cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A DRM Solution for Online Content Using Blockchain - A Music Perspective

The amount of piracy in the streaming and static digital content in general and the music industry in specific is posing a challenge to digital content owners. The paper proposes a DRM system to monetize, track and control online content cross platforms. The system addresses the need to lowering the barriers of entry for music bands, content reconciliation for royalty payments, and controlling the content after dissemination. The paper benefits from the current advances in Blockchain and cryptocurrencies. In specific, the paper presents a digital currency (Asset Assertion (AA) Token) on a permission based Blockchain to enable the secure dissemination and tracking of the digital content. The paper presents the model, as well as its information schematics. The proposed solution provides the data owner the ability to control the flow of information even after she releases it, by creating a secure, self-installed, cross platform reader located on the digital content file header.
The limits of transactional identity: Whiteness and embodiment in digital facial replacement:

Focusing on a series of YouTube creators, this essay interrogates the persistence of the hegemonic power of the white male hardbody, arguing that digital facial replacements – in particular those o...
Conductors of care: exploring the role of the multiple sclerosis nurse in Australasia, phase 2

Background: Despite tremendous growth and change in the speciality of multiple sclerosis (MS) nursing in the last decade, there is a dearth of research aimed at defining the role of the MS nurse. T...
Research that Matters in an Age of Disruption: Preface to the Tenth International Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship

The Tenth International Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS 2020) was hosted virtually by Case Western Reserve University on September 10 - 14, 2020. It brought together doctoral students, alumni, and faculty from executive DBA programs as well as organizational managers and leaders to accelerate engaged management research and evidence-based management to share and strengthen multi-disciplinary applied research. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of such annual conferences hosted by EDBAC schools around the world. The inaugural event in 2010 was held at Case Western Reserve University. The conference theme, "Research That Matters in an Age of Disruption," highlights the growing need for practitioner-scholarship to address and understand ongoing disruptions created by climate change, growing social inequalities, digital technologies and new realities of the geo-political environment. During the planning of the conference yet another driver of disruption emerged - that of pandemic, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic which is shifting the values, business plans and processes, and geopolitical dynamics on a fast and unprecedented scale. The call of the conference is to review how engaged management scholars can make a difference through their research and involvement in a world fraught with significant economic, social, and global challenges. It appreciates scholarship that is future forming, through research and theory-building that seeks to shape awareness, decision models, and associated institutional policies and actions that underlie today’s businesses. Building future-fit scholarship is viewed as a collective affair, where each adjacent innovation—whether in theories or practices—adds to the number of achievable innovations and change. Such action research programs build on Kenneth Gergen’s idea for Generative Theory proposed over forty years ago.
Cryo-EM structure of the IL-10 receptor complex provides a blueprint for ligand engineering.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immunomodulatory cytokine that plays important roles in terminating inflammatory responses and preventing tissue damage resulting from autoimmunity. Although these anti-inflammatory actions have led to considerable clinical interest, efforts to exploit IL-10 therapeutically have been hindered by the highly pleiotropic nature of IL-10 and its ability to elicit proinflammatory effects in vivo. In this structural snapshot, we review the recent cryo-EM structure of the IL-10 receptor signaling complex, highlighting its unique structural features, insights into the mechanism of receptor sharing by the IL-10 cytokine family, and the implications for manipulating IL-10 signaling therapeutically.
Juridical Chameleons in the "New Erie" Canal

Justice Jackson cautioned that Federal law is no juridical chameleon, changing complexion. . . . That may be true, but reviewing the Court's recent history in federal common law cases demonstrates, particularly those in which Members of the Court cast their opinions in separation-of-powers terms (sometimes referred to as the New-Erie Doctrine), that the individual Justices routinely change their approaches to creating federal common law. The doctrine has become the antithesis of a neutral principle of adjudication. In some circumstances a Justice will rely on the doctrine while ignoring it in others, and there appears to be no principled basis for the difference. This article suggests that federal courts have considerable common law powers that support rather than undercut separation-of-powers principles. Separation of powers is not offended when federal courts create common law, provided that they restrain themselves to implementing policy inherent in the Constitution or in federal statutes rather than creating policy as a matter of judicial fiat.
PIKE GTPase: a novel mediator of phosphoinositide signaling

Phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase enhancer (PIKE) is a brain-specific GTPase that binds to PI 3-kinase and stimulates its lipid kinase activity. It exists in two forms: the first to be identified, PIKE-S, is shorter and exclusively nuclear; by contrast, the longer form, PIKE-L, resides in multiple intracellular compartments. Nerve growth factor treatment leads to PIKE-S activation by triggering the nuclear translocation of phospholipase C (PLC)-γ1, which acts as a physiological guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for PIKE-S through its Src-homlogy 3 (SH3) domain. Cytoplasmic PI 3-kinase and its lipid product phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5) P 3 ] regulate the membrane translocation and activation of many signaling molecules by binding to their pleckstrin homology (PH) domains. However, little is known about the physiological roles of their nuclear counterparts. The nuclear PLC-γ1/PIKE-S/PI 3-kinase signaling pathway seems to be an extension of the crosstalk between cytoplasmic PLC-γ1 and PI 3-kinase. PIKE-L contains a C-terminal extension consisting of an ADP ribosylation-GTPase-activating protein (ArfGAP) domain and two ankyrin repeats in addition to the N-terminal GTPase domain. PIKE-L could have additional, extranuclear functions, including regulation of postsynaptic signaling by metabotropic glutamate receptors.
The mechanism of interference between an avian leukosis virus and rous sarcoma virus: I. Establishment of interference☆

Abstract The adsorption of high concentrations of RAV-1 to chick embryo cells renders the cells resistant to infection by the pseudotype of Rous sarcoma virus designated RSV(RAV-1) which contains the RSV genome and the RAV-1 outer coat. The interfering RAV-1 particles may be added directly to the cell culture in high concentrations (early interference) or may be produced by the RAV-1 infected cells themselves (late interference). The degree of resistance can be reduced by treatment of cells with RAV-1 antibody or at pH 2.2 at all stages of RAV-1 infection. Early interference can be established by RAV-1 at temperatures low enough (4–8 °) to block penetration of the cell by the interfering virus. RAV-1 heated to 54 ° for 15 minutes loses its infectivity, but retains its capacity to induce early interference. After a 15-minute treatment of RAV-1 at higher temperatures both properties are lost, and at lower temperatures neither is lost.
Reform of the Nigerian Banking System – Assessment of the AssetManagement Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and Recent Developments

In 2010, Nigeria created the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), a special resolution vehicle, designed to remove “toxic” assets from the country’s distressed banking system. This article briefly reviews AMCON’s effectiveness, its independence as reflected in its organizational structure and its sources of funding, and potential hindrances to achieving its goal of stabilizing the Nigerian banking system.
Carving complex many-atom entangled states by single-photon detection

We propose a versatile and efficient method to generate a broad class of complex entangled states of many atoms via the detection of a single photon. For an atomic ensemble contained in a strongly coupled optical cavity illuminated by weak single- or multifrequency light, the atom-light interaction entangles the frequency spectrum of a transmitted photon with the collective spin of the atomic ensemble. Simple time-resolved detection of the transmitted photon then projects the atomic ensemble into a desired pure entangled state. This method can be implemented with existing technology, yields high success probability per trial, and can generate complex entangled states such as mesoscopic superposition states of coherent spin states with high fidelity.
A geografia eleitoral do estado do Tocantins: análise das eleições para governador de 1988 a 2010

This article was devised based on a survey that establishes an intrinsic relationship between geography and vote in the State of Tocantins. The main objective consisted in developing an analysis of the spatial distribution of the votes for the state executive (governor) from 1988 to 2010 in this state, distributed into its 139 municipal districts, so we can identify the territoriality of the votes as well as the state voting domains that were established during the political life in Tocantins. For such, during this survey, we spent time reading bibliographies related to the theme in question, and to collect and map the results of the election dispute available in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and Regional Electoral Court-Tocantins (TRE/TO). As considerations, we appointed the use and control of the territory exercised by means of the vote by distinct regional political players, maintenance of the political power over a political elite established since the first election for governor (1988) and its implications on the electoral geography of Tocantins.
Investigation of the mechanisms by which “enhancing” antiserum prevents induction of delayed hypersensitivity to protein antigens in mice

Abstract Enhancing antibody (referred to here as "contrasensitizer"), produced in hyperimmunized mice and injected daily into normal mice during the first 5 days of their exposure to purified protein antigens in incomplete Freund adjuvant, prevents these mice from developing delayed (tuberculin-type) hypersensitivity by specifically blocking antigen-host cell interactions in the earliest stages of sensitization. An antigen inoculum is permanently inactivated by such a series of contrasensitizer injections; but treated mice are not made immunologically unresponsive, for they can respond normally to a second inoculation not neutralized by a second course of contrasensitizer injections. The inhibitory antibody, apparently a 7S gamma-1 globulin and not a precipitin, cannot prevent activation of an anamnestic response; but its administration can be delayed as much as 4 days after original antigen inoculation and still prevent primary induction of delayed hypersensitivity. Much less effectively, it also suppresses induction of Arthus hypersensitivity. In terms of retained inhibitory activity, it is estimated to have a half-life of only 10 to 12 hours.
cvTile: Multilevel parallel geospatial data processing with OpenCV and CUDA

We are publishing an open source library to facilitate the use of three key image processing technologies (GDAL, OpenCV, CUDA) for scalable, high performance geospatial data processing. Herein, we present two computationally demanding algorithms for geospatial data processing which are commonly used for complex structural analysis of imagery. We show that processing time can be reduced by 98.1% and 84.3% for two computationally complex structural analysis algorithms using GPU co-processors over a pure CPU solution. It is our hope that the geoscience community will benefit from, and extend, this library; accelerating the development and integration of novel image processing, pattern recognition, and image information mining techniques.
Nickel and platinum σ-bonded derivatives of corannulene

