cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Rationale for the Utility-Accessible External Disconnect Switch: Preprint

This paper describes the utility-accessible alternating current (AC) external disconnect switch (EDS) for distributed generators, including photovoltaic (PV) systems, which is a hardware feature that allows a utility's employees to manually disconnect a customer-owned generator from the electricity grid.
Intel's i750 (R) video processor-the programmable solution

A description is given of the fully programmable i750 video processor, which integrates full-screen full-motion digital video, high-quality audio, high-speed graphics, text, and still images in digital multimedia applications by combining the speed of hardware and the versatility of software. The i750 video processor consists of two components: the 82750PB pixel processor and the 82750DB display processor. The devices are compatible with existing DVI motion video algorithms and emerging international standards such as still image compression developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. >
Blogging the Unspeakable: Racial Politics, Bakhtin, and the Carnivalesque

The 2006 Democratic primary in New York’s 11th Congressional District saw opposition from the blogosphere to David Yassky, a White legislator running for election in a district created under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s account of carnival, this study uses a qualitative approach to examine how the racial discourse was constructed on two political blogs within a carnivalesque framework. At the same time, this study notes the uniqueness of the discourse between the White bloggers as well as between the Trinidad-born bloggers and their White counterparts. While the bloggers injected themselves into the spectacle of the campaign hoping to impact the election, there were inherent limitations in this new medium.
Generating high-quality tests for Boolean circuits by treating tests as proof encoding

We consider the problem of test generation for Boolean combinational circuits. We use a novel approach based on the idea of treating tests as a proof encoding rather than as a sample of the search space. In our approach, a set of tests is complete for a circuit N, and a property p, if it "encodes" a formal proof that N satisfies p. For a combinational circuit of k inputs, the cardinality of such a complete set of tests may be exponentially smaller than 2k. In particular, if there is a short resolution proof, then a small complete set of tests also exists. We show how to use the idea of treating tests as a proof encoding to directly generate high-quality tests. We do this by generating tests that encode mandatory fragments of any resolution proof. Preliminary experimental results show the promise of our approach.
NMDA Receptor Antagonists in the Treatment of Pain

Over the past three decades, the central glutamatergic system, particularly the role of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the neural mechanisms of persistent pain, has been extensively investigated. Chronic pain can be sustained by way of a central sensitization process involving the NMDA receptor system. Data from preclinical studies have consistently supported a crucial role of the central glutamatergic system and NMDA receptors in the induction and maintenance of persistent pain resulting from pathological conditions such as inflammation and nerve injury. To date, clinical trials have resulted in mixed conclusions as to the overall effectiveness in treating persistent pain with NMDA receptor antagonists. Nonetheless, NMDA receptor antagonists have been demonstrated as an effective treatment option in the management of chronic pain, particularly for pain which has been refractory to other treatment modalities.
Sharp Critique of Industry's Influence

On the Take How Medicine's Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger Your Health. By Jerome P. Kassirer . Oxford University Press, New York, 2004. 271 pp. $28, £16.95. ISBN 0-19-517684-7. The author analyzes the conflicts of interest that have grown to entangle the relationships among pharmaceutical companies, health-care corporations, researchers, and practicing physicians and that threaten to undermine public trust in doctors
MAKING THE CASE FOR SAFE STORAGE OF USED NUCLEAR FUEL FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME: COMBINING NEAR-TERM EXPERIMENTS AND ANALYSES WITH LONGER-TERM CONFIRMATORY DEMONSTRATIONS

The need for extended storage of used nuclear fuel is increasing globally as disposition schedules for used fuel are pushed further into the future. This is creating a situation where dry storage of used fuel may need to be extended beyond normal regulatory licensing periods. While it is generally accepted that used fuel in dry storage will remain in a safe condition, there is little data that demonstrate used fuel performance in dry storage environments for long periods of time. This is especially true for high burnup used fuel. This paper discusses a technical approach that defines a process that develops the technical basis for demonstrating the safety of used fuel over extended periods of time.
Realizing privacy by definition in social networks

Privacy violations in online social networks (OSNs) have become more the norm than the exception. Conventional models of privacy in OSNs offer a limited set of privacy guarantees for information posted and reshared by users in OSNs. In this paper, we propose a completely new model of private information sharing using a refined abstraction of contexts that embodies the philosophy of contextual integrity (CI), which we believe better captures users privacy expectations in OSNs. We present the design of Compass, an online social network inspired by CI, in which three properties hold: (a) users are associated with roles in specific contexts; (b) every piece of information posted by a user is associated with a specific context; (c) norms defined on roles and attributes of posts in a context govern how information is shared across users within that context.
Renal transplantation in children with lupus nephritis

