cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of Glaucomatous Visual Field Defects with the Mark II Friedmann Analyzer

To evaluate the ability of the Friedmann visual field analyzer to determine visual threshold and the depth of visual field defects, we correlated the visual threshold determined kinetically (Goldmann perimeter) with the static threshold (Friedmann analyzer) in various parts of the central field. We found the following: the Friedmann working threshold correlated linearly with the height of the hill of vision represented by the position of the kinetic isopters of the Goldmann perimeter; the static visual threshold (Friedmann) at a particular location, whether normal or abnormal, was linearly related to the kinetic visual threshold (Goldmann) at that location; and the depth of all visual field defects was essentially the same with both instruments. Thus, the Friedmann analyzer accurately quantitated the central visual field in both the normal and abnormal regions, and may be advantageous for following the progress of early glaucomatous defects. For other patients, however, its usefulness may be limited, because defects outside 25 degrees cannot be documented, the visual field examination may be lengthy and inefficient when quantitating large defects of irregular depth, and the maximal quantitation of depth with the Friedmann analyzer is 2.0 log units less than with the Goldmann perimeter near fixation (but there is progressively less difference for defects further from fixation).
Hydrogen bonding of the carbonyl groups of uridine nucleosides

Molecular-orbital calculations are used to compare the hydrogen-bonding characteristics of the two carbonyl groups of uridine nucleosides. Various numbers of water molecules are allowed to interact with uracil. The hydrogen-bond energies and the effects of these bonds on the electronic structure of uracil provide no evidence of a significant difference between the two carbonyls in terms of intrinsic properties. Calculations are also performed upon MMU, a derivative of the uridine nucleoside and a close analog of a system studied previously by nmr measurements. Energy minima are located on the conformational energy surface. The calculated anti-gg global minimum is quite similar to the x-ray structure. Electronic parameters examined in the various minima, as well as in hydrated complexes of MMU, again indicate no significant chemical differences between the two carbonyls. The theoretical data offer an explanation of the observed differences in shift of the two carbonyl 17O resonance signals when an aprotic solvent is replaced by water. Whereas the two carbonyls are found to be chemically similar, the observed difference in behaviour is attributed to steric factors. The lesser accessibility of the C2 carbonyl to solvation allows a smaller number of hydrogen bonds with water and hence a reduced shift when the solvent is changed.
''My Country's Future'': A Culture-Centered Interrogation of Corporate Social Responsibility in India

Companies operating and located in emerging economy nations routinely couch their corporate social responsibility (CSR) work in nation-building terms. In this article, I focus on the Indian context and critically examine mainstream CSR discourse from the perspective of the culture-centered approach (CCA). Accordingly, five main themes of CSR stand out: nation-building facade, underlying neoliberal logics, CSR as voluntary, CSR as synergetic, and a clear urban bias. Next, I outline a CCA-inspired CSR framework that allows corporate responsibility to be re-claimed and re-framed by subaltern communities of interest. I identify such resistive openings via interrogations of culture (I focus on oft-cited Gandhian ethics here), structure (State policy, organizational strategy, and global/local flows), and agency (subaltern reframing of institutional responsibility, engagement with alternative modes of agency, and deconstructive vigilance).
Purification of Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase expressed in Escherichia coli

DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus has become a common reagent in molecular biology because of its utility in DNA amplification and DNA sequencing protocols. A simplified method is described here for isolating the recombinant Taq enzyme after overproduction in Escherichia coli. Purification requires 8 to 10 h and entails heat treating and clearing the E. coli lysate, followed by precipitation of the enzyme with polyethyleneimine and elution from Bio Rex 70 ion exchange resin in a single salt step. The resulting enzyme preparation contains a single, nearly homogeneous protein consistent with the previously established size of the Taq DNA polymerase in a yield of 40-50 mg of protein per liter of cell culture.
Surfactant-free core–shell hybrid latexes from soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethanes and poly(styrene-butyl acrylate)

Abstract Novel surfactant-free core–shell hybrid latexes have been successfully synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization of 10–60 wt% vinyl monomers (styrene and butyl acrylate) in the presence of a soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethane (PU) dispersion as seed particles. The soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethanes, synthesized by reacting isophorone diisocyanate with methoxylated soybean oil polyols and dimethylol propionic acid, form the latex shell, serve as a polymeric high molecular weight emulsifier, while the vinyl polymers form the core. The structures and thermal and mechanical properties of the PU dispersions and the resulting core–shell latexes have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and measurement of the mechanical properties. The core–shell hybrid latex films show a significant increase in thermal stability and mechanical properties when compared with the pure polyurethane films, and exhibit a change in mechanical behavior from elastomeric polymers to tough and hard plastics, due to grafting and crosslinking in the hybrid latexes.
A controlled trial of esmolol for the induction of deliberate hypotension