Organometallic corannulene derivatives with nickel and platinum σ-bonded to the edge have been prepared by oxidative addition of bromocorannulenes to Ni(COD)2/2PEt3 and Pt(PEt3)4.
Phase relationships in the iron-rich Fe-Al alloys

X-ray diffraction study of isothermally annealed powder specimens of Fe-Al alloys with 18.75 to 32 at. pct Al indicates that the α + FeAl two-phase field closes at around 662‡C where both phases have the same composition: 23.9 at. pct Al. X-ray diffraction and magnetic data show that any twophase field that may exist between the FeAl and Fe3Al phases must be extremely narrow. It is probable that there is no two-phase field and that the transition is of a higher than first order type.
Medical systems as changing social systems

Abstract Medical systems are seen as dependent components of their political economic contexts. A set of ideals are identified for achieving a fully regionalized health service as a system offering equity of access and adequate services for all along with user control. The most supportive national political economic context for this kind of health service system is seen as democratic centralism directed toward achieving a socialist economy. With regard to how inequitous systems might move, or be moved, toward the ideal, some phases of human liberation are identified as found in the work of Fanon.
SOIL FAUNA AND PLANT LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN TROPICAL AND SUBALPINE FORESTS

The decomposition of plant residues is influenced by their chemical com- position, the physical-chemical environment, and the decomposer organisms. Most studies interested in latitudinal gradients of decomposition have focused on substrate quality and climate effects on decomposition, and have excluded explicit recognition of the soil or- ganisms involved in the process. To test whether soil fauna exhibit different effects under diverse climates or substrates, we quantified decomposition rates and N fluxes in control and fauna-excluded treatments with litterbags containing relatively high-quality (Quercus gambehii) and low-quality (Cecropia scheberiana) litter in sites representing large differ- ences in climate as measured by AET (actual evapotranspiration). Two subtropical sites included a wet and a dry forest, and two temperate sites included north- and south-facing subalpine forests. We found that: (1) all three factors (climate, substrate quality, and soil fauna) independently influenced the decomposition rate of plant litter in the tropical and subalpine forests; (2) faunal effects on decomposition rates and N mineralization of Q. gambelii and C. scheberiana were consistently higher in the tropical wet forest than in the tropical dry and subalpine forests; (3) there was no significant interaction of fauna and litter species on the annual decay rates; and (4) the density (numbers per gram of dry litter) of total fauna was highest in the tropical wet forest, intermediate in the subalpine forests, and lowest in the tropical dry forest. Our results indicate that soil fauna have a dispro- portionately larger effect on litter decomposition in a tropical wet forest than in a tropical dry or a subalpine forest. The annual decay rates of Q. gambelii and C. scheberiana are not influenced differentially by the soil fauna in the tropical and subalpine forests.
The Effects of Narrative and Message Framing on Engagement and Eating Intention Among a Sample of Adult Hispanics

Abstract Objective To test the effect of narrative messages and gain- and loss-framed messages on persuasive outcomes with a sample of Hispanic adults. Methods A 2 (message type: narrative, non-narrative) × 2 (message frame: gain-framed, loss-framed) between subjects posttest only. Data were collected at 2 outdoor festivals in West Texas. Participants were a convenience sample of 72 Hispanic adults (mean age, 40.6 years). Main outcome measures were message engagement, message relevance, attitude toward message, healthy eating intention, and physical activity intention. Data analysis included analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance. Results There was no significant difference between narrative and non-narrative messages. Gain-framed messages were rated more positively, whereas loss-framed messages were considered more engaging and also produced higher intentions to eat healthy and to become physically active. The interaction between message type and message framing was not significant. Conclusions and Implications Loss-framed messages produced the unanticipated effect of higher message engagement and higher intention. This finding suggests that messages emphasizing losses associated with unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity may be more effective when targeting Hispanic adults than messages emphasizing potential gains. The lack of difference between narrative and non-narrative messages suggests there is no disadvantage to using narratives, but also no advantage.
Unpacking the Global Perspective: Examining NISPAcee Region-Focused Public Administration Research in American Scholarly Journals

Comparative and international public administration research in the United States (US) has enjoyed moments of both prestige and inattention over the last several decades, variation that is important in that it reflects the efforts of a scholarly field to contribute to improved individual and organizational performance. These contributions are, in and of themselves, worthy of attention and critical reflection. This article examines public administration research focused on the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe region published in US-based academic journals from 1997 to 2012, discussing trends that have characterized empirical and conceptual research during that period. The article concludes with comments on collaboration in public administration research.
Classification of mass and normal breast tissue: a convolution neural network classifier with spatial domain and texture images