Background: This study was conducted to determine renal allograft and patient survival for children with lupus nephritis compared with pediatric allograft recipients with other causes of end-stage renal disease. Methods: Data from the United Network for Organ Sharing registry for children aged 1 to 21 years who received an initial renal transplant between 1987 and 1997 were included. Subjects with kidney failure caused by other vasculitides were excluded, as were those with multiple organ transplants. Results: A total of 7,926 children (n = 254 children with lupus) were available for evaluation. Patients with lupus were older (median age, 19 versus 15 years; P < 0.01) and more commonly female (80% versus 40%; P < 0.01) and black (34% versus 20%; P < 0.01) than patients without lupus. Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 0.03 to 13 years). Renal allograft survival was not different between groups when adjusting for sex, race, age, and cadaveric (CAD) transplant (P = 0.98). Among patients with lupus, those with CAD allografts were 1.9 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 3.3; P = 0.02) more likely to lose their graft than those with living donor grafts. This increased risk for graft failure with CAD transplants was observed to a lesser degree in subjects without lupus (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2 to 1.5). Patients with lupus were 1.8 times more likely to die compared with patients without lupus in multivariate analysis (95% CI, 1.14 to 2.74; P = 0.01). Conclusion: Although allograft survival is not different, patient survival after renal transplantation is less for pediatric patients with lupus compared with other pediatric renal allograft recipients. Am J Kidney Dis 41:455-463.
Digitoxin activates EGR1 and synergizes with paclitaxel on human breast cancer cells.

Background: Numerous studies have suggested that digitalis derivatives promise to be superior to existing adjuvant therapy for breast cancer as to effects and side-effects. In the present study, we have used gene expression analysis to determine the molecular action of digitoxin on breast cancer cells and assessed digitoxin's ability to synergize with the chemotherapy agent paclitaxel with respect to inhibition of cell proliferation. Materials and Methods: We treated (Her2 overexpressing, ER low) MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cells with digitoxin at four doses {20 ng/ml (26 nM) to 1 μg/ml} and collected RNA at 6 h and 24 h for gene expression analysis. To examine the effects on ER positive cells, we treated MCF7 cells with digitoxin at 1 μg/ml and collected RNA for RT-PCR analysis. In addition, we assayed the growth inhibitory effect of low doses of digitoxin combined with paclitaxel and determined combination index values. Results: To reveal primary effects, we examined digitoxin's effect 6 h post-treatment with the highest dose, 1μg/ml, and found upregulation of the stress response genes EGR-1 and NAB2, lipid biosynthetic genes and the tumor suppressor gene p21, and downregulation of the mitotic cell cycle gene CDC16 and the replication gene PolR3B. RT-PCR analysis validated effects on stress response, apoptotic and cell cycle genes on MDA-MB-453 and MCF7 cells. Western blot analysis confirmed induction of EGR1 protein at 1 h and ATF3 at 24 h. Paclitaxel, as well as digitoxin, inhibited the in vitro activity of the purified Na + -K + -ATPase; digitoxin enhanced the growth inhibitory effects of paclitaxel on Her2 overexpressing breast cancer cells. Conclusions: Our studies show the potential of digitoxin to prevent and treat breast cancer and indicate that the combination of digitoxin and paclitaxel is a promising treatment for ER negative breast cancer. These findings are the first to alert physicians to the possible dangers to patients who take a combination of digitoxin and paclitaxel. The potential dangers ensuing when paclitaxel and digitoxin are combined are dependent on the dose of digitoxin.
STUDIES OF CARBON AND NITROGEN METABOLISM BY THREE MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON SPECIES IN NITRATE‐LIMITED CONTINUOUS CULTURE1,2

Characteristics of carbon production, excretion and dark respiration, and nitrate uptake kinetics were studied using continuous culture techniques for Thalassiosira allenii Takano, Monorhrysis lutheri Droop and Dunaliella tertiolccta Butcher. Fur T. allenii. the ratio of dark C loss to daytime net C production varied between 0.1 and 0.2 over a growth rate range from ca. 0.005 to 0.06 h-1. For M. lutheri and D. tertiolecta. this same ratio varied belween 0.2 and 0.3 between growth rates of ca. 0.005 and 0.025 h-1, but declined at higher growth rates when the dark nitrate uptake capacity of the cells was exceeded by the pumping rate. Carbon excretion rates averaged less than 1.5% of daytime net C production rates. Productivity indices showed little correlation with growth rate, due to the significant poisitive correlation between chl a:C ratios and growth rate. Chlorophyll a:C ratios for T. allenii were less than 0.01 al growth rates less than 0.03 h-1, and appoached zero at zero growth rate. Dark nitrate maximum uptake rates for M. lutheri, D. tertiolecta and T. allenii averaged 23, 64 and 120%, respectively, of light nitrate maximum uptake rates. Excretion of nitrite was observed during most nitrate uptake experiments. This excretion reduced net uptake of nitrate spikes in the dark for M. lutheri and D. tertiolecta by 79 and 23%, respectively.
Towards probing pentagons on carbon nanotube tips

We report detailed studies of the distribution of pentagons on carbon nanotube tips. For a conical tube end, five pentagons are clustered to form a sharp tip. By examining the process of initial oxidation, we can identify the most strained pentagons on the tip. The pentagon distribution, which determines the pattern of oxidation, can be deduced with reasonable confidence from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and computer-image simulation.
Characterization of Particulates Accompanying Laser Ablation of NaNO3