Abstract Twenty-five patients scheduled for lumbar fusion or cerebrovascular surgery were enrolled in an open label treatment controlled study comparing blood pressure and heart rate responses during deliberate hyperension with either esmolol or nitroprusside during steady-state N 2 O/isofurane anesthesia. The first 5 patients were empirically assigned to the esmolol group; the remaining 20 patients were randomized to receive either esmolol or nitroprusside. The target of 15% reduction in mean arterial pressure (MAP) from baseline determined during anesthesia was attained with esmolol 195 ± 10 μg/kg/min (mean ± SEM) for the esmolol group ( n = 15) or nitroprusside 1.9 ±0 0.3 μLg/kg/min for the nitroprusside group ( n = 10). Nitroprusside use was associated with a 15.9 ± 5.3% increase in heart rate compared to a 12.1 ± 2.2% decrease in the esmolol group (p = 0.0001 between groups). Upon termination of the hypotensive infusions, nitroprusside patients had a MAP increase of 13.9 ± 5.5% above baseline (p
Coordination complexes of polyoxomolybdate anions. Characterization of a tetranuclear core from reactions in methanol: syntheses and structures of two polyoxomolybdate alcoholates, (MePPh3)2[Mo4O10(OCH3)6] and (n-Bu4N)2[Mo4O10(OCH3)2(OC6H4O)2], and their relationship to a general class of tetranuclear cluster types [Mo4Ox(OMe)2(L)y(LL)z]2−

Les deux composes du titre cristallisent avec le groupe d'espace P1. Affinement de la structure jusqu'a 0,0245 et 0,0407 respectivement
Guns in the world: old news and new news.

The worldwide small arms epidemic must be controlled In the wake of September 11, it is more obvious than ever that small arms can bring about large carnage, and that they will continue to figure prominently in regional conflicts. It is no exaggeration to say that it is now urgent to understand the public health crises linked to small arms, and to devise means to minimize these. This commentary offers some information and thoughts to inform the discourse in the health arena drawn from an international conference. The first ever large international meeting on guns was held in New York, 9–20 July 2001. The meeting was the “United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms And Light Weapons In All Its Aspects”. I attended the meeting as a representative of the Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan (HELP) Network (www.helpnetwork.org). HELP was one of a small contingent promoting public health as part of “all the aspects”. Most of the hundreds of involved non-governmental organizations (NGOs) approach small arms as an issue that is primarily related to war and crime. The goal of the health groups was to strengthen awareness of health perspectives on reducing the international toll of small arms. While a Canadian view on this has recently been published1 the current commentary summarizes what another North American health professional learned from the meeting. In 2000, the United Nations adopted a new Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. In May 2001, the United Nations General Assembly added a “Firearm Protocol” to the Convention, intended to “promote, facilitate and strengthen cooperation among State parties in order to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms, their parts, components and ammunition”.2 The July 2001 meeting was organized to address the issue of small arms “more comprehensively”. The definition …
Independent effects of song quality and experience with photostimulation on expression of the immediate, early gene ZENK (EGR-1) in the auditory telencephalon of female European starlings.

Age influences behavioral decisions such as reproductive timing and effort. In photoperiodic species, such age effects may be mediated, in part, by the individual's age-accrued experience with photostimulation. In female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) that do not differ in age, experimental manipulation of photostimulation experience (photoexperience) affects hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal activity associated with reproductive development. Does photoexperience also affect activity in forebrain regions involved in processing a social cue, the song of males, which can influence mate choice and reproductive timing in females? Female starlings prefer long songs over short songs in a mate-choice context, and, like that in other songbird species, their auditory telencephalon plays a major role in processing these signals. We manipulated the photoexperience of female starlings, photostimulated them, briefly exposed them to either long or short songs, and quantified the expression of the immediate-early gene ZENK (EGR-1) in the caudomedial nidopallium as a measure of activity in the auditory telencephalon. Using an information theoretic approach, we found higher ZENK immunoreactivity in females with prior photostimulation experience than in females experiencing photostimulation for the first time. We also found that long songs elicited greater ZENK immunoreactivity than short songs did. We did not find an effect of the interaction between photoexperience and song length, suggesting that photoexperience does not affect forebrain ZENK-responsiveness to song quality. Thus, photoexperience affects activity in an area of the forebrain that processes social signals, an effect that we hypothesize mediates, in part, the effects of age on reproductive decisions in photoperiodic songbirds. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 2009
Nitric oxide synthases and cardiovascular signaling

Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized from L-arginine is a ubiquitous intercellular chemical messenger involved in signal transduction in diverse mammalian cells, including vascular endothelium and neuronal tissues. The recent isolation of molecular clones for NO synthases has permitted the characterization of several distinct enzyme isoforms and has allowed us to identify a family of related genes. NO synthesized in vascular endothelial cells appears to play an important role in the control of vascular tone and platelet aggregation, apparently through the activation of guanylate cyclase activity in target tissues mediated by NO. The role of the NO signaling pathway in the direct modulation of cardiac function is less well characterized. We have found that inhibitors of NO synthase can modulate the response of neonatal or adult rat ventricular myocytes exposed to muscarinic or adrenergic agonists. The effects of carbachol on the inhibition of the spontaneous beating rate of cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes are blocked by L-N-monomethylarginine, an L-arginine analog that inhibits NO synthase, and by methylene blue, an inhibitor of NO; these agents have no effect on the basal beating rate of these cells. The negative chronotropic effect of carbachol is also mimicked by analogs of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), a second messenger implicated in mediating the action of NO in other cell types. Production of NO can be detected directly in carbachol-stimulated neonatal myocytes using a reporter cell bioassay.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Preparation of Substituted N-Methacryloxy Phthalimides for E-Beam Lithography

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a very good option for electron-beam resists, but suffers from poor radiation sensitivity and poor plasma etch resistance. These problems can be offset, at least in part, by functionalizing the PMMA with photo-labile, plasma etch-resistance groups. Toward this end, a series of N-methacryloxy phthalimides with different substitutuents (methyl, nitro, tetrahydrogen and dichloro) were synthesized as possible useful radiation-sensitive resists. The work discussed here focuses on the cycloimido group, which can be easily attached to methacrylic acid to form a radiation-sensitive resist material for use in electron beam lithography. The labile N–O bond of the cycloimido group, upon exposure to radiation, cleaves and forms a radical on the main chain of the polymer, which leads to polymer degradation. Cursory evaluations showed that these new materials are deserving of further study.
Triangulations and meshes in computational geometry

The Delaunay triangulation of a finite point set is a central theme in computational geometry. It finds its major application in the generation of meshes used in the simulation of physical processes. This paper connects the predominantly combinatorial work in classical computational geometry with the numerical interest in mesh generation. It focuses on the two- and three-dimensional case and covers results obtained during the twentieth century.
The Double Bromodomain-containing Chromatin Adaptor Brd4 and Transcriptional Regulation

Brd4 is a double bromodomain-containing protein that binds preferentially to acetylated chromatin. It belongs to the BET (bromodomains and extraterminal) family that includes mammalian Brd2, Brd3, Brd4, Brdt, Drosophila Fsh, yeast Bdf1, Bdf2, and corresponding homologues in other species. Brd4 is essential for cellular growth and has been implicated in cell cycle control, DNA replication, and gene rearrangement found in t(15;19)-associated carcinomas. Recently, Brd4 has been found in several transcription complexes, including the general cofactor Mediator and the P-TEFb elongation factor, and is capable of stimulating HIV-1 transcription in a Tat-independent manner. In addition, Brd4 is used as a cellular adaptor by some animal and human papillomaviruses (HPV) for anchoring viral genomes to mitotic chromosomes. This tethering, mediated by Brd4 interaction with virus-encoded E2 protein, facilitates viral genome segregation during mitosis. Interestingly, Brd4 is also identified in a transcriptional silencing complex assembled by HPV E2 and turns out to be the long sought cellular corepressor that inhibits the expression of HPV-encoded E6 and E7 oncoproteins that antagonize p53 and pRB tumor suppressor activity, respectively. The dual role of Brd4 in gene activation and repression illustrates how a dynamic chromatin-binding adaptor is able to recruit distinct transcriptional regulators to modulate promoter activity through cell cycle progression.
Relation of mesenteric vascular resistance after Fontan operation and protein-losing enteropathy.

E survival after the Fontan operation for single ventricle has improved substantially since its inception; however, late-term complications continue to be problematic. One such complication, proteinlosing enteropathy (PLE), is seen in 3% to 15% of patients after the Fontan operation, with a mortality rate of 50% at 5 years from time of initial diagnosis. The pathophysiology of this disorder is poorly understood. Although postulated as being related to the potentially deleterious effects of elevated systemic venous pressure, these pressures are frequently no different in patients with PLE than in those without PLE after the Fontan operation. To date, no specific circulatory derangement has been identified; thus, the mechanism of the disease remains a mystery. To obtain a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PLE after the Fontan operation, we investigated whether increased mesenteric vascular resistance (MVR) is present in subjects after the Fontan operation.
Deep inspiration breath hold and respiratory gating strategies for reducing organ motion in radiation treatment

