cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resource utilization and hospital readmission associated with gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) occurs in up to 40% of patients with continuous-flow (CF) left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). We sought to identify targets to improve hospital resource utilization and decrease readmissions after GIB. We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of LVAD-associated GIB resulting in hospital admission between July 2011 and April 2014. Follow-up data were collected through March 2015. We analyzed 57 admissions for GIB in 23 patients. One or more diagnostic imaging study was performed in 47% of admissions, with a definite or probable source of GIB identified in 23%. A total of 76 endoscopies were performed (≥ 1 endoscopy in 79% of admissions, ≥ 2 in 42%). Definite or probable bleeding sources were identified in 25% and 12% of endoscopies, respectively. Patients who underwent multiple endoscopies were no more likely to have a bleeding source identified (OR 1.48; 95% CI 0.50–4.32; p = 0.59) and had longer hospital stays (11.1 vs. 7.8 days, p < 0.02). Readmission rates for GIB at 30 and 90 days were 33% and 53%, respectively. A decrease in antiplatelet regimen at discharge was associated with lower rate of readmission for GIB (OR 0.16; 95% CI 0.03–0.82; p = 0.03) or any cause (OR 0.21; 95% CI 0.05–0.85; p = 0.04) at 30 and 90 days. GIB in patients with CF-LVADs is associated with significant in-hospital resource utilization and high rates of readmission. Imaging and endoscopy are common, but have low diagnostic yield and infrequently result in successful intervention. Strategies to reduce resource utilization and prevent readmission are warranted.
Evolution of hemodynamic forces in the pulmonary tree with progressively worsening pulmonary arterial hypertension in pediatric patients

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling resulting in right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and ultimately RV failure. Mechanical stimuli acting on the vessel walls of the full pulmonary tree have not previously been comprehensively characterized. The goal of this study is to characterize wall shear stress (WSS) and strain in pediatric PAH patients at different stages of disease severity using computational patient-specific modeling. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and right heart catheterization data were collected and assimilated into pulmonary artery (PA) models for patients with and without PAH. Patients were grouped in three disease severity groups (control, moderate and severe) based on clinical evaluations. A finite element solver was employed to quantify hemodynamics and wall strains. To estimate WSS in the distal small PAs with diameters ranging from 50 to 500 $$\upmu \text {m}$$ , a morphometric tree model was created, with inputs coming from outlets of the 3D model. WSS in the proximal PAs decreased with disease severity (control 20.5 vs. moderate 15.8 vs. severe 6.3 $$\text {dyn}/\text {cm}^2$$ , $$p<0.05$$ ). Oscillatory shear index increased in the main pulmonary artery (MPA) with disease severity (0.13 vs. 0.13 vs. 0.2, $$p>0.05$$ ). Wall strains measured by the first invariant of Green strain tensor decreased with disease severity (0.16 vs. 0.12 vs. 0.11, $$p>0.05$$ ). Mean WSS for the distal PAs between 100 and 500 $$\upmu \text {m}$$ significantly increased with disease severity (20 vs. 52 vs. 116 $$\text {dyn}/\text {cm}^2$$ , $$p<0.05$$ ). In conclusion, 3D flow simulations showed that WSS is significantly decreased in the MPA with disease while the mathematical morphometric model suggested increased WSS in the distal small vessels. Computational models can reveal mechanical stimuli acting on vessel walls that may inform patient risk stratification and flow shear experiments.
Clarifying the Role of the Rostral Interpeduncular Nucleus in Aversion to Nicotine

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to an individual's sensitivity to drug reward and aversion, thereby influencing their susceptibility to drug abuse and addiction. A genetic variant (D398N) in the gene CHRNA5 , which encodes the α5 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR
Is Truth Truth

“Truth isn’t truth,” Rudy Giuliani infamously asserted. Though critiqued as a manifestation of the “alternative facts” mindset in a “post-truth” era, Giuliani’s words, taken in context, embody a practitioner’s insight into several compelling theoretical questions concerning the nature of legal truth and the construction of facts by legal institutions. Does “truth” in the legal context exist only in the mind of the factfinder? Is there a conception of legal truth to which the straightforward assertion of Giuliani’s interlocutor that “truth is truth” can apply? How, if at all, do the idiosyncrasies of legal procedural factfinding require adaptation of conventional theories of truth? This Article examines the relationship of legal facts—adjudicative facts found by trial courts—to truth. It offers a revised model of legal truth: legal facts are collective propositional constructs capable of bearing a relationship of correspondence to external objects or events they purport to describe. In developing the revised model, the Article emphasizes the distinctions between the collective epistemic system of the court and the “single-mind” model of individual belief formation. Legal facts constitute collective knowledge insofar as their construction involves necessary contributions from multiple individual minds. Moreover, the formalized processes of the legal epistemic system theoretically mitigate some of the anti-veridical tendencies to which single-mind cognition is susceptible, while creating new obstacles unique to legal factfinding. The Article then identifies three incompatible conceptions of legal truth, distinguished along the axes of construction and correspondence, which it terms the “naive positivist,” “radical constructivist,” and “qualified constructivist” conceptions. The Article identifies the qualified constructivist conception as both the most descriptively accurate and theoretically fecund conception of legal truth. The article then suggests two applications of the revised model’s insights. First, the revised model’s compatibility with correspondence theories of truth permits fine-tuned trading of veridicality of factfinding against other normative objectives. Second, the revised model suggests incorporating a measure of factfinder confidence in legal facts into legal judgments to better account for legal facts’ intrinsic uncertainty.
Epidemiological characteristics of epidemiologic hemorrhagic fever in Qian'an county, Hebei province from 2004 to 2010

