cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beyond the Public Safety Net: The Role of Nonprofits in Addressing Material Hardship of Low-Income Households

Research on material hardship mostly takes the public policy perspective, whereas the role of nonprofits in addressing household material hardship is largely ignored. This study uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine what sources (government or nonprofit) households facing material hardships turn to for material assistance. Contrary to the common assumption that nonprofits play an increasing role in service provision after welfare reform, the data do not show a significant growth in service areas related to household material hardship. In the areas of comparison, government outweighs nonprofits in providing material assistance to low-income households, even without counting major public assistance programs. However, several findings show that nonprofits play a supplementary role in social service provision. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.
ULTRASONIC AND MAGNETIZATION STUDIES AT THE METAMAGNETIC TRANSITION IN UPt3

The velocity and attenuation of longitudinal ultrasound were measured on two single crystals of UPt3 in magnetic fields up to 33 T and temperatures down to 40 mK. For fields applied in the basal plane, a strong dip in the velocity is seen at a field of 20 T in both samples and is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the dc magnetization. At lower temperatures the dip gets more pronounced and sharper. At a temperature around 0.6 K the velocity dip develops a second feature at a slightly higher field of ~21.6 T.
Electron Nuclear Double Resonance in an Organic Molecule in a Triplet State. Spin Densities in Fluorenylidene in Diazofluorene Single Crystals

The electron nuclear double resonance spectra of the protons in fluorenylidene molecules in the ground triplet state in a single crystal of diazofluorene have been studied. The directions of the principal axes of the proton hyperfine interaction tensor have been found, and the values of the components of this tensor in its principal axis system and in the principal axis system of the fine structure interaction tensor, are given. Best values of seven distinguishable spin densities have been determined on the basis of several models.
Discounting in preschoolers: effect of type of reward agent.

Abstract The effect of type of reward agent on children's discounting was examined. In Study 1, 49 preschool children were told two stories illustrated with small dolls and toys. Subjecs discounted intrinsic interest in toy A when a “big, mean brother” told a sibling that if he played with toy A he could play with toy B. Discounting did not appear when the reward agent in the story was the child's mother, which is the typical outcome in previous research with young children. Studies 2 and 3 suggested that the combination of a negative valence and a particular social role/status accounted for the effect of the big, mean brother of Study 1. More specifically, neither a “big brother” nor a “mean mother” as reward agents elicited a significant amount of discounting. The results suggest that social knowledge guides the application of the discounting schema.
ZnO Nanorod−Thermoplastic Polyurethane Nanocomposites: Morphology and Shape Memory Performance

The impact of dispersed alkylthiol-modified ZnO nanorods, as a function of rod aspect ratio and concentration, on the shape memory character of a thermoplastic polyurethane with low hard-segment density (LHS-TPU) is examined relative to the enhanced performance occurring for carbon nanofiber (CNF) dispersion. Solution blending resulted in uniform dispersion within the LHS-TPU of the ZnO nanorods at low volume (weight) fractions (<2.9% v/v (17.75% w/w)). Tensile modulus enhancements were modest though, comparable to values observed for spherical nanofillers. Shape memory characteristics, which in this LHS-TPU result when strain-induced crystallites retard the entropic recovery of the deformed chains, were unchanged for these low volume fraction ZnO nanocomposites. Higher ZnO loadings (12% v/v (50% w/w)) exhibited clustering of ZnO nanorods into a mesh-like structure. Here, tensile modulus and shape recovery characteristics were improved, although not as great as seen for comparable CNF addition. Wide angle...
Striking CT Scan Findings in a Case of Unilateral Moyamoya Disease—A Case Report

The authors report striking CT scan findings in a young woman with unilateral Moyamoya disease. Serial CT scans showed features that paralleled the clinical and pathophysiologic evolution of the disorder, in much the same way as has been reported in studies using serial angiograms.
Bacterial function can contribute to replication of Salmonella phage P22.

The UV sensitive bacterial mutants (abbreviated ms mutant) were isolated after N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NG) mutagenesis. The ms mutants were found to be Hcr+, Rec+ and sensitive to UV and NG. The significance of the ms mutants was inability to support the multiplication of several mutant phages of P22 which were also isolated by NG mutagenesis. These characters of ms mutants were caused by a single point mutation. Some of the mutant phages unable to grow in ms host were also unable to grow in recA hosts and determined to be erf mutants. The remaining phages were classified in two groups. One group of mutants formed minute plaques on wild type host and fell in the same complementation group (x mutation) and the other formed larger plaques than wild type plaques and belonged to an another complementation group (y mutation). These newly found two genes were essentially involved in the replication of viable P22 DNA. Of the three mutants, x and erf were moderately sensitive to UV irradiation in comparison with y and wild type. Study of lysis patterns showed that the y or erf infected ms culture lysed despite their inability of forming viable progenies, whereas, the x infected ms culture did not lysed. The new x and y genes were both mapped in the early gene segment of P22 chromosome, on the left side of erf gene and between c3 and c2 genes, respectively. Based on these findings the contribution or substitution of the bacterial functions to the replication of bacteriophage was discussed.
Induction of GM1a/GD1b synthase triggers complex ganglioside expression and alters neuroblastoma cell behavior; a new tumor cell model of ganglioside function

