cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A thiazole-containing tripodal ligand: synthesis, characterization, and interactions with metal ions and matrix metalloproteinases.

A new tripodal ligand, tris[2-(((2-thiazolyl)methylidene)amino)ethyl]amine (Tatren), has been synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR, and UV−visible absorbance spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Tatren forms stable complexes with transition metal ions (Zn2+, 1; Mn2+, 2; Co2+, 3) and the alkaline earth metal ions (Ca2+, 4; Mg2+, 5). Single-crystal X-ray structures of 1, 2, and 5 revealed six-coordinate chelate complexes with formula [M(Tatren)](ClO4)2 in which the metal centers are coordinated by three thiazolyl N atoms and three acyclic imine N atoms. Crystals of 1, 2, and 5 are monoclinic, P21/c space group. Crystals of 4 are triclinic, P1 space group. The Ca2+ complex is eight-coordinate with all N atoms of Tatren and one water molecule coordinated to the metal ion. Spectrophotometric titrations show that formation constants for the chelates of metal ions are ≫1 in methanol. Free Tatren inhibits the catalytic domain of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13, collagenase-3) with Ki = 3.5 ± 0.6 μM. Mole...
Calcium glyceroxides formed in the System of calcium oxide‐glycerol. With 4 figures

Four crystalline glyceroxides, that is, CaC3H6O3, Ca(C3H7O3)2, Ca3(C3H7O3)6 · (C3H8O3)2 and Ca(C3H7O3)2 · (C3H8O3)4 were found in the system of calcium oxide-glycerol in the temperature range from 10deg;C to 150°C. Phase equilibrium, solubilities, optical data, X-ray data, IR-spectroscopic data as well as data on thermal decomposition of each crystalline compounds are included. Im System CaO-Glycerin wurden zwischen 10 und 150°C vier kristalline Calciumderivate des Glycerins (Formeln s. Summary) aufgefunden und durch ihre Phasengleichgewichte, Loslichkeiten, optischen Eigenschaften, Rontgenpulverdaten, IR-Spektren und thermische Zersetzung charakterisiert.
Neuropsychological, behavioral, and adaptive functioning of Swiss children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

This study collected data about developmental problems in a cohort of children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. In 2003, in Switzerland, 11 children with this disease were registered. Nine of them gave their informed consent to participate in the study and were examined. Clinical assessments were conducted, including examinations of neuropsychological, behavioral, and adaptive functions using Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children, Child Behavior Checklist, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. The mean age (± standard deviation) was 7.5 ± 2.5 years. The cognitive tests showed problems in working memory functions with a near-to-normal full-range intelligence quotient (87.4 ± 23.3). The children showed normal values (t-values < 67) on problem scales of behavior, although 5 of the 9 children showed elevated values on the attention and on the social interaction problem scales. Adaptive function problems were identified in communication and daily living skills.
Dilation of malignant esophageal stenosis to allow EUS guided fine-needle aspiration: safety and effect on patient management

Background: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration identifies patients with esophageal cancer who are unlikely to be cured by surgery. In approximately 30% of patients the staging procedure cannot be completed without dilation of an obstructing tumor. Methods: All EUS examinations for esophageal cancer requiring dilation from July 1995 to December 1998 were included. Yield was defined as newly diagnosed metastatic (celiac lymph nodes) or locally invasive disease that could not have been detected without dilation. Results: EUS was performed in 132 patients. Forty-two (32%) required 44 dilations. No complications occurred. Of the 42 patients with obstruction, 18 (43%) had celiac adenopathy of which 7 had malignant cells confirmed histologically, 3 had benign adenopathy, and 8 did not undergo fine-needle aspiration due to T4 stage disease (5) or intervening vessels (3). Two patients were upstaged after successful dilation from T2 N1 Mx to T4 N1 Mx and from T3 Nx Mx to T3 N1 M1. Overall, dilation allowed detection of advanced disease in 8 of 42 (19%) patients. Dilation to 11 to 12.8 mm was insufficient (36% success rate) to complete EUS compared with dilation to 14 to 16 mm (87%, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Dilation of obstructing esophageal tumors allows identification of a large number of patients with advanced stage malignancy. Dilation to 14 to 16 mm is sufficient for complete staging in almost all patients. (Gastrointest Endosc 2000;51:309-13.)
The role of cerium redox state in the SOD mimetic activity of nanoceria

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) have recently been shown to protect cells against oxidative stress in both cell culture and animal models. Nanoceria has been shown to exhibit superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity using a ferricytochrome C assay, and this mimetic activity that has been postulated to be responsible for cellular protection by nanoceria. The nature of nanoceria's antioxidant properties, specifically what physical characteristics make nanoceria effective at scavenging superoxide anion, is poorly understood. In this study electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis confirms the reactivity of nanoceria as an SOD mimetic. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible analyses of nanoceria treated with hydrogen peroxide demonstrate that a decrease in the Ce 3(+)/4(+) ratio correlates directly with a loss of SOD mimetic activity. These results strongly suggest that the surface oxidation state of nanoceria plays an integral role in the SOD mimetic activity of nanoceria and that ability of nanoceria to scavenge superoxide is directly related to cerium(III) concentrations at the surface of the particle.
Acute histologic effects of temperature-based radiofrequency ablation on renal tumor pathologic interpretation.

