cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic use of acebutolol in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias

Among the present-day controversies in cardiology is the challenge of safely treating cardiac arrhythmias. Many factors involved in the decision to initiate treatment remain to be clearly defined. In addition, the choice of antiarrythmic drugs, although expanding, includes a number of poorly-tolerated cellular toxins. A recent review of the literature confined to double-blind prospective studies enrolling over 100 post-myocardial infarction patients reveals that in 6 of 11 surveyed studies survival was better in the placebo-treated gr0up.l One recent study2 identified an increased risk of sudden death from two antiarrythmic agents even though arrhythmias had initially been suppressed. Antiarrythmic agents have also been shown to increase the defibrillation threshold, raising the energy required to terminate ventricular fibrillation.3 Thus the question remains: Is there any benefit to be derived from treating an arrythmia and, if so, is it justified in the presence of a risk of serious toxicity ?4 The answer varies depending on the type of arrhythmia, the antiarrhythmic agent(s) prescribed, and the concomitant medications. Two major considerations in deciding to initiate treatment of cardiac arrhythmias are the ability of the agent to suppress the arrhythmia and to improve survival. Except for P-blockers, as observed in the @-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT),5 Acebutelol et Prevention Secondaire de 1’Infarctus (APSI),6 and other studies,l, 8 treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs has not been shown to reduce the risk for cardiac death.l, g Hence a review of the antiarrhythmic effects of acebutolol, a cardioselective P-blocker with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity that has been proven efficacious in both suppression of arrhythmia and improvement of survival in high-risk post-MI
Diffusion coefficients for rigid macromolecules with irregular shapes that allow rotational‐translational coupling

We consider six-dimensional diffusion and frictional tensors for a rigid macromolecule immersed in a viscous fluid at low Reynolds number. Our treatment allows for screwlike properties which couple rotational and translational movements. We show that the center of diffusion of a screwlike body can be distinct from its hydrodynamic center of reaction. Symmetry conditions which ensure coincidence are examined. The center of diffusion is found to be the point of a body with the slowest diffusive movements, while rotations about the center of reaction encounter the least average resistance. The macroscopic translational diffusion coefficient is evaluated from a perturbation analysis of the six-dimensional diffusion equation. We show that methodologies which ignore translational-rotational coupling will necessarily underestimate the diffusion rate of screwlike particles. A procedural framework is presented to calculate diffusion coefficients of complicated bodies. As an example we treat a long bent rod.
Religious Influences in the 2004 Presidential Election

In this article, we examine the impact of religious variables on the vote in the 2004 presidential election. First, we review and evaluate two theories that underlie many interpretations of religion’s role in American electoral politics, namely, the ethnoreligious and the religious restructuring perspectives. Using both approaches, we deploy a comprehensive classification incorporating religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices that is quite successful in capturing the electoral impact of religion. We show that religious groups exhibited distinctive political priorities, attitudes toward the role of religion in the election, stands on critical campaign issues, and evaluations of President Bush’s performance in office. We find that some religious factors had an important role in the Republican victory, especially in the so-called battleground states. Finally, we discuss some substantive implications of the findings for understanding public policies and policy making.
Multiscale dictionaries, transforms, and learning in high-dimensions

Mapping images to a high-dimensional feature space, either by considering patches of images or other features, has lead to state-of-art results in signal processing tasks such as image denoising and imprinting, and in various machine learning and computer vision tasks on images. Understanding the geometry of the embedding of images into high-dimensional feature space is a challenging problem. Finding efficient representations and learning dictionaries for such embeddings is also problematic, often leading to expensive optimization algorithms. Many such algorithms scale poorly with the dimension of the feature space, for example with the size of patches of images if these are chosen as features. This is in contrast with the crucial needs of using a multi-scale approach in the analysis of images, as details at multiple scales are crucial in image understanding, as well as in many signal processing tasks. Here we exploit a recent dictionary learning algorithm based on Geometric Wavelets, and we extend it to perform multi-scale dictionary learning on image patches, with efficient algorithms for both the learning of the dictionary, and the computation of coefficients onto that dictionary. We also discuss how invariances in images may be introduced in the dictionary learning phase, by generalizing the construction of such dictionaries to non-Euclidean spaces.
Quantification and identification of isotopomer distributions of metabolites in crude cell extracts using 1H TOCSY

Isotopomer analysis is a very powerful technique for determining site enrichment with stable isotopes. Such information helps determine the relative flux through metabolic pathways. We have developed 1H NMR detection methods to isotopomer analysis of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells grown in the presence of uniformly 13C-labeled glucose. We show that TOCSY can be used both to identify the isotopomer distributions in a substantial number of key compounds and to determine the site-specific enrichment with good precision. Effects of differential relaxation have been specifically addressed. We have identified and quantified isotopomer distributions in Ala, Lactate, (glycolysis markers), nucleotide riboses (pentose phosphate markers), Asp, Glu and Gln (citric acid cycle and anaplerosis markers) as well as in nucleotide pyrimidine rings. Due to the high sensitivity of proton experiments, a reasonable throughput was achieved using a cold probe on only 3–5 mg dry cell weight. This methodology can be applied to biological system using different labeled precursors to examine their metabolic phenotypes and their response to external perturbations.
Parallel simulation on supercomputers

