cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Website-reflected operating characteristics of wineries’ wine clubs

Purpose– The purpose of this empirical research is to identify the distinguishing operating characteristicsof wineries that use what is alleged to be the most profitable channel of distribution formarketing wine in the USA: the wine club.Design/methodology/approach– The research design entails the contrasting of the Web site-reflected operating features ofwineries that support wine clubs with wineries that do not.Findings– Support was found for the great majority of operating features identified in the literature aslikely characterizing the operations of wineries with wine clubs. A notable exception concernsthe lack of confirmation of hypotheses concerning “Wine 2.0” variables.Research limitations/implications– In the apparent pursuit of higher profits, owners and managers of wineries with wine clubsmore frequently adopt operating features that expose them to objective competitive comparisonsthan do owners and managers with other wineries. The former are also more prone to advertiseon their Web sites a variety of offers that collectively constitute a more valuable quid pro quo intheir relationships with consumer buyers than appears to be the case with other wineries.Strategically, results demonstrate that a winery’s adoption of a wine club is not a part of anevolutionary process of wineries in general.Originality/value– There has been no other published empirical research that concerned the identification ofdistinguishing operating features of wineries that use what has been argued to be the mostprofitable channel for marketing wine at retail in the USA: the wine club channel. Wineryowners and managers will find particular value in the results and implications of the research.
Using spline-enhanced ordinary differential equations for PK/PD model development

A spline-enhanced ordinary differential equation (ODE) method is proposed for developing a proper parametric kinetic ODE model and is shown to be a useful approach to PK/PD model development. The new method differs substantially from a previously proposed model development approach using a stochastic differential equation (SDE)-based method. In the SDE-based method, a Gaussian diffusion term is introduced into an ODE to quantify the system noise. In our proposed method, we assume an ODE system with form dx/dt = A(t)x + B(t) where B(t) is a nonparametric function vector that is estimated using penalized splines. B(t) is used to construct a quantitative measure of model uncertainty useful for finding the proper model structure for a given data set. By means of two examples with simulated data, we demonstrate that the spline-enhanced ODE method can provide model diagnostics and serve as a basis for systematic model development similar to the SDE-based method. We compare and highlight the differences between the SDE-based and the spline-enhanced ODE methods of model development. We conclude that the spline-enhanced ODE method can be useful for PK/PD modeling since it is based on a relatively uncomplicated estimation algorithm which can be implemented with readily available software, provides numerically stable, robust estimation for many models, is distribution-free and allows for identification and accommodation of model deficiencies due to model misspecification.
Oral Health Status, Knowledge, and Practices in an Amish Population

This study was conducted in the summer of 1985 to assess the oral health status, knowledge, and practices of an Amish population in southwest Michigan. Dental caries experience, periodontal health, and oral hygiene status were recorded using decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (DMFS), periodontal index (PI), and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Data on oral health knowledge and practices were collected by interviews using a structured questionnaire. Results showed significantly lower levels of disease among Amish. DMFS scores for 5-17-year-old Amish children were almost half that of the US general population (NIDR 1979-80). PI score of all ages combined was 2.0, which was 3.6 times lower than a national sample (1971-74). Lower levels of disease in Amish could be related to their way of life and dietary patterns. A relatively higher level of unmet need for prosthodontic care, inadequate oral health knowledge, and barriers to dental care in the study population emphasize the need for dental public health and health education programs.
Long-term clinical outcomes following drug-eluting or bare-metal stent placement in patients with severely reduced GFR: Results of the Massachusetts Data Analysis Center (Mass-DAC) State Registry.

Background Patients with chronic kidney disease have been under-represented in randomized trials of drug-eluting stents relative to bare-metal stents and are at high risk of mortality. Study Design Cohort study with propensity score matching. Settings & Participants All adults with chronic kidney disease and severely decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR; serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL or dialysis dependence) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement between April 1, 2003, and September 30, 2005, at all acute-care nonfederal hospitals in Massachusetts. Predictor Patients were classified as drug-eluting stent–treated if all stents were drug eluting and bare-metal stent–treated if all stents were bare metal. Patients treated with both types of stents were excluded from the primary analysis. Outcomes & Measurements 2-year crude mortality risk differences (drug-eluting − bare-metal stents) were determined from vital statistics records, and risk-adjusted mortality, myocardial infraction (MI), and revascularization differences were estimated using propensity score matching of patients with severely reduced GFR based on clinical and procedural information collected at the index admission. Results 1,749 patients with severely reduced GFR (24% dialysis dependent) were treated with drug-eluting (n = 1,256) or bare-metal stents (n = 493) during the study. Overall 2-year mortality was 32.8% (unadjusted drug-eluting stent vs bare-metal stent; 30.1% vs 39.8%; P P = 0.5), 16.0% versus 19.0% (risk difference, −3.0%; 95% CI, −8.2 to 2.1; P = 0.3), and 13.0% versus 17.6% (risk difference, −4.6%; 95% CI, −9.5 to 0.3; P = 0.06). Limitations Observational design, ascertainment of serum creatinine level >2.0 mg/dL and dialysis dependence from case report forms. Conclusions In patients with severely decreased GFR, treatment with drug-eluting stents was associated with a modest decrease in target-vessel revascularization not reaching statistical significance and was not associated with a difference in risk-adjusted rates of mortality or MI at 2 years compared with bare-metal stents.
Class development and testing in the small