Abstract Objectives To describe the histopathologic changes and evaluate the interpretability of human renal tumor specimens obtained after temperature-based radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods RFA of 119 solid kidney tumors was performed percutaneously under computed tomography guidance, laparoscopically or during open surgery, using a temperature-based system. Of the 119 tumors, 70 were biopsied (two or more samples) after RFA, 39 immediately before ablation, and 10 were not biopsied. All specimens were pathologically classified, and for those specimens obtained after RFA, analysis of the acute histologic changes secondary to RFA was performed by a single pathologist using standard hematoxylin-eosin staining. Results Ablated tumor specimens maintained their tissue architecture and had predictable changes (cytoplasmic eosinophilia, nuclear elongation, cytoplasmic dissolution) easily recognizable by our pathologists. The diagnostic rate of renal cell carcinoma after RFA (72%) was comparable to the diagnostic rate reported for tumors less than 4 cm in other non-RFA biopsy series. Only 2.6% of specimens obtained before and 5.7% obtained after RFA were nondiagnostic secondary to the paucity of tissue obtained. In 8.3% of all tumors (regardless of RFA treatment), the distinction between oncocytoma and low-grade oncocytic renal cell carcinoma could not be made because of insufficient tissue. Conclusions Acutely, RFA of renal tumors causes predictable histologic changes and preserves the tissue architecture. Obtaining two or more incisional biopsies after RFA provided sufficient tissue for reliable pathologic diagnosis.
Sharpening the focus on safety

The news media frequently report that public safety is threatened by deficiencies in technology. Engineers have difficulty in evaluating such charges, and even in defining safety, which involves subjective factors difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, engineering decisions involving safety must be made. System safety engineering procedures can be of assistance. In transportation control systems, fail-safety is basic to safety assurance. Fail-safety for electronic systems is achieved by methodical analysis and test, and by use of other techniques, including diversity and cycle checking. New technology, such as the microprocessor, introduces new safety requirements to which system safety engineering will also apply.
Flash Pulmonary Edema Heralding Renal Artery Stenosis

A 41-year-old woman was referred for evaluation of long-standing, poorly controlled systemic hypertension. Her medical records disclosed that she had suffered numerous bouts of pulmonary edema that always came on abruptly and resolved rapidly. Between these bouts, she was asymptomatic, and her only physical …
Pan-Asian Organizing for Empowerment? Unpacking Nonprofit Discourses across Organizational Status Positions

Scant attention to the challenges and possibilities of pan-Asian organizing motivates this research. Grounded in the lens of intersecting standpoints, the author investigated in this study what dis...
Thymidylate synthetase activity in normal and Brugia pahangi-infected Aedes aegypti

Abstract Thymidylate synthetase (5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate: dUMP C-methyltransferase; EC 2.1.2.45; TMPS) activity was detected in crude extracts of 4 to 5 day-old adult male and uninfected female Aedes aegypti . Mosquito TMPS was strongly inhibited by Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ ( id 50 values of 0.25 and 0.12 μM, respectively) but not by other divalent cations. The K m values for dUMP and 5, 10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate were 55 and 100 μM, respectively. It appeared that mosquito TMPS would not be subject to regulation by physiological concentrations of thymidine mono-, di- and triphosphates or di- and triphosphates of cytidine, uridine, adenosine or guanosine. When subjected to Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, TMPS activity occurred in three peaks, corresponding to molecular weights of 210,000, 310,000 and 450,000. Among a variety of compounds tested as inhibitors of the enzyme, FdUMP was the most potent, with an id 50 value of 0.5 nM; by contrast, FUdR was inactive at 1.0 mM. The polycyclic sulfonated anionic drug, suramin, was also a strong inhibitor of mosquito TMPS, with an id 50 value of 0.3 μM. Various 2,4-diaminoheterocyclic antifols, including methotrexate, either were inactive or were relatively weak inhibitors of this enzyme. The total activity of TMPS did not change in extracts of female mosquitoes prepared 7 and 12 days after they fed upon either normal or Brugia pahangi -infected jirds.
Preferential role of intracellular Ca2+ stores in regulation of isometric force in NIH 3T3 fibroblast fibres

