cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic suppression of heart-failure progression by a pseudophosphorylated mutant of phospholamban via in vivo cardiac rAAV gene delivery

The feasibility of gene therapy for cardiomyopathy, heart failure and other chronic cardiac muscle diseases is so far unproven. Here, we developed an in vivo recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) transcoronary delivery system that allows stable, high efficiency and relatively cardiac-selective gene expression. We used rAAV to express a pseudophosphorylated mutant of human phospholamban (PLN), a key regulator of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) cycling in BIO14.6 cardiomyopathic hamsters. The rAAV/S16EPLN treatment enhanced myocardial SR Ca(2+) uptake and suppressed progressive impairment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and contractility for 28-30 weeks, thereby protecting cardiac myocytes from cytopathic plasma-membrane disruption. Low LV systolic pressure and deterioration in LV relaxation were also largely prevented by rAAV/S16EPLN treatment. Thus, transcoronary gene transfer of S16EPLN via rAAV vector is a potential therapy for progressive dilated cardiomyopathy and associated heart failure.
Debt Relief and Leveraged Buy-Outs

Analyses of debt relief that focus on the behavior of debtors and existing creditors understate the incentives for collective action by creditors. It is well known that debt relief could benefit existing creditors by providing incentives for domestic investment by residents of debtor countries. It is argued here that relief could also make available additional profit opportunities to international investors. Under these circumstances, arrangements that would allow international investors to capture economic profits would make a leveraged buy-out of existing creditors, followed by relief, a profitable strategy for any investor or group of investors that could act collectively.
Reproductive ecology of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea)

Terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea) are important detritivores in many ecosystems. Because reproductive success and population dynamics of the Oniscidea depend on diverse biotic and abiotic environmental factors, the effects of global climate change on their biology may be significant. Although few studies have examined the relationship between climate change and population ecology in terrestrial isopods, much is known about their environment, genetics, physiology, behavior, life history, population biology, and evolutionary patterns. This review addresses the influence of biotic and abiotic environmental factors on terrestrial isopod reproduction. Significant biotic factors include microorganism-mediated sex determination, mate choice, sperm competition, maternal effects, food availability, and predation. Significant abiotic factors include temperature and moisture regimes, photoperiod, altitude, latitude, and microhabitat diversity. Studies of these factors reveal general patterns, as well as informative exceptions, in the ways different oniscid species, as well as different populations within a species, respond to environmental variation.
Analysis of photosensitive salt distribution in polymer films by 19F multiple-quantum NMR

In this work, the dispersion of triphenylsulfonium metal-fluoride salts in polymer films modeling chemically amplified resist systems has been characterized by solid-state 19F multiple-quantum nuclear magnetic resonance (MQ-NMR). Previously, this technique has been used to characterize 1H distributions on a length scale of approximately 20 angstroms in various materials. In agreement with differential scanning calorimetry, metal- fluoride salts were shown to be immiscible with the nonpolar polymers, poly-n- butylmethacrylate (PnBMA) and poly-isobutylmethacrylate (PiBMA), with no indication of individual salt molecules solubilized within the polymer matrix. Metal-fluoride salts in poly- methylmethacrylate (PMMA) were observed to be dispersed on a molecular scale even at a salt loading of 20% wt/wt. Although observed by electron microscopy, evidence of larger aggregates is absent in the MQ-NMR data of the salt/PMMA films, indicating that these aggregates represent a small fraction of the total salt in these films. In addition, unlike electron microscopy, MQ-NMR is nondestructive with respect to the photosensitive salt and polymers comprising resist systems.
HERITABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT TIME AND PROTANDRY IN THE PITCHER‐PLANT MOSQUITO, WYEOMYIA SMITHII

Models of protandry (1) assume implicitly or explicitly that independent evolution of male and female preadult development times is possible and (2) assume or assert that protandry should increase in populations that are univoltine or at least composed of discrete, nonoverlapping generations. Herein we examine these assumptions in the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii. Heritability and additive genetic variance of development time are higher in female than in male W. smithii. Protandry is higher in lines selected for slow development than in lines selected for fast development or in unselected control lines. Protandry is therefore capable of evolving. Contrary to predictions based on sexual selection, southern populations with multiple, overlapping generations are just as protandrous as northern bi- and univoltine populations with discrete generations. Voltinism and developmental synchrony of the population do not appear to have been major selective factors in the evolution of protandry in W. smithii. We propose that protandry can be maintained by natural selection in multivoltine populations with overlapping generations as a consequence of sexually dimorphic fitness criteria. Selection should minimize development time in males but maximize growth rate in females. In W. smithii, females achieve higher growth rate than males but also harbor greater genetic variation for development time, indicating that selection has, indeed, minimized development time to a greater extent in males than in females. We conclude that if both natural and sexual selection are involved in the maintenance of protandry in populations of W. smithii, then their relative importance changes with the degree of generation overlap.
[2Fe-2S] Proteins in Chlorosomes: Redox Properties of CsmI, CsmJ, and CsmX of the Chlorosome Envelope of Chlorobaculum tepidum