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children and tumor ganglioside composition has been linked to its biological and clinical behavior. We recently found that high expression of complex gangliosides that are products of the enzyme GM1a/GD1b synthase predicts a more favorable outcome in human neuroblastoma, and others have shown that complex gangliosides such as GD1a inhibit metastasis of murine tumors. To determine how a switch from structurally simple to structurally complex ganglioside expression affects neuroblastoma cell behavior, we engineered IMR32 human neuroblastoma cells, which contain almost exclusively (89%) the simple gangliosides (SG) GM2, GD2, GM3, and GD3, to overexpress the complex gangliosides (CG) GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1b, by stable retroviral-mediated transduction of the cDNA encoding GM1a/GD1b synthase. This strikingly altered cellular ganglioside composition without affecting total ganglioside content: There was a 23-fold increase in the ratio of complex to simple gangliosides in GM1a/GD1b synthase-transduced cells (IMR32-CG) vs. wild type (IMR32) or vector-transfected (IMR32-V) cells with essentially no expression of the clinical neuroblastoma marker, GD2, confirming effectiveness of this molecular switch from simple to complex ganglioside synthesis. Probing for consequences of the switch, we found that among functional properties of IMR32-CG cells, cell migration was inhibited and Rho/Rac1 activities were altered, while proliferation kinetics and cell differentiation were unaffected. These findings further implicate cellular ganglioside composition in determining cell migration characteristics of tumor cells. This IMR32 model system should be useful in delineating the impact of ganglioside composition on tumor cell function.
Dynamic behaviors of magnetorheological fluid-elastomer composites under oscillatory compression

A new magnetorheological (MR) elastomer composite encapsulating MR fluid inside a polymer solid is presented. The mechanical properties of the MR composite sandwich system are controllable through an externally applied magnetic field. The dynamic behavior of the MR fluid-elastomer under various magnetic fields has been investigated by means of oscillatory compression cycles over a frequency range of 0.1 to 10Hz for various deformations (less than 1 mm). Energy dissipation in the material is analyzed as related to strain amplitude, strain frequency and magnetic field strength. The field induced damping mechanism is discussed in terms of the damping exponent. Such MR fluid-elastomer composites show promise in applications where tuning vibration characteristics of a system is desired such as altering natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping properties.
Human potato consumption and neural-tube malformation.

By means of introductory correspondence and telephone interviews a survey was made of the current potato consumption habits of 265 mothers of infants born with neural-tube malformations during January 1970 to December 1972, and of 549 matched control mothers. Both the cases and the controls were obtained from the same single source—birth certificates. Renwick's hypothesis was tested by subjecting the responses to seven questions to a modified χ2 test. The results did not support the hypothesis. In all seven instances the direction of the responses was opposite to that predicted.
The Transcriptional Activity of the APP Intracellular Domain−Fe65 Complex Is Inhibited by Activation of the NF-κB Pathway†

The beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane protein that is the subject of proteolytic processing. Sequential cleavage of APP by beta-secretase and subsequently gamma-secretase generates the beta-amyloid peptide as well as a cytoplasmic intracellular domain (AICD). AICD binds to the transcriptional coactivator Fe65, and this complex has been shown to display transcriptional activity. The regulation of this complex is poorly understood. We show here that activation of the NF-kappaB pathway, either by overexpression of NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) or by treatment with the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1beta, downregulates the transcriptional activity of the AICD-Fe65 complex. This therefore provides a mechanism by which the activity of AICD might be modulated by extracellular stimuli. These results also identify an intracellular signal transduction pathway influenced by the NF-kappaB signaling pathway.
Aminophylline hypersensitivity apparently due to ethylenediamine

Asthmatic patients receive multiple drugs as part of their treatment program. When a subsequent allergic reaction occurs, the ethylenediamine component of aminophylline is usually not suspected as the etiologic agent. We present a case of ethylenediamine-induced delayed hypersensitivity reaction in a 46-year-old woman who received parenteral aminophylline for an acute asthma exacerbation. Patch testing for ethylenediamine was positive.
Multiple scattering using the Foldy-Twersky integral equation

Abstract The importance of multiple scattering processes for the propagation of ultrasound through dispersions is assessed. Under certain well defined conditions, the Foldy-Twersky integral equation can be used to find a value for the amplitude and complex wavenumber of the multiply scattered plane wave collected by either the receiving or the emitting transducer. Expressions for the amplitude and wavenumber are evaluated in terms of particle number density, wavelength of ultrasound and the forward and backward scattering amplitudes. In the case where the wavelength is much greater than the particle size, explicit expressions for the real and imaginary parts of the wavenumber are provided, in terms of the scattering and absorption cross-sections, as far as terms in the square of the number density of particles.
The influence of persistence and variability on the required solar radiation record length