Fibroblast contraction plays a major role in wound repair, but the regulatory mechanisms are not well known. We investigated the relations between isometric force and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in fibroblast fibres. These fibres were made with mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts cultured with native collagen in a three-dimensional matrix. Calf serum (CS; 30%) elicited a monotonic increase in force that attained a maximum within 15 min and could be sustained indefinitely. In contrast, [Ca2+]i increased to a peak at 3 min after CS stimulation, then returned to baseline levels by 10 min. Pretreatment with Ca2+-free medium or the Ca2+-channel antagonist nicardipine (10 microM) blocked the CS-induced [Ca2+]i increase, but force was not affected. KCl (50 mM) stimulation on the other hand, elicited a prolonged increase in [Ca2+]i but did not increase force. Inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release with Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors cyclopiazonic acid (5 microM) or thapsigargin (5 microM) nearly abolished (<20% control) the increase in [Ca2+]i and force response to CS. Treatment with ryanodine (10 microM) and caffeine (20 mM) had a similar effect. The phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 (3 microM) reduced the CS-induced increases in [Ca2+]i and force by 70 and 40%, respectively. We conclude that fibroblast isometric force is not coupled to Ca2+ arising from transmembrane influx but is correlated with the transient [Ca2+]i increase due to release from intracellular stores. Store-released Ca2+ may initiate activation pathways for fibroblast force development, but is not required for force maintenance.
Modeling knowledge intensive processes

This paper focuses on models and tools to represent and manage process knowledge, i.e., the processes involved in developing models, artifacts and decisions in complex organizational problem solving. The objective of this paper is to provide a continuing forum for emerging research on process knowledge, with particular emphasis on knowledge for decision support and tailoring the knowledge intensive process of software development. Papers in 2006's minitrack reflect this trend.
Confidentiality, Privacy and Trust Policy Enforcement for the Semantic Web

In this position paper we describe aspects of securing the semantic Web. In particular, we discuss ways of enforcing confidentiality privacy and trust polices. We also discuss our research on secure geospatial semantic Web. Our application of secure semantic Web technologies for assured information sharing is also discussed.
Wave Action and Bottom Shear Stresses in Lake Erie

For Lake Erie, the amplitudes and periods of wind-driven, surface gravity waves were calculated by means of the SMB hindcasting method. Bottom orbital velocities and bottom shear stresses were then calculated using linear wave theory and Kajiura's (1968) turbulent oscillating boundary layer analysis. These calculations were made for south-west and north wind directions and a steady wind speed of 40 km hr−1. Calculated bottom shear stresses are related to the textural properties of surficial Lake Erie sediments as determined by Thomas et al. (1976). The bottom shear stresses, especially under prevailing southwest wind conditions, control the textural characteristics of surface sediments in Lake Erie. In particular, wave-induced bottom shear stresses are probably the most important energy source for sediment entrainment.
Autogenous vein graft repair of injured extremity arteries: Early and late results with 134 consecutive patients

Autogenous vein tissue is recognized as the preferred material for extremity revascularizations that require the use of a conduit. However, the results after vascular repair of injured extremity arteries with autogenous vein interposition or bypass grafts have not been well defined. This study was done to determine both the early and late patency and limb salvage rates as well as the graft infection rate of autogenous vein repairs of injured extremity arteries. The records of 134 consecutive patients with acute extremity arterial injuries requiring repair with a reversed autogenous vein graft over a recent 5-year period were reviewed. Follow-up graft patency was defined by the presence of a palpable pulse and an extremity Doppler-derived pressure index of greater than or equal to 0.9 distal to the arterial repair. Cumulative patency was assessed by the life-table method. Acute graft thrombosis occurred in two patients, one of whom underwent successful graft thrombectomy. Four patients (3%) required extremity amputation: one patient with a thrombosed vein graft and three patients with patent vein grafts but nonsalvageable limbs as a result of myonecrosis (2) or osteomyelitis (1). No perioperative graft infections occurred. One hundred twenty-eight patients (97%) had an intact extremity and a patent vein graft at the time of hospital discharge. One hundred three patients (80%) were examined at 30 days, and all grafts were patent. Seventy-three patients (57%) were available for follow-up at intervals exceeding 6 months, and 40 patients (31%) were followed-up for periods exceeding 24 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Phase relationships between large and small scales in the turbulent boundary layer

The apparent amplitude modulation effect between large- and small-scale motions in the turbulent boundary layer, including both streamwise and wall-normal velocity components, is explored by cross-correlation techniques. Single-point hotwire and planar PIV measurements are employed to consider the envelopes of small-scale fluctuations in both directions and their correlation with the fluctuations of large-scale motions in the streamwise direction. The degree of correlation is interpreted as a measure of phase lag between the different scale motions, and these phase measurements are used to demonstrate that the fluctuations in the envelope of small-scale motions in both directions tend to lead corresponding fluctuations in the large scales in the streamwise direction. The cospectral density of the cross-correlation between the different scales is used to identify the particular large-scale motions dominant in the modulation effect, and it is shown that the dominant interacting (or ‘modulating’) scale corresponds in size to the very large-scale motions observed in internal flows but not normally observed in the outer region of the boundary layer.
Formative Learning and Assessment