The authors investigated the classification of regions of interest (ROI's) on mammograms as either mass or normal tissue using a convolution neural network (CNN). A CNN is a backpropagation neural network with two-dimensional (2-D) weight kernels that operate on images. A generalized, fast and stable implementation of the CNN was developed. The input images to the CNN were obtained from the ROI's using two techniques. The first technique employed averaging and subsampling. The second technique employed texture feature extraction methods applied to small subregions inside the ROI. Features computed over different subregions were arranged as texture images, which were subsequently used as CNN inputs. The effects of CNN architecture and texture feature parameters on classification accuracy were studied. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology was used to evaluate the classification accuracy. A data set consisting of 168 ROIs containing biopsy-proven masses and 504 ROI's containing normal breast tissue was extracted from 168 mammograms by radiologists experienced in mammography. This data set was used for training and testing the CNN. With the best combination of CNN architecture and texture feature parameters, the area under the test ROC curve reached 0.87, which corresponded to a true-positive fraction of 90% at a false positive fraction of 31%. The authors' results demonstrate the feasibility of using a CNN for classification of masses and normal tissue on mammograms.
Wave Propagation in Monatomic Lattices with Anharmonic Potential

Whitham's variational method for nonlinear dispersive wave propagation is used to obtain the nonlinear dispersion relation between frequency, wavenumber, and amplitude in a monatomic chain of particles. The interactive force in the chain is of third degree in the relative displacement of nearest neighbours. The frequency is shown to be larger than its infinitesimal amplitude value at low wavenumbers and less at high wavenumbers, changing sign at a critical frequency which depends on the force constants of the lattice. The periodic dependence of frequency upon wavenumber is preserved, but the cutoff frequency diminishes with increasing amplitude. The dilatation or expansion of the lattice is found always to be positive and it increases with wavenumber and amplitude. The Gruneisen ratio, i.e. the relative rate of change of frequency with respect to dilatation, depends on wavenumber and force constants. The formula reproduces the value given by quasilinear theory at the edge of the Brillouin zone, but predicts a sharp decrease with decreasing wavenumber, leading even to negative ratios under some circumstances. Finally, the space-time evolution of modulation perturbations on the nonlinear uniform wave is analyzed on the basis of Karpman's and Krushkal's theories. The linear chain is found to be mechanically unstable for wavenumbers less than a wavenumber K$\_{0}$ defined by the wavenumber k$\_{0}$ of the uniform wave and the force constants, but the instability may or may not be severe, since the amplitude of the perturbation is self-limiting.
Propagation and transmission of optical vortex beams through turbid scattering wall with orbital angular momentums

Light scattering and transmission of optical Laguerre Gaussian (LG) vortex beams with different orbital angular momentum (OAM) states in turbid scattering media were investigated in comparison with Gaussian (G) beam. The scattering media used in the experiments consist of various sizes and concentrations of latex beads in water solutions. The LG beams were generated using a spatial light modulator in reflection mode. The ballistic transmissions of LG and G beams were measured with different ratios of thickness of samples (z) to scattering mean free path (l s ) of the turbid media, z/l s . The results show that in the ballistic region where z/ls is small, the LG and G beams show no significant difference, while in the diffusive region where z/l s is large, LG beams show higher transmission than Gaussian beam. In the diffusive region, the LG beams with higher orbital angular momentum L values show higher transmission than the beams with lower L values. The transition points from ballistic to diffusive regions for different scattering media were studied and determined.
Regeneration of plants from protoplasts of potato virus X-infected tobacco leaves.

Abstract Mesophyll cell protoplasts were isolated from tobacco leaves systemically infected by potato virus X (PVX), and over 4000 plants were regenerated from them. Of these, 92.5% were PVX infected, and a broad range of variant virus strains was found to occur among the different protoplast-derived plants. Of the 7.5% of the plants which were not infected, all were susceptible upon reinoculation although one plant required three inoculations with a PVX preparation at 2 mg/ml before systemic infection was established. Uninfected cells from a systemically infected leaf displayed no selective cultural advantage over PVX-infected cells when plated and induced to form colonies. However, when protoplasts were isolated from PVX and potato virus Y (PVY) doubly infected leaves, a pronounced selective advantage was observed for protoplasts which were not doubly infected. Of plants regenerated from protoplasts of PVX-PVY-infected leaves, over 95% were free from viral infection.
Cell Number and Neuropil Alterations in Subregions of the Anterior Hippocampus in a Female Monkey Model of Depression

