving inner ear implant research, started as a n effort to apply defense-oriented technology to medical problems. Throughout the program he was subject to the conflicting pressures of severely limited funds, the conservatism ethically essential to transplant research, and the human need for auditory protheses. Several prototype devices were produced, passive implant scudies in animals conducted, but the active implant and prosthetic scudies in animals were pending when he died. Marty was a psychologist equipped, as few are, with the talent and training to explore in depth both aspects of the psychophysical question. His approach to the scientific endeavor was marked by innovation, synthesis and an unrelenting energy spurred by his favorite complaint of not enough time. Now he leaves a legacy of original work and the feeling that the tragedy of an untimely death has stilled the development of a young man destined to become a giant.
A Lockean Argument Against the Death Penalty

Initially, I provide a formal characterization of Locke's argument for the death penalty, observing that the language of his Second Treatise on Civil Government subtly allows for restraint in the use of capital punishment. This observation is then augmented by attention to specific themes in his treatise, which collectively weigh against his affirmative conclusion. After this, I introduce an argument against the death penalty, one drawn entirely from Lockean assumptions and new to the literature on capital punishment and social contract theory. This argument, I urge, better reflects the prevailing tenor of his treatise and appears to be on more secure footing within the general framework of his theory of the social contract. Finally, I follow my analyses with a discussion of the relevance this negative argument may have for two public policy issues that have garnered attention recently in the American debate over capital punishment. In a concluding note, I suggest this argument may have merit as a basis for a new strategy by appellants and supporting amici in capital cases on appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
Engineered metal nanoparticles in the sub-nanomolar levels kill cancer cells.

Background Small metal nanoparticles obtained from animal blood were observed to be toxic to cultured cancer cells, whereas noncancerous cells were much less affected. In this work, engineered zinc and copper metal nanoparticles were produced from bulk metal rods by an underwater high-voltage discharge method. The metal nanoparticles were characterized by atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The metal nanoparticles, with estimated diameters of 1 nm–2 nm, were determined to be more than 85% nonoxidized. A cell viability assay and high-resolution light microscopy showed that exposure of RG2, cultured rat brain glioma cancer cells, to the zinc and copper nanoparticles resulted in cell morphological changes, including decreased cell adherence, shrinking/rounding, nuclear condensation, and budding from cell bodies. The metal-induced cell injuries were similar to the effects of staurosporine, an active apoptotic reagent. The viability experiments conducted for zinc and copper yielded values of dissociation constants of 0.22±0.08 nmol/L (standard error [SE]) and 0.12±0.02 nmol/L (SE), respectively. The noncancerous astrocytes were not affected at the same conditions. Because metal nanoparticles were lethal to the cancer cells at sub-nanomolar concentrations, they are potentially important as nanomedicine.
Developmental Foundations of Children's Fraction Magnitude Knowledge.

Abstract The conceptual insight that fractions represent magnitudes is a critical yet daunting step in children’s mathematical development, and knowledge of fraction magnitudes influences children’s later mathematics learning including algebra. In this study, longitudinal data were analyzed to identify the mathematical knowledge and domain-general competencies that predicted 8th and 9th graders’ (n = 122) knowledge of fraction magnitudes and its cross-grade gains. Performance on the fraction magnitude measures predicted 9th grade algebra achievement. Understanding and fluently identifying the numerator-denominator relation in 7th grade emerged as the key predictor of later fraction magnitudes knowledge in both 8th and 9th grades. Competence at using fraction procedures, knowledge of whole number magnitudes, and the central executive contributed to 9th but not 8th graders’ fraction magnitude knowledge, and knowledge of whole number magnitude contributed to cross-grade gains. The key results suggest fluent processing of numerator-denominator relations presages students’ understanding of fractions as magnitudes and that the integration of whole number and fraction magnitudes occurs gradually.