cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preparation and properties of polystyrene model colloids: II. Effect of surface charge density on coagulation behavior

Abstract The influence of surface charge density on the stability of model polymer colloids was studied through the coagulation kinetics of monodisperse polystyrene latexes in which particle size and surface charge density were independent variables. The time dependence of light scattering intensity was used to measure the stability ratios of the colloids as a function of electrolyte concentration. These were used to calculate the Stern potential and the Hamaker constant by means of the method suggested by Reerink and Overbeek. The calculated Stern potential increases systematically with increasing surface charge density at constant latex particle size. The difference between this Stern potential and the surface potential calculated from the Gouy Chapman equation was found to depend on the surface charge density of the particles. A high surface charge density produces a larger potential drop through the Stern layer. The calculated value of the Hamaker “constant” increased regularly with increasing surface charge density. Variation of the calculated Hamaker constant was attributed to interactions other than the van der Waals attractive force and the electrostatic repulsive force involved in the colloidal system.
Reverberations of Racism and Sexism Through the Subjective Sexualities of Undergraduate Women of Color.

Young women of color (among others) face both subtle and overt discrimination on a regular basis, but few studies have examined relations between discrimination and sexual outcomes using quantitative tools. We surveyed 154 self-identified undergraduate women of color to examine connections between race- and sex-based discrimination and subjective sexual well-being (i.e., condom use self-efficacy and sexual life satisfaction) and also tested whether sexual autonomy mediated these relations. When examined individually, each form of discrimination was related negatively to condom use self-efficacy and sexual life satisfaction, such that as women reported more discrimination, they reported poorer sexual well-being. However, when examining both racism and sexism as joint predictors, only racism remained significant and there were no racism × sexism interaction effects. In a path model, sexual autonomy mediated the relation between racism and each measure of subjective sexual well-being; racism was negatively r...
Perforating the Iron Curtain: European détente, transatlantic relations, and the Cold War, 1965–1985

Poul Villaume and Odd Arne Westad, Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2010, 272 pp The picture on the cover of Perforating the Iron Curtain comes from the famous 1975 Helsinki conference, and in ...
Information technology fluency at a liberal arts college: experience with implementation and assessment

As information technology (IT) tools continue their rapid rate of change, students need to understand concepts as well as acquire current skills at a comparable rate. In other words, they must be fluent with IT. Various approaches have been suggested to increase the degree of IT fluency for undergraduates, particularly noncomputing majors. This paper outlines the goals, motivations and results of extending an existing computing survey course to include the topic of IT fluency explicitly via a case study in economics.
Captopril improves retinal neovascularization via endothelin-1.

RESULTS. Pups treated with captopril during hyperoxia had a lower median retinopathy score of 4.5 (25th, 75th quartile: 3, 6.4) compared with animals exposed to hyperoxia alone with median score 9.5 (25th, 75th quartile: 7.1, 10.4; P , 0.001). The pups treated with captopril during hyperoxia had significant reduction in number of nuclei extending beyond the inner limiting membrane (15.8 6 16.7, mean 6 SD) when compared with the animals exposed to hyperoxia only (50.4 6 28.0; P , 0.01). ET-1 expression in the retina increased 4.1-fold from P7 to P12 and a 1.9-fold increase from P12 to P17. Overall, there was an 8-fold increase in ET-1 expression from P7 to P17. Hyperoxia increased ET-1 expression by 2.1-fold at P12 over room air‐reared animals. At P17, there was a 2.9-fold increase in retinal ET-1 expression when compared with room air. At P17, there was a 6.2-fold suppression in ET-1 expression in captopril-treated animals when compared with the oxygen only‐treated animals. CONCLUSIONS. Captopril reduces retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. ET-1 expression is increased from P7 to P17, altered by hyperoxic exposure and relative hypoxic recovery and modulated by captopril in a mouse model of OIR. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001;42: 1867‐1872)
Carbohydrate Metabolism and Hormone–Fuel Interrelationships