Background The anterior hippocampus is associated with emotional functioning and hippocampal volume is reduced in depression. More women are clinically depressed than men, yet the depressed female brain is little studied. We reported reduced anterior hippocampal volume in behaviorally depressed adult female cynomolgus macaques; the mechanisms contributing to that reduction are unknown. The present study represents the first systematic morphological investigation of the entire hippocampus in depressed female primates. Methods Cellular determinants of hippocampal size were examined in subregions of anterior and posterior hippocampus in antidepressant-naive, adult female monkeys characterized for behavioral depression and matched on variables that influence hippocampal size ( n = 8 depressed, 8 nondepressed). Unbiased stereology was used to estimate neuronal and glial numbers, neuronal soma size, and regional and layer volumes. Results Neuropil and cell layer volumes were reduced in cornu ammonis (CA)1 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the anterior but not the posterior hippocampus of depressed compared with nondepressed monkeys. Glial numbers were 30% lower in anterior CA1 and DG of depressed monkeys, with no differences observed in the posterior hippocampus. Granule neuron number tended toward a reduction in anterior DG; pyramidal neuron number was unchanged in any region. Size of pyramidal neurons and glial densities tended to be reduced throughout the whole hippocampus of depressed monkeys, whereas neuronal densities were unchanged. Conclusions The reduced size of the anterior hippocampus in depressed female monkeys appears to arise from alterations in numbers of glia and extent of neuropil, but not numbers of neurons, in CA1 and DG.
Detonation Nanodiamond and Onion-Like-Carbon- Embedded Polyaniline for Supercapacitors

The detonation nanodiamond is a versatile low-cost nanomaterial with tunable properties and surface chemistry. In this work, it is shown how the application of nanodiamond (ND) can greatly increase the performance of electrochemically active polymers, such as polyaniline (PANI). Symmetric supercapacitors containing PANI-ND nanocomposite electrodes with 3–28 wt% ND show dramatically improved cycle stability and higher capacitance retention at fast sweep rate than pure PANI electrodes. Contrary to other PANI-carbon nanocomposites, specifi c capacitance of the selected PANI electrodes with embedded ND increases after 10 000 galvanostatic cycles and reaches 640 F g − 1 , when measured in a symmetric two-electrode confi guration with 1 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte. The demonstrated specifi c capacitance is 3–4 times higher than that of the activated carbons and more than 15 times higher than that of ND and onion-like carbon (OLC).
Role of P-glycoprotein in transplacental transfer of methadone.

Methadone is the therapeutic agent of choice for treatment of the pregnant opiate addict. However, little is known on the factors affecting its concentration in the fetal circulation during pregnancy and how it might relate to neonatal outcome. Therefore, a better understanding of the function of placental metabolic enzymes and transporters should add to the knowledge of the role of the tissue in the disposition of methadone and its relation to neonatal outcome. We hypothesized that the expression and activity of the placental efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) would affect the transfer of methadone to the fetal circulation. Data obtained utilizing dual perfusion of placental lobule and monolayers of Be–Wo cell line indicated that methadone is extruded by P-gp. Transfer of methadone to the fetal circuit was increased by 30% in the presence of the P-gp inhibitor GF120918 while the transfer of paclitaxel, a typical substrate of the glycoprotein, was increased by 50%. In the Be–Wo cell line, methadone and paclitaxel uptake was also increased in the presence of the P-gp inhibitor cyclosporin A. Moreover, the expression of P-gp in placental brush–border membranes varied between term placentas. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that the concentration of methadone in the fetal circulation is affected by the expression and activity of P-gp. It is reasonable to speculate that placental disposition of methadone affects its concentration in the fetal circulation. If true, this may also be directly related to the incidence and intensity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
The effect of polarization on the fluctuations in nuclear cross-sections

Abstract The effect of including polarization on the statistical properties of fluctuating cross-sections is examined. The theory of cross-section fluctuations as developed by Ericson and Brink and Stephen pictures a compound nucleus reaction as a Gaussian random process. For simplicity only spin one half particles are considered. It will be shown that a comparison of the results with the well-known fluctuation formula for the number of statistical degrees of freedom suggests that polarized spin one half particles have 2 (1 + P 2 ) as many degrees of freedom as polarized particles. The results suggest that it may be possible to measure the mean polarization in a reaction by merely observing the damping of the fluctuations.
Radial artery conduits improve long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background The second best conduit for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is unclear. We sought to determine if the use of a second arterial conduit, the radial artery (RA), would improve long-term survival after CABG using the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and saphenous vein (SV). Methods We compared the 14-year outcomes in propensity-matched patients undergoing isolated, primary CABG using the LITA, RA, and SV versus CABG using the LITA and only SV. In all, 826 patients from each group had similar propensity-matched demographics and multiple variables. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality obtained using the Social Security Death Index. Results Perioperative outcomes including in hospital mortality (0.1% for the RA patients and 0.2% for the SV patients) were similar. Kaplan-Meier survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 98.3%, 93.9%, and 83.1% for the RA group versus 97.2%, 88.7%, and 74.3% for the SV group (log rank, p = 0.0011). Cox proportional hazards models showed a lower all-cause mortality in the RA group (hazard ratio 0.72, confidence interval: 0.56 to 0.92, p = 0.0084). Ten-year survivals showed a 52% increased mortality for the SV patients (25.7%) versus the RA patients (16.9%; p = 0.0011). For symptomatic patients, RA patency was 80.7%, which was not different than the LITA patency rate of 86.4% but was superior to the SV patency rate of 46.7% (p Conclusions Using the LITA, SV, and a RA conduit for CABG results in significantly improved long-term survival compared with using the LITA and SV. The use of two arterial conduits offers a clear and lasting survival advantage, likely due to the improved patency of RA grafts. We conclude that RA conduits should be more widely utilized during CABG.
The Consequences of Nursing Stress and Need for Integrated Solutions