We present observations of submicrometer- to micrometer-sized particles generated by high-fluence ( 10 J/cm2) 248-nm laser ablation of single-crystal NaNO3 in vacuum and at atmospheric pres- sure. Small particles (50-200 nm in diameter) are ejected by hydrodynamic sputtering. Larger particles (1-20 mu m in diameter) are produced by cavitation and spallation in the melt. Many particles formed in air carry electric charge, with roughly equal numbers of positively and negatively charged particles. The particle composition is consistent with substantial nitrate decomposition. The implications of these observations with respect to laser-based chemical analysis are discussed.
Theca-lutein ovarian cysts associated with homozygous α-thalassemia

We present a case of theca-lutein cysts associated with homozygous α-thalassemia. Theca-lutein cysts have been associated with various types of nonimmune hydrops fetalis but have not been reported previously in association with homozygous α-thalassemia.
FOREIGN BODY-TYPE MULTINUCLEATED GIANT CELLS INDUCED BY INTERLEUKIN-4 EXPRESS SELECT LYMPHOCYTE CO-STIMULATORY MOLECULES AND ARE PHENOTYPICALLY DISTINCT FROM OSTEOCLASTS AND DENDRITIC CELLS

Foreign body-type multinucleated giant cells (FBGC), formed by macrophage fusion, are a prominent cell type on implanted biomaterials, although the roles they play at these and other sites of chronic inflammation are not understood. Why lymphocytes are present in this scenario and the effects of fusing macrophages/FBGC on subsequent lymphocyte responses are also unclear. To address the physiological significance of FBGC in this regard, we employed our in vitro system of interleukin (IL)-4-induced human monocyte-derived macrophage fusion/FBGC formation. Initially, we pursued the identities of lymphocyte co-stimulatory molecules on fusing macrophages/FBGC. In addition, we further compared the FBGC phenotype to that currently associated with osteoclasts and dendritic cells using recognized markers. Immunoblotting of cell lysates and immunochemistry of macrophages/FBGC in situ, revealed that IL-4-induced macrophages/FBGC strongly express HLA-DR, CD98, B7-2 (CD86), and B7-H1 (PD-L1), but not B7-1 (CD80) or B7-H2 (B7RP-1). Furthermore, molecules currently recognized to be expressed on osteoclasts (calcitonin receptor, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, RANK) or dendritic cells (CD1a, CD40, CD83, CD95/fas) are undetectable. In contrast, fusing macrophages/FBGC strongly express the macrophage markers αX integrin (CD11c), CD68, and dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN), whereas CD14 is completely down-modulated with IL-4-induced macrophage fusion. These novel data demonstrate that IL-4-induction of macrophage multinucleation/FBGC formation features the acquisition of a CD14-negative phenotypic profile which is distinguishable from that of dendritic cells and osteoclasts, yet potentially exhibits multiple capacities for lymphocyte interactions with resultant lymphocyte down-modulation.
Strong-field approximation in photoionization

Abstract The definition and characteristics of the strong-field environment for an atom in a laser field are specified in terms of the relevant intensity parameters. The limits of perturbation theory are set, and it is emphasized that this must be done in terms of laser field energy, not electric field strength. The formal basis and special features of the SFA (strong-field approximation) are reviewed, and it is pointed out that the three methods encompassed in the so-called KFR (Keldysh-Faisal-Reiss) technique are actually quite different. Validity conditions and some applications of the SFA are given.
Domain analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein, Nab2p. Dissecting the requirements for Nab2p-facilitated poly(A) RNA export.

Mature poly(A) RNA transcripts are exported from the nucleus in complex with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs). Nab2p is an essential Saccharomyces cerevisiaehnRNP protein that interacts with poly(A) RNA and shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Functional Nab2p is required for export of poly(A) RNA from the nucleus. The Nab2 protein consists of the following four domains: a unique N-terminal domain, a glutamine-rich domain, an arginine-glycine (RGG) domain, and a zinc finger domain. We generated Nab2p deletion mutants to analyze the contribution of each domain to the in vivo function of Nab2p. We first tested whether the deletion mutants could replace the essentialNAB2 gene. We then examined the impact of these mutations on Nab2p localization, poly(A) RNA localization, and association of Nab2p with poly(A) RNA. Our analyses revealed that the N-terminal domain is required for nuclear export of both poly(A) RNA and Nab2p. We confirm that the RGG domain is important for Nab2p import in vivo. Finally, the zinc finger domain is critical for the interaction between Nab2p and poly(A) RNA in vivo. Our data support a model where Nab2p associates with poly(A) RNA in the nucleus through the zinc finger domain and facilitates the export of the poly(A) RNA through protein interactions mediated by the N-terminal domain.
SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES: COGNITIVE CHANGES PARTIALLY MEDIATE THE IMPACT OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS ON DESISTANCE FROM CRIME.