Glucose is a central molecule in metabolism. Its concentration in the blood is tightly regulated. A decrease in blood glucose can lead to unconsciousness, as glucose is normally the required fuel of the brain and nervous system. Prolonged elevation of blood glucose, as in diabetes, leads to vascular damage. This article discusses the major pathways of glucose metabolism and their regulation: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen synthesis and breakdown, the pentose phosphate pathway, and how glucose metabolism is coupled to insulin release.
Receptor-type Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase β Regulates Met Phosphorylation and Function in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer and has a high rate of mortality. Emerging evidence indicates that hepatocyte growth factor receptor (or Met) pathway plays a pivotal role in HNSCC metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Met function is dependent on tyrosine phosphorylation that is under direct control by receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase β (RPTP-β). We report here that RPTP-β expression is significantly downregulated in HNSCC cells derived from metastatic tumors compared to subject-matched cells from primary tumors. Knockdown of endogenous RPTP-β in HNSCC cells from primary tumor potentiated Met tyrosine phosphorylation, downstream mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway activation, cell migration, and invasion. Conversely, restoration of RPTP-β expression in cells from matched metastatic tumor decreased Met tyrosine phosphorylation and downstream functions. Furthermore, we observed that six of eight HNSCC tumors had reduced levels of RPTP-β protein in comparison with normal oral tissues. Collectively, the results demonstrate the importance of RPTP-β in tumor biology of HNSCC through direct dephosphorylation of Met and regulation of downstream signal transduction pathways. Reduced RPTP-β levels, with or without Met overexpression, could promote Met activation in HNSCC tumors.
Photovoltaic Cells Involving the Nonconjugated Conductive Polymer Iodine-Doped Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber (SBR)

Novel photovoltaic cells involving a nonconjugated conductive polymer have been fabricated using titanium dioxide/doped styrene-butadiene-rubber/carbon on ITO coated PET substrates. Photocurrents and photo-voltages for different intensities of light (emission at 300–700 nm) have been measured. These cells have shown significantly higher photocurrents and photo-voltages compared to previous reports. A photocurrent density of about 0.25 mA/cm2 and a photo-voltage of 0.74 V have been measured for a light intensity of ∼4 mW/cm2.
A perturbation theory on statistical quantization effects in fixed-point DSP with non-stationary inputs

A quantitative characterization of statistical quantization effects in a discrete-time digital system is derived as a function of fixed-point data types. The analysis is based on a perturbation theory approach which assumes the quantization noise is a small deviation from the ideal characteristics and that the system does not contain decision-error propagation. The theory works for both linear and nonlinear digital systems with either stationary or nonstationary inputs. The approach is applied to an LMS adaptive filter in both the transient and steady state periods.
Effects of diet magnesium on acid-base status and calcium metabolism of dry cows fed acidogenic salts.

Abstract The objective was to study effects of dietary Mg on acid-base status and Ca metabolism of Holstein cows fed acidogenic diets with relatively high Ca concentrations. Eight nonlactating, nonpregnant Holstein cows were used in a switchback experiment with three 28-d periods. The normal Mg (.2%, dry basis) diet consisted of corn silage plus a concentrate mix supplemented with NH 4 Cl (126 g/d per cow) and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 (126 g/d per cow). The high Mg (.37%, dry basis) diet had MgSO 4 substituted for an equivalent amount of s supplied by (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 in the normal Mg diet. Cation-anion differences of the two diets were –302 (normal Mg) and –289 (high Mg) meq/kg of dietary DM. Compared with cows fed the normal Mg diet, those fed high Mg tended to have higher blood pH and plasma concentrations of total Ca but lower plasma concentrations of P and lower urinary excretion of ammonium and net acid. Cows fed the high Mg diet also tended to increase in urinary excretion with a decrease in urinary excretion of Ca. Metabolic responses to intravenous infusion of Na 2 -EDTA were similar among cows fed either diet. Results indicate that increasing salts was of no advantage with regard to Ca metabolism.
The Irony of Regulatory Reform: The Deregulation of American Telecommunications

Deregulation was a political buzzword of the early 1980's. The Reagan Administration came to power on a platform dedicated to getting government "off the backs of the people." Deregulation promised to lower inflation, raise productivity, and reverse the sagging fortunes of American industry. And proponents declared deregulation morally right because it constituted a rollback of the arbitrary power of the state in favor of individual initiative and liberty. But the actual politics of deregulation, including the momentous breakup of AT&T, had already turned out to be far more complex than this rhetoric suggested. In The Irony of Regulatory Reform Horwitz examines the history of telecommunications-both telephone and broadcast-to build a compelling new theory of regulation. Against the backdrop of modern theories of the state, he presents a sweeping survey of the history of regulation in America, delineating three distinct periods of regulatory genesis and, correspondingly, three discrete types of agencies. Horwitz shows the underlying irony that while anti-regulation rhetoric was aimed at the so-called "social" regulatory agencies, in practice it has been the "economic" agencies that have been deregulated, often with vehement opposition from the industries affected. Within the context of this broader theory, telecommunications is a fascinating industry to study, because it determines the character of our marketplace of ideas, because it has been an arena of great technological transformation, and because of its fundamental role in anchoring the so-called "information age." Horwitz unveils the complex mosaic of forces-economic, political, legal, and technological-that undermined the traditional regulation of telecommunications and precipitated deregulation.
Surface acoustic wave action on microfluidic channels and microparticles

We describe lithium niobate SAW devices and their wave structure at different resonant frequencies, and we discuss the difference between PDMS and PMMA as the material for the microfluidic channel. We discuss the different wave structure for SAW devices operating at different resonant frequencies, showing simulation results and laboratory measurements. We discuss our recent studies to sort microparticles by size.
Using a SCIP-PLUS perspective to reduce the risk of SSI.