This tutorial introduces typical hardware and software characteristics of extant and emerging supercomputing platforms, and presents issues and solutions in executing large-scale parallel discrete-event simulation scenarios on such high performance computing systems. Covered topics include synchronization, model organization, example applications, and observed performance from illustrative large-scale runs.
Effect of high bicarbonate hemodialysis on ionized calcium and risk of metastatic calcification.

Abstract Background: Disturbances in calcium and phosphate metabolism among chronic hemodialysis patients result in renal osteodystrophy and vascular calcification. Even though it is the ionized fraction of calcium that is metabolically active, this measurement is generally not available and decisions are made on the basis of total calcium. Formulae to predict ionized calcium concentrations are available. Methods: The OPTI Critical Care Analyzer with E-Ca cuvettes was used on-site to measure acid–base parameters, electrolytes, and ionized calcium. Additional assays included total calcium, phosphate, and albumin. Results: Using a dialysate with 1.25 or 1.5 mmol/l calcium and 40 mmol/l bicarbonate, we observed a statistically significant increase in pH and total CO2 concentrations in post-dialysis blood. Total and ionized calcium increased significantly only in the patients with central venous catheters but not in those with fistulas or grafts. All patients experienced a decrease in phosphate concentrations. Conclusions: The metabolic alkalosis induced by high bicarbonate dialysate was not associated with a decrease in ionized calcium or a change in the calculated concentration product ratio for hydroxyapatite formation in the immediate post-dialysis period. However, if a 40% phosphate rebound were to occur 2 h after termination of dialysis, the calculated risk of metastatic calcification would increase 2.8-fold compared to pre-dialysis conditions. Formulae to calculate ionized calcium are not useful in this population.
Jet-engine noise reduction research at naca

Results of experiments with various noise reduction devices are described. Experiments were conducted with a full‐scale turbojet engine on an outdoor thrust stand which permitted essentially free‐field measurements. The results confirm the findings of other investigators showing that some reduction in noise can be achieved although outstanding improvements have not been achieved. The work is still in progress.
Structure and evolution of the apolipoprotein multigene family

We present the complementary DNA and deduced amino acid sequence of rat apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II), and the results of a detailed statistical analysis of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of all the apolipoprotein gene sequences published to date: namely, those of human and rat apoA-I, apoA-II and apoE, rat apoA-IV, and human apoC-I, C-II and C-III. Our results indicate that the apolipoprotein genes have very similar genomic structures, each having a total of three introns at the same locations. Using the exon/intron junctions as reference points, we have obtained an alignment of the coding regions of all the genes studied. It appears that the mature peptide regions of these genes are almost completely made up of tandem repeats of 11 codons. The part of mature peptide region encoded by exon 3 contains a common block of 33 codons, whereas the part encoded by exon 4 contains a much more variable number of internal repeats of 11 codons. These genes have apparently evolved from a primordial gene through multiple partial (internal) and complete gene duplications. On the basis of the degree of homology of the various sequences, and the pattern of the internal repeats in these genes, we propose an evolutionary tree for the apolipoprotein genes and give rough estimates of the divergence times between these genes. Our results show that apoA-II has evolved extremely rapidly and that apoA-I and apoE also have evolved at high rates but some regions are better conserved than the others. The rate of evolution of individual regions seems to be related to the stringency of their functional requirements.
Women's Lives, Men's Laws. By Catharine A. MacKinnon