In this article, the author clarifies formative learning and assessment for persons who are seeking additional ideas for courses, degree programs, or personal career goals. This scholarly review uses published literature to clarify differences between formative and summative assessment and to outline developmental issues that guide constructivist learning principles. The author provides illustrative teaching examples to demonstrate how to integrate formative learning and assessment into classroom and clinic educational practices. She concludes by advocating formative learning and assessment as a societally necessary educational step for the preparation of career-minded professionals.
Bringing a Reality into the Classroom: The Team Approach to a Client-Financed Marketing Research Project

(1986). Bringing a Reality into the Classroom: The Team Approach to a Client-Financed Marketing Research Project. Journal of Education for Business: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 61-65.
Glass material response to the fabrication process: Example from lapping

We use three glass material micromechanical properties (Young s modulus E, hardness H, and fracture toughness Kc) to describe the glass response to the lapping fabrication process. We discuss loose abrasive lapping of 11 commercially available Ohara glasses with the material removal rate varying by a factor of more than 7, and each micromechanical property by more than a factor of 2. We demonstrate that lapping material removal rate may be predicted based on a microindentation model.
Cool temperatures elicit reproduction in a biologically invasive predator, the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)

Two different temperature regimes for eliciting reproduction in male and females of the Guam form of the brown treesnake were investigated. Males and females maintained at 241C followed by a 60-day cool period at 191C exhibited substantial reproductive activity, and the females that produced clutches did so during a brief period after return to 241C. In contrast, individuals maintained at 281C followed by an identical 191C cooling period exhibited relatively little reproductive activity, and although some females became vitellogenic, none produced eggs. Reproductive activity was virtually absent in all individuals in both groups 7 months after the end of the cool period. Thus, a period of cool temperatures elicits reproductive activity in both sexes and the effect is transitory. Temperatures experienced during the cool period were much lower than the snakes would experience on Guam, and temperatures there are also relatively invariant. Thus, it is possible that only minor fluctuations in temperature are sufficient to elicit reproduction in the Guam population. Because the Guam form does well under, and responds reproductively to, unusually cold temperatures for a lowland tropical reptile, concern that it may have the capacity to invade extralimital temperate areas is warranted. Zoo Biol 22:227–238, 2003. Published 2003 by Wiley-Liss, Inc. w
Automated coronary artery tree extraction in coronary CT angiography using a multiscale enhancement and dynamic balloon tracking (MSCAR-DBT) method.

Abstract Rational and objectives To evaluate our prototype method for segmentation and tracking of the coronary arterial tree, which is the foundation for a computer-aided detection (CADe) system to be developed to assist radiologists in detecting non-calcified plaques in coronary CT angiography (cCTA) scans. Materials and methods The heart region was first extracted by a morphological operation and an adaptive thresholding method based on expectation-maximization (EM) estimation. The vascular structures within the heart region were enhanced and segmented using a multiscale coronary response (MSCAR) method that combined 3D multiscale filtering, analysis of the eigenvalues of Hessian matrices and EM estimation segmentation. After the segmentation of vascular structures, the coronary arteries were tracked by a 3D dynamic balloon tracking (DBT) method. The DBT method started at two manually identified seed points located at the origins of the left and right coronary arteries (LCA and RCA) for extraction of the arterial trees. The coronary arterial trees of a data set containing 20 ECG-gated contrast-enhanced cCTA scans were extracted by our MSCAR-DBT method and a clinical GE Advantage workstation. Two experienced thoracic radiologists visually examined the coronary arteries on the original cCTA scans and the rendered volume of segmented vessels to count the untracked false-negative (FN) segments and false positives (FPs) for both methods. Results For the visible coronary arterial segments in the 20 cases, the radiologists identified that 25 segments were missed by our MSCAR-DBT method, ranging from 0 to 5 FN segments in individual cases, and that 55 artery segments were missed by the GE software, ranging from 0 to 7 FN segments in individual cases. 19 and 15 FPs were identified in our and the GE coronary trees, ranging from 0 to 4 FPs for both methods in individual cases, respectively. Conclusion The preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of our MSCAR-DBT method for segmentation and tracking coronary artery trees. The results indicated that both our method and GE software can extract coronary artery trees reasonably well and the performance of our method is superior to that of GE software in this small data set. Further studies are underway to develop methods for improvement of the segmentation and tracking accuracy.
The effects of Dexamethasone on sleep in young children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Purpose Corticosteroids, which are a mainstay in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), have a well-documented adverse effect on sleep. We sought to characterize the effects of dexamethasone on sleep over an entire 28-day treatment cycle using actigraphy, an objective measure of sleep.
A Very Short Step Toward a General Theory of Social Control