The chlorosome envelope of Chlorobaculum tepidum contains 10 polypeptides, three of which, CsmI, CsmJ, and CsmX, have an adrenodoxin-like domain harboring a single [2Fe-2S] cluster. Mutants that produced chlorosomes containing two, one, or none of these Fe–S proteins were constructed [Li, H., et al. (2013) Biochemistry 52, preceding paper in this issue (DOI: 10.1021/bi301454g)]. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, g values, and line widths of the Fe–S clusters in individual CsmI, CsmJ, and CsmX proteins were obtained from studies with isolated chlorosomes. The Fe–S clusters in these proteins were characterized by EPR and could be differentiated on the basis of their g values and line widths. The EPR spectrum of wild-type chlorosomes could be simulated by a 1:1 admixture of the CsmI and CsmJ spectra. No contribution of CsmX to the EPR spectrum of chlorosomes was observed because of its low abundance. In chlorosomes that contained only CsmI or CsmJ, the midpoint potential of the [2Fe-2S] clus...
Observational constraints on the chemistry of isoprene nitrates over the eastern United States

incompatible with the observations. We find that � 50% of the isoprene nitrate production in the model occurs via reactions of isoprene (or its oxidation products) with the NO3 radical, but note that the isoprene nitrate yield from this pathway is highly uncertain. Using recent estimates of rapid reaction rates with ozone, 20–24% of isoprene nitrates are lost via this pathway, implying that ozonolysis is an important loss process for isoprene nitrates. Isoprene nitrates are shown to have a major impact on the nitrogen oxide (NOx =N O +N O2) budget in the summertime U.S. continental boundary layer, consuming 15–19% of the emitted NOx, of which 4–6% is recycled back to NOx and the remainder is exported as isoprene nitrates (2–3%) or deposited (8–10%). Our constraints on reaction rates, branching ratios, and deposition rates need to be confirmed through further laboratory and field measurements. The model systematically underestimates free tropospheric concentrations of organic nitrates, indicating a need for future investigation of the processes controlling the observed distribution.
Teachers' workplace learning within informal contexts of school cultures in the United States and Lithuania

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore informal contexts of teachers' workplace professional learning and inform educational researchers, teacher educators, administrators and teachers about ways in which teachers learn to improve their practice. By questioning how teachers learn on‐the‐job to be better teachers and how school cultures position them as learners, this study seeks to generates hypotheses about relationships between the nature of workplace professional learning and its content and informal contexts.Design/methodology/approach – An ethnographic design based on a grounded theory generates analytic categories from interviews, participants' reflective journals and field notes through comparison of learning environments in three contrasting schools in two countries – Lithuania and the USA. Discourse analysis is employed to analyze three cases of the schools' informal learning contexts in order to better understand how teachers learned through everyday interactions.Findings – Within eac...
Das elektrodenverbindungsmaterial, ein zentrales bauelement in Hochtemperatur-Brennstoffzellen. Teil I: Auswahl von materialien — ein Überblick

Abstract In the construction of high temperature fuel cell batteries, the electrode interconnection material (ICM) plays a central role. Part I of this paper presents a short review of the factors affecting the choice of this material. The ICM has to form a gas tight and mechanically stable connection between the structural elements, made of a solid electrolyte ceramic; and an electrical connection between the electrodes of adjacent cells. As a consequence of the requirements imposed on the material properties, only a few substances can be considered.
Volatile Substance Misuse in Children and Youth: A Consideration of Theories

A paucity of research exists in the social sciences regarding the theories explaining volatile substance misuse behavior in children and adolescent. Volatile substances include solvents and inhalants such as modeling glue, aerosol sprays, and gasoline. The explanations found in the literature neither sufficiently nor adequately explain possible motivation and causation. Cultural ideas about life and alcohol, as perceived by adult community members, are significant contributing and motivating variables in children's choices to misuse volatile substances. The social forces within cultural frameworks must be acknowledged to better understand youthful choices to misuse substances.
Mechanisms of DNA bending

Genome packaging and gene regulation require DNA bending. Recent developments in the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in DNA bending include new X-ray structures (most notably that of the mammalian nucleosome) wherein DNA is bent, controversy surrounding interpretation of DNA-bending experiments with basic-leucine zipper proteins, studies of electrostatic effects in DNA bending, and the design of artificial DNA-bending ligands.
Bringing the firms into globalization research: The effects of foreign investment and exports on wages in Mexican manufacturing firms