The object-oriented paradigm is becoming increasingly important as the standard software development approach in computer science education. With regard to testing, most contemporary industrial focus involves integrating the testing process with the remainder of the development life cycle (e.g., the integration of use case-based requirements definition with testing). While this is a positive step, it is something of a heavyweight approach, in that it requires a substantial understanding of the entire development cycle in order to discuss testing. In this paper, we present a formal conceptual model of the testing process that is lightweight in nature. This process can be applied very early in the computer science curriculum as part of initial courses in the mechanics of programming, prior to a discussion of the overall development life cycle.
Activation of cyclic AMP second messenger system stimulates secretion of β-endorphin from fetal hypothalamic cells

Abstract Relatively little is known about physiological regulators of hypothalamic β-endorphin (END) secretion and mechanisms by which they stimulate secretion. We sought to determine whether activation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) second messenger pathway was involved in stimulating hypothalamic β-END secretion from dissociated fetal hypothalamic cells in culture. Forskolin (FSK), a direct activator of adenylate cyclase which stimulates cAMP formation, stimulated immunoreactive (IR)-β-END secretion. Because FSK can also stimulate independent of increased cAMP formation, we studied dibutyryl cAMP and 8-bromo-cAMP, analogues of cAMP, which also stimulated IR-β-END secretion. From these studies we conclude: (1) activation of the cAMP second messenger system stimulates IR-β-END secretion from hypothalamic cells and supports the rationale that endogenous regulators which stimulate this pathway could be involved in the physiological regulation of hypothalamic β-END secretion; (2) coupling between the cAMP second messenger pathway and stimulation of hypothalamic β-END secretion which is presumably present at maturity (adulthood) originates at early stages of development (fetal life).
Rational Design of Solution Additives for the Prevention of Protein Aggregation

We have developed a statistical-mechanical model of the effect of solution additives on protein association reactions. This model incorporates solvent radial distribution functions obtained from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of particular proteins into simple models of protein interactions. In this way, the effects of additives can be computed along the entire association/dissociation reaction coordinate. We used the model to test our hypothesis that a class of large solution additives, which we term "neutral crowders," can slow protein association and dissociation by being preferentially excluded from protein-protein encounter complexes, in a manner analogous to osmotic stress. The magnitude of this proposed "gap effect" was probed for two simple model systems: the association of two spheres and the association of two planes. Our results suggest that for a protein of 20 A radius, an 8 A additive can increase the free energy barrier for association and dissociation by as much as 3-6 kcal/mol. Because the proposed gap effect is present only for reactions involving multiple molecules, it can be exploited to develop novel additives that affect protein association reactions although having little or no effect on unimolecular reactions such as protein folding. This idea has many potential applications in areas such as the stabilization of proteins against aggregation during folding and in pharmaceutical formulations.
EASTERN PACIFIC HURRICANE SEASON OF 1970

Abstract A statistical resume of the season is presented, and a tentative climatology is proposed, based on 5 yr of operational satellite coverage. Basic data were increased through more reconnaissance flights and satellite pictures. No direct storm casualties or damage from storm winds or seas were reported. Casualties and damage resulting from the Arizona flood diaster were indirectly related to tropical storm Norma. The chronicle of hurricanes and tropical storms deals mainly with the relationship of the data to hurricane intensity and to physical processes within the various tropical cyclones.
Pionization structure function

Abstract We analyze the properties of a pionization structure function. Making some general assumptions about the analyticity structure of amplitudes describing inclusive processes (which are valid in a large class of models and are expected to be valid for the true amplitudes) we derive a general form of this structure function.
Myelopoiesis in immunologically classified subgroups of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Soft agar culture studies of 43 immunologically characterized patients with childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) are presented. The immunologic subsets studied include “null”-cell, pre-B-cell, and T-cell leukemias. Abnormal myelopoiesis, including high peripheral blood and low marrow, colony-forming cell numbers, low colony-stimulating activity, and normal maturation of colony-forming cells in vitro was noted in each group as previously described for immunologically uncharacterized ALL. We conclude that immunologic subsets of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia cause similar abnormalities of myelopoiesis. Lack of differences in growth characteristics among immunologic subsets of ALL make it impossible to use this tissue culture technique in sub-classification of these leukemic disorders.
Resistance of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae to Neutrophils