We examine 2 strategies for reducing respiration-induced organ motion in radiation treatment: deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and respiratory gating. DIBH is a controlled breathing technique in which the patient performs a supervised breath hold during treatment. The technique offers 2 benefits: reduced respiratory motion from the breath hold and increased normal tissue sparing from the increased lung volume. In respiratory-gated treatment, a device external to the patient monitors breathing and allows delivery of radiation only during certain time intervals, synchronous with the patient's respiratory cycle. Gated treatment offers reduced respiratory motion with less patient effort than DIBH. We briefly survey the development of these 2 strategies, describe their clinical implementation for treatment of thoracic and liver tumors at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and discuss their advantages and limitations.
Envisioning a data reuse registry

Repurposing research data holds many benefits for the advancement of biomedicine, yet is very difficult to measure and evaluate. We propose a data reuse registry to maintain links between primary research datasets and studies that reuse this data. Such a resource could help recognize investigators whose work is reused, illuminate aspects of reusability, and evaluate policies designed to encourage data sharing and reuse.
Stimulating Simulations: Making the European Union a Classroom Reality

This article examines the organization and development of the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC), with special emphasis on linking theory to practice within its simulation program. The MEUSC program, initiated in 1993, brings fifteen colleges and universities to Washington, D.C., each December for an intercollegiate experiential learning exercise on the European Union. During the simulation, students meet with professional diplomats from both the United States and Europe, and they engage in consensus-building activities that mirror the decision-making processes of the EU Commission, Parliament, Council of Ministers, and the European Council. As a result, participants are able to refine and enhance a range of academic and practical skills that are keys for success in today's political and business worlds. The authors of this article make special use of a survey that was undertaken to gauge the impact of the simulation on its participants and, thus, its success as an educational venture.
Recent Developments at the NASA Langley Research Center National Transonic Facility

Several upgrade projects have been completed or are just getting started at the NASA Langley Research Center National Transonic Facility. These projects include a new high capacity semi-span balance, model dynamics damping system, semi-span model check load stand, data acquisition system upgrade, facility automation system upgrade and a facility reliability assessment. This presentation will give a brief synopsis of each of these efforts.
Progress in retarding the progression of advanced chronic kidney disease: Grounds for optimism

It has been generally held that once glomerular filtration rate (GFR) falls below approximately 25ml/min, a relentless progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) inevitably ensues, regardless of the original cause of reduced function. There is a paucity of contemporary studies, however, addressing whether the rate of progression can be slowed down with contemporary and comprehensive renal care when chronic kidney disease (CKD) has progressed to stages 4 and 5 (GFR 2 ). In this review we argue that significant progress is being made already in retarding the progression of advanced CKD thereby delaying the initiation of renal replacement therapy. We propose that CKD clinics, by providing comprehensive management of CKD, will have a decisive role in preventing and delaying the progression to advanced CKD.
Micellization and intermicellar interactions in aqueous sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate solutions

Quasielastic light scattering was used to investigate the size and shape of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) micelles in aqueous solutions. Measurements were made as a function of temperature and NaC1 and SDBS concentrations. Light scattering data indicate that the micelles are spherocylinders with a semiminor axis of 22 A. The length of the micelles increases strongly with salt concentration and decreases with temperature. The minimum micelle has an aggregation number of n o = 28 and a hydrodynamic radius of R = 22 A. Diffusion coeificient and intensity data were analyzed using a thermodynamic theory of micellar aggregation and a model based on DLVO theory of interactions. Due to their importance in tertiary oil recovery, surfactants of the alkylaryl sulfonate family have received considerable attention in recent years. In this paper we report the results of our quasi-elastic light-scattering measurements performed on dilute aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS). Many investigators have performed static (1-2) and dynamic (3-7) light-scattering experiments on aqueous solutions of ionic micelles. These results indicate that large, polydisperse micellar aggregates are present, and that the size of the aggregates depends on temperature, ionic strength, and in some cases the counterion. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical work, our understanding of micellar solutions is not complete. This is due to the fact that the size and shape of the micelles may be changed by changing either the amphiphile or the electrolyte concentration or the temperature of the solution. Thus one has to rely on theoretical models and several different experi~Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. mental techniques to separate the effects of intermicellar interactions on the equilibrium and transport properties from those due to a change in micelle size and shape. We present extensive data on the size and shape of SDBS miceUes and analyze our results in terms of two different models.
Cooling Spirals and Recirculation in the Subtropical Gyre