Abstract An analysis was made of 17 years of total daily global solar radiation measurements made at St. Paul, Minnesota, a station located in the heart of North America and representative of a continental climate. The analysis was made with the objective of determining the degree of persistence in the solar radiation data and demonstrating the effect of persistence on the statistical analysis of these data. It is concluded that persistence varies through the year and that the characteristic time between independent observations ranges from slightly more than one day to just over three days. Two methods of estimating persistence revealed that some persistence results from daily serial correlation in the solar radiation data and that some persistence is due to interannual variability of monthly mean daily solar radiation.
Swimming against the tide: investigations of the C-bouton synapse.

C-boutons are important cholinergic modulatory loci for state-dependent alterations in motoneuron firing rate. Type 2 muscarinic acetylcholine (m2) receptors are concentrated postsynaptic to C-boutons, and m2 receptor activation increases motoneuron excitability by reducing the action potential afterhyperpolarization (AHP). Here, using an intensive review of the current literature as well as data from our laboratory, we illustrate that C-bouton postsynaptic sites comprise a unique structural/functional domain containing appropriate cellular machinery (a ‘signaling ensemble’) for cholinergic regulation of outward K+ currents. Moreover, synaptic reorganization at these critical sites has been observed in a variety of pathologic states. Yet despite recent advances, there are still great challenges for understanding the role of C-bouton regulation and dysregulation in human health and disease. The development of new therapeutic interventions for devastating neurological conditions will rely on a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie these complex synapses. Therefore, to close this review, we propose a comprehensive hypothetical mechanism for the cholinergic modification of α-MN excitability at C-bouton synapses, based on findings in several well-characterized neuronal systems.
Salivary pH and Buffering Capacity in Frugivorous and Insectivorous Bats

Histochemical and ultrastructural studies suggest that bats possess a diverse array of salivary chemistries that are associated with variation in dietary habits. Two fundamental chemical properties of saliva are pH and buffering capacity. This study documents variation in the pH and buffering capacity of whole saliva in 21 chiropteran species; frugivorous species from the families Phyllostomidae and Pteropodidae and insectivorous species from the families Vespertilionidae, Molossidae, and Rhinolophidae. Buffering capacity and pH were measured primarily in free-ranging individuals close to feeding and after a fasting period. Phyllostomids, pteropodids, and insectivores differ in salivary pH and buffering capacity at both sampling times. Insectivores produce saliva of significantly higher pH and buffering capacity than frugivores, suggesting the presence of fundamentally different oral physiologies between these two broadly defined dietary categories. Among frugivores, saliva of phyllostomids has significantly higher pH and buffering capacity after fasting than pteropodids, which exhibit the lowest values of salivary buffering capacity and pH known for any mammal. Patterns of diversity in salivary pH and buffering capacity appear to reflect dietary habits more closely than taxonomic relationships.
On the quantification of coulombic efficiency for vanadium redox flow batteries: Cutoff voltages vs. state-of-charge limits

The most common practice in determining the coulombic efficiency (CE) of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) is to charge and discharge the VRFB to designated cutoff voltages and then use the corresponding charging and discharging times to compute the CE. A major shortcoming of this technique is that it does not account for the change in the system's capacity during cycling due the crossover of vanadium ions. Rather than using cutoff voltages, an alternative approach is to use state-of-charge (SOC) limits since any change in the system's capacity can be captured by tracking the SOC of the device. In this study, these two techniques were investigated to assess their effectiveness in quantifying the CE in a manner that accurately captures the physical processes governing the device operation. A performance model was utilized to simulate the VRFB operation under different currents and the CE of the device was computed using both techniques. Results indicate that CEs computed using SOC limits were consistently lower than those computed using cutoff voltages, and they were consistent with the change in the chemical state of the electrolytes during cyclic operation.
Simulation Training as a Mechanism for Procedural and Resuscitation Education for Pediatric Residents: A Systematic Review

Background: Pediatric residents often finish their training lacking sufficient procedural proficiency and resuscitation experience in the care of critically ill children. Simulation is gaining favor in pediatric residency programs as a modality for procedural and resuscitation education. We reviewed the literature assessing simulation and its role in pediatric resident training. Methods: We conducted a Medline and PubMed search of simulation training in pediatric resident education from January 2007 to July 2012. Results: Eight studies were included and divided into simulated procedural assessments and simulated resuscitation scenario assessments. The studies varied widely in their approach and analysis, and they yielded mixed results. Conclusions: Although some studies show the merits of simulation in the procedural and resuscitation training of pediatric residents, more research is needed to assess the effectiveness of simulation as an educational tool. Goals of future simulation research should include creation of validated assessment tools and applying skills learned to patient care outcomes.
‘A momentary glow of fraternity’: Narratives of Chinese nationalism and capitalism

