cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electroweak radiative corrections to pp(-){yields}W{sup {+-}}{yields}l{sup {+-}}{nu} beyond the pole approximation

We present a calculation of the complete electroweak O({alpha}) corrections to pp(-){yields}W{sup {+-}}{yields}l{sup {+-}}{nu}X (l=e,{mu}) in the standard model of electroweak interactions, focusing on those corrections which do not contribute in the pole approximation. We study in detail the effect of these corrections on the transverse mass distribution, the W-width measurement, and the transverse mass ratio and cross section ratio of W and Z bosons.
Orientation of the Ig Domains of CD8αβ Relative to MHC Class I

The cell surface glycoprotein CD8 functions as a coreceptor with the TCR for interaction with MHC class I. The cocrystal structure of the CD8αα-MHC complex showed that one CD8 Ig domain provided the majority of the contact with MHC class I and that residue R4 of that domain contacted the α2 domain of MHC class I. We previously showed by mutational analysis that this residue was critical for binding to MHC class I. To determine which of the Ig domains for the CD8αβ heterodimer would make the most contact with class I MHC, we expressed single-chain or dimeric forms of CD8 on COS-7 cells and measured the adhesion of MHC class I positive cells. We found that when one of the R4 residues was mutated in a CD8αα homodimer binding comparable to that of wild type was observed, whereas a double R4 mutant severely impaired binding. However, when mutant CD8α (R4K) was coexpressed with wild-type CD8β, binding was not observed. These results support the model in which it is CD8α, not CD8β, that is making the most of the contact with MHC class I, including the α2 domain. In addition, they demonstrate that a single-chain form of CD8αα can bind to MHC class I.
Student Management And Human Intelligence Skills Enhanced Through Community Service

Based on years of human intelligence research conducted by Howard Gardner and results from a quantitative research study supporting Gardner’s research collected from a sample of 205 faculty within the United States, the researcher examined students that are actively engaged in community service experiences and their approaches to reframing their intelligences and enhancing their unique learning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Students who reach beyond the class or virtual rooms of academia and become actively involved in community service organizations gain organizational experiences that sharpen their management and human intelligence skills to equip them with operating in a competitive world of constant organizational change.
Effects of 7-day continuous D-amphetamine, methylphenidate, and cocaine treatment on choice between methamphetamine and food in male rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Background Methamphetamine addiction is a significant public health problem for which no Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacotherapies exist. Preclinical drug vs. food choice procedures have been predictive of clinical medication efficacy in the treatment of opioid and cocaine addiction. Whether preclinical choice procedures are predictive of candidate medication effects for other abused drugs, such as methamphetamine, remains unclear. The present study aim was to determine continuous 7-day treatment effects with the monoamine releaser d -amphetamine and the monoamine uptake inhibitor methylphenidate on methamphetamine vs. food choice. In addition, 7-day cocaine treatment effects were also examined. Methods Behavior was maintained under a concurrent schedule of food delivery (1-g pellets, fixed-ratio 100 schedule) and methamphetamine injections (0–0.32 mg/kg/injection, fixed-ratio 10 schedule) in male rhesus monkeys ( n = 4). Methamphetamine choice dose–effect functions were determined daily before and during 7-day periods of continuous intravenous treatment with d -amphetamine (0.01–0.1 mg/kg/h), methylphenidate (0.032–0.32 mg/kg/h), or cocaine (0.1–0.32 mg/kg/h). Results During saline treatment, increasing methamphetamine doses resulted in a corresponding increase in methamphetamine vs. food choice. Continuous 7-day treatments with d -amphetamine, methylphenidate or cocaine did not significantly attenuate methamphetamine vs. food choice up to doses that decreased rates of operant responding. However, 0.1 mg/kg/h d -amphetamine did eliminate methamphetamine choice in two monkeys. Conclusions The present subchronic treatment results support the utility of preclinical methamphetamine choice to evaluate candidate medications for methamphetamine addiction. Furthermore, these results confirm and extend previous results demonstrating differential pharmacological mechanisms between cocaine choice and methamphetamine choice.
A neutral polydisulfide containing Gd(III) DOTA monoamide as a redox-sensitive biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agent

This work aims to develop safe and effective gadolinium (III)-based biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agents for blood pool and cancer imaging. A neutral polydisulfide containing macrocyclic Gd-DOTA monoamide (GOLS) was synthesized and characterized. In addition to studying the in vitro degradation of GOLS, its kinetic stability was also investigated in an in vivo model. The efficacy of GOLS for contrast-enhanced MRI was examined with female BALB/c mice bearing 4T1 breast cancer xenografts. The pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and metabolism of GOLS were also determined in mice. GOLS has an apparent molecular weight of 23.0 kDa with T1 relaxivities of 7.20 mM(-1) s(-1) per Gd at 1.5 T, and 6.62 mM(-1) s(-1) at 7.0 T. GOLS had high kinetic inertness against transmetallation with Zn(2+) ions, and its polymer backbone was readily cleaved by L-cysteine. The agent showed improved efficacy for blood pool and tumor MR imaging. The structural effect on biodistribution and in vivo chelation stability was assessed by comparing GOLS with Gd(HP-DO3A), a negatively charged polydisulfide containing Gd-DOTA monoamide GODC, and a polydisulfide containing Gd-DTPA-bisamide (GDCC). GOLS showed high in vivo chelation stability and minimal tissue deposition of gadolinium. The biodegradable macromolecular contrast agent GOLS is a promising polymeric contrast agent for clinical MR cardiovascular imaging and cancer imaging.
Imaging complex congenital heart disease — functional single ventricle, the Glenn circulation and the Fontan circulation: A multimodality approach