Objective To analyze the epidemiologic characteristics of epidemic hemorrhagic fever syndrome (EHF) from 2004 to 2010 and provide scientific basis for formulating control measures.Methods Epidemiological data of EHF between 2004 to 2010 were obtained from the “National Disease Surveillance Report on Management Information System”,and the population data were from the “National Disease Surveillance Information Management System for Basic Information Report System”.Descriptive epidemiological methods was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 173 cases were reported in Qian'an from 2004 to 2010.From 2004 to 2010,the cases were 86,67,12,1,0,1,and 7 cases,respectively,and the rate were 13.12/10 million ( 86/640 249 ),10.42/10 million (67/642 688 ),1.86/10 million ( 12/645 124),0.15/10 million (1/647 983 ),0(0/650 720),0.15/10 million( 1/653 839),and 0.11/10 million(7/657 380),respectively.The overall rate was 3.86/10 million(25/648 283) of population.From 2004 to 2008 the incidence reported declined rapidly,then increased slowly after 2009.The cases were found intensively in winter(November - next January) and spring season (february - may).The incidence in the age group of 10 - 45 was higher than that of other age groups,and the total number of cases was 82.08％(142/173).The incidence in males( 114 cases) was higher than that of females(59 cases).Occupational distribution mainly to peasants and students,which accounted for 87.86％ (152/173).Conclusions Epidemic in the city declines rapidly follows by a slow recovery,suggesting that in the future surveillance,mice-killing and protection of vulnerable population should be strengthened. Key words: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; Epidemiologic methods; Data collection
Resilient Cyber-Security Approach For Aviation Cyber-Physical Systems Protection Against Sensor Spoofing Attacks

The aviation industries are transitioning from conventional aircraft systems to Aviation Cyber-Physical Systems (ACPS) based aircraft. However, like any Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), the ACPS are vulnerable to cyber-attacks that can be mounted by adversaries through the communication network infrastructure. This paper proposes a novel and resilient security protocol for detecting and defending ACPS against sensor spoofing cyber-attacks. First, a communication environment was developed to establish an aircraft Networked Control System (NCS) using the SimEvents toolbox. Then, a cyber-attack detection algorithm based on the positive selection of the Artificial Immune System (AIS) approach was developed and used to detect and drop suspicious communication packets on the aircraft network traffic. Finally, the NCS and the detection algorithm were integrated and tested on real cyber-security attack scenarios. The algorithm's accuracy was 0.96 based on the True Positive and True Negative algorithm detection rate. For further defending the aircraft against cyber-attacks, Nonlinear Autoregressive Exogenous (NARX) algorithm was developed to reconstruct or estimate the network dropped packets. The estimation accuracy of the NARX reached 0.99 using the coefficient of determination (R-value) based on the linear regression approach. The real-time simulation test results showed that the sensor spoofing cyber-attack was successfully detected. Also, the communication network of the ACPS was defended against the attack because the ACPS was maintaining the normal performance during the course of the cyber-attack.
Eight Strategies That Enhance Legal Writing

Professor Abrams authors a column, Writing it Right in the Journal of the Missouri Bar. In a variety of contexts, the column stresses the fundamentals of quality legal writing - conciseness, precision, simplicity, and clarity.
A Noncentrosymmetric Polymorph of LuRuGe.

We report a new polymorph of LuRuGe, obtained in indium flux. This phase exhibits the noncentrosymmetric ZrNiAl-type structure with the space group P62m as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This polymorph can convert into another centrosymmetric polymorph (TiNiSi-type structure, space group Pnma) at high temperatures. We performed electrical transport, magnetization, and specific heat measurements on this new phase. It shows metallic behavior with a Hall sign change from negative at 2 K to positive at 125 K. LuRuGe exhibits Pauli paramagnetism as the ground state with no local magnetic moments from either the Ru or Lu site. The Debye temperature Θ = 348 K and electronic coefficient γe = 3.6 mJ K-2 mol-1 are extracted from the low-temperature specific heat data in LuRuGe. We also carried out first-principles density functional theory calculations to map out the electronic band structure and density of states. There are several electronic bands crossing the Fermi level, supporting a multiband scenario consistent with the Hall sign change. The density of states around the Fermi level is mainly from Ru 4d and Ge 4p electrons, indicating a strong hybridization between those atomic orbitals.
Diode Laser Light Scattering and Temperature Changes Due to Anesthesia Injection in Bovine Tongue Mucosa.