Abstract The influence of cooling in a western boundary current on the recirculation of parcels in the subtropical gyre and their eventual transfer into the subpolar gyre is investigated. It is shown that heat loss to the atmosphere and the resulting vertical convection of dense water in the Gulf Stream of a general circulation primitive equation model forces a counterclockwise spiral of the velocity vector with depth (a cooling spiral). Parcels that pass through this region of cooling are forced to cross under the upper-level trajectories from south to north, in opposite sense to the beta spiral experienced in the interior of the subtropical gyre. This crossing of trajectories is an important consequence of the cooling in the western boundary current as it influences both scale and structure of the subtropical gyre recirculation. A simple expression is derived that relates the spatial scale of the recirculation to the cooling rate in the western boundary current and the wind forcing in the subtropical gyre.
A comparison of peer video modeling and self video modeling to teach textual responses in children with autism

Peer video modeling was compared to self video modeling to teach 3 children with autism to respond appropriately to (i.e., identify or label) novel letters. A combination multiple baseline and multielement design was used to compare the two procedures. Results showed that all 3 participants met the mastery criterion in the self-modeling condition, whereas only 1 of the participants met the mastery criterion in the peer-modeling condition. In addition, the participant who met the mastery criterion in both conditions reached the criterion more quickly in the self-modeling condition. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching new skills to children with autism.
The role of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles in pre-mRNA splicing

A small set of distinctive short RNA molecules are found in the nuclei of all higher eukaryotic cells and yeast, in protein complexes known as 'small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles', or snRNPs. Recent work has confirmed early suggestions that these particles form part of the machinery by which primary RNA transcripts are processed to their mature, functional form. In particular, snRNPs have been shown to be an integral part of the 'spliceosome', a multi-component complex involved in the removal of intron sequences from the coding regions of messenger RNA precursors.
Polymer model of silicate melts

The distribution of silicate species in silicate melts is analyzed using the techniques of conventional polymer chemistry. The structure of a melt is dominated by the SiO4 monomer at low silica compositions. With increasing SiO2, the silicate species polymerize forming larger branch and ring structures. Infinitely branched species have a high probability of forming once 13 of the singly bonded oxygens of the silicon atoms become doubly bonded to two silicon atoms. In most binary silicate melts, this point is reached at mole fractions NsiO2 between 0.28 and 0.44. The extent of polymerization of a melt can be expressed as a constant, K. This constant can, in turn, be correlated to the field strength of the cation that is added as an oxide. Cations of high field strength form the most polymerized melts. These highly polymerized melts are characterized by liquid immiscibility at high silica compositions.
Effect of Polymer Coated Needles on Infusate Backflow During Convection-Enhanced Delivery

Currently, many central nervous system disorders cannot be treated effectively using conventional drug delivery methods such as oral and intravenous drug administration. Therapeutic agents for such disorders often contain polar proteins with high molecular weight compounds (i.e. enzymes, antibodies and gene vectors) that are too large to diffuse through the tight junctions of the blood brain barrier (BBB) [1]. Moreover, it has been shown that low molecular weight compounds, though highly diffusive within brain tissue and tumors, have a limited distribution of just a few millimeters from the site of delivery due to loss via capillaries [1]. Direct infusion into the brain using convection-enhanced delivery (CED) as a supplement to diffusion is a technique that can circumvent these limitations by allowing one to utilize bulk flow to achieve much greater drug concentrations throughout the targeted area [1].Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Forecasting Internal Conflict A Competitive Evaluation of Empirical Theories

This article evaluates a formal theory of domestic political conflict using a forecasting approach. The theory, a mobilization of discontent model, argues that the extent of open political conflict within nations is a function of popular discontent, popular dispositions toward conflict, and the balance of organizational strengt between challengers and the regime. In order to examine the forecasting power of this argument, two competing and less elaborate models of domestic political conflict are also proposed. One, a model of the conflict process, forms linkages between the extent and intensity of conflict. The other is a truly naive model, which represents only a persistence of conflit argument. All three models are used to forecast conflict for 10 randomly selected nations in 1971-1975, and implications for the modelling of domestic political conflict are drawn.
The irrelevance of negative campaigns to political trust: Experimental and survey results

Abstract Previous research on negative political advertising has been confined to voters ‘ evaluations of those ads and their effects on voters ‘ evaluations of candidates. We examine the effects that negative political advertisements have on the general attitude of trust in government. Do mutual accusations by competing candidates in a campaign affect voter attitudes about the political system? Evidence from both an experiment and a survey suggests that they do not. Experimental subjects exposed to a very negative campaign had similar levels of trust in government as those exposed to a less negative campaign. A statewide survey of registered voters in 1988 showed only a modest correlation between perceived negativity of the presidential campaign and low trust. Both studies find evidence that trust conditions the relationship between negativity and candidate evaluation. Voters with lower levels of trust in government are more affected by the degree of negativity in the campaign.
Cellular automata model for persistent photoconductivity in YBCO

We feel that persistent photoconductivity has lacked an adequate microscopic model to date. In an effort to remedy this, we present a cellular automata model based on the idea that trapped electrons in the basal plane lead to structural rearrangements when illuminated with light ranging from IR-UV wavelengths. We interpret our results within a single-band model for the electronic structure of YBCO and find that our results are in good agreement with previous experimental work.
Cyclic re-use of the RNA polymerase sigma factor.