Women's Lives, Men's Laws. By Catharine A. MacKinnon. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005. Pp. 576. $39.95 cloth. Reviewed by Justin Reinheimer, University of California, Berkeley An important and wide-ranging collection, Women's Lives, Men's Laws includes more than 20 years of MacKinnon's feminist enterprise. Part defense, part update, part preview, the compilation forcefully defends the notion of women as a group, examines feminism's successes and setbacks, offers visionary strategies to end women's inequality to men, and sets the stage for an upcoming companion volume on the international arena, Women's World, Men's States. In earlier work, MacKinnon famously theorized law as a potent expression of the socially male state, tracing its power along the legal lines of public and private, coercion and consent, difference and dominance, and morality and politics. Much of Women's Lives, Men's Laws interrogates the many places these notions of male power can be found and have traveled since their original articulation. For example, MacKinnon provides a structural privacy analysis of the Violence Against Women Act's demise, analyzes the Equal Rights Amendment and liberal feminism in terms of difference and dominance, and further develops alternatives to existing laws against sexual violence grounded in material harms rather than ethical objections. But Women's Lives, Men's Laws does more than analyze new issues with existing (if widely unrealized) theory. The compilation elucidates two crucial aspects of MacKinnon's feminism that have been largely implicit in prior published work: her methodology and her equality theory. Responding to the charge that her feminism is "essentialist," MacKinnon details the origin of her theory in the experiences of women's lives in all their particularities. MacKinnon maintains that while gender is structural, discerning commonalities in experience is not the same as searching for an essence, that what others see as blanket assumptions about women are actually hard-won discoveries about the scope and prevalence of practices of sex inequality, and that the very term women, with its recognition of a people sharing a hierarchical status, is an empirical statement about a group's reality. The method of proceeding "from practice to theory" is apparent in MacKinnon's approach to the many practices and manifestations of male dominance. For example, MacKinnon's approach to prostitution as sexual slavery has an inextricability with race and class in part because of her accountability to the empirical evidence indicating that, far from prostitution being a free choice, most women found in prostitution suffered abuse as children and have the fewest choices in society. In MacKinnon's analysis, much of the move to deny the reality of women as a group derives from the fact that woman is a stigmatized identity and, as such, the inclusion of men in any group raises its status and makes any harms done to it more real. …
Explaining Restraint from Filibustering in the US Senate

While much has been written about the increase in filibustering over the past two decades, there has been very little discussion of the fact that, even today, opponents of legislation that could be filibustered often do not exercise this institutional right – even when doing so means the difference between defeat and passage of the measure. This study seeks to explain why legislation opposed by a cloture‐preventing minority is not always filibustered. Based on a broader look at the strategic environment facing senators, this study lays out six specific hypotheses. Analysis of data from 1947–98 provides substantial empirical support for most of these hypotheses, demonstrating that the strategic calculations behind the decision to filibuster are complex and multifaceted. In particular, this study finds that for legislation on which opponents have a clear incentive to filibuster, restraint is more likely to occur when the workload is light, when parties are not polarised, when the president favours the measu...
Microstructures and strength of nanoscale Cu-Ag multilayers

Abstract Cu–Ag multilayers were found to have lower peak hardness than Cu–Ni in spite of lower misfit dislocation spacing that is expected to increase the resistance of interfaces to glide dislocation transmission. This is attributed to misfit dislocation core spreading in the interface plane in Cu–Ag.
Further observations on trypsinogen deficiency disease: Report of a second case

A second infant with trypsinogen deficiency disease is described. The infant presented with severe hypoproteinemia, edema, anemia, and growth failure, and subsequently developed dyspigmentation of the hair. The clinical abnormalities and their dramatic response to protein hydrolysate diet are strikingly similar to those of the first patient described. The finding of a second case unrelated to the first in a single community suggests that trypsinogen deficiency disease is probably not a rare disease. Since it is a treatable disorder, it is important to consider it in the differential diagnosis of any infant with hypoproteinemia, edema, and failure to thrive.
A distributed pore size and length model for porous media reacting with diminishing porosity

Abstract A mathematical model for describing transport, reaction, and pore structure evolution during gas—solid reactions with solid product is modified and extended for application to porous media whose structure can be represented by a network of pores of distributed size and length. Model equations are presented for both densification and gas—solid reactions with solid product. The effects of nonuniform pore length on the model predictions are examined by using the model to describe the sulfation of porous CaO and calcined limestones. We also investigate the dependence of the model predictions on the formula used to estimate and follow the evolution with the conversion of the effective diffusivity of the gaseous reactant in the pore space.
Flow interactions during axisymmetric spinup

Etude de l'enroulement d'un liquide dans un conteneur axisymetrique (sphere et cylindre droit). L'oscillation inertielle intiale est independante de la geometrie du recipient et est due au transit initial du fluide dans la couche d'Ekman d'extremite. Amelioration de la resolution numerique du probleme dependant du temps
Phase effects in monoptic and dichoptic temporal integration: flicker and motion detection.

Abstract Observers detected two briefly pulsed sine-wave gratings presented sequentially to the same or different eyes. Gratings were separated by a range of interstimulus intervals and were related in phase by 0°, 90° or 180°. Temporal summation was found for 0° phase gratings viewed either monoptically or dichoptically. Gratings presented out of phase by 180° canceled at short intervals and summated at longer intervals under monoptic conditions but were detected independently when viewed dichoptically. With a 90° phase difference, gratings were detected independently regardless of whether they were presented to the same or different eyes. While 0° and 180° grating pairs were always detected as diffuse flicker, a strong motion percept was observed when 90° gratings were viewed monoptically but not when viewed dichoptically. In addition, observers were able to discriminate direction of apparent motion only under monoptic conditions. These results suggest that (1) the temporal response of the human visual system to briefly pulsed low frequency gratings is biphasic. (2) dichoptic temporal integration does not exist between excitatory and inhibitory components of the biphasic response, (3) flicker is detected by mechanisms which receive only excitatory input while motion sensitive mechanisms require an interaction between excitation and inhibition from spatially adjacent loci.
Synthesis for real time systems: Solutions and challenges