Infection with the human-specific bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae triggers a potent, local inflammatory response driven by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils or PMNs). PMNs are terminally differentiated phagocytic cells that are a vital component of the host innate immune response and are the first responders to bacterial and fungal infections. PMNs possess a diverse arsenal of components to combat microorganisms, including the production of reactive oxygen species and release of degradative enzymes and antimicrobial peptides. Despite numerous PMNs at the site of gonococcal infection, N. gonorrhoeae can be cultured from the PMN-rich exudates of individuals with acute gonorrhea, indicating that some bacteria resist killing by neutrophils. The contribution of PMNs to gonorrheal pathogenesis has been modeled in vivo by human male urethral challenge and murine female genital inoculation and in vitro using isolated primary PMNs or PMN-derived cell lines. These systems reveal that some gonococci survive and replicate within PMNs and suggest that gonococci defend themselves against PMNs in two ways: they express virulence factors that defend against PMNs’ oxidative and non-oxidative antimicrobial components, and they modulate the ability of PMNs to phagocytose gonococci and to release antimicrobial components. In this review, we will highlight the varied and complementary approaches used by N. gonorrhoeae to resist clearance by human PMNs, with an emphasis on gonococcal gene products that modulate bacterial-PMN interactions. Understanding how some gonococci survive exposure to PMNs will help guide future initiatives for combating gonorrheal disease.
The effect of several vasoactive drugs on ovarian blood flow in the near-term sheep.

SummaryThe effects of various vasoactive agents on ovarian blood flows were measured using radioactive microspheres. Norepinephrine and angiotensin II decreased blood flow and increased vascular resistance significantly in the CL ovary with no significant changes in the ovary without CL. Pretreatment of the animal with prostaglandin E2 caused a twofold decrease in the response of the CL ovary to norepinephrine with no change in the response of the ovary without CL. Pretreatment with indomethacin did not affect the ovarian responses to norepinephrine. The only significant response of the ovary without CL was an increase in vascular resistance after indomethacin. The data suggest that prostaglandins are not responsible for maintaining vascular homeostasis in the corpus luteum of the near-term ovine ovary.
Trypanosoma brucei: identification and purification of a poly(A)-binding protein.

Abstract Pitula, J., Ruyechan, W. T., and Williams, N. 1998. Trypanosoma brucei: Identification and purification of a poly(A)-binding protein. Experimental Parasitology 88 , 157–160.
Developing Mobile Collaborative Learning Applications for Mobile Users

With the rapid growth wireless communication technologies, the number of mobile applications have been developing. One of them is approached for mobile learning area since it is unique in its own way and offers learning opportunities anywhere and anytime. Mobile collaborative learning (MCL) is a small group learning application based on mobile devices. MCL is a new exciting research area in which students can earn knowledge about a topic and concept via communicating with others by a mobile device. This paper introduces describes the theoretical and technical foundations for designing and developing an effective MCL environment. Also, the paper describes a new approach for building the MCL application towards mobile technology. The prototype will be constructed using Android operating system with suggesting necessary infrastructure and middleware. Finally, the paper include the result of a usability test to find valuable hidden facilitating issues to efficiently access and obtain the class contents in collaborative learning environment.
Integrating Computational Chemistry into the Physical Chemistry Curriculum.

Relatively few undergraduate physical chemistry programs integrate molecular modeling into their quantum mechanics curriculum owing to concerns about limited access to computational facilities, the cost of software, and concerns about increasing the course material. However, modeling exercises can be integrated into an undergraduate course at a nontrivial level with minor modifications to the lecture curriculum and software that is inexpensively available to individual students. The modified curriculum was tested over a two-year period, and student reception of the new curriculum was assessed by means of end-of course surveys. Students found the added computational material to be useful and not overly difficult.
Comparing two methods of delivering high-flow gas therapy by nasal cannula following endotracheal extubation: a prospective, randomized, masked, crossover trial.

We compared two methods of delivering high-flow gas therapy by nasal cannula, applied immediately after planned endotracheal extubations of NICU patients. Thirty NICU patients who were about to be extubated from mechanical ventilation were randomized into two groups; Group 1 received Vapotherm® for the first 24 h after extubation, then standard high-flow nasal cannula for the next 24 h, and Group 2 received standard high-flow therapy for the first 24 h, then Vapotherm® for the next 24 h. At 24 h after extubation and again 48 h after extubation, a neonatologist who was not aware which modality the patient had been receiving examined the nasal mucosa and applied a scoring system. A research nurse who was unaware of the modality abstracted respiratory rates and respiratory effort scores from a specific study-bedside record. The experimental design was such that a patient could ‘fail’ extubation either by reintubation for mechanical ventilation, or by rescue to the opposite modality before completing the 24-h test period. Fifteen patients were randomized to Group 1 and 15 to Group 2. No differences were apparent between the groups in birth weight, gestational age, age at study entry, gender or underlying pulmonary disorder. Respiratory rates were similar while on Vapotherm® (52±13 breaths/min, mean±s.d.) and high-flow (54±14/min). At 24 h after starting the modality, those on Vapotherm® had more normal examinations of the nasal mucosa (2.7±1.2 vs 7.8±1.7, P<0.0005) and lower respiratory effort scores (1.2±0.6 vs 2.0±0.9, P<0.05) than did those on high-flow. No patients failed while on Vapotherm®, but seven failed while on high-flow (two reintubations and five rescue switches to Vapotherm®, P<0.005). Among NICU patients immediately following extubation, Vapotherm® performed better than a standard high-flow nasal cannula in maintaining a normal appearing nasal mucosa, a lower respiratory effort score, and averting reintubation.
Confirmatory serologic testing for acute toxoplasmosis and rate of induced abortions among women reported to have positive Toxoplasma immunoglobulin M antibody titers