Recent findings suggest that the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) a US-Based “process initiative” fails to reduce the risk of SSIs. The following evidence-based discussion proposes a SCIP-PLUS perspective for reducing risk of SSIs through enhanced antimicrobial prophylaxis and embracing innovative antimicrobial risk reduction technology.
Exposure to Violence and Socioemotional Adjustment in Low-Income Youth: An Examination of Protective Factors

Using a sample of 391 low-income youth ages 13–17, this study investigated the potential moderating effects of school climate, participation in extracurricular activities, and positive parent–child relations on associations between exposure to violence (i.e., witnessing violence and violent victimization) and adolescent socioemotional adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). Exposure to violence was related to both internalizing and externalizing problems. High levels of participation in extracurricular activities and positive parent–child relations appeared to function as protective factors, weakening the positive association between exposure to violence and externalizing problems. Contrary to prediction, school climate did not moderate associations between exposure to violence and socioemotional adjustment. Further, none of the hypothesized protective factors moderated the association between exposure to violence and internalizing problems.
Systemic absorption and cardiovascular effects of phenylephrine eyedrops.

We studied 24 patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery to compare the systemic absorption and cardiovascular effects of 2.5% aqueous and 10% viscous ophthalmic solutions of phenylephrine hydrochloride. Plasma levels measured in patients receiving two drops of 10% viscous solution were consistently higher ten, 20, and 60 minutes after instillation (P Although the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was generally higher with the 10% viscous solution, the difference was not statistically significant. Blood pressure was high in several isolated cases. Because maximum plasma levels are achieved within ten to 20 minutes after topical instillation, phenylephrine eyedrops should be administered under close observation so that if an adverse reaction occurs it can be readily treated.
Vitamin C intake and dietary sources by demographic characteristics.

Abstract Evidence from several lines of research indicates a role for vitamin C in the prevention of some types of cancer in addition to a possible role in hypercholesterolemia and other conditions. It is not yet clear, however, whether observed relationships are due to ascorbic acid alone or in conjunction with other constituents present in the foods containing ascorbic acid. A knowledge of the particular food sources of vitamin C in different demographic groups thus becomes important to fully understand the etiology. This information will also aid in planning effective education or intervention programs. This paper identifies the dietary sources of vitamin C by age, sex, race, and poverty status, using data from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Orange juice is the leading dietary source in all subgroups, but the importance of other sources varies markedly by subgroup. Fortified foods are major contributors among the young but not the old, and southern greens are v...
Delayed recurrent pericarditis complicated by pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade in a blunt trauma patient

A 19-year-old male suffered orthopedic fractures, blunt solid organ injury and pneumopericardium after a fall from 40 feet. With the exception of an external fixation device, he was managed non-operatively and discharged to a rehabilitation unit after 8 days. He was readmitted 4 days later with chest pain and clinical evidence of pericardititis that resolved with the initiation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and colchicine. He returned to the rehabilitation hospital, but was readmitted once again for chest pain and hypotension. Echocardiogram revealed cardiac tamponade that required emergent drainage. He tolerated the procedure well and was discharged home from the hospital to continue treatment for his pericarditis. He is doing well at 3 months of follow-up.
Preparative Parameters, Magnesium Effects, and Anion Effects in the Crystallization of Birnessites

Na-birnessites (Na4Mn14O27·9H2O) have been prepared by aging MnOx gels, whose composition can be represented as MnA·wMgA·xKMnO4·yNaOH·zH2O (A is any of the anions of chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and acetate). The effects of aging time, aging temperature, basicity, the amount of water, the addition of Mg2+, the ratios of MnO4-/Mn2+, and types of anions on the crystallization of birnessite, the phase transformations of intermediate phases, the morphology, the ion-exchange properties, and the thermal stability have been investigated. XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electronic microscope), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray), IR (Infrared), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), and TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) techniques have been used. The preparative parameters such as composition and temperature have been optimized. Three stages are observed in the crystallization process of birnessite on increasing the crystallization time: an induction period, a fast crystallization period, and a steady-state per...
Constraints on timing of deformation in the Benton Range, southeastern California, and implications to Nevadan orogenesis

Lower Paleozoic-(?) Precambrian miogeoclinal strata of the Benton Range are deformed into structures whose form and orientation are often associated with the Nevadan orogeny. A swarm of undeformed dikes that postdate folding was intruded between 209 and 168 Ma; thus, major compressional deformation in the Benton Range predates type Nevadan orogenesis by at least 10 m.y. The classic Nevadan and subsequent orogenies did not produce pervasive deformation throughout the eastern parts of the Sierra Nevada and Klamath orogens. A “Nevadan” age cannot be confidently assigned to structures in the western North American Cordillera solely on the basis of their form and/or orientation.
Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski and the Habsburg Dilemma

Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski and the Habsburg Dilemma. Ernest Gellner. Cambridge University Press, 1998. xix. 209 pp., bibliographies, index.
Production of apolipoproteins E and A-I by rat hepatocytes in primary culture.