Abstract Patients with functional single ventricle heart disease undergo a series of palliative surgeries, typically culminating in a Fontan-type circulation. For the past three decades, the primary cardiac imaging modalities used to follow such patients have been echocardiography and catheter angiography. With the advent and rapid development of cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography over the past decade, these modalities offer novel techniques and capabilities to evaluate the single ventricle circulation. This article reviews the surgical management of the patient with functional single ventricle, and then explores the role of various imaging modalities in this setting with an emphasis on these newer techniques.
Foliar Nitrogen Responses to Elevated Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition in Nine Temperate Forest Canopy Species

Despite its ecological importance, broad-scale use of foliar nitrogen as an indicator of ecosystem response to atmospheric N deposition has heretofore been obscured by its poorly understood intrinsic variability through time, space, and across species. We used a regional survey of foliar N conducted within a single growing season to observe that eight of nine major canopy tree species had increased foliar N in response to a gradient of N deposition in the Adirondack Park, New York. These results (1) add important foliar N evidence to support N saturation theory, (2) strongly reinforce the conclusion that N deposition is affecting the N status of forest ecosystems in the northeastern U.S., and (3) extend N saturation theory by identifying that temperate forest canopy species differ in their foliar N response to N deposition. Interestingly, species-specific differences were strongly related to two functional traits that arise from within-leaf allocations of N resourcesleaf mass per area (LMA) and shade tole...
Photo-induced fragmentation of tri-t-butyl-trimesityl- cyclotrisilanes and E,Z-interconversion of di-t-butyl-dimesityl-disilenes

Abstract The stereochemical course of the titled photo-conversion to yield Z-and E-substituted disilenes and the photochemical and thermal interconversion of the latter two compounds are described.
Objective measurement of paranormal belief: a rebuttal to Vitulli.

Effects of age and sex in paranormal belief remain controversial because issues of scaling and differential item function are not given due attention. Therefore, in response to the recent debate be...
Scanned directivity of linear arrays

Expressions for directivity as a function of spacing, scan angle, and current distribution are presented for uniformly spaced linear arrays subject to the assumption that the element radiation intensity function of each radiator can be expressed in either of the following forms: (1 - \sin^{2} \theta \cos^{2} \Phi)^{P} or \sin^{2P} \theta \sin^{2Q} \Phi where P and Q are zero or positive integers. By proper choice of P and Q , these expressions can be used to approximate the element radiation intensity function associated with a linear array of isotropic radiators, parallel short dipoles, collinear short dipoles, and planar equiangular spiral antennas. Analytical results are given for a number of cases, and graphical results are presented for directivity in the direction of scan angle for a linear array of radiators with a uniform current distribution and an element radiation intensity given by the expression \sin^{2} \theta \sin^{2} Phi in the region y \geq 0 and zero in the region y .
Enzymatic blackening in potatoes: Influence of pH on dopachrome oxidation

The effects of pH on the nonenzymatic reactions of dopachrome leading to brown to black melanin formation were examined. At pH 5.0, the changes in dopachrome absorbance at 480 nm and formation of melanin were slow. After 7–8 hours the absorbance decreased to approximately one half of the original dopachrome solution. At pH 7.0 the changes were much more rapid. After 17 min the absorbance decreased by 0.15. An equivalent decrease in absorbance at pH 5.0 required almost 4 hours. At pH 7.0 the absorbance at 480 nm decreased to a minimum after 43 min and then increased for 4 hours when the absorbance of the pinkish grey solution was the same as the original orange dopachrome solution. Thus, the pH of any treatment used to inhibit enzymatic blackening is very important in determining the amount of discoloration finally obtained. A pH of 5.0 or lower which would inhibit both the nonenzymatic and enzymatic reactions in the blackening reaction would be most desirable unless flavor or texture problems arise.
The development of a filtration system for evaluating flow characteristics of erythrocytes