Abstract Objective: Results obtained with commercial testing kits for immunoglobulin M Toxoplasma antibodies may be inaccurate or may be inaccurately interpreted, which may influence whether a woman decides to terminate the pregnancy. This study was undertaken to determine whether confirmatory testing at a reference laboratory and communication of the results and an expert interpretation to the patient's physician would affect the rate of induced abortions among pregnant women with positive results of testing for immunoglobulin M Toxoplasma antibodies in outside laboratories. Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of 811 consecutive pregnant women for whom the toxoplasma serologic profile was performed at a reference laboratory. Almost all the patients had been informed by their physicians that a result of a test for immunoglobulin M Toxoplasma antibodies performed in an outside laboratory was positive. Women were separated into those with a toxoplasma serologic profile result suggestive of a recently acquired infection (group 1) and those with a result suggestive of an infection acquired in the more distant past (group 2). Physician reports of induced abortions were used to determine rates of induced abortion in groups 1 and 2. Results: Of the 811 women 321 (39.6%) were considered likely to have a recent infection (group 1) and 490 (60.4%) were considered likely to have a past infection (group 2). Physicians reported pregnancy outcomes for 433 (53.4%) of 811 women (65.1% and 45.7% in groups 1 and 2, respectively). Whereas 36 of 209 women in group 1 (17.2%) terminated the pregnancy, only 1 of 224 women in group 2 (0.4%) chose abortion ( P Conclusion: Confirmatory serologic testing in a reference laboratory and communication of the results and their correct interpretation by an expert to the patient's physician decreased the rate of unnecessary abortions by approximately 50% among women for whom positive immunoglobulin M Toxoplasma test results had been reported by outside laboratories. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:140-5.)
Eating disorder and manic-depressive tendencies.

To explore whether eating disorders were associated with manic-depressive tendencies, two screening instruments for eating disorders (Kano, 1985; American College Health Association, undated) were administered to 50 female college students (Ma,, = 20.3 yr., SD = 1.2) along with a measure of manic-depressive tendencies (Thalbourne, Delin, & Bassett, 1994). Scores on the Kano scale (M= 17.7, SD= 8.2) were significantly associated with manic tendencies (Pearson r = .50, two-tailed p < ,001) but not with depressive tendencies (r = .27). Scores on the American College Health Association Scale (M=7.8, SD=3.9) were associated with depressive tendencies ( Y = .41, p<.01) but not with manic tendencies (r = .21). The Kano scale scores were not associated with a history of prior suicidal ideation or attempts (rs= -.05 and -.13, respectively) while American College Health Association scale scores were associated with a history of prior suicide attempts (r = .41, p < .O1) although not of prior suicidal ideation (r = ,121. Thus, these two screening scales for eating disorders had very different correlates.
Generation of C59O− via collision induced dissociation of oxy-fullerene anions

Abstract We present an investigation of the anions observed during chemical ionization of C 60 in the presence of nitric oxide. Within the source of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, we initially generate a series of C 60 O 1−4 − anions. We observe that the C 60 O 2−4 − ions have a novel collision induced dissociation pattern producing C 59 O − and C 58 O 2 − . We speculate on a possible mechanism for the formation of these oxy-fullerene anions.
Network-based association of hypoxia-responsive genes with cardiovascular diseases

Molecular oxygen is indispensable for cellular viability and function. Hypoxia is a stress condition in which oxygen demand exceeds supply. Low cellular oxygen content induces a number of molecular changes to activate regulatory pathways responsible for increasing the oxygen supply and optimizing cellular metabolism under limited oxygen conditions. Hypoxia plays critical roles in the pathobiology of many diseases, such as cancer, heart failure, myocardial ischemia, stroke, and chronic lung diseases. Although the complicated associations between hypoxia and cardiovascular (and cerebrovascular) diseases (CVD) have been recognized for some time, there are few studies that investigate their biological link from a systems biology perspective. In this study, we integrate hypoxia genes, CVD genes, and the human protein interactome in order to explore the relationship between hypoxia and cardiovascular diseases at a systems level. We show that hypoxia genes are much closer to CVD genes in the human protein interactome than that expected by chance. We also find that hypoxia genes play significant bridging roles in connecting different cardiovascular diseases. We construct a hypoxia-CVD bipartite network and find several interesting hypoxia-CVD modules with significant gene ontology similarity. Finally, we show that hypoxia genes tend to have more CVD interactors in the human interactome than in random networks of matching topology. Based on these observations, we can predict novel genes that may be associated with CVD. This network-based association study gives us a broad view of the relationships between hypoxia and cardiovascular diseases and provides new insights into the role of hypoxia in cardiovascular biology.
Continuous conversion of methanol to higher hydrocarbons at ambient pressure