Abstract Hepatocytes were isolated from normal adult rat livers and cultured in a modified HI-WO/BA medium. A nearly confluent monolayer was established at the plating concentration employed. The hepatocytes synthesized and secreted albumin at rates similar to those observed in vivo. The cells secreted triacylglycerol in the absence of fatty acid substrate. Under these conditions the most abundant triacylglycerol molecular species contained 53 carbons. Incubation with oleic acid markedly increased triacylglycerol secretion predominantly in the form containing a total carbon number of 57. Approx. 80% of the secreted cholesterol was in the free form and this was unaffected by oleic acid. Employing monospecific antibodies constant rates of synthesis and secretion of apolipoproteins E and A-I were demonstrated by quantitative electroimmunoassay of the cell culture media. The rates of albumin, apolipoprotein E, and apolipoprotein A-I production were 1480, 170 and 60 μg/h per g cell protein, respectively.
DIRECT DETERMINATION OF CHANGES OF INTERDOMAIN ORIENTATION ON LIGATION : USE OF THE ORIENTATIONAL DEPENDENCE OF 15N NMR RELAXATION IN ABL SH(32)

The relative orientation and motions of domains within many proteins are key to the control of multivalent recognition, or the assembly of protein-based cellular machines. Current methods of structure determination have limited applicability to macromolecular assemblies, characterized by weak interactions between the constituents. Crystal structures of such complexes might be biased by packing forces comparable to the interdomain interactions, while the precision and accuracy of the conventional NMR structural approaches are necessarily limited by the restricted number of NOE contacts and by interdomain flexibility rendering the available NOE information uninterpretable. NMR relaxation studies are capable of providing “long-range” structural information on macromolecules in their native milieu. Here we determine directly the change in domain orientation between unligated and dual ligated subdomains of the SH(32) segment of Abelson kinase in solution, using the orientational dependence of nuclear spin rela...
Regional Models of the Atmosphere in Middle Latitudes

Abstract This review describes recent development in operational and research limited-area numerical weather prediction models in middle latitudes. The current skill of limited-area models is summarized through the use of conventional measures of verification such as S1 scores, root-mean-square errors and correlations between forecast and observed changes. Additional measures of verification, which measure the skill or realism of regional models in reproducing atmospheric structure on those scales, are discussed. Use of a uniform set of verification measures such as those discussed here would facilitate model comparisons and assessment of the impact of changes in model components on short-range (0–48 h) forecasts. Three major components of regional models are discussed. These include numerical aspects (e.g., the grid structure, boundary conditions and the approximations to the analytic differential equations), physical aspects (modeling surface and boundary layer processes, condensation and evaporation, a...
Leaders, Leveraging, and Abundance: Competencies for the Future

This chapter describes competencies that leaders need to develop to leverage improved outcomes for their institutions. Abundance, an organizational state achieved through leveraging, develops against a backdrop of context and ideologies that must be addressed to effect change.
Bridging the Gap Between Psychiatric Hospitalization and Community Care: Cost and Quality Outcomes:

Abstract Background : Current changes in the health care system require the development of interventions that reduce length of stay and provide alternatives to hospitalization while maintaining quality and consumer satisfaction. Objectives : The objectives were to (a) investigate differences in quality indicators for patients receiving case management services; (b) measure satisfaction of patients enrolled in the case management intervention; and (c) reduce costs related to high utilization of services as a result of recidivism and rehospitalization. Study Design : Inpatients were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 121) or control group (n = 122). The intervention group received transitional case management services; the control group received traditional care. Results : No differences were found between the two groups on the Beck Depression Inventory or the Mini-Mental Status Examination. Ninety-six percent of the patients and 95% of their caregivers were very pleased with the case management intervention. Fewer patients in the intervention group (9 vs. 16 in the control group) were readmitted to the hospital over the course of the project. Similarly, only 1 patient in the intervention group versus 18 patients in the control group used the emergency department. Even considering the cost of providing case management services, an overall savings of $175,375 occurred for the intervention group. Conclusions : Transitional case management services maintained quality and reduced costs with a high level of consumer satisfaction. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [1999]. 5, 46–53)
Internal prolapse of sigmoid colon in infants and children