Social control's importance is suggested by something more than frequent use of the term by social scientists. In particular, the common identification of law as a means of social control is virtually a maxim that links the social sciences and jurisprudence. Nonetheless, the study of social control has been a vast disappointment. Ignoring deterrence studies, the notion of social control never has given rise to or guided a major line of research; and what passes for "the theory of social control"'' is little more than a collection of conceptual issues. However, those issues are all too real. From Ross2 in 1901 to the present, no well-known conceptualization of social control has been defensible.
Effect of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin on the tryptophan-induced increase in 5-hydroxytryptophan accumulation in rat brain

The injection of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin [8-OH-DPAT]reduced 5-hydroxytryptophan accumulation in vivo in rat cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and brainstem. Brain tryptophan levels were unaffected. Dose-related increases in 5-hydroxytryptophan accumulation produced by single injections of L-tryptophan (0, 25, 75 mg/kg ip) were substantially diminished by pretreatment with 8-OH-DPAT. The drug did not affect the tryptophan-induced increments in brain tryptophan level. Since 8-OH-DPAT is known to reduce the activity of serotonin neurons in vivo, these results suggest that when serotonin neurons are relatively inactive, the ability of an injection of tryptophan to stimulate serotonin synthesis is greatly attenuated.
Revisiting Bloomberg's Global Product Certification Program Online: New Courses, Old Issues

ABSTRACT In September 2006, Bloomberg L. P. implemented a new version of its Global Product Certification Program to assist users in becoming proficient on the Bloomberg Professional® Service. In doing so, it replaced the classroom-based program that had been used since 2001 as well as the online program that had been used since January 2005. Drawing on her experiences with and observations of the original online certification program, the author discusses the content and execution of the revised online program.
The physical and psychological experience of pain: the effects of labeling and cold pressor temperature on three pain measures in college women

Abstract Using the cold pressor test, three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of water temperature and labeling on three dependent measures in college women: behavioral pain tolerance (BPT), a sensory rating of the pain experience (SR) and a parallel affective rating of the experience (AR). Temperature of the cold pressor was varied as the physical factor; labels (discomfort, pain, vasoconstriction pain) were varied as the psychological factor. Experiment 1 varied only water temperature; colder temperatures led to significantly lower BPT scores and significantly higher SR and AR scores. Experiment 2 varied only labeling and demonstrated that BPT decreased and AR increased as labels became more painful-sounding; in contrast, SR was unaffected by labeling. In Experiment 3 both the psychological and physical factors were varied simultaneously. Results indicated significantly higher BPT scores as the water temperature increased and the pain label became more benign. In addition, both SR and AR were sensitive to changes in temperature, whereas only AR was affected by changes in labeling.
DEPLOYMENT SIMULATION OF ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT INFLATABLE STRUCTURES

Dynamic deployment analyses of folded inflatable tubes are conducted to investigate modeling issues related to the deployment of solar sail booms. The analyses are necessary because ground tests include gravity effects and may poorly represent deployment in space. A control volume approach, available in the LS-DYNA nonlinear dynamic finite element code, and the ideal gas law are used to simulate the dynamic inflation deployment process. Three deployment issues are investigated for a tube packaged in a Z-fold configuration. The issues are the effect of the rate of inflation, the effect of residual air, and the effect of gravity. The results of the deployment analyses reveal that the time and amount of inflation gas required to achieve a full deployment are related to these issues.
Estimating cross-sectional regressions in event studies with conditional heteroskedasticity and regression designs that have leverage

Purpose – In the finance literature, fitting a cross-sectional regression with (estimated) abnormal returns as the dependent variable and firm-specific variables (e.g. financial ratios) as independent variables has become de rigueur for a publishable event study. In the absence of skewness and/or kurtosis the explanatory variable, the regression design does not exhibit leverage – an issue that has been addressed in the econometrics literature on the finite sample properties of heteroskedastic-consistent (HC) standard errors, but not in the finance literature on event studies. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, simulations are designed to evaluate the potential bias in the standard error of the regression coefficient when the regression design includes “points of high leverage” (Chesher and Jewitt, 1987) and heteroskedasticity. The empirical distributions of test statistics are tabulated from ordinary least squares, weighted least squares, and HC standard err...
Beyond Quality Parental and Residential Stability and Children's Adjustment

In identifying environmental factors affecting children's development, researchers have typically focused on the quality of children's home or family environments. Less attention has been paid to environmental stability as a factor influencing children's well-being. This is partially due to outdated notions of children's living arrangements and to the fact that children in the least stable environments are often the hardest to involve and retain in research. Recent research suggests that there are associations between the degree of environmental instability and difficulties in adjustment, such that children exposed to higher levels of family instability (e.g., more frequent separations from parent figures and more frequent residential moves) show worse adjustment across a variety of developmental domains. Although there is still uncertainty regarding the causal direction of these associations (does instability cause children's problems or do the problems cause instability?), the sources and consequences o...
Modulation of pain in pediatric sickle cell disease: Understanding the balance between endothelin mediated vasoconstriction and apelin mediated vasodilation