Purpose In a 2011 survey sponsored by the American Nurses Association (ANA), nurses identified the acute and chronic effects of stress and overwork as one of their two top safety and health concerns. Design/Methods A review of the literature was conducted to investigate the impact that job stress has on the health and safety of nursing professionals and the role that working conditions and job characteristics play in fostering job stress. Findings Strong evidence supporting links between job stress, safety and health in general and within different types of nursing populations exists. Working conditions also contribute to the development of job stress. Conclusion Combining and integrating “person-focused” strategies designed to build nurses' ability to manage stress at the individual level with “organization-focused” strategies that eliminate stressful working conditions is critical to the reduction and prevention of job stress among nursing professionals.
A Paradigm for the Management of Complex Perineal Crohn’s Disease in the Anti-TNF Era

Perineal disease affects up to 40% of patients with Crohn’s disease. Perinal Crohn’s disease can be either simple or complex. A simple shallow fistula without rectal disease is treated with fistulotomy. Complex fistulous disease is characterized by numerous tracts, deep fistuli threatening the sphincter, adjacent organ involvement, and severe rectal disease. Complex disease is a multidisciplinary problem that requires the coordinated care of surgeon, gastroenterologist, stomal therapists, and other support personnel. Control of sepsis using surgical drainage, setons, and antibiotics should be rapidly instituted with a simultaneous investigation of the entire digestive tract. Infliximab, frequently used in conjunction with immunosuppressive therapy, may allow subsequent seton removal indicated by decrease in purulence with contraction of the tract around the seton. Removal of the seton under such circumstances will heal fistulous disease in 40 to 60% of patients. Chronic infliximab and/or immunosuppressive therapy is frequently necessary. Failures may still be salvaged using alternate surgical and medical means. Severe proctitis unresponsive to medical management bodes poorly for long-term preservation of anal function and frequently necessitates proctectomy.
Coercivity and its role in thermomagnetic recording

A model is proposed for the mechanism of magnetization reversal in thin films of amorphous rare‐earth–transition‐metal alloys. The model exhibits the observed features of the magnetization reversal process, coercivity and the processes of thermomagnetic recording and erasure.
Potential identification of chemical carcinogens in a viral transformation system

Abstract Chemical carcinogens from several diverse chemical classes i.e.; aromatic amines, polycyclic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, hormonal derivatives, metals and direct alkylating agents cause a 6.2–60.5-fold increase in the frequency of murine sarcoma virus (MSV)-induced transformation in a normal rat kidney (NRK) cell system. Exogenous metabolic activation with a rat liver S-9 homogenate is required for expression of this activity by procarcinogens. Non-carcinogenic analogs of these compounds fail to cause significant increases in the transformation frequency either with or without prior metabolic activation. Iododeoxyuridine, a mutagen also does not cause enhancement of transformation. This system may serve as the basis for a rapid and quantifiable means of identifying chemical carcinogens while introducing a new model for the understanding of the interactions between oncorna-viruses and chemical carcinogens.
Multiple behavioral treatment in a sexually aggressive male

Multiple behavioral strategies were used in the treatment of a sexually aggressive male. Self-monitoring reduced obsessive thoughts revolving around poor social relations and sexual aggressiveness. A social skills training program was used to remedy basic skill deficits and improve heterosexual interactions. Compulsive washing and checking rituals were treated with response prevention and flooding in an inpatient setting. Treatment gains were maintained at an 8-month follow-up.
C-terminal tensin-like (CTEN): a promising biomarker and target for cancer

C-terminal tensin-like (cten, also known as tensin4, TNS4) is a member of the tensin family. Cten protein, like the other three tensin family members, localizes to focal adhesion sites but only shares sequence homology with other tensins at its C-terminal region, which contains the SH2 and PTB domains. Cten is abundantly expressed in normal prostate and placenta and is down-regulated in prostate cancer. However, overexpression of cten frequently associates with tumors derived from breast, colon, lung, stomach, skin and pancreas. A variety of cancer-associated growth factors and cytokines induce cten expression. Up-regulated cten promotes cell motility, prolongs epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, and enhances tumorigenicity. Emerging findings suggest that cten is a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for various cancers.
A method for assaying aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in man using fibroblasts cultured in vitro from oral mucosa