A real time system typically combines a variety of implementation technologies and hardware architectures. Deciding how to partition the system and selecting an architectural technology for the sub-systems is by no means a trivial task. These architectural decisions, which can have a major impact on the quality and performance of the final implementation, have to be made at the early stages in the design process, when the impact of the decisions is unclear and can only be quantified using some primitive measures. p ]In this paper, we present our vision on how a next generation of design environment can aid the designer in this decision process. We first identify the problems of designing a heterogeneous real time system by walking through the design process of a complex speech recognition system. Based on this analysis, we propose a system design methodology build on top of current synthesis tools. Today, DSP synthesis tools are application and/or architecture specific, covering subparts of the application once the partitioning is made. To make them useful in the proposed methodology, a unified view on the underlying architecture assumptions is needed. Secondly, good decision making requires an "as-good-as-possible" estimation of the implications of the decision. Therefore, it is important that current manual estimation be enlarged by high level estimation and performance analysis tools. p ]The HYPERSPACE environment, which is currently under development, therefore, consists of three complementary components: a set of architecture specific compilers, a set of estimation and performance analysis tools and an architecture selection and partitioning framework, steered by the designer.
Interacting Dark Resonance Physics with MetaMolecules

We investigate interacting dark resonance type physics with plasmonic metamolecule consisting of a multi-layered radiative atom coupled to cascaded subradiant atoms. In addition to sub-natural spectral response, these metamolecules also exhibits efficient intramolecular excitation transfer.
Fidelity of Escherichia coli DNA Polymerase III Holoenzyme THE EFFECTS OF β, γ COMPLEX PROCESSIVITY PROTEINS AND ε PROOFREADING EXONUCLEASE ON NUCLEOTIDE MISINCORPORATION EFFICIENCIES

Abstract The fidelity of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III (pol III) is measured and the effects of β, γ processivity and e proofreading subunits are evaluated using a gel kinetic assay. Pol III holoenzyme synthesizes DNA with extremely high fidelity, misincorporating dTMP, dAMP, and dGMP opposite a template G target with efficiencies f inc = 5.6 × 10−6, 4.2 × 10−7, and 7 × 10−7, respectively. Elevated dGMP·G and dTMP·G misincorporation efficiencies of 3.2 × 10−5 and 5.8 × 10−4, attributed to a “dNTP-stabilized” DNA misalignment mechanism, occur when C and A, respectively, are located one base downstream from the template target G. At least 92% of misinserted nucleotides are excised by pol III holoenzyme in the absence of a next correct “rescue” nucleotide. As rescue dNTP concentrations are increased, pol III holoenzyme suffers a maximum 8-fold reduction in fidelity as proofreading of mispaired primer termini are reduced in competition with incorporation of a next correct nucleotide. Compared with pol III holoenzyme, the α holoenzyme, which cannot proofread, has 47-, 32-, and 13-fold higher misincorporation rates for dGMP·G, dTMP·G, and dAMP·G mispairs. Both the β, γ complex and the downstream nucleotide have little effect on the fidelity of catalytic α subunit. An analysis of the gel kinetic fidelity assay when multiple polymerase-DNA encounters occur is presented in the “Appendix” (see Fygenson, D. K., and Goodman, M. F. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 27931–27935 (accompanying paper)).
Role of trehalose and heat in the structure of the C‐terminal activation domain of the heat shock transcription factor

The heat shock transcription factor (HSF) is the primary transcriptional regulator of the heat shock response in eukaryotes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae HSF1 has two functional transcriptional activation domains, located N- and C-terminal to the central core of the protein. These activation domains have a low level of transcriptional activity prior to stress, but they acquire a high level of transcriptional activity in response to stresses such as heat. Previous studies on the N-terminal activation domain have shown that it can be completely disordered.1 In contrast, we show that the C-terminal activation domain of S. cerevisiae HSF1 does contain a certain amount of secondary structure as measured by circular dichroism (CD) and protease resistance. The α-helical content of the domain can be increased by the addition of the disaccharide trehalose but not by sucrose. Trehalose, but not sucrose, causes a blue shift in the fluorescence emission spectra, which is suggestive of an increase in tertiary structure. Trehalose, which is known to be a chemical chaperone, also increases proteases' resistance and promotes heat-induced increases in α-helicity. The latter is particularly intriguing because of the physiological role of trehalose in yeast. Trehalose levels are increased dramatically after heat shock, and this is thought to protect protein structure prior to the increase of heat shock protein levels. Our results suggest that the dramatic changes in S. cerevisiae HSF1 transcriptional activity in response to stress might be linked to the combined effects of trehalose and elevated temperatures in modifying the overall structure of HSF1's C-terminal activation domain. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Enhancing the precision of ECG baseline correction selective filtering and removal of residual error