An iodozincate ionic liquid solvent and catalyst is used to convert methanol continuously to a wide variety of hydrocarbons at atmospheric pressure.
Utility of the Trauma Symptom Inventory’s Atypical Response Scale in Detecting Malingered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

The authors examined the Trauma Symptom Inventory's (TSI) ability to discriminate 88 student post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) simulators screened for genuine PTSD from 48 clinical PTSD-diagnosed outpatients. Results demonstrated between-group differences on several TSI clinical scales and the Atypical Response (ATR) validity scale. Discriminant function analysis using ATR revealed 75% correct patient classification but only 48% correct simulator classification, with an overall correct classification rate of 59% (positive predictive power [PPP] = .71; negative predictive power [NPP] = .51). Individual ATR cutoff scores did not yield impressive classification results, with the optimal cutoff (T score = 61) correctly classifying only 61% of simulators and patients (PPP = .66, NPP = .54). Although ATR was not developed as a malingered PTSD screen, instead serving as a general validity screen, caution is recommended in its current clinical use for detecting malingered PTSD.
Morphine-6-glucuronide, a potent mu agonist

The 3- and the 6-glucuronides of morphine have been examined in binding studies and in vivo. The 3-glucuronide had poor affinity in all binding studies whereas the 6-glucuronide potently labeled mu, but not delta or kappa receptors with affinities similar to morphine. Microinjections of the 3-glucuronide directly into the periaqueductal gray were without effect. The 6-glucuronide, on the other hand, was up to 20-fold more potent than morphine following microinjections in the same region. High doses of the 6-glucuronide produced profound seizure activity. All 6-glucuronide actions were sensitive to the opiate antagonist naloxone.
Fifth Graders' Flow Experience in a Digital Game-Based Science Learning Environment

This mixed methods study examined 73 5th graders' flow experience in a game-based science learning environment using two gameplay approaches (solo and collaborative gameplay). Both survey and focus group interview findings revealed that students had high flow experience; however, there were no flow experience differences that were contingent upon gameplay approaches. Results identified four game design features and student personal factors (reading proficiency) that significantly impacted student game flow experience. Students made significant science content learning gains as a result of gameplay, but game flow experience did not predict learning gains. The study demonstrated that the game was effective in supporting students' flow experience and science content learning. The findings indicated that the adapted game flow experience survey provided a satisfactory measure of students' game flow experience. The results also have implications for educational game design, as game design features that significantly contributed to students' flow experience were identified.
Scattering of a pulse by a cavity in an elastic half-space

Abstract The finite difference technique is employed to study plane strain scattering of pulses from finite anomalies embedded in an isotropic, homogeneous, elastic half-space. In particular, the scatterer is taken to by a cylindrical cavity. A new transmission boundary condition is developed which transmits energy conveyed by Rayleigh surface waves. This condition is successfully employed in reducing the domain of numerical calculations from a semi-infinite to a finite region. A test of the numerical scheme is given by considering a time harmonic pulse of infinite extent. The numerical technique is marched out in time until transients have radiated away and a steady state solution has been reached which is found to be in good agreement with results produced by a series type solution. Time domain solutions are given in terms of time histories of displacements at the half-space free surface; and by sequences of snapshots, taken of the entire numerical domain, which illustrate the scattering dynamics.
Screening Patients with a Family History of Colorectal Cancer

Objectives To compare screening practices and beliefs in patients with and without a clinically important family history.
An instability leading to failure of polyethylene in uniaxial creep

Based on a continuum model, a point of instability is predicted for the uniaxial creep of high density polyethylene. From dead load experiments it has been found that the instability occurs for linear -polyethylene at around 10-12 percent strain, depending upon molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. It is shown that in the range of applied stresses for which the specimens neck during uniaxial creep, the time required to reach the critical point is related by a constant factor to the time at which the neck appears. A synopsis of theoretical considerations, as well as experimental work in support of this idea, is given.
Met-enkephalin and preproenkephalin mRNA changes in the striatum of the nicotine abstinence mouse.