This essay discusses how Chinese culture is variously reified and deployed in two competing discursive systems: the modernist imaginary of the nation‐state ‐ emphasizing essentialism, territoriality, and fixity‐in tension with the modernist imagining of entre‐prenurial capitalism ‐ celebrating hybridity, deterritorialization, and fluidity. These alternative visions of modernity are to a large extent conditioned by geopolitics and the dynamism of global capitalism in the Asia‐Pacific. Regimes in China and Singapore have deployed “Confucian” values in attempts to discipline their societies against the lures of transnational capitalism based on fraternal Chinese networks ("Greater China"). Both visions of Chinese modernitites depend on self‐orientalizing strategies that critique “Western” values like individualism and human rights. These narratives intersect with voices claiming an “Asian renaissance” and “the Asian Way” in global capitalism, thus constituting a counter‐hegemony to American domination of the...
Atoms, clusters and photons : Energetic probes for mass spectrometry

The physical mechanisms underlying the surface based mass spectrometry techniques of atomic SIMS, MALDI and cluster SIMS are discussed along with the relation of the physics to the measured quantities. In particular, there are at least two types of motion resulting from cluster bombardment in SIMS. One scenario involves the individual atoms in the cluster initiating collision cascades similar to atomic bombardment. The second mechanism involves a mesoscale motion of the cluster as a whole. This mesoscale motion can induce an organized flow of the ejected material in a plume.
Polymers with Bipolar Carrier Transport Abilities for Light Emitting Diodes

Efficient and stable polymer light emitting diodes (LEDs) have recently been extensively pursued. To achieve efficient LED performance for a single layer device, a polymer with bipolar carrier transport abilities and high-luminescence quantum yields is desired. We envision that if an emissive polymer combines both electron and hole transporting segments, it could possess comparable bipolar carrier transport ability. In this paper, we report two oxadiazole-containing poly(phenylenevinylenes) (PPVs). An oxadiazole unit is introduced into the polymer backbone to improve the electron injection/transport properties. The oligo(phenylenevinylene) segments function as both hole transporter and emitter. In one polymer, carbazole is introduced in the side chain to improve the hole tranport properties. The syntheses and device evaluations of these polymers are reported.
A review of Arctic trace metal data with implications for biological effects

This paper reviews much of the existing data on trace metal distributions in the Arctic. Numerous papers giving sediment data are reviewed, including some not yet published, fewer papers were found giving data on organisms and still fewer were found containing dissolved trace metal data. None of the data examined suggests that trace metals might be affecting the health of Arctic organisms. Rather, the trace metal concentrations found in Arctic waters, sediments and organisms, with few exceptions, are similar to those found in temperate areas thought to be largely free of pollutant levels of metals. Nevertheless, the existing data base for the Arctic is much smaller and more geographically restricted than that for temperate and tropical regions and the sensitivity of Arctic organisms to pollutant metals is not well known. Monitoring programs carefully designed to detect any influence of human activity on trace metal distributions in the Arctic should be initiated now.
Problems in Creating Boundaryless Treatment Regimens in Secure Correctional Environments: Private Sector-Public Agency Infrastructure Compatibility:

This paper examines two identifiable infrastructure dimensions, private and public organizations and treatment and security paradigms, that must be merged for seam-less or boundaryless treatment regimens to be operationalized in secure correctional environments. Three infrastructure elements are considered: goals, organizational environments, and organizational levels. Using data collected from a recent process evaluation regarding the implementation of a residential substance abuse treatment program within a secure state juvenile correctional institution, it appears that perceptual boundaries were in part established by incongruities between the public sector correctional organization and the private sector treatment provider regarding these infrastructure elements. The findings suggest that the initiation of partial mission privatization in a correctional environment, particularly as it relates to the provision of treatment services in the form of a therapeutic community, is dubious at best.
Plastic Deformation and the Fracture Surface Energy of Sodium Chloride

A correlation between plastic deformation at crack tips in sodium chloride and the measured value of the fracture surface energy is presented. Plastic deformation can either aid or hinder crack growth, depending on the mode of deformation at the crack tip. If plane-stress deformation occurs, crack motion is hindered by step formation, dislocation generation, and plastic blunting of the crack tip. If plane-strain deformation occurs, crack motion is aided by stress fields that arise from the deformation. The specific surface free energy of sodium chloride, {100} plane, is estimated to be less than 0.37 J/m2.
Alcide d’Orbigny and American micropaleontology

Abstract Alcide d’Orbigny’s foraminiferal work appeared almost 100 years before serious studies of Foraminifera began in America. Americans both under- and well-appreciated d’Orbigny, but he was rejected by the British, who believed most Foraminifera were variations on a few long-lived types. The American pioneer J.A. Cushman mostly ignored d’Orbigny, but Galloway and Loeblich and Tappan praised d’Orbigny and recognized more of his genera than previous workers. In America, d’Orbigny-type models of Foraminifera became an effective teaching tool. Americans now consider d’Orbigny as the ‘father of micropaleontology’ for his descriptive and geologic studies that were so influential in starting the comprehensive study of Foraminifera.
In-office laryngeal surgery with the 585-nm pulsed dye laser.