Reemergence of the problem of baseline correction is related to recent advancements in the electrocardiographic (ECG) analysis of beat-to-beat repolarization changes which play an important role in risk assessment and the prediction of sudden cardiac death. These alterations often have an amplitude of a few microvolts and duration of several milliseconds and their detection requires special accuracy of baseline estimation. Using detailed analysis of various types of residual errors we designed a two-step procedure for selective filtering of ECG and removal of residual error with minimal distortion of cardiac complexes and tested this approach on 100 simulated and 210 real ECG signals. Application of this procedure provided a twofold reduction in the error of baseline estimation and T-wave amplitude measurements compared to high-pass filtering. Selective application of this approach to the segments with low baseline drift allowed analysis of low-amplitude, beat-to-beat changes in repolarization during more than 70% of the recording time.
High-Temperature Short-Time Sterilized Evaporated Milk. III. The Influence of the Lipid Phase on Heat and Storage Stability

Summary Laboratory experiments in which high temperature-short time sterilization of concentrated milk was carried out under static conditions showed that heat and storage stability were at times adversely affected by the presence of a lipid phase. Three types of milk were encountered. The predominant type (if forewarming was employed) consisted of milks in which the fat phase behaved as an inert phase, that is, the processed whole and the corresponding processed skimmilks were heat-stable and resisted gelation during storage to approximately the same degree. On occasions, a type of milk was encountered in which the processed whole but not the corresponding processed skimmilk coagulated during sterilization. On other occasions, a type of milk was met in which the processed whole milk had a slightly greater shelf-life than the corresponding processed skimmilk. Exchanging the fat globules belonging to a heat-stable for those in a heat-labile milk tended to reverse the order of stability. Substitution of fat for an equal weight of protein showed that both heat stability and storage stability were significantly decreased by the substitution. Milks prone to coagulate because of an unstable lipid phase were stabilized to some extent by forewarming against both heat coagulation and gelation during storage. Mixing of forewarmed and unforewarmed milks resulted in composite milks with heat and storage stabilities intermediate between those of the unmixed milks. Milks reconstituted from butter oil and skimmilk were stabilized by the addition of fat-soluble interfacially active mixtures to the butter oil. Sterilization under static conditions yields results which, supplementing the results of sterilization under turbulent canditions, allows one to isolate the effect of heat from the combined effect of heat and turbulent flow.
Application of L-systems to geometrical construction of chamise and juniper shrubs

Abstract Improved models of fire spread and fire characteristics are desired for live shrub fuels, since the majority of existing research efforts focus on either dead fuel beds or crown fires in trees. Efforts have been made to improve live fuel modeling, including detailed studies of individual leaf combustion, with results incorporated into a shrub combustion model for broadleaf species. However, this approach was not well-suited to non-broadleaf shrubs since their fuel consists of long needle-covered branches rather than easily discretized leaves. Methods were therefore developed to simulate the branching structure of chamise ( Adenostoma fasciculatum ) and Utah juniper ( Juniperus osteosperma ). The plant structure was based on a form of fractal theory called Lindenmayer systems (i.e., L-systems). Correlations to predict branch number from crown diameter were made based on data from the literature, to ensure that the modeled shrubs would have the same bulk density as live shrubs. The structure model was designed to match the specific characteristics of each species, such as branching angles, the number of stems exiting at ground level, and the fuel element length. This method can be used to generate shrub geometries for detailed shrub combustion models or for realistic artistic renditions.
Rhinoplasty in adolescent cleft patients.

It is universally accepted that correction of cleft lip nose deformity remains a formidable challenge. Despite early correction of cleft lip nose deformity, one is often faced with an adolescent patient who has an acceptable upper lip but has a deformed nose. Usually, these patients come from underdeveloped countries to the United States for correction of nasal deformities. The nose forms a prominent part of the face. Ironically, a masterly executed cleft lip repair directs the beholders’ eyes from the deformed lip to the deformed nose. Real progress has been made in the treatment of cleft lip and palate in the last four decades. Preoperative dental orthopedics and appliances have progressed to produce a near normal maxillary dental arch. In the bilateral cleft lip and palate, positioning of a protruding premaxilla in the dental arch results in superior cleft lip repair. Many techniques have been designed to correct cleft nose deformity; however, the technical improvements in cleft nose repair have lagged behind the progress in cleft lip and palate repair. More and more cleft surgeons are beginning the correction of cleft nose at the time of cleft lip repair; however, several of the patients still require correction of cleft lip nose deformity later in life.
Molteno implant surgery in refractory glaucoma