Although research regarding the impact of marriage on desistance is important, most romantic relationships during early adulthood, the period in the life course when involvement in criminal offending is relatively high, do not involve marriage. Using the internal moderator approach, we tested hypotheses regarding the impact of non-marital romantic relationships on desistance using longitudinal data from a sample of approximately 600 African American young adults. The results largely supported the study hypotheses. We found no significant association between simply being in a romantic relationship and desistance from offending. On the other hand, for both males and females quality of romantic relationship was rather strongly associated with desistance. Partner antisociality only influenced the offending of females. Much of the effect of quality of romantic relationship on desistance was mediated by a reduction in commitment to a criminogenic knowledge structure (a hostile view of people and relationships, ...
The Effect of a Peripheral Glare Source upon the Apparent Brightness of an Object

The decrease in perceived brightness of a foveal test object produced by a peripheral glare source can be accounted for in terms of a veiling luminance produced by stray light falling on the fovea. The same effect can be produced by an artificial patch of veiling luminance superimposed on the test object. The effect of increasing the angle between the glare source and the test object is equivalent to reducing the brightness of the glare source in accordance with the stray light hypothesis. The measured amount of veiling luminance conforms to that found by previous investigators. The changes in brightness that occur immediately following the onset of a peripheral glare source as well as the changes which occur following removal of the glare source can all be accounted for in terms of the veiling luminance produced by stray light falling on the fovea.
Transition from conduction to convection around a horizontal cylinder experiencing a ramp excursion in internal heat generation

Abstract The transition from conductive to convective heat transfer has been investigated for horizontal cylinders, platinum wires in various liquids, subjected to internal heat generation increasing linearly with time. Thermal conditions were monitored electrically and transition times were determined from high-speed motion pictures of shadowgraph and interferogram images. Various stability criteria for transition to convection were examined and tested against measurements. For the range of conditions investigated, it was found that the time to transition was inversely proportional to the cube root of the rate of increase in heat generation, and independent of wire diameter.
Corporate Form and the State: Business Policy and Change from the Multidivisional to the Multilayered Subsidiary Form*

The largest industrial corporations are changing to a multilayered subsidiary form. Whereas corporations have used subsidiaries to organize their assets since the turn of the century, the number of wholly owned subsidiaries in the 100 largest industrial corporations doubled between 1981 and 1993. The question addressed here is : why are corporations changing their form now ? The author suggests that the question is historically contingent and that the answer is, in part, explained by changes in state business policy. A capital dependence framework is elaborated to examine the relationship between state business policy and corporations in the 1970s and 1980s. Business policy changes-resulting in the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Revenue Act of 1987 - provided corporations with tax-free procedures for parent companies to simultaneously restructure their divisions as subsidiaries and restructure their debt. There are additional incentives for corporations to restructure their divisions as subsidiaries : (1) creating a liability firewall between the parent company and its subsidiary corporations, limiting the financial risk of parent companies, and (2) creating an internal capital market, providing an alternative form of financing thereby reducing corporations' dependence on external capital markets
Influence of aqueous pH and ionic strength on the wettability of quartz in the presence of dense non-aqueous-phase liquids

The location, distribution, and migration of non-aqueous-phase liquids (NAPLs) in porous media are strongly influenced by the wettability of aquifer solids. Changes in wettability can significantly affect capillary pressure, rela tive permeability, residual saturation, and fluid displacement potential. In this study, mineral wettability by DNAPLs was evaluated as a function of aqueous pH and ionic strength for a water−DNAPL−quartz system. Contact angle and DNAPL−water interfacial tension, which is related to contact angle, were experimentally determined for trichloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride in aqueous solutions of varying pH and ionic strength. Both DNAPLs exhibited the fol lowing results: Contact angles were at a maximum near the pH of the point of zero surface charge of quartz (pH ∼ 2) and decreased as pH and ionic strength were increased. DNAPL−water interfacial tension was invariant with respect to pH and ionic strength (up to 0.1 M). Observed variations in contact angle yield calculated cha...
Effect of age and caloric restriction on DNA oxidative damage in different tissues of C57BL/6 mice

The objective of this study was to explore the role of molecular oxidative damage and caloric intake in the aging process. The concentration of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a product of DNA oxidation, was compared in five different tissues of mice (skeletal muscle, brain, heart, liver and kidney) as a function of age and in response to dietary restriction. A comparison of 8- and 27-month-old mice indicated that the age-related increase in 8-OHdG concentration was greater in skeletal muscle, brain and heart, which are primarily composed of long-lived, post-mitotic cells, than in liver and kidney, which consist of slow-dividing cells. Dietary restricted (DR) mice kept on 60% caloric intake as compared to the ad libitum-fed (AL) mice showed a lower concentration in 8-OHdG content in all the tissues compared to AL mice. The DR-related amelioration of DNA oxidative damage was greater in the post-mitotic tissues compared to those undergoing slow mitoses. Results support the hypothesis that oxidative damage to long-lived post-mitotic cells may be a key factor in the aging process.
Rat gastrin's amino acid sequence determined from the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA ☆