Researchers specializing in organizations and labor markets have paid insufficient attention to the effects that foreign ownership of a firm and its orientation towards export production may have on the wages it pays to its workers. Using information from a nationally-representative sample of manufacturing firms in Mexico, a paradigmatic case of a developing country that is highly integrated into world markets, we find that foreign-owned and export-oriented firms pay considerably more than nationally-owned firms engaged in the production of goods for sale in the domestic market. Second, beyond paying higher wages to their workers, foreign-owned firms also raise the wages paid by domestic firms operating in the same regional labor markets. The wage premium in foreign and export-oriented firms cannot be explained by their size, industry, geographical location, productivity, use of advanced technology, or the sociodemographic composition of their workforce. We find evidence that wages in foreign-owned companies in Mexico are dependent on the country of origin of the capital investment. A greater difference between the industry-specific wages paid in the country of ownership and Mexico is associated with a higher wage premium in Mexican affiliates. Future work should strive to link information from foreign-owned affiliates with their parent companies abroad.
Ribosomal RNA synthesis and transport following disruption of the nuclear envelope.

Experiments were designed to determine if the synthesis, processing and transport of rRNA are affected by changes in nuclear permeability. RNA was labeled by microinjecting [3H]GTP into the cytoplasm of defolliculated oocytes. After injection, the nuclear envelopes were disrupted by puncturing the cells with glass needles. It has been shown that this procedure significantly alters the physical properties of the nuclear envelope. At appropriate intervals after puncturing, the oocytes were manually enucleated and RNA was extracted from both nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. The extracts were analyzed on 2.5% polyacrylamide gels. The results indicate that over a period of 41/2 h neither the production nor the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of rRNA are affected by altering the permeability characteristics of the nuclear envelope.
Molecular biology of cytosolic acetyl-CoA generation

ATP citrate lyase (ACL) catalyses the ATP-dependent reaction between citrate and CoA to form oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA. Our molecular characterizations of the cDNAs and genes coding for the Arabidopsis ACL indicate that the plant enzyme is heteromeric, consisting of two dissimilar subunits. The A subunit is homologous to the N-terminal third of the animal ACL, and the B subunit is homologous to C-terminal two-thirds of the animal ACL. Using both ACL-A- and ACL-B-specific antibodies and activity assays we have shown that ACL is located in the cytosol, and is not detectable in the plastids, mitochondria or peroxisomes. During seed development, ACL-A and ACL-B mRNA accumulation is co-ordinated with the accumulation of the cytosolic homomeric acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA. Antisense Arabidopsis plants reduced in ATP citrate lyase activity show a complex phenotype, with miniaturized organs, small cell size, aberrant plastid morphology and reduced cuticular wax. Our results indicate that ACL generates the cytosolic pool of acetyl-CoA, which is the substrate required for the biosynthesis of a variety of phytochemicals, including cuticular waxes and flavonoids.
Domestic Automatic Ice Maker Component Design

The design of automatic ice maker components for domestic refrigerators and freezers is discussed. Methods developed by the industry for performing the basic functions of an automatic ice maker component are covered, and these methods are related to the five automatic ice maker components available in today's domestic refrigerators and freezers.
Lightweight control-flow instrumentation and postmortem analysis in support of debugging

Debugging is difficult and costly. As a human programmer looks for a bug, it would be helpful to see a complete trace of events leading to the point of failure. Unfortunately, full tracing is simply too slow to use in deployment, and may even be impractical during testing. We aid post-deployment debugging by giving programmers additional information about program activity shortly before failure. We use latent information in post-failure memory dumps, augmented by low-overhead, tunable run-time tracing. Our results with a realistically-tuned tracing scheme show low enough overhead (0-5%) to be used in production runs. We demonstrate several potential uses of this enhanced information, including a novel postmortem static slice restriction technique and a reduced view of potentially-executed code. Experimental evaluation shows our approach to be very effective, such as shrinking stack-sensitive interprocedural static slices by 49-78% in larger applications.
Pairing on small clusters in the peierls-hubbard model: implications for C/sub 60/

Summary form only given. We study the pairing within the Peierls-Hubbard Model for electron- and hole-doped analogs of C)/sub 60/ accessible to exact diagonalization techniques (cube, truncated tetrahedron, etc.) and larger systems in a truncated basis including C)/sub 60/ in double CI. We find that there exist two different mechanisms of pairing, corresponding to pairing occurring at small U (and vanishing at large U), and to pairing occurring only at large U. We find that the small-U pairing found in the pure Hubbard model cannot be discussed without simultaneously discussing the Jahn-Teller distortions of the Hubbard molecules: when electron-phonon interactions are included, the pairing vanishes. The large-U pairing, surprisingly, is related neither to Jahn-Teller distortion nor to antiferromagnetism. We also discuss potential pitfalls in the extrapolation from small system calculations to C/sub 60/, and stress the necessity of having the correct intuitive picture.
The role of grain boundary plane orientation in the β phase precipitation of an Al–Mg alloy