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have painful vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs), which often reoccur across the individual's lifespan. Vaso-constrictive and vaso-dilatory molecules have been hypothesized to play a role in VOEs. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor that is released during VOEs and is correlated with pain history. Apelin is a vaso-dilatory peptide that also has a modulatory role in pain processing. We hypothesize that the ratio between vaso-dilatory and vaso-constrictive tone in children with SCD may be a marker of pain sensitization and vaso-occlusion. Plasma endothelin and apelin levels were measured in 47 children with SCD. Procedural pain and baseline pain were assessed via child- and caregiver-reports and observational distress. Pain history was assessed using retrospective chart review. Plasma apelin was related to age, with decreased levels in older children. The ratio between apelin and ET-1 was negatively correlated to observational baseline pain. The ratio between apelin and Big ET was negatively correlated to caregiver ratings of baseline pain and positively correlated to history of VOEs, which is possibly due to hydroxyurea treatment. These results suggest that an imbalance in the apelin and endothelin systems may contribute to an increasing number of VOEs and baseline pain in children with SCD.
Genetic variations in the ADAMTS12 gene are associated with schizophrenia in Puerto Rican patients of Spanish descent.

ADAMTS12 belongs to the family of metalloproteinases that mediate a communication between specific cell types and play a key role in the regulation of normal tissue development, remodeling, and degradation. Members of this family have been implicated in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory, as well as in muscular-skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and renal diseases, and cancer. Several metalloproteinases have been associated with schizophrenia. In our previous study of the pedigree from a genetic isolate of Spanish origin in Puerto Rico, we identified a schizophrenia susceptibility locus on chromosome 5p13 containing ADAMTS12. This gene, therefore, is not only a functional but also a positional candidate gene for susceptibility to the disorder. In order to examine possible involvement of ADAMTS12 in schizophrenia, we performed mutation analysis of the coding, 5′- and 3′-untranslated, and putative promoter regions of the gene in affected members of the pedigree and identified 18 sequence variants segregated with schizophrenia. We then tested these variants in 135 unrelated Puerto Rican schizophrenia patients of Spanish origin and 203 controls and identified the intronic variant rs256792 (P = 0.0035; OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.16–2.17) and the two-SNP haplotype rs256603–rs256792 (P = 0.0023; OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.19–2.21) associated with the disorder. The association remained significant after correction for multiple testing. Our data support the hypothesis that genetic variations in ADAMTS12 influence the risk of schizophrenia.
The cardiovascular actions of omapatrilat in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Omapatrilat is a newly developed vasopeptidase inhibitor that inhibits both angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and neutral endopeptidase and has potent antihypertensive efficacy. However, the specific effect of omapatrilat on cardiac function and left ventricular hypertrophy with hypertension remains controversial. Therefore, we investigated the effect of omapatrilat on blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy, and cardiac function in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Studies were performed in SHR that received vehicle (n=9), omapatrilat (n=10), or fosinopril (ACE inhibitor, n=7) by daily gavage for 56 days. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean blood pressure (MBP) were measured by tail plethysmography. Left ventricular fractional shortening and left ventricular mass were measured by echocardiography at day 56. Omapatrilat and fosinopril significantly decreased SBP and MBP from day 1 through day 56, and omapatrilat markedly reduced SBP and MBP compared with fosinopril from day 21 to day 56. Although both omapatrilat and fosinopril decreased left ventricular mass and left ventricular mass-tobody weight ratio with increased LV fractional shortening, omapatrilat had a more potent effect on the reduction of left ventricular mass and improvement of cardiac function. This study shows that in SHR, omapatrilat mediated a potent and stable antihypertensive effect and a reduction in left ventricular mass with improvement of cardiac function, compared with ACE inhibition alone.
Closed-form reliability expression of large non-homogeneous distributed system

A new approach to determine the exact closed-form reliability expression of large distributed system made up of several non-homogeneous elements is presented. An algebraic software package called REDUCE is used for implementing the algorithm. REDUCE can perform matrix operations on non-numeric elements defining a given matrix. Matrix operations involving arithmetic sum and arithmetic product are transformed to logical sum and logical product operations for reliability analysis. The conversion, simplification and minimization of regular algebraic expressions to Boolean expressions are also discussed.
Vacuum ultraviolet, photoemission and theoretical studies of the electronic structure of Al2O3 up to 1000°C

Abstract The high temperature properties of Al2O3 are important to the processing of this material, for understanding its conductivity and mass transport behavior for sintering, and to the high temperature applications of the material as an optical and structural material. We report the results of a study of the electronic structure of single crystal α-Al2O3 using results of vacuum ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, and pseudofunction band structure calculations of the room- and high-temperature electronic structure, incorporating the lattice expansion and electron—phonon interaction. The optical direct band gap is found to decrease linearly from 8.8 eV at room temperature to 7.2 eV at 1763 K with a temperature coefficient of −1.1 meV/K. The effect of thermal expansion and the electron-phonon interaction, on the band gap, is found to be linear in this temperature range. The valence-band width is constant with temperature, while the unoccupied conduction band states broaden and shift toward the valence band.
Experimental study of gas absorption into turbulent falling films of water and ethylene glycol-water mixtures