Abstract Gastrin cDNA was synthesized using a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide to specifically prime rat mRNA preparations for reverse transcription. Hybridization analysis using this cDNA indicated that rat gastrin mRNA is the same size as that which codes for hog gastrin. The amino acid sequence for rat gastrin 34 was determined from a partial nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA and indicates that in rat, as in other species, gastrin is synthesized as a larger precursor which is processed following two consecutive basic amino acids to yield molecules of 34 and 17 amino acids (gastrin-34 and gastrin-17).
The Energetics of the Acetylation Switch in p53-mediated Transcriptional Activation

Targeted therapeutic intervention in receptor-ligand interactions of p53 mediated tumor suppression can impact progression of disease, aging, and variation in genetic expression. Here, we conducted a number of molecular simulations, based on structures of p53 in complex with its transcriptional co-activating CBP bromodomain, determined by NMR spectroscopy, to investigate the energetics of the binding complex. Building on the observation that acetylation of K382 in p53 serves as the essential triggering switch for a specific interaction with CBP, we assessed the differential effect of acetylation on binding from simulations of an octapeptide derived from p53 with acetylated and non-acetylated K382 (residues 379-386). Cluster analysis of the simulations shows that acetylation of the free peptide does not significantly change the population of the preferred conformation of the peptide in solution for binding to CBP. Conversion of the acetylated K382 to non-acetylated form with Free Energy Perturbation (FEP) simulations of the p53•CBP complex and the free peptide showed that the relative contribution of the acetyl group to binding is 4.8 kcal/mol. An analysis of residue contributions to the binding energy using an MM-GBSA approach agrees with the FEP results and sheds additional light on the origin of selectivity in p53 binding to the CBP bromodomain.
Aristotle on Nature and Incomplete Substance

1. Nature and things 2. Elemental motion and alteration 3. Elemental transformation and the persistence of matter 4. Unity 5. Living things.
Puzzling Aspects of the Hydrophobic Sizing of Paper and its Inter-Fiber Bonding Ability

Internal sizing agents make it possible to prepare water-resistant paper from an aqueous suspension comprising water-loving fibers and an emulsified hydrophobic agent. Why doesn’t the hydrophobic treatment get in the way of inter-fiber bonding? The answer appears to involve the order in which nano-scale events happen during the manufacture of paper. It appears that the inter-fiber bonded areas develop first. Molecular distribution of the hydrophobic agents appears to happen later, especially during the later stages of evaporative drying. The topic seems to be crying out for someone to carry out appropriate experiments to shed more light on the mechanism.
Photoacoustic flow cytometry

Conventional flow cytometry using scattering and fluorescent detection methods has been a fundamental tool of biological discoveries for many years. Invasive extraction of cells from a living organism, however, may lead to changes in cell properties and prevents the long-term study of cells in their native environment. Here, we summarize recent advances of new generation flow cytometry for in vivo noninvasive label-free or targeted detection of cells in blood, lymph, bone, cerebral and plant vasculatures using photoacoustic (PA) detection techniques, multispectral high-pulse-repetition-rate lasers, tunable ultrasharp (up to 0.8 nm) rainbow plasmonic nanoprobes, positive and negative PA contrasts, in vivo magnetic enrichment, time-of-flight cell velocity measurement, PA spectral analysis, and integration of PA, photothermal (PT), fluorescent, and Raman methods. Unique applications of this tool are reviewed with a focus on ultrasensitive detection of normal blood cells at different functional states (e.g., apoptotic and necrotic) and rare abnormal cells including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cancer stem cells, pathogens, clots, sickle cells as well as pharmokinetics of nanoparticles, dyes, microbubbles and drug nanocarriers. Using this tool we discovered that palpation, biopsy, or surgery can enhance CTC release from primary tumors, increasing the risk of metastasis. The novel fluctuation flow cytometry provided the opportunity for the dynamic study of blood rheology including red blood cell aggregation and clot formation in different medical conditions (e.g., blood disorders, cancer, or surgery). Theranostics, as a combination of PA diagnosis and PT nanobubble-amplified multiplex therapy, was used for eradication of CTCs, purging of infected blood, and thrombolysis of clots using PA guidance to control therapy efficiency. In vivo flow cytometry using a portable fiber-based devices can provide a breakthrough platform for early diagnosis of cancer, infection and cardiovascular disorders with a potential to inhibit, if not prevent, metastasis, sepsis, and strokes or heart attack by well-timed personalized therapy.
Palaeodemography in leeward Hawaii

Demographics has long been a major issue in considerations of sociocultural development. Generally speaking, the greater the spatial constraint on a population, the more significant the variable of population size. Consequently, knowledge of population growth curves is potentially of extreme importance for understanding the differences and similarities that developed between island societies. In this paper, I review and critique some recent models of population growth that have been put forth for leeward Hawaii, and then evaluate four hypotheses regarding population size and growth for that region.
A friend within the heart: natriuretic peptide receptor signaling