This study explores how grain boundary plane orientation affects β phase (Al3Mg2) precipitation in an Al–Mg alloy. The orientations of selected grain boundary planes were measured and related to their corresponding β phase thicknesses. It was found that grain boundaries with plane orientations close to {1 1 0} appear vulnerable to β precipitation. Additionally, the sputtered Al–Mg demonstrated improved resistance to β precipitation compared to the conventional Al–Mg, which could be attributed to its special columnar grain boundary plane orientations.
The role of DNA mismatch repair in generating genetic diversity and drug resistance in malaria parasites

Although the mechanisms by which malaria parasites develop resistance to drugs are unclear, current knowledge suggests a main mechanism of resistance is the alteration of target enzymes by point mutation. In other organisms, defects in DNA mismatch repair have been linked to increased mutation rates and drug resistance. We have identified an unusual complement of mismatch repair genes in the Plasmodium genome. An initial functional test of two of these genes (PfMSH2-1 and PfMSH2-2) using a dominant mutator assay showed an elevation in mutation frequency with the PfMSH2-2 homolog, indirectly demonstrating a role for this gene in mismatch repair. We successfully disrupted PbMSH2-2 in the Plasmodium berghei laboratory isolate NK65, and showed that this gene is not essential for parasite growth in either the asexual (rodent) or sexual (mosquito) stages of the lifecycle. Although we observed some differences in levels of drug resistance between wild type and mutant parasites, no uniform trend emerged and preliminary evidence does not support a strong link between PbMSH2-2 disruption and dramatically increased drug resistance. We found microsatellite polymorphism in the PbMSH2-2 disrupted parasites in less than 40 life cycles post-transfection, but not in PbMap2K disrupted controls or mosquito-passaged wild type parasites, which suggests a possible role for PbMSH2-2 in preventing microsatellite slippage, similar to MSH2 in other organisms. Our studies suggest that Plasmodium species may have evolved a unique variation on the highly conserved system of DNA repair compared to the mismatch repair systems in other eukaryotes.
Extending the Reach of Coiled Tubing in Directional Wells With Downhole Motors

A rigorous study has dispelled a longtime myth about coiled-tubing technology. The inability to rotate the tubing limits its reach in the lateral section of the wellbore. Past and current extended-reach techniques for coiled-tubing drilling (CTD) have not been sufficient (individually) in significantly increasing the reach of the tubing in the wellbore; often four or five extended-reach methods are combined to have significant tubing displacement in the wellbore, which is quite expensive to do. After much rigorous investigations and computer simulation tests, the study has demonstrated that a downhole motor (second motor) can be employed in extending significantly the reach of coiled tubing in the wellbore. This technique is expected to also improve hole cleaning process (during CTD), since the configuration allows for the rotation of the coiled tubing string. With the proposed technology having two tubing segments (rotating and nonrotating segments), the investigations show that the two segments will not buckle under applied torsional loads in the course of using a hydraulic downhole motor. But the nonrotating segment of the tubing string will be subjected to severe twisting. Downhole electric motors and a dynamic torque anchor (or full-gaged stabilizer) coupled to a hydraulic motor can be employed to achieve the primary aim of the technology and prevent twisting of the nonrotating segment (the twisting of the segment destabilizes the drilling process). Although the use of a dynamic torque anchor or full-gaged stabilizer can be employed in arresting the twisting moment, it induces high frictional forces, which reduce the lateral displacement of the tubing (relative to an electrodrill). To solve this problem, a new “dynamic torque arrestor” has been proposed in this project. The simulation tests show that the lateral displacements of the tubing in the wellbore (when the newly proposed dynamic torque arrestor is coupled to a hydraulic motor) are greater than the displacements achieved with the use of dynamic torque anchor or full-gaged stabilizer.
Phosphatase Specificity and Pathway Insulation in Signaling Networks