The RNA polymerase σ factor is required for the initiation of RNA synthesis. After initiation σ is released from the polymerase-factor complex and from the DNA template, and may then be re-used by another polymerase molecule to initiate a new RNA chain.
Postmyocardial infarction syndrome.

A new syndrome that is likely to follow myocardial infarction has recently been described. The cardinal manifestations of this syndrome may easily be confused with other, more common sequels of myocardial infarction, including cardiac failure, further infarction of the myocardium, and pulmonary embolism. The result of such confusion may be inappropriate therapy. This paper reviews the recent literature and our own experience with this syndrome and discusses the therapeutic implications.
Keynote review: The adipocyte as a drug discovery target

The adipocyte has pleiotropic functions beyond the storage of energy in times of nutrient abundance. Considerable efforts in adipocyte biology within the past ten years have emphasized the important role of adipose tissue in processes as diverse as energy metabolism, inflammation and cancer. Adipocytes are able to communicate with the brain and peripheral tissues implementing metabolic signals such as satiety, food intake and energy expenditure. Despite its huge pharmacological potential, only a small number of clinical applications interfere directly with adipocyte physiology. Here, we want to highlight various areas of adipocyte physiology that have not yet been explored pharmacologically and emphasize some of the limitations associated with these pharmacotherapies.
Design and Performance Analysis of Dual Die Pentium® 4 Package

The continued growth of power consumption has presented numerous packaging challenges for high performance processors. Even though voltage is a strong knob to reduce power, reducing voltage also reduces the maximum operating frequency (M. Suryakumar et al., 2006). Integrating more cores into the processor would result in better performance and power efficiency but this requires more memory accesses, driving a need for larger cache and high speed signaling, increasing package size and layer count. This paper discusses the design strategy for power delivery and compares performance of the dual die packages through measurements
Mixture noise removal in ultrasound images using SCoBeP and low-rank matrix completion

Denoising as one of the most significant tools in ultrasound imaging was studied widely in the literature. However, most existing ultrasound image denoising algorithms have assumed the additive white Gaussian noise. In this work, we propose two efficient ultrasound image denoising methods that can handle a noise mixture of various types. Our methods are based on SCoBeP [1] and low-rank matrix completion as follows. In our first method, a noisy image is processed in blockwise manner and for each processed block we find candidate match pixels on other images using sparse coding and belief propagation, where in our second algorithm, we use overlapped patches to further lower the computation complexity. The blocks centered around these candidate pixels then will stack together and unreliable pixels will be removed using fast matrix completion method [2]. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm in removing the mixed noise through the results. We also compare with other denoising technique using matrix completion. Our methods results in comparable performance with significantly lower computation complexity.
‘Slaughtering this beautiful math’: graduate women choosing and leaving mathematics

The quality of graduate students' relationships with faculty are crucial for students' success. Unfortunately, negative relationships with faculty are common for women in the sciences and mathematics. Six women doctoral students in one mathematics department in the US were interviewed to better understand the nature of their relationships with faculty members, and the effects of those relationships on their decisions to persist or to leave. These women described the limited or negative relationships they had with faculty. They spoke of ways in which they felt ignored, the lack of mentoring, advising, and other guidance, poor teaching, and a general lack of moral support. Each of them described ways in which they felt they did not ‘fit in’ in the department. These findings are interpreted through two lenses: the idea of participation in a community of practice and all that that entails, and Noddings' notions of caring. Implications for women in mathematics at all levels are discussed.
Ventricular septal defect and cardiomyopathy in mice lacking the transcription factor CHF1/Hey2

Ventricular septal defects are common in human infants, but the genetic programs that control ventricular septation are poorly understood. Here we report that mice with a targeted disruption of the cardiovascular basic helix–loop–helix factor (CHF)1/Hey2 gene show isolated ventricular septal defects. These defects result primarily in failure to thrive. Mice often succumbed within the first 3 wk after birth and showed pulmonary and liver congestion. The penetrance of this phenotype varied, depending on genetic background, suggesting the presence of modifier genes. Expression patterns of other cardiac-specific genes were not affected. Of the few animals on a mixed genetic background that survived to adulthood, most developed a cardiomyopathy but did not have ventricular septal defects. Our results indicate that CHF1 plays an important role in regulation of ventricular septation in mammalian heart development and is important for normal myocardial contractility. These mice provide a useful model for the study of the ontogeny and natural history of ventricular septal defects and cardiomyopathy.
Sequence-Specific Binding to a Subset of IscR-Regulated Promoters Does Not Require IscR Fe–S Cluster Ligation