Summary 1. The clinical picture of internal prolapse of the sigmoid colon is presented. 2. Two case reports are given.
Distance discrimination in a reduced cue setting

Distance discrimination experiment in reduced cue setting simulating outer space, confirming Weber power function exponent
Locally most-powerful detector for secret key estimation in spread spectrum image steganography

We define sequential steganography as those class of embedding algorithms that hide messages in consecutive (time, spatial or frequency domain) features of a host signal. This paper presents a steganalysis method that estimates the secret key used in sequential steganography. A theory is developed for detecting abrupt jumps in the statistics of the stego signal during steganalysis. Stationary and non-stationary host signals with low, medium and high SNR embedding are considered. A locally most powerful steganalysis detector for the low SNR case is also derived. Several techniques to make the steganalysis algorithm work for non-stationary digital image steganalysis are also presented. Extensive experimental results are shown to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed steganalysis algorithm.
ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIZATION LASER-EXCITED ATOMIC FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE DETERMINATION OF INDIUM

A dye laser pumped by a high-repetition-rate copper vapor laser was used as the excitation source to determine indium at parts-pertrillion level by electrothermal atomization laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ETA-LEAFS). A comparison was made between wall atomization, in pyrolytic and nonpyrolytic graphite tubes, and platform atomization. The influence of several chemical modifiers either in solution or precoated in the graphite tube was evaluated. The influence of several acids and NaOH in the analyte solution was also studied. Optimization of the analytical conditions was carried out to achieve the best signal-to-background ratio and consequently an absolute limit of detection of 1 fg. Some possible interferents of the method were evaluated. The method was evaluated by determining indium in blood, urine, soil, and urban dust samples. Recoveries between 99.17 and 109.17% are reported. A precision of 4.1% at the 10 ng g-1 level in water standards was achieved.
Does Privacy Have a Future after 9/11?

A few years ago, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy created uproar by declaring: ‘You have zero privacy. Get over it.’ (Sprenger, 1999) The question, at least for Americans, is did the 11 September terrorist attacks – and the response to them – prove him right? Is privacy really dead?
Negative refraction in the visible spectrum in photonic crystals: search for focusing by fluorescent quantum dots inside synthetic opals

The negative refraction inside two dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PC) and homogeneous structures was studied numerically by inserting a point source inside the negative index part of these materials. The three-dimensional (3D) counterparts of these structures, the synthetic opal, were examined experimentally by infiltrating them with CdS quantum dots (QDs). Confocal microscopy measurements in which we tracked the infiltration of the QDs inside the opal indicate the focusing of light emitted by QDs, which can be due to negative refraction occurring at the opal/glass interface. The formation of a focus can be an indication of the negative refraction happening in these synthetic opals in the [111] direction in its higher photonic band, above the photonic band gap (PBG). This result is very promising because, until now, negative refraction has not been seen in 3D photonic crystals in the visible region of light. This result was made possible due to the use of infiltrated QDs as internal light sources inside the porous photonic crystal, which appears to be a very useful technique for the study of other negative-index materials (NIM) effects. Finally, the possibility of self-focusing of second harmonic by QD in nonlinear opal was developed.
A database sequence: theory then practice

A two-course upper-division undergraduate sequence in database systems offered by the computer science department at the Atlanta University Center is described. It is observed that the course contents of database program prepares students to fill the increasing number of database positions in industry while providing the broad foundation in the subject matter upon which students can build in graduate school. The program of database study consists of a core and an elective. The core covers database concepts, design, implementation, and processing. With the core as a prerequisite, the elective provides practical laboratory work that is dictated by requirements of the database industry. The database program described in this paper has been implemented at the Atlanta University Center in Atlanta, Georgia, by a JPL computer scientist with a NASA grant.
Automated testability enhancements for logic brick libraries

Circuit fabrics composed of highly regular structures, called logic bricks, have been described recently for improving yield. An automated logic brick design flow based on a SAT formulation of the brick routing has been developed to minimize wire length and the number of vias while maintaining several design-for-manufacturability constraints. In this work, testability enhancements are imposed into a logic brick to reduce the likelihood of (i) feedback bridges to improve test and (ii) equivalent faults to improve diagnosis. This is accomplished by adding constraints to the SAT formulation of the logic brick routing that restricts certain wires from being routed in close proximity, thus making bridges between them unlikely. Application to several brick designs resulted in critical-area reductions for targeted bridges with little degradation in terms of additional wire length and via count.
Editorial overview: Neuromodulation: Tuning the properties of neurons, networks and behavior