Phosphatases play an important role in cellular signaling networks by regulating the phosphorylation state of proteins. Phosphatases are classically considered to be promiscuous, acting on tens to hundreds of different substrates. We recently demonstrated that a shared phosphatase can couple the responses of two proteins to incoming signals, even if those two substrates are from otherwise isolated areas of the network. This finding raises a potential paradox: if phosphatases are indeed highly promiscuous, how do cells insulate themselves against unwanted crosstalk? Here, we use mathematical models to explore three possible insulation mechanisms. One approach involves evolving phosphatase KM values that are large enough to prevent saturation by the phosphatase’s substrates. Although this is an effective method for generating isolation, the phosphatase becomes a highly inefficient enzyme, which prevents the system from achieving switch-like responses and can result in slow response kinetics. We also explore the idea that substrate degradation can serve as an effective phosphatase. Assuming that degradation is unsaturatable, this mechanism could insulate substrates from crosstalk, but it would also preclude ultrasensitive responses and would require very high substrate turnover to achieve rapid dephosphorylation kinetics. Finally, we show that adaptor subunits, such as those found on phosphatases like PP2A, can provide effective insulation against phosphatase crosstalk, but only if their binding to substrates is uncoupled from their binding to the catalytic core. Analysis of the interaction network of PP2A’s adaptor domains reveals that although its adaptors may isolate subsets of targets from one another, there is still a strong potential for phosphatase crosstalk within those subsets. Understanding how phosphatase crosstalk and the insulation mechanisms described here impact the function and evolution of signaling networks represents a major challenge for experimental and computational systems biology.
Kinetic analysis of the AH8165-receptor interaction at the mammalian neuromuscular junction.

The effect of a new neuromuscular blocking agent, AH8165, on carbachol-induced end-plate depolarization was measured in isolated guinea pig lumbrical muscles. The results showed that the kinetics were competitive (parallel shift of dose-response curves to the right and a slope of Schild plot of 1.09 +/- 0.07) and the AH8165-receptor dissociation constant was estimated as 0.337 +/- 0.008 muM. Once the dissociation constant was known, the fraction of receptors occupied by any given concentration of AH8165 could be determined. This fractional receptor occupancy was then compared with the indirect twitch response in an isolated guinea pig nerve-lumbrical muscle preparation. These measurements of the effect of AH8165 on the margin of safety of neuromuscular transmission gave values comparable to those obtained with d-tubocurarine, i.e., the twitch remained normal until 75-80 per cent of the receptors were blocked and was abolished when 90-95 per cent of the receptors were occluded. Thus, the neuromuscular blocking action of AH8165 appears to be consistent with a simple postsynaptic competitive interaction with the transmitter.
Thermal and Optical Analysis of a Stacked Photobioreactor Design

In this work, we present thermal and optical analysis of a stacked photobioreactor design for growth of fuel producing photosynthetic cyanobacteria to achieve significantly higher volume and energy efficiency as compared to traditional photobioreactor designs. Our photobioreactor design incorporates racks of propagating slab waveguides [1], stacked over each other with spacing of a few hundred microns, in order to optimize light, fluid and gas delivery — the three essential ingredients for cyanobacterial growth — to the cyanobacteria growing in between the racks. The use of propagating slab waveguides provides a mechanism for efficient localized delivery of light to the cyanobacteria. However, it is important to analyze the light distribution of such waveguide systems in the photobioreactors to ensure they always remain within the optimal range for the bacteria. Further, the close packing of cyanobacteria in a closed system raises concerns regarding heat entrapment within the reactor, due to the heat produced as waste by the cyanobacteria. Higher temperatures can lead to a significant loss in efficiency in fuel producing and growth centers of the bacteria. Therefore it is important to design the reactor with appropriate thermal conditions for constraining the temperatures within optimal range for the bacteria. Here we attempt to simulate the thermal characteristics of such a system and estimate the temperature map of the system, and use these to dictate the design parameters and characteristics of the photobioreactor.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)-Mediated Protection of Neural Crest Cells from Antimitotic Agent-Induced Apoptosis: The Role of the Low-Affinity NGF Receptor

Prevention by nerve growth factor (NGF) of apoptotic death in neural cells has been variously ascribed to binding of NGF to its low-affinity (p75) or high-affinity (trkA) receptor or to a cooperative interaction between the two. In a series of studies using, in turn, neuroblastoma cell lines that express only p75, mutant NGF species that bind selectively to either p75 or trkA, and a polyclonal antibody that binds to the NGF-binding domain of p75, we demonstrate that NGF binding to p75 is both necessary and sufficient for the abrogation of apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells treated with antimitotic agents.
Self-management of buprenorphine/naloxone among online discussion board users.