A complete description of the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease requires a physiologically meaningful measurement of red cell deformability. We have designed and built a system which allows one to determine filtration characteristics of erythrocytes. A dilute red cell suspension is forced through a 3.0-micron polycarbonate Nuclepore membrane with a constant positive pressure of 20 mm Hg. Under these conditions blockage of the pores in the polycarbonate membrane is insignificant and flow is linear. We use the relative number of cells filtered through the membrane as a means of approximating the means deformability of cells in the suspension. Using this system we have compared erythrocytes from various mammals and shown that our technique is sensitive in detecting not only differences in cell deformabilities between mammalian species but also changes in cell deformability of human red cells due to exchange transfusion and application of drugs. There was a positive correlation between cell filtrability and percentage cell recovery (coefficient of correlation, 0.65) and a negative correlation between cell size and filtrability (coefficient of correlation, -0.61). The filtrabilities of normal volunteers and sickle cell disease patients were found to be 71.8 +/- 6.6 and 53.6 +/- 5.0%, respectively. This system is sensitive and reliable, and should be useful in evaluating both the contribution of filtrability to the viability of red cells in vivo and potential therapeutic agents for sickle cell disease.
Deposition Kinetics of Two Viruses in Packed Beds of Quartz Granular Media

The removal of waterborne viruses by packed bed filtration was examined using a model system consisting of two different bacteriophages (MS2 and λ) and saturated beds of ultrapure quartz grains. The majority of these experiments were conducted at a solution pH of 5, where the viruses and quartz possess a net negative surface charge. On the basis of a simple model that correctly predicts the isoelectric point (pI) of MS2, the surface charge on this virus appears to originate from the ionization of amino acid residues located on the exterior of the virus particle. The deposition rates of both MS2 and λ at pH 5 are sensitive to the ionic composition of the suspending fluid, with more rapid filtration occurring at the higher salt concentrations. The filtration rate of λ approaches the theoretical value estimated using the Smoluchowski-Levich (S-L) approximation at pH 5 and high salt concentrations (300 mM NaCl) or at the pI of the virus, suggesting that electrostatic repulsive forces effectively dominate the filtration dynamics of λ. The filtration rate of MS2, on the other hand, is at least 800% less than the theoretical S-L value at high salt or at the pI of this virus, suggesting that both electrostatic and nonelectrostatic repulsive forces influence the filtration of MS2. We investigate the possibility that this nonelectrostatic force is steric in nature, arising from hydrophilic polypeptide loops which extend a maximum of 1 nm off the MS2 surface.
Three-dimensional distribution of collateral blood flow within the anatomic area at risk after circumflex coronary artery occlusion in dogs.

It is generally accepted that occlusion of a major coronary artery in the dog results in a transmural gradient of collateral blood flow, with the subepicardial region receiving the greatest perfusion. The lateral and base to apex distribution of collateral blood flow and of metabolic and functional consequences of ischemia have been more difficult to define. One reason for such difficulties has been the failure to define the anatomic boundarics of the ischemic vascular bed so that uncontaminated samples of ischemic and non-ischemic tissue could be selected for study. In the present study, the three dimensional distribution of myocardial blood flow during occlusion of the circumflex artery was mapped in seven dogs. At the end of the study, the boundaries of previously ischemic and non-ischemic regions were identified by simultaneous coronary perfusion with red and blue dyes. Left ventricular slices were separated into ischemic and non-ischemic vascular beds based on the dye boundarics, with 1–2 mm of tissue trimmed from this interface to eliminate visually apparent admixture. The ischemic vascular bed of each cross sectional slice then was cut into five transmural wedges, each 3–5 mm wide; each wedge was further subdivided into subendocardial, middle, and subepicardial thirds. The results of blood flow measurements in these samples indicate that the dye injection technique identifies a real interface with a sharp lateral transition in blood flow between ischemic and non-ischemic vascular beds. Within the ischemic vascular bed, there is a transmural gradient of collateral blood flow, but within a given mural layer, there is no consistent gradient from the center to lateral edge or from base to apex of the ischemic region. Thus, in studies designed to characterize the properties of myocardium on either side of the ischemic/non-ischemic interface, reasonable resolution can be achieved by coronary dye infusions to permit visual identification of this interface. On the other hand, in studies in which collateral blood flow is measured as a baseline predictor of infarct size, measurements can be made in a central ischemic block which will be representative of most or all of the ischemic region. Borderzone samples can be excluded to avoid contamination of ischemic samples with non-ischemic tissue.
Poisson versus periodic path probing (or, does PASTA matter?)

The well-known PASTA ("Poisson Arrivals See Time Averages") property states that, under very general conditions, the fraction of Poisson arrivals that observe an underlying process in a particular state is equal, asymptotically, to the fraction of time the process spends in that state. When applied to network inference, PASTA implies that a Poisson probing stream provides an unbiased estimate of the desired time average. Our objective is to examine the practical significance of the PASTA property in the context of realistic RTT, loss rate and packet pair dispersion measurements with a finite (but not small) number of samples. In particular, we first evaluate the differences between the point estimates (median RTT, loss rate, and median dispersion) that result from Poisson and Periodic probing. Our evaluation is based on a rich set of measurements between 23 PlanetLab hosts. The experimental results show that in almost all measurement sessions the differences between the Poisson and Periodic point estimates are insignificant. In the case of RTT and dispersion measurements, we also used a non-parametric goodness-of-fit test, based on the Kullback-Leibler distance, to evaluate the similarity of the distributions that result from Poisson and Periodic probing. The results show that in more than 90% of the measurements there is no statistically significant difference between the two distributions.
Visual unpatterned input determines the occurrence of reward-contingent positive variation.