IscR is an Fe-S protein that functions as a transcriptional regulator of Fe-S biogenesis and other Fe-S protein-encoding genes in Escherichia coli. In this study, we investigated the requirement for the ligation of the [2Fe-2S] cluster of IscR to regulate a subset of IscR target promoters (P(hyaA), P(ydiU), P(napF), and P(hybO)) and defined the requirements for sequence-specific binding to the IscR target site in the hyaA promoter region. In contrast to previous results with the iscR promoter, we found that the Fe-S cluster is dispensable for IscR regulation of P(hyaA), P(ydiU), P(napF), and P(hybO), since IscR mutants containing alanine substitutions of the cysteine Fe-S ligands retained IscR-dependent regulation of these promoters in vivo. In vitro assays showed that both [2Fe-2S]-IscR and an IscR mutant lacking the cluster (IscR-C92A/C98A/C104A) bound the hya site with similar affinity, explaining why the mutant protein retained its ability to repress P(hyaA) in vivo. Characterization of the oligomeric state of IscR showed that both apo-IscR and [2Fe-2S]-IscR were dimers in solution, and four protomers of either form bound to the hya site. Also, binding of either apo- or [2Fe-2S]-IscR to the hya site showed cooperativity, suggesting that both forms interact similarly with the target site. Analysis of mutations in the hya site using DNA competition assays showed that apo-IscR most likely recognizes an imperfect palindrome within the hya promoter. Furthermore, the strength of apo-IscR binding to P(sufA), P(ydiU), P(napF), and P(hybO) IscR sites correlated with the number of matches to the hya site bases shown to be important in the competition assay. Thus, our data indicated that, unexpectedly, apo-IscR is a site-specific DNA-binding protein, and the role of apo-IscR needs to be considered in developing models for how IscR globally regulates transcription.
In Vitro Biocompatibility Evaluation Of Naturally Derived And Synthetic Biomaterials Using Normal Human Bladder Smooth Muscle Cells

Purpose: Tissue engineering of the urinary tract often requires the use of various biomaterials. Adequate biomaterial biocompatibility is necessary for successful urinary reconstruction. In this study using a primary normal human bladder smooth muscle cell culture system we evaluated the in vitro biocompatibility of a number of naturally derived biomaterials, including bladder submucosa, small intestinal submucosa, collagen and alginate, and polymeric biomaterials, including polyglycolic acid, poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid, which have been used for urinary reconstruction experimentally or clinically.Materials and Methods: To determine the cytotoxic and bioactive effects of bladder submucosa, small intestinal submucosa, collagen, alginate, polyglycolic acid, poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) we measured cell viability, metabolic activity, apoptotic properties and DNA synthesis activity with 4 types of assays, namely Neutral Red (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Miss...
Why Asian settler colonialism matters: a thought piece on critiques, debates, and Indigenous difference

Examining multicultural forms of settler colonialism, this essay examines settler colonialism within a transnational view of global imperial politics, pulling formations of settler colonialism and imperialism together. Responding to arguments against the critique of Asian settler colonialism, this essay argues that while migration in and of itself does not equate to colonialism, migration to a settler colonial space, where Native lands and resources are under political, ecological, and spiritual contestation, means the political agency of immigrant communities can bolster a colonial system initiated by White settlers. An analysis of White supremacy is thus argued to be critical to a settler of color critique of the US Empire. White settlers in the islands managed Kanaka ‘Ōiwi and various Asian settler differences not through one binary opposition but multiple binaries. Taken together these oppositions produced a pyramidal view of the world that helped diverse non-White settlers to see their interests as a...
Cardiac resynchronization therapy for patients with reverse Bernheim physiology and symptomatic biventricular heart failure - first clinical experience

SESSION 40: NONINVASIVE EVALUATION II: Brugada Syndrome Friday, May 6, 2005 2:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m.
HYDRODYNAMIC RESISTANCE OF TOWED CABLES

The hydrodynamic resistance on a towing cable is formulated on the basis of the independence principle which deduces that the chordwise viscous flow around a yawed cylinder is independent of the spanwise flow. The total resistance is resolved into the normal and the tangential resistances, respectively normal and tangential to the cable axis. The formulas of the normal and the tangential resistances can be universally applied to cables of any cross-sectional shape, and, for a given shape, require some empirical relationships that can be directly and conveniently obtained with a minimum of testing in a wind tunnel. This feature is attributable to the fact that the normal and the tangential resistances are expressed solely as functions of the Reynolds number based on the velocity component perpendicular to the axis of the cable. Working formulas for circular cables, derived from the universal formulas, yield values of the resistances that agree well with limited experimental data.
Primary Care Delivery in the United States and Four Northwest European Countries: Comparing the “Corporatized” with the “Socialized”

Primary care--often considered the weak link in the United States health care delivery system--is the focal point of several European systems. Thoughtful analysis of structural and service differences and similarities among these approaches--whether "corporatized" or "socialized"--reveals areas for helpful innovation in the United States. Matters of access to and continuity of services, preventive care for children, long-term care, and accountability are especially relevant for primary care in an American context.
Metacarpal fractures in athletes: treatment, rehabilitation, and safe early return to play.