Background: Buprenorphine/naloxone is an effective medication used to treat opioid dependence. Patients in treatment and those using it illegally without prescriptions have discussed using buprenorphine/naloxone anonymously on Internet discussion boards. Their beliefs about self-treatment and efforts to self-treat are not well known. Objectives: To identify facilitators of self-treatment by online buprenorphine/naloxone users. Methods: A qualitative, retrospective study of discussion board postings from September 2010 to November 2012 analyzed 121 threads from 13 discussion boards using grounded theory. Results: Facilitators of self-management themes that emerged included: (1) a ready supply of buprenorphine/naloxone from a variety of sources; (2) distrust of buprenorphine prescribers and pharmaceutical companies; (3) the declaration that buprenorphine/naloxone is a “bad-tasting” medicine; (4) the desire to adopt a different delivery method other than sublingually; and (5) a desire to become completely “s...
Multimodality Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy can be administered safely to patients with pancreatic cancer. Complete pathologic responses are rare, however, and the benefits of this approach compared with standard adjuvant therapy are uncertain. The only way to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is a prospective trial involving a uniform patient population comparing the results of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy and a cohort receiving surgery alone. Such a study can be designed in an ethically sound manner but requires the collaboration of numerous institutions and careful coordination to achieve statistically conclusive results. The future of pancreatic cancer research rests on the availability and rapid transfer of new therapies from the laboratory to clinical research.
The design of a pulsed, repetitive, high voltage electron beam driver

A medium power, repetitive electron beam generator has been designed and fabricated to enable the evaluation of a novel, large-area electron-transparent window. The test stand was developed to demonstrate the electron transparency and the thermal response of the window to an electron beam. The electron beam generator design is described in this article, and focuses on the electrical driver circuit and the electron gun, including external electron beam focusing elements.
Physician perception and recommendation of insulin pens for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACTObjective: To determine the way in which physicians perceive insulin pens and the factors that affect their recommendations and their patients' pen initiation/use.Research design and methods: Primary care physicians (N = 300; 108 family practice, 192 internal medicine) and endocrinologists (N = 225) were recruited from national databases (IMS and AMA) to participate in an Internet survey. All data are self-reports. Measures include five dependent variables (the extent of suitability for patient segments, two pen-related behaviors – their frequency of presenting patients with the pen as a treatment option and strength of pen recommendation – and extent of their patients' pen initiation and use) and several potential correlates: practice characteristics; therapeutic philosophy and practices; perceptions of insulin pens (convenience, facilitation of self-care, blood glucose control efficacy, cost/coverage). Correlates of dependent variables were examined using multiple linear regression.Results: Sign...
Bronchodilator response in patients with normal baseline spirometry.

BACKGROUND: Spirometry before and after bronchodilator is performed to assess air flow-limitation reversibility. In patients with normal baseline spirometry the frequency of a positive bronchodilator response, as defined by American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society criteria, has not been described. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed adult patients tested in 2 academic pulmonary function testing laboratories over a 7-year period, with specific attention to patients who underwent bronchodilator testing after a normal baseline spirometry (FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC within normal limits). The frequency of a positive response to bronchodilator, defined as a 12% and 200 mL increase in either FEV1 or FVC, was calculated and associated with demographic factors. RESULTS: Of the 1,394 patients with normal spirometry who were administered bronchodilator, 43 (3.1%) had a positive response. The percent of patients responding to bronchodilator were grouped according to pre-bronchodilator FEV1: > lower limit of normal to 90% of predicted = 6.9%, 90–100% of predicted = 1.9%, and > 100% of predicted = 0%. An FEV1/FVC in the lowest 2 quartiles was associated with a higher frequency of bronchodilator response. Older patients were more likely to respond to bronchodilator, but no other demographic factors were associated with a positive bronchodilator response. CONCLUSIONS: In our study population the frequency of a positive bronchodilator response in patients with normal baseline spirometry is 3.1%. None of the patients with a pre-bronchodilator FEV1 > 100% of predicted and only 1.9% of patients with an FEV1 between 90% and 100% of predicted responded. Bronchodilator testing can be omitted in patients with normal spirometry and an FEV1 above 90% of predicted, as they have a low probability of a positive response.
Suppression of HIV-1 transcription by β-chemokines RANTES, MIP1-α, and MIP-1β is not mediated by the NFAT-1 enhancer element

Soluble factors derived from human CD8+ T-lymphocytes inhibit HIV-1 replication by suppressing transcription from the viral long terminal repeat (LTR), an effect shown to be mediated in part by an NFAT-1 enhancer sequence. We show here that the CD8+ derived β-chemokines, RANTES, MIP1-α, and MIP-1β, known suppressors of HIV-1 replication in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, can suppress transcription from the HIV-1 LTR in transient transfection assays in cells of the Jurkat (acute T leukemia) line. Surprisingly, the suppression mediated by these β-chemokines persisted in the absence of an intact NFAT-1 element, suggesting that there are at least two classes of HIV-1 suppressor factors — NFAT-1-dependent and NFAT-1-independent factors — produced by CD8+ T-lymphocytes.
Covariance estimation with limited training samples

This paper describes a covariance estimator formulated under an empirical Bayesian setting to mitigate the problem of limited training samples in the Gaussian maximum likelihood (ML) classification for remote sensing. The most suitable covariance mixture is selected by maximizing the average leave-one-out log likelihood. Experimental results using AVIRIS data are presented.
Stressors associated with coronary bypass surgery.