Every neural network, and therefore all components of that network, continually needs to be in the proper state for efficient neural processing and appropriate behavioral performance. Throughout the animal kingdom, behavior requires flexibility and flexibility arises from rearranging network configurations, responses, and properties. Neuromodulation is a major contributor to this flexibility. It has a pervasive influence on nervous system function and behavior in all animals (invertebrate and vertebrate). In fact, the extensive influence of neuromodulation and the remarkable number of degrees of freedom it provides to neural systems is one major reason why there remains much to understand not only from the large biological systems (e.g. mammals: mouse to man) but from the small systems (e.g. crustacean stomatogastric system, nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster). The extensive influence of neuromodulation, from individual synapses to large scale neural networks, and its ability to reconfigure systems during normal and abnormal behavior, is on display in this issue of Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Explanted liver inflammatory grade predicts fibrosis progression in hepatitis C recurrence

Factors present prior to liver transplantation (LT) that predict fibrosis progression in recurrent hepatitis C infection (HCV) after LT would be important to identify. This study sought to determine if histologic grade of HCV in the explant predicts fibrosis progression in recurrent HCV. The clinical and histologic data of all 159 patients undergoing their first LT for HCV at our center from 1998 to 2001 were retrospectively reviewed with follow-up through June 2008. Twenty-five cases were excluded for: non–HCV-related graft loss 4 (group 2). Prospectively scored liver biopsies (protocol months 1 and 4, annually, and as indicated clinically) were reviewed for development of advanced fibrosis (bridging or cirrhosis). Cox proportional hazard regression was used to analyze the association of explant grade, donor, viral and LT factors with progression to advanced fibrosis. The groups were well-matched for patient, viral, donor, and transplant factors. Five-year advanced fibrosis-free survival in group 1 versus group 2 was 63% versus 28%, P 4 was associated with increased HCV-related graft loss at 1 (6% versus 3%) and 5 (36% versus 14%) years post-LT (P = 0.003). On univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, predictors of advanced fibrosis were explant grade >4 (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.9-5.6, P 50 (HR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.9-5.7, P 158,730 IU/mL (HR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.05-3.1, P = 0.03). Conclusion: Explant histologic grade can identify patients requiring more aggressive monitoring and intervention for HCV recurrence post-LT. Liver Transpl 17:685-694, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
Bishops in the kirk: William Cowper of Galloway and the puritan episcopacy of Scotland

The anti-episcopal polemic of early Scottish presbyterian historians like Row and Calderwood has misled us to presume that most contemporary presbyterians saw bishops as enemies of the gospel. Instead, both episcopal writings and the manuscript records of kirk sessions, presbyteries, and synods show presbytery within prelacy working quite well in Scotland from the Reformation until the troubled 1630s. William Cowper, minister of Perth from 1595 to 1613 and thereafter bishop of Galloway, illustrates how and why the system worked. Calvinist, visionary, preacher, and vigorous reformer of manners, Cowper as minister joined with the Perth session to impose discipline, administered communion Geneva-style, and enforced the Reformation's abolition of traditional holidays. He was by any definition a puritan, and he remained one after his acceptance of a bishopric in 1612. As bishop of Galloway he declined to enforce kneeling or observance of Christmas despite royal mandate, cooperated with presbyteries and sessions, and continued active preaching and discipline. Charges against him of greed and ambition prove unfounded. His puritan episcopacy represents and explains the success of the kirk's hybrid polity in the post-Reformation period.
Aberrant gene expression at the creatine kinase loci during Barbus hybrid development (cypriniformes, teleostei)

Abstract 1. 1. The tissue specificity and ontogeny of creatine kinase (CK, EC 2.7.3.2) are reported for tiger, rosy, ruby, cherry and gold barbs, and in interspecific hybrids where the tiger barb is the maternal parent. 2. 2. The spatial expression of CK isoenzymes in Barbus is consistent with the tissue patterns reported in other teleosts. 3. 3. In general, as the taxonomic (genetic) distance between the parental species increases, a corresponding delay in embryonic gene expression occurs; suggestive of species-specific effector molecule/sensor gene induction thresholds.
Skeletal muscle cells express different isoforms of the calcium channel α2/δ subunit

We examined developmental changes in calcium channel α2/δ subunit mRNA in skeletal muscle and their possible influence on L-type calcium currents (ICa−L). Several isoforms of α2/δ-1 mRNA were found in myotubes and muscle fibers, and their relative levels changed with time in culture or age of the animal. Levels of α2/δ-1a were largest in older myotubes and was the only α2/δ-1 isoform present in adult muscle. Both myotubes and muscle fibers also expressed low levels of α2/δ-2 and α2/δ-3 mRNA at all ages, α2/δ-4 mRNA could not be detected in either myotubes or muscle fibers. Changes in amplitude and voltage-dependent inactivation of the ICa−L concurred with the shift in α2/δ-1 isoform message, suggesting that alternative splicing of this subunit might be important for modulation of ICa−L.
Monotone Log-Odds Rate Distributions in Reliability Analysis