Cardiovascular disease remains as the leading cause of death throughout the industrialized nations of the world. Central to this statistic is our current inability to effectively repair or otherwise reverse severe forms of cardiac dysfunction and pathologic remodeling that characterizes a failing heart. In response to hypertension, ischemic disease, valvular insufficiency, viral myocarditis, and genetic mutations in sacomeric proteins, the myocardium undergoes a hypertrophic growth phase as a compensatory measure aimed at maintaining cardiac output (1). However, longstanding cardiac hypertrophy often precipitates the development of more serious complications such as sudden death, fibrotic restrictive cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and overt failure (2). Given the relatively poor clinical prognosis associated with end-stage heart failure, much investigation has focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings associated with the preceding hypertrophic remodeling stage. Indeed, a number of signaling networks have been identified that directly regulate the hypertrophic growth of cardiac myocytes (3). For example, neuroendocrine factors and/or intrinsic stretch-sensitive sensors, which signal through G protein–coupled receptors, receptor tyrosine kinases, or directly to second messengers, are thought to function as the initiating stimulus for the hypertrophic response (Figure ​(Figure1).1). These upstream events promote signal transduction through a network of kinases and phosphatases thereby coordinating an increase in gene expression, total protein production and/or accumulation, and rRNA content, thus driving the hypertrophic growth of myocytes. However, as is common to most biological response systems, a counter-regulatory network typically exists that buffers or antagonizes the forward cascade to permit selective reversal or graded responsiveness. Indeed, in this issue of the JCI, the article by Holtwick and colleagues provides definitive evidence for the existence of an antihypertrophic regulatory circuit within cardiac myocytes that functions to directly antagonize the hypertrophic growth response (4). This antihypertrophic regulatory circuit consists of the secreted atrial and B-type natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP, respectively), and the ANP receptor guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A). Figure 1 Cardiac myocytes have signaling pathways that agonize and antagonize hypertrophic growth. Neuroendocrine factors typically stimulate G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) and/or receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which activate an array of intermediate ...
Multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1) and opioid analgesia in horses

Opioid absorption in the intestinal tract as well as its effects in the central nervous system is modulated by the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) encoded in the Multi-drug Resistance gene (MDR1) also named ATP-binding cassete, subfamily B, member 1 (ABCB1). This MDR1 gene acts as a selective pump. The expression of this protein in humans and rodents inhibits cellular uptake of substrate opioids. The presence of the intestinal iso-enzyme CYP3A4 associated with MDR1 gene decreases the opioid analgesic activity due to an increase in intestinal metabolism, with a predicted intestinal first pass extraction around 20% which significantly influences the oral availability of opioids. In the central nervous system, P-gp expression decreases opioid neuronal uptake diminishing the analgesic effects. It is unknown if horses have the MDR1 gene and P-gp and what are the effects on opioid absorption, metabolism, and analgesia. Identifying the MDR1 gene and P-gp status in horses is of great importance in order to better understand opioid pharmacologic effects in horses.
Cerebral penetration injury leads to H2O2 generation in microdialysis samples

Delayed tissue damage is proposed to be caused by reactive oxygen species. We investigated the effects of microdialysis probe penetration into rat piriform cortex on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in brain extracellular fluid (ECF). H2O2 decreased immediately after probe insertion into the brain, but increased over 300% in samples within minutes after collection. We assessed H2O2 changes in vitro in microdialysis perfusion media containing various ascorbic acid concentrations and confirmed ascorbic acid is a source of H2O2. We conclude that decreased H2O2 concentrations in perfusion media as it passes through the brain reflect an extracellular antioxidant effect, whereas the increase in H2O2 with time after sample collection indicates that H2O2 generating substances are present in ECF. Thus, the potential for producing reactive oxygen species in brain ECF exists following penetration injury, especially if transition metals are released into the neuronal microenvironment.
Methoxistasis: Integrating the Roles of Homocysteine and Folic Acid in Cardiovascular Pathobiology

Over the last four decades, abnormalities in the methionine-homocysteine cycle and associated folate metabolism have garnered great interest due to the reported link between hyperhomocysteinemia and human pathology, especially atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease. However, clinical trials of B-vitamin supplementation including high doses of folic acid have not demonstrated any benefit in preventing or treating cardiovascular disease. In addition to the fact that these clinical trials may have been shorter in duration than appropriate for modulating chronic disease states, it is likely that reduction of the blood homocysteine level may be an oversimplified approach to a complex biologic perturbation. The methionine-homocysteine cycle and folate metabolism regulate redox and methylation reactions and are, in turn, regulated by redox and methylation status. Under normal conditions, a normal redox-methylation balance, or “methoxistasis”, exists, coordinated by the methionine-homocysteine cycle. An abnormal homocysteine level seen in pathologic states may reflect a disturbance of methoxistasis. We propose that future research should be targeted at estimating the deviation from methoxistasis and how best to restore it. This approach could lead to significant advances in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure.
The Tits–Kantor–Koecher Construction and Birepresentations of the Jordan Superpair SH(1, n)

We introduce the concept of bimodule over a Jordan superpair and the Tits– Kantor–Koecher construction for bimodules. Using the construction we obtain the classification of irreducible bimodules ov...
PAYING THE DEVIL HIS DUE: LIMITS AND LIABILITIES OF WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY

Despite the intrinsic human benefit and potential organizational benefit of spirituality, we suggest that there are limits to the effectiveness of spirituality in the workplace. Spirituality in the workplace is subject to dilemmas, costs and outright negative effects. Successful implementation of spirituality in the workplace requires organizations to pay attention to six issues: (1) net economic cost of implementation, (2) potential for worker exploitation, (3) replacing or substituting community's function or role in spirituality, (4) inappropriate practice of spirituality in the workplace, (5) potential for competitive disadvantage, and (6) increased groupthink. We conclude by discussing research opportunities and practical suggestions.
Prostaglandin E1 influences pulsatile preservation characteristics and early graft function in expanded criteria donor kidneys.