The purpose of this investigation was to attempt to replicate the findings of a study by Carr and Powers (1986) which examined differences between patient and nurse perceptions of the severity of s...
Unattended imaging sensors

Imaging sensor systems address a broad range of needs, in both the military and commercial sectors, and must meet a demanding set of requirements. The unattended imaging sensor application places particularly stressing demands on the technology. Unattended imaging sensors collect data from a broad field of regard, process the information, and transmit it to the observer or to other sensors for integration. The unattended sensor usually operates in a semi-autonomous mode, with a man-in-the-loop only as a check. The sensor must operate over an extended time period, with minimum power, and interpret a large amount of data. Changing environmental conditions impose a further set of requirements. High resolution, high contrast images during one period of the day may degrade significantly as conditions change in the evening, during fog and rain, and as the temperature fluctuates. This paper briefly discusses applications of unattended sensors and highlights recent sensor advances, in several spectral regions, contributing to the unattended sensor application.
Periodic Activation Function and a Modified Learning Algorithm for the Multivalued Neuron

In this paper, we consider a new periodic activation function for the multivalued neuron (MVN). The MVN is a neuron with complex-valued weights and inputs/output, which are located on the unit circle. Although the MVN outperforms many other neurons and MVN-based neural networks have shown their high potential, the MVN still has a limited capability of learning highly nonlinear functions. A periodic activation function, which is introduced in this paper, makes it possible to learn nonlinearly separable problems and non-threshold multiple-valued functions using a single multivalued neuron. We call this neuron a multivalued neuron with a periodic activation function (MVN-P). The MVN-Ps functionality is much higher than that of the regular MVN. The MVN-P is more efficient in solving various classification problems. A learning algorithm based on the error-correction rule for the MVN-P is also presented. It is shown that a single MVN-P can easily learn and solve those benchmark classification problems that were considered unsolvable using a single neuron. It is also shown that a universal binary neuron, which can learn nonlinearly separable Boolean functions, and a regular MVN are particular cases of the MVN-P.
Context-based automatic local image enhancement

In this paper, we describe a technique to automatically enhance the perceptual quality of an image. Unlike previous techniques, where global statistics of the image are used to determine enhancement operation, our method is local and relies on local scene descriptors and context in addition to high-level image statistics. We cast the problem of image enhancement as searching for the best transformation for each pixel in the given image and then discovering the enhanced image using a formulation based on Gaussian Random Fields. The search is done in a coarse-to-fine manner, namely by finding the best candidate images, followed by pixels. Our experiments indicate that such context-based local enhancement is better than global enhancement schemes. A user study using Mechanical Turk shows that the subjects prefer contextual and local enhancements over the ones provided by existing schemes.
Effect of mining and related activities on the sediment trace element geochemistry of lake coeur D'Alene, idaho, USA. Part I: Surface sediments

During the summer of 1990, 12 gravity cores were collected in Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at various depths and in a variety of depositional environments. All core subsamples were analysed to determine the bulk sediment chemistry; selected subsamples were analysed for trace element partitioning and 137Cs activity. The purpose of these analyses was to determine the trace element concentrations and distributions in the sediment column and to try to establish a trace element geochemical history of the lake in relation to mining and mining-related discharge operations in the area. Substantial portions of the near-surface sediments in Lake Coeur d'Alene are markedly enriched in Ag, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb and Zn, and slightly enriched in Cu, Fe and Mn. Variations in the thickness of the trace element-rich sediments, which range from more than 119 cm to as little as 17 cm, indicate that the source of much of this material is the Coeur d'Alene River. An estimated 75 million tonnes of trace element-rich sediments have been deposited on or in the lake bed. Estimated trace element masses in excess of those considered representative of background conditions range from a high of 468 000 tonnes of Pb to a low of 260 tonnes of Hg. The similarity between the trace element-rich surface and subsurface sediments with respect to their location, their bulk chemistry, their interelement relations and their trace element partitioning indicate that the sources and/or concentrating mechanisms causing the trace element enrichment in the lake sediments have probably been the same through-out their depositional history. Based on a Mt St Helens'ash layer from the 1980 eruption, ages estimated from 137Cs activity and the presence of 80 discernible and presumably annual layers in a core collected near the Coeur d'Alene River delta indicate that deposition rates for the trace element-rich sediments have ranges from 2.1 to 1.3 cm/year. These data also indicate that the deposition of trace element-rich sediments began, at least in the Coeur d'Alene River delta, some time between 1895 and 1910, dates consistent with the onset of mining and ore processing activities that began in the area in the 1880s.
Intramolecular electron transfer in fullerene derivatives with multiple donors