Background and objective: Diode lasers are used in periodontal therapy. Parameters such as wavelength and application mode can affect the laser/tissue interactions, quality of incision, and final o...
Tetrahydrobiopterin in cell function and death mechanisms.

SIGNIFICANCE Tetrahydrobiopterin is a required cofactor for enzymes regulating cellular redox homeostasis, aromatic amino acid metabolism, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Since these effects depend on the cofactor's availability, efforts to discover factors governing both its synthesis and recycling are necessary to elucidate cellular mechanisms of disease and therapeutic advances. Recent Advances: In most cells, tetrahydrobiopterin levels reflect the sum of synthetic and recycling enzyme activities. Enhanced expression of GTP-cyclohydrolase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthetic pathway, increases tetrahydrobiopterin, followed by a general improved cell function and survival. Increasing tetrahydrobiopterin levels using pharmacological approaches has similar beneficial effects, leading to enhanced production of neurotransmitters and nitric oxide or reducing oxidant species levels. At the cellular level, tetrahydrobiopterin counteracts anticancer therapies directed to enhance ferroptosis via GPX4 activity inhibition. CRITICAL ISSUES A clear relationship between tetrahydrobiopterin and cell death is yet not well understood. The possibility that the cofactor directly influences cell viability has not been excluded in previous studies when modulating tetrahydrobiopterin-producing enzymes. FUTURE DIRECTIONS The importance of cellular tetrahydrobiopterin variations and tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthetic enzymes to cell function and viability makes it essential to better characterize temporal changes, cofactor activity, and the influence on redox status, which in turn would help develop novel therapies.
Rethinking the Capacity Development Model

Researchers have long raised questions regarding the way capacity development is practiced. At the same time, they agree on the need to understand how capacity development takes place before rushing to establish capacity development programs. Many researchers have pointed to the need for understanding the demand side of capacity development, including the need to understand the context, the enabling environment, political will, local governance, and the engagement of civil society organizations. Based on the literature review, a new and holistic conceptual model is presented in this chapter. The Perception Driven Joint Learning Approach (PeDJoLA) model pulls together government’s and community’s interventions within an environment and disaster risk landscape. Donors and different levels of governments work in a top-down manner, which is matched by bottom-up actions of a community. However, only their combined and integrated efforts can lead to effective capacity development. The chapter starts by providing a brief overview of existing capacity development models and why they provide only a piecemeal understanding of the capacity development process. PeDJoLA is presented with detailed description of its components.
Receptivity — An Overview

The topic of receptivity and its importance were suggested twenty years ago by Morkovin (1969). There was relatively little early progress. The beginnings of receptivity studies are summarized in a paper published just five years ago (Reshotko, 1984). However, the content of that paper has been largely superseded by developments within the last five to six years that are highlighted in this panel presentation.
regularity of Fourier integral operators with caustics

The caustics of Fourier integral operators are defined as caustics of the corresponding Schwartz kernels (Lagrangian distributions on X × Y). The caustic set Σ(C) of the canonical relation is characterized as the set of points where the rank of the projection π: C → X x Y is smaller than its maximal value, dim(X x Y) - 1. We derive the L p (Y) → L q (X) estimates on Fourier integral operators with caustics of corank 1 (such as caustics of type A m+1 , m ∈ N). For the values of p and q outside of a certain neighborhood of the line of duality, q = p', the L p → L q estimates are proved to be caustics-insensitive. We apply our results to the analysis of the blow-up of the estimates on the half-wave operator just before the geodesic flow forms caustics.
Land, Law, and Economic Development

Real estate is a major source of wealth in the developing world. And since in many developing countries the majority of the population lives in rural areas, land law and institutions are of special importance to economic development. The importance to rural incomes growth of legal certainty with regard to land titles and transfers is well established. It would nevertheless be a mistake to view communal land systems as necessarily standing in the way of economic development because they are usually not open access systems subject to the tragedy of the commons. Where economic changes, such as expansion of cities and exploitation of natural resources, impinge on communal land areas, attention to the administrative, financial and human capital challenges of implementing land titling systems is crucial.
Asymptotics in General

Many authors have examined the use of asymptotic methods in statistics. Serfling (1980) investigates applications of probability limit theorems for distributions of random variables, including theorems concerning convergence almost surely, to many questions in applied statistics. Le Cam (1969) treats asymptotics from a decision-theoretic viewpoint. Barndorff-Nielsen and Cox (1989) present many applications of the density and distribution function approximations to be described below in a heuristic manner. Hall (1992) investigates Edgeworth series with a particular view towards applications to the bootstrap. Field and Ronchetti (1990) treat series expansion techniques in a manner that most closely parallels this work; I have included more detailed proofs and discussion of regularity conditions, and a survey of the use of Barndorff-Nielsen’s formula. Their work covers many aspects of robustness and estimating equations not included here. Skovgaard (1990) explores characteristics of models making them amenable to asymptotic techniques, and derives the concept of an analytic statistical model. He also investigates convergence along series indexed by more general measures of information than sample size. Jensen (1995) presents a range of topics similar to that presented here, but with a different flavor.
A scan design for asynchronous sequential logic circuits using SR-latches

This paper presents a scan design for asynchronous sequential logic circuits (ASLCs) using modified SR-latches. With this scan structure, an ASLC is operated in an asynchronous way during the normal operation mode, while it is synchronized with clock signals during the test mode. The modified SR-latch is free of hazards and races for both fault-free and faulty circuits and the scan structure is race-free during normal operation and test modes. The structure achieves full testability of all single stuck-at faults. >
Determinants of U.S. Prescription Drug Utilization using County Level Data.