Purpose of review To describe the current support in the literature for in-office surgery using the 585-nm pulsed dye laser. Recent findings There are substantial cost savings (US$5000) and patient comfort when in-office surgery is performed with the pulsed dye laser. The pulsed dye laser can be used in the office and operating room to activate aminolevulinic acid for photodynamic treatment of recalcitrant laryngeal keratosis, with long-term eradication of keratosis without the prolonged photosensitivity of previous photodynamic agents. The site of the cleavage plane created in the true vocal fold mucosa has now been elucidated. Summary The 585-nm pulsed dye laser allows safe, medically effective and cost-effective in-office surgery for a host of laryngeal lesions such as papillomatosis, keratosis, Reinke's edema, granulomas and other vascular lesions. The pulsed dye laser can activate aminolevulinic acid for laryngeal photodynamic therapy. Of the lasers currently in use it has the longest track record of safety and, to the satisfaction of many, continues in service at 23 centers around the world.
Renewable Energy and Human Rights Violations: Illustrative Cases from Indigenous Territories in Panama

Local implementation of international climate policies is frequently obscure. The objective of our research is to unpack the “black box” of carbon offsetting as it is being conducted in Latin Ameri...
Paroxetine for bipolar depression: Outcome in patients failing prior antidepressant trials

Bipolar depression is common and often debilitating. Of particular concern are those acutely depressed bipolar patients who have not responded to previous trials of antidepressants. This investigation made use of naturalistic data collected using a standardized assessment format to determine the antidepressant efficacy and affective switch rate with paroxetine treatment far bipolar depression. The charts of 20 depressed outpatients who received paroxetine, and who met DSM-III-R criteria for bipolar disorder, were identified and data harvested pertaining to psychiatric history and presence of abnormal mood symptoms during treatment with paroxetine. All patients included had previously failed treatment with at least one standard antidepressant agent. The observed rates of antidepressant efficacy and treatment-emergent mania were 65% and 10%, respectively. These results suggest that paroxetine is an effective treatment for bipolar depression and is less likely than most other antidepressant medications to induce treatment-emergent affective switch. Depression 3:182–186 (1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Absence of muscle spindles in avian extraocular muscles.

Abstract Complete serial sections of extraocular muscles from a quail, pigeon, English sparrow and canary were examined for the presence of muscle spindles. Oblique and rectus muscles of the eyeball, and the pyramidalis and quadratus muscles which activate the nictitating membrane were searched in each species. No spindles or other encapsulated endings were found, although such organs were easily detected in limb muscles from these birds.
Characterization of the Mixing Layer Resulting from the Detonation of Heterogeneous Explosive Charges

A dense, two-phase numerical methodology is used to study the mixing layer developing behind the detonation of a heterogeneous explosive charge, i.e., a charge comprising of a high explosive with metal particles. The filtered Navier–Stokes equations are solved in addition to a sub-grid kinetic energy equation, along with a recently developed Eulerian–Lagrangian formulation to handle dense flow-fields. The mixing layer resulting from the post-detonation phase of the explosion of a nitromethane charge consisting of inert steel particles is of interest in this study. Significant mixing and turbulence effects are observed in the mixing layer, and the rms of the radial velocity component is found to be about 25% higher than that of the azimuthal and zenith velocity components due to the flow being primarily radial. The mean concentration profiles are self-similar in shape at different times, based on a scaling procedure used in the past for a homogeneous explosive charge. The peak rms of concentration profiles are 23–30% in intensity and decrease in magnitude with time. The behavior of concentration gradients in the mixing layer is investigated, and stretching along the radial direction is observed to decrease the concentration gradients along the azimuth and zenith directions faster than the radial direction. The mixing and turbulence effects in the mixing layer subsequent to the detonation of the heterogeneous explosive charge are superior to that of a homogeneous explosive charge containing the same amount of the high explosive, exemplifying the role played by the particles in perturbing the flow-field. The non-linear growth of the mixing layer width starts early for the heterogeneous explosive charge, and the rate is reduced during the implosion phase in comparison with the homogeneous charge. The turbulence intensities in the mixing layer for the heterogeneous explosive charge are found to be nearly independent of the particle size for two different sizes considered in the initial charge. Overall, this study has provided some useful insights on the mixing layer characteristics subsequent to the detonation of heterogeneous explosives, and has also demonstrated the efficacy of the dense, multiphase formulation for such applications.
High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of urushiol congeners in poison ivy and poison oak