Des chats porteurs d'electrodes corticales Ag-AgCl non polarisables et de lentilles de contact translucides, ont ete entraines, dans obscurite, a presser un levier pour obtenir 0,8 ml de lait. Ils montrent des periodes d'activite lente de haut voltage, c'est-a-dire un phenomene ECoG connu comme synchronisation de post-reinforcement sur le cortex parieto-occipital. Quand cette synchronisation associee a la variation positive de contingent est supprimee dans l'obscurite, ces phenomenes dependent de l'influx de la lumiere diffuse et non de la perception visuelle.
Virus infections of the gastrointestinal tract of poultry

Several different viruses have been identified as causes of gastrointestinal tract infections in poultry. These include rotaviruses, coronaviruses, enteroviruses, adenoviruses, astroviruses, and reoviruses. In addition, a number of other viruses of unknown importance have been associated with gastrointestinal diseases in poultry based on electron microscopic examination of feces and intestinal contents. Viral infections of the gastrointestinal tract of poultry are known to negatively impact poultry production, and they likely contribute to the development of other, extragastrointestinal diseases. Our current understanding of the viruses that cause gastrointestinal tract infections in poultry is reviewed, with emphasis given to those of greatest importance.
An ethics transfer case assessment tool for measuring ethical reasoning abilities of engineering students using reflexive principlism approach

This work in progress paper presents initial results on the development and testing of a novel assessment tool utilizing an ethics transfer case methodology targeted at measuring the ethical reasoning ability of engineering students employing reflexive principlism. This work evaluates the reliability and transferability of a rubric-based assessment of students' responses to a transfer case study employed at Purdue University in the Spring of 2014. The scoring rubric was developed to assess students' ability to apply the reasoning components of reflexive principlism including: (a) identification, (b) specification, (c) empathie perspective-taking, (d) justification, and (e) reflectivity. To determine reliability of the scoring rubric, two raters independently scored 19 students' pre-course responses through 3 iterations of the rubric's development, until 85% overall inter-rater agreement was reached. Two additional scorers, normed on the coding framework, then provided feedback on wording and applied the rubric to the same 19 student responses. Initial results from this analysis and discussion of the assessment tool are presented.
Meta-informatics and ethical issues in computing

This paper deals with aspects of teaching a course on ethical issues in computer science for third- and fourth-year computer science and computer engineering majors. In addition to engineering concerns - soft and hard - our recent discussions have increasingly centered on public policy issues involving surveillance, access to, use and interpretation of information, and on early access to appropriate instruction in computer and information technology indispensable for productive life and citizenship in the 21st century. In these discussions, students have revealed blind spots with respect to manipulation, misuse, misrepresentation, and distortion of information. Among the difficulties are those associated with reification, "reverse reification", saturation of the channel, especially through the use of so-called "talking points", and outright falsification, misrepresentation, and distortion. These seem to belong to a neglected aspect of our discipline that might be given the name "meta-informatics." My assertion is that "meta-informatics" is an area worthy of consideration, especially in courses or modules devoted to ethical issues in computer and information science.
Gravity currents down a slope in deceleration phase

Abstract Modified thermal theory with both entrainment and detrainment is proposed and the analytical solutions are derived in this study. We find that the data in [Beghin, P., Hopfinger, E.J., Britter, R.E., 1981. Gravitational convection from instantaneous sources on inclined boundaries. J. Fluid Mech. 107, 407–422] support the idea that both entrainment and detrainment occur in the deceleration phase of thermal motion. Our modified model gives a better description of the data as compared with the model in [Beghin, P., Hopfinger, E.J., Britter, R.E., 1981. Gravitational convection from instantaneous sources on inclined boundaries. J. Fluid Mech. 107, 407–422] in which detrainment was neglected. While entrainment slows down thermal motion, the effect of detrainment is twofold. On one hand, the thermal gradually loses the driving force as the buoyancy is lost through detrainment. On the other hand, detrainment takes redundant fluid off the thermal so that the thermal can move faster. As a result, detrainment mitigates the deceleration that a thermal experiences during the deceleration phase.
GABA(A) receptor beta 2 Tyr97 and Leu99 line the GABA-binding site. Insights into mechanisms of agonist and antagonist actions.