Abstract Introduction. Unlike simple cold storage, machine preservation allows dynamic assessment and manipulation of the donor organ prior to transplantation. We prospectively compared the effects of five pharmacological agents added to the perfusate during machine preservation of expanded criteria donor (ECD) kidneys in order to (1) describe their influence on perfusion parameters and (2) determine their influence on early graft outcome. Methods. Two hundred seventy-five consecutive ECD kidneys were preserved in our laboratory between 1/1/94 and 12/31/97 by either machine perfusion (MP) or cold storage (CS). ECD kidneys were defined as those requiring pretransplant biopsy. ECD kidneys were divided by method of preservation and MP kidneys were randomized to receive prostaglandin E 1 (MP+PGE 1 ), trifluoperazine (TFP), verapamil (VER), papaverine (PAP), mannitol (MAN), or no intervention during the period of machine perfusion. CS kidneys were randomized to receive PGE 1 (CS+PGE 1 ), TFP, VER, PAP, or no intervention. All MP kidneys were preserved by continuous hypothermic pulsatile perfusion using Belzer II solution and perfusion parameters were measured every hour during pulsatile perfusion. All CS kidneys were stored in 1.0 L of University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. Results. The addition of PGE 1 to machine perfusate increased renal flow and decreased renal resistance. Moreover, the MP+PGE 1 -treated group was associated with improved early graft function compared to all other groups. The addition of VER, TFP, PAP, or MAN influenced neither the perfusion characteristics nor the incidence of early graft function in MP kidneys. Similarly, the addition of VER, TFP, or PAP did not influence early graft function in the CS kidneys. The CS+PGE 1 group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of early graft function than did the MP+PGE 1 group. Conclusions. PGE 1 treatment during machine preservation improves hydrostatic perfusion parameters and reduces the incidence of delayed graft function in ECD kidneys. Moreover, the addition of PGE 1 , TFP, VER, or PAP to UW does not influence early graft function in the CS kidney.
Do We Really Understand the Age-VSL Relationship?

Proposals to apply lower values to risk reductions for older adults have drawn attention to the theoretical and empirical findings describing the relationship between the value of a statistical life (VSL) and age. While the theoretical results are ambiguous and the empirical results mixed, the conclusion that VSL declines with age seems to have gained a status close to one of a professional consensus. This paper questions this rush to consensus by raising analytical and empirical concerns. We focus on the way in which individuals perceive multiple mortality risks and present both analytical and empirical results that are inconsistent with VSL declining with age.
Moderation of prekallkrein–factor XII interactions in surface activation of coagulation by protein-adsorption competition

Traditional biochemistry of contact activation of blood coagulation suggesting that anionic hydrophilic surfaces are specific activators of the cascade is inconsistent with known trends in protein adsorption. To investigate contact activation reactions, a chromogenic assay was used to measure prekallkrein (PK) hydrolysis to kallikrein (Kal) by activated factor XII (FXIIa) at test hydrophilic (clean glass) and hydrophobic (silanized glass) surfaces in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Hydrolysis of PK by FXIIa is detected after contact of the zymogen FXII with a test hydrophobic surface only if putatively-adsorbed FXIIa is competitively displaced by BSA. By contrast, FXIIa activity is detected spontaneously following FXII activation by a hydrophilic surface and requires no adsorption displacement. These results (i) show that an anionic hydrophilic surface is not a necessary cofactor for FXIIa-mediated hydrolysis of PK, (ii) indicate that PK hydrolysis does not need to occur by an activation complex assembled directly on an anionic, activating surface, (iii) confirms that contact activation of FXII (autoactivation) is not specific to anionic hydrophilic surfaces, and (iv) demonstrates that protein-adsorption competition is an essential feature that must be included in any comprehensive mechanism of surface-induced blood coagulation.
Providing effective low-cost back lighting for localized surgical procedures

A method of providing back light illumination was developed in the context of injecting rat fetuses. The illuminator had a compact flat design measuring approximately 2.6 cm x 6 cm, with minimal thickness (about 7 mm), and a proportionately large amount of active area. The top working surface was a glass plate through which the illumination was provided. The head provided diffuse light and remained relatively cool during operation. The unit was water proof (suitable for immersion in a warm saline bath) and provided isolation from hazardous voltages. The head was able to be freely positioned, with a small, flexible power lead that exited from a non-active area of the unit. The head was free of sharp or rough edges and was suitable for direct contact with delicate tissues.
Enhanced intracellular delivery of a model drug using microbubbles produced by a microfluidic device