Abstract Monotone failure rate models [Barlow Richard, E., Marshall, A. W., Proschan, Frank. (1963). Properties of probability distributions with monotone failure rate. Annals of Mathematical Statistics 34:375–389, and Barlow Richard, E., Proschan, Frank. (1965). Mathematical Theory of Reliability. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Barlow Richard, E., Proschan, Frank. (1966a). Tolerance and confidence limits for classes of distributions based on failure rate. Annals of Mathematical Statistics 37(6):1593–1601, Barlow Richard, E., Proschan, Frank. (1966b). Inequalities for linear combinations of order statistics from restricted families. Annals of Mathematical Statistics 37(6):1574–1592, Barlow Richard, E., Proschan, Frank. (1975). Statistical Theory of Reliability and Life Testing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.] have become one of the most important models of failure time for reliability practitioners to consider and use. The above authors also developed models and bounds for monotone increasing fa...
Droplet and vapor transport in a turbulent jet

An experimental study of the role of large-scale structures in droplet and vapor transport in dropletladen jets has been conducted. Flow visualization was used to document the effect of droplet injection location on dispersion and to characterize the convective transport of droplet vapor. Experiments were conducted in an acoustically forced turbulent jet with point-source injection of a monodisperse-droplet stream. A reactive Mie scattering technique was employed to visualize vortex structures, droplet distribution. and vapor transport simulataneously in the near-field region of the jet. Two droplet sizes, 40 and 100 μm, wre investigated, resulting in Stokes numbers of 0.9 and 5.6, respectively. The injection location was varied from the jet centerline to the jet edge. The results show that injection location has a substantial impact on both droplet and vapor convection. In general, for a given injection location the 40 μm droplets experienced greater dispersion than the 100 μm droplets. For a given injection location the 40 μm droplets experienced greater dispersion than the 100 μm droplets. For a given droplet size (Stokes number), dispersion increased as the injection location moved radially ontward from the centerline. For both Stokes mumbers investigated, droplets injected into the core region of the jet (R0
Severe H1N1-Associated acute respiratory distress syndrome: A case series.

Abstract Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome resulting from novel influenza A virus (H1N1) infection remains uncommon. Methods We describe the clinical profiles of adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to microbiologically confirmed H1N1 admitted to a medical intensive care unit in San Francisco, California over a 2-month period. Results Between June 1 and July 31, 2009, 7 patients (age range: 25-66 years; 4 patients under the age of 40 years; 6 male; 1 pregnant) were diagnosed with H1N1, with 5 of 6 (83%) having initial false-negative rapid testing. All developed respiratory failure complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome, with 4 additionally developing multiorgan dysfunction. All were managed with a lung protective ventilator strategy (average number of days on the ventilator: 16), and 4 patients also required additional rescue therapies for refractory hypoxemia, including very high positive end-expiratory pressure, inhaled epoprostenol, recruitment maneuvers, and prone positioning. Despite these measures, 3 patients (43%) ultimately died. Conclusions Clinicians should be vigilant for the potential of H1N1 infection to progress to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in a variety of patient demographics, including younger patients without baseline cardiopulmonary disease. A high degree of suspicion is critical, especially with the relative insensitivity of rapid testing, and should prompt empiric antiviral therapy.
Word Order, Marking, and a Two-Dimensional Classification of Parts-of-Speech System Types

Abstract Within the framework of Hengeveld's approach to parts-of-speech systems, this article shows that Vulanovic's two-dimensional classification of main parts-of-speech system types applies both to the types presented by Hengeveld, Rijkhoff, and Siewierska in their 2004 paper and to the new types recently reported by Hengeveld and van Lier. Hengeveld and van Lier's principles for explaining the attested main parts-of-speech system types are also discussed and a set of simpler and more accurate principles is proposed. Furthermore, the two-dimensional classification is extended to intermediate parts-of-speech system types, which enables a linguistic data analysis of the kind done in Vulanovic and Kohler's 2009 article. This analysis shows that the proportion of languages that use fixed word order and grammatical markers to facilitate disambiguation between different propositional functions depends on the type of the parts-of-speech system. The dependence is expressed by a three-dimensional generalizatio...
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN AFRICANS NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE SAHARA