The identification of residues that line neurotransmitter-binding sites and catalyze allosteric transitions that result in channel gating is crucial for understanding ligand-gated ion channel function. In this study, we used the substituted cysteine accessibility method and two-electrode voltage clamp to identify novel γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-binding site residues and to elucidate the secondary structure of the Trp92-Asp101region of the β2 subunit. Each residue was mutated individually to cysteine and expressed with wild-type α1subunits in Xenopus oocytes. GABA-gated currents (IGABA) were measured before and after exposure to the sulfhydryl reagent, N-biotinylaminoethyl methanethiosulfonate (MTS). V93C, D95C, Y97C, and L99C are accessible to derivatization. This pattern of accessibility is consistent with β2Val93-Leu99 adopting a β-strand conformation. Both GABA and SR95531 protect Y97C and L99C from modification, indicating that these two residues line the GABA-binding site. In D95C-containing receptors, application of MTS in the presence of SR95531 causes a greater effect onIGABA than MTS alone, suggesting that binding of a competitive antagonist can cause movements in the binding site. In addition, we present evidence that β2L99C homomers form spontaneously open channels. Thus, mutation of a binding site residue can alter channel gating, which implies that Leu99may be important for coupling agonist binding to channel gating.
The CentriMag ventricular assist device in acute heart failure refractory to medical management

Background The CentriMag ventricular assist device (VAD) has gained popularity in the last several years as rescue support for patients with decompensated heart failure. We have used the CentriMag VAD as a bridge to decision device. We describe our experience with device placement, use and outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent CentriMag placement at our institution from January 2007 to August 2009. Sixty-three patients had placement of a CentriMag device, with 43% ( n = 27) of these being placed due to failure of medical management. These cases were the focus of our study. Results Primary diagnoses were ischemic cardiomyopathy ( n = 17), dilated cardiomyopathy ( n = 7) or other ( n = 3). Mean age was 47.1 (range 7 to 72) years. Prior to implant, 85% of patients were on intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support, 70% were on vasopressors, and 44% were on more than one inotrope. INTERMACS score was 1 in 67% of patients and 2 in 33% of patients. Six patients were bridged to a long-term device, 8 to transplantation and 10 to recovery. Eighty-nine percent (24 of 27) of patients survived to explant and 74% (20 of 27) survived to hospital discharge, with a 1-year survival of 68%. Thromboembolic complications occurred in 10 patients, including 6 strokes. Compared with patients who survived to discharge, those who died had a significantly higher body mass index (30.8 vs 24.1 kg/m 2 , p = 0.003). Survivors to discharge demonstrated significant improvements in hepatic and renal function over the course of device support while non-survivors did not. Conclusions The CentriMag demonstrates promising results when used in patients with acute heart failure refractory to medical management.
Superoxide generated by glutathione reductase initiates a vanadate-dependent free radical chain oxidation of NADH.

Abstract Vanadate V(V) markedly stimulated the oxidation of NADPH by GSSG reductase and this oxidation was accompanied by the consumption of O2 and the accumulation of H2O2. Superoxide dismutases completely eliminated this effect of V(V), whereas catalase was without effect, as was exogenous H2O2 added to 0.1 m m . These effects could be seen equally well in phosphate- or in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid-buffered solutions. Under anaerobic conditions there was no V(V)-stimulated oxidation of NADPH. Approximately 4% of the electrons flowing from NADPH to O2, through GSSG reductase, resulted in release of O2−. The average length of the free radical chains causing the oxidation of NADPH, initiated by O2− plus V(V), was calculated to be in the range 140–200 NADPH oxidized per O2− introduced. We conclude that GSSG reductase, and by extension other O2−-producing flavoprotein dehydrogenases such as lipoyl dehydrogenase and ferredoxin reductase, catalyze V(V)-stimulated oxidation of NAD(P)H because they release O2− and because O2− plus V(V) initiate a free radical chain oxidation of NAD(P)H. There is no reason to suppose that these enzymes can act as NAD(P)H:V(V) oxidoreductases.
Epidural Lidocaine Decreases Sevoflurane Requirement for Adequate Depth of Anesthesia as Measured by the Bispectral Index ® Monitor

BACKGROUND Epidural anesthesia potentiates sedative drug effects and decreases minimum alveolar concentration (MAC). The authors hypothesized that epidural anesthesia also decreases the general anesthetic requirements for adequate depth of anesthesia as measured by Bispectral Index (BIS). METHODS After premedication with 0.02 mg/kg midazolam and 1 microg/kg fentanyl, 30 patients aged 20-65 yr were randomized in a double-blinded fashion to receive general anesthesia with either intravenous saline placebo or intravenous lidocaine control (1-mg/kg bolus dose; 25 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1)). A matched group was prospectively assigned to receive epidural lidocaine (15 ml; 2%) with intravenous saline placebo. All patients received 4 mg/kg thiopental and 1 mg/kg rocuronium for tracheal intubation. After 10 min of a predetermined end-tidal sevoflurane concentration, BIS was measured. The ED50 of sevoflurane for each group was determined by up-down methodology based on BIS less than 50 (MAC(BIS50)). Plasma lidocaine concentrations were measured. RESULTS The MAC(BIS50) of sevoflurane (0.59% end tidal) was significantly decreased with lidocaine epidural anesthesia compared with general anesthesia alone (0.92%) or with intravenous lidocaine (1%; P < 0.0001). Plasma lidocaine concentrations in the intravenous lidocaine group (1.9 microg/ml) were similar to those in the epidural lidocaine group (2.0 microg/ml). CONCLUSIONS Epidural anesthesia reduced by 34% the sevoflurane required for adequate depth of anesthesia. This effect was not a result of systemic lidocaine absorbtion, but may have been caused by deafferentation by epidural anesthesia or direct rostral spread of local anesthetic within the cerebrospinal fluid. Lower-than-expected concentrations of volatile agents may be sufficient during combined epidural-general anesthesia.
Technical Note-Minimax Procedure for a Class of Linear Programs under Uncertainty