Prescription drugs are the third largest component of U.S. healthcare expenditures. The 2006 Medicare Part D and the 2010 Affordable Care Act are catalysts for further growths in utilization becuase of insurance expansion effects. This research investigating the determinants of prescription drug utilization is timely, methodologically novel, and policy relevant. Differences in population health status, access to care, socioeconomics, demographics, and variations in per capita number of scripts filled at retail pharmacies across the U.S.A. justify fitting separate econometric models to county data of the states partitioned into low, medium, and high prescription drug users. Given the skewed distribution of per capita number of filled prescriptions (response variable), we fit the variance stabilizing Box-Cox power transformation regression models to 2011 county level data for investigating the correlates of prescription drug utilization separately for low, medium, and high utilization states. Maximum likelihood regression parameter estimates, including the optimal Box-Cox λ power transformations, differ across high (λ = 0.214), medium (λ = 0.942), and low (λ = 0.302) prescription drug utilization models. The estimated income elasticities of -0.634, 0.031, and -0.532 in high, medium, and low utilization models suggest that the economic behavior of prescriptions is not invariant across different utilization levels.
CARVER+Shock: Food Defense Software Tool

The acronym CARVER represents the steps in a threat analysis exercise: Criticality, Accessibility, Recognizability, Vulnerability, Effect, and Recuperability. The CARVER+Shock software was developed as an easy-to-use tool for defending food production against malevolent attacks. Shock is added to incorporate the intangible focus of a terrorist in frightening a targeted group. The software uses the CARVER targeting methodology to identify components in a production process that are best suited for security improvements and recommends mitigative steps to improve defense. The food defense software is described and demonstrated on hypothetical yogurt and apple product food-production processes. Two of the algorithms used to generate scores in the analysis are presented and the assumptions listed. The calculated scores are compared and discussed. Version 1.0 of the software is available free from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. Software upgrades for agriculture and for retail or restaurants analyses are being developed for release in 2009 along with Version 2.0. Keywords: food defense; food terrorism; food protection; security software; bioterrorism
Mechanism of endothelial cell shape change and cytoskeletal remodeling in response to fluid shear stress

Endothelium exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS) undergoes cell shape change, alignment and microfilament network remodeling in the direction of flow by an unknown mechanism. In this study we explore the role of tyrosine kinase (TK) activity, intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), mechanosensitive channels and cytoskeleton in the mechanism of cell shape change and actin stress fiber induction in bovine aortic endothelium (BAE). We report that FSS induces beta-actin mRNA in a time- and magnitude-dependent fashion. Treatment with quin2-AM to chelate intracellular calcium release and herbimycin A to inhibit TK activity abolished BAE shape change and actin stress fiber induction by FSS, while inhibition of protein kinase C with chelerythrine had no effect. Altering intermediate filament structure with acrylamide did not affect alignment or F-actin induction by FSS. Examining the role of the BAE cytoskeleton revealed a critical role for microtubules (MT). MT disruption with nocodazole blocked both FSS-induced morphological change and actin stress fiber induction. In contrast, MT hyperpolymerization with taxol attenuated the cell shape change but did not prevent actin stress fiber induction under flow. Mechanosensitive channels were found not to be involved in the FSS-induced shape change. Blocking the shear-activated current (IK.S) with barium and the stretch-activated cation channels (ISA) with gadolinium had no effect on the shear-induced changes in morphology and cytoskeleton. In summary, FSS has a profound effect on endothelial shape and F-actin network by a mechanism which depends on TK activity, intracellular calcium, and an intact microtubule network, but is independent of protein kinase C, intermediate filaments and shear- and stretch-activated mechanosensitive channels.
Optimization of the reverse transcriptase assay for the detection of viral burden in mice infected with Rauscher murine leukemia virus

Rauscher murine leukemia virus induces an erythroleukemia in susceptible strains of mice that is associated with splenomegaly and viremia. This animal model has been used for evaluating the in vivo efficacy of potential anti-HIV agents. The in vivo antiviral activity of therapeutic agents has usually been determined by measuring a reduction in the spleen weights of compound-treated mice or by quantitating viremia with the UV-XC plaque assay. The UV-XC assay, however, is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Virions of Rauscher murine leukemia virus, like other retroviruses, contain the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Quantitating the level of this enzyme in infected mouse sera provides a more rapid measure of viremia in the animal. We have examined the effects of several reagents, including detergent, KCl, EGTA, dGMP, spermine, as well as protease and RNase inhibitors, on the reverse transcriptase assay. The optimized assay method was effective in evaluating the antiviral activity of AZT in the Rauscher murine leukemia virus in vivo model. The assay is also amenable to automation if large numbers of assays are required.
A Faculty Development Program in Cuba for American Social Work Academics