Animal studies have linked aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) with cancer induction by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), but the relationship between the activation of PAH by AHH and cancer induction in man is unclear. Studies using human lymphocytes to investigate this relationship have produced conflicting results. This report describes a technique for assaying AHH in fibroblasts isolated and cultured from normal human oral mucosa. Fibroblasts were cultured from normal portions of routine oral mucosal biopsy specimens obtained from 6 patients, and AHH activity was found in fibroblasts cultured from all the specimens. AHH activity was induced by 1,2-benzanthracene and reached a peak after 48 h. The assay had a pH optimum of 8.6 and an absolute requirement for reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The fibroblasts maintained their inducibility of AHH through 11 cell passages. Fibroblasts cultured from oral mucosal biopsy specimens offer several advantages over other systems for comparison of individual differences in AHH activity in man, including the consistent presence of inducible AHH activity, stability of enzyme activity in culture, provision of ample number of cells for study, and availability of oral mucosal specimens from patients having routine diagnostic biopsies.
A properly configured ring structure is critical for the function of the mitochondrial DNA recombination protein, Mgm101.

Mgm101 is a Rad52-type recombination protein of bacteriophage origin required for the repair and maintenance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). It forms large oligomeric rings of ∼14-fold symmetry that catalyze the annealing of single-stranded DNAs in vitro. In this study, we investigated the structural elements that contribute to this distinctive higher order structural organization and examined its functional implications. A pair of vicinal cysteines, Cys-216 and Cys-217, was found to be essential for mtDNA maintenance. Mutations to the polar serine, the negatively charged aspartic and glutamic acids, and the hydrophobic amino acid alanine all destabilize mtDNA in vivo. The alanine mutants have an increased propensity of forming macroscopic filaments. In contrast, mutations to aspartic acid drastically destabilize the protein and result in unstructured aggregates with severely reduced DNA binding activity. Interestingly, the serine mutants partially disassemble the Mgm101 rings into smaller oligomers. In the case of the C216S mutant, a moderate increase in DNA binding activity was observed. By using small angle x-ray scattering analysis, we found that Mgm101 forms rings of ∼200 A diameter in solution, consistent with the structure previously established by transmission electron microscopy. We also found that the C216A/C217A double mutant tends to form broken rings, which likely provide free ends for seeding the growth of the super-stable but functionally defective filaments. Taken together, our data underscore the importance of a delicately maintained ring structure critical for Mgm101 activity. We discuss a potential role of Cys-216 and Cys-217 in regulating Mgm101 function and the repair of damaged mtDNA under stress conditions.
Inhibition of mouse skin tumor promotion by adriamycin and daunomycin in combination with verapamil or palmitoylcarnitine.

Abstract The anti-cancer drugs Adriamycin (ADR) and Daunomycin (DAU) alone were unable to inhibit the promotion of skin papillomas by repeated applications of 8.5 nmol of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-initiated mice. Pretreatments with 50 μg of ADR also failed to alter the tumor-promoting activities of smaller doses of TPA. Therefore, the effects of the anthracycline antibiotics on skin tumor promotion were evaluated in combination with the Ca 2+ antagonist verapamil (VRP) and the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor palmitoylcarnitine (PC), compounds known to circumvent drug resistance. When applied simultaneously with each promotion treatment with 8.5 nmol of TPA, 2.5 mg of VRP inhibited the number of papillomas/mouse by 26%. But the combination of VRP + 50 μg of ADR or DAU inhibited the yields of papillomas by 50 or 47%, respectively, suggesting that VRP was required to reveal the antitumorpromoting activities of otherwise ineffective drugs. Similarly, the promotion of skin tumors by TPA was inhibited synergistically by the combinations of 2 μmol of PC + 50 μg of ADR or DAU. For instance, ADR and DAU had no effects alone but inhibited the incidence of skin papillomas by 78 and 86%, respectively, in the presence of PC, a compound which alone inhibited the tumor incidence by only 44%. The results indicate that ADR and DAU are effective against the promoting component of skin carcinogenesis only if they are applied in combination with Ca 2+ antagonists or PKC inhibitors at a time when they can inhibit the early biochemical effects induced by TPA.
Humanitarian Intervention: An Overview of the Ethical Issues