Abstract A high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the separation of urushiol congeners isolated from poison ivy and poison oak was developed. Each of the congeners was characterized by a retention index and the ratio of UV detector responses at 254 nm and 280 nm. The retention index of each congener was determined experimentally from a scale established by the relative retention of a series of 2-keto alkane standards (C 3 C 23 ). A simple semi-empirical equation using Hansch substituent constants (π values) was also used to estimate the retention index of each congener.
Risk stratification for acute pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a commonly encountered condition in the medical and surgical intensive care unit. Whereas overall mortality in those with PE is 5% to 15% in the first few months after diagnosis due to a combination of underlying medical conditions, recurrent venous thromboembolism and right heart failure, outcomes after acute PE vary substantially across subgroups. Patients who present with shock uffer from an approximate 25% to 50% short-term mortality rate, whereas those with reserved blood pressure at presentation experience only a 2% to 5% risk of eath. Despite this understanding of the spectrum of prognoses in those with acute PE, there remains much uncertainty in how best to align the risk of adverse outcome in acute PE with the appropriate intensity of therapeutic intervention. Apart from those who present in shock and immediately declare their prognosis, which patients with acute PE are at low risk of adverse outcomes and do not require a higher level of care? Which patients are at an elevated risk of clinical deterioration and should be treated in the intensive care unit and perhaps considered for thrombolytic therapy? An understanding of the pathophysiology of acute PE is essential to risk stratification. Outcome in acute PE is dependent on the presence of preexisting comorbidities and the extent of hemodynamic compromise. Specifically, in the context of any underlying cardiopulmonary disease, the ability of the right ventricle (RV) to compensate for an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance is the major determinant of survival. The resistance to flow from the RV in acute PE is multifactorial and includes not only mechanical obstruction of the proximal pulmonary arteries by acute and/or recurrent thrombus but also the actions of humoral factors that are released from the clot, resulting in pulmonary vasoconstriction. In addition, the hypoxemia that results from impaired ventilation/perfusion matching further increases pulmonary vascular resistance. Acutely, the RV can only compensate for a mean pulmonary artery pressure of approximately 40 mmHg, whereas much higher pulmonary pressures are tolerated if pulmonary hypertension (PH) occurs more gradually. With
Thrombin induces proteinase-activated receptor-1 gene expression in endothelial cells via activation of Gi-linked Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

We addressed the mechanisms of restoration of cell surface proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) by investigating thrombin-activated signaling pathways involved in PAR-1 re-expression in endothelial cells. Exposure of endothelial cells transfected with PAR-1 promoter-luciferase reporter construct to either thrombin or PAR-1 activating peptide increased the steady-state PAR-1 mRNA and reporter activity, respectively. Pretreatment of reporter-transfected endothelial cells with pertussis toxin or co-expression of a minigene encoding 11-amino acid sequence of COOH-terminal Gαi prevented the thrombin-induced increase in reporter activity. Pertussis toxin treatment also prevented thrombin-induced MAPK phosphorylation, indicating a role of Gαi in activating the downstream MAPK pathway. Expression of constitutively active Gαi2 mutant or Gβ1γ2 subunits increased reporter activity 3–4-fold in the absence of thrombin stimulation. Co-expression of dominant negative mutants of either Ras or MEK1 with the reporter construct inhibited the thrombin-induced PAR-1 expression, whereas constitutively active forms of either Ras or MEK1 activated PAR-1 expression in the absence of thrombin stimulation. Expression of dominant negative Src kinase or inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase also prevented the MAPK activation and PAR-1 expression. We conclude that thrombin-induced activation of PAR-1 mediates PAR-1 expression by signaling through Gi1/2 coupled to Src and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and thereby activating the downstream Ras/MAPK cascade.
Heterozygosity in the glutathione synthesis gene Gclm increases sensitivity to diesel exhaust particulate induced lung inflammation in mice

Context: Inhalation of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with adverse respiratory and cardiovascular effects. A major fraction of PM2.5 in urban settings is diesel exhaust particulate (DEP), and DEP-induced lung inflammation is likely a critical event mediating many of its adverse health effects. Oxidative stress has been proposed to be an important factor in PM2.5-induced lung inflammation, and the balance between pro- and antioxidants is an important regulator of this inflammation. An important intracellular antioxidant is the tripeptide thiol glutathione (GSH). Glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) carries out the first step in GSH synthesis. In humans, relatively common genetic polymorphisms in both the catalytic (Gclc) and modifier (Gclm) subunits of GCL have been associated with increased risk for lung and cardiovascular diseases.Objective: This study was aimed to determine the effects of Gclm expression on lung inflammation following DEP exposure in mice.Materials and methods: We expo...
Commentary on ACOG Committee Opinion #108 May 1992, ethical dimensions of informed consent.