Abstract Specialty gloves and buddy taping of adjacent fingers may cushion impact and dissipate twisting forces so that hands, thumbs, and fingers are protected during play. When fractures occur, athletes must be protected from contact until healing has progressed to a point where reinjury or complications are unlikely and performance standards and expectations can be met. This article outlines a program of fracture management principles and progressive graduated rehabilitation that phase the hand-injured athlete first into general conditioning and non-ball-handling drills, then into return to hand impact activities, body contact, ball handling, and catching with the use of protective hand gear. At this point, specialized playing orthoses, gloves, or taping may be added to the treatment regimen. Batting, the use of golf clubs, and racquet handling occur later, and finally throwing with precision, distance, velocity, and frequency is initiated. The importance of the particular sport, the position played, and hand dominance are factored into the decision-making processes. Safety of the patient and opponents is paramount. Extra-articular meta-carpal fractures are discussed as a prototype for treatment, rehabilitation, and early safe return to play because of their frequent occurrence in athletes. J HAND THER. 2003;16:171-179.
Stable chlorine and carbon isotopic compositions of selected semi-volatile organochlorine compounds

Abstract To assess whether the isotopic composition of semi-volatile organochlorine compounds (SVOCs) may be a useful tool, we measured the bulk δ37Cl and δ13C values of several pesticides and Aroclor mixtures from different suppliers. Overall, the δ37Cl and δ13C values ranged from −5.10 to +1.22‰ and −31.63 to −22.39‰, respectively. These values are narrower than the ranges observed previously for volatile organic contaminants (VOCs). In particular, the isotopic compositions of the Aroclor mixtures were very tightly constrained for both chlorine and carbon. We also observed that SVOCs synthesized from hexachlorocyclopentadiene had the most enriched δ37Cl values. These data provide a baseline for future work employing isotope ratios to study the environmental fate of SVOCs.
Hepatitis B in HIV: Available treatment options and approach to therapy

In the past 5 years, three new drugs were approved for hepatitis B, bringing the total number of therapies to five nucleos(-t)ide analogues and two interferons. Some of these drugs are also active against HIV. As the complexity of hepatitis B treatment increases, it becomes important for practitioners to be familiar with the potency, resistance patterns, and response rates for each hepatitis B agent. In this article, the efficacy in HIV and the best regimens for coinfected patients are discussed for those needing treatment for both infections. A particular emphasis is placed on cross-resistance among hepatitis B drugs.
Deuteration effects on the structure and infrared spectrum of CH5(

The CH5+ molecular ion is well-known for its large amplitude motions that lead to complete scrambling of the hydrogen atoms, even in the vibrational ground state. Experiments have been reported that probe the consequences of these large amplitude motions. We recently reported that quantum zero-point effects partially quench the scrambling when CH5+ is partially deuterated. Here, the consequences of this quantum localization are investigated through calculations of the low-resolution spectra of CH4D+, CHD4+, and CD5+. The spectra are obtained by convoluting stick spectra, evaluated for individual stationary points on an ab initio potential surface, multiplying them by Diffusion Monte Carlo ground state density at that stationary point, and taking the sum. The CH/D stretch regions of CH4D+ and CD5+ are red-shifted relative to CH5+, while the overall shape of the envelope remains unaffected. In contrast, for CHD4+, the shape of the spectral envelope in the CH/D stretch region differs from the other three iso...
Wave propagation at high dissociation temperatures

Waves in ideal dissociating gases are examined in the limit of large dissociation temperatures. Both strong shock waves and weak finite-amplitude signalling problems are considered. The shock analysis is based on the Freeman limit, and an extension to higher Mach numbers is given. Even small-amplitude near-field theories, which are concerned with times comparable to the signal scale, can contain nonlinear exponential terms when the dissociation temperature is large. A corresponding endothermic Clarke equation is derived and solutions are determined in the Newtonian limit. Far-field theory, involving both convective and chemical nonlinearities, is also discussed. Suitable high-frequency solutions are obtained, together with results for the evolution of the shock path and the decay of the signal amplitude.
Emotional well-being years post-treatment for breast cancer: Prospective, multi-ethnic, and population-based analysis

Purpose This study investigated factors associated with declines in emotional well-being (EWB) over time in breast cancer survivors.