Abstract Experiments are reported on the effects of liquid viscosity and interfacial shear on the liquid side mass-transfer coefficient for turbulent falling films. CO2 gas was absorbed into a liquid film formed on the inside of a 2·05 cm ID, 1·98 m long vertical tube. The Reynolds number power dependence of the mass-transfer coefficient was found to depend markedly on viscosity. Transition from wavy laminar to turbulent flow occurred at Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 1200. With co-current gas flow a marked and linear increase in mass-transfer coefficient was found, while for counter-current gas flow the coefficient decreased.
Graphite and boron carbide composites made by hot-pressing

Composites consisting of graphite and boron carbide were made by hot-pressing mixed powders of coke carbon and boron carbide. The change of relative density, mechanical strength and electrical resistivity of the composites and the X-ray parameters of coke carbon were investigated with increase of boron carbide content and hot-pressing temperature. From these experiments, it was found that boron carbide powder has a remarkable effect on sintering and graphitization of coke carbon powder above the hot-pressing temperature of 2000° C. At 2200° C, electrical resistivity of the composite and d(002) spacing of coke carbon once showed minimum values at about 5 to 10 wt% boron carbide and then increased. The strength of the composite increased with increase of boron carbide content. It was considered that some boron from boron carbide began to diffuse substitutionally into the graphite structure above 2000° C and densification and graphitization were promoted with the diffusion of boron. Improvements could be made to the mechanical strength, density, oxidation resistance and manufacturing methods by comparing with the properties and processes of conventional graphites.
Stability of wavelet-like expansions under chromatic aberration

Abstract We prove that wavelet and wavelet-like expansions of functions are L p -stable under small (but otherwise arbitrary and independent) errors in translation and dilation of the constituent reproducing kernels. These perturbations are frequency-dependent, which is why we call them “chromatic aberration.” We show that, if these errors have sizes no bigger than η, then the L p distance between the “true” and “perturbed” output functions is bounded by a constant times η τ ‖ f ‖ p , where τ is a positive number depending on the family of kernels in question. We show that this result also holds in L p ( w ) if w is a Muckenhoupt A p weight.
An integrated health care information processing and retrieval system

In this paper we present the design and some initial experiences with a computerized medical records system (called the CSAR System) currently in use in several departments of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center of The Pennsylvania State University. The purpose of this work has been to develop a high-speed efficient information system for the storage, retrieval and dissemination of the total patient medical record.
Interoperability and the Future of Human Services

We are entering a period of interoperability in the human services, or the automatic global linking of information across different services and organizations. The purpose of this article is to get human service professionals to think about research, policy, management, and practice in a future service delivery system where data, information, and knowledge can be electronically exchanged and used globally. If human service professionals are to be intelligent discussants at the table when our future digital human services delivery infrastructure is planned, clear thinking about the practices, impacts, and issues of linking agency data globally is critical. Since the focus in this paper is on the impact of global data interchange, the difficult technical issues surrounding user authentication, security, and privacy are not discussed in the depth they require.
Finding the Spirit Within: Spirituality Issues in the LGBT Community

When it comes to discussing the topic of spirituality within the LGBT counseling community, it sometimes illicits a variety of emotions and experiences. Although some counselors working with LGBT i...
Inhibición de renina

Existen pruebas convincentes de que el bloqueo del sistema renina resulta util en muchos pacientes con hipertension. Dos recientes lineas de investigacion indican que un bloqueo mas completo produce mejores resultados clinicos. En una se utiliza una combinacion de un inhibidor de la enzima conversora de angiotensina con un bloqueador de los receptores de angiotensina (BRA). En la segunda se utilizan dosis muy elevadas de BRA. La interaccion de la renina con el sustrato es el paso limitante de la velocidad en la cascada de la renina; asi pues, el reciente desarrollo de un potente inhibidor de la renina tambien favorece un bloqueo mas completo del sistema, lo que probablemente conducira a una mejora del tratamiento.
Validating the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Framework through structural equation modelling

Since its introduction in 1987, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) has come to have a major influence in the assessment of quality efforts and systems. Many public and private institutions, for example, use the measures derived from this award programme to carry out self-assessments. Many programmes at the local, state and international levels are based on the MBNQA. Implicit in this evidence is the assumption that the MBNQA adequately captures the major dimensions of Total Quality Management. This study empirically assesses this assumption. Specifically, it assesses the extent of fit between the factors of the MBNQA and their measures. It also evaluates the extent to which these factors really do capture this important higher-level construct known as TQM. The results reported in this study are based on a field survey consisting of responses gathered from 526 plant managers within the US automotive industry. The assessment is carried out using confirmatory factory analysis and structural ...
Electrostatic actuators with long range translation