We consider a linear programming problem with random aij and bi elements that have known finite mean and variance, but whose distribution functions are otherwise unspecified. A minimax solution of the stochastic programming model is obtained by solving an equivalent deterministic convex programming problem. We derive these deterministic equivalents under different assumptions regarding the stochastic nature of the random parameters.
The informative and persuasive functions of advertising: A moral appraisal — A comment

This paper argues that the informative and persuasive dichotomy of advertising is an empty concept. All advertising messages perform only one function and that function is to persuade. It is pointed out that in a moral appraisal of an advertising message, a distinction between rational and irrational persuasion can be made. Rational persuasion is consistent with the autonomy of the consumer and hence moral. Some forms of irrational persuasion may have an adverse effect on consumer autonomy and, therefore, should be viewed as immoral.
A simulation model for the primary drying phase of the freeze-drying cycle

Abstract A lyophilization process model was adapted to fit experimental data from product vials processed using a development scale dryer. The model was evaluated with regard to how well it simulated the primary drying time and temperature conditions for product vials during the primary drying phase of the cycle. The results indicated the predicted drying time was very close to the actual drying time observed for the product. The simulated product temperature profile also compared well with the actual product temperature profile. The simulation results are presented as well as the coefficients used to fit the data.
Gibberellic Acid and Ion Release from Barley Aleurone Tissue Evidence for Hormone-dependent Ion Transport Capacity

The release of potassium, magnesium, and phosphate ions from aleurone cells of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Himalaya) is a gibberellic acid-dependent process. The release of these ions is preceded by a lag period of 6 to 8 hours after gibberellic acid addition. The effect of gibberellic acid on the release of ions is not mediated through an effect on ion solubilization. Thus, gibberellic acid does not apreciably affect the sum of extracted and released ions relative to controls. Rather, the effect of the hormone is on the release process itself. Inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation when added with gibberellic acid or at times up to 6 hours after gibberellic acid inhibition release. When these inhibitors are added after ion release has begun, however, rapid efflux of ions occurs. These results suggest a strong correlation between energy levels and ion transport capacity. Inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis also inhibit gibberellic acid-stimulated ion release. Evidence suggests that RNA and protein synthesis are required to establish and maintain ion release capacity of aleurone cells.
Frusemide and weight carriage alter the acid:base responses of horses to incremental and to brief intense exertion.

We speculated that frusemide would attenuate the acidosis associated with intense exertion, and that weight carriage would mitigate this effect. Therefore, in each of 2 experiments we measured pulmonary artery and systemic arterial blood pH, PCO2, PO2 and pulmonary artery temperature in 9 horses during exertion on a treadmill after each of 3 treatments. The treatments were: 1) injection of saline solution (C), 2) injection of frusemide (1 mg/kg bwt, i.v. 4 h before running) (FU) and 3) injection of frusemide (F) as for FU and the horses carried weight equal to that lost in the 4 h after frusemide administration (FL). In Experiment 1 the horses performed an incremental exercise test of 90 s at each of 4, 7 and 9 m/s (4 degrees incline). In Experiment 2, the horses ran on a treadmill inclined at 4 degrees for 3 min at 3 m/s, at approximately 120% VO2max for 2 min, and 3 m/s for 5 min. Blood samples for measurement of blood pH, PCO2 and PO2 were collected into heparinised glass syringes. Values were adjusted for changes in pulmonary artery blood temperature. Data were analysed using a 2 way repeated measures ANOVA. There was a consistent pattern in both experiments characterised by a mild alkalosis or mitigated acidosis, compared to C, at rest and during exercise and recovery after FU (P < 0.05). Weight carriage blunted or inhibited the effect of frusemide during exercise and recovery. In experiment 2, at the end of the sprint, FU treatment resulted in a less severe acidosis than did C or FI: mixed venous pH for C, FU, and FL at the end of the sprint were 6.93, 6.98 and 6.93, respectively (P interaction = 0.038), mixed venous base excess was -12.4, -9.91, and -11.8 mmol/l, respectively, and arterial base excess of -1.44, -12.7 and -14.1 mmol/l (P interaction = 0.006) respectively. These effects persisted into recovery. A similar pattern of responses occurred during the incremental exercise test, with weight carriage offsetting the alkalinizing effect of frusemide. We conclude that frusemide attenuates the acidosis of intense exertion and that carriage of weight prevents this effect.
Utility of 1H NMR Chemical Shifts in Determining RNA Structure and Dynamics