This article describes a faculty development program for American social work academics that was organized by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and held in Havana, Cuba, in June 2012 and repeated again in 2013. Data for this article come from the author’s experience in leading these visits. The article discusses why participants attended this program, what they learned, and how they viewed Cuban social work. It shows that participants had a positive reaction to the information they received about Cuba’s postrevolutionary, progressive, social policy. Social workers in the United States might benefit from learning about social work in Cuba, even though it may not serve as a role model for them.
Threshold voltage sensitivity of 0.1 /spl mu/m channel length fully-depleted SOI NMOSFET's with back-gate bias

We found threshold voltage sensitivity to silicon thickness variation in 0.1 /spl mu/m channel length fully-depleted SOI NMOSFET's can be reduced with lightly-doped channel and back-gate bias. However, after the back-interface is accumulated, the reduction is small and threshold voltage roll-off due to high drain bias increases. >
Lasting Success for the Christian in Business

In the early 1990s I began interviewing evangelical CEOs for my book Believers in Business (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994).1 This was the first time I had researched religion and business ethics, and my question then was simple: "Is there a connection between evangelical belief and running a for-profit corporation? How does Christian faith influence busi ness leadership?" I recall that most academicians thought my question to be either a radical criticism or a totally clueless inquiry, on the identical assumption that the answer was already obvious: "not at all." The general thinking was that business had no ethics, or if it did, that modern economic life had secularized all that was once sacred in the business worldview and American culture. The latter view had, of course, been notably articulated by Harvey Cox in his book, The Secular City (New York: Macmillan, 1965), an assertion that had caused Time magazine to declare God was dead. In 1967 my colleague Peter Berger made the famous observation that the sacred canopy once protecting and governing American public life had been torn in two. The dominant modern worldview of sheer rationality had led to a "disenchantment of the world" (The Sacred Canopy, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1967). Many managers and business professors felt that this was as it should be. Presumably, there would be less possibility of irrationality (read, unprofitability) or intolerance (read, end of Protestant establishment) in decision-making, which would presumably result in better economics and better ethics in business.
Bridging cheminformatic metabolite prediction and tandem mass spectrometry

Despite recent technological advances, the analysis of biological samples for metabolite identification purposes often requires prior knowledge of the metabolite masses to successfully acquire high quality mass spectral data in the presence of intense background and interfering matrix signals. This, in turn, necessitates prior knowledge of the metabolite structure, which in most cases can be predicted on the basis of the potential routes of metabolism of those functional groups present in the molecule. The following discussion highlights the significance of knowledge of the metabolite mass in facilitating the detection and structural elucidation of drug metabolites.
Continuum model of heat conduction in laminated composites

Abstract Using suitable asymptotic developments of the three-dimensional heat conduction equation, it is shown that the behavior of a laminated composite is governed by a hierarchy of continuum equations. These correspond to the asymptotic development of a ‘non-local’ integral theory of the Kunin and Kroner type and are found suitable for the gradual incorporation of microstructure effects.
Photoluminescence Detected Enhancement of the Electron-Hole Exchange Interaction in a Quantum Well

Abstract We report the results of polarized magneto-photoluminescence (MPL) measurements on a high mobility modulation-doped GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well. The magnetic field was varied between 0 and 60 T. The appearance of a doublet structure in the heavy-hole magneto-exciton in the high field regime was interpreted as an indication for enhanced electron–hole exchange interaction induced by the confinement. The effective g -factor of the electron determined from the Zeeman splitting was 3.7 times higher than the bulk value.
Radiative Recombination Effects in GaSb Diodes at High Current Densities

Forward biased GaSb diodes made by diffusing zinc into n-type GaSb show emission lines at 0.72 eV or 0.78 eV at 77 °K. At current densities of approximately 60000 A cm−2 a diode showing a d.c. emission at 0.72 eV radiates mainly at 0.78 eV. Some narrowing of the 0.72 eV line has been seen. A model to explain the observed effects in terms of the band structure of GaSb is presented and some implications of the band structure for possible laser action are discussed. GaSb-Dioden, die durch Diffusion von Zn in n-leitendes Material hergestellt wurden, zeigen in Durchlasrichtung bei 77 °K Emissionslinien bei 0,72 eV oder 0,78 eV. Bei Stromdichten von etwa 60000 A cm−2 strahlt eine Diode, die bei niedrigen Stromdichten eine Gleichstromemission bei 0,72 eV zeigt, hauptsachlich bei 0,78 eV. Die 0,72 eV-Linie wird etwas schmaler. Die beobachteten Effekte werden mit Hilfe der Bandstruktur des GaSb gedeutet und einige Folgerungen aus der Bandstruktur fur einen moglichen Laser-Mechanismus diskutiert.
A competitive antagonist of thyrotropin: asialo-choriogonadotropin.