Focal drug delivery to a vessel wall facilitated by intravascular ultrasound and microbubbles holds promise as a potential therapy for atherosclerosis. Conventional methods of microbubble administration result in rapid clearance from the bloodstream and significant drug loss. To address these limitations, we evaluated whether drug delivery could be achieved with transiently stable microbubbles produced in real time and in close proximity to the therapeutic site. Rat aortic smooth muscle cells were placed in a flow chamber designed to simulate physiological flow conditions. A flow-focusing microfluidic device produced 8 μm diameter monodisperse microbubbles within the flow chamber, and ultrasound was applied to enhance uptake of a surrogate drug (calcein). Acoustic pressures up to 300 kPa and flow rates up to 18 mL/s were investigated. Microbubbles generated by the flow-focusing microfluidic device were stabilized with a polyethylene glycol-40 stearate shell and had either a perfluorobutane (PFB) or nitrogen gas core. The gas core composition affected stability, with PFB and nitrogen microbubbles exhibiting half-lives of 40.7 and 18.2 s, respectively. Calcein uptake was observed at lower acoustic pressures with nitrogen microbubbles (100 kPa) than with PFB microbubbles (200 kPa) (p 3). In addition, delivery was observed at all flow rates, with maximal delivery (>70% of cells) occurring at a flow rate of 9 mL/s. These results demonstrate the potential of transiently stable microbubbles produced in real time and in close proximity to the intended therapeutic site for enhancing localized drug delivery.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ser/Thr protein kinase B mediates an oxygen-dependent replication switch.

The majority of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections are clinically latent, characterized by drug tolerance and little or no bacterial replication. Low oxygen tension is a major host factor inducing bacteriostasis, but the molecular mechanisms driving oxygen-dependent replication are poorly understood. Here, we tested the role of serine/threonine phosphorylation in the Mtb response to altered oxygen status, using an in vitro model of latency (hypoxia) and reactivation (reaeration). Broad kinase inhibition compromised survival of Mtb in reaeration. Activity-based protein profiling and genetic mutation identified PknB as the kinase critical for surviving hypoxia. Mtb replication was highly sensitive to changes in PknB levels in aerated culture, and even more so in hypoxia. A mutant overexpressing PknB specifically in hypoxia showed a 10-fold loss in viability and gross morphological defects in low oxygen conditions. In contrast, chemically reducing PknB activity during hypoxia specifically compromised resumption of growth during reaeration. These data support a model in which PknB activity is reduced to achieve bacteriostasis, and elevated when replication resumes. Together, these data show that phosphosignaling controls replicative transitions associated with latency and reactivation, that PknB is a major regulator of these transitions, and that PknB could provide a highly vulnerable therapeutic target at every step of the Mtb life cycle—active disease, latency, and reactivation.
Topologically massive planar universes with constant twist

Abstract We derive the general from of the topologically massive Einstein equations for stationary metrics. It is found that all these metrics have a nonvanishing twist. We then provide the complete set of solutions with constant twist and show their isometries.
Validity and Psychometric Properties of the Measure of Psychologically Abusive Behaviors Among Young Women and Women in Distressed Relationships

The Measure of Psychologically Abusive Behaviors (MPAB) was developed recently to improve on prior scales. Two nationally solicited samples of women were utilized to further validate the MPAB through the use of a criterion group, factor analysis, and designation of a threshold for accurate classification. MPAB scores were twice as high in the criterion group (M = 38.75 vs. M = 18.85; F = 22.17). Using a cutpoint of 1, the sensitivity and specificity for MPAB were .725 and .628, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was .97 for both samples. These data provide additional evidence for the MPAB as valid and internally consistent.
Infective Endocarditis in Neonates

We studied retrospectively the predisposing factors and signs of infective endocarditis (IE) in neonates and infants younger than 3 months of age, and we suggest diagnostic criteria. The charts of 16 infants less than 3 months of age, diagnosed with IE during a 5-year period, were reviewed for possible maternal and infant risk factors and for pathognomonic clinical and laboratory features. No apparent maternal risk factors were noted. Infant risk factors were congenital heart disease (4), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (5), and the use of central venous catheters (14). The main clinical findings were cardiac murmurs (12), petechiae (2), skin abscesses (7), arthritis (2), hepatomegaly (9), and splenomegaly (2). Echocardiography revealed a mass or vegetation in nine patients. Of the 27 microorganisms isolated from blood, the most common were staphylococci (15) and Candida sp. (6). Urine cultures were positive in six patients and cerebrospinal fluid cultures were positive in one. Other laboratory findings were not of diagnostic value. We conclude that the main risk factors for neonatal IE are central venous catheters and congenital heart disease, including PDA. The main causative microorganisms are staphylococci and Candida sp. The main investigations of diagnostic value are blood and urine cultures and echocardiography. We propose the diagnostic categories of definite, probable, and possible cases of neonatal IE, based primarily on clinical, blood culture, and echocardiographic data.