The capacity to focus on the issue of humanitarian intervention represents what Joel Rosenthal has noted as the maturation of the field of ethics and international affairs. If nothing else, the debate surrounding this vexed issue has demonstrated that we have left behind the so-called oxymoron problem: there is no reason now to be defensive about bracketing the terms “ethics” and “international relations.” One can hardly talk about Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti, Somalia, or any cases of possible outside intervention, without recognizing from the very beginning that ethical dilemmas abound in the way we define our goals, our interests, and the means we use to pursue them. Even Samuel P. Huntington, not usually known to be a moralist, has asserted that “it is morally unjustifiable and politically indefensible that members of the [U.S.] armed forces should be killed to prevent Somalis from killing one another.” Whether or not one agrees with that assertion (I do not), one may note that Huntington speaks in terms of moral justification and regards his view of morality to be, in effect, self-evidently true. Thus even archrealists invoke morality in urging their preferred policies.The discussion in this essay proceeds in three unequal stages. First, I present a brief and oversimple sketch of the objective and subjective changes in the broader milieu of international relations as they relate to humanitarian intervention. Second, and more substantially, I survey and analyze the arguments justifying or opposing the notion of humanitarian intervention from realist and liberal perspectives. Finally, I offer the beginnings of my own argument and consider the enormous difficulties of undertaking humanitarian intervention with any degree of effectiveness and consistency.
Elevated Estimated Pulmonary Artery Systolic Pressure is Associated with an Adverse Clinical Outcome in Patients Receiving Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Background:A substantial percentage of patients with heart failure remain nonresponsive to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). There is a paucity of information on the impact of baseline elevated pulmonary artery pressure on clinical outcome and on left ventricular reverse remodeling (LV-RR) after CRT. We sought to investigate the impact of elevated estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (ePASP) on clinical outcome and LV-RR after CRT. Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed data from 68 subjects with standard indications for CRT over a 12-month period. Subjects were stratified into two groups based on the echocardiographic estimation of pulmonary artery pressure i.e., ePASP ≥ 50 mmHg (n = 27) and ePASP < 50 mmHg (n = 41). Long-term response was measured as a combined endpoint of heart failure hospitalizations and all cause mortality at 12 months, and compared within the two groups using the Kaplan-Meier method. Follow up echocardiograms to assess for LV-RR were available in 51 subjects (mean duration 7.1 months). LV-RR was defined as any improvement in global systolic function with reduction in left ventricular internal diameter. Results:The study population was composed of 24 women and 44 men (age, mean ± SD; 70 ± 11 years), with a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction ([25 ± 9]%) and a wide QRS (171 ± 54 ms). There were no significant differences in the clinical features between the high and low ePASP group. Subjects with ePASP ≥ 50 mmHg had a significantly worse clinical outcome (Hazard ratio (95% CI), 2.0 (1.2–5.5), P = 0.02). Baseline ePASP was not predictive of LV-RR (P = 0.32). Conclusion:In patients receiving CRT, although elevated estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (ePASP ≥ 50 mmHg) does not significantly impact LV reverse remodeling, it is associated with an adverse long-term outcome.
Active snore noise control systems

This paper presents an application of active noise control (ANC) algorithms for reducing snoring noise. The snore ANC system installed on a traditional headboard has potential benefits of retrofitting, convenience, and being unobtrusive. ANC algorithms in both single-channel and multiple-channel structures have been developed and tested to evaluate their performance for canceling snore. Adaptive infinite impulse response (IIR) filters and adaptive finite impulse response (FIR) filters with feedback neutralization were examined on their effectiveness of reducing acoustic feedback. Real-time experiments were conducted using a digital signal processor development system and recorded snore samples. An average reduction of 15 to 20 dB at both ears of snorer's bed partner can be achieved using multiple-channel ANC systems.
Factors controlling slip-lineation orientation on thrust-fault planes

Abstract The presence of multiple sets of curved and/or non-coaxial slip lineations on a single fault surface suggests changing stress conditions during the movement history of the fault. Curved slip lineations suggest a progressive change in the stress field during a single displacement event, whereas non-coaxial slip lineations suggest periodic reactivation of a fault under different stress conditions. If the direction of slip is assumed to reflect the direction of maximum shear stress acting on a pre-existing fault, changes in only the relative magnitudes of principal stresses acting on the thrust sheet are sufficient to cause changes in slip-lineation orientation. Consequently, curved and/or non-coaxial slip lineations simply may record temporal changes in principal-stress magnitudes resulting from syntectonic erosion, changes in tectonic-stress magnitude, and ramping of thrusts to shallower depths. We illustrate that a decrease in overburden or an increase in the magnitude of tectonic stress results in a progressive up-dip rotation of slip lineations on a fault surface, a rotation which could be misinterpreted as indicating polyphase deformation caused by changes in regional displacement directions. Changes in pore pressure do not influence the trajectory of slip on a fault surface, but rather affect the conditions governing the likelihood for slip to occur.
Gene expression changes in schizophrenia: how do they arise and what do they mean?

The advent of different methods for quantifying messenger RNAs has made it possible to assess the tissue levels of the transcription products of virtually every gene expressed in the human brain, and to determine whether the expression of each gene is altered in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. However, these advances have raised a number of interpretive questions, including what causes diseaserelated mRNA expression changes and what such changes mean for the function of the affected brain circuits. In this paper, we consider possible answers to these questions for two genes, Regulator of G Protein Signaling 4 (RGS4) and the 67 kilodalton isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67), both of which have been found to be under-expressed in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia. q 2005 Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.