Summary Characterization of the interaction between human thyroid membranes and asialo-choriogonadotropin, obtained by neuraminidase treatment of highly purified human choriogonadotropin, was undertaken using thyrotropin binding assays and adenylate cyclase experiments. The results show that asialo-choriogonadotropin acts as a typical competitive antagonist of thyrotropin action on its hormone receptor-adenylate cyclase system.
Is respiratory sinus arrhythmia present in atrial fibrillation? A study using two quantitative methods

Two quantitative techniques have been evaluated to examine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia can be detected in atrial fibrillation. Cyclical changes in heart rate during deep breathing indicating respiratory sinus arrhythmia were seen in 11/15 control patients, but only 1/44 patients with atrial fibrillation. Power spectrum analysis suggested that more subtle variations in heart rate with breathing may be present in some patients with atrial fibrillation where it was not detectable by simpler techniques. These results support the hypothesis that although respiratory sinus arrhythmia is not detectable in atrial fibrillation by conventional means, there may still be some mediation of heart rate either by vagal or extravagal mechanisms.
Firm Management of Scientific Information: An Empirical Update

The purpose of this paper is to extend and test a model proposed by McMillan and colleagues in 1995. That model posited that research-intensive firms that are more 'cooperative' or open in publishing their scientific findings will have higher research and development R&D productivity than more secretive firms. In addition, four possible predictors of this scientific information openness are proposed in lieu of two in the 1995 article. Our current effort includes an empirical examination of twenty pharmaceutical firms over thirteen years, and finds substantial support for many of the proposed relationships. In addition, interviews with field practitioners independently confirmed many of the findings. The managerial implications are also discussed.
Recombinant full‐length factor VIII (FVIII) and extended half‐life FVIII products in prophylaxis – new insight provided by pharmacokinetic modelling

Summary The pharmacokinetics (PK) of extended half-life factor VIII (FVIII) products might allow longer dosing intervals in prophylaxis, potentially affecting its efficacy. We used published population PK models of a recombinant full-length FVIII (rAHF-PFM) and a recombinant B-domain-deleted FVIII Fc fusion product (rFVIIIFc) to assess the time spent weekly with FVIII levels below 3 IU dL−1 or above 10 IU dL−1. These FVIII levels were chosen based on the observation that trough levels of 1 IU dL−1 may not be sufficient in all patients. This approach was applied to a simulated population of 1000 severe haemophilia A subjects with dosing regimens included in the prescribing information or evaluated in clinical trials. FVIII levels remained ≥3 IU dL−1 in 57% of patients treated with rAHF-PFM 30 IU kg−1 every 48 h compared with 41.1%, 18.3%, 0.9% and 0% of patients treated with rFVIIIFc 30 IU kg−1 every 72 h, 50 IU kg−1 every 96 h or 120 h and 65 IU kg−1 every 168 h respectively. Patients on rAHF-PFM 30 IU kg−1 every 48 h spent more time weekly with FVIII levels above 10 IU dL−1 than those on rFVIIIFc 50 IU kg−1 every 96 h or 120 h, and 65 IU kg−1 every 168 h. In conclusion, PK modelling indicates that choice and dosing intervals of standard and extended half-life FVIII products require careful evaluation of individual PK to allow more time at protective levels, especially in patients with active lifestyles.
A U4-like small nuclear RNA is dispensable in yeast

We have cloned a single copy gene that encodes a small nuclear RNA, designated snR3, from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This RNA is highly conserved among fungi, and sequence and secondary structure analyses suggest that snR3 is analogous to mammalian U4 snRNA. To determine whether snR3 has an essential function in yeast, the gene (designated SNR3), was disrupted by replacing 35 nucleotides of coding sequences with 2.2 kb of yeast DNA containing the LEU2 gene. Since cells entirely lacking snR3 were expected to be inviable, the nonfunctional gene was used to replace one chromosomal copy in a diploid cell, and the diploid transformants were sporulated. Surprisingly, virtually all tetrads gave rise to four viable spores. Moreover, these haploid strains, which have been shown by DNA blot hybridization to lack an intact copy of the SNR3 gene, and which contain no detectable snR3 transcripts, are indistinguishable from their SNR3+ sister spores under a variety of growth conditions.
Influence of soil aggregation on slope stability in the Oregon Coast Ranges