We studied the changes of met-enkephalin (Met-Enk) content and preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA in the striatum in a mouse model of nicotine abstinence. Nicotine, 2 mg/kg, s.c., was administered four times daily for 14 days and Met-Enk and PPE mRNA evaluated at various times (4-96 h) following drug discontinuation. Met-Enk, assayed by radioimmunoassay, was increased in the ventral (nucleus accumbens) but not dorsal (putamen/caudate) striatum, while PPE mRNA, assayed in whole striatum by Northern blotting was elevated. Both changes were seen early during withdrawal and lasted over 72 h. In situ hybridization revealed enhanced signal in the dorsal striatum, mostly laterally, and smaller increases in the rostral pole, core and shell of the nucleus accumbens. These observations indicate that during nicotine withdrawal, striatal enkephalinergic neurons undergo adaptative responses, which might contribute to the abstinence behavioral syndrome.
Charged-particle production from neutron-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV/ c

We have studied the inclusive production of charged particles in neutron-nucleus collisons using the M3 neutral beam at Fermilab. Differential particle yields, dN/deta, in laboratory pseudorapidity, eta = -ln(tan(theta/sub L//2)), from Be, Cu, and Pb targets are presented for the forward region 1.7 < or = eta < or approx. = 6.5 as well as the extreme backward region -2.8 < or = eta < or = -1.6. Comparisons are made with previously reported measurements of the forward yields. The backward yields are used to test the coherent tube model.
Induced Aerodynamics of Wrap-Around Fins Using an Empirical Technique

An empirical expression has been derived from wind-tunnel test data that can be used to predict the induced aerodynamics of a wrap-around fin in supersonic flow. The expression correlates an induced angle-of-attack to the fin geometric parameters and the free-stream Mach number. This empirical expression, coupled with a modified form of supersonic fin theory to account for fin curvature, can be used to accurately and rapidly predict the induced pressure distribution over a wrap-around fin. In addition, the wind-tunnel test setup has been numerically reproduced using a NASA CFD code, Overflow. The results show a test setup that can be reproduced numerically which both confirms data quality and opens the door for future numerical work that can be used to improve the empirical correlation by cost effectively investigating body and fin root protuberance effects.
The road to integrative cancer therapies: emergence of a tumor-associated fibroblast protease as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

Great inroads have been made in defining the oncogenic pathways intrinsic to neoplastic cells and the mechanisms by which they are activated in tumors. Knowledge of these pathways provides numerous opportunities that are actively being pursued to develop targeted therapies for cancer. Complementary studies, focused on the non-transformed components of the tumor microenvironment (TME), have revealed that the extrinsic cues provided by the TME are also essential for tumor cells to manifest a fully transformed phenotype, angiogenesis and metastasis. Delineation of these cues and their underlying cellular and molecular pathways will thus lead to a new era of integrative cancer therapy based on combinatorial drug regiments that act synergistically to destroy the neoplastic cells by targeting both the intrinsic and extrinsic pro-oncogenic pathways. Tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) and proteases are two of the key regulators of epithelial-derived tumors that represent potential targets of such integrative the...
Embryonic development of the ciliary arteries of the rabbit from inception through the emergence of the circulus arteriosus iridis

Since the rabbit's eye more nearly resembles the human eye than any other mammal used in experimental investigations, a detailed study of its ciliary arteries has been made. A closely timed series of embryos injected through the living umbilical vein and rendered transparent show, in thick sections, silhouetted vessels in perspective. Heretofore the ciliary arteries have been studied from their first identification until they have reached the primitive choriocapillaris, but no farther. This study shows their complete history including their relation to the circulus arteriosus iridis major and to the pupillary membrane. Our special concern has been ferreting out the mode of migration of the components of the definitive arteries. New findings include: (1) an arteriovenous plexus which mediates the transference from vessels anastomotic with it to other such vessels; (2) functionally different segments of the primitive ciliary arteries; (3) different arterial and venous plexuses which play roles in embryonic development; (4) discovery of the realignment of the choriocapillaris into vertical vessel meshes with transverse anastomoses between them, each of which have different fates; (5) the mode of development of the circulus arteriosus iridis major; (6) a crown of venous vessels looping around the iris margin; and (7) a special arterial supply for the ciliary processes.
STUDIES ON THE INTERMEDIARY CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM OF AQUATIC ANIMALS I. THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACID-SOLUBLE PHOSPHORUS AND CERTAIN ENZYMES IN DOLPHIN TISSUES

1. Liver, kidney, brain, skeletal muscle, and cardiac muscle from one newborn and three adult long-snouted dolphins ( Stenella plagiodon ) were obtained for enzyme studies. 2. All of the dolphin tissues exhibited cytochrome oxidase, succinic dehydrogenase, and malic dehydrogenase activity. Considerable differences in the enzyme activities of the various tissues were noted, with cardiac muscle exhibiting the highest respiratory enzyme activity. The enzyme activities of dolphin tissues were lower than those of the corresponding rat tissues. 3. All of the dolphin tissues exhibited adenosine triphosphatase activity which was accelerated by magnesium and manganese but, in contrast to rat tissues, was only slightly activated by calcium. 4. Measurements of the distribution of acid-soluble phosphorus in dolphin tissues indicated that glycolysis in all of the tissues examined proceeded through the Emden-Meyerhof phosphorylation scheme. 5. The average glycogen content of dolphin skeletal muscle was 0.98 per cent as compared with 0.16 to 0.20 per cent for rat skeletal muscle. The high glycogen content of dolphin skeletal muscle indicates a ready source of substrate for glycolysis even during submergence when the blood supply may be differentially shunted to other organs. 6. Measurements of the organ weights of dolphins showed that the lungs occupy over three times and the liver one-half as much of the total body weight as do these organs in the rat. The heart and the thyroid gland of the dolphin are also larger in proportion to the total body weight than in the rat while the relative weights of the other tissues in the two species are about the same.
FlashDB: dynamic self-tuning database for NAND flash