I t has been said that "a law is not made until it is broken." Edmund Pellegrino compares law and ethics to the coarse and fine adjustments of a microscope. Coarse law is the minimal behavior that a society demands in actions between its members. Ethics governs our finer, hour-by-hour activity, our more intimate behavior. Strangers rely on law. Intimates rely on ethics. Ethics implies trust. Some ethical imperatives in a community become universally agreed upon and, in time, crystallize into law. A strong and valid message that the committee opinion transmits and that bears reemphasis is that much behavior in medical practice hinges on motives and, therefore, the virtue of the physician. Were physicians to abide by law only, patients would be ill served. If the professionals become rule-bound and regulation-controlled they take it as an intellectual challenge and set about the game of search-for-the legal loophole . . , and risk forgetting their charge is to benefit patients. Consent may be sought by a physician in two often diverse roles, that of the healer and that of the scientist. On occasion, it becomes both. When the physician acts as a healer, the doctor-patient relationship is built on the premise that the physician is sought by the patient to apply medical skills to achieve the patient's therapeutic goal. By discussion with the patient, first of the diagnostic and then therapeutic alternatives, a consensual course is followed. It is not unlike a travel guide, who first learns the traveller's desired destination, then offers alternatives; airplane if the traveler needs speed, or perhaps a bus or automobile for digressions or economy. Sometimes detours unexpectedly arise, and an alternative destination is chosen. That is always the traveller's choice. The honest guide recommends the best route, not inferior hotels that offer kickbacks to the guide, nor unsafe transportation in which the guide has invested. A good guide knows and warns of rough spots in the road and has travelled this way before. The traveller need not be regarded as less intelligent, but simply unfamiliar with this territory. Both will share the weight of the luggage they carry. © 1993 by The Jacobs Institute of Women's Health 1049-3867/93/$6.00
Study of a model with horizontal gauge symmetry at the one-loop level

An eight-quark and eight-lepton model incorporating a horizontal SU(2) gauge symmetry in addition to the standard $\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ symmetry was proposed recently. The present paper studies the following aspects of the model: (i) The mass spectrum and mixing pattern of the scalar fields, (ii) the effective Lagrangian in the general ${R}_{\ensuremath{\xi}}$ gauge, and (iii) the corrections to a number of zeroth-order relations at the one-loop level. It is found that the $\ensuremath{\Delta}{T}_{3HV}\ensuremath{\ne}0$ one-loop corrections do not exist. This, in particular, implies that the Cabibbo-Glashow-Iliopoulos-Maiani universality of the weak interactions remains exact through the one-loop level. As another application of the results, we show how the decay $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e\ensuremath{\gamma}$ can be suppressed naturally in the model.
Cost Estimation and Sensitivity Analysis on Cost Factors: A Case Study on Taylor Kriging, Regression and Artificial Neural Networks

This article applies Taylor kriging (TK) to cost estimation. The partial differentiation equation of TK is developed and used to assist in sensitivity analysis on cost factors. The capabilities of cost estimation and sensitivity analysis of TK are compared with those of regression and an artificial neural network (ANN) through application in a case study. The results show that TK can provide more accurate cost estimates than those of regression but worse than those of ANN, and both TK and regression are able to effectively find sensitive cost factors.
Aortic carboxypeptidase-like protein is expressed in collagen-rich tissues during mouse embryonic development

Abstract Aortic carboxypeptidase-like protein (ACLP) was originally identified in vascular smooth muscle cells and contains discoidin and catalytically inactive metallocarboxypeptidase domains. ACLP is a secreted protein that associates with the extracellular matrix and is essential for abdominal wall development and contributes to dermal wound healing. Because of these developmental and adult phenotypes, we examined the expression of ACLP by immunohistochemistry throughout mouse embryonic development. ACLP was not detected in 7.5 days post-coitum (dpc) embryos, however at 9.5 dpc low levels of expression were detected in the somites and dorsal aorta. Expression was detected in both the yolk sac and embryonic vasculature at 10.5 dpc. ACLP expression increased in both large and small blood vessels at 11.5 and 13.5 dpc and intense expression was detected within the vascular smooth muscle layer in 16.5 dpc embryos. At later developmental time points, discrete areas of ACLP expression were detected in the mesenchymal cells in the dermal layer, developing skeletal structures, connective tissue, and in the umbilical ring and vessels. The predominance of ACLP immunoreactivity localized with collagen-rich regions including tendons and basement membranes. Overall, the developmental expression pattern is consistent with a regulatory or structural role in the abdominal wall, vasculature, and dermis.
Cache coherence in large-scale shared-memory multiprocessors: issues and comparisons