Two major cohesionless soil series of the central Coast Ranges of Oregon were examined for soil and hydrologic properties. Although derived from different parent material, the Bohannon and Klickitat series exhibited nearly identical values of soil and hydrologic properties. Aggregation in both soils was found to be the most important property, for it influences shear strength and subsurface water movement, prime components of slope stability. The unusually high angle of internal friction of both cohesionless soils was 40° to 41°. The angle of internal friction was affected significantly by the mode of wetting. Subsurface water movement was predominantly by unsaturated flow. The influence of soil aggregation on pore-size distribution and arrangement created conditions where unsaturated flow was an effective means for water dispersal in both soils during most observed storm events. Considering the large area covered by these two soil series, aggregation appears to be an important slope-stability property with regional significance.
The significance of urokinase‐type plasminogen activator, its inhibitors, and its receptor in ascites of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Background. Strong correlations have been reported between expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and poor prognosis in several human carcinomas. The clinical significance of secreted levels of uPA, its receptor (uPAR), and its inhibitors (PAI-1 and PAI-2) in the ascites of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer patients was investigated. Methods. uPA, uPAR, PAI-1, and PAI-2 were measured in the primary ascites of 36 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and normalized to protein content. The relationship between levels of these factors in ascites and clinicopathologic variables, survival, and disease free interval (DFI) was studied. Because high levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-1) in ascites is a known poor prognostic indicator for ovarian cancer, the effect of CSF-1 on secretion of PAI-2 by ovarian cancer cells was also examined in vitro. Results. High uPA levels per se did not correlate with either survival or DFI. However, the ratio of uPAR normalized for uPA content correlated inversely with FIGO stage and residual disease, with a significant association between high uPAR/uPA level and prolonged survival and DFI. High PAI-1 levels (>0.120 ng/mg) proved to be a good prognostic factor, correlating with both prolonged DFI and residual disease ⩽ 5 cm among Stage 3 patients. Conversely, high levels of PAI-2 (>0.061 ng/mg) indicated a poor prognosis in Stage 3 patients, as high PAI-2 levels were associated with shorter DFI and survival. CSF-1 stimulated the secretion of PAI-2 by 2.4-fold in Bix3 ovarian carcinoma cells. Multivariate analysis revealed that the two independent prognostic factors for DFI in Stage 3 patients were PAI-1 and PAI-2; Stage 3 patients with high secreted PAI-1 and low PAI-2 levels have a median DFI that was prolonged by 30 months relative to the rest of the group. Conclusion. Secreted uPAR/uPA appears to measure tumor burden and predicts prolonged DFI and survival, but was not found to be an independent prognostic factor on multivariate analysis. High levels of PAI-1 in ascites were independently associated with prolonged DFI among Stage 3 patients. Therefore, secreted uPAR and PAI-1 may modulate uPA activity and lead to improved outcome. This contrasts with the finding that secreted PAI-2 is an independent factor indicating poor prognosis, which may relate in part to the actions of CSF-1. This study emphasizes the importance of uPA, its receptor, and its inhibitors in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Cancer 1995;75:1627-33.
Highly infectious nucleic acid from crude and purified preparations of cucumber mosaic virus (Y strain)

Abstract When tobacco leaves infected with the Y strain of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were extracted with pyrophosphate buffer in the presence of phenol, the resulting preparations were nearly as infectious as or more infectious than preparations made with phosphate buffer. The infectious entities responsible for the high infectivity of the phenol-treated preparations were not destroyed in phosphate buffer extracts and were not ribonuclease sensitive before phenol treatment. Citrate-chloroform extracts of CMV-infected leaves were more infectious than phosphate buffer extracts, but phenol treatment of citrate-chloroform extracts led to reduced infectivity. The infectious entities in phosphate buffer extracts sedimented more readily than those in citrate-chloroform extracts. These results indicate that most or all of the infectivity of phenol-treated tissue extracts originates from complete virus particles. Control experiments with healthy leaves to which purified CMV was added before extraction confirmed this conclusion. Nucleic acid prepared from purified CMV retained approximately half of the infectivity of an equal weight of nucleic acid in CMV particles if the virus was suspended in a medium of relatively high ionic strength during treatment with phenol. Nucleic acid preparations had ultraviolet spectra typical of nucleic acid and were ribonu-clease sensitive, but analytical ultracentrifugation disclosed two major and two minor components. The faster moving major component moved at about a 10% faster rate than the slower moving major component. Only the faster moving major component appeared to be infectious. The minor components were not infectious.
Non-elliptic elastic materials and the modeling of dissipative mechanical behavior: an example

In the context of a special problem, this paper investigates the possibility of modeling dissipative mechanical response in solids on the basis of the equilibrium theory of finite elasticity for materials that may lose ellipticity at large strains. Quasi-static motions for such materials are in general dissipative if the associated equilibrium fields involve discontinuous displacement gradients. For the problem treated, consideration of such deformations is shown to lead naturally to an internal variable formalism similar to those used to describe macroscopic plastic behavior arising from microstructural effects. For quasi-static motions which are maximally dissipative in a specified sense, this formalism leads to a mechanical response which resembles that associated with the pseudo-elastic effect in shape-memory alloys.
TAFII250-dependent transcription of cyclin A is directed by ATF activator proteins