In recent years aqueous drainage implants have become a useful adjuvant in the treatment of refractory glaucomas. The Molteno implant is one of the most widely used devices for providing a permanent channel of aqueous flow from the anterior chamber to a collecting reservoir in the posterior subconjunctival space. Recently, modifications in design and surgical technique of the Molteno implant have enhanced its success rate, with a reduction in complications such as prolonged hypotony, anterior chamber flattening, and tube-corneal touch. These modifications include intracamerally injecting hyaluronic acid, using a needle track to provide an opening into the anterior chamber for the tube, performing the operation in two stages, using a double plate, temporarily ligating the tube, using a donor scleral patch, and giving adjunctive antifibrotic therapy. The rationale for application of the Molteno implant, the indications, techniques, results, and complications are described.
Adsorption of essential micronutrients by carbon nanotubes and the implications for nanotoxicity testing.

Nanotoxicology and nanomedicine make extensive use of in vitro cellular assays that were developed prior to the nanotechnology era. The introduction of nanomaterials to these standard assays causes problems that are currently limiting progress in the field.[1] Nanoparticles are often difficult to disperse;[2] they can interfere with optical measurements through light absorption, and they can interact with dyes used as molecular probes of cellular integrity.[3] In some cases the resulting artifacts can lead to gross misinterpretation of effects on cell viability and cytotoxicity.[4] Because sp2-hybridized carbon materials are near-universal sorbents for organic compounds in aqueous phases, and in light of a recent report of favorable noncovalent interactions between small-aromatic-molecule therapeutic agents and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs),[5] we hypothesize that SWNTs will adsorb a wide variety of small organic solutes from biological media, not limited to indicator dyes or their water-insoluble reduction products.
Documentation of client dangerousness in a managed care environment

The rapid growth of managed care has accelerated the evolution of the clinical record. Previously used for process notations, global assessment, and treatment planning, the record is increasingly used to demonstrate accountability to third-party payers and to the legal system. This article discusses the documentation of accountability in the case of potential client suicide or violence toward others.
Molecular and biochemical studies of the evolution, infection and transmission of insect bunyaviruses

Members of the Bunyaviridae family of RNA viruses (bunyaviruses, hantaviruses, nairoviruses, phleboviruses and uukuviruses) have been studied at the molecular and genetic level to understand the basis of their evolution and infection in vertebrate and invertebrate (arthropod) hosts. With the exception of the hantaviruses, these viruses infect and are transmitted by a variety of blood-sucking arthropods (mosquitoes, phlebotomines, gnats, ticks, etc.). The viruses are responsible for infection of various vertebrate species, occasionally causing human disease, morbidity and mortality (e.g. Rift Valley fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Korean haemorrhagic fever). Genetic and molecular analyses of bunyaviruses have established the coding assignments of the three viral RNA species and documented which viral gene products determine host range and virulence. Ecological studies, with molecular techniques, have provided evidence for bunyavirus evolution in nature through genetic drift (involving the accumulation of point mutations) and shift (RNA-segment reassortment).
Vehicle-to-vehicle communications for AVCS platooning

Vehicle-to-vehicle radio links suffer from multipath fading and interference from other vehicles. We discuss the impact of these effects on communication networks supporting an intelligent transportation system (ITS), in particular, automated vehicle control systems (AVCSs). A statistical model for this channel is considered, and the performance of the network involving many links is evaluated. We compare the performance of time division multiple access (TDMA), direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA), and frequency hopping with TDMA in this environment. The reliability of the radio link is investigated by specifying the radio spectrum occupation for a given required reliability of the radio link.
Amyloid Oligomer Structures and Toxicity

Amyloid accumulation is commonly associated with a number of important human degenerative diseases and recent findings indicate that soluble amyloid oligomers may represent the primary pathological species in degenerative diseases. Amyloid oligomers are structurally and morphologically diverse, raising the question on whether this diversity is pathologically significant and whether different types of oligomers may have different toxic activities. Many of the amyloids associated with neurodegenerative diseases form three immunologically distinct types of oligomers. Fibrillar oligomers are structurally related to fibrils and may represent small pieces of fibrils or fibril protofilaments. Prefibrillar oligomers are kinetic intermediates in fibril formation and annular protofibrils that resemble membrane pores. These three classes of oligomers share common structures and toxic activities. Focus on these common mechanisms of toxicity provides a means of simplifying the list of primary disease mechanisms and opens the possibility of developing broad spectrum therapeutics that target several amyloid related degenerative diseases.
Order batching algorithms and travel-time estimation for automated storage/retrieval systems

SUMMARY In this paper we present heuristics and analytical models for the order batching problem. Orders are batched into tours such that the total travel time is minimized. Four heuristics are developed for the order batching problem, for which no exact solution exists. All heuristics are based on the time-saving criterion of combining two or more orders in a single tour rather than processing them one order at a time. Among the heuristics that are presented, the SL algorithm has the best performance. An analytical model is developed to estimate the travel time of the S/R machine as a function of the number of locations to be visited and the physical specifications of the structure. Expressions for upper and lower bounds for travel time are presented.
Towards Understanding the Role of Interaction Effects in Visual Conjoint Analysis