The development of methods for predicting NMR chemical shifts with high accuracy and speed is increasingly allowing use of these abundant, readily accessible measurements in determining the structure and dynamics of proteins. For nucleic acids, however, despite the availability of semiempirical methods for predicting 1H chemical shifts, their use in determining the structure and dynamics has not yet been examined. Here, we show that 1H chemical shifts offer powerful restraints for RNA structure determination, allowing discrimination of native structure from non-native states to within 2–4 A, and <3 A when highly flexible residues are ignored. Theoretical simulations shows that although 1H chemical shifts can provide valuable information for constructing RNA dynamic ensembles, large uncertainties in the chemical shift predictions and inherent degeneracies lead to higher uncertainties as compared to residual dipolar couplings.
Importance of Extracranial Disease Status and Tumor Subtype for Patients Undergoing Radiosurgery for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Purpose In this retrospective study, we report on outcomes and prognostic factors for patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for breast cancer brain metastases. Methods and Materials We identified 132 consecutive patients with breast cancer who were treated with SRS for brain metastases from January 2000 through June 2010. We retrospectively reviewed records of the 51 patients with adequate follow-up data who received SRS as part of the initial management of their brain metastases. Overall survival (OS) and time to central nervous system (CNS) progression from the date of SRS were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic factors were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results Triple negative subtype was associated with CNS progression on univariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.0, p = 0.008). On multivariate analysis, triple negative subtype (HR = 8.6, p = 0.001), Luminal B subtype (HR = 4.3, p = 0.03), and omission of whole-brain radiation therapy (HR = 3.7, p = 0.02) were associated with CNS progression. With respect to OS, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≤ 80% (HR = 2.0, p = 0.04) and progressive extracranial disease (HR = 3.1, p = 0.002) were significant on univariate analysis; KPS ≤ 80% (HR = 4.1, p = 0.0004), progressive extracranial disease (HR = 6.4, p p = 0.04) were significant on multivariate analysis. Although median survival times were consistent with those predicted by the breast cancer-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (Breast-GPA) score, the addition of extracranial disease status further separated patient outcomes. Conclusions Tumor subtype is associated with risk of CNS progression after SRS for breast cancer brain metastases. In addition to tumor subtype and KPS, which are incorporated into the Breast-GPA, progressive extracranial disease may be an important prognostic factor for OS.
Assembly of gold nanoparticles mediated by multifunctional fullerenes.

The understanding of the interparticle interactions of nanocomposite structures assembled using molecularly capped metal nanoparticles and macromolecular mediators as building blocks is essential for exploring the fine-tunable interparticle spatial and macromolecular properties. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the chemically tunable multifunctional interactions between fullerenes (1-(4-methyl)-piperazinyl fullerene, MPF) and gold nanoparticles. The interparticle spatial properties are defined by the macromolecular and multifunctional electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged nanoparticles and the positively charged fullerenes. In addition to characterization of the morphological properties, the surface plasmon resonance band, dynamic light scattering, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties of the MPF-mediated assembly and disassembly processes have been determined. The change of the optical properties depends on the pH and electrolyte concentrations. ...
Radically changing the research framework during a health geography study.

This paper focuses on the issue of how a research project can shift from a positivist to a nonpositivist framework. Specific attention is given to changes in research methods and philosophical paradigm that emerged while conducting a study on the replacement of immigrant physicians in rural America. In its original conceptualization, the study was expected to yield a simple, right answer. Specifically, one or more types of health professionals (e.g., nurse practitioners, National Health Service Corps physicians) would be identified as expected replacements in the event of a cutback on immigrant physicians. However, as the research progressed, the quest for a simple, right answer became less realistic. The theoretical framework, methods, and research question changed, thereby allowing for greater complexity and ambiguity than anticipated at the outset of the study. What had been a positivist, statistical study was now a nonpositivist, qualitative study, and the research question shifted to include individual perspectives. An overview of such transitions leads to a discussion of the importance of context and ambiguity in research.
Phase and amplitude contrast in electron microscopy of stained biological objects

For biological objects negatively stained with heavy atom material, electron microscope images show best contrast for image detail on the scale of 10--20 A when a small objective aperture is used. In images taken under the optimum phase contrast imaging conditions of Scherzer, the required image detail is lost in unwanted noise. Both of these conditions may be described in terms of phase contrast imaging for a thin phase object. Calculations of image intensities and noise are reported for a model object consisting of heavy and light atoms randomly distributed to simulate a negatively stained protein molecule. The results are consistent with experimental observations.
Rings of quotients of f-rings by gabriel filters of ideals