This article is neither typically a regional study nor is it particularly a comparative study. Looking at the map (Figure 1), you may discern a line cutting across the (shaded) Islamized areas of Black Africa, running through from Mauritania on the Western Coast to the small island of Zanzibar in the Eastern Coast of Africa. This article tries to examine the significance of this imaginary line. Of the ten countries which the line crosses, only three (Mauritania, Sudan, and Zanzibar) have received emphasis heretofore. Still, among these three countries, time and space only allow relatively closer study of one: the Sudan. The line, to start with, is claimed to signify the Islamic cultural contact between Africans of predominantly Arab origin and those of purely Negroid race. According to Jacques Baulin (1962),
Platelet factor 4 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell injury responses

Activated platelets release many inflammatory molecules with important roles in accelerating vascular inflammation. Much is known about platelet and platelet-derived mediator interactions with endothelial cells and leukocytes, but few studies have examined the effects of platelets on components of the vascular wall. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo phenotypic changes in response to injury including the production of inflammatory molecules, cell proliferation, cell migration, and a decline in the expression of differentiation markers. In this study, we demonstrate that the platelet-derived chemokine platelet factor 4 (PF4/CXCL4) stimulates VSMC injury responses both in vitro and in vivo in a mouse carotid ligation model. PF4 drives a VSMC inflammatory phenotype including a decline in differentiation markers, increased cytokine production, and cell proliferation. We also demonstrate that PF4 effects are mediated, in part, through increased expression of the transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 4. Our data indicate an important mechanistic role for platelets and PF4 in VSMC injury responses both in vitro and in vivo.
Rare earth element composition of Paleogene vertebrate fossils from Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska, USA

Fossil bones and teeth from terrestrial environments encode unique rare earth and trace element (REE and TE) signatures as a function of redox conditions, pH, concentrations of complexing ligands, and water-colloid interactions. This signature is set early in the fossilization process and serves as a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic proxy. These signatures can also be used to interpret temporal and spatial averaging within vertebrate accumulations, and can help relocate displaced fossil bones back into stratigraphic context. Rare earth elements in vertebrate fossils from upper Eocene and Oligocene strata of Toadstool Geologic Park, northwestern Nebraska, record mixing and evolution of Paleogene vadose or groundwaters and variations in paleoenvironments. REE signatures indicate that HREE-enriched alkaline groundwater reacted with LREE- and MREE-enriched sediments to produce 3-component mixtures. REE signatures become increasingly LREE- and MREE-enriched toward the top of the studied section as the paleoenvironment became cooler and drier, suggesting that REE signatures may be climate proxies. Time series analysis suggests that REE ratios are influenced by cycles of ca. 1050, 800, 570, 440, and 225 ka, similar to some previously determined Milankovitch astronomical and climate periodicities.
Insulin-like growth factor I/somatomedin-C (IGF-I/SM-C) and glucocorticoids synergistically regulate mitosis in competent human fibroblasts

In serum-free medium, insulin-like growth factor-I/somatomedin-C (IGF-I/SM-C) was weakly mitogenic for adult human fibroblasts in culture. However, in the presence of 0.5% human hypopituitary serum (HHS), which by itself had little effect, there was a marked dose-dependent response to IGF-I/SM-C with a 10- to 20-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation at 25 ng/ml IFG-I/SM-C. With the further addition of dexamethasone or hydrocortisone to the combination of IGF-I/SM-C + 0.5% HHS, there was a dramatic synergistic effect resulting in a 60- to 70-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation. This stimulation was two times greater than that seen with 20% FCS. In contrast, glucocorticoids had no effect in serum-free medium or with HHS alone. These [3H]thymidine incorporation results were clearly supported by cell replication studies. Dose-response curves for 125I IGF-I/SM-C binding and IGF-I/SM-C stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation were similar with 1/2 maximal effects for both at 5 ng/ml. However, the striking synergism seen with glucocorticoids occurred in the absence of any glucocorticoid-induced change in IGF-I/SM-C binding, indicating that the interaction of IGF-I/SM-C and glucocorticoids occurs at a postreceptor level. These data demonstrate that in the presence of a low concentration of HHS, IGF-I/SM-C and glucocorticoids stimulate complete cell cycle traverse and replication of human fibroblasts.
Perceptions of Civil Justice: The Litigation Crisis Attitudes of Civil Jurors

Public perceptions that the civil justice system is in crisis are apparently widespread, but little is known about the causes or correlates of such views. This article analyzes the litigation crisis attitudes of a sample of civil jurors. Like the public, jurors endorsed a number of statements suggesting that there is a litigation crisis. Factor analysis identified two independent components: general concern over excessive litigation, and criticism of the civil jury. Litigation crisis views were found in all demographic and attitudinal subgroups. However, attitudes about the civil justice system were related to the respondent's political efficacy, claims consciousness, belief in a just world, age, religion, and race.