A specific mutation in TAFII250, the largest subunit of the transcription factor TFIID, disrupts cell growth control in the temperature-sensitive mutant hamster cell line ts13. Transcription from the cyclin A and D1 but not the c-fos and myc promoters is also dramatically reduced in ts13 cells at the nonpermissive temperature. These findings provide an intriguing link between TAF-mediated transcriptional regulation and cell cycle progression. Here we report the mapping of an enhancer element in the cyclin A promoter (TSRE) that responds to mutations in TAFII250. An analysis of chimeric promoter constructs reveals that the cyclin A TSRE can confer TAFII250 dependence to the core promoter of c-fos. In addition, reciprocal hybrid promoter constructs suggest that TAFII250 also contributes to the transcriptional properties of the cyclin A core promoter. We have purified and identified cellular activators that specifically bind to the TSRE and mediate transcription in a TAFII250-dependent manner. By micropeptide sequencing, we determined that TSRE-binding proteins include members of the activating transcription factor (ATF) family. These results suggest that the ts13 mutation of TAFII250 has compromised the ability of TFIID to mediate activation of transcription by specific enhancer factors such as ATF, as well as to perform certain core promoter functions. These defects in TAFII250 apparently result in the down-regulation of key molecules, such as cyclin A, which may be responsible for the ts13 cell cycle arrest phenotype.
Climate Change and Environmental Security: For Whom the Discourse Shifts

This article explores the implications of the April 2007 United Nations Security debate on the security dimensions of a changing climate for international climate change politics. Specifically, our analysis focuses on whether and how security concerns have been addressed in past international political debates on climate change and considers whether the Security Council debate, which emphasized the threat of climate-related conflict, reflects a discursive shift. We elaborate on two general discourses on the relationship between environment and security, which we call environmental conflict and environmental security . Using content and discourse analysis, we demonstrate that both the historical climate change debate and the more recent Security Council debate have been informed by the environmental security discourse, meaning that a discursive shift has not taken place. We conclude by considering the possibility of a future discursive shift to the environmental conflict perspective and argue that such a shift would be counterproductive to the search for an effective global response to climate change.
Horney theory: an object relations theory.

There is a history in the recent psychoanalytic literature of comparisons between Horney's theory and that of other psychoanalytic thinkers. These have included Lerner's (1985) consideration of Homey and Guntrip, and Rosenthal's (1983) efforts to incorporate Horney's ideas in order to better appreciate Horney's concept of alienation. Also, there have been metatheoretical reviews comparing Homey with Bowlby (Paul, 1984; Ingram, 1984), Mahler (Lerner, 1983), Kohut (van den Daele, 1981; Paul, 1985; Danielian, 1988), and Kernberg (Lerner, 1986). This literature contributes to consideration of the question: To what extent is Karen Horney legitimately regarded as an object relations theorist? In this regard, it is first necessary to affirm that object relations does not refer to a single theory, but instead refers to a family of theories having a common denominator, namely, the view that personality is structured as a function of early relations with significant others and that subsequent development leads to adaptation and modification of what had been inter~ na[ized. Kernberg (1976, p. 56) presents definitions of object relations theory, categorizing various psychoanalytic theoreticians according to progressively more restrictive criteria. Kernberg chooses a middle ground for himself and states, "Object relations theory, already implied in Freud's writings, transcends any particular psychoanalytic school or group and
Passive Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage Using Crab Shell Chitin

Streams contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD) are complex environmental systems which require biological, chemical, and physical treatment steps for thorough remediation. In this work, a novel concept for treating AMD was investigated, in which the biological reduction of acidity, chemical enhancement of alkalinity, and physical sorption of metals occurred simultaneously using one multifunctional substrate: chitin from crab shells. Sacrificial microcosm tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of chitinous material from crab shells to reduce acidity and dissolved metals concentrations in AMD water collected from Kittanning Run in Altoona, Pennsylvania. In the presence of SC-20 grade crab shell chitin, pH increased from 3.21 to 6.79, acidity decreased from 192 to −114 mg/L, and alkalinity increased from 0 to 235 mg/L, in just 9 days. Corresponding to this increase in pH, dissolved iron and aluminum concentrations were reduced by more than 99% and manganese concentrations were reduced by 81%. In addi...
Machine scheduling with a rate-modifying activity

Abstract Motivated by a problem commonly found in electronic assembly lines, this paper deals with the problem of scheduling jobs and a rate-modifying activity on a single machine. A rate-modifying activity is an activity that changes the production rate of the equipment under consideration. Hence the processing times of jobs vary depending on whether the job is scheduled before or after the rate-modifying activity. The decisions under consideration are when to schedule the rate-modifying activity and the sequence of jobs to optimize some performance measure. In this paper, we develop polynomial algorithms for solving problems of minimizing makespan, and total completion time respectively. We also develop pseudo-polynomial algorithms for solving problems of total weighted completion time under the agreeable ratio assumption. We prove that the problem of minimizing maximum lateness is NP-hard and also provide a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm to solve it optimally.
Dynamical systems identification from time-series data: A hankel matrix approach

In this paper, we propose a simple but effective method for dynamical systems identification using time-series data. The method works perfectly well for deterministic dynamical systems and works reasonably well for a general class of stochastic dynamical systems. Both computer simulation studies and theoretical analysis are provided to validate the proposed methods.