The article examines the role of Gabriel filters of ideals in the ontext of semiprime f-rings. It is shown that for every 2-convex semiprime f-ring Aand every multiplicative filter B of dense ideals the ring of quotients of A by B, namely the direct limit of the Hom A (I, A) over all I∈ B, is an l-subring of QA, the maximum ring of quotients. Relative to the category of all commutative rings with identity, it is shown that for every 2-convex semiprime f-ring A qA, the classical ring of quotients, is the largest flat epimorphic extension of A. If Ais also a Prufer ring then it follows that every extension of Ain qA is of the form S -1A for a suitable multiplicative subset S. The paper also examines when a Utumi ring of quotients of a semiprime f-ring is obtained from a Gabriel filter. For a ring of continuous functions C(X), with Xcompact, this is so for each C(U) and C *(U), when Uis dense open, but not for an arbitrary direct limit of C(U),taken over a filter base of dense open sets. In conclusion, it is...
Circulating Proteins and Macromolecular Transport across Continuous, Nonfenestrated Endothelium

Experiments are described, using isolated perfused capillaries, fluorocarbon exchanged rats, and endothelial cells in culture, that examine the interaction of circulating proteins with the endothelial surface. A consequence of the interaction of circulating proteins with the endothelial surface is to render the endothelium less permeable to water, small water-soluble molecules, as well as macromolecules. Indirect evidence suggests that this is the result of adsorption of proteins to the glycoprotein coat of endothelial cells. An understanding of the physiochemical basis for this interaction awaits further studies of the chemical composition and properties of molecules constituting the endothelial cell surface.
Religion and the Novel in Mario Vargas Llosa's La guerra del fin del mundo

Mario Vargas Llosa's “favorite novel,” The War of the End of the World (1981), may be read not just as a rewriting of Euclides da Cunha's account of the Brazilian government's war against religious fanatics in the Canudos rebellion in Rebellion in the Backlands (1902), but also as a profound critique of the religious elements that are intertwined with the “total novels” of the Latin American Boom. Unlike the powerful, all-knowing narrative demiurges of the Boom novels (Morelli, Melquiades, Oppiano Licario), in The War of the End of the World, the power to narrate has become disseminated and democratized to the point of anarchy: Each of the characters creates his particular story, relying on his individual experience to tell it, and deriving from it his own personal meaning. A deeply skeptical exploration of the role of belief in narrative arguably forms the backbone of Vargas Llosa's masterpiece.
Supply response and efficiency gains from storage operations: A simulation analysis

Summary The paper examines the effects of stabilization policies via buffer stocks when risk-averse producers respond to the increased price stability, and thus to the lowered production risks, by enhancing their output. The paper develops a theoretical framework for incorporating the supply response to the reduction in risk and for evaluating the resulting economic gains from stabilization policies. Simulation experiments with a model of a storable agricultural commodity (grains) demonstrate the economic distributional and other gains of storage operations when there is supply response, and show that these gains are then far greater than the gains previously envisaged by models that do not take this response into account.
Performance of an Entrained-Particle Heat Exchanger

An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the thermal performance of a heat exchanger operating with vertical upflow of a hot gas loaded with solid particles. Using particles having mean diameters (88-157 μm), the inlet gas velocity was varied from 1.5 to 13 m/s and the inlet temperature was varied from 100 to 600°C. This resulted in mixture densities of 2.0 to 30 kg/m3 for the gas-solid flow. The results showed that thermal performance improved with the addition of solid particles to the gas stream. At a given gas velocity, the gas-side coefficient could be increased by factors of 2 to 4 with the addition of solid particles. The exchanger performance was enhanced with increasing solid loading, decreasing particle size, and increasing gas temperature.
The relationship of egg size and incubation temperature to embryonic development time in univoltine and multivoltine aquatic insects

SUMMARY 1. We used published data to investigate the combined influence of egg size and incubation temperature on embryonic development time for a broad assortment of aquatic insects at four different incubation temperatures (10, 15, 20 and 25 °C). 2. Embryonic development time (EDT) was positively correlated with egg size at each of the four temperatures, but with different relationships for univoltine and multivoltine aquatic insects. The relationships of embryonic development time to egg size expressed in degree-days did not significantly differ in slope (P\ 0.50) or intercept (P\0.05) for either univoltine or multivoltine aquatic insects at each of the four temperatures. 3. The relationship of embryonic development time (degree-days) to egg mass in multivoltine aquatic insects (EDT 885 0.19 , PB 0.0001, r 2 0.48) is similar in slope and intercept to that for other oviparous animals (i.e., zooplankton, fish, amphibians and reptiles), and to the relationship of embryonic development time to neonate mass in mammals. Univoltine species on average require 3‐5 times longer to develop (EDT 14190 0.29 , PB0.001, r 2 0.29) than most other animals of equivalent egg mass, but
The Transition to Parenthood for Lesbian Couples

Abstract While there is a slowly growing literature on lesbians with older children, the literature on the transition to parenthood for lesbian couples is scant. The current study examines aspects of the transition to parenthood experience for 29 lesbian couples. Specifically, this study explores aspects of couples' decision-making regarding alternative insemination (e.g., who would carry and bear the child, donor type), perceptions of social support across the transition to parenthood, and availability and use of legal safeguards (such as wills, powers of attorney, and coparent adoptions by nonbiological mothers). Future studies should explore how single lesbians manage the transition to parenthood. Research on lesbians and gay men who are pursuing parenthood through adoption is also needed.