FlashDB is a self-tuning database optimized for sensor networks using NAND flash storage. In practical systems flash is used in different packages such as on-board flash chips, compact flash cards, secure digital cards and related formats. Our experiments reveal non-trivial differences in their access costs. Furthermore, databases may be subject to different types of workloads. We show that existing databases for flash are not optimized for all types of flash devices or for all workloads and their performance is thus subop- timal in many practical systems. FlashDB uses a novel self-tuning index that dynamically adapts its storage structure to workload and underlying storage device. We formalize the self-tuning nature of an index as a two-state task system and propose a 3-competitive online algorithm that achieves the theoretical optimum. We also provide a framework to determine the optimal size of an index node that minimizes energy and latency for a given device. Finally, we propose optimizations to further improve the performance of our index. We prototype and compare different indexing schemes on multiple flash devices and workloads, and show that our indexing scheme outperforms existing schemes under all workloads and flash devices we consider.
Conversational coordination: Collaboration for effective communication

This investigation focused on early school-aged children's ability to negotiate shared reference in a task-oriented communication game. Conversational partners worked together on initiating and refining mutually acceptable referential labels for a series of abstract figures. Each child participated as both a sender and a matcher. In Experiment 1, developmental trends in the use of conversational strategies such as utterance-contingent queries, acknowledgments, and negations were observed. However, communicative efficiency was disrupted when the children switched dyadic roles. They reintroduced figures with novel labels when switching to a speaking role from a previous matching role, and vice versa. In Experiment 2, communicative efficiency was again disrupted at the point of role switch, even when the children were given feedback designed to minimize cross-role inconsistency. Interestingly, in both experiments, communicative inefficiency did not reduce a dyad's overall communicative success. These results suggest that, while children are in the process of learning how best to coordinate the use of conversational strategies and procedural rules, they still manage effective communication, albeit with a little extra effort.
Voriconazole, a new wide-spectrum antifungal triazole: Activity in vitro and in vivo.

Voriconazole, also known in early reports as UK-109,496, was developed by Pfizer Central Research, UK. In 1995 at the 35 th Interscience Conference Antimicrobial Agente Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco, California, USA 18 abstracta about Voriconazole were presented. The subjects of these abstracts ranged from voriconazole synthesis [1], favorable pharmacokinetics in man, guinea pigs, and dogs [2,3], to antifungal activity against opportunistic and pathogenic fungi in vitro and in vivo. Results from phase II clinical trials of voriconazole against candidiasis and aspergillosis were also reported [4]. A comprehensive review of this body of information was published in 1996 by Fromtling and Castaner [5]. During the ensuing years several reports have been published on the in vitro efficacy of voriconazole against Candida species [6,7], Cryptococcus neoformans [8-10], and opportunistic filamentous and dimorphic fungi [11,12]. By contrast, there has been very few published papers about the efficacy of voriconazole against fungal infections in animal models. These studies have been limited due to the pharmacokinetics of voriconazole, which has rapid clearance in mice, rats, and rabbits, but not guinea pigs, dogs, and humans [2]. Nevertheless, there are efficacy data on voriconazole against systemic candidiasis [13], aspergillosis [14] and cryptococcosis [15] in the guinea pig. In phase II clinical trials in AIDS patients with CD4 cells < 50 to 60 per mm 3 and oropharyngeal candidiasis, oral voriconazole daily at 200 mg for 7 days produced clinical efficacy of 80 to 100 % [5]. In another study, a group of immunocompromised patients with acute invasive aspergillosis, 72% of whom had failed prior therapy with itraconazole or amphotericin B, had favorable~responses to a voriconazole regimen (27 of 36). The regimen consisted of 6 mg/kg of voriconazole i.v. every 12 h, then 3 mg/kg every 12 h for 6 to 27 days. This initial regimen was followed by oral voriconazole 200 mg twice daily for 4 to 24 weeks [5,16]. Six patients (8%) experienced enhanced perception of light, a mild visual disturbance that was drug-related. In a study with 25 non-neutropenic patients with chronic invasive aspergillosis, 50% of whom had failed prior therapy, oral voriconazole at 200 mg twice daily for 4 to 24 weeks also showed efficacy. However, with this regimen drug-related visual disturbance was reported in 11 of 25 patients [4,5]. In a recent case study, a patient with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and invasive micromodular aspergillosis, oral voriconazole at 200 mg twice daily for 2 weeks gave a favorable response and abnormalities disappeared within 3 months. Regular prophylaxis of the patient with interferon-gamma and cotrimoxazole was continued during voriconazle treatment [17]. Phase III clinical trails have been ongoing during the past few years, however the results have not been released or published. Approval of voriconazole for treatment of certain fungal infections in humans is anticipated to be promulgated in the near future.
Network Failure Recovery with Tie-Sets