This work investigates how attribute interactions affect consumer preference for product form attributes in choice based conjoint analysis. Interaction effects are present when preference for the level of one attribute is dependent on the level of another attribute. When some or all interaction effects are negligible, a factional factorial experimental design can be used to reduce the number of variants shown to the respondent and keep the survey size manageable. This is particularly important when the presence of many parameters or levels makes full factorial designs intractable. However, if there is uncertainty about the independence of attributes or if interaction effects are relevant, a fractional factorial design may create biased estimates and misleading conclusions. This work examines the role of interaction effects in visual conjoint analysis, an extension to traditional conjoint analysis that allows for product form attributes that vary continuously. Many visual conjoint analysis studies assume interaction effects are negligible. We conduct preliminary tests on this assumption in three visual conjoint analysis studies. The results suggest that interactions can be significant or negligible in visual conjoint, depending on both consumer preferences and shape parameterization. We suggest that randomized designs are generally better than fractional factorial designs at avoiding errors due to the presence of interactions and/or the organization of profiles into choice sets.
Photopatternable Polymeric Membranes for Optical Oxygen Sensors

A new class of optical oxygen sensor that can be photopatternable by traditional UV lithography is presented. They are fabricated using photopatternable spin-on silicone (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS) with oxygen sensitive luminescent dyes. It has a good adhesion property and can be applied on glass or on photopolymer (SU-8) without any additional surface treatments. The optimum mixture composition for patternable oxygen sensitive membranes is investigated and its optical properties are characterized. Proof-of-concepts for two applications, intensity-based oxygen sensing with SU-8 based structure and self-calibration fluidic oxygen sensor, are described. These photopatternable optical membranes will find many applications wherever small patterns of oxygen sensitive membranes are required.
Liver natural killer and natural killer T cells: immunobiology and emerging roles in liver diseases

Hepatic lymphocytes are enriched in NK and NKT cells that play important roles in antiviral and antitumor defenses and in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease. In this review, we discuss the differential distribution of NK and NKT cells in mouse, rat, and human livers, the ultrastructural similarities and differences between liver NK and NKT cells, and the regulation of liver NK and NKT cells in a variety of murine liver injury models. We also summarize recent findings about the role of NK and NKT cells in liver injury, fibrosis, and repair. In general, NK and NKT cells accelerate liver injury by producing proinflammatory cytokines and killing hepatocytes. NK cells inhibit liver fibrosis via killing early-activated and senescent-activated stellate cells and producing IFN-γ. In regulating liver fibrosis, NKT cells appear to be less important than NK cells as a result of hepatic NKT cell tolerance. NK cells inhibit liver regeneration by producing IFN-γ and killing hepatocytes; however, the role of NK cells on the proliferation of liver progenitor cells and the role of NKT cells in liver regeneration have been controversial. The emerging roles of NK/NKT cells in chronic human liver disease will also be discussed. Understanding the role of NK and NKT cells in the pathogenesis of chronic liver disease may help us design better therapies to treat patients with this disease.
Increased pulmonary radiothallium uptake during stress thallium-201 chloride myocardial imaging.

A 59-year-old man, a smoker, had suffered from a myocardial infarction with substernal chest pain radiating to the right shoulder and jaws and associated shortness of breath. These symptoms were relieved by sublingual nitroglycerine. His creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) was 670 IU/L (normal = 45 to 235 IU/L). Physical examination was unremarkable except for pitting edema of legs. Echocardiogram (ECG) showed inferior hypokinesis. Catheterization of the left side of the heart with coronary angiography done on the 6th day post-chest pain showed a long stenosis of the third obtuse marginal branch, tapering up to 90% at the origin of the take-off, and the fourth obtuse marginal branch of the circumflex artery contained a short 90% stenosis just after the take-off at the origin. The right coronary artery contained a 50% midvessel stenosis involving the origin of the right ventricular (RV) marginal branch. The patient underwent thallium-201 (2~ chloride myocardial stress imaging via the modified Bruce protocol done on the 12th day post--chest pain for 12.8 minutes, stopping secondary to fatigue. The patient reached his target heart rate of 113 beats/rain. The images showed fixed defects in the inferior wall and inferolateral wall with intense pulmonary uptake (Fig 1).
Democratic Authoritarianism: Origins and Effects