A general design and development of an electrostatic translational microsystem based on the Inchworm/sup /spl reg// principal of actuation is presented. The inchworm microsystem consists of an oscillating electrostatically actuated driver arm, and two synchronous electrostatic clamps to control direction. Actuation step size is delimited with an additional spring loaded electrostatic actuator, which adjusts the oscillation amplitude of the driver arm in the range of 0.05 /spl mu/m-2/spl mu/m. The translational microstage actuation requires no direct electrical wiring to power the actuations. Voltage to the microstage is delivered through coupled series capacitors allowing all external electrical connections to reside on the stationary substrate. Precision translation is provided by dovetail microjoints that constrain microstage motion. The inchworm microsystem is capable of arbitrarily large translation distances with nanometer resolution.
Reduced-cable smart motors using DC power line communication

A servomotor design that is powered and controlled through only one wire is presented. A traditional servomotor needs both a power cable and a control cable connecting the motor to a control amplifier. Cables are bulky, heavy, and expensive and, more importantly, difficult to install and maintain in many applications. Particularly for multi-axis applications, like robots and machine tools, cable harnesses become thick and long, and are difficult to run through a stack of many axes, this is a major burden and bottleneck in electromechanical drives. The objective of this research is to eliminate such bulky cables by integrating and consolidating power cables and signal cables into a single wire, and transmitting control signals through the signal wire. Signals are coded by using a CDMA protocol and are superimposed on the single wire that supplies a DC voltage to each motor. In the paper first the principle of reduced-cable smart motors is described, followed by the architecture of the signal transmission system using direct sequence spread spectrum. A prototype system is designed, and the signal transmission line is simulated to verify the principle.
O35: Farm to School Programs and Their Potential for Meeting School Food Service Goals

Potential for Meeting School Food Service Goals Betty T. Izumi, MPH, RD, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems, Michigan State University, Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, 131 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, izumibet@msu.edu; Katherine Alaimo, PhD, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, G. Malcolm Trout Building, Room 302C, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, alaimo@msu.edu; Michael W. Hamm, PhD, Departments of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies; Crop and Soil Sciences, Food Science and Nutrition, 312B Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1222, mhamm@msu.edu
Sewage contamination in the upper Mississippi River as measured by the fecal sterol, coprostanol

Abstract The molecular sewage indicator, coprostanol, was measured in bed sediments of the Mississippi River for the purpose of determining sewage contamination. Coprostanol is a non-ionic, non-polar, organic molecule that associates with sediments in surface waters, and concentrations of corpostanol in bed sediments provide an indication of long-term sewage loads. Because coprostanol concentrations are dependent on particle size and percent organic carbon, a ratio between coprostanol (sewage sources) and cholestanol + cholesterol (sewage and non-sewage sources) was used to remove the biases related to particle size and percent organic carbon. The dynamics of contaminant transport in the Upper Mississippi River are influenced by both hydrologic and geochemical parameters. A mass balance model incorporating environmental parameters such as river and tributary discharge, suspended sediment concentration, fraction of organic carbon, sedimentation rates, municipal discharges and coprostanol decay rates was developed that describes coprostanol concentrations and therefore, expected patterns of municipal sewage effects on the Upper Mississippi River. Comparison of the computed and the measured coprostanol concentrations provides insight into the complex hydrologic and geochemical processes of contaminant transport and the ability to link measured chemical concentrations with hydrologic characteristics of the Mississippi River.
The U. S. Geological Survey's Gravity Program in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah

Most of the gravity surveys by the U. S. Geological Survey in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah have been conducted in support of programs of regional geophysical investigations, geologic mapping, and water resource investigations initiated by the Geological Survey. Gravity data have also been obtained through cooperative programs with other Federal agencies, especially the Atomic Energy Commission, Bureau of Reclamation, and Advanced Research Projects Agency. Techniques of collection and reduction of the gravity data are similar to those described by Oliver [1965] elsewhere in this symposium. Areas of published gravity coverage are shown in Figure 1 and are numerically keyed to the References. Areas of unpublished gravity coverage are listed in Table 1.
Integrating quality improvement into a family medicine clerkship.

(Fam Med 2010;42(3):164-5.) Editor’s Note: I welcome your comments about this feature. I also encourage all predoctoral directors to make copies of this feature and distribute it to their preceptors (with the appropriate Family Medicine citation). Send your submissions to jdelzell@kumc.edu. John Delzell, Jr, MD, MSPH, University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, MS 4010, 1059 Delp, Kansas City, KS, 66160. 913-588-1996. Submissions should be no longer than three–four double-spaced pages. References can be used but are not required. Count each table or figure as one page of text.