The present research aims to recover network failure in networks with a complicated topology by focusing on tie-sets. A tie-set implies a set of links constituting a loop. The entire network is divided into smaller local units of tie-sets which encompass all network vertices and links. These units realize network management for quick and flexible failure recovery. This paper first introduces the concept of tie-sets, and then proposes a recovery method for single link failures. The latter half of the paper deals with the efficiency of failure recovery in different spanning trees. Since a hypothesis is formed by a numerical evaluation the paper proposes a method of determining a spanning tree for quick link failure recovery.
Life Cycle Analysis of Linear Fresnel Solar Power Technology

Solar power generation technologies are categorized as Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP) and PhotoVoltaic (PV). AREVA’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) system is a CSP power generation technology which compares favorably with other technologies in terms of its land efficiency and environmental impact. Analysis of the costs and benefits of solar technologies can inform their design and influence environmental and economic policies.This paper reports a comprehensive “cradle to grave” life cycle analysis (LCA) of AREVA’s CLFR technology. A unique element of this study is the availability of comprehensive inventory data from AREVA’s Reliance project, a 125 MWe Solar CLFR power plant under construction in India. Using actual project data showed the energy payback time was about 8.2 months and the greenhouse gas intensity was about 31 g-CO2/kWhe. Sensitivity analysis identified that the environmental performance is most sensitive to the solar intensity represented by direct normal irradiance. This study also compares AREVA’s CLFR technology with other leading solar power generation technologies. AREVA’s CLFR has the similar energy payback time and greenhouse gas intensity as other CSP technologies, and it has lower environmental impact compared to flat-plate PV systems.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2, 28 kDa and 24 kDa insulin-like growth factor binding protein levels are decreased in fluid of dominant follicles, obtained from normal and polycystic ovaries.

In order to investigate potential changes in insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) during human follicle maturation, we examined the IGFBP profiles in follicular fluid from follicles in different stages of maturation. Samples were obtained from ovaries of women with regular menstrual cycles and of subjects with cycle abnormalities and polycystic ovaries (diagnosed as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)) and analyzed by Western ligand blotting. IGFBPs of 43 kDa, 37 kDa, 31 kDa, a doublet around 28 kDa and a minor band of 24 kDa were detected in follicle fluid of normal non-dominant (size 4) follicles of both regularly menstruating women and PCOS patients. The 43 and 37 kDa IGFBPs could be identified as IGFBP-3 and the 31 kDa IGFBP as IGFBP-2, whereas the 28 kDa IGFBP could not be identified as IGFBP-1, all by immunoblotting techniques. A dramatic decrease in IGFBP-2, the 28 kDa and 24 kDa IGFBPs was observed in follicular fluid of dominant follicles (size > 10 mm) of both regular menstruating individuals and one PCOS patient as compared with follicular fluid of normal non-dominant or atretic follicles. These observations indicate that the PCOS follicle may not be different from normal with respect to IGFBP profiles. Furthermore, these results suggest that at least one of these IGFBPs might be involved in human folliculogenesis.
Relationship Between Uterine Progesterone and Fetal Development in Pigs

The potential relationship between uterine arterial and venous concentrations of progesterone. and porcine fetal size and viability was examined. Sixteen Yorkshire gilts were laparotomizedat 27 to 37 days of gestation to count corpora lutea and embryos. Samples of blood were drawn from uterine arteries and veins at each embryonal location of 10 of the gilts but not from the six control guts. At 60 to 76 days of gestation, a second laparotomy was performed to determine rates of fetal survival and to draw blood samples from uterine vessels at all fetal locations in each of the 12 gilts remaining from the first surgery. The percentages of embryos surviving between first and second surgeries were 51.0% for the experimental gilts and 65.6% for the control gilts (P>0.05). Progesterone concentrations were higher in arteries than in veins at each fetal location at both surgeries (P<0.01).The disappearance or utilization of progesterone in the uterine tissues surrounding either normal or mummified fetuses was greater late in pregnancy compared with the early embryonic stage (P<0.05). Uterine arterial and venous progesterone concentrations were unrelated to fetal weight; however, fetal weight was correlated with arterial-venous differences. These data suggest that some of the progesterone entering the uterine arterial system is metabolized or utilized and does not reenter the uterine venous system and that this utilization may be related to fetal weight and stage of development.