This article reviews the burgeoning literature on democratic authoritarianism, which examines two related but distinct questions: why authoritarian regimes adopt institutions conventionally associated with democracy, and how these institutions strengthen authoritarian regimes and forestall democratization. The literature suggests that authoritarian regimes adopt and utilize nominally democratic institutions to augment their strength through five main mechanisms: signaling, information acquisition, patronage distribution, monitoring, and credible commitment. After evaluating each of these mechanisms, I discuss the empirical challenges facing this research agenda and suggest how the field should proceed to overcome these challenges.
Characterization of Osteolytic, Osteoblastic, and Mixed Lesions in a Prostate Cancer Mouse Model Using 18F-FDG and 18F-Fluoride PET/CT

The combination of small-animal PET/CT scans and conventional imaging methods may enhance the evaluation of in vivo biologic interactions of murine models in the study of prostate cancer metastasis to bone. Methods: Small-animal PET/CT scans using 18F-fluoride ion and 18F-FDG coregistered with high-resolution small-animal CT scans were used to longitudinally assess the formation of osteoblastic, osteolytic, and mixed lesions formed by human prostate cancer cell lines in a severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse tibial injection model. These scans were correlated with plain radiographs, histomorphometry, and soft-tissue measurements. Results: Small-animal PET/CT scans were able to detect biologic activity of cells that induced an osteoblastic lesion 2 wk earlier than on plain radiographs. Furthermore, both the size and the activity of the lesions detected on PET/CT images significantly increased at each successive time point (P
Lessons from women's colleges: what works, what doesn't and what will work elsewhere: panel discussion

This panel will discuss the environment in Computer Science departments at women's colleges and aspects that support retention and persistence of women that could be adopted by co-educational institutions.
Scoliosis in children with anterior chest wall deformities.

Abstract An association between anterior chest wall deformities and scoliosis is described in the literature but is poorly defined. It appears that only approximately 4% to 5% of patients with severe anterior chest wall deformities have scoliosis of sufficient magnitude to warrant evaluation and observation by a spinal deformity physician. The relationship between anterior chest wall deformity and scoliosis is most clear in patients with Marfan syndrome. Marfan patients with scoliosis are at high risk for progression of deformity to unacceptable levels and have historically not responded well to brace therapy. The causes of anterior chest wall deformity and scoliosis remain unclear, although unbalanced cartilage growth has been proposed as a potential cause of both. Some have proposed that chest wall deformity may result in asymmetric spinal forces and subsequent scoliosis secondary to altered spinal growth. Because of the association between pectus deformities and scoliosis, patients with anterior chest wall deformities should be carefully examined for signs of scoliosis and have screening radiographs if indicated. Young patients in particular should be referred to a spinal deformity physician, because it is clear that patients who present with spinal deformity prior to age 5 years are the ones at risk for adverse cardiopulmonary sequelae related to spinal deformity. Most children with scoliosis and anterior chest wall deformities need only observation of the scoliosis. In more severe cases, the management of spinal deformity traditionally involves the use of bracing to attempt to control curves of lesser magnitude and surgical management for unacceptable deformities or curves of magnitudes too great for brace treatment. There are no studies that specifically address the use of these methods in patients with both anterior chest wall deformities and scoliosis. The management of scoliosis in patients with anterior chest wall deformities follows treatment principles outlined for idiopathic scoliosis patients.
Thermoelectric Response Driven by Spin-State Transition in La(1-x)Ce(x)CoO(3) Perovskites

An unusual thermoelectric response was observed in n-type perovskite oxide La(1-x)Ce(x)CoO(3). Combining transport and magnetic measurements, we found that the thermoelectric response is driven by the spin-state transition of Co(3+). This transition destroys the spin blockade effect and induces an abrupt decrease of resistivity as well as an insulator metal transition. In contrast to the resistivity change, changes in thermopower and thermal conductivity are moderate. Consequently, a peak of figure of the merit ZT is present in a narrow temperature range. The room-temperature ZT approximate to 0.018 of La(0.94)Ce(0.06)CoO(3) is comparable to that of p-type Na(x)CoO(2). These observations can be helpful for the search and design of new thermoelectric materials.
Fluorometric Analysis of Intermediates of the Glycolytic and Citric Acid Cycle Pathway in Human Platelets

Simplified fluorometric methods for the assay of metabolic intermediates in blood platelets are described. The concentration of metabolic intermediates of glycolysis and some citric acid cycle intermediates have been estimated in normal platelets, collected in acid-citrate-dextrose solution and in EDTA. The following average concentrations, expressed as nanomoles/1010 platelets, were found in acid-citratedextrose-collected platelets: glucose-6-phosphate, 10.7; fructose-6-phosphate, 3.1; fructose diphosphate, 3.2; dihydroxyacetone phosphate, 2.6; 3-phosphoglyceric acid 1.7; fumarate, 2.5; malate, 17.4; ATP, 406. Similar values for most intermediates were obtained in EDTA-collected platelets, but significantly lower concentrations of fructose-6-phosphate and higher concentrations of fructose diphosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and 3-phosphoglyceric acid were observed.