Abstract Electronic absorption and emission properties of the fullerene derivatives with multiple electron donors, ( N , N -dimethylaniline) N -[60]fullerene ( N =0,1,2,4, and 6), were investigated. The results show that there are both ground-state and excited-state electron transfers from the dimethylaniline moiety to the fullerene and that the electron transfers are dependent on the number of intramolecular electron donors on the fullerene cage. The results also show that the absorption and emission properties of these molecules are extremely solvent polarity dependent, consistent with the presence of significant electron transfer processes.
Ecological gait dynamics: stability, variability and optimal design

Variability–stability relationships are the very foundation of flexible biological movements. For footwear design, stability is best defined as pattern stability at the level of segmental relationships with regard to goal-oriented performance. Footwear design should seek to optimize the variation in segmental relationships while maintaining the overall locomotion pattern, providing a system that is both adaptable to upcoming events and stable to unanticipated perturbations. As footwear is designed for a variety of uses other than forward, continuous running on a flat terrain, an examination of the fundamental assumptions and applicability of traditional gait dynamics is necessary. Expanding evaluation of gait dynamics to non-forward, non-continuous motion across different terrains would seem appropriate, given the ubiquity of these movements in everyday life. Optimizing footwear design for different tasks requires trade-offs between design and material selection and a principled scientific approach to und...
Is compiled simulation really faster than interpreted simulation

It is commonly assumed that compiled simulation will provide significant performance improvements over interpreted event-driven simulation. This paper demonstrates that for a new algorithm called the Inversion Algorithm that this assumption is not true. The Inversion Algorithm can be run in either compiled or interpreted mode with only a slight difference in performance. Experimental data confirms this, and also demonstrates that first simulation results can be obtained much faster using the interpreted form of the algorithm.
A silver staining method for single-cell gel assay.

The single-cell gel assay (comet assay) is a very useful microelectrophoretic technique for evaluation of DNA damage and repair in individual cells. Usually, the comets are visualized and evaluated with fluorescent DNA stains. This staining requires specific equipment (e.g., a high-quality fluorescence microscope), the slides must be analyzed immediately, and they cannot be stored for long periods of time. Here we describe, using human lymphocytes, some modifications of the silver staining for comets that significantly increase the sensitivity/reproducibility of the assay. This silver staining was compared with fluorescence staining and commercial silver stains. (J Histochem Cytochem 49:1183-1186, 2001)
The power test for data dependence

A data dependence decision algorithm called the power test is introduced. The power test is a combination of the extended GCD algorithm and the Fourier-Motzkin method to eliminate variables in a system of inequalities. This is the first test that can generate the information needed for some advanced transformations, and that can handle complex simultaneous loop limits. Previous work in data dependence decision algorithms is reviewed. Some examples which motivated the development of this test are examined, including those which demonstrate the additional power of the power test. Although it may be too expensive for use as a general-purpose dependence test in a compiler, the power test has proved useful in an interactive program restructuring environment. >
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors: do they still have a role?

Compared with aspirin plus unfractionated heparin, the addition of intravenous glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) represented a major advance in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The benefits were particularly notable in high-risk patients, such as those with acute coronary syndromes or
Treatment of Agitation in Patients with Dementia

This article attempts to summarize some of the pertinent literature in the context of the authors' clinical experience and suggests that a comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, as well as a combined behavioral/environmental approach together with appropriate pharmacotherapy, are important tools in the management of this complicated clinical challenge.
The Food Engineer

Food engineering is considered a specialized engineering field, typically aligning within agricultural and chemical engineering. A food engineer may obtain further skills mainly through a university degree or industrial experience. When compared with other degrees such as chemical and mechanical engineering, a fundamental difference is indicated by specialized areas in food processing, food microbiology, and other related biological areas such as biochemistry. Typical industrial food engineering activities include: designing and optimizing food processes, development of food products, quality and safety assurance, selection and installation of food processing equipment.
Can Management Practices Make a Difference? Nonprofit Organization Financial Performance during Times of Economic Stress

The economic crisis presented unprecedented challenges to nonprofit organizations to sustain their services. In this study, we examined both financial and management factors that influence the financial performance of nonprofit organizations during times of economic stress. In particular, we investigated whether strategic planning and plan implementation, revenue diversification, and board involvement help nonprofit organizations deal with financial uncertainty and strengthen financial performance. Despite the negative impacts that the economic downturn had on nonprofit organizations, we found that the implementation of strategic plans can help nonprofit organizations reduce financial vulnerability. Our findings call attention to key management factors that influence the financial performance of nonprofit organizations.