Private data caches have not been as effective in reducing the average memory delay in multiprocessors as in uniprocessors due to data spreading among the processors, and due to the cache coherence problem. A wide variety of mechanisms have been proposed for maintaining cache coherence in large-scale shared memory multiprocessors making it difficult to compare their performance and implementation implications. To help the computer architect understand some of the trade-offs involved, this paper surveys current cache coherence mechanisms, and identifies several issues critical to their design. These design issues include: 1) the coherence detection strategy, through which possibly incoherent memory accesses are detected either statically at compile-time, or dynamically at run-time; 2) the coherence enforcement strategy, such as updating or invalidating, that is used to ensure that stale cache entries are never referenced by a processor; 3) how the precision of block sharing information can be changed to trade-off the implementation cost and the performance of the coherence mechanism; and 4) how the cache block size affects the performance of the memory system. Trace-driven simulations are used to compare the performance and implementation impacts of these different issues. In addition, hybrid strategies are presented that can enhance the performance of the multiprocessor memory system by combining several different coherence mechanisms into a single system.
Generalized decision support system structure for use in organizational planning

Organizational environments are becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult for managers to conduct a comprehensive situationl analysis required for planning. A new structured approach to situational analysis is designed to incorporate thinking parallel to that which underlies the cybernetic concept of requisite variety. This approach is developed to assist in planning. Using the perspective of senior management, this approach is illustrated for a hypothetical military base. The required thought process involves ascertaining the importance of specific environmental disturbances, assessing existing resource capabilities, and identifying potential problem areas. Focus is directed toward utilizing scarce managerial resources effectively by identifying resource needs that are threatening the successful completion of organizational mission(s). We discuss some additional benefits associated with this new approach.
The US Versus Marine Shale Processors: Statistical Issues

This paper describes statistical issues that arose in a case concerning the violation of environmental regulations. In the proceedings the concept of the power of a test was used to demonstrate that the sample sizes of the studies submitted by the defense were too small to provide adequate evidence that the product in question was safe. We present an alternative examination of the issue from a Bayesian perspective and reach a similar conclusion. The role and limitations of composite sampling in environmental cases is discussed.
The Effect of Within Stimulus Presentation in Implicit Sequence Learning

The tacit and incidental acquisition of sequential information can occur in tasks from air-traffic control to crossing the streets in a crowded metropolis. The present study investigated how implicit sequence learning occurs when attention is divided amongst tasks. Our conceptualization of implicit sequence learning is that dual task interference arises from multiple control processes in the secondary task. This fits with findings that implicit learning remains intact when a within stimulus dual task is employed, where the stimulus for both tasks is incorporated within a single stimulus. However, a direct comparison with the standard dual task condition has not been presented. This comparison revealed another possible explanation for dual task interference in implicit sequence learning, that longer inter-trial intervals, a function of the within stimulus methodology, result in better performance and implicit learning. The data suggest that implicit learning and overall performance in a task that contains ...
The role of platinum therapy in triple-negative breast cancer

SUMMARY Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease consisting of distinct biological subtypes with therapeutic and prognostic implications. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) often follows a more aggressive disease course with poorer disease-specific survival compared with other breast cancer subtypes. Despite tremendous efforts to change the current treatment algorithm for women with TNBC, little has changed in over a decade. Encouraging results emerging from elegant preclinical studies to early-phase clinical trials demonstrate that platinum agents may have a role to play in the treatment of TNBC. In addition to germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status, other biomarkers with the ability to assess platinum responsiveness are emerging, including tissue-based assays that detect genomic 'scarring' caused by accumulated DNA damage and immunological biomarkers. Prospective evaluation of these biomarkers in a clinical setting is a high priority, as tailoring therapy with the incorporation of platinum agents b...
Inhibition of intestinal transit by resuscitation-induced gut edema is reversed by administration of L-NIL

Abstract Background. Postresuscitation gut edema and associated gut dysfunction is a common and significant clinical problem seen after traumatic injury and shock. We have previously shown that gut edema without ischemia/reperfusion injury delays intestinal transit. We hypothesized that up regulation of iNOS protein plays a role in delayed intestinal transit associated with gut edema and is reversible by L-NIL. Methods. 1 hour prior to laparotomy, rats were pretreated with 10 mg/kg of L-NIL or vehicle and underwent 80 mL/kg of 0.9% saline + superior mesenteric vein partial occlusion (Edema) or sham surgery. A duodenal catheter was placed to evaluate intestinal transit using a fluorescent dye. At 6 h, the small bowel was divided and the mean geometric center (MGC) was calculated to express transit. Ileum was harvested for evaluation of iNOS protein expression by Western blotting and MPO activity. Tissue water was determined using the % wet-to-dry weight ratio to assess gut edema. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 3–6 and ∗P TABLE—ABSTRACT P88 . Tissue water (%Tissue Water) Intestinal transit (MGC) MPO activity (milliUnits) iNOS densitometry (arbitrary units) Sham 75 ± 1 4.6 ± 0.3 6 ± 2 0.6 ± 0.03 Edema 82 ± 2∗ 2.7 ± 0.3∗ 2 ± 0.4 1.2 ± 0.2 Edema + L-Nil 80 ± 1∗ 4.2 ± 0.6 4 ± 0.7 0.8 ± 0.03